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nChapter 80: His Test (1)

nDrip drip drip—

nA midsummer shower poured outside the restaurant where Epherene, depressed, nibbled on her food.

n“Why does life sometimes go awry like this? I can’t go back in time to fix this.”

n“…”

n“If despair comes, one would think the hope to overcome it would swiftly follow afterward, but reality is never that easy. There can never be enough compensation for this much melancholy.”

nShe twirled her chopsticks around her food and eventually dropped them on the table. Teardrops were welling in her eyes.

n“What’s wrong? Isn’t it delicious?” Sylvia’s maids, Lete and Endell, were flustered. The steak was delicious enough for them.

n“She only likes a certain pig.” Sylvia ate her meal nonchalantly. It didn’t matter to her whether it was rice balls, fried rice, pigs, or cows.

n“Why… Why did it have to be today…” Epherene murmured, her misery caused by the Pig’s Flower’s decision to not open today.

nShe thought about the reason behind it as hard as she possibly could but nevertheless couldn’t figure it out. In the end, she decided to ask Julia about it later.

n“Stupid Epherene.” Sylvia stood up. Her lips curved upward, finding the evening quite satisfying.

nShe didn’t have the strength to respond.

nOne of the three maids left the shop with Sylvia, and the other two remained behind; they sat and talked to Epherene, who looked exhausted.

n“This is a first.”

n“… What?”

n“My lady’s never brought a friend over before since her mother passed away.”

n“Ah…” Epherene smiled bitterly.

nThe truth was, Sylvia was so famous that most information about her and her family was public. Hence, people from the tower and even ordinary undergraduate students at the university knew that Sylvia’s mother had passed away.

nSuch was the problem that accompanied fame.

n“So, you don’t know how happy I was when Ms. Epherene came. You even willingly went all the way to the mansion.”

n“Ahaha… it was indeed voluntary, but…”

nShe was actually just hanging around its vicinity when she was dragged inside because she looked conspicuous. After that, the attendants treated her so well that she even took a shower without realizing it…

n“No, really, this is the first time. Everyone finds the lady difficult to handle, but she even twisted your nose. That’s never happened before.”

n“… I-is that so?”

n“Of course~ That’s why we were wondering if… you could continue being friends with Lady Sylvia in the future as well?”

nIt was hard for Epherene to answer that request. They weren’t aware of it, but the relationship between Iliade and Luna couldn’t even be considered good.

n“Can’t you…?”

n“… What? No, no, we should get along well, of course.”

nGrinning, Epherene picked up her fork and knife and started eating the steak again.

n*****

nSylvia came back home before the evening grew too deep since she had a lot to prepare. Deculein’s test was already next Friday, after all. There was also her application, which she deemed in need of revisions.

n“Daughter.”

nHowever, in the middle of the mansion’s unlit living room, an unexpected guest was waiting for her.

nGlitheon.

n“Oh. My Lord, when did you—”

n“Lete, go outside.”

nIt was a rather cold atmosphere. Even the air itself felt heavy.

n“Ah… Okay. I understand.”

nLete was worried but soon went outside, leaving the young lady behind.

nSylvia approached him and tilted her head.

n“What’s the problem?”

n“…”

nGlitheon tapped the application form on the desk silently, causing Sylvia’s eyes to widen.

n“Why did you look at it without my consent?”

nShe rushed to take it, but her hard-faced father blocked her.

n“Are you really thinking of applying to be under Deculein’s command?”

n“… Yes. Only for six months.”

nGlitheon clenched his jaw as he stared at his younger daughter, who looked exactly like his deceased wife.

n“… Sylvia. I had hoped you would grow up only listening and seeing the good of the world, unlike me.”

nHis gaze moved to his wife’s picture frame at the corner of the living room.

nShe passed away a long time ago, but Sierra’s smile remained radiant in the photo.

n“The conflict between the Magic families. The providence of the cold-blooded beasts known as wizards. I thought it was too early for you to learn of such a world.”

nGlitheon’s expression slowly collapsed.

nHe wasn’t acting.

nEven though he sometimes did, he couldn’t suppress the emotions currently flaring up within him.

n“What do you mean?”

n“… Do you know about the history between the Yuklines and the Iliades, Sylvia? Do you know of our ill-fated relationship with them?”

nShe didn’t answer. Having taken off his usual mask, he became unfamiliar, which scared her.

nHe thoughtlessly stared at her as she took a step back.

n“Sierra.”

nThe name of her mother, the person she loved the most in the world, caused her shoulders to faintly tremble.

n“She was a beautiful woman and a good mother. I was undeserving of her.”

nHe stood up and approached her. Grabbing her shoulders to prevent her from running away, he looked into her eyes.

n“Listen carefully, Sylvia.”

nThough he looked like he was chewing something, he continued speaking clearly.

n“Your mother was… was killed by the Yukline.”

nHer eyes widened slowly, her father’s fury forming on her growing pupils.

