“Ah, we’ve arrived!”
*Splash.*
Alexia exclaimed as she stepped onto the shallow land covered in water.
“This place always feels disgusting no matter when I come!”
Wetlands.
It was a dark, damp, and humid land, 365 days a year.
At least the desert to the west was bearable as long as you could avoid the sunlight.
Without a doubt, this wetland was the most inconvenient place to live in the Empire, no, in the continent.
“Hehe, I can see the village coming into view!”
In a place seemingly devoid of life except for bugs, alligators, and giant snakes, there were surprisingly people living here.
It wasn’t a large population, but it was enough to make a village.
Alexia had come to see the one responsible for creating that village.
A Majin known as the Madman.
“Come on, everyone, we’re almost there! Let’s push through!”
“…..”
“Good spirit! Let’s go!”
“…..”
In the midst of the only sound being the *buzz* of bugs.
Alexia was solo shouting excitedly as she took strong steps toward the village.
Having walked this unpleasant land for several days, she had a reliable comrade always by her side in her imagination.
Soon, Alexia faced a man standing with a spear.
“Stop! This is the domain of the Madman! Turn back!”
“I’m a friend of the Madman! It should be fine for me to enter!”
“Don’t say something scary. You might get torn apart so badly that your shape is unrecognizable. If this serves as a warning, turning back would be······.”
“What? Who’s tearing who apart?”
Alexia’s brows furrowed sharply.
She was already annoyed enough from the long journey.
Entering this *damn* place only made her more unpleasant, and this ridiculous nonsense was about to explode her pride.
Normally, she would have endured it a bit more.
But now, she was in the mood to smash this guy’s head in right away.
“Hehe. Looks like our friend hasn’t trained his chicks well? Since I’m here, I’ll take your necks as a gift.”
“Hey, miss. Stop spouting nonsense······.”
“Hey, you *little sh*ts*! Get out of the way right now!”
“Th-The Madman?!”
The guards jumped in surprise and looked back.
With wild hair and wearing loose clothes haphazardly, a man stood there shouting.
The Madman. Among the Majins, he was one of the biggest sources of trouble and accounted for 70% of Tiltitz’s stress.
“You’ve made a fine country, huh? Are you the king here?”
“What’s this nonsense about a country? These *bastards* just built a village next to where I live without permission. It’s so noisy I could die. Anyway, come in and let’s talk.”
Bending his waist at a 90-degree angle, the trembling guard’s heads were gently patted by him, and Alexia stepped inside.
Inside, there was indeed something resembling a grand palace.
The Madman’s artistic sense was horrible, so he likely didn’t build it himself.
He must have ordered humans to make it.
“You were sent by Tiltitz? I haven’t killed a single human in the last 30 years. I swear. If it were my old personality, I would have wiped this village off the map. Nowadays, I just throw them a job once in a while.”
“Hehe, I know. I’m not here to punish you.”
“Then what is it? The fact that you came looking for me usually means it’s not ordinary. But seeing that there hasn’t been a meeting, it doesn’t seem that serious.”
“I just have a few questions to ask!”
“What do you want to ask?”
The Madman’s expression became strange.
She came all the way here just to ask one question?
If it were Tiltitz, maybe, but lazy Alexia?
Something felt off.
“Have you recently left this place?!”
“Recently? I stopped by Monarch about ten years ago.”
“More recently! In the past month!”
“In the past month? I haven’t left for at least three years.”
“Hmmm······!”
The Madman took a slight step back, feeling burdened by Alexia’s suspicious gaze.
Despite her playful demeanor, Alexia was known as the strongest among the Majins.
The fact that she was suspicious of him made the Madman tense up.
“Ugh! Questioning is so boring!”
“You······ shut up!”
*Boom!*
In an instant.
The moment her eyes opened, Alexia’s palm was suddenly right in front of him, slamming his face down into the ground.
“What the hell is this······!”
“Shh. Let’s focus.”
He couldn’t resist.
Despite being a Majin, the overwhelming difference in power couldn’t be bridged.
If he struggled, he could easily break her arm, but······
Alexia’s grip was tightening on his skull as a warning.
With just a little more strength, she could pop his head like a balloon.
The Madman could only hold still, panting.
“Okay! That’s enough! You’ve been a good boy!”
“Alexia! You’ve finally shown your face after a long time, and what the heck are you doing?!”
“I just wanted to confirm if you gave your powers to a human.”
“······!”
Alexia wiped her hands on her clothes and smiled.
The Madman still retained his Majin powers 100%.
Not a single ounce had been given to humans.
“Why would I give up my powers! To do something like that from the start······!”
“Yes. You’d have to sacrifice your vitality.”
“Why would I do such a thing?”
The Madman replied with a displeased expression.
Majins basically live forever.
They have eternal life without aging or losing lifespan.
But the moment they give up their powers, their body would age like any other life form, meaning they would face an end to life.
“Got it. Now that I’ve confirmed it, that’s enough.”
“Hey! You have to explain what’s going on suddenly!”
The Madman was completely clueless.
