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.”

“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.