nAt that moment, her world felt as if it was moving away from her, abandoning her. Sylvia couldn’t hear anything but the fearful beating of her heart. Glitheon no longer seemed like himself. Rather, he looked more like a raging flame.

n“Deculein killed Sierra.”

nThose words brought her back to her senses, reminding her she was no longer a child. She shouldn’t be paralyzed by fear.

n“Our families have that kind of relationship. You should know that—”

n“Liar.”

nHe stopped talking, realizing there was already some ‘faith’ inside Sylvia’s mind.

n“…”

nShe pushed away his hand that grabbed her, causing his expression to distort.

n“I know. I know the reason why mom left her hometown.”

n“What?”

n“Mom hated dad.”

n“… Sylvia.”

n“But dad lied then, too.”

n“…”

nGlitheon smiled hopelessly.

nDeculein’s face came up in his mind, looking like he was the only noble of any importance as he looked down on the world itself.

nAnd the Yukline before Deculein, that **ing cunning serpent.

nTheir whole family incited his fury.

n“… I’ll ask him myself.”

nHer tone was gelid.

n“He can’t claim my words to be false.”

nHe looked at Sylvia, who grew suspicious of him. She stared at her own father like something was wrong with him.

nLike Sierra did before.

n“After you’ve asked him yourself, you’d know how stupid you’ve been—!”

nHe tore Sylvia’s application apart as he roared.

nUp until now, he had never shown this side of his to his child.

nShocked, Sylvia bit her lips.

n“Once you feel it in your heart, you’ll know.”

nHe then left the mansion, opening the front door, seemingly with the intention of breaking it. The restless servants outside could only bow to him.

nGlitheon ignored them and went straight to his car.

n—… it’ll be alright.

nA small voice flowed in from a crystal ball in his possession. Breathing deeply, he replied, “I let my guard down. No matter how peaceful the times are, I should have honed her character harshly.”

n—Isn’t that too cruel an education, brother? She’s still a child. It would be difficult for her.

n“Ha.”

nHe thought about his past. At only seven years old, he almost became a tiger’s meal, and when he was thirteen, he was coerced to kill his best friend. At twenty, he went to war and lost his mother.

n“If you can’t overcome that much, you’re not an Iliade.”

nGlitheon didn’t blame his fate.

nInstead, he considered hardship and suffering were the Iliades’ essence. Their ambition was a rage that engulfed their entire lives like firewood incinerated by hellfire.

n“You don’t have to worry. Sylvia won’t disappoint me. Even if she makes a mistake once, she’d eventually soar again.”

nJust like that, the anger in Glitheon’s eyes slowly subsided…

n*****

nFriday, early morning.

n“Kuuuuung~”

nYawning, Epherene went out of the dormitory.

nShe had now completed most of her exams, including mandatory subjects such as Destruction Series Utilization and Assistance Series Transition, and even liberal arts subjects such as the History of the Empire and Pursuit of a Crime.

nAs far as she knew, she perfected all of them.

nThe only one left was Deculein’s Understanding Pure Elements.

n“It’s the most important of them all.”

nThe final exam for a 5-credit class. She couldn’t even put the value of it into words.

n‘I shouldn’t screw this one up. Even if I get A on three other tests, it wouldn’t be enough to cover up for such a demerit. For the Solda exam and the professor’s recommendation, I have to at least get 2nd place…’

nSolidifying her determination, she saw yellow hair in the distance.

nNo, yellow felt lackluster and insufficient to describe its elegance. Sylvia’s hair was that special.

nIts sparkle was a mixture between pure gold and sunlight, its luster flowing naturally like a waterfall.

nThe Iliade’s blonde hair, one of their symbols, was the most beautiful in the world. Men and women of all ages envied them for it.

n“Sylvia!”

nEpherene called her name as she approached her. Sylvia flinched, her face showing her usual disdain.

n“Today… Huh? What’s wrong with your face?”

n“…”

nSylvia’s current look startled her.

nShe was haggard. Dark circles enveloped her eyes, and her cheeks were hollow.

n“Did you do poorly on the exams? No, it’s not that. You got a perfect score on everything. The rumors are already going around.”

nShe silently brushed past the dubious Epherene, but she continued to tail her.

n“40th floor, right?”

nThey rode the elevator together, with Epherene pressing the button for the 40th floor. Even then, she didn’t say anything.

n“… Are you ignoring me? This upsets me. You’re not even going to say, ‘Arrogant Epherene’?”

n“…”

nShe pouted in disappointment.

nEvery 10th floor of the tower was known as ‘special floors .’ They were normally off-limits to Debutantes.

nAmong them, the 40th floor was an artIficially made natural landscape called ‘Locale Forest.’

nDing—!

nThe door of the elevator opened, the scene catching them by surprise.

nBefore them was a forest that stretched as far as they could see. Its vegetation gave off a fresh color, and the broad sunlight shone down on it brilliantly.

n“Wow… So this is a special floor.”

nThe two stepped inside the forest.

nAfter some walking, they could see the debutantes. Among them were nobles like Lucia, Beck, and Jupern and the members of the commoner’s club.

