EP-12 Orientation #2

You can read 255 chapters for $20. p.atreon.com/casca02

"There are three coming at your 9 (o'clock) right about... now."

"…"

Elijah swung her sword with a heavy expression.

The dummy wolf, that was about to launch an ambush in the dark, was swept away by the blow.

"Two more from the ceiling. Their vital is the neck."

"…Excuse me, 'instructor'."

She called as she decapitated two bat-shaped dummies in an instant.

"Ah, watch your step, there's a tile trap. On your right is a paralyzing poison launcher, you can break that."

" 'Instructor,' I have a favor."

"What is it?"

"This is good and all, but can you please help me instead of just giving 'instructions'…?"

"Nope."

"…"

Elijah's face contorted even more, but she eventually chuckled and added.

"Were you not the one who tried to beat me up on the first meeting just the other day?"

"…That's true."

"And were you not the one who said you wanted to apologize? That you'll do anything I ask?"

"…I did."

"So what's the problem now?"

"…Yes, I'm sorry."

When I suggested that 'we get closer,' it was her who delightedly rushed here.

You have to keep your word.

"…"

And even if I want to help, I can't.

I am about as useful as a bug, with these puny stats.

It would be better if I just gave out orders and let her do all the fighting.

'And…'

It's become clear while going around this artificial dungeon that Desperation will not be triggered unless there is 'malice' threatening my life.

That's why it doesn't work on these dummies that are simply repeating programmed actions.

So what does this point suggest?

Desperation is not omnipotent. Like most things, it's clearly flawed and imperfect.

The complacency that this skill will save me in every situation is something I should quickly throw away.

'I must raise my stats.'

Stats are like your athleticism that can be used in all situations. In the end, personal growth is indispensable.

Especially when you consider that the performance of items and skills is also affected by stats.

As I was thinking, Elijah grumbled next to me again.

"Still, the instructor has skills and could probably do better than me. With two of us working together, we can break through much faster-"

[ Amazing speed! ]

[ You broke the 2-year-old record! ]

"…"

Her complaining immediately stopped after hearing the reverberating announcement.

"No, why? How is this possible? What is happening right now?"

Seeing her ask in confusion, it seems that she's dumbfounded at the fact that she was breaking the record despite proceeding in this way.

"Is that so surprising?"

"It's not surprising, it's ridiculous!"

She poured her heart out.

"A mock battle is made with the assumption that two people would be doing it. But I'm just clearing it by myself, and it's the highest record… What the heII is this, hello? Are you using some kind of sorcery? Even regular knights couldn't proceed like this, right? Uh? What is it?"

"…"

I inwardly chuckled over her confused existential crisis.

'This is great.'

I accumulated enough experience to be considered a veteran in this game.

And I obtained a top-notch subordinate who will move without asking or questioning my words?

This dungeon is so easy that she can complete it with her eyes closed.

'Hmm.'

And if you're running a speedrun with 'only one person' like this, it's bound to attract some interest.

In fact, the reward for simply clearing this mock battle is good, but that is also quite important.

I had to take this opportunity.

Then, what is it in the end?

"The next section will be a little tougher than this one, let's keep it up. Fighting~!"

I cheered her up.

Because, until then, you have to do it all by yourself.

"…"

Elijah gritted her teeth.

You'll lose your teeth if you keep doing that.

●

Evan Kramer, a second year student in the Magic Research Department, was nervously sitting in front of the control panel.

"The mock battle stages are pretty good these days. Did the department set it up?"

"Yes, yes…!"

Evan barely managed to squeeze out an answer in stutters. The other person smiled as they watched the video being played.

"We can increase the budget next year."

To be able to say such a thing, it was clear that they were someone with authority.

The speaker was none other than the Dean of the Knight School.

Conrad Baltador.

The Dean, who directly reports to the President, was an individual who, at least within the academy, was said to possess unparalleled authority.

For a student, it would be difficult to even breathe just by being next to such a person.

