“What on earth was that thing your sister was holding?!”
After finishing the combat data collection on Rosaria, Felix was analyzing the data when, suddenly, a pair of rabbit ears perked up from under his desk with a soft “pop!”
“Wow, they look so fluffy.”
Squish, squish—
“Ah?! Eek?! H-Hey!? Wait a second! What are you doing right now?!”
Felix, who had been working tirelessly to create magic circles to the point of developing deep dark circles under his eyes, touched the irresistibly soft-looking rabbit ears without hesitation. But in an instant, the rabbit ears stiffened and sprang up, escaping his grasp.
“Why are you touching my ears all of a sudden?! Pervert! Deviant! Troublemaker! Criminal!”
“They were soft.”
“Eek!? I don’t want to hear your impressions, thank you very much!”
Clutching her ears and blushing furiously, Lumillion shrieked in protest, but Felix absentmindedly fiddled with the air, as if longing for the texture of the ears that had escaped his grasp. This only made Lumillion explode with genuine disgust.
“Anyway! What is that magic tool your sister was holding?!”
“Oh, that? Why do you ask?”
“‘Why do I ask?’ Are you serious right now?! That magic tool… it’s beyond anything remotely normal!”
Rubbing the area Felix had touched as if to erase his actions, Lumillion reignited the question that had been momentarily stifled by the earlier incident.
At the time Felix had been gathering data with Rosaria, Lumillion had been watching the scene unfold from the sidelines.
She had requested Felix’s help with a joint examination, and as someone who, among the professors, was the first to recognize Felix’s genius, she served as his assistant and co-researcher.
While assisting Felix, she had witnessed Rosaria’s combat demonstration, a display so jaw-dropping that her jaw still ached faintly.
“It’s true that she was firing magic as if it were a physical form, but I’ve never seen anything like that before! It was basically firing magic arrows without any chanting!”
Magic generally requires casting. However, magic tools, as long as they contain the appropriate inscriptions and activation mediums, can bypass the need for casting.
Even so, magic tools are typically limited in their power. They may be convenient, but they are no match for proper magic. This was common knowledge.
And if the tool was designed for offensive magic? Its limitations would be even more apparent.
However, the power Rosaria displayed when facing the golem disguised as a monster far exceeded the boundaries of what a magic tool should be capable of.
A magic tool that, with a single gesture, could launch projectiles at supersonic speeds and pierce through targets with ease.
Moreover, this tool could simultaneously penetrate multiple layered targets or even automatically retarget and strike others after the first impact. Its capabilities were far beyond anything Lumillion’s understanding of magic tools.
“What do you think? Impressive, right?”
“It’s not just impressive! That thing is practically a weapon of mass destruction! And to think that despite such destructive power, it’s small enough for an average woman to carry, and the operation seems straightforward… What would happen if something like that were mass-produced?!”
“It’s true that golems are much weaker than actual monsters, but after openly displaying a tool with such devastating power, don’t think you can just brush this off! I need to know everything about it!”
For now, Rosaria was the only one using the magic tool. However, as soon as Lumillion saw its capabilities, her mind jumped straight to the possibility of mass production.
It was easy to use, required no casting, and could even be wielded by those without innate magical abilities as long as they replenished its magic power.
No matter how she looked at it, this was an invention that could turn not only the empire but the entire world upside down.
Despite the situation, Felix remained infuriatingly nonchalant about the weapon’s identity, driving Lumillion to the brink of madness.
“…Sigh, do you really want to know that badly?”
“Y-Yes? Of course… I do…”
Felix, who had been staring silently at her for a moment, suddenly shifted into a more serious tone, catching Lumillion off guard. Startled by the change, she hesitated before cautiously responding.
“Do you know how the Evergarden family became counts?”
“Well… I believe it’s recorded that the founder greatly aided the first emperor during the war…”
“Correct. And that weapon is the miraculous artifact that enabled our ancestor to achieve such great deeds.”
“That…! Are you saying… that magic tool was used during the Conquest War?!”
“Yes, indeed. It’s a sacred artifact passed down through the generations of our family, and its current owner is my sister.”
“Amazing! You’re saying that weapon has been handed down in your family since the founding of the empire?”
“Yes. This extraordinary and mysterious tool can only be used by members of the Evergarden family. Its structure is so complex that even I struggle to analyze it.”
“It’s the very artifact that allowed our ancestor to rise from being a commoner to a count.”
“According to the legend passed down in our family, before heading to the battlefield, the first head of the Evergarden family met a mysterious benefactor who gifted him the artifact. Based on our analysis, we believe that benefactor was a dragon.”
“A d-dragon…! Well, in that case, it makes sense. Such incredible power could only come from a dragon’s creation!”
Felix’s explanation about his family history, delivered with a serious demeanor, had Lumillion’s ears twitching as she nodded eagerly.
‘Of course! Even if I don’t know much about the current Evergarden family, the first head of the family is recorded as a legendary hero in history…!’
‘So that’s why! That magic tool must have been the key!’
