It was just casually captured, but even though the Lich Knight was a high-level monster, it wasn’t something a first-year student could realistically deal with.
Didn’t I say it clearly? You’d need to be at the graduation level to even stand a chance.
No matter how hard the first-year students tried to attack, it was only natural that they wouldn’t even leave a scratch.
The only significant damage was a minor scratch left by a future swordmaster. Even that was automatically healed by the armor, returning it to nothing.
“…If we actually meet it, we’ll just have to die, huh?”
“We’re still far from that point…”
They must have had some pride in being in the advanced class, but thanks to Reina’s insane choice of monster, the entire class was deflated.
To prepare a test that would show the bitter reality to the budding freshmen… Reina, you’re truly a cruel person.
After some time, the turn came back around to Lilith.
“No matter how well the divine power works on monsters, isn’t this too much of a difference?”
She said this while expressing her unease, but there was no need for concern.
After all, she was a saintess, and her divine power was not for nothing. There was a reason Reina had pushed her to the last spot.
Demon magic and divine power. The gap between them was so vast that discussing their respective levels was almost meaningless.
Screeeeeek!
A Holy Arrow shot out with a grunt.
The five light arrows shot straight into the Lich Knight’s abdomen, piercing in unison.
The shock caused a flash of light to momentarily flare up and disappear… leaving behind a hole about the size of a finger.
Although it didn’t penetrate completely due to the lack of power, just the fact that a hole had been made was impressive.
Moreover… since the divine power prevented automatic recovery, it could be said that actual damage had been dealt.
“…This is a saintess.”
“Now I understand why divine power is so highly regarded.”
Perhaps it was because they had witnessed it firsthand. The way they looked at Lilith had changed.
After all, this was the first time they’d seen a saintess’s power in action… and seeing her land a meaningful blow on a monster they couldn’t even scratch must have been overwhelming to the newbies.
“My sword couldn’t even leave a scratch…”
The future swordmaster seemed quite shocked, his hand trembling on the hilt of his sword.
That’s a sign he’s about to cause trouble. I’ll need to keep a closer watch on him.
Anyway, perhaps not expecting such a well-executed attack, Lilith, stunned, cautiously opened her mouth.
“…Professor, isn’t this a bit unfair?”
“What are you talking about? That’s your power and your skill.”
It seemed she felt uneasy, thinking she had relied too much on her divine power.
But Reina was right.
When monsters charge, no one thinks, “Oh, I have divine power that others don’t, so I should avoid using it and just die.”
And even if you have divine power, if you didn’t train hard, piercing a hole would have been impossible.
Even if the result was due to divine power, it was still a product of effort, so I casually gave her a thumbs-up.
“What? That makes me uncomfortable.”
No matter what kind of compliment I give her, she gets upset.
“Well, that’s enough for Lilith… who’s next?”
After Lilith’s turn, Professor Reina casually glanced between Seria and the others.
What should I do? They say it’s better to face the worst first, but the result will be the same anyway… Should I just go first?
I must have hesitated for quite a while because, before I knew it, Seria was walking towards the Lich Knight.
She stood in front of it, thought for a moment, and then looked at Reina, asking a question.
“We’re just going to discard this after the test, right?”
“Yes. Our saintess has made a hole that even divine power can’t heal, so we can’t recycle it.”
“Then I’ll just shoot one light attack.”
In an instant, she activated three types of magic at once, blasting the Lich Knight’s right arm off.
As the arm disappeared, the heavy greatsword it had been holding fell to the ground with a thud.
Boom—
A heavy silence followed.
Even Reina was stunned by this unexpected turn of events.
But I was the only one who knew. She had already surpassed graduation level long ago.
Her skill had reached the point where defeating a Lich Knight was no problem.
It wasn’t a result of rapid growth due to difficulty… but rather an unusually fast growth that made her stand out. I decided not to question it, though, since I knew I wouldn’t find an answer.
It was Seria herself who broke the silence.
“Should I keep going?”
“…No, that’s enough. Come on in.”
Reina seemed to have a lot to say, but she decided to let it go for now.
Perhaps she would call Seria aside after the test.
Finally, my turn was approaching.
It’s the last turn… I feel pretty burdened by this position, and I’m really sorry I have nothing to show.
Standing in front of the Lich Knight, I looked quite pitiful. The hole in its abdomen had not been healed by divine power, and one of its arms had been completely severed beyond recovery.
But even though it was weakened, it wasn’t exactly defeated, so nothing had changed.
I drew my short sword and approached with light steps… then swung it gently.
Kkaka-kkak-
The unpleasant noise rang out, but once again, not even a scratch appeared on the Lich Knight’s armor.
Even when I poked it, I didn’t think I’d be able to deal any damage to this armor.
Well… if it couldn’t be done, it couldn’t be done. It would’ve been even stranger if something had worked out like a miracle.
Clearly, relying solely on evasion and parrying would be too much. I’d have to find some other way to attack quickly.
With that thought in mind, I returned my sword to my waist and turned back, only to see Reina staring at me in disbelief. It seemed she thought I had just come back without doing anything.
“…What are you doing?”
