Midterm Exam
Arthur Carlyle.
Twenty years old.
The most promising young talent of the Frontier Guild, the preeminent noble guild of Res Limen and one of the five greatest guilds in the city.
His astonishing talent and magic defied imitation even within the guild, where the words “Arthur will become guild leader” were already spoken openly.
Having always lived up to every expectation, he had transferred to the training center to gain more varied experiences beyond the guild.
If I were to sum him up in one sentence, I would simply call him the man for whom life is training and training is life.
Yet for the last few days, things had been different.
Arthur had been deeply absorbed in one single worry during recent training sessions and simply could not concentrate.
Physical-enhancement training was mostly theoretical; there was little actual practice involved, so he had not minded that much.
He had already covered everything taught in the guild anyway.
The real issue was that he had neglected the time he once shared to practice mana manipulation simultaneously, which he could no longer do.
His mind had been filled to the brim with nothing but that one worry.
Should I tell him?
Anyone who tried to strengthen the body that way would die.
Maybe the lion beastman girl in the next room did not know that he used demonic mana.
Even so, that could not be the case.
I had recognized it at a glance, and the lion beastman girl who had taught me directly right beside me could not possibly have been ignorant.
Or perhaps she had underestimated the mana consumption that was low by human standards and simply failed to notice.
Which was true did not matter; what mattered was that there was a gap in understanding between them.
Arthur had clearly been treating the hooded spirit mage as a complete novice in physical enhancement.
The next-room roommate was the same.
Still, the one who actually used physical enhancement was a beastman, and the method differed greatly from the way humans did it.
The setup for misunderstanding was perfect.
I should tell him.
I did not dislike self-assured people.
Arthur himself was a demonologist who was looked down upon in mage society yet remained unbowed and lived according to his own principles.
That was why I had worked so hard to make sure his efforts never became a noose around his neck.
Arthur had reached his conclusion just as the afternoon exploration training session ended.
His team, against all odds, had finished the first training session in last place but this time they raced through at a near-turbo speed.
They even exited earlier than Arthur’s team.
Of course, that was because I had added random training modules to the simple exploration to pad the time, so naturally it took longer.
Yet I had never finished outside the top five, which spoke volumes about my skill.
Despite that, the pitiful showing of a team composed of combat mage, demonologist, and spirit mage—none of whom could use common mana—had been astonishing.
It was said that even the daughter of the Alexandria Academy principal, who had bet with the roommate, had locked herself in the training field for the duration.
Many efforts must have gone into it.
As expected, telling him was the right thing to do.
Arthur nodded again at his own conclusion with a satisfied look and addressed his teammates.
“No extra dinner tonight. There’s something I need to handle.”
The teammates gladly accepted the suggestion.
Grateful teammates. For the next after-party I should increase the density of feedback sessions and one-on-one sparring.
Without knowing that his teammates had willingly released him because of those words, Arthur left the training center with a faint twinge of guilt.
He headed toward the training building.
Of course, every training hall inside forbidden unauthorized entry.
To enter, permission from whoever was inside was required.
Arthur scanned the sign-in roster, found the name of his roommate, and pulled the cord attached to the inner bell.
There was no answer, but a locking magic unlocked with a soft click.
He’s telling me to come in.
Arthur grasped the doorknob and pushed.
The scene that unfolded beyond the door was, for Arthur, far too stimulating: nothing but endless repetition of practice, practice, and more practice.
Ray lay sprawled on the floor beneath him, and atop her sat a lioness girl.
Arthur’s cold brain spun at lightning speed. After analyzing, interpreting, and rejecting the visual information his eyes sent, he reached one conclusion.
For a moment his usually impassive expression cracked, then he restored the blank mask.
“...Were you interrupting?”
He spoke only a short, dry sentence and immediately closed the door, letting out a deep breath.
His face had flushed an unnatural shade, as if he had never seen such a sacred training space host something so... unsacred.
Could I have mistaken the person?
Arthur squeezed his eyes shut, as if trying to erase the image burned into his retinas.
Arthur Carlyle.
Twenty years old.
No experience with women.
§
“I was under the impression that you were training against Ray in close combat.”
Arthur nodded calmly, expression unchanged.
Surprised? I had been genuinely shocked.
I had opened the door thinking it was Leaf and nearly fainted when Arthur’s face appeared. I thought I was hallucinating.
Only after he closed the door and I called him urgently did he accept it as real.
Luckily, my desperate explanation seemed to convince him.
