Episode 96 Final Exam (6)
Kwakwang!
A ringing in the ears. Severe tinnitus.
“eww…….”
Saki barely opened her eyelids.
Blood flowing from his torn forehead stained his retina red. His vision was thin and red. He tried to wipe away the blood, but his arm wouldn’t listen.
Ryozo then slowly tries to get up.
One, a short moan escaped her lips. She had no choice but to lie back down, as the excruciating pain seemed to burn her entire body. If her throat hadn’t been locked, a scream would have come out instead of a moan.
What happened, what happened?
Humans can lose their memories when they are hit by a sudden shock. Saki changed her goal from waking up the body to awakening the mind.
Saki concentrated all her nerves on retrieving her lost memories with her natural intuition. However, the more she thought about it, the more her eyes and brain felt hot. Her breathing became turbulent.
I could tell instinctively.
There isn’t much time left.
She went through them one by one, reflecting on the situation as her consciousness gradually faded away.
Saki slightly lowered her eyes. A short sword with a curved blade was stuck in her collarbone, shattering it.
The moment I saw it, the outline of my vague memory suddenly became concrete.
At that moment, the sound struck her eardrums again. Saki turned her gaze to the source of the sound.
‘…Leon?’
Leon is seen resisting while covered in blood. He straightens his back and clenches his molars until they break.
The air shook every time Leon threw his fist. He had not yet fully mastered the miraculous protection, but the destructive power was strong. However, the desperate attacks were blocked by a barrier of magical power.
Saki broadened her field of vision as she took in the fierce battle.
The scars carved here and there, the sunken walls, and the floor gave a vague sense of what had happened. It was clear that they had put forth all their effort.
The opponent is a villain in full gear, while Leon is not even armed.
So the results were disastrous.
“Eee …
“Haha, even if you’re a candidate for the hero, Leon, you’re still human after all? This is so disappointing… … . I feel like something is lacking for Master Permish. And most of all… Agor died at the hands of a guy like this? Aren’t you going to tell that professor to go away? What do you think, Paul?”
Erio asked the male instructor, Paul, while grabbing Leon’s side flesh. Paul narrowed his eyes and looked at Leon, then answered.
“Hmm- but didn’t you endure Erio-sama’s attacks for over 20 minutes in this place that is roughly similar to the ecosystem of the Demon Realm? And you even returned your weapons. There is some doubt about Agor-sama’s death… … . It is highly likely that you were in a bad mood with your possessed body because you were possessed in a hurry. And since there was a sword master at the scene at the time, what the professor said may not be entirely false.”
“Maybe my expectations were too high. But judging from the fact that he held out well with his bare hands, he’s not completely an empty shell. Ha- If Master Permish can get possessed by this guy and adapt well, things will go well.”
“I am sure the new lord will be satisfied.”
“I wish it were so. The original owner, Agor, passed away, and we had nowhere to go, so he took us in and even made a contract with us. Thanks to him, we⎯”
As if sensing something, Erio cut off the conversation and glanced around. Then, the end of her gaze turned to Saki.
“Oh, what? Are you awake?”
Finally, an ominous ring appeared in Erio’s eyes. Saki felt a chill run down her spine at the sight of the strangely shining eyes.
“… … .”
“Paul, I’ll go talk to Saki for a minute. Keep an eye on Leon so he doesn’t lose his breath.”
“all right.”
Erio approached with light steps, as if he was so excited. As his steps got closer, the smell of death grew thicker. A chill ran through his entire body.
‘Is this how I die?’
Until recently, Saki’s life had been neither fun nor interesting. The repetitive, boring routine and the bleak home environment had only accumulated layers of emptiness inside her.
People die someday.
The heroes at the forefront of the battlefield are the ones who came first.
Saki Ryozo’s meek admission to Joaquin Academy was not out of devotion to humanity, but to find a justification for death.
But now Saki no longer wanted to die. Because she had found someone who made her feel affection and attachment to life.
Erio, who had come up to the foot of the stairs, stared blankly at Saki, then crouched down. Then he tilted his head and opened his lips.
“Does it hurt a lot?”
