Chapter 41

The Clan Creation Examination hosted by the Explorers' Association—the battle for the possession of the Evil Eye Baboon King—was to proceed as scheduled.

The location was the forest at the foot of Mount Gustav, the highest independent peak in the Empire. This forest, rich in magical elements, was prone to the emergence of abysses and was constantly managed by the Explorers' Association.

The current erosion area caused by the abyss is a circular region with a diameter of about five kilometers, starting from the entrance of the forest. The surrounding area has already been sealed off, and armed guards stand at key points to prevent civilians from entering.

"Members of the Sky Wing Knights and the Azure Exiles, I am delighted that you have made it to this day. Both parties seem to be well-prepared."

Harold, who was serving as the referee, looked us over.

"Let me reiterate the content of today's examination. Both parties will explore the abyss ahead and defeat the Evil Eye Baboon King, which is the core of this space. This is a battle for possession. Interference within the bounds of not killing each other is allowed. The party that defeats the Evil Eye Baboon King first will be the winner and will be granted the right to establish a clan. The losing party will be required to disband. Is that clear?"

We nodded. The intense aura of the Sky Wing Knights facing us vividly demonstrated their seasoned experience as explorers. If we were to fight them head-on, our three members would be easily suppressed.

"Before the examination begins, each leader, please step forward. Shake hands and pledge to fight honorably."

Following his instructions, Leon and I stepped forward and shook hands.

"Noel, as I said before, I will go all out."

"Sure, sure, let's do our best."

After we returned to our respective groups, Harold raised his hand.

"Then, let the examination begin!"

As Harold's hand came down, the Sky Wing Knights started to rush towards the forest. On the other hand, we remained calm and placed our backpacks on the ground.

"Both of you, I'm going to lay out the sheet, so please move the stones on the ground."

"Got it," "Understood."

Kouga and Alma moved the stones, and we spread out the sheet we had brought.

"Alright, that should do it. —Shall we have lunch?"

Sitting on the sheet, we took out a large lunch box from our backpacks and started to eat.

The contents of the lunch box were lavish, including sandwiches, meat dishes, and desserts made with seasonal fruits. It was a special, extra-large explorer's lunch box made by the head chef of the Star's Dew Inn.

"…Noel, what's going on here?"

Looking up, I saw Leon standing there, looking confused.

"Oh, Sky Wing Knights. Aren't you in a hurry? This is a battle for possession, you know?"

"No, that's what I was going to say… What are you doing?"

"Just as you see, having lunch."

Leon's cheeks twitched at my response.

"I don't understand. Why do you need to eat lunch here?"

"Because you can't fight on an empty stomach."

"This is a battle for possession! You shouldn't have time to relax!"

"Slow and steady wins the race, you know?"

"Y-You…!"

Leon, shaking with anger, turned to Harold.

"Harold, what's going on here!?"

"Well, if you ask me…"

Harold, who also looked confused, approached us.

"Noel, what do you mean? The start has been announced."

"So, we're having lunch. What's the problem?"

"Hmm? …Are you giving up the examination?"

"Of course not! I have no such intention."

"Then, please stand up. Otherwise, I will consider it a forfeit."

"There was no such rule. I see no reason to comply."

"Well, that's true, but…"

The moment Harold hesitated, Leon shouted in anger.

"Stop fooling around! Stand up! Fight!"

"No, I don't want to. The lunch will get spoiled if we wait too long."

"Didn't you want to create a clan!? If you lose this battle, you won't just fail to create a clan; you'll have to disband your party!"

"I know that."

"Then—"

"But, I have no intention of rushing. I'll let the seniors go first. Please, go ahead."

"You—!"

Leon, enraged, tried to grab my chest. Before he could, Kaim grabbed his extended hand.

"Stop it. Let's go."

"But—!"

"Leon, don't lose sight of your goal."

"…Understood."

Leon glanced at me and turned away.

"Noel, I'm disappointed in you…"

†

†

Leon and his group cautiously explored the abyss. According to Ophelia's detection skills, the Evil Eye Baboon King, the core of this abyss, was about two kilometers ahead.

"Considering the subordinates, there are probably around five hundred. —Wait a moment."

Ophelia's ears moved, listening to the distant sounds.

"Two hundred vanguards are coming. They're starting from the upwind direction, which will reveal their scent. However, their speed is slow, so I think we'll encounter them in about five minutes."

