The moment Judas defeated Zeroblum.
Everyone present focused their attention on Judas.
The act of cutting a wooden sword with a wooden sword was absurd.
From that, an aura of fierce energy radiated.
It was inevitable that all eyes were drawn.
However, at that moment, someone was paying attention to something else.
Lindell from the 13th Room.
He focused on the fallen Zeroblum.
To be exact, it was the flag fixed to his back.
A white flag.
The flag of the 5th Room.
If he took that and placed it in the flagpole, they would win.
But Lindell turned his eyes away from it.
There was something that took precedence.
“Dillon-senpai!”
Lindell hurriedly checked on Dillon.
The upper fabric of his clothes, pierced by a stone knife, was stained red.
It was small but clear bleeding.
As he lifted his clothing, a torn wound became visible.
Lindell rushed to apply pressure to stop the bleeding.
“…Lindell. There’s no need to go that far.”
Dillon, forgetting the pain, let out a dry laugh.
Lindell’s response was overly textbook.
He was surprised when stabbed, but fortunately, the injury wasn’t deep.
It was a minor tear.
“I’ll take care of this, so you grab that and run.”
Dillon pointed at Zeroblum’s white flag.
Now was the opportune moment since Judas was drawing attention.
Lindell quickly grasped the situation and accepted it.
It was the best he could do at the moment.
“…I’ll do it.”
Lindell nodded solemnly and lowered his posture to crawl.
Judas was attracting attention, but he tried not to be noticeable.
Moving stealthily, he finally grasped the white flag and ran.
Fortunately, he wasn’t spotted.
But someone may notice and follow late, so he sprinted at full speed.
He didn’t look back.
He forced his tired body, worn from the battle, to keep going.
He had to do this.
It was his mission.
After confronting Judas, he changed his way of thinking.
Instead of lamenting his situation, he chose to move forward.
He wanted to rise himself rather than drag everyone down to lower places.
Yet reality was harsh.
He was born with nothing special.
Whether it was strength, skill, eloquence, looks, or perseverance.
At one point, that life seemed unbearable.
He even resented God and hated the world.
That stemmed from self-hatred.
It was thanks to Judas that he stopped living like that.
He had nothing to brag about but wanted to do something.
Whatever it was.
After changing his mindset, he made one realization.
He actually had something he did better than others.
Running.
Though not exceptionally great, he was sufficiently good at it.
It was regrettable when he was outdone by Dyke, but he accepted it.
Dyke was better at fighting than he was.
But the opportunity came.
He couldn’t miss it.
His lungs felt like they would explode.
Breath surged up to the tip of his throat, threatening to choke him.
Even if sweat poured like rain or his knees trembled, he ran and kept running.
Even if his heart felt like it would burst, he couldn’t stop.
“Haah, heuh-!”
Remembering Judas’s advice during training.
Inhale through the nose as much as possible.
Replaying that in his mind, he ran harder.
The distance from the battlefield to the flagpole was quite far.
But, he pressed on.
“Haah-!”
Lindell stumbled and thrust the flag downward.
Right into the flagpole of the 13th Room.
With a delightful sound, the flag was planted.
Simultaneously, Lindell rolled on the ground.
One knight stood guard at each faction’s flagpole.
When flags were brought back at a similar time, it was for comparison.
The knight hurriedly recorded the time and facts.
[2:47 PM. Success in reclaiming the white flag at the 13th Room.]
“Haah, haah….”
Lindell lay face down, catching his breath.
His vision spun.
His stomach churned as if he might vomit.
The knight’s voice speaking right in front felt distant.
“Candidate, name?”
“Lin… Lindell….”
After noting his name, the knight said.
“Good job. I will compile the opposing team’s information and inform you of the results. Also, after running, it’s much better to walk and stabilize your body.”
It was far, but he could understand.
Lindell struggled to rise.
The knight was already gone.
Only the flag remained.
