Chapter 39: End-of-Semester Evaluation (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 39: End-of-Semester Evaluation (3)
Kaya secured her second Fell Card after eliminating a male student from Class B. In doing so, she discovered a new detail regarding the end-of-semester evaluation.
Even if she placed a Fell Card elsewhere, it would remain registered as being in her possession.
She realized this when her Fell Card telekinetically flew off in the wrong direction after she defeated the student. In other words, as long as she made physical contact with the card once, it didn't matter if she hid it somewhere else.
Of course, that didn't change much. If someone could defeat her, the cards would simply transfer to them anyway.
‘In any case…’
Kaya looked up at the scoreboard floating in the sky.
A certain female student was raising her score at an alarming rate.
Fell
[1st Place (Purple) Ciel Carnedas: Fell Card +4]
[2nd Place (Green) Kaya Astrea: Fell Card +2]
[3rd Place (Red) Mateo Jordana: Fell Card +1]
[4th Place (Yellow) Tristan Humphrey: Fell Card +1]
[5th Place (Blue) Luce Eltania: Fell Card +1]
Eliminations
[1st Place (Blue) Luce Eltania: Eliminations +53]
[2nd Place (Yellow) Tristan Humphrey: Eliminations +4]
[3rd Place (Green) Kaya Astrea: Eliminations +4]
[4th Place (Purple) Ciel Carnedas: Eliminations +3]
Ciel Carnedas. After finding her first Fell Card, she had managed to scavenge three more in a mere thirty minutes.
Her speed was unbelievable.
“…….”
However, upon careful consideration, it made sense. During the class placement evaluation, Ciel had taken a leisurely nap and started late, yet she still managed to secure third place. In terms of pure scoring speed, she was faster than both Luce and Kaya.
Despite always looking sleepy-eyed and napping whenever she had the chance, Ciel firmly held her rank as the 3rd seat of Class A. She was the true dark horse of this semester's evaluation, whether she realized it or not.
‘I have to do better.’
Kaya had vowed to beat Luce Eltania; she couldn't afford to fall to third place.
She continued to move without rest, searching for more Fell Cards.
✦✧✦✧
The colors of the sunset were slowly spreading across the sky. Two hours had passed since the evaluation began.
Kaya stared blankly at the scoreboard in the sky, her mouth hanging open.
No matter how she thought about it, she couldn’t comprehend Ciel’s performance.
Fell
[1st Place (Purple) Ciel Carnedas: Fell Card +7]
[2nd Place (Green) Kaya Astrea: Fell Card +2]
[3rd Place (Blue) Luce Eltania: Fell Card +2]
[4th Place (Black) Keridna Whiteclark: Fell Card +2]
[5th Place (Red) Mateo Jordana: Fell Card +1]
Eliminations
[1st Place (Blue) Luce Eltania: Eliminations +62]
[2nd Place (Purple) Ciel Carnedas: Eliminations +12]
[3rd Place (Green) Kaya Astrea: Eliminations +8]
[4th Place (Black) Keridna Whiteclark: Eliminations +6]
[5th Place (Yellow) Tristan Humphrey: Eliminations +5]
‘Why seven Fell Cards…?’
The other students were likely just as perplexed.
The end-of-semester evaluation technically ended once a student collected five Fell Cards. There were no bonus points for collecting more, and Professor Fernando had specifically advised against doing anything unnecessary.
Once five cards were collected, the designated submission location would automatically appear. Ciel should have already seen hers.
In other words, scraping up that many extra cards was meaningless.
[1st Place (Purple) Ciel Carnedas: Fell Card +8]
[1st Place (Purple) Ciel Carnedas: Fell Card +9]
But she didn't stop. Ciel’s count was increasing at a terrifying rate.
Was Ciel Carnedas actually a genius who surpassed even Luce? Her mana perception was absurd.
It was as if she were using those high numbers to declare to everyone, “This is who I am.”
“What are you thinking, Ciel Carnedas…?”
