Midterm Evaluation - Epilogue
“You bastards! Good work out there!”
“Y-Yeah, you all really worked hard.”
“The saintess worked the hardest, though.”
Clink! With the practical exam finally over and their battered bodies healed, Aren's group had gathered at a shop inside the academy to swap stories and unwind.
'So that ordeal really was responding to the hero's blood, after all.'
Lena took a deep swig from her brimming mug of beer, casually reminiscing about the day's events. She couldn't say for sure, but it was the only explanation that made sense. It even tied up all her lingering doubts.
The unfamiliar gateway she couldn't remember. The absurdly high difficulty of the final trial. It all clicked if she assumed they'd appeared because the guy right in front of her—the one who'd cleared that trial before—was the hero's bloodline.
“Man, Lena, that last part was epic! Who knew you had that kind of camaraderie in you?”
“Right? I mean, throwing yourself in harm's way to save Aren like that... I don't think I could've done it, even if I were in your shoes.”
The two reminisced about her sacrificial spirit—offering her own body to shield a comrade—and showered her with praise, spittle flying.
“...It wasn't a big deal. If you'd gone down too, we'd have been totally screwed. My body just moved on instinct.”
Lena, the one hearing it all, just shrugged it off lightly. Truth be told, she'd only thrown herself in because he was a sacrifice meant for her master's altar.
“Aw, c'mon, don't be shy! I owe you one today, and I'll pay it back for sure!”
“No need. I never saw it as creating a debt.”
“Hey, then what does that make me? How about we grab a meal, just the two of us next time? I'll treat you to something nice.”
“......”
His attitude made it clear he wasn't even listening. Lena felt her words catch in her throat.
A Silence Follower dining alone with the hero's bloodline. What the hell was the world coming to?
“Ugh...!”
Gulp, gulp!
To clear her chaotic thoughts, even if just for a moment, Lena tilted the massive beer mug in front of her and downed it in one go. Their eyes went wide as the beer vanished without pause.
“Whoa, you can hold your liquor!”
“Eh, average.”
A real man—or woman—had to handle at least this much booze. She propped her chin on her hand, munching on squid legs and dry snacks.
'Oh yeah, I've got that report to make later.'
The thought of her remaining schedule hit her late, but whatever. After all that hell, her boss would understand a little drunken downtime.
＊
“Haaah...”
In the dead of night, when all was quiet and still, thud. Dead drunk, Lena stumbled into her dorm and flopped onto the bed.
She was supposed to file her routine report, but right now, she just wanted to crash. Missing it by a day wouldn't kill her. As she closed her eyes...
Shiiiine.
“...!”
Light leaked from the music box on her nightstand. The alcohol buzz vanished in an instant as Lena bolted upright.
Click.
She didn't turn the handle on the outside of the case. Instead, she flipped open the lid and slipped her index finger into the glowing light.
A few seconds passed, and the faint glow from the music box projected onto the wall, forming a familiar face. It was Bella Nairik, captain of the intel-gathering unit Lena belonged to.
✧ HOLO-PROJECTION ACTIVATED ✧
Bella Nairik's face materializes on the wall.
“Loyalty!”
Catching sight of her sudden superior, Lena pressed her thumb and index finger to her lips, then swept them from forehead to solar plexus in their unique salute. Her demeanor shifted instantly—from ordinary academy student to something far more formidable.
- ...Something's off. Been drinking?
The voice seeped directly into her mind, bypassing her ears. Lena dropped to one knee, mortified.
“S-Sorry, Captain. It just... happened.”
- No, it's fine. Wasn't trying to chew you out. That mission was brutal; you need ways to blow off steam sometimes.
Grateful for her captain's leniency, Lena inwardly gave thanks and slapped her cheeks to shake off the buzz.
- Anyway, how'd the prior matter go?
“To cut to the chase... Aren—that man—is almost certainly the hero's successor.”
- Hmm, impressive yield already. What's your evidence?
“I'm sure you're familiar with the Hero's Gateway.”