The white flag fixed to the flagpole.
It was his accomplishment.
“Haah….”
Lindell sighed wearily as he looked at the drooping flag.
And then he cried out.
“Uwaaaah-!”
A wave of exhilaration burst from his chest.
Like the old clog in his throat being cleared, he felt relieved.
He also felt proud.
He accomplished something. Finally.
Joy gave way to a creeping anxiety.
What if it was too late?
The enemy had already tracked Dyke and Argon for a while.
That anxiety didn’t last long.
*
Judas and the others heard the news that they had won.
Right after, they all headed to the flagpole of the 13th Room.
What welcomed them was Lindell, who was pacing while biting his nails.
“Lindell?!”
Richard, supported as he arrived, was startled.
He was only overshadowed by Judas’s magical release, but he had fought as long as Judas and was in rough shape.
“Uh?”
Lindell, who had been anxiously waiting, noticed them.
“You… did it?”
“Yes…? That, that means, no way….”
Dillon grinned, and Richard continued.
“We won. Thanks to the flag retrieval.”
“Urgh….”
Lindell collapsed to the ground.
Hearing the long-awaited answer caused all the strength to drain from his body.
Seeing Lindell lying there in relief, Judas chuckled.
“Where had you gone? It was you, Lindell.”
One person had vanished from the scene.
That was Lindell.
It felt strangely commendable.
Though there was no particular reason for him to feel that way.
Judas reached out his hand to Lindell.
“Thanks to you, we won.”
Lindell stared at that hand for a moment.
It reminded him of a certain day.
The day he faced off against Judas in a trial competition.
It was similar then too.
He had sat down helplessly, and Judas had looked down at him.
But the circumstances were completely different now.
Lindell smiled and shook hands with him.
“It’s thanks to you that we won.”
In their mutual appreciation, Richard stepped in.
He joked while draping his arms around both.
“If someone hears this, they’d think only you two did all the work. Me, on the other hand, am aching all over.”
“Let’s say we all did well together.”
Judas responded, and Richard nodded.
“Then, let’s do it that way.”
“Now that the verification is done, we’ll return. Sir Gawain will organize the situation.”
The knight guarding the flagpole spoke.
Judas then asked.
“Isn’t Sir Gaston the overall supervisor of this training?”
“Sir Gaston… has stepped out for a moment. You’ll learn the details later.”
Judas just accepted that.
Not knowing what had happened behind the scenes, he had no choice.
‘By the way, it seems like Eliya used magic in the middle of it. What was that about? What spell did I face?’
His curiosity quickly faded.
He felt certain he would find out soon enough.
If necessary, he could just ask Eliya.
During the time petting the Moon Deer.
He had unconsciously begun to view the routine as him and Eliya being alone together.
He didn’t notice the change just yet.
He asked Dillon, who was following closely.
“Are you alright?”
“Everyone is looking at me as if I’m about to drop dead. It’s not that deep of a wound. I’ll be fine with some treatment.”
“Then, that’s a relief….”
“You don’t need to feel guilty. There was no way for you to avoid that in that situation.”
It was all true.
Even knowing it couldn’t be helped, Judas felt sorry for Dillon.
Ultimately, Dillon had taken the hit because of him.
“It’s true that my response was reckless, but I couldn’t help it either.”
Dillon accepted that sacrifice without a second thought.
Richard chimed in from the side.
Like it was nothing serious, he casually said.
“I would’ve done the same.”
Suddenly, Judas felt the reality hit him.
Belonging.
He realized that he was now completely part of this place.
From Richard’s words, he realized one more thing.
If positions were reversed, he would have reacted like Dillon.
“…Thank you.”
The twelve from the 13th Room walked together.
Quite a few were injured.
It was tough even to help each other, limping along.
Yet, they smiled together.
The mixed air of dirt, blood, and faint sweat couldn’t be pleasant.
Still, they couldn’t help but smile.
After all the trials, they had won.