Kaya pushed aside her complicated thoughts and selected ‘Fell’ on her bracelet, pulling up the map of the old Märchen Academy grounds. The purple mana grain representing Ciel was in a location about twenty minutes away by foot.
I have no choice but to go and see for myself.
Kaya conjured wind magic at her feet and began racing toward Ciel’s position.
Whatever Ciel’s intentions were, Kaya wanted to reach five cards as soon as possible to turn the tables. Her goal was to take first place in the evaluation.
Realistically, simply searching for cards was no longer the most efficient option. It would be better to eliminate Ciel and take her cards directly. Most likely, the other Class A students were thinking the same thing.
It was turning into a battle between the elites of Class A, with Ciel at the center of the storm.
“……!”
Gooooooooo───
As Kaya passed through the blue rose garden, a murderous surge of mana enveloped her, triggering her survival instincts.
She caught her breath and skidded to a halt in the middle of the garden.
A girl with rose-gold hair was slowly approaching.
She was a sophisticated-looking student wearing a morpho butterfly-colored hair tie. The path embroidered with blue roses suited her perfectly, as if the garden existed solely for her.
Above her head, water mana swirled with a clear blue light. Five blue magic circles, each about two meters in diameter, hovered in the air around her, ready to unleash water magic at a moment's notice.
Ciel Carnedas had been so prominent on the scoreboard that Kaya had overlooked the top student in the ‘Eliminations’ category.
She should have been wary of the "slaughterer"—the most dangerous player in this evaluation.
Tension washed over her like a tidal wave. The strongest student in the first-year Magic Department was standing before her.
「Wind Generation (Wind Element, ★1)」
Kaya drew her wand and prepared for battle.
Luce Eltania, the rose-gold-haired top seat, turned her emotionless gaze toward Kaya. When their eyes met, Kaya felt a momentary chill run down her spine.
First seat and second seat. Only one rank separated them.
But the wall between them was far more solid than she had imagined.
Luce also stopped in her tracks. The top two students of the year stared each other down amidst the field of blue roses.
The air was thick with tension.
Kaya materialized a light green magic circle, ready to fire a spell at any second.
“Luce Eltania… Are you planning to take me down too?”
Luce didn’t answer.
Kaya recognized that reaction. It was the same look Isaac had given her during the class placement evaluation—a look that said, “You’re boring.”
Lord Isaac is an amazing person, so he can get away with that, but you…!
Kaya frowned and leveled her wand at Luce. A light green magic circle manifested at the tip.
It was the formula for [Gale Fang], a 5-star wind spell.
“Let me ask you one thing. You’re clearly going out of your way to eliminate students. Why?” Kaya asked, her voice tight.
Luce closed her eyes briefly before opening them again, revealing blue eyes as deep as the sea.
“…Huh.”
Her face suddenly flushed. She looked… embarrassed.
Kaya hadn't expected such an innocent reaction.
“Because of my friend. I wanted to clear out anyone who might pose a threat... just in case.”
The word ‘friend’ seemed to make Luce appear vulnerable. As that small ripple of emotion crossed her lips, she seemed to shudder, her face turning even redder.
‘A friend…?’
Class A only had five people. Kaya knew them all.
‘Don't you have no friends…?’
It was a rude thought, but it felt like the truth. Luce was an outsider who treated everyone coldly and was always alone. It was only natural to assume she was friendless.
Then, Kaya remembered a rumor that had been circulating since the written exams.
Isaac and the top seat have an unusual relationship. The top seat is interested in a commoner from Class D. The girl who is cold to everyone only smiles for Isaac. She’s constantly trying to stay by his side.
Rumors were just rumors. Kaya had dismissed them as a misunderstanding.
Isaac was a man who always had a deep reason for his actions. Besides, judging people based on gossip went against Kaya’s beliefs.
Moreover, the subject was Luce, who was famously icy. It had to be a misunderstanding.
‘Could it be… that friend…?’
Is she talking about Isaac?
Luce, who was aloof with everyone, harbored special feelings for Isaac? Could the rumors actually be true?
Looking at her now, Kaya was reminded once again of how beautiful Luce was.
