"Good. Thanks to the artifact catching them off guard, we were able to finish things relatively easily."
Karlo's true strength lay in the storm-like barrage of lightning and his rapid Blink movement that accompanied it.
Using his signature skill, Double Casting, to execute quick and precise hit-and-run tactics was a proven battle style that had earned him the top spot in the Department of Magic.
If Ruina hadn't quickly taken down Alia, the outcome could've easily flipped.
"No matter how I think about it, using an artifact just feels kind of unfair…"
"If it were actually a problem, the teaching assistants would've stepped in."
"Fair point."
Ruina nodded as if conceding the point.
"Anyway, thanks to that, we won."
"But still, even as the magic was falling, you only kept your eyes on Alia."
"Didn't you tell me to do that?"
"Coming from the one who said it, that's rich. But did we really have that kind of trust between us?"
Eventually, they'd have to become more than just that. But for now, their connection was purely transactional—bound by money.
"Whether it existed or not, once we were paired up, I believed I had to trust you."
Of course, that wasn't the only reason. Through the duel, Fernan had already proven himself once. That's why she thought he must've had some sort of plan.
She just hadn't expected that plan to involve using an artifact.
"Oh, look who's being all knightly now. So, where to next?"
"Obviously, north. But before that, we should rest and recover some stamina in a safe spot."
"I've got potions. A lot of them."
The two began heading north at a steady pace.
Not far away, a gaze was fixed on them.
"…That's unexpected."
Professor Grad from the Knight Department narrowed his eyes.
Karlo and Fernan. Ruina and Alia.
Grad had assumed Karlo would have the higher win rate in the first pair, and Ruina in the second. After all, ranking at the academy wasn't decided by something like poker.
Rank was a clear indicator of ability. Fourth place was better than tenth. The top student better than the runner-up.
Naturally, he had expected Karlo to take out Fernan first and then put pressure on Ruina to claim victory.
"An artifact, huh…"
Grad scratched his chin.
He didn't really think using an artifact was wrong. This training exercise was meant to simulate real combat, and unless it was some truly malicious tactic, most things would be permitted.
He just hadn't expected anyone to actually use one.
"As expected of Pellenberg. If he's got that kind of money, he could at least drop a few coin pouches my way."
Regardless, setting the artifact aside, using metal to neutralize lightning magic wasn't a bad approach.
"Rosalia's method, maybe."
A style that sought to maximize efficiency with minimal investment by leveraging the nature of magic and elemental traits—just like Professor Rosalia advocated.
"Interesting."
He chuckled.
KWAARRR—
The northern mountains weren't just filled with rocks and trees.
Goblins, kobolds, gnolls, orcs, trolls—even ogres. It was a haven for monsters dwelling in mountains and forests.
The professors had deliberately herded the students into the southern part of the northern region to prioritize clashes between them. But once they moved beyond that area, they began facing the region's native beasts in earnest.
With a scream, a gash opened across a troll's chest. Yet it regenerated so quickly that the blow seemed meaningless.
"Cut the neck in one swing!"
"I know that already!"
Ruina twisted her body midair. The troll's crude club whooshed past her. A deep scar was left in the earth where it struck.
At that moment, the ground beneath the troll's feet surged upward. Its balance broke, and Ruina's sword slashed clean across its neck.
She wiped the blood from her sword and caught her breath.
"Tired?"
"I'm fine."
Fernan chanted a spell. A basic Clean magic washed the crusted blood off Ruina's armor and face.
But that wasn't the end. Some mana seeped into the troll's corpse, twisting its body like wringing out a wet rag.
"…Is that really necessary?"
"Troll blood is one of the key ingredients in making potions."
"I know that, but shouldn't you be above fussing over every little thing like that?"
Fernan replied as he pulled an empty glass vial from subspace.
"Money is money, no matter how small."
"That's why everyone says you're too obsessed with it."
"Worked out for me—I got to recruit you, didn't I? That's a profit."
"..."