They had defeated that insufferable Salaman and inflicted a loss on the 5th Room.
It felt refreshing all over.
It was a result they had all achieved together.
“But honestly, taking a sword for someone isn’t right, is it? If it were me, I would’ve shoved him with my body or maybe chop his wrist? Right?”
“You talk a good game. Try being in that situation. Does your body react that rationally?”
Unable to hold back, Richard and Dillon started to bicker again.
Many colleagues joined in, either stopping or fanning the flames, enjoying the mood.
At the center of it all was Judas.
[Hidden Quest, ‘The Relationship Between Adversity and Trust’ has been completed.]
[Please choose your reward.]
*
Envinil had a dream.
A nightmare or a dream pieced together from fragments of memory.
In the dream, Judas appeared.
A boy of about his age whom he met in Judeca.
He killed people without restraint.
That night, he trembled in fear and wept.
The moment repeated again.
A boy of similar age and size.
But beneath the skill to kill lay a weak heart.
Envinil could have even targeted him.
He was nothing special. That guy.
But Envinil quickly realized.
He could not be like Judas.
In his first duel to confirm their skills, Envinil couldn’t do anything.
Survival had been pure luck.
Escaping from that place was also a stroke of luck.
He had fortunately escaped and became a candidate knight protecting Eliya.
A rare stroke of luck amid misfortune.
He thought his life wasn’t so bad.
At least until he saw Judas again.
Judas stood out even in the training camp.
He was afraid of him.
That’s why he wanted to become like him.
To be recognized and also feared by everyone.
Knowing his weak side made that desire even stronger.
But he couldn’t become him.
So he decided to remove him.
What would he do if he stabbed him from behind?
He believed luck would favor him. Again.
But it didn’t happen.
The goddess of fortune had turned her back.
Dillon blocked him, and the stone knife was too shabby.
Moreover, when Envinil lunged, chills filled his body.
The sensation of tearing flesh from his fingertips was disgusting.
He lost strength in his hand without realizing it.
The subsequent events were a blur.
He fainted at the sight of Judas’s cold eyes.
He only wished one thing.
He wanted to be recognized.
To be acknowledged that his recklessness was courage.
That hope shattered when he opened his eyes.
The unconscious Envinil woke up facing his allies.
Fellow candidates from the 5th Room.
But their eyes were as fierce as the enemy’s.
They glared menacingly at Envinil.
Zeroblum, who was supposed to carry the flag, grabbed him by the collar and lifted him.
“Are you insane?”
With bulging eyes, he glared and spoke.
“Why would a useless brat like you step up?!”
“I, I, I….”
“You idiot!”
Zeroblum slapped him hard, causing Envinil to collapse.
The 5th Room was defeated.
They lost the flag first, but before that, there had been Envinil’s misconduct.
The knights were slow to respond.
Confusion arose due to Eliya’s magic suddenly erupting from the forest.
Struggling to recover and sort things out, they acknowledged.
That Envinil had used a stone knife.
The 5th Room had officially lost the victory and was disqualified for violating the rules.
“If it weren’t for you!”
Someone stomped on Envinil.
Perhaps they just needed an excuse to vent their emotions.
Yet that statement was surprisingly close to the truth.
Had Envinil not stabbed Dillon, Judas might not have released his power at that moment.
As a result, the 13th Room might not have won.
All that remained were meaningless assumptions.
“I-I didn’t mean to…!”
“Shut up.”
Thus, for a while, the beating continued.
Salaman lingered a few steps away from this spectacle.
He had no interest.
Whether they won or lost.
Even if Envinil was beaten worse than by 13th Room.
The reason for his anxiety lay elsewhere.
There were two instructions given by Gaston.
To seriously injure Judas and Dillon.
All had failed.
The proposal would still stand.
Gaston had guaranteed that.
Yet, some lingering unease continued to bubble up.
In the meantime, Leo and Cooper returned.
