Deliberate Loophole

It's been a few minutes since Velez declared that the test in her district was finished.

The reporters and a handful of observers quickly relayed the news to the outside world, erupting a widespread chaos that almost happened instantaneously.

Everyone began to talk about it as if it were the only thing that mattered in the world.

Only the man himself, Case, hadn't grasped the magnitude of his actions in the outside world.

As for why he hasn't known it yet… well, Case just didn't have a chance to leave yet.

'Man, I want to leave already. I know each representative will be given a 'gift' after the evaluation, but this doesn't look like we're going to their main spaceship at all.'

Case drifted into silent thought as he walked, his gaze fixed ahead while he followed Velez, who wordlessly expected him to trail behind and follow her pace.

Being the decent man he was, and expecting some form of reward at the end of this, Case had little choice but to comply, which ultimately led to this situation.

"You're not talking."

Case made a ridiculous face before answering.

"Should I say something?"

Velez glanced behind, her eyes scanning before snickering.

The way she snickered was so strange, it sounded like she was having a stroke on her own amusement that Case nearly lost it and almost burst a laughter.

She said after, "You're a very weird earthling. If it were the other kids from those High Table earthlings, they would be running around with joy just by staying behind me. Heh, most of them even are trying to get good gracious from Captain Auralex himself."

Velez paused, "As for you… How do I say it... You seemed relaxed. When I said that you passed, you seemed relieved rather than thrilled to have actually won it. It's as if you know this would happen and that it is just one of the many things you just need to accomplish."

"Haha…"

Though his laugh sounded dismissive, Case's mind stayed wary of Velez and the astute words of her reasoning.

'This woman is really sharp… Did I react too normally to these achievements just because I'm expecting to pass it and it is within my plans? I should change it in the future… Next time, I'll act more excited to be here and all that stuff.'

Case immediately caught onto the silly mistake he made, which he shouldn't have done, but that's only because he wasn't the Case in the past.

In this timeline, he was a child, and a few weeks had just passed since the Antavon Kingdom's invasion of Earth.

Acting surprised isn't too bad considering all those points.

Case remembered them at the back of his mind before he started a conversation.

"Ma'am, setting my excitement aside, what am I doing here? If I pass, shouldn't I return home, then wait for the second evaluation?"

Velez halted her steps for a brief moment before continuing.

She looked behind and said, "You're not even a bit curious as to why you passed. Anyway, you passed because that was an intentional loophole I created. It already proves your real-life decisions, and that is what only counts. And you're right about another thing, no one will ever pass those obstacles, so the only solution is to find the hidden task."

Velez looked around before finally stopping in front of a room. "As for the other inquiry, you'll be the first one to receive a 'gift' from our stash. You'll be my representative, and the judgment that has been entrusted to make that choice is up to us alone. You'll need the gifts if the time ever comes, don't worry."

'Of course, I'll need it! I'm going to pick the best item you have there. This is also the other reason why I wanted to be the first to pass the assessment, since I'll get to choose the available items without worrying if I picked bad items.'

Case had to pause his thoughts as he looked forward. 'Setting that aside… why did we stop here?'

Case was quick to notice that Velez had led him outside the room's doorsteps. He peered at the door, only to see that it belonged to none other than Velez.

"Wait here. After I get something, I'll lead you to our spaceship to choose a gift."

'She's getting me something? It's not some sort of invitation to join her ranks, isn't it? That would really complicate many things…'

Case mused inwardly, feeling nervous as that kind of situation could happen.

If things came to that, Case would have to figure out how to ditch Velez away from him somehow, since his sights were set on Auralex.

If that situation actually happens, Case would've to think of a way to ditch Velez somehow since his target was no other than Auralex.

Velez can be a second choice if the Auralex route doesn't work.

After a few minutes, Case spotted Velez stepping out of the room, and a stack of books rested in her arms.

Velez handed everything over to Case before explaining, "All of these books are basic fundamentals that you need to know about space. This all includes planet terraforms, spaceships, hierarchy, and even basic information about the monsters of space known as Strangers."

Case received it reluctantly before opening his eyes wide open as he realized this wasn't just a normal book.

These are the kinds of books he received when he became a lieutenant for the Kingdom. They were a set of rich information that could only be gathered with enough merit of serving the Kingdom itself.

This only means that people of Velez's rank have this kind of precious knowledge.

Case looked at Velez with a confused look instead of amazement at being able to receive one.

He had to feign ignorance because he didn't recognize them.

After all, the foreign language and letters that the book has weren't taught to Earthlings yet.

Velez and others like her could be understood by the Observers thanks to the voice translation technology available to them.

"I couldn't understand a single thing, though… How should I know?"

Velez seemed to scrutinize Case's expression before grabbing an eyeglass from the pockets of her coat.

She handed it to Case and said.

"This is an item that can auto-translate everything you see into your language. Don't worry, your language has already been integrated into the AI's database and will be able to decipher it at a glance,"

"Oh…"

Case looked at the eyeglass in his hand.

'I'm being pampered… That's new.'

"Okay then," Velez clasped her hands, "Now that small matters are all done, let's get to the real deal. Follow me, I'll lead and introduce you to our main vault where the most important items of our ships is there."

Case tightened his grip, fists curled as he took a step closer to making his plans a reality.

'Finally…!'