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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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“Gasp… gasp…”
Running breathlessly through the indistinguishable forest, Lotto, from a small rural village in the Sphero Kingdom, thought,
‘Where did it all go wrong?’
Was it when he’d gambled his life savings, painstakingly saved for his independence in the city, on the Academy entrance exam fee, dreaming of a life-changing opportunity?
Was it when he’d mistakenly believed his barely passing score…. due solely to his mediocre magic ability while his physical and knowledge scores were abysmal… was a testament to his skill?
Was it when, thrilled at discovering the extra food in another train seat, he’d carelessly mentioned it to his friend from the same village?
Was it when, after being surrounded and robbed of his food by a group of thugs, he’d stubbornly decided to continue the exam?
No matter how he thought about it, the answer was clear.
‘I thought I could just hunt for food and everything would be fine. I was crazy!’
-Oink!
Lotto screamed as a wild boar charged towards him menacingly.
“Waaaaah! Damn it! Of all the things to get caught in my trap, why that?!”
Lotto had been overjoyed at the sight of the creature struggling in his trap, thinking he’d hit the jackpot. But the moment the boar tore free, the roles of hunter and prey reversed.
As evidenced by the ensuing chase between man and boar, the enraged animal, charging at Lotto with its eyes blazing, was slower than other boars, likely due to injuring its leg while escaping the trap.
However, an injured leg didn’t mean its powerful muscles had disappeared, and even its reduced speed matched Lotto’s full sprint.
‘Damn it, isn’t there any high ground, or anywhere this thing can’t follow me?!’
Lotto racked his brain desperately, but the price of his distraction was severe.
“Oof!”
He tripped over a tree root and tumbled to the ground.
A sharp pain shot through his wrists as he instinctively braced himself, and a burning sensation spread across his skin from the scrapes and bruises.
He tried to get up, but his body, still reeling from the impact, refused to obey.
His vision tilted ninety degrees as he lay on his side. The sight of the black beast charging straight at his immobile body was pure terror.
Just as Lotto let out a silent scream, unable to even close his eyes,
-Swish!
A white flash appeared from somewhere and sliced through the boar.
Flowing brown hair and delicate features.
Lotto was stunned by the girl’s display of skill, precisely severing the charging boar’s neck.
That’s when a clear, bell-like voice reached him,
“Are you alright? Oh dear, you’re covered in wounds. Just a moment.”
Unlike the brown-haired girl with the sword, the girl with long, bluish-silver hair and a curvaceous figure extended an empty hand. A gentle light emanated from it, and the pain in his wrists and body quickly subsided.
Healing magic.
Lotto, who had only heard of it but never experienced it, felt like he was dreaming.
“Where are the others? Are you alone?”
The third person to appear was a blonde boy, about his age.
He wore clothes of obviously high quality and a stylish monocle.
His appearance was impeccably clean, without a speck of dust on his clothes, despite walking through this rough forest.
Lotto, certain the boy was either a noble or from a wealthy family, hesitated, but couldn’t help but blurt out,
“Um… could I maybe use the restroom first before we talk?”
The silver-haired girl and the blonde boy’s gazes fell to Lotto’s dampened lower half.
The silver-haired girl let out a small “Ah,” as if realizing something, and said with a smile,
“That can happen after a shocking experience. Don’t worry about it.”
Seeing Lotto’s mortified expression, the blonde boy said with a pitying look,
“…Fiore, just don’t say anything. You go quickly.”
Lotto felt like his eyes were about to well up, for a different reason this time.
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Three days into the main exam.
As we ate roasted boar that Regret had hunted and prepared, we listened to Lotto’s story.
‘So, there’s already been food skirmishes among the participants.’
It was only natural.
Limited food. A fixed time limit.
While one could hunt for food like the boy had, the effort and time required were considerable.
It was fortunate that he had managed to catch something so quickly using a trap, a method that usually took time to yield results.
Of course, saying that to the boy who had nearly been killed by a boar wouldn’t be very comforting.
After recounting his experience, Lotto spoke hesitantly,
“Um, if it’s alright with you, could I join you? I can do chores!”
“Hmm.”
I considered it.
Bringing this boy along wouldn’t be of much strategic value.
