Chapter 59: Midterm Evaluation (1)

Chapter 59: Midterm Evaluation (1)

"Why are you here?"

"I came back, Ronan."

He was still the same unsophisticated-looking Ronan. His hair had grown longer, seemingly uncared for. The extended back hair caught the eye. With sharper eyes, Shullifen looked at Ronan and opened his mouth.

"Let's have a conversation."

"Conversation?"

"Yeah. Wait."

Without warning, Shullifen pulled out a single scroll from the front pocket of his uniform.

Swish!

As the scroll unfolded, a semi-transparent hexahedron enveloped the two of them.

It was a silence spell that blocked the noise from inside going out. Ronan chuckled.

"You're quite thorough."

"It's a good habit for you to adopt caution as well. Ratlings are literally everywhere."

Shullifen took out three more scrolls of the same kind and handed them to Ronan. They were likely expensive, fitting for a young master from a wealthy family. Ronan, who received the scrolls, grinned.

"Use them well. But it looks like you've had a tough time since we haven't seen each other? Your face is half swollen."

"I can't deny it. There has been extensive torture work until today."

The tiredness seemed to seep out of the exhausted voice that had stayed up for several days. Shullifen explained the events that had taken place in the Gracia territory over the past month.

"There were nineteen traitors, and I personally dealt with five of them. The rest are either imprisoned in the family's underground prison or sent to Rodollan."

"It's fewer than I expected. What about Duke?"

"He's unharmed. He asked me to convey his thanks to you. He added that he would compensate you soon."

"I'm relieved. When I heard the words 'four years,' I really thought things had gone to hell."

Ronan let out a sigh of relief. He couldn't be certain, but perhaps the possibility of the Duke being assassinated had decreased compared to the original history. Shullifen continued speaking.

"However, there's a problem."

"What problem?"

"It seems that the divination technique using curses is no longer effective. For the past two weeks, no one among the personnel can successfully perform the divination using the verse you provided. This applies to more than half of the individuals."

Ronan frowned. He had provided Shullifen with a verse, 'The Arrival of the Star is the day when the end descends from the sky,' to be used for the divination technique.

"It's not just because they captured everyone, right?"

"Considering that in the past two weeks, twelve people have been apprehended using that method, it's unlikely that there are no traitors among the remaining half."

"Is it because you didn't gather them all in one place but rather did it one by one and the information leaked somehow?"

"The territory is vast, and there are many people, so it wasn't feasible to gather them all at once for divination. Also, based on Rodollan's situation, we judged that not acting immediately posed a greater risk. But I can confidently say that we had strict information control during the torture."

"Damn, have you tried using the word 'Ahayute'?"

"Yeah. It didn't make a difference. It's just speculation, but it seems like the curse was either lifted or its contents were modified."

"...I don't know much about this, but can the curse be changed remotely as easily as flipping your hand?"

"Logically, it's impossible. But upon further thought, it didn't seem like an entirely impossible task. Considering that there were four more traitors among the escort knights, perhaps..."

Shullifen twisted his lips. Suspicion and anger were swirling beyond his ultramarine irises. He seemed to be able to vaguely imagine what had happened to him in Gracia.

"Damn it."

Ronan pulled out a cigarette. If Shullifen's words were true, then the situation has become more than just an ordinary annoyance.

"Is the faction also making a move? This is really troublesome..."

The unique 'sparkling' mana that he could detect except for himself had also disappeared, just like the special divination technique. Ronan, after a moment of organizing his thoughts, exhaled cigarette smoke. There was no immediate answer, anyway.

"Hmm... I should look for other methods. So, what about the remaining half? Wouldn't it be safer to keep only the minimum personnel and eliminate the rest?"

"There's no reduction in personnel. Except for those who underwent torture, everyone is on regular duty."

"Huh? Why?"

"If there were any organization members among those sent away, they might cause trouble outside of Gracia. The shadow cast over Gracia will be dealt with by Gracia."

Shullifen stated calmly. One corner of Ronan's mouth lifted. Even though he wasn't fortunate, he was still a good kid.

"Kid, you're quite impressive."

"Naturally. Anyway, my business is done with this. I appreciate the help you provided to Gracia."

Eventually, the hexahedron disappeared. As Shullifen was about to take a step, he wiped the table with his index finger. Seeing the thick dust accumulating on his finger, he frowned.

"By the way, are you staying in a place like this? Even a pigsty would be cleaner than this."

"If you're not satisfied, bring a mop and a rag and clean up, you brat."

"There's no need to do that. I'm leaving now. I'll be looking forward to four days later."