Leon looked around, thinking.

"Alright, let's intercept them here. The trees are spaced out, which is perfect. After defeating the vanguard, we'll continue. Everyone, prepare for battle."

Following Leon's orders, Kaim and Ophelia took their positions with their weapons. However, Vlakav remained still and raised his hand.

"Leon, can I speak for a moment?"

"Is something wrong?"

"Although it's not the right time to bring this up, I think it's better to mention it while we have a moment. The other day, Noel Stollen visited me."

"Eh? What do you mean?"

"He asked me to betray the Sky Wing Knights."

At Vlakav's confession, Leon was taken aback. Kaim and Ophelia were also speechless with shock.

"Of course, I refused. His words were nothing but absurd nonsense. However, there's a possibility he approached others as well. I don't want to think there's a traitor among us, but I want to make it clear."

Vlakav looked at Leon and the others in turn. Leon, who had no prior knowledge of this, shook his head. However, Ophelia hesitantly raised her hand.

"He came to me too…"

"What!?"

"Of course, I refused! I could never betray everyone!"

Ophelia defended herself desperately. While I didn't doubt her words, the shock was significant.

"Actually, he came to me too…"

With Kaim's admission, Leon's back grew cold.

"…So, Noel tried to corrupt everyone except me?"

"Leon is the leader. He probably thought it was impossible to corrupt you. But, targeting us was extremely foolish."

Kaim chuckled and shrugged, and Ophelia let out a sigh of relief.

"To be honest, I was a bit worried. Maybe there was a traitor among us. …But, just a little! Really!"

Relieved, Ophelia let it slip, and Leon finally felt his emotions calm down.

"I understand. None of you would betray the Sky Wing Knights."

"Besides, I didn't understand Noel's words. He said he would give us freedom in return, but it sounded like nonsense."

Vlakav tilted his head, and Ophelia snapped her fingers.

"I was told the same thing! It didn't make sense, right?"

"Me too. Ha, it was the best joke ever."

Kaim nodded, indicating that Noel had tried to deceive them with the same words.

"What context did he say it in?"

It was a simple curiosity. However, at Leon's question, the three of them stiffened and fell silent. Despite saying they didn't understand, the same fear and unease could be felt in their expressions.

"Well, let's not worry about Noel anymore. No one betrayed us. He probably wanted to sow distrust and weaken our fighting spirit. If we worry, it will play into his hands."

Kaim's words made sense. After hearing this, I understood why Noel didn't rush into the battle.

"He thought we would turn against each other and self-destruct."

So, he planned to wait and choose the right moment to strike.

"…Interesting strategy."

While it ultimately failed and was unacceptable, it showed that Noel was serious about the battle, which made Leon happy.

Reflecting on it, the Sky Wing Knights had always been alone. They had no rivals to spur each other on and had only encouraged each other to fight.

In this context, the Azure Exiles, who appeared like a comet, had the potential to be good rivals, as Kaim had said.

However, with Noel's plan failing, the Sky Wing Knights would win this battle. After the examination, the Azure Exiles would face the fate of disbanding.

Leon felt a sense of loss.

"Hey, I have a proposal. After this examination, what do you think about inviting Noel and his group to join the Sky Wing Knights?"

The three of them were taken aback by the suggestion.

"They are promising. They would make good companions. The condition was that the losing party couldn't continue with the same members, but if we, the winners, humbly ask, I think Harold will allow it. What do you think?"

Honestly, I expected opposition. No matter how promising Noel was, his behavior was not commendable.

However, the reaction was surprisingly positive.

"I think it's a good idea…"

The first to agree was Ophelia, who had just fought with Noel.

"Risha told me that Noel was betrayed by a companion and had his shared property stolen. He turned the thief into a slave to get his money back. While I can't condone it, I understand there was a reason. More importantly, Noel's hunger to surpass everyone will inspire us in a positive way."

Next, Vlakav nodded.

"I have no objections. We need to increase our numbers anyway if we become a clan."

Finally, Kaim nodded.

"I agree. But, let's focus on finishing the examination first."

His eyes were looking in a different direction.

"Leon, the vanguard is speeding up. They're coming all at once."

Ophelia reported the situation and readied a magic arrow with her skill.

"Everyone, I'll take the first wave. Eliminate the remaining enemies."

Leon, with his sword and shield, prepared to face the enemy with a clear mind.

