Please, Just Read It

Please just read it!

Chapter 31

Selection Test (6)

30 minutes.

It’s been 30 minutes since we first activated the Pathfinding.

In that time, nothing significant has happened.

If I had to pick one thing, it would be that Olivia has been intimidated by Becky’s constant bullying.

Well, it isn’t a huge deal, so let’s just move on.

Anyway.

Since our encounter with the stone giant, no other threats have shown their faces.

‘It’s peaceful, isn’t it?’

[…….]

Yeah.

It really was peaceful.

Hard to believe this was the site of a Selection Test.

[Hmm…….]

Maybe Riley felt a sense of incongruity in such strange calmness?

With a voice laced with caution, Riley spoke to me.

‘Considering how scared the administrator made us, it’s surprisingly quiet here, isn’t it?’

[……Exactly.]

As Riley said, the test was unnaturally quiet. There were no threats, and the tension that had initially filled the atmosphere had vanished.

But we couldn’t just enjoy the peace.

This was because it made no sense for the Selection Test to be this peaceful.

[…….]

When thinking back to the stone giant we faced 30 minutes ago or the “magic interference” scattered throughout these ruins…

Well.

Anyone would know this is definitely not a ‘peaceful place.’

After all, in a high-risk dungeon overflowing with various dangers, additional monsters and traps had been intentionally deployed to push the participants into peril.

How can a ruin like this be peaceful?

[That’s absurd.]

There must be some trick involved.

[Ah.]

At that moment.

A hypothesis suddenly crossed my mind.

Although it’s still just speculation…

Could this inexplicably calm situation be one of the traps set by the Five Great Towers?

A “trap” designed to instantly claim the lives of careless participants.

‘That makes sense.’

[Yeah.]

Surely those freaks from the Five Great Towers had prepared such malicious schemes.

Surprising unsuspecting participants is their favorite tactic.

‘We mustn’t let our guard down until the end.’

[Agreed. Let’s focus.]

And as expected.

My prediction was soon validated.

That ‘malicious scheme’ I feared approached us not long after.

“Becky, stop it.”

“What? What’s with the sudden… Erk…!”

Riley hurriedly grabbed Becky by the nape of her neck.

Thud─!

Becky lost her balance and fell backward awkwardly. She started to clutch her neck and roll on the ground.

“Augh! My neck!”

“…….”

“Hey! Riley! What do you think you’re doing…!”

Just as Becky was about to scold us with an annoyed expression, a spiky stone slab fell in front of her at terrifying speed.

Crash─!

“…….”

Shards from the crushed floor flew up in all directions.

If Riley hadn’t caught Becky’s nape, she would have been crushed into a meat paste by that slab.

“Uh, um…….”

Of course, as a skilled magician, Becky must have had some means of defense, but there was a more important fact at play.

That is, Becky hadn’t perceived that trap at all.

Highly modified traps.

They were designed to test high-level magicians who participated in the Selection Test.

They were therefore deadlier.

More insidious.

Far more lethal.

They were traps that couldn’t possibly be detected through casual exploration.

“…….”

What would happen if we failed to perceive such traps moving forward?

What if due to a mistake, we failed to defend ourselves?

And what if we took a fatal wound?

Gulp─.

Realizing that, Becky swallowed hard.

“You owe me a life.”

“Uh, um….”

“There’s no need to thank me, Becky. We’re on the same team, after all.”

Riley slowly continued.

“Everyone focus. Becky, and Olivia. This is just the beginning.”

And following her words.

That really was the point where true disaster began.

[Wow……. This is terrible, just terrible…….]

After that, threats began to rain down on us without pause. As if to say this was what the true Selection Test was about.

“Let’s pause for a moment. It’s the same trap as before.”

Boom, crash─!

“There’s an arrow trap ahead. Let’s throw a stone and cross.”

“Uh, um….”

Swish, crack──!

Boom, boom!

It was no exaggeration; a trap lay every 50 steps.

If we passed them without caution, we would lose our lives.

