An Encounter in the Woods

As Ensi and Lily blended into the ranks of their classmates, the headcount was complete. Seeing this, the teaching assistant approached the professor standing on the podium. After a quiet confirmation that everyone had gathered, the professor nodded and scanned the orderly crowd.

“The exam begins at exactly 12:00 PM. At that time, teleportation will commence for everyone simultaneously, each to a different location. Surviving until the end time, 12:00 PM tomorrow, will grant a base score of 50 points. Elimination before then results in a base score of 10 points.”

Detailed explanations of the rules followed at length. However, Ensi, who had already familiarized himself with them, quickly lost interest. As he stood there dazed, letting the words drift past his ears, Lily nudged his arm.

“What?”

“What are you going to do if you run into Agniell?”

Ensi shrugged. He hadn’t really given it much thought. To be honest, the last time he’d had a proper conversation with Agniell was the day before the Lundrail Feast—the day he received the hairpin. Since then, they hadn’t crossed paths much, and they had both been busy with exams.

“What, are you just going to fight him regardless?”

“Fight? It’s just an exam.”

It was the truth, but also not. Even if it was “just an exam,” the fact remained that they would be crossing blades. Even with safety devices in place, it involved clashing real steel. Lily sighed, looking at Ensi who seemed so nonchalant about it.

“If you see Agniell, don’t just draw your sword immediately.”

“Where is this coming from? I’m not some battle-hungry maniac. Why would I just lung at him?”

“I know, but still. Just… promise, okay?”

“I told you, I plan on staying quietly in a corner anyway.”

“You never know what might happen.”

Lily knew that if Ensi sensed someone, he’d choose to leave quietly rather than confront them, but she insisted out of an abundance of caution. Ensi looked at her skeptically, but as she began poking his ribs with her finger, he leaned away and gave a quick nod.

“It is nearly noon. I wish you all good luck!”

Time had marched on while they chatted. Following the professor’s shout, a faint light began to glow from the floor where the students stood. As a massive surge of mana fluctuated, Ensi’s brow furrowed at the sudden wave of nausea.

It had been a while since he’d experienced such an inconsiderate teleportation. He gripped the sword at his waist and bit his lip. The light grew stronger until his vision turned white.

For a moment, the sensation of floating in a void dominated his senses. Knowing the dizziness would worsen if he kept his eyes open, Ensi squeezed them shut, blocking out every speck of light.

“……I feel like I’m going to throw up.”

Before long, Ensi felt his feet hit solid ground. Next came the faint scent of grass and a cool breeze brushing against his face. The intense sunlight was filtered through dense leaves, turning into thin slivers of light.

Once the transfer was complete, Ensi leaned against a large tree and dry-heaved. If he moved in this state, he really might be sick. He took a deep breath and rested his forehead against the rough bark.

He wondered if the other students were in the same state. Perhaps they were better off; he had always been particularly sensitive to mana. The realization that he’d have to experience this again tomorrow at noon was depressing. He rubbed his forehead against the bark and glanced toward the thicket.

“I’m not feeling great right now, so how about you just move on?”

He spoke as if to the empty air, but his gaze was steady. For a while, only the sound of the wind tickled his ears.

“……How did you know?”

“Just happened to. So, are you leaving?”

Rustle. Along with the sound of crushing grass, an unfamiliar voice spoke. Ensi shrugged at the classmate who gave up hiding and revealed themselves.

“Regrettably, I haven’t forgotten the purpose of this exam.”

That’s a long way of saying you’re going to fight.

Ensi seriously considered just letting himself be eliminated. However, the thought of enduring another teleportation while his stomach was already turning stopped him. Making a quick judgment, he sighed and drew his sword.

“Then let’s finish this quickly.”

He hated this—it was nothing but shade and nausea. The moment he finished speaking, he lunged first.

The classmate, seeing Ensi’s pale face, limp posture, and hearing him openly admit he felt unwell, had stood his ground, thinking he could win even if he usually couldn’t. But he reflexively stepped back, stunned by Ensi’s speed which far exceeded his expectations.

Clang—!

The well-honed blades collided, producing a sharp ringing sound. Despite his internal state, Ensi smiled faintly at the opponent who had parried cleanly.

“You’ve got good habits.”