"What are you expecting?"

"Aren't you not interested in your studies at all? I'm talking about the midterm evaluation."

"Ah, right."

Lately, he had been busy, so he had forgotten. Ronan soon realized that Philleon Academy was entering the midterm evaluation period. Shullifen was talking about the midterm evaluation for 'Advanced Practical Swordsmanship,' which was Navirose's subject.

"You wouldn't think of only facing weaker opponents and winning, right? I don't think you're such a coward."

"You think a wimpy brat like you would deter me? It would be more productive for you to clean your throat and wait rather than wasting your time with useless training."

Of course, Ronan didn't know what kind of test it was. At best, he could deduce that it was some form of a duel. Shullifen nodded in satisfaction, as if he was content with the answer.

In an instant, vitality returned to the eyes that had been filled with anger and suspicion.

'Perverted brat.' Well, among his peers, there was no one else he could pour his full strength into.

"Then, I'll look forward to it, Ronan."

"Hey, wait a moment."

Ronan called out to Shullifen, who was about to leave. He almost forgot the most important thing.

"What's up?"

"Join our club."

Ronan spoke seriously. Originally, he had planned to recruit him slowly, but it seemed like he needed to expedite the plan.

Given the long history of Nebula Clazier and the extent of its influence, as well as the method of removing dangerous elements, it was the right decision to bring talents like Shullifen as quickly as possible. After a brief silence, the expected reaction came.

"I don't have time to spend on such trivial matters."

Shullifen turned his back as if there was no more worth hearing. He was about to open the door again. Ronan, who had composed himself, spoke with a clear and concise pronunciation.

"My sister seems to be moving to the capital soon."

Creak!

The door closed again. Shullifen, who activated the silent scroll once more, turned to face Ronan. His expression was as intense as if he was about to grab someone for interrogation.

"Tell me everything. In detail."

"I don't want to. Why should I tell someone who's not even a member of our club?"

"If you can control your participation frequency, I'll consider your admission."

"Okay. Should I give you an application for admission right now?"

"I'll take care of it later. Leaving that aside, moving is a bit late, but it's a great decision. Staying in a remote place like that during these ominous times is risky. Ronan, there are many factors to consider when choosing a residence. In the case of Iril, safety would be the most important. By the way, there's a map here. Look."

Shullifen pointed to the layout of the capital on the corkboard and began a lengthy speech. He suggested three 'plans' to propose housing options and safely relocate Iril and her belongings from Nimbuten to Nimbera.

"This time, we definitely need to hire a mercenary group. Carrying valuables could make her a target for bandits. A decent mercenary group in the wilderness should be fine. They're composed of seasoned warriors who can easily hunt wyverns."

"Gracia is really in trouble."

Ronan shook his head. Shullifen continued his description, ignoring his remark as if it didn't matter.

Time flew by quickly. The day after meeting with Shullifen, Ronan wrote a separate report and submitted it to Headmaster Kratir.

Unlike what he showed to Varen, this report detailed most of what had happened in Baydian. It included the battle with Brighia and the events involving Sarante. As Kratir received the report, he chuckled.

"Hehe, you certainly pulled off a refreshing performance from your first mission. It's understandable that Varen got taken aback."

"Well, that lunatic suddenly appeared, so things got tangled up. It won't be this extreme next time."

"I Hope so. I don't want to be impeached for the second time in Philleon's history. Regardless, I'm relieved that no one was seriously injured."

"So, will you continue to approve our activities in the future?"

"I already promised before, what can I do now?"

Ronan let out a relieved sigh. Fortunately, the club wasn't disbanded after their first mission. Unexpectedly, Kratir's expression turned serious as he spoke again.

"However, please be cautious of that organization. It's not to be taken lightly, as you can tell from Gracia's case. Even the Emperor considers it a serious matter."

Ronan nodded heavily in agreement. Leaving the headmaster's office, he began to formulate plans to gradually head to Dawn Tower after the midterm evaluation. Due to the distance, he planned to depart as soon as the midterm evaluation was over.

'I need to hurry and prepare for it. I should make a schedule.'

The next day, Marya called the club members to the club building. It was to distribute the money earned by selling Baydian's items.

Thud!

Marya placed an elegant wooden box on the table.

"Here, take it."

"Eeek...! H-how much is all this?"

Inside the box, engraved with patterns of Carabels, were shining gold coins. The amount was far more than they had anticipated, and everyone's eyes widened. For the first time in a while, Braum burst into a hearty laughter.

"Haha! It's amazing and beyond imagination. Will this be divided among the four of us?"