“Indeed. You are not the type to do something like that.”
Like someone who already knew me well?
Although we were roommates, I did not recall having deep conversations with him.
“So? What is it?”
“Um...”
Arthur glanced at Ray as he answered.
Real? This guy... No way.
If my assumption was correct, I would have to reveal the full weight of the law to Arthur as a righteous demonologist.
Ray frowned slightly, clearly displeased by the look Arthur gave her.
Her spines stood up like a hedgehog’s as she asked.
“Got a complaint for me?”
“Yes.”
Arthur’s blunt affirmation left even Ray momentarily stunned, blinking in disbelief.
He continued.
“The way you’re teaching physical enhancement is wrong.”
“What?”
“That method is the beastman way. It is unsuitable for humans, especially for a demonologist whose mana is restricted.”
“Huh?”
“There is no need for physical enhancement to have so many variations. Each person has their own fitting approach. You should switch to the other one right now. That is why I came to tell you.”
As if that was all he had to say, Arthur stood up smoothly.
There was not the slightest trace of reluctance in his decisive manner.
Thank goodness this guy isn’t that way.
Unlike me, who had been relieved that the rumor was not true, Ray looked even fiercer after being directly criticized on her teaching method.
“Hey! You barge in here, call me out, and then leave like that?”
“Leave? What are you talking about.”
“Who knows the guy better—you or me? I think I know him better, don’t you?”
Ray grabbed my arm beside her and pulled me to stand right next to her.
This girl... She’s sulking now.
“And I think I know physical enhancement better. I’m the one who knows the right way to teach this guy.”
“...That’s hard to swallow whole.”
You too?
Arthur’s voice carried a clear discomfort unlike his usual calm tone.
The tension was thick enough to snap at any moment.
I slowly moved a little farther from Ray’s side.
I’ll just watch. You two handle it yourselves.
§
Back at the library after training with Ray.
When I told Leaf what had just happened, she set aside the notebook she was reading and leaned her upper body toward me.
“So who won?”
“One on one.”
“What?”
“Ray won when she only used physical enhancement, but Arthur started using magic and beat her.”
“Since Ray is a beastman, it’s hard for her to win without magic, right?”
Mmm, that checks out.
Leaf, who now called her by name alone instead of using the “you” suffix because she knew Ray was younger, crossed her arms and nodded.
“But it’s almost over now.”
“What is?”
“The graduation exam. It’s right around the corner.”
“...I see.”
The graduation exam, which included geography and ecology, was scheduled for Friday.
Functional verification would take place the next day, Saturday, during the temporary license test.
That was why Leaf had not joined training today.
“Ugh... There’s so much I need to memorize...
Leaf lay face-down on the desk, flailing her arms in despair.
She looked exactly like a cram-student suffering before an exam.
“So I told you to listen properly during training and actually practice.”
“R-Ray didn’t even train, so I thought she wouldn’t have anything to worry about...
“She had prior learning.”
Surprisingly, even though Ray had never visited the Abyss, she knew an absurd amount.
She had learned it before becoming a slave, apparently.
Leaf, who had never expected that possibility, was stunned by Ray’s knowledge.
“Betrayal... She betrayed someone...
Leaf did not know who, but that was the gist of it.
Leaf kept banging the desk, blaming her laziness on Ray while making a show of being angry.
Her attempt at indignation was truly pathetic, in my eyes.
“It’s not happening. Don’t help me. I won’t accept help. Just study already.”
“Hic...”
At my firm words, Leaf lifted her head, snatched my notes from beside her, and clutched them.
How long had they been studying like that?
A shadow fell over our desk.
I thought it was Ray, but when I looked up, the girl there had hair whiter than Ray’s.
“Hm?”
Who was it again?
I felt like I knew her.
Ah... That one... who had a strangely cold aura with Alejandra...
“You!”
“Yes?”
The woman looked down at me with a voice carrying an indescribable dignity and pressure.
“I heard the rumors.”
“What...?”
“You’re having a bet with Alejandra?”
The gossip has finally reached us?
We had not been discussing it openly on our side.
Perhaps Alejandra had also felt the pressure lately and was training earnestly, so the rumor about our bet circulating was only natural.
“I can help you with that. I, under the name of Fiona McManus.”
She placed her elegant hand on her chest with a proud declaration.
Her confident face and the pride in her voice showed she had no intention of refusing.
Yet my impression was different.
Help me?
“Why?”