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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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“Wow, there are more talented kids than I expected. At this rate, they might even give the upperclassmen at the Imperial Military Academy a run for their money.”
Istal clapped her hands in admiration as she observed the various scenes unfolding within the testing grounds through the monitoring magic tool.
The examiner beside her, a man who had once served as her adjutant, sighed.
“Their areas of expertise are different, Istal-nim. Unlike officers who need to command and oversee the overall flow of the battlefield, these examinees are… well, more like special forces candidates. It would be more appropriate to compare them to elite knight orders or the magic corps of the former Morian Kingdom.”
“Isn’t it a bit much to bring up active-duty soldiers when evaluating kids who haven’t even received proper training yet? Aren’t you being too biased towards your juniors?”
“I’m simply stating objective facts.”
More importantly, the examiner continued,
“Are you sure about this? According to the original rules, they should be demonstrating how to fight with different ring colors and adapt their strategies based on the elemental advantages. But at this rate, it’s nothing more than a chaotic brawl.”
“It’s fine. It’s not against the rules. They can do whatever they want. Of course…”
Leaning back in her chair with her chin resting on her hand and a sadistic glint in her eyes, Istal smiled seductively.
“…They’re responsible for the consequences.”
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As we moved to regroup with Regret and Fiore, Lotto asked in confusion,
“But why did those people attack us? They can’t pass with just blue rings!”
I replied,
“Because even if they’re worthless to me, they might be valuable to other examinees.”
“Huh?”
The green-haired girl, who for some reason was still with us instead of searching for other rings, exclaimed,
“There are plenty of uses! They can be traded for different colored rings, used to avoid fights, or even as a spare life in a pinch!”
“I-I see.”
Lotto nodded in understanding.
It was convenient to have her explain things for me.
“But why are you two still with us? Aren’t you going to look for rings?”
The girl replied to my question,
“Wouldn’t it be better to stick with people you can at least communicate with, in an environment where swords could fly at you from anywhere?”
“Being near me isn’t exactly good for your reputation.”
“I’d rather pass and be a reviled victor than fail and be a clean loser.”
Her decisiveness was almost admirable. If my damn father had seen her, he would have tried to recruit her in a heartbeat.
“What about you?”
“Call me Lavaul. I simply wish to repay the sage who enlightened me. I have no other intentions.”
Interesting people.
As we moved, we spotted another group of four examinees.
I called out to them,
“Wait a minute! What color rings do you have?! There’s no need to fight if we have the same color! We have red!”
“Huh? Our color is…”
I ignored Lotto’s response.
They exchanged a few words amongst themselves, then drew their swords without hesitation and charged towards us.
I spoke to my group in a voice low enough for the others not to hear,
“Alright, judging by the fact they’re fearlessly attacking red, they’re definitely not blue. Hide your rings as much as possible, and counterattack when they get close!”
“Wow, this guy lies as easily as he breathes. Dragging us into a fight without even asking…”
“Well, it can’t be helped.”
Grumbling, the green-haired girl quietly gripped the bow on her back, and Lavaul, after a moment of contemplation, picked up a rock from the ground.
Lotto fumbled with a wooden club, then, realizing he was the only one without a proper weapon, made a face of despair.
I fired my crossbow repeatedly at the approaching examinees.
Since we were still quite far apart, most of the bolts flew wide, but one headed straight for the head of one of the attackers, who blocked it with a shield.
-Thwack!
“Gah!”
The bolt pierced the shield, which should have offered considerable protection with its thick wood and leather reinforcement, as if it were nothing.
The young man, hit in the left arm as well, screamed in pain and then froze, paralyzed by the poison on the bolt.
I could sense the surprise of the remaining attackers and my companions, but I was just as bewildered.
‘That shouldn’t have been that powerful…I see, so this is the ring’s effect!’
With that realization, I fired the crossbow again, aiming not for vital points, but for any exposed skin, even if it only caused a graze.
It was a tactic I was familiar with, having often used poison in conjunction with minor wounds.
Another bolt struck one of the attackers who was cautiously circling Lotto, who was wildly swinging his club.
The bolt grazed his shoulder, but he was flung back as if he had been hit by something much larger, soaring through the air before crashing to the ground.
The remaining two attackers, hit by the green-haired girl’s arrows and Lavaul’s stones, met similar fates.
They, too, seemed to understand the mechanic.
“Attacks from an unfavorable element are amplified, even if they only cause minor damage. To think such an effect comes from just wearing a ring on your wrist… I wonder what the principle is.”
“The mysteries of magic are deep indeed…”
I said to them,
“Save the commentary for later and collect the rings. These guys seem to have white rings, so if we just get a red one—”
-Thud, thud, thud.