"What are you talking about? It's individual shares. Now, this is yours, cutie."

Thud! Thud!

Two more boxes were placed on the table. Braum's laughter vanished from his face. Ronan, who had been counting his own share of gold coins, nodded slowly.

"If I add a little more, I might be able to afford the house that lunatic recommended."

The insufficient funds were intended for Shullifen's contribution. The houses he recommended were all excellent, but their prices were quite steep.

The group left with their hands full of money they never thought they would ever possess in their lifetime. Ronan looked at the (former) Sarante on the bar table and mumbled.

"I'm indebted to you again."

Mana was subtly oozing out of the white rock. Ronan started his routine by wiping the stone with a rag every morning.

As he dealt with his accumulated tasks, the midterm evaluation period was approaching. Braum and Marya asked for permission and temporarily suspended club activities. Ronan and Aselle, who weren't particularly worried about the exams, were the only ones left in the club building, discussing various topics.

"Aselle, how was the test today? Did you do well?"

"Uh, yeah... It was, uh, alright."

"But why does the guy who did well have such a strange expression? Did you get hurt somewhere?"

"Oh, no... There's been this girl who keeps talking to me since yesterday..."

"What kind of girl is following around a prettie guy like you? Her taste must be really unique."

"El-Elizabeth..."

"What?"

Ronan furrowed his brows. It seemed that Elizabeth had approached Aselle since he had surpassed her and took first place in three written exams. Having roughly grasped the situation, Ronan chuckled.

"Well, even highborn ladies have competitive spirits. What did she say to you?"

"She keeps asking about how I study and who taught me. I just followed what was taught in class..."

"Unlucky fool."

"Ugh... Honestly, it's scary. I don't even understand why someone on a different level than me would act like that..."

"Hey, what's with the exaggerated whining? Didn't I tell you not to act so pathetic? Do you think you'll gain confidence if you get scolded a bit?"

"Eek!"

Ronan raised one hand. Aselle hunched over, covering his head. Suddenly, a brilliant idea flashed through his mind.

"Wait a second... If I do this right..."

Ronan recalled the sight of Elizabeth herding sheep. Perhaps he could recruit her too, just like Shullifen. He thought he might be able to convince her to join their club.

"Good job, Aselle."

"Ow!"

Thud!

Ronan gave Aselle a light tap on the forehead and then stood up. Aselle held his forehead in pain and asked, "Where are you going?"

"To take the test. It might take a while, so you go first."

Ronan left the building, swinging Lamancha. The meeting point for today was not the First Training Ground but the Philleon Plaza.

Sure enough, on one side of the plaza, students taking advanced practical swordsmanship were lined up, ready for combat. Unlike their usual uniforms, they were wearing different types of armor, creating a completely different atmosphere.

"What the hell? Am I the only one wearing a uniform?"

Even Shullifen was wearing a top with Gracia's emblem. Just then, Adeshan, who noticed Ronan's presence, waved at him with a grin.

"Oh, Ronan, over here. Stand next to me."

"What? senior, are you also taking the test?"

"Of course. I'm an official student, you know?"

Adeshan's appearance was also different from usual. She wore leather boots, and a longsword, looking quite impressive, hung at her waist. Ronan raised an eyebrow.

"Nice sword."

"Hehe, thanks. I saved up and got it."

"But why are we gathering here instead of the training grounds? What kind of grand test are they planning?"

"Huh? You didn't know? So... Ha, she's here!"

Suddenly, Adeshan grabbed Ronan's shoulder and turned him around. Navriose was approaching with a dignified stride. Behind her was Kratir, and Ronan's expression tightened.

"Huh? Why is she coming here?"

"I... I really didn't know. That's why I wore the uniform... Uh, what should we do? Can you at least put on mine quickly...!"

Adeshan fumbled to untie the laces of her leather boots. Barely managing to stop her, Ronan was about to say something when Navirose's voice echoed.

"It seems everyone has gathered. Are you all prepared?"

"Yes!!"

"As you all know, the test will continue until only one person remains standing. I will explain the details after we move. Get ready, everyone."

The students shouted again. Each voice was filled with determination. Among them, Ronan was the only one with a puzzled expression, looking around.

"Damn, what are they trying to make us do?"

At most, he thought it might be a name-calling match, but it seemed that wasn't the case. Kratir, standing next to Navirose, chuckled and asked.

"Navirose, is it going to be alright?"

"Yes. Please, trust me."

"Hehe, then I'll look forward to this again."

Clap!

Kratir clapped his hands. Suddenly, everything in front of Ronan went dark.