Backbiting.
A lot of people do it.
When they talk about me behind my back, I usually let it slide.
It’s such a juvenile and base reason.
It makes me feel uncomfortable, but I held it in.
However, talking behind Eliya’s back is a different story.
It’s not just because Eliya is, in name, my master.
It’s not just the thought of slandering Eliya while living comfortably in safety thanks to her money.
“Bastard.”
An unexpected child born from a romantic affair.
From birth, an unwelcome existence.
In this world, where social class and background matter, being a bastard is a sin.
It’s hard to empathize, but.
At least Eliya is a wizard and gets the respect she deserves.
Still, there’s no reason to slander her for that.
The reason I tried to endure their backbiting is simple.
It’s the repercussion of my own actions.
I was just seeing the backlash of what I’d done.
I also didn’t want to stir up trouble.
Bastards are different.
Eliya wouldn’t have wanted to be born as a bastard.
Even though she is high nobility, revered by many, being a bastard is never a favorable position.
A fleeting memory crosses my mind.
That dawn when I woke up feeling someone’s warm embrace.
Eliya’s voice, trembling and fragile.
“Mom…”
This is just my opinion.
I have no delusions that everyone should think like me.
It’s a silly rebellious sentiment.
I’m not even Eliya.
In fact, I’m the one who’s scheduled to throttle her.
So, beating Brown and Connor is purely because I’m in a bad mood.
If I hadn’t overheard them, I probably wouldn’t have felt this way.
But that’s not the only reason.
They were also planning to mess with Lindell.
Lindell could have gone along with it.
He could have chosen to play along to avoid an uncomfortable situation, regardless of his true feelings.
But Lindell didn’t do that.
He responded honestly and straight to the point, even against two opponents.
I had more than enough reasons to be furious.
“Lucky just to get this…!”
Brown’s blade shook.
His cocky talk didn’t match his now trembling demeanor.
I charged at him.
Without thinking, the sword lunged forward.
Smack!
I easily deflected it with my wooden shield.
At the same time, I stabbed forward.
The wooden sword hit precisely at his solar plexus.
“Huack…!”
Brown hunched over and stumbled backward.
I immediately followed up with an uppercut using my shield.
His chin lifted, and Brown fell flat.
I stomped on his belly to keep him down and pressed my sword onto his shoulder.
“Ugh…”
Brown didn’t manage a proper counterattack even once.
Levels exist within characteristics.
However, not all level 1s are created equal.
When I had just grasped the skill of swordplay and fought Lindell.
And when I got personal lessons from Gawain.
Both had a characteristic level of 1, but they weren’t of the same skill.
Right now, my swordplay level is at 2.
A newbie like Brown, attempting to face a first-stage test, doesn’t stand a chance.
Even if it weren’t about swordplay, it’d be the same.
“What the… why…?”
Brown stares up at me, unable to understand.
Isn’t that a bit ridiculous?
“You tried to sneak up on me while I was sleeping and run away, aren’t you too shameless?”
“……”
“There are just things that won’t click unless you experience it yourself. By the time you realize it’s your turn, it’s already too late.”
“Just once!”
Brown changed his attitude.
He kneeled and bowed his head.
“Just let me off once! I’m sorry, I’m sorry…! If I fail this exam, it’s already my second time! I’ll pretend it never happened!”
That’s not a very appealing offer.
He brought this on himself, after all.
“I won’t say a word after the exam is over! I’ll pretend I didn’t see it! So, can’t you just let me go?”
My answer was already decided.
There’s no way people who pulled something like this would pass.
“I don’t want to.”
*
I took Brown and Connor’s bracelets.
With this, their elimination is guaranteed.
“Ugh…!”
Immediately after I stripped them of their bracelets, Connor gasped awake.
“Uh, what, what…?”
He clutched his head, grimacing, then looked at me wide-eyed.
It seemed he was recalling the moments before he fainted.
“You… you!”
He tried to charge at me.
I held the shield with both hands and swung it with all my might.
Thwack!
It hit Connor square in the face.
“He’s out of it.”
Blood gushed from Connor’s nose.
Desperately plugging his nose, he glanced around frantically.
