Chapter 76

* * *

End-of-Month Evaluation D-2.

It feels like just yesterday was a warm spring day, and now it's already the end of June.

The blazing sun is quite stifling.

Under the shade of the trees on the school grounds, with their fresh green leaves spread out.

I was lying down, reading a book in the air, but I felt a bit drowsy due to the post-lunch sleepiness.

“Ouch.”

“Whoa, you scared me!”

My eyes, which were about to close, suddenly opened wide.

When I came to my senses, my uncle was holding the book that was about to fall on my face.

“Be careful.”

My uncle looked down at me and smiled.

“It’s so comfortable on your lap… I feel sleepy….”

“Then don’t read and take a nap. I’ll wake you up when class starts.”

“Umm, no. I have an exam the day after tomorrow.”

I jumped up, slapped my cheeks to wake myself up, and opened the book again.

Even though I don’t need to use incantations, I still had to memorize as many as possible.

If I use overly difficult magic, my identity might be suspected.

In case of an emergency, I could say, “I just used the magic incantations I know!”

“By the way, Uncle, don’t you miss your brothers? You just returned to the capital, but you’re here, and you can’t even go home, staying in the barracks….”

I felt a bit sorry for my uncle, who was acting as a temporary instructor for the martial arts department just to see me.

It seemed he was determined to achieve his purpose, coming to see me every day after lunch….

“No, I’ve been going home often because I can go out. And my temporary duty is almost over. I’ll see the twins soon, so it’s fine. I’m more worried about you.”

“Me?”

“Can you handle it on your own?”

“I’m leaving after the exam in two days, you know?”

My uncle blinked in surprise at my words.

“You’re planning to graduate with just one end-of-month evaluation?”

“Yes!”

“Hahaha!”

My uncle pinched my cheek.

“You’re full of confidence. It took the twins three months.”

“I can do it in one go!”

“You’re impressive.”

Looking at my uncle’s smiling face, I could tell he was proud of me, but…

He didn’t seem to believe that I could graduate with just one end-of-month evaluation.

“I really can do it?!”

“Sure, sure.”

“Tch. How long did it take you to graduate, Uncle?”

“Hmm, when was it…? But I remember. It took me a month.”

“What? It took you a month too!”

“Yeah. You can graduate in a month. Since there are four people in a group. You’re popular, so your boyfriends will catch everything for you, right?”

“That’s…!”

I felt a bit stung, remembering what Cheshire had said about catching everything, but I shook my head.

“I can do it on my own!”

“Aha, sure. But, really. They did catch everything for me. Back then….”

My uncle’s eyes narrowed as if lost in thought.

“The popular confession method at the training facility was that. You’d go to the person you liked and say, ‘Don’t even lift a finger. I’ll catch everything for you.’”

“Ugh, that’s funny. Really?”

“Yeah. Your aunt was charmed that way too.”

“Really?”

I was surprised.

“You met Aunt in the training facility?”

“Didn’t you know?”

A love marriage?!

In a world where nine out of ten high-ranking nobles have arranged marriages, this was quite an interesting story.

“Tell me more, Uncle!”

“Hmm, when I joined, Ordia was in her second year of probation.”

“Huh? Why was Aunt?”

By the way, Aunt’s rank is also Dos.

Specializing in defensive magic.

“She always took the evaluation with 6th-level friends. Since those friends found it hard to graduate, she thought she had to help them.”

“Wow.”

Indeed, a true Rubenstein through and through.

A doubtless protagonist sister….

“Ordia, who wasn’t in the offensive category, was giving her points to her friends, so her graduation was delayed.”

“I see.”

“I didn’t understand why she did that, but thinking about it, I was attracted to that kind of personality.”

My uncle smiled, perhaps thinking of Aunt.

“But one day, I saw her crying. She missed her father.”

“Yeah, yeah….”

“She wanted to help her friends, but her graduation was delayed, and she missed her father.”

“Aunt was so pitiful.”

“So I went up to her and said, ‘Hey, let’s take the exam together.’”

My uncle added with a serious expression.

“…I’ll make sure not to get your hands dirty.”

“Wow.”

I covered my mouth.

“Wow, that’s amazing.”

In a world where blood is spilled 24/7, 365 days a year, it was truly a perfect confession….

“Uncle, you’re the best…. Really….”

“Isn’t it?”

My uncle was quite proud.

“Yes! So what did Aunt say?”

“She glared at me with tears in her eyes. And.”

“And?”

“Hey, call me sister?”

“……”

“…That’s what she said.”

“Really? Ahaha!”

I laughed, imagining their cute childhood.

“And when we took the exam together, I caught an A-level monster.”