At that moment, the ground trembled.
Looking at ‘them’ approaching from afar with heavy footsteps and a surprising agility for their size, I muttered involuntarily,
“…Right, I thought it was too easy for a crazy school like this.”
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“Damn it, what are these things!?”
Meanwhile, Crow Vein, who had just been attacked by ‘it’, cursed in frustration.
As if answering his question, ‘it’ kicked him. Crow blocked the attack by crossing his two swords, but he was still sent flying backward.
Gritting his teeth against the throbbing pain in his wrists, even after absorbing the impact, Crow glared at ‘it’, the intruder in his enjoyable fight.
Its body resembled several logs of varying thicknesses joined together, with ball joints mimicking human limbs.
Where a human’s face should have been, a white ring was prominently attached.
The ‘things’ Istal had mentioned before the exam started, the ones waiting in the testing area with rings besides the examinees.
The summoned creature, a ‘combat doll’, tilted its head mockingly.
“Alright, let’s do this!”
While Crow roared and charged at the combat doll again, Regret, fighting another doll elsewhere, remained calm.
Her thrust, as swift as a flash of lightning, struck the doll squarely in the neck.
“—!”
But that was all.
Despite the force that could have pierced even a thick log, the combat doll merely flinched.
It grabbed the spear embedded in its neck and swung it down at Regret.
Judging a contest of strength through the spear shaft to be unwise, Regret released her weapon without hesitation and leaped back.
The spear slammed into the ground, and the combat doll’s knee, which would have shattered a wooden dummy, struck the spear, breaking it.
‘My attacks aren’t doing much damage. And its attacks, even glancing blows, are amplified. It’s probably the effect of that ring element thing.’
Regret thought to herself.
A direct confrontation was unfavorable.
Chrom would probably try to evade the doll or lure it towards other examinees, then attack again under more favorable conditions.
To borrow Chrom’s terminology, that would be Route A.
But Regret had already thought of a way to deal with this.
‘I just have to discard my ring and fight.’
That examiner, Istal or whatever her name was, had said:
Pass if you collect all three rings. If you want to give up, throw away your ring and collapse.
She never said anything about being disqualified for losing your own ring.
Regret could almost see the examiner’s smug face, as if she were saying, ‘Wow, you figured it out! Good job!’
So, this was Route B.
And the best option available to Regret.
Yes, but why…
Did it feel so irritating?
“Ha.”
The condescending gaze was unpleasant. The doll’s air of superiority, as if her every move were predictable, was annoying.
Chrom Midas had once described Regret as the embodiment of competitive spirit.
And that meant, to put it simply…
“What, you can’t win unless you play by the rules?”
—at least in her domain, she refused to lose.
Regret crouched low.
Lower, lower, almost crawling on the ground.
Then, she sprang forward.
Superhuman flexibility, strength unbefitting her small frame, and an abnormal sense of balance allowed her to run while practically hugging the ground.
The combat doll’s algorithms momentarily glitched at her inhuman movements.
It kicked out, attempting to sweep her legs out from under her. In that instant, Regret’s dagger plunged into the gap between its joints.
First, the raised right leg, then the supporting left leg.
With foreign objects lodged in its joints, the combat doll’s legs buckled grotesquely, and it crashed face-first into the ground.
Even then, it tried to push itself up with its arms, but Regret’s stomp, delivered with her full weight to the center of its back, thwarted its attempt.
Throwing spears, summoned through ‘Pheldos’ Summoning Gloves’, landed in the ground, pinning the doll’s right shoulder joint.
No matter how much damage it mitigated or amplified, as long as it retained a human-like form, it had limits.
With its legs and right shoulder immobilized and its back pinned to the ground, it couldn’t exert any force.
As the combat doll thrashed uselessly on the ground, Regret raised ‘the Ancient Guardian’s Longsword’ above its neck.
-Thwack.
—One strike. A small scratch appeared.
-Thwack!
—Three strikes. Faint cracks spread across the doll’s neck.
-Thwaaaack! Crack!
Finally, with the tenth strike, the doll’s head was severed, and its body ceased moving.
Taking the white ring from the doll’s head, Regret asked,
“…Still want to try?”
Crow Vein hesitated for a moment, then sighed and shook his head.
“Forget it, I’ll concede. Damn it, I should have just smashed it head-on.”
Ignoring Crow, who was frustrated that he could only win after neutralizing the ring’s effect,
Regret turned and walked towards Chrom, who was approaching with a group of examinees.
Several of her favorite weapons, including her spear and daggers, were now unusable, but she didn’t feel bad.
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