Chapter 582

"How can a slime behave like that?"

At Yi-Han's murmur, Jijel stared intently.

She couldn't believe he was saying it sincerely.

Did he really have no idea?!

Feeling his friend's gaze, Yi-Han asked back in puzzlement.

"Do you have something to say?"

"Nothing in particular. Stop!"

At Jijel's shout, the students and knights running from below hesitated.

Seeing that, Yi-Han thought.

'How many of them are slimes?'

For now, the fake Yi-Han, fake Jijel, and fake Dolgyu were certain, but he couldn't guess who among the others were slimes.

It would be nice if he could attack and confirm, but in a situation like this, if he did that...

'We would immediately become the fakes.'

He didn't know how the fake Yi-Han had persuaded them, but he could tell that he had persuaded them properly.

The students were standing behind the fake Yi-Han with unwavering eyes.

He wanted to get angry and ask if they were fooled, but Yi-Han endured. Getting angry could be done later.

Now was the time to persuade them in reverse.

'No matter how much of a shifting slime it is, there's a limit. The real one won't be able to keep up.'

Yi-Han exchanged glances with Jijel. The two friends nodded meaningfully.

-Can you persuade them?-

-Of course.-

Weren't they friends who had been through thick and thin together for a year?

Even a powerful transformation ability couldn't deceive memories.

"Speak! Fake Moradi! You told us to stop, so why are you doing that? Are you perhaps thinking about what lies to tell?"

"No, which bast..."

Yi-Han, who looked to see which one was shouting because the instigation started quickly from below, was dumbfounded.

The fake Yi-Han was shouting.

'It's really annoying.'

Jijel must have thought the same, as she looked at Yi-Han irritably. Yi-Han pointed downward and said.

"Moradi. You should glare at that side."

"Shut up. I will, so."

Jijel cleared her throat, pointed her sword, and shouted at the friends gathered below.

"You idiots. Do you know what you're doing right now! You're being fooled!"

"!"

"Uh... huh?"

At Jijel's shout, the friends hesitated.

It was the very image of Jijel sharply retorting in the White Tiger Tower lounge as usual.

Then the fake Jijel stepped up and gently persuaded the friends.

"Calm down. Friends. The fake is anxious because she's been exposed."

"That... that's right!"

"As expected of Moradi."

"..."

"..."

Yi-Han and Jijel were at a loss for words.

"No... are your eyes perhaps fake eyes that you're wearing to replace with artifacts later? How is that Moradi? She's too kind!"

At Yi-Han's shout, the friends on the slope below snorted and refuted.

"Moradi was always like this?"

"Right. If Wardanaz doesn't provoke her, Moradi is originally kind and gentle!"

'What an absurd slander?'

Yi-Han was enraged by the White Tiger Tower students' slander.

Moradi was originally like that, not because of Yi-Han.

...Or not?

"Come to think of it, she seemed a bit more gentle when we first met..."

"Do you want to go down there?"

"No. I'm just recalling memories to persuade them now. By the way, Moradi. Your friends seem to like your masked appearance, so can't you try persuading them with that?"

"Are you saying that seriously?"

"I'm serious. Look at your friends."

Jijel looked down the slope and sighed deeply.

She seemed to be deeply immersed in whatever conversation she had with the slime in her absence.

"Fine. Okay."

Jijel removed the anger from her face and managed her expression.

It was the kind and gentle Jijel that occasionally appeared when needed.

"Everyone..."

"That fake Moradi is acting! Don't listen to her!"

The fake Yi-Han shouted, swinging his staff.

Yi-Han really wanted to kill that slime.

"As expected of Wardanaz!"

"Wardanaz's eyes can't be deceived!"

And those White Tiger Tower bastards who were fooled by that slime too!

Yi-Han roared.

"No, let's say Moradi is like that. Does that look like me right now? Why?"

"Everyone. Don't be fooled by that fake's words. That fake is trying to deceive you. I'm the only one who can protect you. Believe in me! I am your savior!"

"Wardanaz...!"

"You bastard...!"

Yi-Han almost grabbed the back of his neck.

They believed such flattering words??

"Are you falling for those words right now? Seriously?! You have to protect yourselves, who will protect you! If you fall for some sweet words, what will you do!"

"Don't listen to the fake's words! Believe in me!"

As the fake Yi-Han shouted resolutely, the White Tiger Tower students nodded as if enchanted.

Compared to the fierce fake on the slope above, the Wardanaz who kept saying warm words next to them seemed more like the real Wardanaz.

'I was wrong.'

Yi-Han felt a sense of frustration.

To think that he would lose to the fake in persuasion!

Jijel must have thought similarly, as she was covering her face with her hand and sighing.

"Wait. There's Dolgyu. Let's try persuading with Dolgyu."

"I think the fake will be more popular."

Jijel reacted cynically to Yi-Han's words, but she still threw out the words.

"Choi. If you're real, try saying something."

"..."

The fake Dolgyu didn't say anything.

"?"

"??"

Yi-Han and Jijel were startled.

The slime disguised as the fake Dolgyu seemed to be a bit less trained.

Seeing that, the students on the slope below became elated and shouted.

"Hehe. Fakes! Dolgyu doesn't fall for such things!"

"It means it's not even worth answering!"

"..."

While Jijel was shocked, Yi-Han opened his mouth after much thought.

"Moradi."

"?"

"I think all of them are slimes."