“It’s over.”
“There are no extra points for helping with the capture.”
This meant I wouldn’t get any points for finishing it like this.
But what could I do? Nothing would change if I kept going.
“I don’t care.”
“What exactly are you thinking… Ah, I get it now. Is that it? Heh… Well, do whatever you want.”
At least with the things I had done up to now, it seemed like she had figured out some hidden intention.
I’m curious what she thought I was up to… but she just smiled contentedly and stared at me without giving any hints.
“Rudion?”
Seria also stared at me with a puzzled expression, much like Reina, so I was at a loss for words. I was about to ignore it, but…
“Rudion, thank you.”
She was like this too. I didn’t really understand how she had taken it, but if it made her happy, then that was enough.
And with that, the practical exam ended. Reina placed the Lich Knight back into the magic stone, checked the time, and told everyone to break for lunch.
After lunch, we’d have the next practical exam—duels—before the midterms would officially end.
Well, I didn’t feel any strong emotions since I hadn’t really put in much effort. It was more like, “Time passed.”
“Rudion!”
As I was deciding what to eat in the student cafeteria, a voice I hadn’t heard in a while called out to me.
“Oh, it’s been a while. Fran, how’ve you been?”
“Thanks to you, every day’s been enjoyable!”
Fran, the one who broke the wall in my dorm room, was now smiling brightly, just like he had said he would.
His face looked a little more haggard than before, but… well, as long as he was enjoying himself, it was fine.
Since Seria hadn’t met him before, I made a light introduction.
“He’s my dorm mate from the room next door. He’s in a lower class, though.”
“I’m in the intermediate class now!”
“Huh? You ranked up?”
“Yes, I did!”
It seems like the lower class has already finished their exams.
More than that, it’s impressive that someone who just caused trouble in the original work has now made it to the intermediate class. Maybe they had some talent after all?
While I was thinking that, Fran suddenly took something out and handed it to me.
It was a small iron plate embedded with a magic stone, along with a hammer about the size of a hand axe, both of which had peculiar patterns etched into them.
“What’s this?”
“Didn’t I tell you! I’ll provide you with all the results I create, free of charge, so you can use them!”
He was sticking to his word. It looked like he had made some progress after all.
He had already created two magical tools, which was quite impressive. I praised him for it, and Fran excitedly began explaining what he had made.
“These are the Reflector A-01 type and Striker A-01 type! The Reflector uses the principle of mana to reverse the side effects that occur when mana collides, inspired by your combat style, Rudion-nim…”
He went on and on, but to put it simply, it was a combination of a one-handed blunt weapon and a one-handed shield—a standard setup.
The shield nullifies low-level magical attacks by disrupting their structure, and the hammer releases compressed mana at the point of impact when a shock is detected.
However, despite the grand explanation, the appearance was rather shabby, so it didn’t seem like the actual performance would be that impressive.
But considering that he had only started making things a month or two ago, it was still an amazing feat.
It was clear that he had talent in this area.
“I used this to achieve the best score! Of course, that’s considering the lower class standards…”
“No matter what, you made it to the intermediate class, so good for you… wait a minute.”
“You were the best? Then what about the protagonist?”
Just then, a message notification popped up, and I saw an update on the protagonist’s status.
[Artes: My arm’s broken, so I’ll get treated and then come. Where are you?]
Oh… Artes got wrecked. After all that effort, his results weren’t impressive.
“It was really dangerous. If I hadn’t been lucky enough to avoid the final blow, I would have lost.”
Still, based on what Fran said, it didn’t sound like he had been completely defeated.
“Luck is also a skill, so think of it positively.”
“I’m honored that you see it that way! I’ll work even harder!”
Right. Work harder and make a weapon that no man could resist.
But considering this was strong enough to break an arm, should I really be receiving this so easily?
“Don’t worry, the prototype is still being stored.”
So when I asked, that was the answer I got.
Well, if the lower class exams are all over, I guess there won’t be a need for them anytime soon. It’s fine to take it.
“Oh, I’m sorry for keeping you so long! You must have come for lunch! I’ll be going now. Enjoy your meal!”
Fran suddenly realized the time, said that, and then hurried off.
Seeing him leave, Seria quietly spoke up.
“Rudion. Could I borrow that Reflector A-01 type for a moment?”
…She’s really saying the full name.
She could have just said “Reflector.” With her being so thorough about everything, it almost made her seem like an eccentric.
When I asked why she wanted to borrow it, she answered like this:
“I just want to take a closer look at the magic circle engraved on the magic stone.”
I had a rough idea of what she wanted to do, so I gladly lent it to her.
I wasn’t giving it to her to use directly. Seria likely wasn’t borrowing it for that purpose either.
This tool, which nullifies low-level magic, would only be effective in the lower class anyway.
But what was certain was that Seria would learn from this object, and that knowledge would elevate her to another level, making her even stronger than she already was.
Clearly, I had possessed her, but if you looked at the speed of her growth, it would be believable that she had possessed me instead.
“Are you really Seria?”
“Why are you suddenly saying that in the middle of eating?”
I asked just to be sure, but all I got was a strange look.