Chapter 39

EP.39 End-of-Semester Evaluation (3)

Kaya obtained her second Pel card by disposing of a male student from Class B.

Thanks to this, she discovered a new fact while the evaluation was in progress.

It turned out that even if you placed the Pel card somewhere else, it would still be recorded in your possession.

She realized this because, when she disposed of the male student, the Pel card had flown to an unexpected location through telekinetic magic. In other words, as long as she had made physical contact with the card, it didn’t matter where she hid it.

Of course, it wouldn’t make much sense, but the card would come to her anyway.

‘Still…’

Kaya looked up at the score board floating in the sky.

…A female student was rapidly increasing her score.

Pel

[1st (Purple) Siel Carnedas +4 Pel cards]

[2nd (Green) Kaya Astraean +2 Pel cards]

[3rd (Red) Matteo Jordana +1 Pel card]

[4th (Yellow) Tristan Humphrey +1 Pel card]

[5th (Blue) Luce Eltania +1 Pel card]

Disposal

[1st (Blue) Luce Eltania +53 disposals]

[2nd (Yellow) Tristan Humphrey +4 disposals]

[3rd (Green) Kaya Astraean +4 disposals]

[4th (Purple) Siel Carnedas +3 disposals]

Siel Carnedas. After discovering the first Pel card, she found three more cards in just 30 minutes.

It was an unbelievable speed.

“……”

Perhaps other students were also puzzled.

The end-of-semester evaluation ends once you obtain five Pel cards. Even if you exceed five, there are no bonus points, as Professor Fernando mentioned.

Moreover, once you have five Pel cards, the submission location is automatically revealed, so Siel must have already known the destination.

In other words, her act of collecting Pel cards was meaningless.

[1st (Purple) Siel Carnedas +8 Pel cards]

[1st (Purple) Siel Carnedas +9 Pel cards]

It didn’t stop. Siel’s number of Pel cards was increasing at a terrifying speed.

Was Siel Carnedas, in fact, a genius surpassing Luce? How could her mana detection ability be so absurd…!

It seemed as if she was telling the students participating in the end-of-semester evaluation, ‘This is me,’ through the numbers.

“What are you thinking, Siel Carnedas…?”

Kaya organized her complicated thoughts and selected ‘Pel’ on her bracelet to check the map of the old Merhen Academy grounds. The purple mana dot representing Siel Carnedas was in a location she could reach within 20 minutes if she ran.

…There was no choice but to go.

Kaya cast a wind spell on her feet and began advancing toward Siel’s location.

Regardless of Siel’s intentions, Kaya wanted to quickly obtain five Pel cards and overtake her. Her goal was to secure the top spot in this end-of-semester evaluation.

Realistically, simply finding Pel cards was difficult. So, the best option would be to dispose of Siel and take her Pel cards. Other A-class students would likely think the same.

Indeed, a battle for Siel among A-class students was about to unfold.

“……!”

Gooooo───.

While passing through the Blue Rose Garden, a menacing mana that could stimulate survival instincts enveloped Kaya’s entire body.

She swallowed hard and stopped in the middle of the rose garden.

A woman with rose gold hair was walking steadily toward Kaya.

The elegant female student, with a hair tie in the colors of a morpho butterfly, seemed to fit perfectly with the blue roses embroidered on the flower path.

Above her head, water mana emitted a clear light, swirling. Five blue magic circles, each about two meters in diameter, were engraved in the air and followed her, ready to cast water spells at any moment.

Kaya had forgotten to track the locations of the top students in the ‘disposal’ category because she was so focused on Siel.

She should have paid attention to the most dangerous person in this end-of-semester evaluation, the mass murderer.

A wave of tension washed over her. The strongest student among the first-year magic students was approaching.

「Wind Generation (Wind Attribute, ★1)」

Kaya took out her wand and prepared for battle.

Luce Eltania, the top student with rose gold hair, scanned Kaya with an emotionless gaze. When their eyes met, Kaya felt a chill run down her spine.

Top and second. Just one rank apart.

But the wall between those ranks was much harder to overcome than she thought.

Luce also stopped. The top and second students stood facing each other in the rose garden, maintaining a distance.

The tension was palpable.

Kaya manifested a light green magic circle around her, ready to cast spells at any moment.

“Luce Eltania… Are you trying to dispose of students on purpose? What’s your reason?”

Kaya asked in a tense voice.

Luce closed her eyes tightly, then opened them, looking down.

“…Hmm.”

Suddenly, her face turned red. She seemed embarrassed to answer.

Kaya was surprised by this unexpectedly innocent reaction.

“Because of my friend. I’m trying to clean up any dangerous students… just in case.”

The word ‘friend’ had a softening effect on Luce, making her seem like a delicate girl. Each time she said it, she felt a chill and her face turned red.

‘Friend…?’

A class had only five students. Kaya knew this well because she often interacted with Luce.

‘You don’t have any friends, do you…?’

It was a very impolite thought, but it was the truth. Luce was always cold to everyone and always walked alone. It was natural for her not to have friends, and that was indeed the case.

