We were standing somewhere in the mountains.
It was ablaze with the colors of fall, tinted in hues of red.
A cool wind rustled the trees, making the autumn leaves flutter to the ground.
Borval swept away the drifting leaves with a casual wave of his hand.
Then, he turned to me and said,
"So, you're going solo."
"Yes, I'm off right away."
"Well then, I guess I'm stuck with this fellow."
Borval gestured towards the man standing next to him.
"Pl, ple, please take care..."
"Sure, I got it."
Borval interrupted him, leaving him mid-sentence.
He didn't seem very reliable.
Seeing Borval like this, I felt a twinge of guilt.
I had been scrambling to find another partner besides Borval before the joint practical started.
However, finding just one person was challenging.
Given that the exercise involved teams of three, many groups were formed from familiar faces.
When three strangers teamed up, their individual strengths only added up.
But when well-matched people joined teams, their power multiplied, even squared.
Hence, the stronger students paired up with those who complimented their abilities.
I felt the limit of my social circle since I couldn't partner with Rie, Luna, or Astina.
While I was busy worrying and looking around, I spotted a familiar face.
It was the red-haired guy who had given me trouble at the start of the first term.
"Hey, what was your name again?"
"My, my name is Jet William!"
"Right, Jet, give it your all."
Jet, whom I had 'educated' a bit at the start of the term, shivered every time he saw me.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})Even when I told him to drop the formalities, he kept them up anyway.
I just looked at him with a smirk.
After Garwel left, Jet was left aimless at the academy.
The mischief-makers he hung out with were all lower nobles.
Without a leader, their group fell apart.
These days, he seemed to be quietly attending his classes.
I wasn't sure how competent he was, but with Borval on our side, even if three first-year students attacked, we could handle it.
So, this guy was just to make up the numbers.
Moreover, since I had instilled a decent amount of fear in him, he would probably obey without question.
This meant I could direct him as I saw fit.
"It's about to start soon."
As Borval spoke, a firework lit up the sky.
-Bang!
The firework signaled the start of the event.
"Shall we move then?"
At Borval's words, I sprang into action.
"Aaaargh!!!"
"She should have just handed it over."
Rie chuckled, watching the person tumble down, amused.
Locke stepped forward and plucked a small gem from the pocket of the fallen participant.
The gem Locke held was a marker for scoring points.
Everyone was given one, and if you managed to attach the captain's gem to your own, you could snatch all their accumulated points.
"Indeed, it's Rie."
Said their third teammate.
He hailed from the Petro family, well-known for their prowess in alchemy.
"Yes," Rie acknowledged.
She didn't know him too well, but as an alchemy student, he was useful.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})"Hmmm...."
Rie mused while walking.
Points were slowly stacking up, but securing first place seemed a tough feat at this pace.
Truthfully, Rie was confident in her own abilities.
Even without Astina, she was a formidable opponent.
And having Locke made them a terrifying team, making other participants wary.
However, this made it challenging to clinch the top spot.
Most teams would bolt at the sight of Rie, instead of facing her head-on.
So, a chase ensued, which wasted precious time.
"Locke, from now on, you'll operate independently," Rie declared.
"Independently?"
"Yes, don't waste time hunting the strong ones. Pick off the ones you can easily beat."
Keeping Locke by her side was a misuse of his swift movement.
Rie and the kid from the Petro family couldn't move as quickly.
It was best for him to go solo, taking down the weaker teams.
"Got it. I'll head south."
"Good, we'll take the north."
Upon hearing Rie's words, Locke sprang into action.
I was alone, meandering through the woods.
I encountered several teams, but none were a challenge.
The clever ones fled at the sight of me, but most chose to face off, seeing me alone.
Borval was our team captain, but those we ran into had no way of knowing.
They assumed that I, with my high assessment scores, was the captain and fought with me.
"They should at least try to recognize teams with high-ranking players."
There was nothing to gain in fighting me, a mere team member.
They were like moths drawn to a flame.
I needed to reach Evan quickly, but the constant interruptions were testing my patience.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})After covering some distance, I fished out a scroll from my bag.
As I tore it open, a map materialized in the air.
