32. Additional Evaluation and the Dungeon's Night (1)
The Colosseum buzzed with the ongoing combat evaluation.
At its center stood a massive magitech device studded with chunks of demon ore. Surrounding it were dozens of artificial gates.
In one corner of the evaluation grounds, several reserve platoon instructors were deep in conversation.
"It's been four hours already. Will we see the first completers soon?"
"Not yet, surely? The graduate student who designed this evaluation dungeon said even the fastest would take at least five hours."
Mithers the instructor replied to that.
"No. This batch has quite a few talented cadets. It won't take five hours. One or two might emerge any moment now."
Mithers thought to himself. Especially Rozette and Chloe. Those two are exceptional. Among the greatest in Pantheon's history for magic and alchemy, with sharp combat instincts too.
'Of course, Rozette has the edge right now.'
In the opening ceremony duel, Chloe had been thoroughly outmatched by Rozette. It ended in a draw due to some incident, but in truth, it was Rozette's victory.
Rozette's innate mana reserves allowed her to unleash a barrage of high-firepower attack spells. And her witch's aerial combat style ignored terrain and elevation entirely. Chloe had fought valiantly, but the matchup wasn't in her favor.
'But this evaluation might be different.'
A few days earlier, late at night, Mithers had visited the Colosseum to check the evaluation dungeon's completion.
There, he'd witnessed an intriguing scene.
The graduate students pulling an all-nighter looked different from usual.
'Sipping expensive mince tea during tea time? Lavish midnight snacks at this hour.'
They claimed it was takeout they'd bought themselves, but that was nonsense. Graduate students couldn't afford that.
Pressing a bit more revealed a familiar name.
The Lady of Aiterne Marquis. Chloe, of course. She'd provided the snacks to the grad students. That cunning Chloe wouldn't do it without purpose.
'She must've pried the dungeon's intel out of them.'
And Mithers inwardly praised Chloe for it. Leaking theory exam info would've been scandalous. But this was reserve platoon evaluation.
Reserve platoon duties meant fighting monsters. Real battlefields where carelessness meant decapitation.
'The empire doesn't feed you fair fights. And you can't turn those fair corpses into undead to fight for you either.'
Black magic was illegal in the empire. In such fields, intel was essential. Acquiring it beforehand was part of one's skill.
Besides, even with full dungeon knowledge, you had to clear it yourself. Without solid basics, that info was worthless scrap.
Thus, Mithers eagerly awaited the top spot. Even with Chloe's intel, Rozette still held the advantage.
'But as a genius witch, Rozette lacks desperation.'
She wasn't lazy. But she didn't push herself to the brink.
If Chloe won this time, it might spur Rozette on. Their growth would delight Mithers.
"So, who takes third? Rip from Combat Division, right?"
"Rip, yeah. Makes sense. As Combat Division's rep cadet, he's got the skills."
Rip. A commoner-born swordsman. A 3rd tier mana swordsman now. Mithers knew him well.
'Rumored as skilled since freshman year.'
Though Rozette and Chloe's flashiness overshadowed him. And support cadets like healers drew more attention to Princess Lilia.
But his recent reserve platoon missions were solid. Textbook monster kills in the reports.
'Too textbook. No flair. No surprises.'
Another cadet came to mind for Mithers. He spoke up.
"Surprisingly, someone else might snag third. Like Viscount Yulian, say."
"Yulian? That scoundrel... er, the viscount? I know you're chummy with him, Mithers, but aren't you overrating him?"
One instructor said skeptically. Others nodded.
"He's the noble heir to Margrave Wilhelm... but his combat skills were a disgrace to the Reinhardt bloodline, weren't they? Obsessed with weird art since freshman year..."
"Ahem. Weird art? Art's world is free. Even for someone like me who makes art from monster corpses."
"Ah, sorry, slipped out. Anyway, Viscount Yulian for third? Quite the bold call."
But another instructor countered.
"No, Mithers has a point. They say the scoundrel viscount changed in his second year. Steady Combat Division training attendance. And that buzzed-about Neuber territory mission—he succeeded there."
"Neuber—the odd gate site? But didn't he pair with Chloe? Lady Aiterne's feats must've..."
Mithers cut in immediately.
"Nope. Report says Viscount Yulian delivered the killing blow to the dungeon boss. And other monsters too."
"Hmph. Lady Aiterne's clever, as befits the massive trading house heir. Maybe she handled everything and credited him to cozy up to the margrave house."
Not that either. Mithers had personal ties to top Combat Division instructor Darren. He'd heard Viscount Yulian already wielded Lion Heart Sword.
And astoundingly enough to overwhelm other cadets in training.
