The Knight Department's Exam
The academy cafeteria was so incredibly delicious that even the First Prince had once raved about it. True to the academy's founding purpose of nurturing exceptional talent, every menu item was provided completely free of charge. With both free food and excellent taste, it was only natural that every cadet used the cafeteria without exception. It served as a bustling plaza where cadets who rarely crossed paths outside of classes could finally meet.
Kyle settled into a suitable spot, shoveling food into his mouth while chatting with Sera, who sat across from him.
“So, what’s the exam about?”
“The Knight Department’s test changes every time. It’s one of three things: assassinating a VIP, kidnapping a VIP, or escorting a VIP.”
“That’s a lot of options, huh?”
“Well… I’ve never actually played as a knight myself, so…”
As he listened to Sera, Kyle tilted his head with a puzzled expression.
“Wait a second. Aren’t you supposed to be a veteran who’s done everything in this game?”
“…Everyone has their own specialty, you know.”
She turned her gaze away as she spoke. Knights were apparently too boring compared to other classes, so she had never played one directly. Of course, she had watched videos and read the wiki, which still made her far more knowledgeable than Kyle, who remembered nothing.
How the hell am I supposed to remember a shitty game that’s been out for fifteen years?
If he had that kind of memory, he wouldn’t have learned the sword at all. He would have studied magic or hunted down hidden pieces scattered across the Dairos Empire and monopolized them all. But since he couldn’t do that, he had given up on monopolizing opportunities from the start and simply swung his sword instead.
“Well, I guess there’s nothing we can do to help you this time, huh?”
“They say the Magic Department is creating the exam area itself. Can’t you secretly tweak it to help me out?”
“Who? Me? You don’t seriously think I research and master magic myself, do you?”
“Then how…?”
“The way I handle magic is exactly like in the game. I just press a button that pops up in front of me and the spell fires. Obviously, if I tried to study it separately and apply it, it would probably take me as long as actual mages spend learning real magic.”
“So that means…”
“It means everyone has to get through this exam on their own. Still, I don’t think an Aura Master like you would ever fail something like this.”
That was certainly true. With most first-year cadets being Aura Users and only a single Expert among them, it would be ridiculous for Kyle, a Master, to get eliminated. Sera knew this fact well, so she wasn’t particularly worried about him. After all, the academy couldn’t possibly prepare an exam that a Master couldn’t handle.
“Everyone, you’re all wearing your magic tools, right?”
““Yes!!””
The cadets answered the professor’s question with a thunderous roar. The professor nodded in satisfaction as he looked over them. Moments later, a massive magical barrier created by the Magic Department’s professors and cadets enveloped them, dropping them with a soft thud into a specially crafted mental realm made of magic.
A colossal spell that even the headmaster and all the Magic Department professors had participated in swallowed them whole. The magic tools the cadets wore reacted with the spell, completely separating their minds from their bodies.
“Whoa, this is fucking awesome.”
In other words, it was a kind of virtual reality implemented through magic. I was enjoying the texture of the trees around me while checking for any bugs. Gawain had mentioned that finding errors in the magic would drastically cut the scores of both the Magic Department and the cadets involved.
I should find them first and hide them.
My fiancée and childhood friend were both in the Magic Department. It wouldn’t be good if their scores took a hit.
Using the equipment I had been given upon entering this virtual world, I sliced at trees and dug into the ground. Surprisingly, the fidelity of this world wasn’t far behind reality at all. Then again, it made sense since it was a grand spell cast simultaneously by dozens, even hundreds of mages.
Let’s see here.
I even tried manifesting an Aura Blade to test its limits. But the moment I did, the world touching the edge of the Aura Blade began to tear apart with a harsh static sound.
“Huh? What the hell?”
Startled, I immediately withdrew the Aura Blade. The torn sections of the world slowly began to repair themselves. Only then did I realize that this entire world was made of magic itself. And an Aura Blade could cut through anything, whether it was magic or solid iron.
So Aura Blades can straight-up destroy this world.
That meant I couldn’t fight while using an Aura Blade. On the bright side, it also meant that the enemies I would face couldn’t use Aura Blades either.
I sheathed my sword and started rummaging through the other equipment. From the supply pack, I pulled out a compass, a map, and a mission directive.
Mission Directive
Sir Kyle Meyer, rescue our captured operative at the following coordinates: (E.44° W.21° S.107° N.99°).
“They said they wouldn’t look at handwriting, but this is what they meant.”
Not many people could sit at a desk memorizing theory all day and then immediately apply it in real combat. On the flip side, there were also people who couldn’t retain theory no matter how much they studied, yet somehow applied it perfectly in actual fights. Since the purpose of training knights was for real combat, this was clearly meant to cultivate talent that could be used right away in the field.