As she pictured Luce smiling brightly only for Isaac, Kaya felt a strange tingle in her chest.
Somehow, she felt like she couldn't afford to lose this fight—in more ways than one.
“……?”
Luce tilted her head as she saw Kaya suddenly burning with fierce determination. Kaya’s will was so potent it could be felt against her skin.
‘She might be a danger to Isaac, too… I have to take care of her.’
It didn't matter. Luce would just have to eliminate her.
The blue magic circles around Luce began to glow with blinding intensity.
It was a standoff. The moment either of them twitched, they would unleash their magic.
—It was then.
Charakcharak—
The mana particles forming the scoreboard in the sky began to shift frantically. Luce and Kaya maintained their stances but glanced up to check the rankings.
Fell
[1st Place (Purple) Ciel Carnedas: Fell Card +9]
[2nd Place (Green) Kaya Astrea: Fell Card +2]
[3rd Place (Blue) Luce Eltania: Fell Card +2]
[4th Place (Black) Keridna Whiteclark: Fell Card +2]
[5th Place (Red) Mateo Jordana: Fell Card +1]
.
.
.
Fell
[1st Place (White) Isaac: Fell Card +5]
[2nd Place (Purple) Ciel Carnedas: Fell Card +4]
[3rd Place (Green) Kaya Astrea: Fell Card +2]
[4th Place (Blue) Luce Eltania: Fell Card +2]
[5th Place (Black) Keridna Whiteclark: Fell Card +2]
“Uh, what…?”
Luce and Kaya froze. They weren't the only ones.
Across the grounds of the old Märchen Academy, every student participating in the evaluation stopped in their tracks.
Those in the middle of combat ceased their fighting.
Those searching for cards stood still, their mouths agape.
They stared in disbelief at the name currently ranked 1st.
Isaac.
He had overtaken all the top-ranked students, seizing first place in an instant.
✦✧✦✧
Shortly after the start of the end-of-semester evaluation.
My plan was simple.
I was going to find a strong person and stick to them.
I remembered the locations of almost every Fell Card. It was game knowledge I had gained from countless hours of playing ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱. I had even written my own strategy guides and posted them on internet forums.
Therefore, all I had to do was find a suitable partner, provide them with the locations of the cards, and in exchange, receive protection and a fair share of the loot. Of course, the partner needed to be someone who followed the principles of good faith—a righteous person.
Kaya, who followed me without question, would have been the best candidate. The problem was that time was limited, and I had no idea where she had spawned.
However, since the carriage dropped me off in front of Seiran Hall, I was able to visit another candidate I had in mind. She was a sleepyhead who would be holed up in a small forest until the evaluation was halfway over. She wasn't far from the hall.
When I arrived at a forest lake with crystal-clear water and fresh air, a beautiful girl with wavy, short blue hair caught my eye.
She was sound asleep, her back against a tree. Her profile, framed by the sunlight filtering through the leaves, was breathtaking. She blended into the landscape like a masterpiece, bringing the title "Sleeping Beauty" to mind.
“Kreureung…”
The only thing disturbing the elegant atmosphere was her distinctive snoring.
She was Ciel Carnedas, a freshman in the Magic Department.
[Ciel Carnedas]
Lv: 92
Race: Human
Elements: Fire, Water
Danger: X
Psychology: [Kreureung…]
In ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱, Ciel Carnedas could be found sleeping in this forest until the midway point of the evaluation.
Once she woke up in the second half, the difficulty of the test spiked drastically.
‘If it’s Ciel, she fits the plan.’
She was the type of person who strictly kept her word. After all, she was the one obsessed with the Carnedas family promise: “If you find the Child of Light, bring them to the Divine Realm.”
She’s trustworthy… right?
All right, let’s do this.
“Ciel Carnedas, I’ve come to make a deal!”
I strode toward her with confidence.
At that moment—
「Fireball (Fire Element, ★3)」
A sphere of fire the size of a yoga ball manifested in the air and hurtled toward me like a major league fastball.
…Someone save me.