The only lunatic known for giving powers to humans was that Deliverer, and it had been a hundred years since he was taken care of. Why was this happening now?
“You wouldn’t understand even if I told you! All you do is live like a king here!”
“Hey, but I know some big news. These damn humans have been rattling about it.”
“Really? What’s the recent news then?”
“I heard there was a ceasefire! With Freya and Trude.”
“Haa······.”
That was news over two years old······.
Of course, the Madman living in this backwater wouldn’t know anything about Schlus Hainkel.
Shaking her head, Alexia turned around.
“Just know that a suspicious human has appeared!”
“How suspicious could it possibly be? Is he on Gawayn’s level?”
“He’s someone who could make it so you wouldn’t be able to live as a king here anymore.”
“What······.”
What kind of human could influence a Majin?
Unlike Tiltitz, who was interested in humans, the Madman lived quietly in the remote and had very few outside influences.
If such a person existed, he could very well shake the continent itself.
“A joke as well.”
“Feel free to treat it as a joke! Now, everyone! Let’s leave!”
“Everyone······?”
Alexia was speaking as if having a dialogue with thin air.
The Madman could only watch pitifully as she chattered away while walking off.
He got the feeling that the title of Madman suited Alexia better than it suited him.
*
“Aintz.”
“Huh?”
“Do you think a two-dimensional single spell combining the core of fire and ice systems can exist?”
“Hmm······?”
It was Schlus’s serious question.
Aintz tilted his head as he tried to visualize the spell in his mind.
However, he couldn’t quite grasp a shape for the spell.
“Uh······ don’t you think that’s impossible?”
“It was an exam question in elemental magic. I didn’t think they would confuse us with a question that had no answer.”
“An exam question? Hey, then you can’t ask me that!”
“There was no such restriction.”
“What?”
“It means everything is allowed in the exam, including discussion, cooperation, deception, counsel, snooping, etc.”
“What the heck is that······.”
Aintz was speechless in disbelief.
Is that even a test?
He couldn’t figure out what ability they were trying to assess with that kind of format.
“A two-dimensional single spell combining the core of fire and ice systems. This was one of the exam questions.”
“And you still haven’t solved it, right?”
“That’s right. So I’m seeking your counsel.”
“Hmm. Give me a second.”
Schlus, who felt like an older brother, still hadn’t been able to solve it?
If he could figure it out first, it would be extremely satisfying for Aintz.
He figured it couldn’t be that complicated, and that he could come up with an answer quickly, so he began to······
“Ugh. Man. My head hurts too much. This is impossible.”
“…..”
Less than five minutes in, he gave up.
Combining two systems of opposing elements was already a tough challenge, but to express that in two dimensions?
If it was even possible, he felt uncertain.
“Oh, that was helpful. Thanks.”
“Huh? Schlus! Wait! Just give me a little more time!”
Aintz clung to Schlus, who was leaving without a second thought.
Now that he thought about it, it felt like he could figure out the answer with just a little more thought. Just a bit more thought.
“Trie.”
“Ah, teacher! You were here first, huh?”
“Yes. Master.”
“Ugh, really! Don’t call me that······.”
“This is what mirror therapy is about.”
“….. Tsk.”
So it was Trie.
The daughter of a family dealing in mercenary work, she seemed particularly close to Schlus.
But what could a girl whose skull was likely completely filled with muscle contribute?
“Do you think a two-dimensional single spell can exist that combines the core of fire and ice systems?”
“Hmmm?”
“Do you understand anything?”
“Is it possible to combine the cores of the two systems?”
“…..”
Of course not.
Both Aintz and Schlus sighed deeply at her innocent reply.
“Ugh. No. I shouldn’t have asked you.”
“Why! Why not! What is it?”
“No, you don’t need to worry about it.”
“Can you tell me again? I feel like I might understand it.”
“Hahaha! Have we already arrived! Such diligent ones!”
A booming voice echoed in the lecture room.
As expected, it was Sergey.
Sergey, with his arms crossed, looked particularly cheerful today.
“Class is already three minutes late······”
“First, I must announce the midterm exam! This semester, we’ll evaluate the operation of internal circuits that enhance your physical body during combat! And the most efficient external circuit, that is, how to use magic spells! I perfectly came up with a fantastic exam that evaluates both at the same time last night!”
“…..”
He thought up the midterm exam just a day, no, 10 hours before?
The students felt utterly dumbfounded and were about to burst into laughter.
However, the only one who maintained a stoic expression was Schlus.
‘Is this guy taking some kind of tranquilizer daily?’
Aintz pondered seriously.
“Professor······. May I ask what that exam is?”
“Good question! That would be a tournament!”
“Excuse me?”
Trie tilted her head, unable to comprehend.
“Is it that tournament I know of?”
“Correct! Conveniently, there are 32 of you! Perfect numbers for a tournament without byes! Now, I will reveal the tournament bracket!”
“…..”
Trie was left speechless, staring blankly.
This professor had planned a martial arts tournament instead of assessing their educational level.
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