He spotted Brown sprawled out behind me in a similar position and was shocked.
“You boys are learning all the wrong things…”
I shook their bracelets in my pocket.
“If you’re curious about anything, ask him. I can’t be bothered to explain.”
Connor, who was blinking in confusion, eventually lowered his head.
Without even needing an explanation, he seemed to accept the situation quietly.
“And you two.”
“Uh, uh?”
Brown and Connor flinched and trembled.
Even though I was using casual language, they didn’t seem inclined to protest.
I spoke bluntly and sat down by the campfire.
“Get out of here by tomorrow morning.”
“What do you mean…?”
“Is there a chance you could get lost in the dark and die from hypothermia? Wait until it’s light outside to leave.”
They were annoying, but I didn’t want them dead.
If they die because of me, that’d be uncomfortable for me as well.
“Don’t give me that look like you’re touched. Just sleep.”
“But, the night watch…”
“Why would you trust anyone with that? Unlike some people, I won’t think of smashing your heads while you sleep.”
Brown and Connor fumbled through their perplexed expressions.
It seemed they wanted to say something, but the words weren’t coming easily.
I added more firewood to the campfire.
In the end, they said nothing else and went into the tent.
The expressions on their faces resembled guilt and embarrassment.
“What has happened…?”
Pellin, who had woken up from the commotion, cautiously asked as she sat beside me.
“Nothing… serious.”
If it had been serious, I wouldn’t have stirred the pot so much.
I plainly stated it without any need to hide.
“I woke up and found those two talking behind my back. Honestly, that part isn’t serious, but they also made derogatory comments about Lady Eliya.”
Then I woke up Lindell and forced them to get him to side with them.
When Lindell responded seriously, they plotted to betray and flee.
Looking back now, it seemed likely to have been impulsive bluster.
But I can’t dismiss the possibility that it wasn’t just bravado.
“That’s how it all went down. Fortunately, I was awake enough to notice how uncomfortable sleeping arrangements were.”
After finishing my words, I broke the gemstone on my bracelet.
It’s fragile, breaking easily like glass.
Now I, too, am eliminated for sure.
“……”
Pellin nodded with a complicated expression.
Lindell’s face showed discontent.
“Hey. Judas.”
Lindell spoke, looking as if he had made a hard decision.
“I’d rather take your place.”
“…What?”
“After all, it was me who got into a fight with those guys. So, I can take their place in a fight, and you can pass the exam, right? The bracelets will be swapped so they won’t know…”
“No. It’d be better if I just stayed put…”
Pellin also insisted she would be eliminated instead of me.
I couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.
It was touching.
“Enough. You don’t need to do that.”
I interrupted their heated debate.
I didn’t want to hear any more about which one should be eliminated or how it was better for the other to pass.
“I don’t want others to pay the price for my actions.”
Regardless of the circumstances, I accepted my elimination and dealt with those two.
I had no desire to avoid that.
I can be underhanded at times to win, but I don’t want to hide behind cowardice.
I didn’t say it out loud.
Saying it would imply I think Lindell and Pellin are cowardly.
These two are not cowards.
They are just foolishly nice.
And I can retake this exam.
I just need to believe in my survival expert trait.
“I’ll gratefully accept your feelings.”
My stance remained firm.
Neither of them attempted to persuade me further.
They simply sat quietly beside me.
I broke the silence.
“…The night watch should be done in pairs, one of you should sleep.”
After that, we argued for a while about how I would sleep while the two of them would keep watch until dawn.
Eventually, realizing it would be a while until dawn, we decided to take turns keeping watch.
*
“Since the investigation began, Bishop Angra has vanished without a trace.”
Miguel reported.
Eliya, sitting at her desk, was listening quietly while hugging a stuffed cat.
It had been two days since Judas’s first exam commenced.
There was a lack of strength in her face.
Her half-closed eyes were more fatigued than before.
Miguel continued speaking.
“He’s said to be on a pilgrimage, but there’s no evidence to support that.”
“Seems suspicious outright. Was there really no need to hide, or was he too preoccupied to?”
Eliya directed that they should look into Judas’s whereabouts.
Slaves passed through various markets.