Fernan sealed the vial, now full of blood, and stored it back in subspace before changing the subject.
"All done. Let's move on."
"Yes."
Fernan and Ruina steadily pushed further north, and before they knew it, the final day of the training exercise had arrived.
"How many did we take down again—seven? Or was it eight?"
"Eight pairs. I expect we'll get bonus points."
"You've completely lost your mind over grades."
"I have a reason why I must become the top student."
He already knew. That she was aiming to become a Royal Knight.
Not everyone, but most Royal Knights were graduates who ranked first at the academy.
Because of that, being the top student in the Knight Department was often considered the bare minimum requirement for becoming a Royal Knight.
As they chatted quietly and moved along, they managed to reach near their destination with exactly an hour left until noon.
Fernan and Ruina suppressed their presence as much as possible.
"Can you feel them?"
"There are quite a few."
At least more than twenty.
They had advanced northward treating every student they encountered as a potential source of bonus points, but there seemed to be a fair number of students who didn't think the same—there were several groups of more than two people gathered together.
A fragile peace, where everyone was watching each other warily, was being maintained.
"Just by looking, you can tell it's about to happen. They said going too early or too late would result in point deductions."
"A clash will happen soon."
They could've cleared everyone out and moved on comfortably, but the opponents were all academy students. If those students banded together and targeted the two of them, it would be their side that was eliminated.
So, for now, they decided to wait—until it was time, until chaos broke out.
It was obvious this peace wouldn't last much longer anyway.
The disturbance occurred about thirty minutes later.
"It's Almon!"
"Prince Ludger is with him too!"
It was a shout from the west.
Fernan and Ruina turned their heads. And they immediately understood why those two had appeared so boldly.
"Their numbers…"
"Did they gather all the students from the start?"
"It's not like they didn't fight at all. There are faint signs of battle on their armor and swords."
They must have fought moderately while letting some live to bring them over to their side.
It was a move made with the assumption that most students would be hiding near the destination.
"As expected of a prince..."
Always showing off. Fernan clicked his tongue.
"What shall we do?"
"Looks like all the attention is on them now, so rather than dealing with them, it's best to use this opportunity to get even closer to the objective."
Just in case, it'd be wise to set up a few precautions too.
Fernan began to move stealthily.
"Nothing here."
Ludger checked the surroundings. There were presences here and there, but none of the people he was looking for.
The pairs of Ruina Berchef and Fernan Pellenberg.
Carlo Deneb and Alia Torta.
They were the pairs he was keeping the closest eye on.
"What kind of person is Fernan?"
"Why are you asking that all of a sudden?"
"Despite only being ranked 10th, Your Highness seems to pay unusual attention to him."
Ludger chuckled at Almon's words.
Ruina, who was ranked second, was understandable. But it was a veiled way of asking whether someone like Fernan, ranked only 10th, deserved that level of caution.
"Isn't it strange?"
"What do you mean?"
"The Pellenbergs made a move against the Berchefs. Everyone who matters knows that."
They had put comprehensive financial pressure on them. Although they maintained a semblance of moderation, such maneuvering between two Marquess houses was clearly overstepping boundaries.
"The Pellenbergs' influence is so vast that most just stayed quiet about it. But they paid a significant price for that action."
Interfering with the guardian of the north was not something even the Pellenbergs could do lightly.
"But then, all of a sudden, Fernan visits the Pellenberg estate and becomes Ruina's partner."
"So the two houses made some kind of deal."
"That's the assumption."
"But what could they really accomplish by just becoming partners..."
"Exactly."
Being paired up didn't necessarily mean anything special. Even so, Ludger wanted to bring down their results, even slightly.
"Even if it seems meaningless now, the Pellenbergs always play the long game. That's why the best way to deal with them is to extinguish even the smallest sparks."
Pairing with Ruina was clearly to boost his grades.
"Isn't it suspicious that someone who's been hiding his true ability is now teaming up with Ruina?"
"Are you saying Fernan has been concealing his skills?"
"Yes."
