Chapter 92
Chapter 92
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 92
Chapter Title: Screams Echoing Through the Practical Exam (3)
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Creplt Family's forest.
The students ran through the woods, gritting their teeth. Screams echoed from all directions. But there was no time to heed every one of them.
Monsters lunged out.
From the shadows in the forest, from within the mist.
No matter where they stepped, monsters awaited. And these weren't ordinary ones. Creatures they'd only read about in books appeared before their eyes.
Monsters they'd never faced before.
Monsters they knew only from fragmented knowledge.
Of course, knowledge and experience are different things. Few could instantly turn book learning into action. Most students panicked.
"Ugh, uwaaaah!"
"The ground! It's coming from the ground!"
"M-Mute Shadow!"
Screams poured out from everywhere. And those screams drew even more monsters. The students began falling into chaos.
The monsters were bad enough, but the forest itself was unnatural.
Sunlight barely filtered in. Everywhere was shadowy, exuding a damp, eerie vibe. The deeper they ran, the thicker the forest mist grew.
"What... what is this place...?"
"It's so dark."
"Damp. Why is the air like this...?"
The environment itself felt alien.
The forest they'd seen from outside was nothing like the one they experienced inside. This wasn't the kind of woods they knew. The unfamiliar setting amplified their unease.
It was dark.
The air was chilling.
Damp, almost suffocating.
Come to think of it, the trees looked a bit off too. Looking around, the woods were filled with trees whose branches twisted in unnatural directions.
"Ugh, ugh... "
"Wait, go slow...!"
It was a grotesque, spine-chilling scene.
A caw, caw—like a crow's cry—seemed to echo from somewhere. Every time it sounded, the students flinched and shuddered.
"This is a forest?"
Someone's muttered doubt spoke for everyone. Terrified, the students pressed on, wary of monsters that could spring out from anywhere.
...The students had no way of knowing.
The forest, reconstructed via the Illusion Magic Tool, resembled a certain landscape. And such tools manifested the scenery imagined by their user.
Raniel was the one using the magic tool.
What she'd envisioned was a forest bordering the demon realm.
The landscape born from her imagination was exquisitely detailed. Indistinguishable from reality. Normally, even battle-hardened veterans struggled to create environments this refined with such a tool.
The twisted trees.
The chilling blanket of mist.
The stench of monsters wafting from beyond the fog.
To replicate even these fine details without omission... Unless one had lived in a demon realm, it was impossible.
"Hm."
And there was one mage present.
"...A bit lacking?"
This mage, whose thinking differed from others, had rolled around in a demon realm for five years. Stroking her chin as she surveyed the forest she'd created.
'Something's missing.'
Raniel.
'No demonic energy laid over it? Well, adding that might be overkill...'
Lania van Trias.
"Eh, this'll do fine."
The mage who roamed demon realms like her own backyard.
She muttered with her chin propped up.
"They'll learn after dying once or twice."
Thirty minutes had passed since the exam began.
Students were being bounced out of the forest one after another. Watching them, Raniel gave a wry smile.
'In a real battle, you'd all be dead.'
Thankfully, her mutter didn't reach the students.
2.
Thirty minutes had passed since the exam started.
Numerous students had received the one-hour wait penalty and returned to the forest entrance.
"... "
Some lay sprawled on the ground in a big X, others sat on stumps staring blankly at the sky. Their eyes lacked focus.
"Hey."
Suddenly, someone spoke weakly.
"...What got you?"
"Mana Eater."
Someone answered the question. Their voice was lifeless, hollow. As if in resonance, others began chiming in one by one.
"Mana Eater for me too."
"...Black Wolf pack."
"Mute Shadow for me. A shadow suddenly shot up from the ground. It grabbed my throat... and I was out."
Mana Eater.
Black Wolf pack.
Mute Shadow.
Monsters known to appear on battlefields near the demon realm. No one knew why they were in a practical exam like this.
Of course, they could be caught.
Mana Eaters were simple bugs. Annoying if they latched on, but easily dispatched with a fireball from afar.
