Chapter 944 – Each Person’s Goal, Each Person’s Ordeal

000

Cleon continued playing tag with the rocks following him for several minutes.

If he had had a sword, he could have used it to cut them down, but Cleon was not a gorilla enough to do something to those stones with his bare hands.

No, even if Talcheck, the gorilla itself, came along, there were several rocks the size of a house, and it wasn’t a mass that could be done even if you gave your arms and legs some strength.

I had to avoid situations like coming in for training, getting crushed by a stone, and having to retire, which would lead to ridiculous skits, but honestly, my legs and lungs were at their limit now.

Isn’t it okay to use magic?

Sorry, but that was already tried.

However, the moment Cleon raised his magic power to solve the situation using flight magic, attack magic, or restraint magic, the bracelet wrapped around his arm dispersed his magic power.

In other words, the bracelet was not only the key to enter this facility, but also a restraint to limit the practitioner’s magical power during the ordeal.

They take away weapons and magical power.

Then, all that was left was to test pure physical ability and improvisation.

＇Even if it’s an improvisation…!＇

Fuck you.

Cleon thinks so to himself.

Usually, in traps like this, if you move forward a certain distance, there will be a hiding place on the side, or there will be a large cliff, so if you jump over it, a stone will fall down, and you can avoid it.

No matter how much you run, there is only a downhill road that goes on forever.

Perhaps the point of training is that there is no exit, and the moment you enter this place, you have to race against these stones forever?

If you think that way, it might be easier to just give up and get crushed under a stone.

But-

If Lesia fails to overcome her trials, it will forever be impossible to catch up with her.

There must be something.

Otherwise, it goes beyond just being grumpy and becomes a trap that exists to eliminate people who have reached this point.

Sharpen your senses.

Find what is invisible.

The sound of stones hitting the ground noisily and the sound of one’s own breathing up to one’s chin are also a disturbance.

You must read the feel of your feet as you step and the flow of air passing through your body to uncover the hidden secrets of this space.

Suddenly, my body was enveloped in silence.

It was still painful to breathe and move my limbs, but I could no longer hear any disturbing sounds.

And, after that, he realized one thing.

Click.

As he was running frantically, he felt like he was stepping on something.

＂…!＂

With a flash, Cleon opened his eyes.

But he couldn’t stop his legs, so he couldn’t look back.

What did he just step on?

When he thought of the pitfalls he had encountered on his way here, it was natural that ‘stepping on something’ = ‘something happens’.

That’s why I felt a sense of discomfort in the surroundings where nothing had changed.

‘Should I go back?’

But how?

His own back is blocked by stones.

Take a few seconds to think about it.

In the end, what that click was underfoot is forever unknown…

Click.

The next moment, Cleon felt the touch of the foothold once again.

The feeling under his feet repeats at intervals of about a minute, unless he stops himself.

＇3… 2… 1…’

Click.

This is not something like the scaffolding being placed at equal intervals.

Cleon, following his instinct, took a risk and turned his head the moment he stepped on the step.

Then-

＂As expected…!＂

Behind Cleon – On the road that had become an uphill road for him, a stone appeared where there was nothing.

This passage never ends.

That would be natural.

Because every time he passes a certain section, he comes back.

When you step on a step installed in a place where you step on Cleon’s running speed approximately every minute, Cleon is transported to the middle of the path he was on.

‘Hide on the side’ and ‘cliff’ did exist.

He just didn’t realize it.

＇Then…!＇

Cleon speeds up.

The purpose was not to get away from rocks that could never be shaken off, but to jump over the steps that one would soon step on again.

I learned the spacing.

The time to take a step will arrive a little sooner than before.

At the right time, he slightly bent his knees and-

＂Wow!＂

She unconsciously jumped with such force that a strange sound came out of her mouth.

After learning the flying magic, it had been a long time since I tried to jump this far using pure leg strength.

Cleon jumped up with a boom.

And, when he flies for a while and lands on the ground, he jumps quite a height since it is going downhill.

After rolling on the ground to fall, you somehow manage to maintain your balance and quickly get up from your seat.

What he had to check was the whereabouts of the stones that had been following him.