Tracking them down was difficult due to a lack of documented records.
The last verified leads came from records stating that Bishop Angra of Molsin Church brought them from the arena, Judeca.
Since then, there has been no advancement.
As soon as we began our back investigation, Angra disappeared.
Claiming to be on a pilgrimage.
There was no justification to publicly interrogate Molsin Church.
“Any records prior to Judeca?”
“No ledger has been maintained until now. However… the remaining slave markets all reside in areas dangerously close to the demon realm. There are several places where members of the Assassin Guild or Dark Wizards typically hide.”
“Hmm…”
Eliya unfolded the map of the continent in her mind.
Boundaries of several regions naturally took shape centered around the Bevel Principality.
Among them, the areas near the demon realm.
Places where it would be reckless to set foot.
And currently, none of the loyal followers here are loyal enough to risk that level of danger.
Eliya recalled a statement from the document she had read previously.
There might be a chance of special training.
What could that statement imply?
Angra, who had vanished without a trace.
Though it became harder to dig up information because he fled, that very fact still constitutes a part of the information.
It’s information regarding information.
It wasn’t certain what it pointed to.
Eliya tapped her desk, making the decision.
“Keep investigating. Avoid stirring the hornet’s nest as much as possible.”
“I will pass that along. Also, a notification regarding the disposition of Narcissi de Bevel has arrived.”
Miguel gingerly handed her a letter.
Like always, Eliya tore the envelope open carelessly.
Despite her careless touch, the envelope opened neatly.
[Narcissi de Bevel admits to having neglected her responsibilities in evaluating the qualification of a domestic tutor for Eliya de Bevel and also being inadequate in identifying the candidates for her escort knights. Thus, following the long-standing internal rules of the Bevel family, she is to receive a six-month exile to the outskirts of the principality.]
What she did to Eliya has been deemed guilty.
The punishment—exile.
“I wish she’d just died.”
But that was unlikely to happen so easily.
Since I didn’t expect it, I wasn’t disappointed either.
As Balak’s legal wife and a beloved spouse, Narcissi had formidable support and foundation.
“I don’t mind not seeing her for a while. But her personality doesn’t lend itself to being idle; she’s likely to lash out soon.”
Somehow, she would attempt revenge on me.
This time, she might genuinely try to kill me.
Since I unlocked the power of a wizard, the mood within the family has become quite uneasy.
Eliya, who has unexpectedly grown stronger, was further solidified as the next head of the family.
Narcissi has few remaining options.
She may either kill Eliya.
Or be killed by Eliya.
A rat cornered is sure to bite.
“I need to secure the mansion tightly.”
From Eliya’s hand, flames like thorn bushes erupted before she tossed the letter into the fireplace.
“Maybe it’s time to change a few people out.”
At that moment, Ria cautiously spoke.
“Miss, it’s time to move.”
“Hmm? Oh.”
Eliya checked the time and smiled brightly.
It was a smile that formed unknowingly.
“Let’s hurry.”
Eliya stood up while hugging the stuffed cat.
She smoothed out the red blanket draped around her neck with her small hands.
Eliya looked in the mirror and spoke.
“Miguel, Ria.”
“Yes, Miss.”
“It’s time to make some decisions. There’s not much time left.”
“……”
“You need to line up properly.”
As Eliya stepped out the door, Miguel couldn’t respond with any answer.
Ria, following behind, remained silent with a heavy heart.
The fact that they had been on Eliya’s side for a very long time was a secret known only to them.
*
Today marks the second day since Judas’s first exam began.
In other words, it’s the day his test concludes.
Riding in the carriage, she gazed out the window toward the exam location.
Her hand gently patted the head of the stuffed cat.
It was an unconscious action.
To be honest, she didn’t have high expectations for Judas in this exam.
“He probably passed.”
He had brought back a Moon Deer from the hunting grounds and managed to tame it.
Surviving in the wild for two days should be a piece of cake for him.
It’s only natural to presume he must have passed the exam.
Therefore, it’s inevitable that she felt a sense of expectation.
Reading a play or literature with a known outcome is dull.
This is no different.
Since the result is predictable, it’s impossible to feel anticipation.