n“Ifi!”

n“Julia!”

nEpherene ran and hugged her subconsciously. The nobles stared at them, but they paid them no mind.

n“You discovered it too, Julia!”

n“Yeah! I barely did, though. It took me about… two weeks, I think?”

nAs they exchanged conversations, Epherene glanced at Sylvia. She looked like nobody in this space interested her.

n“Nice to meet you.”

nStartled by the familiar voice, the debutantes straightened their postures.

nOn top of the forest’s hill, Deculein looked down at them.

n“Congratulations to the one hundred seventeen debutantes here for finding the examination ground.”

n“…”

nSylvia’s vacant gaze on him caused Epherene to shake her head with a bitter smile.

n“The theme of today’s test is the fusion of theory and intuition.”

nThat theme was difficult no matter what angle they looked at it. The wizards swiftly became nervous, but they maintained their focus.

n“I’ve said this before, and I’ll repeat it as many times as I have to. Without theory, intuition wavers, and without intuition, theory is just an empty shell.”

nDeculein cast Ductility, creating a luxurious chair out of a mixture of soil and wood.

nHis magic never ceased to amaze their beholders, no matter how many times they witnessed it.

n“In this forest, magical disasters capable of making your theoretical and intuitive skills tremble will occur from time to time. Your goal is to complete your tasks without wavering. Allen?”

nDeculein sat on a chair after providing instructions, at which point his assistant professor appeared. He was smiling as always, but he somehow looked exhausted.

n“Okay, everyone, take your test papers~”

n1. Manifest and seal the three spells recorded below by order.

n2. Gather and seal the eight attributes of pure elements.

n3. Describe the mana phenomenon that you have observed in the Locale Forest.

n4. Interpret and manifest the following mana catastrophe.

n5. Demonstrate the reactivity of the following pure elements in this place.

nA total of five questions.

nEpherene sighed as soon as she saw it. The other wizards reacted no differently from her.

nHowever, mental management was more essential at times like this. What she found difficult was also difficult for others. She needed to adhere to that mindset now more than ever.

n“Some magic may need materials to manifest, but you can get all of the requirements here. Be careful, however! The Locale Forest is a special floor! They’re labeled as such due to the dangers they possess!”

n“What about the time limit for the test?” Epherene asked.

nAchooo—!

nAllen sneezed once before answering.

n“Ah, excuse me. Anyway, there’s no time limit! Moreover, if danger arises, ask Head Professor Deculein for help~”

nHe then hopped up the hill, spread a piece of cloth beside Deculein, and modestly sat down on it.

n“Professor~ would you like a cup of tea?” Epherene heard a somewhat tiny voice asking.

n*****

nSylvia, sitting by the riverbank, glanced at the Head Professor on top of the hill. He was reading a book as always.

n‘Deculein killed Sierra.’

nGlitheon’s words played back in her ears endlessly.

nEvery time she looked at Deculein, her father’s rage-filled expression overlapped with his image.

n“…”

nSylvia shook her head.

nA lie.

n‘I’m sure it’s a lie.’

nSylvia repeated that line in her head over and over again.

nPerhaps the Iliades and Yuklines’ bad relationship was true, but the rest had to be a lie. Her father always exaggerated and fooled her anyway.

n“… Test.”

nFocusing on the test, she crouched down and looked at the questions.

nTak—!

nA cold pain soon hit her head, however.

n“Ah.”

nApplying pressure to the painful section on her head, she looked up, finding hail pouring from the sky.

nShe quickly built a tent to counter it.

n1. Manifest and seal the three spells recorded below by order.

nShe began to solve the first problem earnestly.

n‘Manifest and seal the three spells.’

nIt wasn’t difficult.

nHowever…

n‘… I’ll ask him myself.’

n‘He can’t claim my words to be false.’

n“My head hurts.”

nSylvia tearfully murmured as she caressed her head.

nHer conversation with her father refused to go away.

nDeculein, her muse, was within her sights, albeit standing afar.

nThe one she yearned for… Perhaps even liked.

nHer father told her he killed her mother.

nWhy?

n“… That’s right.”

n‘You got a perfect score this time again, Sylvia.’

nSylvia nodded despite her troublesome thoughts, deciding to ask him after hearing those words from him at the end of the test.

nAt that point, she thought he would definitely say it was a lie, allowing her to tell Glitheon that there was a misunderstanding.

n“I can do this.”

nMaking up her mind, she resumed answering the first problem.

nIt was too easy for someone of Sylvia’s caliber, but only 5 minutes later, she realized that she missed a crucial point.

n“… Ah.”

n1. Manifest and seal the three spells recorded below by order.

nContrary to the instruction, Sylvia ‘fused’ the three spells.

nIronically, that mistake was due to her talent and mana being too brilliant.

nThe reaction of three mid-scale magic being merged abruptly was obvious.

n“No—”

nPaaaaaaaaaa—!

nHer spell, a combination of the wind and water elements, released a powerful and magical water torrent that immediately swept her away, giving her no time to escape.

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