That's why he was suspicious, and that's why he was wary—and that's why he wanted to throw a wrench in their plans. A sly smile tugged at Ludger's lips.
He looked at the 14 students following him and said,
"Go. Find everyone hiding out ahead and eliminate them all."
He added one more line.
"We will be the ones to take the top ranks."
"Yes, Your Highness!"
"Let's go!"
"Some of us fought our guts out, and others were hiding like rats? You're all dead!"
A clash broke out between those who followed Ludger and those who didn't.
Watching the chaos as dozens of students clashed, Fernan let out a dry chuckle.
"As expected of Ludger. Sweep everyone away first, then sort out the ranks among his own followers."
"What do you think will happen?"
"It'll go according to Ludger's plan."
Though the opposing side had greater numbers, Ludger's group had the upper hand in quality. The outcome was obvious.
"But what if we intervene?"
"Is there really a need for that? We can just watch quietly and head to the destination when the time comes."
They say the best victory is one won without fighting.
"Look. They've been fighting among themselves so much that there are only five minutes left. That means we've won."
"…Unfortunately, it's too soon to be certain."
Ruina placed her hand on her sword's hilt. Fernan turned his head at her motion, and his face hardened.
"Ruina? Fernan?"
"When did they get all the way over there?"
"Were they hiding the whole time we were fighting?"
The battle had ended before they realized it. The eight remaining students loyal to Ludger were panting heavily as they looked at them.
"Fernan. What were you sneaking around like a rat for?"
Their leader, Ludger, approached leisurely.
"Trying to get first place."
"We didn't give you permission to take first."
"It's not something that requires anyone's permission."
"It is now, at least."
Attack. At Ludger's mutter, his students charged.
In response, Fernan slammed his staff into the ground and began chanting. A magic circle began to glow.
No—it had already been drawn.
"Huh?"
"What is this…?"
The magic circle beneath the students' feet lit up.
"Take a nap."
A hidden mana amplifier lent its power to Fernan. Enormous mana surged.
KUGUGUGU—
"Run!"
"Brea—!"
KWOOM—
A massive wall rose up and swallowed all the students. Then the ceiling closed in, sealing off even the sky.
There wasn't a single exception.
─!
──!
Explosions echoed from within the dome. As it trembled, Ruina nodded.
"You were right, after all."
"I'm exhausted."
"You even brought magic reagents with you."
When drawing the magic circle, he had used magic reagents to enhance the quality. With the combination of a mana storage device, an amplifier, and those reagents, a magical prison strong enough to trap ten students had been created.
"Keep the use of the storage device, amplifier, and reagents a secret. I want to keep it as a trump card for now."
"Didn't Carlo and Alia already find out?"
"They're not idiots. They won't tell anyone else."
After all, they're competitors too.
"Understood."
Still, that was pretty sneaky. Ruina muttered.
"But how long can it hold?"
"Let's just hope it lasts until time's up."
"And if it doesn't?"
"What do you think?"
They would have to face the wrath of ten furious students—including the top knight cadet and the second-ranked mage cadet…
"They'll be screwed."
───!
With a thunderous roar, the dome was breached.
"It's broken!"
"How many times did they have to hit it? Was Fernan really this strong?"
"Is every 10th-ranker like this?"
Pale-faced students murmured anxiously.
"…We got completely played."
Ludger chuckled bitterly.
He didn't think it had taken that long, but by the time the dome was destroyed, Fernan and Ruina were nowhere to be seen. They had clearly taken their leave at the designated time.
"They really were hiding their strength, just like you said, Your Highness."
"Told you so."
Ludger ran a hand through his hair and sighed.
"I won't lose next time, Fernean."
Grinding his teeth, he turned to Almon.
"Let's go, Almon."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Ludger shouted.
"We lost first place, but aside from Fernan and Ruina, nothing's changed. As promised, we're still in the top ranks, so proceed in order."
"Yes, Your Highness!"
"Yes!"
Naturally, Ludger was the first to enter.