#23. That Big, Beautiful, and Deadly Thing

I always feel that there’s no real solution to accumulated fatigue.

Since I often stay up all night, I’m thinking of developing some kind of energy tonic in the future.

If I shared it with the professors… they would probably like that.

“Good morning.”

“…Yes.”

Today is the day of the exam.

Having arrived early, I exchanged brief greetings with Professor Cecil.

After that… well.

Lacking friends to converse with, I retreated to a corner and reviewed the items I’d packed in my bag.

Nothing missing.

Everything is in good condition.

Fussing unnecessarily, I closed the bag again.

…There’s nothing to do.

Should I loosen up a bit?

Tedious time always passes slowly.

Still, as I was stretching alone, all the students gathered.

“Let me explain the rules.”

Professor Cecil stepped forward and began speaking loudly.

“The final exam will be conducted as a ‘team battle.’ Each team will consist of five members. Consult the roster to identify your team.”

It seems the professors will not be participating directly.

Well, if they did it like last time, we’d all end up with F’s.

I cheered inwardly. The difficulty has been significantly reduced.

“Though it’s a team battle, this isn’t simply a free-for-all brawl. You’ll be competing in offense and defense. The attackers’ goal is to capture all of the defenders, and the defenders’ goal is to avoid capture until time runs out. Think of it as a glorified game of tag.”

A simple enough rule.

I hoped to be placed on the attacking team.

“Each side will have a total of thirty minutes. The space you’ll be using is the forest adjacent to the academy.”

Professor Cecil handed out the rosters.

I quickly scanned the paper to see which team I was on.

Not that I’d know anyone anyway, but still… curiosity.

Huh?

“There will be discrepancies in skill levels. Don’t think that losing necessarily means you’ll receive a low score; give it your all regardless of the situation.”

“…Professor?”

“Yes? Rein Ortiz.”

“My name isn’t on here?”

Odd.

My name was absent from the roster Professor Cecil had distributed.

Could it be a mistake?

“Ah, about that.”

Professor Cecil said with a bright smile.

“The numbers didn’t quite work out, you see. You’ll be taking a separate exam.”

“…Pardon?”

“Just you and me.”

No.

This can’t be good.

*

Professor Cecil was deep in thought.

Rein Ortiz’s brazen request for special treatment – a request that, after much deliberation, Cecil conceded was justified – left a nagging unease.

That look… it definitely held ulterior motives.

While it was true that they were attempting to compensate for the inherent disadvantage, what if they brought in some kind of non-regulation equipment?

Kevin Aldeharm had learned that lesson the hard way.

“Should I have imposed more restrictions?”

But then they might argue it was unfair…

This had become unexpectedly complicated.

“And I can’t exactly let them be,” Cecil mused.

Hm?

“Oh.”

A bolt of inspiration!

Good idea? Evaluating would surely be easier if they faced off directly rather than just observing.

Rein was a student receiving special attention from the academy, so it shouldn’t be a problem to get directly involved.

It was decided.

“I’ll have to supervise Rein Ortiz personally.”

Let’s see just how special you are.

*

“Shit.”

I cursed.

Of course, there was no one around.

Me, taking on the professor solo? What kind of dogshit situation is this?

I struggled so hard to fight injustice, and a new injustice greets me.

Why only me.

Why only me…

“Ah…”

Oh, Goddess.

Why are you so harsh on me?

I’m really having a hard time.

I splashed water on my face about three times in the bathroom. Pushing the nearly soaked bangs off my forehead, I let out a deep breath.

My turn is coming soon.

“Right, I built it assuming this would happen anyway…”

In the first place, what I made was equipment to fight Cecil, so if I think of it as being used for its intended purpose, it’s easier to feel at peace.

Yeah, there’s no problem getting an A.

The only thing that sucks is that ‘only me’ has a different difficulty level.

…Nothing I can do about it. If they tell me to do it, I have to.

I turned to head back to the training ground.

“Hm?”

And then I ran into someone.

“You, you are…!”

Someone reacting intensely as soon as they saw me.

Who was it again?

The face is familiar, though.

“…You don’t mean to say you don’t remember me?”

“Forgive me, but who are you?”

The man’s expression crumpled as if he couldn’t believe it.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, sighed, clenched his fist…

“Kevin Aldeharme.”

He introduced himself.

Kevin Aldeharme?

Ah, that guy.

“Right, you were in the Knighting Department, weren’t you?”

