Class Placement Test (3)
Clang!
A faint noise grazed my ears. In my flickering vision, dozens of sword strikes were reflected.
Silver lines rushed in with a ferocious momentum.
"Tsk."
I stepped back.
While dodging narrowly, I directly intercepted the relentless attacks that kept digging in.
Sparks flew incessantly from the black sword in my hand.
Clang! Whiz! Bang!
Steel fragments clashed fiercely.
With every step I took, the surrounding terrain became distorted. Bushes rose up like blades, and swaying flower petals shot out like throwing knives.
Roses sprouted thorns in all directions, obstructing my path.
A sharp, metallic smell stung my nose.
I groaned, blocking the relentless shards that clung to me.
'…This is definitely annoying.'
Was this the mark of the continent's greatest genius?
Even though she hadn't reached her awakening yet, she was strong enough to crush most graduates.
I rolled my eyes as I blocked another incoming slash.
Clang!
A barrier enveloped the entire circular arena.
The flat, sandy ground had transformed into the texture of cold iron.
The neatly bloomed sword flowers shook.
It was as if I were looking at a flower garden made entirely of steel.
'Ash Grey Flower Garden.'
This was Charlotte's ultimate skill.
It unfolded an absolute domain around her. Within this space, Charlotte was practically invincible.
It looked like a beautifully blooming rose garden.
But in reality, each and every flower was a sword, forming a sea of blades.
With a single wave of the girl's hand, the bushes moved. Hundreds of blades swept away like waves, as if the sea itself were churning.
I steadied myself to avoid being swept away.
Clang! Screech…!
Sharp petals scraped noisily against the surface of my sword as they passed.
As I deflected the pouring rain of steel, I saw platinum blonde hair in the distance.
"Hmm."
"Ugh…!"
"Are you acting? Or are you really that weak?"
"I-I don't know what you're talking about…! I'm giving it my all…!"
"…Strange."
Charlotte tilted her head with a quiet laugh.
As if something was amiss, the Little Prince didn't let her guard down easily.
I groaned inwardly.
'What is she doing?'
My acting was perfect.
This time, there were no mistakes in my power control, and I had thoroughly concealed my killing intent.
Not only that, I was draping myself in 'Lies,' crafting the perfect image of a weakling.
Clang!
Once again, sparks flew from the tip of our swords.
It might have looked like I was attacking haphazardly, but each strike was carefully controlled.
I could feel her testing me.
What did Charlotte know?
No… how did she know?
Racking my brain, I continued my movements.
'I guess I should be thankful.'
Her testing meant she was suspicious.
It also meant she wasn't certain yet.
I didn't know why she doubted my 'existence,' but as long as she wasn't sure, I could continue my act shamelessly.
There was no way Charlotte could know the truth anyway.
"You intrigue me. It's difficult."
"I-I have no idea what you're talking about…!"
"But that only makes me want to know more."
Thud!
A heavy impact struck my sword.
It was definitely a more powerful attack than before.
Had she decided to increase her output?
I clicked my tongue, my hand trembling from the tingling sensation.
'She truly is exceptionally talented.'
One of the most popular girls in the original 'The World as Seen by the Little Prince.'
Overwhelming ability. Hailed as the best playable character, she would have definitely taken first place if it weren't for me.
No wonder people were calling me a fake first-place.
To the other students, Charlotte must have seemed like something beyond ordinary.
'It's a shame it's still early in the story, but… I think this is good enough for a passing grade.'
I muttered to myself.
Now, how could I lose naturally…?
While dodging the swirling steel fragments, I snuck glances at the magic tools placed around the arena.
Image transmission devices.
Although the arena was covered by Charlotte's barrier, the situation inside was being broadcast through these tools.
The faculty was probably gathered somewhere, watching.
'It would have been nice if the other students could see too.'
Unlike the entrance exam, there was no separate screen prepared for the students this time.
These magic tools were solely for evaluation purposes.
In other words, no one but the faculty could see what was happening inside the barrier.