Then-

Kugu-gugu … Rolled up and rolled up huge rocks-it disappeared from the spot while blinking with the tricks of magic.

No, it would be a bit wrong to say it disappeared.

It went back.

Just like Cleon before – without being able to get out of the loop that Cleon got out of.

As proof, if Cleon stands there and waits for a while to rest-

Once again, the stones came closer with a heavy and loud sound coming from afar, and once again-

Cleon sighed heavily as he watched the ‘boom’ sound effect disappear before his eyes.

＂Haa…＂

Is this the king’s ordeal?

Of course, it required various statuses such as physical strength, quickness, situational judgment, and intelligence, but it was a bit exhausting.

This is especially true if you think that these trials will continue even before this.

At that time.

Bam bam-

And when a fanfare-like sound rang out in the sky, Cleon suddenly raised his head in confusion as if a new enemy had appeared.

[Congratulations. I successfully passed the first gate.]

“… I don’t know who thought of it, but it’s a vicious training method.”

The voice that had spoken to Cleon and Amelia at the entrance was heard once again, congratulating Cleon on passing the ordeal.

Upon hearing that story, Cleon frowned at first, but then shook his head.

[This is just a warm-up exercise. I think I was quite relaxed coming this far. It looks like you’re completely heated up by what you just did.]

The voice that answered Cleon’s complaint was a voice that seemed to be provoking him somehow.

Naturally, veins appeared on Cleon’s forehead, but Cleon also understood that the purpose was to provoke him.

So, I took a deep breath, let go of the annoying guy’s words, and then asked him a question again.

“So? Do I have to go down a long downhill road again?”

[No.]

As soon as the voice finished answering, Cleon could see the scenery surrounding him change.

This time, Cleon couldn’t help but frown his eyes as he felt his legs shaking.

What surrounded the area was a space with the same walls and ceiling as the downhill road just before, but this time it was a space that was blocked on all sides.

Besides, it was narrow.

All the spaces I have passed so far were so wide that I had no idea where they would lead.

This room is, at most, similar in size to the small inn room of the adventurer Yong that Cleon rented while he was staying in Elessia.

And, in front of me, there was a ‘wooden door’ so ordinary that it did not fit into such a room.

[Go inside.]

＂…＂

A voice telling me to go through the door again.

If Cleon goes inside again, what kind of spectacular trap will be waiting for him this time?

He approached the door with a nervous expression and placed his hand on the doorknob.

Making a squeaking sound, I open the door to the other side and proceed.

Then – the scene that unfolded before her eyes was a living room that was not that spacious, but was clean and had a warm feel.

The firewood in the fireplace was burning, and a sofa was placed around it.

＂What…?＂

In an unexpected situation, Cleon turned his head to check the door he passed through, but there was no door.

＂… What happened?＂

Voices expressing doubt echo.

However, no answer came back.

And-

Phew!

Suddenly, something small and soft touches his right leg.

Cleon, who was horribly surprised because he didn’t really feel any presence, hurriedly turned around and…

＂…!?＂

Once again, I had no choice but to look down at that place with a shocked expression.

001

While Cleon was rendezvoused with the huge rocks, Amelia, who had been one-sidedly transported by her voice, slowly opened her eyes.

Where on earth is she, and why was she blown here?

She wanted to train with Cleon if possible, but her wish did not come true.

＂Have you come to your senses?＂

And then, a voice was heard from Amelia as she barely opened her eyes and tried to look around her.

When she turned her head towards that place, Vivian was standing there.

However, instead of wearing a dress, she was wearing a well-cut suit and even had glasses on her face.

From all looks, she was dressed like an office worker who seemed to be good at her job.

＂Ra, Your Majesty Vivian? You got out of that hole!”

Amelia said that in surprise, and Vivian smiled and adjusted her glasses with her hand.

“Of course. Because it’s a trap she escaped from once. Well… Thank you, her dress was a little messed up, so I changed into something else.”

＂Well, I see…＂

After hearing Vivian’s answer, Amelia nodded her head.

However, what was more curious was the question, where is this place?

Amelia stops talking to her and looks around her.

Surrounding it are large audience seats.

And Amelia herself was standing on a dirt floor.