Yet she still felt compelled to go see Judas.
Not just today.
Eliya had occasionally visited the training center to show her face.
This was a first.
Even Eliya thought it was a bit strange to herself, though she didn’t understand why.
Why was she doing this?
Why did she find her actions strange?
It wasn’t just that.
When she collapsed while tending to the Moon Deer and noticed Judas gazing down at her, she still hadn’t interpreted the meaning behind his expression resembling her own mother’s.
The most bewildering of all is her own heart.
She heads to meet Judas.
Just that fact makes her heart race vividly.
Why on earth?
Despite not seeing him for two days, her once droopy body felt energized once again.
It was the first time in her life that she felt so many unknowns.
For her, the world and people had always been predictable and dull.
That was until she met Judas.
Suddenly, a smile escaped her as she stared outside.
“Fun.”
*
Eliya stepped out of the carriage.
Right at the location where the exam started.
The place where she had sent Judas off.
Because she hadn’t given prior notice, the candidates and knights were startled as they turned to look at her.
All of them were shadowy and gloomy.
As if someone spilled ink all over.
But in the distance.
Among the crowd, a solitary figure shone with color.
Those vivid golden eyes.
Surprised, looking at her.
Eliya strode toward him with purpose.
Quickly closing the gap.
An ivory sheen radiated.
Even without physical contact, that unique chill traveled.
Just these two days had made her thirsty.
She had survived without even holding his hand for two days.
But the mere fact of being physically separated had left her feeling thirstier than before.
“Lady…”
Judas couldn’t muster the proper etiquette.
Eliya, without hesitation, jumped into his arms.
“……”
Judas froze, trembling.
Unable to touch her body or push her away.
It didn’t matter.
Eliya enjoyed the thrill of this coldness all over her body.
*
Afterward, she let go of that without a trace of having done anything.
Her expression returned to its usual blandness.
A lifeless, cat-like face.
Judas was astounded watching her display such strangeness.
In reality, Eliya wasn’t being brazen.
She had no realization that her actions were embarrassing, thus didn’t feel any shamelessness.
She recognized that it wasn’t an action befitting a noble, but right now that’s not what she cared about.
So she ignored it.
If that’s how she wanted to act, that’s what it would be.
The emotions and gossip between men and women were merely topics learned socially without any deep sense of understanding.
Eliya could not fully relate to such problems.
When she panicked as Judas was about to wake up, it was merely a spontaneous reaction due to an unexpected situation.
Covering his eyes was not a gesture of modesty, but simply because she didn’t want to draw attention from other people.
That would only complicate things.
At any rate.
Once she returned to her ordinary self, Eliya encountered a rather surprising fact.
“…Eliminated?”
Judas had failed the exam.
In her calculations, it was an impossible outcome.
And yet, Judas chose to blatantly defy her predictions.
Could he be someone who appears solely to bring her new excitement?
Someone perfectly tailor-made for her. That boastful thought.
Perhaps the prayers of Christmas were finally being answered.
Her sudden visitation, though disorienting at first, quickly found the candidates’ responses split.
Those who failed hung their heads low, while those who passed puffed out their chests in self-commendation.
Whatever the reaction may be.
Eliya’s focus remained solely on Judas.
He sensed that something had gone awry.
“Oh no. Don’t tell me…”
Eliya’s stare bored into him directly.
Her lips inadvertently curled upward.
The red blanket draped over her neck resembled a scarf too big for her size.
Add in the black cat stuffed animal she hugged, and she looked just like an adorable girl.
The recent embrace was a bit…
But right now, Judas felt uneasy.
“Judas.”
“…Yes, Miss.”
“You have been eliminated.”
The tone of her voice was full of amusement and curiosity.
As if to say, “How could you have failed?”
It seemed he had unknowingly provoked this little devil’s interest once again.
Eliya stepped closer.
Remembering their previous embrace made Judas tense up again, but nothing like that happened.
She simply observed him up close.
With that bright smile.
She asked, like a little devil finding a fun new toy.
“Why did this happen? Hmm?”
“……”
Judas’s head began to throb.
This girl’s personality was driving him insane.
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