[Ep.4 The Midterm Exam is Underway.]
[So far, the contributor with the most contributions is ‘Lily Elbrite.’]
[The top contributor will unlock some of their stats.]
After training Ene, I escaped outside, and yet another episode was skipped.
Before I knew it, I found myself in front of Class A, not my usual Class C, and I could hear a ruckus coming from inside.
Creeeak!
“I mean, doesn’t it make sense that there’s a Beastman here?!”
“Didn’t something weird happen?”
“What’s so weird about it?!”
In the center of Class A.
A large group of platinum-haired elves was gathering, embroiled in a verbal argument.
The Sword Saint, at the center of the conflict, remained unfazed, but Aisha was not so calm.
“So loud!”
“This isn’t Class B, it’s Class A! Did you cheat or something?!”
“Cheat? It’s the skill of the Sword Saint… I mean, it’s my brother Ranga’s skill!”
Ranga. I guess that’s the name of the wolf beastman the Sword Saint is possessed by.
By the way, he sure made it to Class A against the odds.
If he couldn’t achieve that, I would have been disappointed.
“This is ridiculous…!”
“Enough.”
In the midst of the elves, the platinum-haired beauty, Asuka, raised her hand and silenced the angry elf.
“Enough. Eloni Academy isn’t that sloppy. If it were true, it would definitely show.”
“B-but Asuka! Having a beastman in Class A is…”
“Isn’t there someone right there defying history?”
Asuka pointed behind her, and a sea of gazes shifted toward one spot.
Did you see it now?
[ㅎㅇ]
[Here I am.]
[LOL]
“Hello?”
As I gently bowed my head, everyone’s gaze became awkward.
Ria Elposis is a figure of interest and a buzzworthy character.
She is a student that must be befriended for networking and magical growth, but she is unable to move due to a single person…
“…Hello?”
Asuka Elposis.
The second princess of the Elf Kingdom and a prodigy blessed by the sky, eligible to become the next queen.
I locked eyes with Asuka.
It was my first time seeing her face since enrollment.
No doubt, she radiated the beauty and dignity worthy of a princess in the Elf Kingdom.
Seeing her up close, it was clear.
‘Truly, there’s no answer to this.’
The Child of the World Tree is confirmed to be Asuka Elposis.
At just 19 years old, her level has already surpassed that of the original Sword Saint.
In my current state, I absolutely can’t harm Asuka with sheer power.
It’s no wonder her sister, often called a historical genius, lost her position.
“Ria Elposis?”
“Yes. I’m Ria Elposis. I just transferred to Class A.”
“…I see. I’m Asuka Elposis. Well… I figured you’d know.”
She stood up from her seat and approached me.
Despite the significant height difference, her strong presence kept her from looking small.
The previously raucous atmosphere of the classroom instantly shifted into our stage.
Before long, the issue of the beastman and whatever else had completely faded away.
It’s been a while.
“Of course, I know. How could I not know the Princess?”
“Come on, at the Academy, everyone is ‘equal.’ Relax. Just relax.”
[Equal?]
[LOL]
[Whoa]
“How arrogant, you think you’re equal to Lily?”
Equal, huh.
It sounds ordinary, but it’s not something Asuka would say.
While gathering information in this place, I felt that Asuka, just like the rumors said, isn’t exactly ‘nice.’
She fundamentally has a base of racial discrimination and also shows authoritarian traits from the nobility.
Above all, she has an immense pride in her abilities.
She can’t even imagine being surpassed by someone.
“Anyway, let’s get along.”
“Yes.”
Tch.
‘Look at this.’
It’s not about squeezing my hand with strength.
Even though she’s a princess, she maintains a demeanor of ‘niceness.’
What we’re doing now… is a kind of mental duel.
The Mana of Life flows roughly through our clasped hands.
It’s not just the raw power; it’s the size of the mana.
In other words, she’s trying to show a clear distinction between herself and me and assert dominance.
‘What to do…’
Just yielding is one way out.
Since Asuka Elposis cannot be subdued by force, it would be better to nurture something else rather than become an enemy or a threat.
If there’s no other option, accumulating Asuka’s contribution degree as much as possible is another tactic.
But.
[How arrogant]
“Ugh?!”
“I’m the one talking about arrogance.”
How rude.
The Mana of Life flows in.
It comes in.
It keeps coming in.
Coming in…
“Wait, hold on…”
“What’s wrong?”
Asuka’s previously relaxed expression turns to one of shock.
As the mana that she was stubbornly forcing in starts rushing out uncontrollably, Asuka, startled, tries to pull her hand back, but I don’t let go.
“Yikes!”
In the end, she struggles to forcibly retract her hand.
If she just hits me, the mana would get stuck.
“Are you okay?”
“Ugh… you…!”
“I’ll heal you.”
“No way!”
Asuka swiftly turns her head and returns to her spot.
Her hand is likely to need healing since it’s reddened, but if she doesn’t want it, so be it.
‘She’s tough enough to recover on her own.’
Asuka Elposis’s body and mana will surely recover quickly.
I return to my seat, and the students watching Asuka try to avoid her gaze, hurriedly sitting back down.
Finally, it’s a bit quiet now.
[What was that?]
[?]
[?]
[I won, LOL]
[I don’t know what happened, but Lily wins!]
[Was that a strength contest?]