There was a deep dryness in Erio’s speech and eyes. She poked the end of the hilt of the sword embedded in her collarbone with her fingernail. Her lips parted reflexively at the pain that made her teeth tremble.
“Ugh… … .”
“Wow, that’s still amazing. You manifested your protection at that moment and slowed down the transmission of the poison. And you came to your senses shortly after. But since you were going to die anyway, was that lucky or not? Well, either way, I’ll admit that you were amazing.”
“… … .”
“I even acted to fool you. I was the target, wasn’t I?”
Erio giggled and whined. Saki chewed her lower lip and squeezed out her voice.
“…Why…doing something like this… … .”
“Poohahaha-!”
When Saki asked with a frown, Erio suddenly burst into rage.
A sinister and ominous laugh echoed through the tower. The next moment, Erio’s face quickly lost its expression, and a coldness returned to his pupils.
“I thought you were a little smart, but I guess you’re still a kid. Anyway, kids these days just harden their minds quickly, but their ideas are still the same.”
Erio brought his lips close to Saki’s ear and whispered.
“…I’m seriously crazy.”
Saki roared fiercely. Erio rested his chin on his knee with one arm and held the hilt of his sword with the other hand.
“How are you? Does it hurt a lot?”
Saki let out a silent scream. She couldn’t even open her eyes properly because of the convulsions that were coming. Erio observed her reaction with dry eyes and spoke softly.
“You may think I’m a crazy bitch, but I was just born different. Oh, and the reason I stabbed you is simple. I was disappointed in you, Saki. You may not know me, but I’ve known you for a long time. Until recently, I even thought you and I were the same.”
“… … .”
“You may not have noticed, but I’ve been watching you for a long time. I felt like your unique, bored eyes were similar to mine. But I almost got caught several times during that time~. We used to hang out together. His name was Ganggeomma, I think? He had such a keen eye.”
A drop of blood dripped down the hilt of the sword.
“Anyway, since you seem to have the same skepticism about humanity as I do, I thought I’d introduce you to Master Permish. Our lord cherishes a friend who lacks emotions like you. But what the heck? Suddenly, he turned his back on me and told me to carry him. That’s when I made up my mind. Ah, he’s just a human after all~.”
Erio shrugged. Then she sat up from her crouching position and stretched.
“Since we’ve chatted this much, I guess the road to the afterlife won’t be that lonely, right? Well then, thanks~.”
Erio suddenly turned around and waved his hands. Saki looked at his back, and the color drained from her face, and the life drained from her eyes.
‘I want to live.’
I prayed without realizing it, with a desperate and desperate heart.
I finally feel like life is fun, and I have someone I want to accomplish things with.
‘please.’
I know there is no god.
‘Anyone is fine.’
If you’re still listening.
‘Help me.’
I hope this voice reaches you.
Hit the button!
At that moment, someone’s footsteps were heard. Saki barely raised her head, which was gaining weight. At the same time, her eyebrows trembled. Was it a flash of light before death?
What caught her eye was the person she had been longing for. A boy with thick black hair. He looked at her, panting.
A warm stream of water ran down her cheek. Saki moved her lips, trying to focus her hazy gaze.
“…Sword…Maya.”
A pitch-black background began to surround her vision. Still, Saki clenched her teeth.
“… Please… help me.”
Kanggeomma nodded. Only then did Saki surrender her mind to the sense of relief that was rushing in.
* * *
“Master Sword-! Let’s go together!”
Choi Seol-ah suddenly stepped onto the fifth floor of the tower, chasing the tail of the swordsman who suddenly stomped his feet and ran up the stairs in one breath.
She took a deep breath and took a moment to catch her breath. She had only used convenient magic so far, and had neglected physical training, so her stamina was in shambles. Her vision was blurry and her Adam’s apple was numb.
“Huh? Is it Seol-ani?”
A familiar voice pierced her ears. The tone was sweet yet ominous. Choi Seol-ah raised her head without even catching her breath. She called out the name briefly with a blank expression.
“…Eri…Oh, sir?”
Erio Fine. Since she was also a villain, that wasn’t her real name. However, since she always introduced herself by that name, she was just called Erio.
