Chapter 79
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 79
Chapter Title: Suspicious Meeting (2)
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Aker and Swordran.
To investigate what kind of relationship those two had, the most reliable way was to ask Ilya Shult directly.
What her connection to Aker was.
Why she was meeting with such a dangerous figure, things like that.
First, I need to figure out where Ilya is.
He wanted to move right away.
But Siren had ordered Roin to wait in the training grounds until the third-place finisher hed called first arrived.
There were the second and third places in Roins mind.
Jerka, and Theo.
Why are these guys so damn slow?
If they were coming, they shouldve hurried up.
If it had been Roin, he wouldve already lapped the course twice by now.
Just as yet another yawn escaped himuncountable at this point.
A human silhouette began to appear in the distance.
It had to be either Jerka or Theo.
The one who took second place after Roin was
Jerka.
Panting heavily, Jerka barely made it to the training grounds.
Siren pointed to the spot right next to Roin.
Good work. Sit down and rest.
Yes, understood.
Thud!
Jerka collapsed straight onto the ground and spent a while just breathing raggedly in silence.
Not long after Jerka arrived.
Theo Binruk passed through the training grounds entrance.
He looked just as half-dead as Jerka.
Siren looked at the three trainees who had proudly met his first-place cutoff condition.
Ill make sure you get plenty of rest. Head to the barracks and recover.
Understood.
Jerka and Theo dragged their exhausted bodies to their respective rooms.
Roin pretended to head back to his room as well.
.
But he closed the door hed opened and scanned the surroundings.
The sun had set.
Perfect time to move while staying hidden.
It was time to get going.
Roin, who had sneaked out of the training grounds, headed toward a place where Ilya might be.
She said she met Aker here.
If he backtracked the direction Aker had come from, he should be able to find Ilyas current location.
Crouching low, he slipped out of the barracks and hurried toward the training grounds headquarters.
He moved as silently as possible.
Even with Swordran senior knights stationed right nearby, they didnt notice Roins presence at all.
Slipping through the senior knights watch net was childs play for Roin.
Lets see. Aker, that guy came from around the chief instructors office.
Sirens office was on the third floor of the building.
Climbing the stairs would be worse; entering via the outer wall looked much better.
He put strength into his legs and leaped high.
In an instant, he reached the third-floor height.
Grabbing the window ledge with his right hand, Roin peeked inside to check if anyone was there.
The lights are on.
He quietly opened the window.
Then.
He slipped inside as quickly as possible.
But.
No ones here?
The lights were on, but Sirens office was completely empty.
No sign of Ilya at all.
That was when it happened.
A horses neigh came from outside.
He glanced toward the window and saw Ilya riding out of the training grounds with the other senior knights.
Damn it.
He was one step too late.
If hed come just a little earlier, he mightve been able to grill Ilya about her relationship with Aker.
Staring at Ilyas receding back, Roin pulled out the portable communication orb hed secretly pocketed on arrival.
Helond. Theres one more person you need to investigate.
Ilya Shult.
She was suspicious too.
It wasnt until dawn that the trainees whod left for the hell march started trickling back one by one.
Of course, not all the trainees returned to the training grounds.
Some had given up midway.
They returned with the instructors and rang the dropout bell with their own hands.
Even among those who completed the hell march, quite a few rang the bell.
Why ring it after finishing the hell march?
It was because of one remark from Siren.
Trainees who didnt place in the top three will start the same hell march course again tomorrow.
That sent the trainees plummeting into deep despair.
Luem was one of them.
But he didnt ring the bell.
Screw it, bring it on!
It only ignited his competitive spirit.
The trainees who finished the hell march returned to their rooms and collapsed onto their beds.
When they opened their eyes again, the sun was high in the sky.
Dragging their fatigued bodies, the trainees gathered back at the training grounds.
Roin was the only one among them who looked perfectly fine.
Siren scanned the trainees, including Roin.
A lot fewer than on the first day.
Already down by half.
Well see how many survive today.
To the trainees, Sirens words sounded especially ominous today.
First, well do a light jog to warm up, then start training. Get ready.
Was another hell march like yesterday about to begin?