Suddenly, Kaya remembered the rumors that had been circulating among the students before the written test of the end-of-semester evaluation.

It seemed that Isaac and the top student had an unusual relationship. The top student seemed interested in a commoner from Class D, and she had shown a bright smile only to Isaac. She always tried to stay close to Isaac.

And so on, and so forth.

Rumors were just rumors. Kaya had casually dismissed them, thinking, ‘There must be some reason.’

Isaac was always a person with deep intentions. Besides, judging people by rumors went against her principles.

Moreover, one of the parties involved in the rumors was Luce, who had always been cold to everyone. Kaya had thought it was just a misunderstanding leading to more misunderstandings.

‘Could that friend be…?’

Isaac? Was she talking about him?

Could the rumors be true, that the always aloof Luce had special feelings for Isaac?

Today, she suddenly realized how beautiful Luce was.

The image of Luce smiling brightly only for Isaac made Kaya feel a strange ache in her chest.

Somehow, this fight… felt like one she couldn’t afford to lose for various reasons.

“……?”

Luce was puzzled by Kaya’s suddenly blazing competitive spirit. She could feel the strong will radiating through the air and onto her skin.

‘This girl might also be a threat to Isaac… I need to take care of her.’

It didn’t matter. She would dispose of her.

The blue magic circles around Luce began to glow even brighter.

It was a moment of high tension. The moment either of them moved, they would cast spells at each other.

─At that moment.

Squish squish─.

The mana dots in the sky began to move busily. Luce and Kaya, maintaining their battle stances, glanced up at the score board.

Pel

[1st (Purple) Siel Carnedas +7 Pel cards]

[2nd (Green) Kaya Astraean +2 Pel cards]

[3rd (Blue) Luce Eltania +2 Pel cards]

[4th (Black) Kerridna Whiteclaw +2 Pel cards]

[5th (Red) Matteo Jordana +1 Pel card]

.

.

.

Pel

[1st (White) Isaac +5 Pel cards]

[2nd (Purple) Siel Carnedas +4 Pel cards]

[3rd (Green) Kaya Astraean +2 Pel cards]

[4th (Blue) Luce Eltania +2 Pel cards]

[5th (Black) Kerridna Whiteclaw +2 Pel cards]

“Wh-what…?”

Luce and Kaya stopped. It wasn’t just them.

All the students participating in the end-of-semester evaluation within the old Merhen Academy grounds stopped.

Students who were fighting stopped their battles.

Students who were searching for Pel cards stood with their mouths agape.

They simply couldn’t believe their eyes.

They stared blankly at the top of the Pel card possession list.

Isaac.

He had overtaken all the top students and shot straight to the top.

* * *

It was shortly after the start of the end-of-semester evaluation.

My plan was simple.

I needed to find a strong student and latch onto them.

I didn’t remember the exact locations of all the Pel cards, but I knew most of them. This knowledge came from playing <The Mage Knight of Merhen> countless times and even writing a guide for the game that I posted on an internet cafe.

So, I needed to find a suitable trading partner, tell them the locations of the Pel cards, and in return, get them to promise me protection and Pel cards. Of course, the trading partner should be someone who adheres to the principle of good faith and the duty of care of a good manager.

Kaya, who would follow me without question, would be the best partner. The problem was that time was short, and I couldn’t locate her.

However, because the carriage carrying me arrived in front of the Seiran Hall, I could visit one of the candidates I had in mind. It was a sleepyhead who would be holed up in a small forest until the middle of the end-of-semester evaluation. The location was relatively close to the Seiran Hall.

As I reached the clear lake in the forest with good water and air, I saw a beautiful female student with short, wavy blue hair.

She was sound asleep, leaning against a tree. Her profile was very delicate.

The scenery by the lakeside, with white sunlight filtering through the leaves, made her seem like a princess in the forest, blending perfectly with the natural landscape.

“Snore….”

The unique snoring sound was the only flaw in this noble atmosphere.

Siel Carnedas. The third-ranked student in the first-year magic department.

[ Siel Carnedas ]

Lv: 92

Race: Human

Attribute: Fire, Water

Danger Level: X

Mood: [ Snore…. ]

In <The Mage Knight of Merhen>, if you enter this forest during the middle of the end-of-semester evaluation, you can find Siel Carnedas sleeping.

She wakes up and joins the evaluation in the latter half, significantly increasing the difficulty of the test.

‘Siel would be suitable for my plan.’

She is the type who thoroughly keeps her promises. After all, she was the one who tried to fulfill the Carnedas family’s promise, ‘If you find the Child of Light, bring them to the Heavenly World.’

She is trustworthy… right?

Alright. Let’s go.

“Siel Carnedas, I’ve come to make a deal!”

I approached Siel confidently.

At that moment.

「Fireball (Fire Attribute, ★3)」

Suddenly, a spherical fireball the size of a soccer ball formed in the air and flew toward me at the speed of a pitcher throwing a baseball.

…Please save me.