Chapter 52: A Brief Respite (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 52: A Brief Respite (3)
The exam began. But only moments after confidently receiving the test paper, my mind went completely blank.
"..."
* * *
<2034 Written Midterm Exam>
Question 1. "God is dead!" What is the intrinsic meaning of this phrase spoken by Friedrich Nache, a philosopher born in the Kingdom of Preussen in 1844?
Question 2. State your opinion on whether humans are truly creatures worthy of being granted a Blessing.
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(Essay Question)
* * *
My eyes lost focus.
I looked around, scanning the other cadets. Everyone was diligently scribbling away with their pencils as if this were completely normal.
No, what the fuck? Nobody said the exam was going to be essay-format!
But come to think of it, I had never actually taken a written exam since entering Joaquin Academy.
Even the entrance exam had been taken by the original Kang Geomma before I took over. Maybe in this world, it was only natural for exams to be essay-based.
Still, they could have at least given me a heads-up.
"I'm screwed."
I let out a heavy sigh. Still, I had to do my best.
Soon, I began rolling a pencil that had the numbers 1 through 5 written on its sides.
* * *
At the same time, at the Beimharck family villa located in Seogwipo, Jeju Island.
A group of people with clanking metal weapons hanging from their waists was walking down the hallway, following a Beimharck servant.
"Leader, we've finally made it big. To think an elder of Joaquin Academy would summon us. Why don't you take this opportunity to bring us into the open?"
Among the crowd of shabby-looking men, one woman stood out. Her attire wasn't flashy, but her elegant features gave her an air of nobility.
"Parik, shut up if you don't want the rest of your tongue ripped out."
"Ah, alright, alright! Why the death glare? It was just a joke."
Her voice was thick with murderous intent. Parik waved his hands in a flurry, his words escaping with a whistling, lisping sound. At his reaction, the woman turned her head back forward.
"Our leader is just way too rigid. Don't you think?"
Seeking agreement, Parik nudged his companion, Jang Tae-pung, who was walking beside him.
"Parik, you're a rookie so you wouldn't know, but the leader has always hated high society folks."
"Really? Then why did she take this job?"
Jang Tae-pung smirked, forming a circle with his thumb and index finger.
"This, of course. The amount for this job is just too big to refuse. We all have to make a living, and the leader took that into consideration."
"True. A retainer of a hundred million won per head, with a success fee of double that."
Parik nodded, stroking his chin with his thick fingers. Jang Tae-pung shrugged in agreement.
Soon, they arrived in front of Cladi's office, and the servant knocked on the door with a graceful gesture.
"Lord Cladi von Beimharck, I have brought them."
"Bring them in!"
Parik and the other members looked around, noisily taking in the office. Cladi frowned slightly, sitting arrogantly in his office chair as he tilted his whiskey glass.
"Thank you for traveling all this way."
Parik's mouth twitched at Cladi's condescending tone, but he suppressed his anger at a single gesture from the leader.
"I called you here because I have a task for you."
"Who do we need to kill?"
When the leader asked with a blank face, a sinister smile spread across Cladi's lips.
"Give it to them."
At Cladi's nod, the servant handed the documents on the desk to the leader. Parik peered over the leader's shoulder and checked the photo of the cadet on the document.
"What's this? He looks like a greenhorn who hasn't even grown hair down there yet. Pretty boy looks, too."
"Next week is the 'Uninhabited Island Survival Training.' You just need to eliminate him there. As you've heard, the retainer is a hundred million won per head. The success fee will be paid separately."
"...How should we handle the aftermath?"
Cladi looked at the leader as she asked.
Though her navy-blue hair covered half her face, it couldn't fully hide her beautiful features.
Predator, Ray Shan.
Although her cold attitude and blunt way of getting straight to the point were somewhat unpleasant, her skills were undoubtedly top-tier.
Cladi slowly tilted his glass to wet his dry lips.
"The island is surrounded by the ocean. Just throw him in. He'll end up as fish food or shark bait."
For the record, that evening's dinner menu was fresh sea bream sashimi, caught straight from the waters off Jeju.
* * *
Lunchtime after the written exam. I was having lunch with the club members on a mat spread out on the campus lawn.
Although the club hadn't been officially established yet, we only needed one more member, so everyone except Chloe was already calling me "President."
"Hey, Saki! How on earth is that the answer to the first question?!"
"Look who's talking. Who but an idiot would take 'God is dead' literally?"
"Usually, questions like this require a more intuitive interpretation!"
"All talk, no substance... Whatever, forget it. Sigh, I shouldn't even bother."
Weapon raised his voice in frustration, while Saki waved her hand dismissively. The two were locked in a heated debate, comparing their exam answers.
Of course, calling it a "debate" was generous; it was mostly Weapon lecturing her, while Saki, looking half-asleep, smacked her lips and gave him half-hearted responses.
Only Chloe, who was eating fried rice next to them, was busily chewing like a hamster. Ever since I made it for her once before, she had been packing fried rice for lunch almost every day.
"Did you do well on the exam, Geomma-kun?"
Chloe asked, looking up slightly. I scratched my chin awkwardly and replied.
"I guessed on everything."
"Huh? How do you guess on an essay exam?! You're so mischievous, Geomma-kun."