A woman who is a senior among the villains who served the commander. Not only is she skilled, but her skills in handling fire magic are unparalleled. After her master died, her whereabouts were unknown, so who would have thought she was disguised as a cadet?
The male instructor next to him also had a familiar face. Was his name Paul? He was a man with a characteristically gloomy atmosphere. He was also one of Agor’s stallions.
‘Why are those two together?’
Instead of feeling happy, Choi Seol-ah felt bewildered by the unexpected situation. On the other hand, Erio clapped his hands loudly to welcome Choi Seol-ah.
“Oh my, oh my, it’s nice to see you here, kid! How have you been?”
“… Ah, yeah, well.”
Seol-ah Choi nodded dryly. He wasn’t the villain she was originally close with, and she didn’t want to get close to him. Seol-ah Choi quickly collected her thoughts and looked around.
Leon was thrown to the ground like a toy, and in the distance, the blue-haired female cadet’s breathing was becoming quieter.
But wait. That girl was also in the same club as Geomma-nim and was close with him… …? She gulped and looked away.
“!”
A swordsman stands with his back turned where your eyes meet.
A look that was completely expressionless and almost colorless. Seeing that, Choi Seol-ah felt goosebumps all over her body.
They say that anger that has surpassed the threshold is cold.
That was exactly the state of Ganggeomma.
Choi Seol-ah, then and now, wanted to live.
Didn’t they say that even rolling in dog shit is better than this life? She had many things she wanted to eat and many things she wanted to do.
I could tell because she was obsessed with that kind of life. The indescribable pressure weighing on her shoulders, the thick smell of death.
At least in Choi Seol-ah’s eyes, it was taking on a physical form and emanating from the strong sword.
At that moment, Erio’s voice was heard from the front.
“Ah, Seol-ah! Do you want to make a contract with Permish-nim while you’re at it? A timid person like you needs a new master. I’ll talk things through with Permish-nim!”
“… … .”
Choi Seol-ah hesitated and remained silent.
‘As soon as the leader of the map, Agor, died, he waited and made a contract with another legion commander, and that’s bullshit.’
Erio tilted her head with a puzzled expression. Then, she turned her gaze slightly towards Kanggeomma and spoke in a friendly manner.
“The black-haired guy in front of him. Was he Sashimi Kensei? A genius cadet who broke the Iron Horn. He was no joke. But what can I do, even you, can you fight three villains in this environment? You don’t even have any weapons. Look, Leon, the so-called hero candidate, has become a total rag.”
Erio points to Leon with a smile. The male instructor next to him also has a crooked smile on his lips.
“… … .”
Amidst the swearing and ridicule, Kang Geum-ma silently extended his hand behind him. Choi Seol-ah, who was behind him, flinched.
“Huh, huh?”
Choi Seol-ah looked at his palm and the back of his head alternately. And immediately she realized what the gesture meant.
Choi Seol-ah rolled her head as she held her breath. Her brain felt like it was spinning like a top.
In a split second, she eliminated and judged countless cases. Which side should she take here?
If we consider the possibilities, the probability of survival would be overwhelmingly higher if you hit the back of the head of the strong swordsman here and stick to the other side.
Moreover, Kang Geum-ma was the boy who treated him like a dog. If he wanted revenge, now would be the perfect opportunity.
But what is this eerie sensation, this feeling rising from the tips of my toes? The air current becomes increasingly violent and soon begins to flow backwards.
Choi Seol-ah slowly closed and opened her eyes. It was a moment when determination was engraved in her eyes. She put her hand into her subspace pocket and stirred it.
Kiririn⎯
A smooth sword sound was pulled out from the subspace pocket. In Choi Seol-ah’s hands were two sashimi sticks drawn.
Choi Seol-ah knelt down and bent her waist. She bowed her head and held the sashimi high.
“Your Majesty the Swordman.”
Villain Choi Seol-ah asked while holding a knife.
“I accept you as my new master.”
“… … .”
The words never came back.
-Instead.
Kwaaak.
Kang Geum-ma grabbed the sashimi.