“Damn, those guys are annoyingly fast….”
“Sorry about that.”
The two expressed their regrets as sincerely as they could.
Fortunately, no one paid them any mind.
All the attention was on Envinil.
Meanwhile, the 13th Room returned after checking the flag.
Richard, standing at the front, looked at the 5th Room and snickered.
“Wow, you losers are really close, huh? Is that the secret to losing?”
“…….”
“Next time, we should learn from your room. It’s boring to only win all the time.”
“Exactly. Sometimes losing helps a person progress, right?”
Judas chimed in with a laugh.
If it were an ordinary day, Dillon would have chastised them, but today he remained quiet.
There were Salaman and his gang, who had enjoyed teasing Dillon for trivial reasons.
There was no need to protect him.
“Quiet.”
A heavy voice toned down the atmosphere.
Gawain appeared, dismissing the commotion.
Alongside him were Ria, Hermis, and Eliya.
Judas reflexively checked Eliya’s condition.
‘She doesn’t seem to be injured.’
He faced her doll-like expression.
‘Her expression appears the same as usual.’
They locked eyes, so she should smile soon, he thought.
A smile that remained inscrutable, like a mask.
However, Eliya didn’t smile.
She just stared at him intensely.
Why isn’t she smiling?
Eliya was curious.
Judas’s smiling face was quite rare.
He was particularly lacking in smiles in front of her.
The moment he saw him laugh brightly with his companions, it entranced her.
It wasn’t just his smile.
There was a warm atmosphere enveloping the 13th Room.
Everyone was beaten up, dirty, and messy, yet each face wore a bright smile.
Amid that, there flowed a peculiar sense of camaraderie connecting them all.
At the center of it was Judas.
Friendship. Those similar words floated in her mind.
She scrutinized Judas again.
In that moment, Eliya felt a slight twist in her stomach.
What is this?
Not a deep discomfort, just a shallow unease.
Eliya pushed her feelings aside and observed the situation.
Examining her state through a third person’s eyes, she named the feeling and chuckled softly.
The first thing that arose was possessiveness.
It was a contradiction.
There was no way to feel possessiveness over something already owned.
Even if someone had meddled with her thing, it was rather a subtle situation.
Anyway, she could exclude possessiveness.
But something akin to it lingered.
Desire for exclusivity.
She let out another nervous chuckle at that.
It couldn’t be.
What was she doing feeling such things for Judas?
That was just strange.
The emotional exchange that they were sharing felt unfamiliar.
Just as Eliya managed to tidy her heart, Gawain spoke up.
“I will announce the results of this collective training. The winner is the 13th Room. As of 2:47 PM, it has been confirmed that we first stole the white flag from the 5th Room. Furthermore, the 5th Room used a prohibited weapon and thus has lost by disqualification.”
Gawain cast a glance towards the 5th Room.
Everyone averted their gaze in unison.
Several glared at Envinil.
“This matter will be held strictly accountable.”
“…….”
“Those of the victorious 13th Room will have great benefits, including a special meal, and tomorrow, they will be exempt from all training to focus solely on rest.”
“Waaah-!”
“Keheek!”
A unified cheer erupted from the 13th Room.
Everyone celebrated without holding back.
Yet among them, Judas remained serious.
During that free time, he began planning how to train.
After such intense training, he thought it best to focus on rehabilitation and take it lightly.
The attending physician at the training camp would have called him crazy.
“And one more thing. Gaston, the overseer of this training, has been detained.”
The room fell silent instantly.
It was an unexpected statement.
Gawain had debated whether to bring it up or not.
That was an unnecessary fact to relay to the candidates.
However, he needed to show himself as being on Balak’s side while also maintaining a neutral stance within the training camp.
Although it wasn’t true, he needed to make it appear so.
Therefore, he didn’t bother cozying up to Gaston.
“There’s no need to elaborate. Anyway, that has happened, so similar training like today will not happen again. This will be notified separately to all candidates later. And Salaman.”