‘And if a dragon was involved, it all makes sense. It’s no wonder such a weapon couldn’t be mass-produced.’
“I see now… So that’s how it all came together…!”
“Exactly. While it’s an extraordinary artifact, its limitations are clear, and its use is restricted to specific individuals. There’s no need for concern.”
“Got it!”
‘…Don’t laugh…! Hold it in…! Ugh…! Why is she so simple?!’
Though Felix maintained a serious expression, inside he was struggling to suppress the laughter bubbling up as he looked into Lumillion’s wide, earnest eyes.
Naturally, everything Felix had just said was complete nonsense. The first head of the Evergarden family had never used such a weapon, and the artifact was something Felix had cobbled together himself.
He had prepared a plausible explanation just in case someone asked, but he hadn’t expected Lumillion to buy it so easily. Felix decided to keep the rest of his fabricated backstory in reserve for future use.
Lumillion, deeply absorbed in magic, was hopelessly naive about such things, a trait shared by most magic researchers. Spending their days cooped up in laboratories, they were oblivious to the ways of the world.
It wasn’t that no one dared to deceive a mage—it was simply that mages rarely encountered deception. If these magicians were ever thrust into the modern world, they’d probably fall victim to even the simplest scams.
‘Dragons really are a catch-all excuse. I can get away with anything just by invoking them, can’t I?’
“Well then, shall we get back to work?”
“Sure.”
And so, Felix refocused on drawing magic circles, casually reminiscing about the one and only dragon he had ever met.
“Alright, today is finally the day we assign teams for the joint exam.”
Some time later.
In the early morning, Gerton gathered the students not on the training field but in the lecture hall, delivering a major announcement during homeroom.
It was the long-awaited day to form teams for the joint exam.
“To explain the rules of this joint exam once more… Ahem! Basically, teams will consist of one senior student and three juniors.”
“The team composition includes one magic specialist and three combat specialists, with the senior student designated as the team leader.”
“Throughout the exam, the teamwork, reflexes, survival skills, and every action of these four-person teams will be evaluated organically. While leadership skills of the seniors are also part of the assessment, that’s not something you juniors need to worry about.”
“However, disobeying the team leader’s orders can result not only in penalties but also in disqualification, so avoid reckless behavior.”
“The joint exam will take place in the academy’s artificial dungeon and will last a total of three days.”
“When the exam begins, you will receive this.”
In Gerton’s hand was a gleaming red gem, radiant and mesmerizing.
“What you see in front of you now is a magical artifact called the Life Crystal.”
“The Life Crystal functions as a kind of ‘life system,’ and each of you will carry three of these.”
“If you possess these Life Crystals on your person, they will absorb all damage beyond a certain threshold, but one crystal will shatter in the process.”
“You can guess what happens next, right? If all your Life Crystals are destroyed, you’re eliminated on the spot.”
“While wearing these Life Crystals, you have two choices to pass the exam.”
“First, survive for three days.”
“If you protect your Life Crystals and endure within the dungeon for three days, you pass. However, you’ll only receive the minimum score, and the more teammates you lose, the more points will be deducted from the survivors. So the key is to survive while protecting your teammates and yourself.”
“The other option is to defeat the dungeon boss.”
“In the center of the dungeon lies the boss.”
“If you defeat the boss and secure the dropped magic stone, your team will pass the exam exactly ten minutes after obtaining it.”
“Of course, the dungeon boss, like the other artificial monsters, is significantly weakened, and the Life Crystals will protect you from harm. Still, don’t charge in recklessly.”
“And the most important thing.”
“During this exam, any means except attacking your teammates or committing murder are permitted.”
“Not that you need to worry—our excellent faculty will be monitoring the entire dungeon 24/7.”
“Simply put, trust no one except your teammates in the dungeon.”
“Now, that concludes the explanation! The joint exam will commence in three days, and until then, you have time to prepare and synchronize with your team.”
“The team assignments are written on the papers I’ll now distribute, so check them carefully.”
With that, Gerton handed out the papers he held to the students.
“A joint exam, huh…”
Rosaria, who had been listening to the explanation, muttered as her eyes sparkled.
“Well, sounds like a piece of cake to me.”
“Honestly, I could probably do it all by myself without needing any teammates.”
Her confidence wasn’t baseless.
Rosaria had already fought and defeated the artificial monsters featured in the joint exam: from goblins to kobolds, orcs, and even trolls—all smashed under her hands. There was nothing here to make her nervous.
“…Still, this will be the first time I’m taking an exam alongside other students, right? It feels a bit like an adventurer’s party entering a dungeon. Kind of exciting.”
Despite her confidence, Rosaria couldn’t help but smile at the thought of working with a team to survive.
Entering a dungeon full of monsters and dangers to cooperate and defeat a boss.
It was a quintessential fantasy scenario.
“I wonder… what kind of people will be on my team?”
Humming happily, Rosaria took the paper handed to her, looking forward to what lay ahead.
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However, Rosaria had completely forgotten one crucial fact.
Group projects always have a way of unfolding in the most unpredictable ways.