- I'd have to be clueless not to. The place where Hero Iferia first set foot, now the first-years' practical exam stage. I'm well-versed in academy intel.
Bella would know; it was odd if she didn't. Lena acknowledged that and continued calmly.
“Something strange happened there this time.”
- Strange how?
“Yes. The gateways were all new ones I'd never heard of before.”
- Must've been rough.
Rough didn't cover it. She bit back complaints in front of her captain, but back then, it had nearly driven her to curses. It wasn't just unseen gateways; their difficulty dwarfed anything prior. Especially the final one.
“I didn't know why at first, but my guess... it recognized the hero's blood and gave him a trial worthy of it.”
- What makes you think that?
“It's complicated in detail, but simply put... after the final trial, an unknown entity called him 'Reverser of Heaven.'”
Bella flinched as Lena finished, sharpening Lena's gaze.
The light-chaser, forged in trial's blade, shall wield the right to cleave the dark.
Defying heaven's fate, kicking dawn aside, to unfurl the morning.
“So you do remember.”
- As a Follower, how could I forget? For some reason—probably to revere that vile hero—it's the song everyone knows by heart.
Bella frowned, as if holding back a tirade.
- So it wasn't just some hero tale or bard's ditty. This was real?
“Seems like it. I don't know the exact process, but clearing that trial proved he's a hero too...”
- Indeed. Makes sense.
Lena gauged her captain's ambiguous expression—satisfied or displeased? No further words came; maybe she was just mulling it over.
- But why the long face? That's brag-worthy intel.
“Well, actually...”
As Bella prodded her earlier statement, Lena's eyes darted, biting her lip. This was the real crux.
“...Aren seems to have taken a real liking to me.”
She forced the words out, and a beat of silence hung heavy. Neither spoke, just staring—Lena at the projection, the woman back at her.
Her captain broke it first.
- ...What does that mean?
Lena fully got her confusion.
“To explain: their incompetence made clearing the gateways a hassle, so I ended up leading the group unintentionally...”
- I see. Your exploits drew unintended attention.
“Yeah, pretty much.”
Lena sighed deeply. Bella tilted her head, intrigued, then snapped her fingers lightly.
- Hmm, could actually be a positive.
“Huh? Positive how?”
Her cover blown to her target—where was the upside? Now Lena looked baffled.
- Sure, as surveillance goes, getting noticed isn't ideal. But that's only if you're just detected.
“What do you mean...?”
- Turn lemons to lemonade. You've shown yourself—build rapport instead.
“......”
Build rapport? With him? The hero's heir? Her head spun like she'd been clocked.
Bella continued kindly.
- Infiltration's harder than watching from afar. Nail that, and no need for risky surveillance.
“So, you're saying... get close to him for more intel?”
- Exactly. And it doesn't stop there. Sway him to our side, and you'd achieve what no Follower has—a monumental feat.
Easier said than done. If it were feasible, they'd have planned it ages ago. It reeked of desperation now that the milk was spilled.
'She said I could pull out once I confirmed he was the hero's heir!'
Echoing some saintess's old thoughts, Lena inwardly screamed. She'd risked exposure joining his group for the exam precisely to confirm it—then bail, regroup with the Followers, and plot his capture later.
That had been the original deal with Bella. Now this: wipe the slate clean and say, 'Oh, friends with the hero? Great, make him one of us.'
She itched to deck her damn captain sans rank.
“Captain, shouldn't we withdraw, regroup at base, then brainstorm with the others on how to snag him?”
Suppressing her rage, she advised calmly—but no dice.
- No, this is an opportunity. New orders for you, Lena.
“...Orders?”
- Yes. Until detailed plans form, earn his trust. Routine reports suspended for now—prioritize that.
“......”
It was supposed to be confirm intel, then extract. Unwittingly, she'd stepped into some saintess's footsteps.
“Understood.”
Orders were orders. What choice did she have? Nodding stiffly, she suddenly craved another beer.