Salaman was unable to respond right away.
Gaston detained?
Why?
Was it discovered?
He couldn’t fathom what had been found out, but at least he guessed it was something that shouldn’t be exposed.
Then, what about the proposal he received?
“Salaman?”
Only when called a second time did Salaman lift his head.
“Yes, yes?!”
“Follow me.”
“Take him too.”
Eliya interjected.
Her little finger pointed at Envinil.
“Bring that one too.”
“Understood. You’ve heard, have you, Candidate Envinil?”
“…….”
Eliya’s designation.
It was something that should be welcomed, yet Envinil couldn’t smile.
He realized it much too late.
His attempt to harm Judas while violating the rules.
And Eliya, who favored him.
“Both are losing their minds in front of the lady… Bring them both tied.”
Gawain instructed a nearby knight.
Judas looked away from the Envinil pointed out by Eliya.
There was no particular reason why he glanced at that fool.
He was simply curious why he was singled out. That was all. Really.
He didn’t understand why he felt relieved seeing Eliya’s red scarf and her black cat doll.
But does she care?
“I’ve finished conveying the message. You can disperse.”
Gawain wrapped up and exchanged a few words with Eliya before approaching Judas.
“Judas.”
“Yes, Sir Gawain.”
“I heard you fought with Salaman. You successfully utilized your magic.”
“That’s right.”
“And you won.”
“Yes. I greatly benefited from your teachings, Sir Gawain.”
Judas was puzzled as to why he needed to confirm an obvious fact.
Gawain briefly stroked his chin in silence before softly stating.
“…Well done.”
“Excuse me? I must have misheard?”
“No. Just continue as you are now.”
“Ah, yes… Thank you.”
Judas continued to stare at Gawain’s retreating back with a confused expression.
While he was lost in thought, something slipped into his arms.
He felt a gentle push.
Judas’s eyes fluttered in disbelief.
“A-Aga, Aga, Sis…?”
Eliya dove into his embrace.
Judas shrank back and froze.
She didn’t care.
Eliya held him tightly.
Feeling ignited within her from using magic, she wished to calm it down with Judas’s energy.
As soon as she embraced him, the heat began to dissipate.
She buried her face in his nape and took a deep breath.
The smell coming from him wasn’t fragrant by any means.
Sweat, dirt, and blood all mixed together.
But it didn’t matter.
“It feels good….”
She murmured dreamily, rubbing her face against him.
Judas’s body only became stiffer.
Not wanting to let go, Eliya said, still holding him.
“Are you hurt?”
That tender voice was far too intimate.
Judas felt like his heart was racing so fast he might go crazy.
Faster than when he fought passionately against Salaman.
What if Eliya heard that?
“Y-Yes… I got scratched here and there… but I’m fine….”
“…Really?”
In truth, Eliya was asking whether he had been affected by the magic.
But Judas was oblivious to her intentions.
In other words, it meant he was unaffected by the magic at all.
Had it missed its target?
Eliya found herself sighing in relief, smiling without realizing it.
“That’s good.”
“Yes?”
“How did you win?”
Eliya casually changed the subject.
Judas found this erratic cat so difficult to read.
“Well, um… Just as I trained….”
It was something he couldn’t explain in words.
Eliya, still holding onto his waist, tilted her head slightly.
Seeing him trying to explain while stiff was amusing, and it made her smile.
Seeing Eliya laugh while holding him, Judas fell silent.
“It’s a pity I couldn’t see it.”
“Hmm….”
Eliya cautiously withdrew from his embrace.
As if unwilling to let go, her small hands fidgeted with the frayed edge of his clothes.
It had been a while since they’d seen each other.
How long had it been?
She wished to stay close a little longer, but the events of today had left her with more tasks at hand.
Unlike her, Judas didn’t seem to care about falling away.
In fact, he seemed relieved to do so.
