Chapter 9

“Kinjo. We can’t let Amon run wild. If it’s him, he’ll even threaten his own teammates.”

“The one we have to watch most is probably Amon. His sword work is brilliant, and he hasn’t shown a single flaw so far. Plus, the default weapon is a wooden sword. Whatever angle you look at, this exam favors him.”

Kinjo lifted the wooden sword he’d been given.

“And with Belle on his team, B-Team is the strongest. Her ability is single-use, but that one shot is unstoppable. Or maybe it isn’t single-use—there’s a twenty-four-hour limit to get back to the Training Center. She could rest in between.”

Kinjo touched the scar under his chin, the one the ruffian’s dagger had left.

“Rest might recharge her. Belle could fire two, even three times....”

For a moment he looked like nothing more than a voyeur who used clairvoyance to peek at people’s guts, but strategy and power analysis were what he was truly born for.

With one memorized map and a single casting of Clairvoyance Magic, he could spin this much conversation.

Once he graduated and took on bigger missions, that talent would shine even brighter.

As long as Kinjo kept his magic, he would hold the key to any counterattack.

* * *

One hour before the First Exam.

B-Team.

“Yesterday’s ally is tomorrow’s enemy.”

Amon pressed the wooden sword’s hilt to his forehead and muttered.

“What are you doing?” Belle asked.

“Ritual. A ritual.”

“...Right. Well, good luck with that.”

She stepped away, as though any odd behavior were contagious.

“Right now, in this moment, I’m treating everyone as a rival—hostile intent, full throttle.”

“Hostile intent, huh.”

“Belle, don’t kid yourself. Half-hearted resolve never wins.”

“Wins against who?”

“Who do you think?”

Amon’s eyes flared.

“Louise, of course!”

“Ah....”

“Damn it, why’d Louise end up in A-Team? She’s the one person I didn’t want to fight.”

He rammed the tip of his wooden sword against the ground.

“Why do you even care? The real threats in A-Team are Mago and Kinjo, aren’t they?”

Belle brushed the Louise topic aside.

“Mago and Kinjo? I couldn’t care less what happens to a couple of guys....”

“Those two came in together, didn’t they? Master and slave, probably.”

“Yeah. If I were Mago, the second I became a Freeman I’d ditch Kinjo and run. But look—still attached at the hip. No spine, see? Guys like that don’t worry me.”

“Still, the rumors in the Capital are real. People already mash their names together—call them ‘Majo.’”

“Disgusting nickname. Kinjo’s a mage, so who knows what tricks he has—he’s dangerous. But Mago? Just fast, that’s all.”

Amon had already erased the memory of losing to Mago in sparring.

“It wasn’t official.”

He’d never acknowledge a former slave.

“Official?”

“Forget it.”

“Something feels off....”

Belle laced her fingers behind her head and sighed.

“Anyway, how do we handle Louise? If I go too hard, you’ll have to stop me.”

“If you hate it that much, we could swap maps.”

“No. Never. Even for Louise, map-swap is not an option. We don’t pass together—we devour each other. Drop the rest as early as possible.”

“You’re scary when you’re serious.”

Amon pressed the hilt to his forehead again.

* * *

Five minutes before the First Exam.

A-Team.

At last I admitted it.

“You’re right.”

“The others don’t really know the lake. No one will guard against you. In other words, perfect conditions to exploit a blind spot. And even teammates can’t afford to relax.”

Kinjo nodded, twice, as though arranging thoughts inside his head.

“It’s not A versus B—it’s every two-person team for itself. Points are awarded first-come-first-served.”

That was his reinterpretation of the instructor’s briefing.

“There are plenty of ways to hinder each other. Still, I hope B-Team splits first.”

“Kinjo, I’ll carry two packs.”

“Two? Including mine?”

“Yeah, yours too. While I’m loaded, you sprint ahead. I’ll catch up.”

“Confident words—carrying double packs....”

“What are you two plotting?”

Louise, who’d been nearby, cut in.

“Just saying that even same-team members aren’t allies,” I answered.

“Mago, why stir trouble? You calling Louise an enemy?”

“Who knows. We’ll see once it starts.”

An awkward beat passed.

Kinjo broke it, fishing for lighter air.

“Louise, why’d you come to the Training Center?”

“Hm? Uh... now that you ask, it’s kind of embarrassing. Do I have to say?”

“On your feet!”

Small talk ended there.

The Chief Instructor raised his arm high.

A-Team scrambled into formation.

“A-Team.”

The instructor’s low voice rolled over us.

Tension rippled across every trainee’s face.

“Move out!”

The Chief Instructor’s arm snapped down like a blade. A-Team surged forward with a roar.

“Stick to the plan for now,” Kinjo said.

“Right.”

He dropped into a crouch, drew one long breath, and exploded forward. The sand at his toes hadn’t even settled before he shot past the leaders.

“Wh-what the—!”

“Was Kinjo always that fast?”

It wasn’t that he was naturally quicker; it was simply the obvious outcome. His back was bare. While everyone else lugged military packs, he sprinted unburdened.