If it were a barrier created by an ordinary student, the inside would be visible, but this was a 'domain' created by the Little Prince.
It wouldn't even register in the eyes of an ordinary person.
"Huff… Huff…!"
"Strange. Are you really that weak? Aren't you hiding anything?"
"I told you…!"
Clang! Screech… Cling! Thud!
It was time for me to collapse.
I wished something big would come flying at me… but all she was doing was showering me with these half-hearted attacks.
She was controlling her strength to a level I could handle.
Perhaps she was being considerate so I wouldn't get hurt.
'This is going to take forever.'
Of course, I was touched! I was so happy to be on the receiving end of her consideration!
But I still had a role to play.
Amidst the fierce clanging of steel, I subtly flicked my finger.
A thread of 'Lies' fell to the ground.
The shadow writhed like a snake before darting toward the platinum-blonde girl.
And then.
Thwap!
It swiftly wrapped around her ankle.
"Gah…!?"
A gasp escaped her lips.
Charlotte's leg buckled for a moment.
The flower petals that had been dancing fiercely fell to the ground. The girl stood frozen like a statue.
"…Your Highness?"
I questioned, as if wondering what was wrong.
My tone was laced with worry, but a smile I couldn't hide lingered on my lips.
Going smoothly as planned.
I gave her an ominous smile.
***
"Phew."
Charlotte took a quiet breath.
Perhaps because she had deployed such a wide-range domain, her mana was depleting faster than she expected.
She briefly wondered if she had gone overboard, but quickly dismissed the thought.
The scenery was filled with a pungent metallic scent.
Roses bloomed magnificently. In this cruel yet beautiful garden, only two figures stood.
"…"
The girl gazed ahead silently.
Reflected in her clear blue eyes was a boy with a peculiar appearance – blonde hair and half-closed eyes.
She seemed to recall his name was Judas.
Clang! Screech…!
The boy was busy blocking the sword strikes pouring down from all directions.
Beads of sweat dripping down his forehead gave the impression that he was truly pushed to his limit.
Charlotte casually asked,
"Hmm."
"Ugh…!"
"Are you acting? Or are you really that weak?"
"I-I don't know what you're talking about…! I'm giving it my all…!"
"…Strange."
Though she received a breathless answer, Charlotte didn't let her guard down.
On the contrary, she tilted her head, suspicion deepening in her eyes.
Her suspicion was not unfounded.
It stemmed from a scene she had witnessed a fortnight ago.
"The atmosphere in the slums has been unsettling lately."
"Kidnappings, murders, disappearances… they're happening constantly… It seems the cultists are at it again."
That was what her direct informant had reported.
To confirm the information, Charlotte had headed to the slums herself.
As she was gathering clues, she happened to witness a chilling scene in a deep alley.
"I gave you a chance."
"And you threw it away."
"That's right~ You should know your place."
An ominously writhing shadow.
It soon spread into a vast blackness, swallowing everything around it. The scenery, devoid of even a sliver of light, resembled primordial darkness.
Nothing survived within that pitch-black fog.
Only a blonde man remained, smiling as if amused.
Charlotte could only hold her breath.
She felt that even the slightest sound would mean her demise.
The rope of silence tightened around her neck. Reflected in her trembling eyes was the retreating back of the 'monster.'
'That was the most terrifying thing I've ever seen.'
Transcendental power that seemed to have no end.
Just encountering it filled her with a sense of despair that sent shivers down her spine.
It was a disaster… no, an apocalypse.
The girl had witnessed a glimpse of the end.
A chilling tension made her breath tremble.
Charlotte desperately tried to maintain her composure and focus on the opponent in front of her.
'That student, Judas… he resembles the man from that day.'
Of course, there were many differences.
Compared to the man from that day, his energy was faint, and his skills were far inferior to hers.
But there was one thing they had in common.
Their aura.
That sticky, sweet, and ominous… unique aura.
A scent she could never forget once she had caught a whiff of it.
"You intrigue me. It's difficult."
"I-I have no idea what you're talking about…!"