In moments like this, the Academy’s reputation seemed well-earned. Though, more often than not, everything felt like a mere plot device meant to highlight the male lead.

“Cut the nonsense—!”

The opponent, seemingly taking Ensi’s calm remark as sarcasm, flared up in anger. He tried to push Ensi back with raw strength. Since power struggles weren’t his forte, Ensi immediately twisted his blade to break the balance and spun half a turn to slip out of the opponent’s reach.

The classmate struggled to regain his balance, trying to hide his dismay. Ensi showed no mercy to the opening created by the opponent’s temporary blind spot. Raising his sword, Ensi struck the opponent’s neck.

Crystalline shatter—!

“Ah, so this is what it feels like.”

Not a very pleasant sensation. Ensi looked down at the hand holding his sword with a look of distaste. The opponent, whose brooch had turned black, was already being teleported away.

The moment he “cut” the neck, the sound of breaking glass echoed, and the brooch was dyed black. He didn’t know if everyone could hear that sound, but he felt like he had just broken a harmless piece of craftwork. Still, it was a better feeling than actually cutting a person.

“Honestly…… how can someone aiming to be a knight reach this age without being able to control their emotions?”

If not for that, it wouldn’t have ended so easily. Since everyone acted like this, didn’t it make everything feel like a setup for the protagonist?

Ensi sheathed his sword and rubbed the back of his neck. He had sensed another presence nearby earlier, but it seemed they had moved on after seeing there was no opening for a third-party intervention.

Either way, Ensi’s complexion improved slightly at the thought of avoiding more trouble. Since there seemed to be no immediate threat, he pulled out his tobacco pipe and lit it. Now, all he had to do was pick a secluded path and find a decent spot to spend the night.

“This is crazy……! There’s no need to follow me this far!”

A student with deep violet hair shouted in irritation, running desperately. He shouldn’t have been curious about the sound of clashing weapons. If he had just ignored it and passed by, he wouldn’t be chased by this guy!

“Hey, Agniell! Can’t you just let me go and be on your way?!”

“I don’t know. This isn’t that kind of exam, is it?”

The voice held no particular malice. Agniell replied calmly, as if he were simply doing what needed to be done. The classmate shouted back, undeterred by the cold attitude.

“It’s a survival exam, so that’s exactly what kind of exam it is!”

“You’re not wrong, but…… it might be difficult for him if there are too many people.”

“What?”

The classmate asked back, having missed the latter half of the sentence, but Agniell didn’t speak again. Instead, he accelerated and caught up in an instant.

At this rate, he was going to be eliminated after doing nothing but running all day. Making a quick decision, the classmate let out a yell and came to a sudden halt. Screech— his feet skidded against the dirt floor.

As he drew his sword, Agniell’s eyes sparkled. The classmate let out a hollow laugh at those eyes, which shone with excitement and anticipation.

“You absolute sword-maniac—!”

“Thanks for the compliment.”

Clash, clang!

Perhaps because Agniell had charged without hesitation, the two exchanged blows in the blink of an eye. Agniell utilized a heavy swordsmanship that made full use of his physique. Once or twice might be okay, but his strikes were too overwhelming to parry consecutively, so the opponent gradually retreated while engaging him.

He parried, he dodged. But Agniell followed him relentlessly as if he were reading the future. Realizing that Agniell hadn’t taken the top spot for nothing, the student glanced around, hoping to use the terrain to his advantage.

“Good intent, but too hasty.”

Not missing the opening, Agniell took a light breath and momentarily struck the crossed blades with immense force. The opponent realized his plan had gone awry due to the unexpected move, but it was already too late. His arm was knocked aside by the sheer force, leaving his chest wide open.

“……Agniell?”

Crystalline shatter—!

Just as a voice filled with faint recognition called out to him, Agniell’s sword struck his classmate’s chest. Once again, the sound of shattering glass signaled the start of a teleportation.

“Ensi…us.”

Agniell, his eyes meeting Ensi’s—who was watching with a look of pure shock—started to panic, not knowing what to do. Then, as if suddenly remembering the sword in his hand, he quickly hid it behind his back.

It was a rather clumsy gesture for someone who had just ruthlessly eliminated a classmate, and Ensi couldn’t help but let out a short laugh.