Black Wolves had low intelligence. Narrow field of vision too. Exploit their blind spots, and hunting them wasn't hard.
Mute Shadows could be lured out with spells. A hassle if they stuck around, but easy prey if you spotted them.
'One at a time, sure, we could take them.'
Indeed, each monster individually wasn't so tough. Their hunting methods were even textbook-famous.
'...The problem's elsewhere.'
There were two big issues.
'First, it's a forest.'
Mist shrouded everything, limiting visibility. Dense underbrush hid where monsters might emerge.
'Second, all three together.'
Yes, that was the real killer.
The three types covered each other's weaknesses. Their placement was downright malicious.
'To catch a Mute Shadow hiding in the shadows, you inevitably need a spell.'
Cast a spell, and the Black Wolves react.
'To deal with the charging Black Wolves, you need an area circuit.'
Draw a circuit, and Mana Eaters come raining down from somewhere.
'So, what do you do?'
In the forest, they were too busy fleeing to think straight. But out here, the answer came quickly.
"Stock a variety of spells..."
Simply stocking basic spells wouldn't cut it.
They needed a diverse range, tailored to these monsters.
"Ah..."
That line of thought recalled Professor Lania's pre-exam warning.
-I recommend stocking plenty of circuits.
So that's what she meant.
"No, even so, this is a bit..."
Wasn't the difficulty too much?
The students let out long sighs.
The monster placement reeked of malice.
Too high, even. Hardly suitable for first-years.
'Professor Mackhart wouldn't have done this.'
And Mackhart Crepelt wouldn't design an insane exam like this. He was a bit nasty, but his tests were easy.
So who designed it?
'Professor Lania.'
Lania van Trias.
Aphria's nightmare.
The students' gazes naturally turned to where the nightmare sat. Surely on that big rock.
"...Huh?"
But peering at the rock, they tilted their heads. Professor Lania, who'd been there moments ago, was gone.
"Where'd Professor Lania go?"
"Yeah? Wasn't she just there?"
No sign of the professor anywhere.
The students cocked their heads.
3.
The barracks near the forest.
Mackhart Crepelt monitored the students wandering the woods via magic tool. To dispatch family knights if needed.
"Hmm..."
It was definitely a challenging exam.
Their panic was understandable. Too tough for first-years.
'Accounting for difficulty...'
Second-year field training level, at least. Not for first-years. Mackhart had opposed it initially.
'Way too hard.'
Yet it went ahead unchanged.
For good reason.
"... "
Mackhart closed his eyes, recalling his recent talk with Professor Lania.
-In the end, most Combat Magic students will end up on battlefields. Or at least somewhere related.
That's what she'd said to the opposing Mackhart.
'True enough.'
Unlike other departments, Combat Magic grads funneled to the front lines. Many entered with that intent.
Knight family scions.
Lesser nobles seeking merits.
Or talented commoners.
They'd head to war post-graduation. Not all, but many.
-Honestly, I don't love it. Plenty of time till graduation, but... toss them in now, what happens?
They'd die, probably.
-Sure, they'll learn more as years pass. But isn't sooner better for this?
That's what Lania said.
-Shocks hit harder early. You learn rolling in battle anyway... but practicing like this is way better. That's what practicals are for, right?
What were practicals?
-Fail, get the feel. Ah, do it like this here. Don't do that there. That kind of realization.
Learning through field experience.
Of course, not everyone learns from failure. Most crumble, lose drive.
But not here.
-This is Aphria.
As Lania said, because it was Aphria.
"... "
Mackhart slowly opened his eyes.
-The kingdom's top talents gather here. Gotta throw some trials their way or they won't learn, right?
His gaze fell to the forest entrance.
He saw students bounced out, now waiting an hour.
『No, here you do it like this...』
『Mana Eaters drop, so from the start, what if we...? That way...』
『But the wolves? They'll charge too.』
Voices carried via the magic tool.
Gathered at the entrance, students huddled, brainstorming strategies.