A single dot marked the map.
"Hmm... Hard to track when it keeps moving."
That dot represented Astina's magic energy.
More accurately, it pointed to Yeniel, who was linked by Astina's magic.
In this exam, Astina was part of the safety committee, stationed outside the test area.
So, tracking down Astina's magic would lead me to Yeniel.
The day after learning about Astina's absence from the exam, I sought her out.
I had prepared a magic search circle using Astina's mana, confident that Evan would be on the same team as Yeniel.
"Hmm... Southwards, it seems."
Evan's team was constantly moving within the southern region.
The floating map dissolved into thin air once its duration expired.
"Time to get moving," I murmured.
As I prepared to set off, a figure in the distance caught my eye—someone was swiftly advancing toward me.
"What's going on?"
The individual bore a sword at his hip and was running at an impressive speed, a clear sign of belonging to the Swordsmanship Department.
His lone figure suggested he wasn't just another participant.
As he drew closer, he began to slow down.
"Huh?"
He slowed to a stop, hopping in my direction.
"What are you doing here?"
"Locke?"
I recognized him.
"Oh, what a pleasant surprise," I greeted Locke.
Neither of us felt compelled to fight.
If Rie had been in his place, conflict might have broke out, but Locke, like me, was merely a team member.
He knew I wasn't the captain; confrontation between us was pointless.
"Why are you alone? Where's Rie?"
"Rie can handle herself. She's decided to go alone to accumulate more points."
"Is that so?"
A smirk crept onto my face at his words.
"Hey, could you do me a favor? I have some valuable information to share."
"Information?"
"Yes. Don't you want to score big?"
I proposed, cleverly weaving in a touch of deceit.
I've decided to use Locke to my advantage.
Meanwhile, in the northern reaches of the forest.
"Luna, you're incredible! Well done!"
Riku sprinted into Luna's arms, praising her.
"Yeah! Ena and Riku, you both did fantastic too!"
Luna beamed at Riku.
"What did I do exactly?"
Ena approached, curious.
"Hey, the amount of useful potions you brought made our fight much more manageable!"
Luna's words coaxed a smile onto Ena's face.
"But what's with the robe? It's remarkably durable."
Luna was sporting a black robe.
"Hehe, it's a gift," she replied, clutching it tightly.
Rudy had given it to her, a sturdy piece fashioned from wyvern skin.
Luna's team consisted of members from the Magic and Alchemy Departments, leaving them without a frontline.
Consequently, Luna often bore the brunt of the attacks, facing several dangerous situations.
However, her robe was strong enough to deflect all attacks.
Even when she did get hit, the attacks barely left a dent.
Besides, Ena's stock of healing potions offered a safety net, but the defensive strength of the robe allowed Luna to act more bravely.
"Our score is steadily rising."
"Do you think we have a shot at first place?"
Ena examined the score and asked.
Riku pumped her fist energetically in response.
"I hope so."
Luna shared a smile with the two.
She adjusted the small bag on her back; it was housing a spellbook.
Frankly, she hadn't had much use for it since getting it back, but she decided to bring it along as a precaution.
However, there's been no need it for so far.
Most battles were won using pre-prepared scrolls or the cube she made for the individual assessment.
"Shall we continue?"
As Luna was about to go forward, she caught sight of a familiar face in the distance.
"Ah......"
It was a face she was happy to see, but one she couldn't afford to engage with right now.
"Riku, Ena……! We need to hide!"
Luna whispered urgently to her companions.
Following her command, Riku and Ena immediately crouched.
Despite their efforts, their location was far from inconspicuous.
This mountainous region bore many clearings where trees were sparse.
Their attempts to camouflage themselves in the open were futile.
"Ena, Riku, stay low and let's head towards those trees......"
"Why are we hiding?"
Ena asked as she saw Luna's hurried actions.
However, the answer became apparent almost immediately.
"I saw your fight."
They approached with grins plastered on their faces.
Riku and Ena tensed, their expressions turning rigid at the sight.
"Ah......"
And the face of the figure approaching them also stiffened.
"Lu......Luna?"
That person was none other than Rie.