"But that only makes me want to know more."
Thud!
So Charlotte pressed on.
To confirm whether the boy's true identity was the person she knew. And to pray that he wasn't.
The flower petals in the garden fluttered sorrowfully.
"Huff… Huff…!"
However, the more the fight went on, the more confused she became.
Her instincts pointed to the boy, but his fighting style was that of a frail student.
He would barely make it into the top 10 at best.
"Strange. Are you really that weak? Aren't you hiding anything?"
"I told you…!"
Her certainty gradually wavered.
Charlotte thought to herself.
Could it be a simple case of mistaken identity? Was she tormenting an innocent person?
The thought slowly seeped into her mind, weakening her resolve.
Naturally, the force behind her attacks also waned.
Just as her suspicions began to dissipate… something wrapped around her ankle.
"Gah…!?"
A wave of dizziness washed over her.
The unexplained vertigo clouded her consciousness. It felt as if she had been drugged with potent alcohol.
Her mana, which she had been desperately controlling, scattered, and her concentration shattered.
Charlotte stumbled.
In her disoriented state, she swung her arm unconsciously.
It was an unintentional movement caused by dizziness, but its consequences were enormous.
Rumble, rumble, rumble…!
The steel garden reacted to her gesture.
The larger the movement, the greater the power generated.
That was the reason why Charlotte had been standing still, only flicking her fingers until now.
"Uh, uh…?"
Because she didn't want to unleash an attack that would endanger the boy's life.
She had been meticulously controlling her power with that thought in mind, but suddenly, an unknown force intervened, causing this control error.
Shhhing-!
The ground roared.
Against the backdrop of the vast arena, all the structures—vines, roses, bushes—writhed and rose into the air.
They intertwined and seemed to align themselves before transforming into a gigantic torrent, surging forward like a wave.
This was no exaggeration.
A colossal tidal wave of steel was truly rushing towards them.
Crash…!
The blades, advancing like a tsunami, ripped and tore at everything in their path.
At the receiving end of this calamity stood the blonde boy, frozen in apparent shock.
"N-No…!"
Charlotte's senses returned to her.
She hurriedly tried to move her hand, but it was too late.
The torrent of the garden was flowing more fiercely than ever before. It was impossible to avoid or block it.
Not even Charlotte, hailed as an unparalleled genius, could stop it.
'This isn't right.'
She had decided to test the boy.
But this wasn't what she had in mind.
She didn't want to see anyone get hurt, let alone cause it herself.
In Charlotte's world, there was only one person she could bear to see in pain, so without hesitation, she reached out.
"Haa…!"
If she couldn't stop the flow, she would redirect it.
She re-targeted the attack.
Not towards the boy, but towards herself.
The tidal wave of blades, originally aimed at the boy, changed its course.
Following her tightly clenched fist, the wave of blades was drawn to her like a magnet, as if determined to engulf her whole.
Shhhing, Crash…!
The storm approached with a ferocious roar.
Charlotte stood still, gazing up at it. It seemed impossible to block it without suffering any damage.
At the very least, she would be injured enough to be confined to the infirmary.
"…This is going to hurt."
Charlotte muttered softly.
Even in this situation, she didn't lose her usual composure.
She was simply content that the boy wouldn't be harmed.
Shhhing…!
A single rose grazed her nose.
Bracing herself for the impact that was sure to follow, she closed her eyes. A deafening roar filled her ears.
Boooom!
"…"
But why?
Even though a significant amount of time had passed since the deafening sound, Charlotte felt no pain.
Could it be that she was so injured that she couldn't feel anything anymore?
"…?
With that thought in mind, she slowly opened her eyes…
"Are you alright?"
…and saw golden hair bathed in the sunlight.
As their eyes met, those wide, surprised eyes closed slightly, returning to their usual half-lidded state.
"Well, well… I'd say you owe me one, wouldn't you?"
The boy grinned, holding her in his arms.
Behind him lay a scene of utter destruction: shattered debris and the remnants of the flower garden dissolving into dust.
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