『Damn it, just try.』
『If it fails, try again. It's just points off, not elimination.』
『Yeah, try and retry if needed.』
Soon, they charged back in blindly.
Mackhart watched. These were kids eliminated in under a minute at start.
But this time was different.
『Here!』
『Fireball, fireball quick!』
『Lure the wolves! Blast 'em with the Mute Shadow at once!』
They'd devised a plan and retried.
Lasted about twenty minutes before bouncing back to the entrance.
"Hmm."
Mackhart stroked his chin.
Not just them. Countless students failed, retried, pushing deeper.
『Now!』
『Quick, unleash!』
Challenge.
『Damn, right there...』
『Misread the terrain.』
Fail.
『Lure the wolves this way?』
『Switch circuit types here.』
『Yeah, wipe some strikes, stock more like this. Sounds good.』
Wear regretful looks, sit at entrance plotting next move. Spend the hour engraving new circuits, then retry.
'A mage's most basic virtue.'
Mackhart smiled watching them.
"Perseverance."
Was that it?
"Is this the picture you had in mind?"
A voice replied from the magic tool.
『Yes. Not for nothing did we set it for three days.』
"I see. It'll definitely help."
Mackhart nodded.
『Failure's just points off, not out, right? That's why.』
Fail all you want.
『They'll find a way. And once experienced... it looks different.』
Find answers in failure.
That was the point of the practical.
The girl seemed to say.
Mackhart was a battlefield mage too. Not frontline, but plenty of grim experiences.
Grim, yes.
Survive, and it becomes a lesson.
'...Each one a learning.'
And he knew well how precious those experiences were.
"Indeed."
Mackhart nodded.
"You're right."
Over the three-day exam, students would learn much. Tough, but learning demands effort.
"Their levels will rise a lot."
Mackhart felt grateful to the girl. He couldn't design something this advanced.
'I can't handle magic tools this well.'
Crafting illusions this intricate wasn't easy. Mackhart eyed the girl on the tool with renewed respect.
'As expected of Professor Rosel's disciple.'
More than meets the eye.
He'd dismissed her at first meet, but she had depth.
Definitely a well-structured exam.
Well-structured, but...
'Even so...'
Mackhart spoke slowly.
"Still, though?"
『Yes?』
"That exam condition. Having them take down the boss... isn't that a bit much?"
Glancing aside, the tool showed the boss. Sighing deeply at the sight, Mackhart.
'Beat that?'
He couldn't picture students doing it.
'Was it just meant to roll them for three days from the start?'
Such thoughts arose.
As Mackhart pondered, the girl's voice came from the tool.
『Nah, come on.』
The girl smiled.
『Faced with an unbeatable foe, what do you do? Super important question, right?』
Then, from who-knows-where, she plopped a crude skull crown atop her head. Soon, the illusion tool displayed one word above her.
Mackhart smacked his forehead.
"...I'll go mad."
He suddenly understood why Professor Rosel smacked his own forehead so often.
The exam's end.
What awaited students there wasn't some monster. The exam's mastermind guarded it herself.
Aphria's nightmare, Lania van Trias.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Slaying myriad monsters, students pushed toward the forest heart. The path was anything but smooth. Fail repeatedly, challenge repeatedly.
Breaking through the monsters.
Navigating the labyrinthine terrain.
Finally clearing all the forest mist, they reach the center...
The students face a wide clearing.
No illusion magic tool in sight. Warm sunlight bathed the clearing. The suffocating air opened up, truly feeling like the end.
And there sat a girl.
Her long ash-gray hair swayed in the breeze. Atop her head, an ill-fitting crude skull crown.
"Oh, you made it?"
She turned her head.
At the end of her gaze stood one student.
"...Professor Lania?"
Belnoa, gripping her shadow dagger tighter, blinked. But soon grasping the situation, she sighed deeply. Then slowly spoke.
"No way."
"Yep."
"The boss is?"
"Me."
Belnoa pinched her temple.
'Should I just quit?'
The thought crossed her mind seriously.