"What?"

"I'm saying they're all slimes. That's the only explanation."

"Even if that's the case, they can't all be..."

As she was speaking, Jijel almost wavered for a moment.

Is that so?

Even if not all of them were slimes as Wardanaz said, more than half of them could be slimes.

Otherwise, that stupidity couldn't be explained.

"...Yeah. Quite a large number of them could be slimes."

"Right?"

Yi-Han picked up his staff.

It was a mistake to think that there were only a few slimes in the first place and try to resolve it through persuasion.

They were all slimes!

"Buy me some time. I'll strike them all at once."

"Got it. Sweep them all away."

***

Except for the fake Yi-Han, fake Jijel, and fake Dolgyu, the rest were all real students.

"..."

"..."

Yi-Han's party looked down at the students sprawled out after being beaten with snowballs with a bitter gaze.

"Ugh..."

"I believed..."

"What did you believe, you idiots!"

Jijel tried to kick the back of a collapsed friend. Yi-Han and Dolgyu were barely able to intervene and stop her.

"What on earth did those slimes say to you?"

"That there are fakes wandering around. To be careful..."

"So we should join forces and wander around together..."

Hearing that, Yi-Han asked back in disbelief.

"Didn't you think to suspect the ones who said that?"

"They really seemed real!"

'These guys would think anyone who just gives them candy is real.'

Looking at the pathetic students with a contemptuous gaze, Yi-Han clicked his tongue and got up.

"I got it, so rest until the exam is over..."

"Over there, the fake attacked the friends!!"

"..."

Yi-Han sighed deeply, seeing a new group of students who had come to the slope below and the fake Yi-Han, Jijel, and Dolgyu leading them.

"Everyone, prepare to fight."

"Wa-wait. We can try persuading..."

A collapsed White Tiger Tower student spoke, but Yi-Han ignored him as if he hadn't heard.

***

The next day.

Professor Ingurdel and the knights of the White Wood Knight Order looked at the mountain range with expectant faces.

What kind of faces would the students who had endured the cold of the mountain range return with?

"Professor. Isn't it about time you tell us? What monsters did you prepare in advance?"

One of the knights couldn't contain his curiosity and slyly asked.

The knights all knew the ordeal of the cold mountain range, but even the knights hadn't heard about the monsters Professor Ingurdel had separately prepared.

But now that the exam was about to end and the students would return, it wouldn't matter much to ask.

Professor Ingurdel said with an embarrassed smile.

"Hmm. I'm afraid everyone will be disappointed..."

"What are you saying? Who would be disappointed with Professor Ingurdel's choice?"

"Reinforced bulls? Or boars?"

"Since it's a winter mountain range, wouldn't it be monsters closely related to snow? Like snow hedgehogs or ice drakes?"

Professor Ingurdel, who had been enjoying the knights' guesses, thought it was time to reveal the answer.

"I prepared shifting slimes."

"Pardon?"

"What slimes?"

"I'm talking about shifting slimes."

Professor Ingurdel calmly began to explain. However, he couldn't hide the fact that he was slightly excited.

That's how much he had pondered and diligently prepared these shifting slimes.

"I heard from other professors that monsters like shifting slimes can be artificially created."

"That... that's probably true. This is Einroguard after all."

"I thought, this is it. When I asked, the other professors said it was a very good idea."

"Uh..."

"Hmm..."

Professor Ingurdel, who didn't notice the knights' expressions subtly changing, continued his explanation excitedly.

"After receiving the slimes, I had them observe the students during lectures. As the final exam week approached, they transformed quite plausibly. The students have to identify the fake friends coming to them while enduring the cold of the snowy mountains. Isn't it great?!"

The professor finished speaking in an excited voice.

He had been worried that his exams seemed bland compared to other Einroguard professors, but this time he was quite confident.

The other professors also said it was good...

"Well, Professor."

"Isn't it a bit too much?"

"!?"

Only then did Professor Ingurdel realize the knights' expressions.

The knights were perplexed right now!

"We, we also train them quite rigorously, but..."

"Infiltrating trained shifting slimes seems a bit too difficult."

"Wouldn't it become a trauma..."

At the knights' reaction, Professor Ingurdel answered in bewilderment.

"B-but the students will be able to handle this much. There were many more dangerous things in other lectures."

Of course, the knights were not convinced.

Because the knights didn't know what came out in other lectures!

The knights just thought Professor Ingurdel was exaggerating.

"Still, I don't think there's a need for even the professor to test like this..."

"That's right. Professor."

'Th-this is strange. What on earth?'

Professor Ingurdel was flustered, sweating profusely.

Even a situation where all allies had retreated on the battlefield and enemies were everywhere was less perplexing than now.

That... is that so?

'Did I make it too difficult?'

Professor Ingurdel was confused.

He was confident that he had made a very appropriate exam while discussing with other Einroguard professors, so where did it go wrong?

'No. The knights of the White Wood Knight Order might have reacted like that because they don't know Einroguard. If they knew Einroguard, they might think differently...'

"Ah. The students are returning!"

The knights pointed at the entrance of the mountain range, stretching out their hands.

The students who had spent a day in the mountain range were returning majestically.

...To be precise, only Yi-Han's party was majestic, and the rest of the friends were being pulled on stretchers by sleds.

Seeing that, Professor Ingurdel immediately came to his senses.

'Ah. I made it too difficult!'