That Judas somehow irritated her.
So, she playful lunged back into his arms.
Bam! She hugged him in jest.
He would surely be startled and flustered.
“A-Aga, Sis… Why, why are you doing this…?”
Judas trembled as he spoke.
His head was spinning.
It wasn’t just him and Eliya who were there now.
Numerous candidates had just finished the battle.
And there were knights overseeing them too.
Everyone was rolling their eyes, unsure where to look.
Eliya didn’t care.
In her perception, there were only Judas and herself.
Everything else faded like diluted ink into a monochromatic background.
Eliya found it amusing to watch Judas’s flustered reaction, and her irritation faded away.
She had to pressure herself not to rely on him, but that thought slipped away.
Since it had been too long since she last experienced such warmth, she didn’t want to think about that.
She chuckled while holding him.
With feelings that had become more freeing, Eliya withdrew.
Looking up at the only color, she gently smiled.
“I’ll see you later.”
*
In the underground prison of the mansion’s grounds.
The first inmate, the wizard, was quite noisy.
Before Eliya could press on, he spilled everything he knew, drop by drop.
For example, he willingly revealed that his name was “Bolse.”
“That bastard Gaston, who’s nothing but dung in his head, gave the orders! He claimed he’d forgive my gambling debts!”
He expressed how wronged he felt, filled with resentment.
Eliya didn’t stop him from spilling his thoughts.
“The objective was to target the candidate named Judas! He wanted me to use long-range magic to permanently disable him!”
Gaston calmly countered.
“Lady, I understand there’s a misunderstanding here, but that lie…”
“Shut it! You sewage rat! I secretly copied the order I was given and burned the original! I can show it to you whenever you want! Anytime!”
“…!”
Gaston looked at Bolse, surprised.
Then, Bolse raised his bound hands and displayed a stop signal with his fingers.
“What a fool! Did you think I would just sit back and take it? I have a hidden card of my own! Idiot! Moron! Stinky fish eye of a fertilizer block!”
Eliya quietly watched their war of words.
She contemplated how to poke at either side to extract useful information.
“Lady. I have something to discuss.”
Gaston said with a serious face as if he had made a decision.
“Go ahead.”
“I possess information you wish to know. If you promise me leniency, I shall gladly…”
Eliya didn’t let him finish.
How dare he demand a negotiation without knowing his position?
There was no need to convey his situation to such a person.
Her eyes gleamed ominously.
Bolse instinctively sensed the danger and fell silent.
Gaston was shocked, letting out a muffled groan.
Heat surged from within her.
It felt dangerously real.
Eliya created a tiny spark in Gaston’s organs.
Weakly enough so he wouldn’t die.
She had honed numerous techniques that didn’t show on the surface, and this was one of them.
Gaston’s endurance wasn’t long-lasting.
The pain from his organs cooking over an open flame was an unbearable kind.
He hastily confessed.
“B-Balak…! I was commanded by Balak!”
Eliya apathetically awaited his next words.
“D-Dalant… and Shylock…! Those two also received orders from Balak to assist me in isolating Judas…!”
“I know.”
“…Huh?”
“I already knew. I didn’t leave you intact because I didn’t know. I wanted to see how far you’d go, so I kept you around.”
“…….”
“I shouldn’t have expected too much from you. I should just dispose of you…”
“B-Bordeaux!”
Gaston exclaimed urgently.
Eliya temporarily halted the magic she was using to melt his guts.
The Bordeaux family.
While not overly powerful or remarkable, those in the know were aware.
“I’m from the Bordeaux family….”
Bordeaux.
They were known to be fanatics of the Molsin Church.
The name Molsin Church had recently been frequently mentioned around her.
Starting with Judas and extending to Tridito and others.
That wasn’t her only point of confusion.
How could someone under Balak’s command be from the Bordeaux family?
It was worth investigating.
Eliya coldly murmured.
“Tell me more.”
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