“Where’s his pack...?!”

“Isn’t that cheating?”

Kinjo’s pack was on my right shoulder. I’d slung my own over the left. I set my left foot back, coiled, and launched after him. A body that once hoisted a full-grown warhorse didn’t even notice the extra weight.

“Damn it!”

“He’s carrying two and still outrunning us...!”

I ignored the groans and focused on breathing. Moments later I pulled even with Kinjo.

“Y-you’re already here?”

The first—and last—place A-Team and B-Team would meet: Checkpoint. The earlier we arrived, the more route choices we’d have. We needed to watch the others arrive, then pick the best move.

We slipped past a few stragglers and took the lead of A-Team.

“We’re fastest in A-Team so far,” Kinjo said, hope and worry braided together in his voice, “but how’s the other side looking...?”

* * *

Thirty minutes into the First Exam.

B-Team.

“Funny thing about Belle,” Amon panted, “she burns fuel like a machine—eat, move, eat, move. Half the time you’d swear she isn’t human...”

His hair was plastered to his forehead with sweat.

“Hah... what... are you saying...?”

A teammate jogging beside him answered.

“Still don’t get it? This is Amon Coster, youngest son of the Coster Family—one of the Empire’s Three Great Houses—and he’s dying on a hill. Hah... pathetic...”

“So what... exactly... do you want from me...?”

“Our house starts training us as babies. So... hah... a little hike like this, pack or no pack, should be nothing.”

“Funny, you look thirty seconds from quitting...”

“Shut it... I’ve been preparing since yesterday.”

Amon wiped the sting of sweat from his eyes.

“Meaning...?”

“Meaning I gave Belle every single meal I had from last night onward... that’s what.”

He ground his molars.

“So right now... the fastest person here is probably Belle!”

“Damn... our group’s screwed...”

“I’m the top ranker; I’m the one joining the Special Task Force! For the glory of the family...!”

* * *

I burst through the last hateful gap in the trees. Beyond the final hill, flatland opened up.

“Checkpoint,” Kinjo murmured.

No more forest—only open ground and sunlight, and red hair whipping in the wind.

“You’re late,” Belle said, flicking her hair back.

Blue cloth wrapped her arm: B-Team’s mark. Kinjo had flagged her as B-Team’s toughest.

“Belle, I can hear you wheezing—you just got here too.”

“Hah? N-no I didn’t.”

She held her breath, cheeks puffed.

I cut in.

“Where’s Amon?”

“Right behind me.”

“You didn’t dump everything on him?”

“I said he’s right behind me.”

Amon had hoped that answer would satisfy; it didn’t.

“Hand over the map.”

Belle extended her wooden sword.

“Hold on, Belle. How about we trade maps? No need for us to fight.”

Kinjo took a step back.

Unleashing her explosive power this early in the exam—

and against us—would be a waste.

That was the hope, anyway.

“We drew up a plan too. Amon said no, but I overruled him.”

Belle opened her mouth.

“Overruling him already means it’s not a plan.”

Ignoring Kinjo’s jab,

Belle spoke with confidence.

“A Team. The moment we meet you, we use it.”

“We’re doomed... of all people.”

Kinjo pressed his palm to his forehead.

“Listen, Belle.”

He began his counter-argument.

“We swap maps here and head down together. First and second place are only one point apart, right? Three more exams remain, plus the individual evaluation.”

“I knew you’d say that, Kinjo. You came as a group, but I have to wait for Amon. You expect me to watch you take first place? Even if it’s just one point, why should I hand it over?”

“Belle, watch your tone.”

That was my cue to cut in.

“Didn’t you say Amon’s right behind you?”

It was now clear Belle was alone.

“Th-that’s what I meant! And map-trading isn’t in our plan. If we can drag even one person down, we will. That was Amon’s vow—even if it’s Louise.”

“Even if it’s Louise... that guy’s got guts.”

For some odd reason, Kinjo admired Amon.

Then he shot back.

“But that’s Amon’s vow. You agree with it?”

“It’s not wrong.”

Kinjo’s mouth snapped shut.

He looked at me as if to say he was done.

“I was already annoyed this was taking so long. If Amon’s not here, it’s just Belle.”

I shrugged off both military packs.

Then drew my wooden sword.

“Kinjo, remember what we said on the way up?”

He gave a small nod.

We’d prepared for this exact situation—how to handle Belle.

- Huh? Belle?

Kinjo asked again.

- If we meet Belle, and we have to fight, we don’t block her sword. We dodge.

- Dodge?

- One successful dodge and she’s combat-ineffective. Dodging is winning.

- Easier said than done.

- Even saying it is hard. Still, we know her body better than anyone.

- Stop sounding creepy.

I ignored the joke.

- Before Belle uses the Red Family’s Unique Magic, her body flushes red and radiates heat. Steam rises off her skin. She channels explosive energy; once it’s spent, she collapses.

- Like an oil-fed engine.

- The point is, we can read the timing. With your own eyes.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.