Soon, countless small lights appeared from the depths of the forest. The eyes of the Evil Eye Baboon King's subordinates. The white-furred magical apes charged in a wall-like formation.

The Evil Eye Baboon King is a demon that can read minds. Naturally, this ability extends to its subordinates. Any attempt to evade or counterattack would be read, and an immediate response would be made. Therefore, even the subordinates are rated at a depth of six. A party composed entirely of B-rank members would find it difficult to win against such a large group.

"Kiiiiii, Yaaaaaaa!!!"

A deafening ape cry. About thirty of them charged first, trying to tear Leon and his group to pieces with their sharp claws and fangs.

However, the magical apes were stopped by an invisible wall.

Knight Skill: Holy Shield Wall.

An invisible defensive wall, a knight's defensive skill.

A knight's characteristic is protection and healing. Using defensive skills to protect allies and healing skills to recover damage, they serve as a wall at the front.

However, even with an excellent defensive skill, the magical apes would normally have seen the movement. This didn't happen because Leon could activate the skill without any preparatory actions.

For example, shouting to increase power, calling out the skill name can make activation smoother. Without speaking, controlling the magic power within the body to use a skill often requires preparatory actions like moving the limbs to set a rhythm.

Through years of training, Leon had successfully eliminated these preparatory actions. In other words, he could use the skill instantly without any delay the moment he willed it.

No matter how much the enemy could read minds, if the skill was activated before they could read his thoughts, it would be impossible to counter. Of course, not everyone could do this. Leon was born with a smoother flow of magic power than the average person, which allowed him to master this technique.

Leon swiftly decapitated the magical apes blocked by the wall. As the remaining magical apes stood in shock, Kaim's spear, Ophelia's arrows, and Vlakav's heat rays pierced their hearts in an instant.

The two hundred depth-six equivalent magical apes were annihilated in less than a minute. It was a silent, refined movement. This was the way the strongest B-rank party fought.

"Everyone, let's move forward. When we encounter the Evil Eye Baboon King, use area attacks to clear the minions. Then, immediately finish off the Evil Eye Baboon King."

"Understood."

The Sky Wing Knights, having eliminated the vanguard, advanced deeper into the forest.

†

†

"Really, is it okay to do this…?"

Kouga, munching on a sandwich, muttered anxiously.

The Sky Wing Knights had been in the abyss for about thirty minutes. Listening carefully, the sounds of battle could be heard.

However, we continued to eat, not moving. Especially, Alma, who needed a lot of energy for the operation, ate silently without saying a word.

"If the Sky Wing Knights defeat the Evil Eye Baboon King like this, we're done for, right? I'm worried…"

"The Sky Wing Knights will win. With their strength, defeating the Evil Eye Baboon King is entirely possible."

"What!? What do you mean!? You said we were relaxing because the Sky Wing Knights couldn't win, right!?"

Shouting in surprise and standing up, Kouga. I drank some tea from the water bottle and shook my head.

"No, they will win. But—"

"Then, we lose, right!? We have to disband our party!?"

"Idiot, listen to the whole story. The Sky Wing Knights need a certain condition to defeat the Evil Eye Baboon King. But, it's impossible."

"Needed condition?"

"Exerting their utmost effort."

Tilting his head, Kouga listened as I continued.

"Leon is an extremely excellent commander. He's not just skilled in combat but also in assessing the battle situation. While it's rare for a front-liner to serve as a commander, even in the capital, there are only a few who can. However, excellence can sometimes be a hindrance. It means he focuses on sure victories."

"What's wrong with sure victories?"

"Very soon, the Sky Wing Knights will prove it. Don't worry, Kouga. We will win. Absolutely."

After I declared this, Kouga reluctantly accepted and sat down.

"Well, I'm Noel's sword. If you tell me to believe, I have no choice. Hmph, I'm not smart anyway. I don't understand anything."

"Don't pout, it's creepy. Besides, I've already planted the seeds. Victory is certain."

"Did you do something bad again?"

Kouga leaned in, whispering while looking at Harold, who seemed to be using a skill to peek inside the abyss, standing with his eyes closed.

"I didn't do anything bad."

"Liar. Then, what seeds did you plant?"

"I just told the other three what will definitely happen, except for Leon."

"What do you mean?"

I looked in the direction where the Sky Wing Knights were likely battling, and my lips twisted.

"The Sky Wing Knights will collapse. Because of Leon's betrayal."