'Why is someone like him at a booth…!'

As Evan shivered and pondered those thoughts, there was another voice.

"Oh, Conrad. What are you doing here?"

Unfortunately for Evan, the owner of this voice also did not help the atmosphere at all.

Seeing the person entering the booth with several pale-faced assistant professors from the Magic School, Evan almost suffered actual breathing problems.

"I can say the same to you, Percy. You rarely go out."

"It's been a while since I came out to see the freshmen. I like seeing the potential talents."

"…"

Conrad silently looked at the half-dead assistant professors from behind the woman called Percy.

"…A new tool, no, you're not looking for graduate students?"

"Well, if they want to come out of their own volition, you won't stop them, right?"

Percy Siston Levantin, the head of the Magic School. She replied with a smile.

"So, you haven't answered yet. What are you doing?"

"There's someone I'm keeping an eye on these days."

Conrad replied as he turned his gaze back to the screen.

Percy's gaze naturally followed to that direction.

"Oh, I know that child. Isn't she the next hero candidate?"

After saying that, Percy's gaze moved to the stage clear record on the side panel.

I guess this is to be expected. The clearing speed of each passing each section is much faster than normal students.

The next Hero candidate is indeed noteworthy…

"No, not her."

"…?"

Persie tilted her head and looked at the other student.

"Who is this?"

"Dowd Campbell."

"Ah, the con artist?"

Even though she doesn't go outside her lab as often, she still knew the recent rumors and noise around this freshman.

This guy conned a win against the hero candidate during the sparring.

"…But why are you watching a scammer?"

"Looks like he knows that too."

Conrad replied with a snort.

"This guy's talent is real."

"Talent?"

Persie furrowed her eyebrows and stared at the screen.

Talent... What talent?

No matter how she looked at it, it just looks like he's getting a free ride from the hero candidate.

"This is why Mages who only roll around with pens are no good."

"Why are you picking a fight now?"

"This feat, this record can never be set just by the hero candidate alone. Rather, the main body is over there."

"…Yes?"

Percy asked with her head tilted, but Conrad simply turned his gaze back to the screen instead of explaining in detail.

It's even clearer to see from a distance.

Just the sheer absurdity of what this man is doing right now.

'…Interesting.'

In fact, there are some occasional events where freshmen get good records.

But, in the end, most just end up as a fluke. It's really not a display of true skill.

In that sense.

How is this man just blazing through this?

'He's calculating everything.'

It's as if he knew the location of the monsters relative to the hero candidate, and then send out instructions at somehow the right timing.

Each of his subsequent moves made it seem like he was seeing through the enemy's pattern.

Every judgment he makes at every instance is a near-perfect answer.

He may look like he was just standing and ordering around, but he was actually playing a complex and elaborately arranged artificial dungeon as if it were placed in the palm of his hand.

I can assure you on this.

This 'freshman' is the sole person among Elfante's history of students breaking through the dungeon in such a way.

It's almost like…

'He's fought on the battlefield thousands of times.'

This is the only explanation.

Because it just doesn't make sense to have this kind of ability without any practical experience.

And 'surviving combat' and living to develop this ability suggests that this guy is hiding something more than just what's on the surface.

"…"

This is why I'm curious.

If he 'directly' participated in the dungeon raid with the hero candidate, what would the result be?

If one person is already doing this much, what would happen if he participated himself?

"No, I just can't bring myself to believe. I don't understand no matter how I look at it."

Speaking of, this s†upid mage beside me had been annoying for a while now.

"Then do you want to bet on it?"

"A bet?"

"Do you remember the record you and I set in the mock battle during our freshman year?"

"I do, what about it?"

Conrad and Percy were a freshman duo that's said to be the most legendary team up of all time.

The record they set in the mock battle still remains as the undisputed number one of all time.

"I bet he'll break it."

Percy's eyes widened.

"…You're that confident?"

"Of course."

"Fine. It has already come to this point. I will take upon your invitation and bet on him not breaking the record."