That guy I fought during the midterm exam. It wasn’t exactly a pleasant meeting, but seeing him like this, I was kind of glad.

“Good to see you, man.”

“Oh? Oh, yeah… Good to see you too.”

“If my opponent had been you, it would have been wonderful.”

“Hold on, what’s that supposed to mean?”

I was already fuming, this whole physical labor thing. And *him* of all people, Professor Cecil…

Surely he wouldn’t go all-out?

“You should have some respect for me. I surpassed five brothers of noble lineage and countless aspiring knights, and I will soon lead the Aldeharm family…”

“Alright, alright, just one question.”

Kevin shut his mouth.

“Does the professor… have any weaknesses?”

We met like this, a twist of fate. Might as well grab something from it, no?

“Ha, as if I’d tell someone who looks down on me such a thing!”

“You’re the one who started with the looking down…”

Kevin radiated hostility.

He might seem tough at first glance, but truthfully, this type is easy to coax.

“Someone of your caliber should know this.”

“…What?”

“One can only discover the weaknesses of others through hard work. In that regard, you’re the best, aren’t you?”

A little praise goes a long way.

Wisdom I gleaned from a past life, no less.

“…Well, I suppose so.”

See?

Easy peasy.

“Alright, I’ll tell you, especially for you.”

I saw the corner of Kevin’s mouth twitch upward.

Thank goodness he’s such a gullible fool.

“Come to think of it, you said you were fighting with the professor?”

“That’s right. Which is why I desperately need your help.”

“So, you can’t do without me…”

“Yep, yep, that’s right. So, spill it.”

“Professor Cecil’s weakness is clear.”

Kevin declared confidently.

“The professor comes from the battlefield, right? Wouldn’t it be easy if you trigger his past war memories?”

“…”

I was momentarily speechless.

No…

That’s… a bit much…

“What, what’s wrong?”

“…Could you tell me something else?”

Even so, bringing up war? Wouldn’t that make me seem like a total piece of garbage?

I realized.

There are levels to morality.

“I have… trauma of making people cry.”

“Trau…? What is that, even?”

“It’s a thing.”

Kevin, after a moment of consideration, offered another suggestion.

“Professor Cecil, his left eye, his vision is a little weak.”

“Left?”

“Yeah.”

This seemed quite useful.

“Thanks.”

Thump, thump. I tapped Kevin’s shoulder and headed toward the training grounds.

“Last up.”

Perfect timing; it was my turn.

“Come on out, Rain Ortiz.”

.

.

.

The location changed.

A forest located near the Academy, just as Professor Cecil had said.

The sight of densely packed, towering trees looked both easy and difficult to escape.

“You understand the rules, I trust?”

“Yes, sir.”

“I’m the chaser. You just need to run.”

So it’s come to this.

“I hope for a different outcome than last time.”

“Thank you.”

Professor Cecil began to loosen up his body.

During that time, I put into motion the preparations I’d made, keeping a small distance.

First, the magic studies department.

[Analyzing Circuitry.]

[Activating: Wind Magic]

Whether this can even be called magic studies is debatable…

[Calculating Magic.]

But it’s magic nonetheless.

An aura of wind enveloped me. A slightly cool sensation, and the feeling of my body becoming considerably lighter.

I felt like I could easily clear two meters if I jumped now.

“Next…”

The alchemy department.

I pulled a glass bottle from my bag.

A ‘Physical Enhancement Potion,’ created using the system’s recipe, after sourcing the ingredients from Professor Felliana.

The effect lasts for exactly 30 minutes. Barely enough time.

I downed the potion in one go. It tasted like lemon.

Finally…

“Rain Ortiz, is your preparation complete?”

“It is.”

The Department of Magical Engineering.

“…What’s that?”

“You mean this?”

Initially, the plan was to construct an augmented exoskeleton. Directly enhancing the body seemed the most suitable equipment, after all.

But a week was far too little time to create something like that.

Therefore, my gaze shifted elsewhere.

Something smaller, something more efficient.

A machine perfect for escape.

─Are you certain you want to use this?

A sleek silver design.

An aura of mana swirling like mist.

A long barrel.

Do you know this?

In truth, the best escape is an attack.

“Isn’t it magnificent?”

I aimed the heavy shotgun at Professor Cecil.

“Let us begin.”

My invention is the ‘Magical Engineering Anti-Gravity Shotgun’.