“Works for me.”
Using the map and compass, I employed triangulation to pinpoint the coordinates listed on the mission directive. Then I simply ran. Whoosh, whoosh—I dashed past the trees growing all around me and arrived at my destination in an instant.
But arriving at the destination didn’t mean everything was over. I frowned as I looked at the massive wooden palisade and the hundreds of soldiers patrolling and searching the surrounding area.
…So they’re not just going to hand out free points.
I realized belatedly that the Knight Department wasn’t the only one wearing magic tools. The Military Department cadets had also entered this virtual reality along with us. And if this was an exam for the Military Department, it would naturally be about how well they could command those soldiers—tactics, strategy, and the art of war.
Unlike the Knight Department, which trained individual combat power, the Military Department taught how to effectively wield the power of an organization.
Aha, so that’s it.
For the Military Department, stopping me was the test. For me, the goal was to break through the wall of those soldiers and rescue the operative. Having realized this, I quietly drew my sword and stepped forward.
Sorry about this…
What rotten luck, ending up matched against me and failing the exam. Of course, feeling sorry for them didn’t mean I would go easy. If I held back out of pity, my own grades would suffer just as much.
Let’s see…
I circled around the palisade, identifying where the guards were weak and where they were tight, then began planning an infiltration route. The soldiers were keeping watch fairly diligently, but to the eyes of an Aura Master, their formation was full of holes.
“Alright then—let’s get started.”
Crack. I tore off nearby branches and fashioned them into crude spears. They would probably shatter after one or two hits, but that didn’t matter. That was the whole point.
After making a few decent spears, I infused them with Aura and hurled them with all my strength. Straight up into the sky.
Having thrown dozens of spears high into the air, I immediately vaulted over the poorly guarded section of the palisade and infiltrated the base.
The Military Department cadets realized that this exam was ridiculously easy. Of course, their seniors had told them that the exam content changed every time, but they had never dreamed it would be this simple.
What? Dozens of cadets are supposed to command hundreds of soldiers to stop a single Knight Department cadet?
Even if the Knight Department cadet was from the same year and incredibly strong, the strongest they could be was an Expert or below. At that level, there was no way they could break through hundreds of soldiers and infiltrate. The cadets firmly believed their professors had pulled some strings to give them an easy test that would guarantee good scores. Otherwise, the exam made no sense.
But then—
BOOOOM—!
“Wh-what the hell?!”
An explosion rang out from somewhere. There were no mages present, and there was no way they had given the Knight Department cadet explosives, so this roar should never have occurred. The startled cadets rushed outside to assess the situation and discovered that the main gate made of wooden palisades had been completely destroyed.
“Intruder!”
Before they could even process what was happening, their bodies moved first. An intruder. That Knight Department cadet had finally shown himself. Well, it was better to at least put up a fight and fail than to do nothing and get slaughtered. Thinking this, the cadets each took command of their soldiers and headed toward the direction of the explosion.
However, strangely enough, all they could see were shattered pieces of wood. There was no trace of the intruder anywhere.
“…What the hell is this?”
When the cadets, sensing something was off, tried to search the area with their soldiers, dozens of spears finally rained down from the sky. It was like a bombing run. The wooden spears, packed full of Aura, exploded violently upon hitting the ground. The soldiers caught in the blasts were all knocked down, rolling across the floor.
Belatedly looking up at the sky, the cadets stared in horror at the dots floating high above.
“No way, what the fu—”
Before they could finish, every last one of them was swept up by the wooden spears and lost their lives. Only then did they finally understand. The reason dozens of cadets had gathered here was precisely because of this.
“Perfect. Looks like they’ve all been drawn over there.”
Thanks to throwing the spears to draw their attention, there weren’t many soldiers left guarding the kidnapped operative. It was at a level where I could assassinate them without making a sound. I silently killed every last magically created soldier and entered the room where the operative was being held.
Since the operative was also a magical doll, there was no need to exchange words. I quickly hoisted the figure onto my shoulder and tried to leave the room.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“…Old man?”
And there—Gawain stood blocking my path. Why was the Knight Department professor here? My confusion lasted only a moment before Gawain drew his sword with a sharp ring.
I hardened my expression at the sight.
“Old man, aren’t you part of the Knight Department?”
“That’s right. At the same time—I’m also one of the examiners testing the Knight Department cadets.”
“Ah… so that’s what this is.”
No wonder it had seemed too easy. There was a trap like this waiting. I let out a deep sigh, set down the doll, and drew my sword. Neither of us could use Aura Blades, but that didn’t matter.
“Come at me, you brat.”
After all, my opponent was a war hero who had lived as a Sword Saint for decades.