"Alright."

Immediately after saying that, he picked up the microphone attached to the control panel.

"This is Conrad Baltador, the Dean of the Knight's Faculty. Can you hear me?"

{T/L: Changing School to Faculty}

His voice probably reverberated throughout the dungeon like an announcement.

It can be seen from how Elijah was looking at the ceiling in amazement.

'Interesting.'

Meanwhile, Conrad was smiling at Dowd, who did not seem fazed then said.

"I'm intrigued by how things are going. Can I take you up for an offer?"

"Do tell."

Even, his attitude was as if he's been waiting for this.

"Currently, the Magic Faculty Dean Percy and I are engaged in a bet outside."

"A bet?"

"It's on whether you can break the record we set as a freshman or not. If you succeed… Percy will give you the right to ask for anything."

On the other side, Percy raised her eyebrows slightly with an expression asking what he was doing, but she didn't say much.

Anyways, she was certain that their record would remain unbroken.

"You don't need to feel burdened by it. The record you set now is great, regardless."

"Ah, that's fine."

And so.

"This is enough of a motivator."

Hearing Dowd Campbell's answer, the expression on Percy's face was truly worth seeing.

●

"Iya…"

As soon as Beatrix entered the dedicated fitness room of the student council, she was greeted by a sweltering heat.

Elnore stretched out in the middle of the floor, covered in sweat, also added to the scene.

"What is all this?"

She sighed helplessly and tossed a water bottle to Elnore.

"I needed to sort out my thoughts."

"Right, I know you come here alone to sweat whenever you're like that. So what's the problem this time?"

"It has always been like this. But it's ramped up these days."

Upon hearing that, Beatrix's expression immediately turned solemn.

A dark rumor has been circulating in imperial circle.

That the devil runs on Duke Tristan's veins.

This sentence could mean two things.

One is literally being connected to the devil, pledging with evil to achieve outstanding feats.

The second is a metaphorical expression of 'madness', which is present in the Duke's bloodline.

It's an expression of extreme violence and the loss of reason that occurs in bursts from time to time.

As time passes, the Tristan Family were notorious for their miserable later years, which overshadows their achievements.

Elnore is also not free from such a curse.

Rather, in her case, it's particularly extreme.

She alone knew of aspects of Elnore that could never be revealed to the public.

"…Is it very serious?"

"It's nothing to worry about. It's not entirely because of that."

Elnore smiled and wiped her sweat off with a towel.

"There was something I wanted to remember."

"What do you want to remember?"

"It's a move I learned from my mother when I was little, when I just started learning the sword… But I can't quite recall it. That's why I was checking my swordsmanship right from the beginning."

For a woman who normally doesn't show even the slightest emotion, Elnore is being really sentimental right now. But instead of pointing it out, Beatrix encouraged her.

Elnore's feelings for her father and mother are on the polar opposites.

Her mother died when she was young, so you can understand why she's like that.

"Well, don't push yourself too hard."

"It's fine. If I exhaust myself, I won't care about most things."

"Really? Well, I have something to tell you."

Elnore's gaze turned to Beatrix.

"…Tell me about what?"

"I'm saying this because you asked me to let you know of all the information about it. A junior told me this earlier."

"So, what is it?"

"Dowd Campbell is with the next hero candidate in a mock battle. People say they're in a bet with the Deans-"

Sparks flew from Elnore's eyes.

"So, you're saying that the two of them are stuck together?"

"…"

Well, I guess this is more important than being in a bet with the Deans.

"The mock battle is a two-person challenge, so the two of them need to stick together, no?"

Elnore sprang up immediately, her sweat splattering everywhere, but she didn't seem to care.

"Didn't you just say you're too exhausted to care about most things?"

"Shut it, and tell me where it is."

This crazy woman.

Beatrix had already been overworked as of recently, and now her temples began to throb with a headache again.

You can read 255 chapters for $20. p.atreon.com/casca02