Chloe tilted her head in confusion for a moment, then giggled. I thought she would just blindly believe me and let it go.
Did I underestimate her intelligence?
I decided to humbly accept whatever exam results I got. The essay format had been completely unexpected.
I had written down as much as I could. Though my detailed knowledge was shallow, I squeezed out every scrap of fragmented information I remembered from the game.
I did my best. The rest was up to the professor.
It wasn't like I had high expectations anyway; it was just for show. Who cared if my rank was a bit low? I'd still probably rank higher than Chloe.
Watching Chloe diligently move her spoon, a sudden question came to mind, and I asked.
"Chloe, did you hear anything from Nox? It's been a while, but there hasn't been much of a reaction."
"...Ah, about that."
A few weeks ago, Nox had personally come to find me and delivered a message.
—The Academy's Council of Elders has requested the Auditore family to dispose of you, Kang Geomma.
Although he said the verification process would take about two months, the Auditore family's work as allies in the game had always been swift and precise.
Judging by their information-gathering capabilities, they should have reached a conclusion by now.
However, even though I kept my five senses constantly sharp and alert, there were no unusual signs. That actually made me feel more uneasy.
The calm before the storm.
It was strangely quiet and still, just like the moments before a typhoon hits.
Furthermore, the gaze I had felt during the Buffalo Dungeon meeting hadn't been detected since that day. Even when I kept my sensory perception active to scan the surrounding area, there was nothing out of the ordinary.
At my question, Chloe put down her busy spoon and pursed her lips. Her drooping eyebrows made her look like a dejected puppy.
"...W-Well, actually, Nox did call me yesterday, but I went to bed early so I missed it."
I was pretty sure Chloe was a night owl, so just how late did he call?
A call coming in regardless of the hour could mean urgent news.
Moreover, the phone numbers of Auditore members were protected as top-secret information, and leaking them to outsiders was illegal. On Earth, it would be comparable to keeping the identities of intelligence agents strictly confidential.
Therefore, unless Nox came to find me in person, most news had to be delivered through Chloe. Every single word from her mouth was crucial to me.
"What time did the call come in?"
I leaned in closer as I asked. At that, a rosy blush spread across Chloe's cheeks. I quickly pulled back to give her some space.
"A-At 7:00 PM. I've been staying up late studying for exams lately... Hehe."
"..."
She definitely ignored it on purpose.
Although Nox's information was vital to me, she still seemed uncomfortable with him.
She probably had her reasons, and I didn't want to meddle in someone else's family matters.
Still, they're siblings. It'd be nice if they got along.
I scratched the back of my head, brushing off the disappointment.
If it's urgent, he'll call again.
Chloe awkwardly glanced at me before closing her lunchbox lid. She seemed quite downcast, as if the mention of Nox's name had ruined her appetite.
A few grains of rice were stuck pitifully to the corner of her mouth. I hesitated, wondering if I should brush them off for her, but decided against it.
Let's not do anything that might cause a misunderstanding.
Belatedly sensing something on her face, Chloe quickly turned her head away and roughly wiped her mouth with her sleeve. Even though I could only see the back of her head, her embarrassment was palpable.
...Maybe I should have just told her.
A moment later, Weapon and Ryozo, who had been debating passionately, seemed to reach a conclusion. Weapon, finally defeated by his own exhaustion, looked utterly dejected.
Chloe didn't seem particularly interested, merely tilting her head before looking away.
"Aaaargh! Why?! Why?! I stayed up for days studying!"
"Why don't you just accept it? It's simply a difference in i-n-t-e-l-l-i-g-e-n-c-e."
Weapon wailed in despair while Ryozo giggled.
It seemed the winner of their heated debate was Ryozo, and the loser was Weapon.
Still unable to accept the outcome, Weapon glared venomously at Ryozo, his eyes screaming, Just you wait.
Unbothered, Ryozo let out a small yawn, stood up, and slid right next to me.
"What are you two whispering about? Are you guys actually dating?"
At those words, the corners of Chloe's mouth twitched upward. The blush on her cheeks deepened even further, and she wrapped her hands around her shoulders.
"I keep telling you, it's not what you think."
I firmly shut down the possibility.
Instantly, the corners of Chloe's mouth fell back to their original position.
Chloe muttered something small under her breath, her voice tinged with a slight dryness. Meanwhile, Ryozo let out a mysterious smile as she peeled the wrapper off some Yanggaeng.
...She did that on purpose.
Ryozo was truly something else. While she usually displayed a level of cold composure that made you wonder if she was really just a teenager, she would occasionally play these innocent pranks.
Unlike Rachel's aggressive approach, Ryozo's was subtle, like a casual hint. Still, on the surface, the relationship between the two girls seemed peaceful enough.
They didn't talk much, but Ryozo was the only person who could make Chloe—who usually bared her claws at any woman near me—tuck her tail. Perhaps due to her silver tongue, Ryozo was excellent at teasing Chloe, handling her like a stray cat, even though Chloe wouldn't back down even against Rachel's physical strength.
"Oh, right. President, why do you always ignore my messages?"
"What do you mean 'always'? I only ignored you once."
"You ignored me this morning too, what are you talking about?"
Ryozo pouted, looking sullen. At that, Chloe blinked for a moment, then snapped her head to the side.
"...Mes... sages...?"