There were only a few days left, and Regret, with her past experience, was quite proficient at handling chores, so he wouldn’t be of much help.
But…
‘There’s no real downside.’
It wasn’t like I had to take care of Lotto indefinitely or protect him at all costs. Just bringing him along wouldn’t be much trouble.
Just like how a delinquent’s image could be unexpectedly improved by occasionally helping stray cats, maybe performing some good deeds would help our reputation as the infamous greedy Midas family.
“Alright, let’s go together.”
“T-thank you!”
The boy bowed repeatedly, expressing his gratitude.
“Let me introduce myself again. I’m Lotto, from Black Mountain Village in the Sphero Kingdom.”
“Chrom Midas.”
“I’m Fiore Midas, Lotto-ssi.”
“Regret.”
“Ah, I see. Pleased to me—…et…?”
Seeing the boy’s bright face gradually turn pale, I realized.
Oh right, he didn’t know our surname.
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Whether the favor he’d received outweighed the infamy he’d heard about, or whether he was simply too desperate to care, Lotto didn’t take back his offer to join us.
He seemed deeply moved when I shared some of the boar meat… sorry, but I still had plenty in my backpack. Giving you some wouldn’t even make a dent.
‘I was planning to give extra food to those who were friendly or neutral towards us, to create debts or gain favor. But I’m encountering fewer participants than expected.’
This meant either the starting points were farther apart than anticipated, or the participants were being eliminated quickly.
Or perhaps both.
“-Everyone, wait.”
Regret, who had been walking in the lead, suddenly stopped.
“Huh?”
Lotto looked confused, while Fiore seemed to have sensed something and quickly gathered magic around her hands.
I asked Regret,
“Can you handle it alone?”
“If I’m allowed to go all out.”
“That would be a waste.”
We still had other trials ahead, and I couldn’t afford to reveal Regret’s full strength yet.
-Thud.
Something fell to the ground.
I prepared to draw anything I needed from Thoth’s Large-Capacity Backpack and called out,
“You guys hiding! Come out if you have something to say!”
A brief silence followed, then, seemingly realizing it was futile, about five people emerged from the bushes.
Most of them were young men in their mid to late twenties.
The one who appeared to be the oldest spoke,
“Hand over all your belongings.”
I replied,
“I can give you enough for all of you to reach your destinations, if that’s what you want.”
“…You fool, don’t you realize you’re not in a position to negotiate? Just hand it all over!”
“That’s a bit much. If passing the exam is the goal, can’t we just move on without any trouble?”
I continued,
“….Unless you’re actually targeting us, and the luggage is just an excuse.”
I didn’t miss the way the man’s eyes widened for a moment.
He shouted,
“Everyone! Punish the traitors of the kingdom!”
The five participants in front charged at us simultaneously, weapons drawn.
At the same time, I sensed another group, who hadn’t shown themselves, approaching from the sides, but I ignored them.
Throwing spears shot from Regret’s hand flashed, followed by gruesome ripping sounds.
With the screams as background music, I drew a custom-made crossbow from my backpack and fired.
Designed for accuracy and rapid firing at short range rather than long distance, it unleashed a volley of bolts in quick succession, hitting one directly in the leg and bringing him down.
The other four dodged the bolts or suffered only glancing blows, proving they had some skill, befitting those who roamed around ambushing others. However, that was enough to freeze them in their tracks, as if their bodies had turned to stone.
Two remained.
No bolts left.
A mixture of excitement and rage flickered in their eyes as they approached.
I quietly closed my eyes and—stomped on the ‘thing’ I had scattered on the ground the moment I had addressed the first group.
-Beeeeeeeeeeep!
Even with my eyes closed, I felt an intense flash erupt from beneath my feet. The two, blinded by the light, stumbled and hesitated.
I drew a poison-tipped arrow and stabbed them both.
They foamed at the mouth and collapsed.
Looking back, I saw that Regret had also finished off the five attackers in short order.
I addressed the fallen men,
“If you’re going to call others villains while wielding weapons, you should be prepared for what happens when you face a real one.”
The Midas name really was a magnet for trouble.
Come to think of it, it was about time Theo Midas sent me my share of the profits.
I wondered if I’d receive it at the Academy.
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