Although there were no fancy lights or tents, this scene was familiar.

It was very similar to the space where they performed and fought to protect the audience from demonic beasts.

Does the impression change so much just because there are no tools to perform the trick or a tent?

The space in the quiet atmosphere resembled an amphitheater I once read about in a book.

“… Is it really an underground space?”

“Of course. The circus tent that the witches made was modeled after the structure here and remodeled. Perhaps, I saw something that was within my knowledge.”

Vivian looks around with her hands on his waist.

“The good thing about this place is that it doesn’t break no matter how hard you run around. No matter how powerful a being exerts its full power, there is a magic that ‘maintains the current state’.”

＂… Well, I see.＂

Amelia swallowed her saliva at the slightly nervous words.

“But you’re not with that magic swordsman?”

＂… I tried to enter the last stone gate with Cleon… But I was told that I couldn’t go in with him due to age and height restrictions… ＂

＂Ah…＂

Vivian nodded her head as if she understood what Amelia said.

“The traps that emerge from the place you enter are a bit extreme. Indeed. That’s why you were sent here. To grant ‘another’ trial.”

＂… Another ordeal?＂

At her words, Amelia couldn’t help but tilt her head.

Well, since she came here for training, it was inevitable that she would face trials-

Unlike the room where Sasha was trapped or the barrier where Lila was trapped.

Here, there were no obstacles in sight.

… The only drawback was that there was no way out-

“It’s a circular stadium like this. The thing to do is, of course, ‘game’.”

＂… That means-＂

Amelia looked nervous, and Vivian turned her gaze away from Amelia and looked toward the front of the stands on the opposite side of where they were standing.

Then, something like black fog gathered there and soon changed into a human form.

There, she looked exactly like Amelia – with slightly darker skin, white hair, and most of all.

Instead of a hammer, a girl demon with a black crystal flower near her chest appeared, holding a huge scythe.

＂… That is…＂

Victory Day Parade.

Amelia didn’t look in the mirror.

But – the memory of her seeing herself reflected in someone else’s eyes remained so strong in her memory that it hurt.

＂It’s a vicious magical power. So much so that she could not be compared to those witches. Is that ‘the you want to win’?”

＂… I want to win, am I…?＂

At her words, Amelia clenched her fists.

Of course.

The reason Cleon and his group got caught up in her rampage and ended up in the Eastern Country like this is because they created themselves to be so weak.

When I think about it, it wasn’t just ‘myself wanting to win’.

It is a past that we want to erase, or an ugly aspect that we have no choice but to deny.

But-

Amelia knows.

That ‘self’ imbued with dark magic is a much more powerful being than my current self.

That Cleon risked his life to fight and was finally able to stop.

＇… Can we win?＇

Seeing Amelia’s clenched fist trembling, Vivian smiled slightly.

“If you want to compete, I will help you. Although I can’t touch it myself. At least giving advice from the side is allowed.”

Vivian puts her hand on Amelia’s shoulder.

Indeed. Is that the reason why he was dressed like a secretary?

Amelia thought about Vivian’s words for a moment, then nodded.

Just as Cleon is following Lesia, she herself is following Cleon.

However, for him – it was necessary to surpass ‘himself’ first.

Take a deep breath and focus your magical energy on yourself within your body.

Magical armor that appears on the entire body at the same time as the light that surrounds the body.

Amelia speaks with a more confident expression, holding a huge hammer in her hand.

“I will! With my power, I will destroy the darkness in my heart!”

＂That’s good spirit! It’s the senior’s duty to lead the juniors, so I’ll help you like I said!”

Amelia’s spirit and Vivian responding to it.

The two people stand like that and glare at Black Amelia.

Then-

Hehe…＂

Black Amelia smiled meaningfully as she swung her own scythe at her level and-

At the same time, a huge black crystal blade flew out in an instant and-

It quickly passed over the two people who were bending down, and the huge stands behind them collapsed, being cut cleanly apart.

＂…＂

Vivian looks back and then forward again.

“… Jo, you seem a little strong!”

＂Are you nervous…?＂

＂Seo, no way~!＂

It was Vivian who answered Amelia’s words with a trembling voice.