The trainees swallowed dryly.
Roin, on the other hand, felt relieved.
Good. This is better.
If he wanted, Roin could lap the course faster than yesterday and return.
Yesterday was just because the route was unfamiliar.
Today, he could even aim to beat his record.
But todays jog was completely different from yesterdays.
Forward march!
Left, left, left, left.
Siren, at the front, called out cadences as he led the trainees circling the training grounds.
After about five laps.
They returned to the training grounds.
Question marks popped up over the trainees heads.
Was that it?
And that impossible scenario became reality.
Jog ends here.
Compared to yesterdays hell march, todays was paradise.
Just as Siren said, it was barely a warm-up.
At the announcement that the jog was over, the trainees wore expressions of disbelief, unsure if it was a dream.
Of course, the days training wasnt over.
Well start with basic physical conditioning. The instructors will demonstrate first, so watch closely and follow. Understood?
Yes, understood!
Everyone expected difficult maneuvers.
If they drained all the trainees energy with a jog like yesterdays hell march, they couldnt progress training.
So they thought hed gone easy on the jog today to conserve their energy.
But their expectations were overturned once again.
The maneuvers the instructors demonstrated were literally just bodyweight exercises.
Relatively easy ones too.
For someone like Luem who loved anaerobic workouts, they were a breeze.
Somethings off.
Compared to yesterday, todays training was way too easy overall.
Roin wasnt the only one thinking that.
Jerka, Theo.
And all the surviving trainees shared Roins suspicions.
Before the sun set.
Siren assembled the trainees again.
Training ends here for today. Eat, then personal maintenance time. Dismissed!
Dismissed!
Their suspicions lingered, but training was over.
The trainees heading to the barracks for dinner felt uneasy.
Roin stared at Siren heading to the headquarters with the instructors.
What scheme is he cooking up this time?
After dinner, Roin headed straight to the bathroom to brush his teeth.
Dental care was just as important as skincare.
No matter how handsome your face, if your teeth look and color hideous, no ones calling you good-looking.
After brushing, Roin slathered on a mysterious paste made from ground leaves.
Luem, watching the whole thing live right next to him, couldnt hold back his curiosity.
Young Master Roin. Whats that?
Mmph? Thith ith.
He rubbed the green liquid into every crevice of his teeth and gums with his finger, then rinsed with water.
Ptooey!
Roin spat out the water and checked his teeth in the mirror.
Medicine made from ground Alifu leaves. Great for whitening teeth.
This was Roins secret to keeping his teeth sparkling white.
The one who discovered Alifu leaves were good for whitening was Iroa, the research director at Lord Rodris beauty lab.
Wanna try it?
He offered some to Luem, but he wasnt tempted.
Im good. But if youve got protein supplements later, recommend those.
Roin knew less about that than Baron Lucas.
Lucas was just like Luem, pouring effort into covering his body in muscle.
Of course, Roin had zero interest in that.
He aimed for an aesthetic physique.
With whitening done, Roin headed to his room for evening roll call.
Two hours later.
Indoor evening roll call began.
It was simple: headcount and checking for injuries, then done.
Bedtime now.
Before sleeping, Roin checked the temperature and humidity again.
Only after confirming they were optimal did Roin finally lie down.
Before bed, Roin mentally reviewed the info Helond had relayed since arriving at the training grounds.
The info hed been most eager for was from the guy who tried to snatch his lip gloss.
But it fell short of Roins expectations.
All they knew was the mages appearance.
So close, yet not quite.
Still, he learned a speech-magic mage was linked to Demon God fragments and Ratio.
Akers connected to Demon God fragments too.
The second type of fragment exposed to the world.
Nations worldwide were on high alert.
Demon God fragments were headache enough, now a new variant confirmed.
Must be a mess.
Just like Roin right now.
Lost in thought, Roin struggled to sleep for a long time.
I need to sleep soon.
He closed his eyes again for deep rest.
But then, he sensed someone slowly, very slowly trying to open the door.
Pretending to sleep despite knowing, Roin kept up the act.
The mysterious visitor fully opened the door.
What he stealthily drew out was
A knife.