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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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The young man who seemed to be the leader of the captured attackers shouted,
“Ugh, we will not yield to traitors! Kill them!”
“………….”
This guy had a real talent for provoking murderous intent.
Seriously, a scruffy, bearded man who’d probably desperately deny being called “mister” by kids, yelling “Ugh, kill them!” Who did he think he was fooling?
I thought for a moment, then shouted with a serious expression,
“Stop, Regret! Control yourself!”
“What?”
Regret looked at me as if I’d lost my mind.
I continued, ignoring her,
“I know you want to bathe in the blood of these fools who dared to challenge you! But we agreed to live a clean life at the Academy! No dismemberment in the entrance exam!”
I could feel the captured attackers flinch.
Good, it was working.
Now, what to say next…
“Yes, Regret-unnie! These people may have done wrong, but they have families waiting for them, homes to return to! Please have mercy! If you can’t control yourself, then strike me instead!”
…You’re taking it a bit too far, aren’t you?
Fiore clung to Regret’s arm and cried out, tears even welling up in her eyes.
“Y-yes! Regret-nim! Please, restrain yourself!”
Wow, now even Lotto was joining in.
Wait a minute.
‘Judging by their expressions and gestures, they actually seem to believe it?’
Regret’s expression darkened, and her body twitched slightly.
But to the captured men, it probably looked like a murderous rage about to explode.
They whimpered and struggled against their bonds, trying to get as far away from Regret as possible. I shouted,
“Hey! Tell me something, anything! I need a reason to decide whether to spare you or not!”
“A-a knight! A brown-haired knight said that a Midas blood relative would be coming this way!”
“Hey! Shut up! Are you going to sell your pride to those traitors?!”
“Shut up! Then you die alone!”
The apparent leader tried to silence the others, but it was too late.
I asked,
“A brown-haired knight, that’s quite vague. What made you believe him? What if he lied to sabotage his competitors? You didn’t just blindly follow his orders without confirming anything, did you?”
“It was Betouare! The Betouare Marquisate’s crest was engraved on his armor, so we believed him!”
“Hmm, that doesn’t sound very convincing. A member of the proud Marquisate would stoop to such petty tricks?”
“It’s true! Please believe us!”
‘That Nikolaus guy, huh?’
It seemed a bit sloppy, but it wasn’t a bad plan, considering the limited environment of the forest where they couldn’t get outside help.
Besides, there was no physical evidence, so they could just deny everything.
If they succeeded in eliminating us, great. If they failed, there was no risk of being traced back to them.
I didn’t know if it was Nikolaus acting on his own or under Alphonse’s orders, and I didn’t care.
The important thing was that they had tried to harm us.
I told them,
“Hey, those of you who want to live, shout ‘I forfeit’ right now.”
“Huh?”
“Shout ‘forfeit.’ Or do you want to die?”
“F-forfeit! I forfeit!”
“I forfeit!”
“Spare me!”
“Y-you shameless cowards…!”
Ignoring the one man who tried to resist, the attackers’ frantic cries echoed through the forest.
Regret and the others looked at me, puzzled, but their eyes widened at the change that occurred around us.
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-Flutter, flutter.
Jet-black butterflies, as if absorbing the surrounding light, suddenly appeared.
Not just one or two.
Ten, a hundred, a thousand.
Even as I tried to count them, they multiplied endlessly.
The swarm of butterflies, a massive colony, enveloped the screaming, struggling men and began to drag them away.
Fiore asked in a trembling voice, at the magnificent yet terrifying sight,
“Oppa, what… what is that?”
“A safety measure. While the Academy might disregard minor casualties, they’re not murderous enough to let examinees die for no reason. Those who collapse from exhaustion or are incapacitated by injuries are probably carried away like that. Instant death is unavoidable, though.”
I thought to myself,
‘So, she’s not going to show herself directly, huh?’
Since this was the Academy, there were naturally professors who taught the students, and the owner of that swarm of butterflies was one of them.
She was known for her beauty among the characters in “Planetarium,” so I had wanted to meet her.
Well, there would be other opportunities.
I addressed the young man who was left alone because he hadn’t forfeited,
“So, what are you going to do? If you want to stay tied up in the forest without forfeiting, be my guest.”
He gritted his teeth and growled,
“Even if you show mercy like this, do you think you can atone for your sins?”
“You talk a lot of nonsense. And you keep going on about traitors, but honestly, weren’t the ones breaking the law and scheming in secret the problem? Was my grandfather wrong for reporting them and receiving compensation for his work? You’re really good at shifting blame.”
Of course, if he had a grudge against my damn father, I could understand. That man deserved some payback.
Not wanting to waste any more words, I left him there and started moving.
He was fuming and ranting, but he’d probably give up when he got tired.
Regret asked,
“Don’t you need to finish him off?”
“We’re not that desperate. I need to manage my image too. It would be unfair to be labeled a heartless murderer just because I killed every single one of these guys.”
Regret suddenly fell silent.
What was it? Did she sense another attacker?
“….Oh? The one who talks about image management is the one who ruined mine?”
Uh, about that…
I glanced at Fiore and Lotto. Fiore was quietly moving away, a cheerful smile on her face, and Lotto had just bolted.
“W-wait, let’s talk things out! Most problems between civilized people can be solved through conversation!”
“There’s no such thing for a murderer whose hobbies include bloodbaths and dismemberment.”
“Hey, wait, I wasn’t the only one talking— Ow! Ow! My bones! Ow!”
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After several days of facing life-threatening situations, not from wild animals or other participants seeking food, but from an enraged Regret,
On the morning of the sixth day of the first exam, we finally reached our destination.
A vast, circular plaza centered around a massive tower.
Dozens of successful examinees were already there.
– For example, a giant of a man with his bare upper body covered in rippling muscles and scars.
– For example, a long-haired girl effortlessly carrying a massive greatsword that was closer to a blunt weapon than a blade.
– For example, a hunter quietly maintaining their arrows in a corner of the plaza, paying no attention to their surroundings.
– For example, a frivolous-looking dual-wielding swordsman chatting and laughing with what appeared to be his female companions.
– For example, a gray-haired young man frowning intently at the book in his hands.
– For example, a striking beauty with fiery red hair and a dress that combined practicality and elegance.
Some looked exhausted and desperate for rest, while others appeared relaxed, as if this was nothing.
Considering there were still about two days until the end of the exam, and more successful examinees were arriving, the final number would likely reach hundreds.
‘They look different from how they appear on screen, but there are quite a few familiar faces from “Planetarium.”‘
Individuals with exceptional abilities, known among players as monsters, top-tier, or S-rank.
Reliable allies if we could befriend them, but also formidable competitors for passing the exam.
Perhaps one of them was the Template holder who triggered this exam.
But I wasn’t afraid.
‘After all that hardship for two years, it would be unfair to be pushed around.’
No matter who my opponent was, I wasn’t going to lose.
Regret seemed to share the same sentiment, a faint smile playing on her lips, unlike her usual expression.
An endless desire for improvement was the essence of the Nameless War Ghost.
Sensing her competitive spirit, some of the people in the plaza turned their gazes towards Regret.
It was our signal, announcing our arrival and successful completion of the first round of the main exam.
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