[The Great Lily]
“I just slightly changed the direction of the mana strength struggle.”
Asuka’s mana is beyond imagination.
It far surpasses the levels of me and Ene, and even in the entire World Tree, it could fit within one finger of me.
If it was just a simple mana duel, I could never have won…
I couldn’t win anyway…
“There’s no reason for me to take that into my body.”
After creating a space with magic, I stuffed all the mana flooding into my body into it.
Of course, I couldn’t fit “everything” into that created space.
If it’s insufficient, I’ll just make another one.
If that’s still not enough, then I’ll just make another one.
After making about 50, only then did Asuka’s mana finally run low.
With the level of magic the academy teaches, sustaining more than three would be burdensome, but I’m different.
If I want, I could create hundreds or more.
[The talented individual, Asuka Elposis, is wary of you.]
[Asuka Elposis’s Contribution Degree is 7.8%.]
It’s gone up again.
■
The chilly atmosphere eased a bit when the professor in charge of Class A walked in.
A total of five people were promoted to Class A through the placement exam.
Out of those, two were an Elf and a Nymph, and the remaining three were me, the Sword Saint, and Aisha.
The fact that the Sword Saint and Aisha were Beastmen raised some controversy regarding the promotion, but since Asuka, who is the center of the class, remained silent, it eventually blew over.
“……”
“It’s a bit overwhelming.”
Of course, the gazes staring at me increased.
[The eyes are shooting lasers, haha!]
[Looks angry.]
[Seems pretty peeved, lol.]
[Aisha and Asuka, haha!]
[As expected, it’s Lily.]
The classes in Class A were pretty similar to those in Class C.
To be precise, Class A was much more difficult and complex, but to me, it felt like much of the same.
Of course, the important part is “talent”…
“……Hmm.”
Clack. Clack.
Rustle.
“Hmm…”
Sigh~
-…always grateful for the mana of life, the root of the World Tree…
“They don’t seem particularly special.”
Class A doesn’t have any exceptional talents either.
Of course, that doesn’t mean they’re not talented.
Each of them possesses outstanding mana sensitivity, talent, and a wide range of knowledge, far surpassing the level of typical rankers.
If I picked any student from Class A and taught them for just a week, they would easily rank within the top 100.
But that’s not enough.
“That won’t be enough to beat Asuka.”
This isn’t just a contest of who is stronger.
The final choice lies with the World Tree, and they must display such outstanding talent that it catches its eye.
In that regard, Asuka Elposis is exceptionally gifted, ranking among the best in any summoning.
To surpass her, mere average talent won’t cut it.
“…It’s better to raise Ene instead.”
There’s not much of a difference between these guys and Ene.
In fact, in some areas, Ene may be even more outstanding.
[True that.]
[Lily, just do whatever you want.]
[If we just eliminate Asuka, wouldn’t everything be fine?]
HUUxmSFFRYUlEMw
[But it’s still first place, so it’s fine, haha!]
[What if we set the World Tree on fire and win?]
[I wonder how much training they’ve done.]
I wonder how much training they’ve really done.
I’m a little excited to see how much ‘I’ rolled.
■
“…Club Leader?”
“I’ll kill them… I’ll kill them all…”
Something seems really gloomy, even more than usual.
‘What on earth did they do to look like this?’
While I was checking the skipped part, Ene was trembling and walking somewhere, leaning on her spear.
“Where are you going?”
“Application… application for a friendly match…”
Thud!
Ene collapsed.
Looks like I might have rolled a bit too much.
‘Her body seems fine. Is her mind gone?’
Checking her physical condition, it looks like her body is fine enough that healing magic isn’t needed.
The problem lies with her mind and her slightly tattered soul.
What on earth…
“…Did you really teach her this?”
I looked at my reflection in the mirror after confirming the skipped memory.
“Is she crazy?”
She’s not in her right mind.
[?]
[Sounds about right]
[Self-reflection, wow]
I was filled with disbelief at myself and picked up the paper in Ene’s hand.
Is this the application?
“Since you’ve worked hard, I’ll deliver it for you, Senpai.”
“……”
“Take a rest.”
Thud!
■
“…Why did this come?”
In the ‘second’ swordsmanship club room of Eloni Academy.
A letter flew towards Asuka Elposis, the club leader, who was sitting seriously.
The letter was brought by the newly arrived Fox Beastman.
She took the letter out from the mailbox in front of the club room and placed it on the club room table.
Her friend, Nob Ersosa, who had founded the new swordsmanship club with her, shook his head.
“I think it was sent to the wrong place. I heard before that the spear arts club and the ‘first’ swordsmanship club are rivals. Doesn’t seem like it now, though.”
“…Did they send it here because it’s a ‘same’ swordsmanship club?”
“Seems they got confused. Give it to me. I’ll take it to the swordsmanship club.”
“Ha.”
Asuka was irritated.
There are already plenty of things bothering her; now this silly mess is causing a stir.
With that annoyance, she turned to the next page.
Flap.
“It seems like a freshman made a mistake. Isn’t that something the seniors should handle?”
“……”
“Of course, it’s not something we can say after leaving the club in just a day─”
“…No.”
“Hmm?”
“It’s a challenge. We have to accept it.”
Whether it was by coincidence or intention, but…
Member – Ria Elposis.
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