'The famed White Night Knights' drill swordsmanship. Meeting strict Darren's standards? Half-assed imitation backfires.'
Yet Yulian satisfied him fully.
Darren never minced words. He'd even confided Rip's potential might pale in comparison.
After reviewing the Neuber report, Darren's conviction grew. From that picky man.
The instructors' debate continued.
"Well, Mithers might be right surprisingly. Reinhardt is Reinhardt. The viscount's the great Margrave Wilhelm's grandson and Saintess Agnes's son. Blood will tell, eh?"
"True, but last year's show dashed hopes. Still, if Mithers thinks so, maybe there's something."
"Hm. Heard he's auditing multiple divisions' lectures. His name's popping up among profs lately. Did he really change?"
Debate raged. Half-doubting. Fair enough—the scoundrel image didn't flip overnight.
Mithers clapped to calm them.
"Alright, alright. Truth'll show in the results. Anyway, evaluation's not over. No more slacking on the payroll."
"Right. Non-retirees go straight to additional eval. Time to prep."
As they moved, a cadet emerged from the gate. Instructors fell silent. One shouted.
"That cadet...! Mithers, you were spot on. Viscount Yulian!"
"Really? He didn't retire early?"
"Doesn't look it. Perfectly fine."
"So Viscount Yulian took first?"
All eyes turned to Mithers in shock, seeking explanation. He was flustered too.
Wait. Third seemed plausible. First?
Mithers eyed Yulian's calm expression—no surprise at his win. Yulian raised a hand coolly.
"Yulian von Reinhardt. Combat evaluation dungeon cleared!"
He presented the dungeon core in one hand. The artificial core powering this test gate. Undeniable proof.
Instructors gasped again.
***
I'd aced the combat evaluation. First place, as planned. The undead knight boss was no big deal.
'Per the family records, the path to the boss mattered more than the boss itself.'
Boss buffs ramped difficulty. I'd eliminated the tricky minions powering them.
The undead knight was just a slightly tough 3rd form beast.
'And I had White Night.'
The more monsters I cut down, the more Reinhardt blood surged. Maintaining that, I unleashed the secret art: White Night.
The undead knight couldn't react. Result: first place. The instructors' faces upon spotting me were priceless.
Even perpetually chill Mithers couldn't hide his fluster. He approached.
"Viscount Yulian? You alright? No injuries? Nauseating dungeon, that."
"Yes. Fine. Instructor Mithers."
"Uh... good. Well done. And speak casually like usual. Anyway, wait nearby. Others haven't emerged."
"Sure."
Mithers whispered.
"Viscount. This eval isn't over. Two more after you, then additional eval. Rest while you can."
"Additional eval?"
I knew, of course. This artificial dungeon wasn't the end. But I played dumb.
"Call it endurance training. You've expended energy here. Top three clearers grouped into a tougher artificial dungeon—higher than 3rd form. Useful, right? Doubles as eval."
Post-gate fatigue let you skip additional. But squad leader hopefuls couldn't. Top 10 without it meant no qualification or insignia.
"Tossing cadets into a grueling dungeon on purpose. Tough one. Your call."
No-brainer.
"Of course I'll do it."
"Hoo. Viscount Yulian. Impressive. Fresman you was fun, but your eyes are different now. Don't tell me..."
Mithers grinned slyly, whispering.
"Winter break, tasted a woman? Men become real adults knowing women. Viscount, for a scoundrel, surprisingly no experience? I knew."
I flinched. Sex did factor into my growth. Yulian the original seemed virgin too.
'Yeah, Eirin was too.'
Even at those Fabian orgies, maybe not full. Mithers knowing was odd.
I replied calmly.
"As if. I'm no lecherous demon. Just diligent training."
Mithers clapped my shoulder heartily.
"That's my Viscount Yulian. Fellow art theory sharer. Cool!"
Sharing art theory with this madman who did performance art with monster corpses... Original Yulian's art world was unique.
As we chatted, another cadet emerged. Chloe, as expected. Then, a hair's breadth behind, Rozette.
"Whew. Lady Aiterne barely second. Shame. Would've been first without you, Viscount."
True. Chloe confirmed her win over Rozette, pumping fists uncharacteristically. But spotting me first, her expression soured subtly.
"Anyway, three out. Time for additional. Oh, Viscount. Additional dungeon's nasty. Not about clearing."
He grinned slyly.
"Near-2nd form dungeon. Divine power sealed, tossed in. Survive the time limit. Oh, 2nd form means nights too. Careful."
Exactly as I knew. My Demon King Slayer best was 5th—easier than this.
Soon, Rozette, Chloe, and I entered the new dungeon per instructions.