“Huh? An A-level? There are A-levels? I thought C-level was the highest.”

“Ah, there are two A-level monsters in the field. Catching an A-level means graduation. You get a thousand points.”

“Wow! Really?”

“Of course, they’re not there to be caught. Not everyone can catch them. It’s difficult.”

“But you caught it, Uncle?”

“Yes. I caught it, and I gave the core to Ordia as a confession.”

My uncle said with a serious expression.

“Sister, will you go out with me after we leave here?”

“Ugh, ugh, ugh!”

“Hahaha!”

Confessing with a monster core.

Indeed, a romance fitting a brutal world.

* * *

End-of-Month Evaluation D-0.

The day of the big event arrived.

“Yay! The weather is so nice!”

“Oh, what do I do. I’m, I’m nervous….”

“……”

The end-of-month evaluation field is the Valkyrie Mountains behind the training facility building.

Our group was gathered at the entrance, waiting for the exam to start.

“Lilith. Why did you bring so much stuff?”

Jem asked, looking at me with a full backpack and a large bundle in my hand.

“Ugh. It’s all necessary….”

“Oh, let me carry it for you.”

Jem took the large cloth bundle from my hand. It was surprisingly light.

“Huh? What? It’s light.”

“Wow. You really have super strength….”

“Aha!”

There were many children at the entrance.

It felt like a school trip, and I was a bit excited.

“Ah! The teacher called me! I’ll be right back!”

Group leader, Lilith Rubenstein!

I put on the magical bracelet given by the researchers at the entrance on my left wrist. It was a kind of scorecard.

When I returned, Cheshire and Jem were checking their weapons.

I saw Cheshire swinging a wooden sword.

‘Should I give it to him now?’

I felt a bit embarrassed.

“Cheshire!”

“Yeah.”

“But how do you catch a monster with a wooden sword? You have to cut and tear.”

“…? You can’t just do it. You catch it by infusing mana.”

“You can’t just use mana. You need to save it for emergencies.”

“……”

Cheshire stared at me, perhaps feeling I was talking too much.

“Hey, look. Gerard has something good too.”

I pointed to Gerard without thinking.

Swordsmanship students usually carry wooden swords, but some rich kids bring real swords when they join.

‘Still, Gerard managed to form a greedy group.’

Gerard had two 2nd-level red badges on his sides.

I looked back at Cheshire, who was inspecting his wooden sword, and saw Jem take something out of the bundle he was carrying.

A stick wrapped in cloth. This is….

‘My gift!’

A gift I secretly prepared when I joined.

“What is it?”

“Open it.”

As I handed it to him, Cheshire, who was puzzled, quickly unwrapped the cloth.

“……”

“Oh, oh? It’s, it’s the hero Louis’ magic sword….”

Rom, who was watching, recognized it and his eyes widened.

That’s right! The magic sword of the hero Louis!

Who is Louis?

He’s the male protagonist in the mega-hit fairy tale <The Adventures of Princess Lara>.

Cheshire might not care, but it’s a popular toy that boys usually compete to get.

“This….”

“Isn’t it sturdy and good? It’s probably tougher than a wooden sword.”

Even as a toy, it’s more useful than a wooden sword because I increased the hardness of the blade.

‘I followed the emperor’s upgrade of my magic wand.’

I was standing there, blushing, waiting for his reaction, but Cheshire was silent.

“Do, do you like it?”

“Yes, I do.”

Cheshire threw his wooden sword and swung the magic sword right there.

It felt perfect in his hand.

“Thanks.”

“Hehe. You’re welcome….”

“Hey, Cheshire. Is that all?”

Jem butted in.

“What?”

“I like it. Thanks.”

Jem mimicked Cheshire’s gruff tone and grumbled.

“Is that all?! Lilith went through so much trouble to bring a heavy gift!”

“No, no! Jem, Cheshire is always like that. I’m fine with just the thanks.”

“Man, you’re so boring. If you’re like that, you won’t be popular with girls!”

“……”

Cheshire stared at me.

“Eh, we’re going in now! Let’s go quickly!”

“…Lilith.”

Just as we were about to enter the field, Cheshire called me.

“Yeah?”

Cheshire, Jem, and Rom turned to look at him, who was hesitating for some reason.

“……”

“Why?”

“…Don’t even lift a finger.”

“……?”

“I’ll catch everything for you.”

I opened my mouth wide.

No, wait. Isn’t this the ‘training facility confession method’ Uncle mentioned?

“Ooh~!”

Jem playfully poked my shoulder, and Rom laughed.

“Yeah, yeah.”

I felt embarrassed and fidgeted, and Cheshire passed by me, saying,

“I’ll make sure not to get your hands dirty.”

…Wow?