These weren’t traps designed to evaluate anyone but traps meant to kill.

[Ah, right…….]

This was a ruin.

A place not created to evaluate anyone’s abilities, but a location filled with malice where those aiming to conquer the dungeon would be killed.

The Five Great Towers that made this into a testing ground must really be crazy.

[I’m sure many have already lost their lives…….]

Thinking that, I glanced to the side.

“This cannot be unraveled. No, it is possible, but it would take too long. Let’s just turn back.”

“Huh? Ah, um….”

Before I knew it, Riley had seized the initiative of the party, leading everyone as a leader.

I wasn’t particularly worried.

With Riley around, there didn’t seem to be a chance of anyone getting into danger from the traps.

[She’s reliable.]

*

Swish─!

Boom!

Thirty times.

This was already the thirtieth.

It would have been easy to lose focus.

But Riley detected every trap without a single mistake, proposing suitable methods to bypass each one.

“Phew….”

Becky couldn’t help but truly admire Riley’s continual antics.

“How do you avoid traps so well? It’s like watching thieves in a guild.”

“……Thieves in a guild, you say?”

Riley asked back.

“Have you actually seen them?”

“No, I’m just saying.”

Becky shrugged in response.

“How would I come into contact with someone who’s soaked in darkness? I just said it to compliment you since thieves are supposed to avoid traps well.”

“Ah, right.”

In fact, even now, Becky was in contact with that ‘thief from the shadows.’

She just didn’t realize it.

Oh well…… in this case, she wouldn’t care since Riley used to be a thief.

Anyway.

That aside.

Thanks to Riley, our party was easily avoiding traps.

Her high affinity for mana, pathfinding skills, and experience as a former thief all intertwined harmoniously.

How would other magicians have responded to such traps?

Well.

I figured most would have used defense magic every time they encountered one.

They might even have wrapped themselves in mana shields that activate continuously.

[Hmm…….]

In truth, neither method was optimal.

If one were to respond to traps like that, mana would quickly deplete.

What if one ran out of mana while dealing with traps? And what if, by chance, they encountered monsters in that state?

[Ugh…….]

Just imagining it was unpleasant.

They would certainly meet a terrible end.

Just like the corpses directly in front of us.

“Aah, aagh……!”

At that moment, Olivia screamed and took a step back.

Three corpses appeared.

Familiar faces.

All were participants we had encountered in the hall just hours ago.

“L-look over there…!”

“Stop making a fuss, ancient magic fanatic. We all see it.”

The participants lay dead with wide-open eyes.

There were disgusting secretions smeared all over them, and bite marks from some beast suggested they had been attacked by a monster.

“Tch….”

Becky clicked her tongue, glancing disdainfully at the bodies.

“From the looks of the wounds, they must have been taken down by Hound-type monsters.”

“…….”

“They must have run out of mana already, not able to resist properly. It seems like they exhausted their mana passing through the field of traps, just like us.”

Having said that, Becky slightly glanced at Riley.

“Well, if we didn’t have Riley, we might have faced a similar fate.”

“…….”

“Thanks to her, we wasted no mana passing through the trap field. So, uh… she did her part as a party member. I’ll acknowledge that.”

Becky said sulkily.

By the way, what does ‘did her part’ even mean?

Hasn’t Riley essentially done it all?

“Couldn’t you just say thank you? Why must you say it so roundabout that you hurt your pride?”

“……Yeah, thanks! Thank you! I’m so grateful I could die! Do you think you need to be such a pain while I’m saying this?”

Hearing that, Riley nodded.

“Yes. I want to be a pain.”

“Why?!”

“Seems like Becky has already forgotten what she did to me.”

“What did I do to you?!”

“Right off the bat, you were ready to kill me, acted rude by calling me a pitiful magician, offered to treat me to a meal then took me to a free restaurant, and when I asked for a good inn, you suggested a place like ‘Sky Whale’s Rest’….”

Becky grimaced.

“You were the one who treated me like trash first! Called me a low-class magician!”

“Yeah, that did happen.”

“Ugh! Just because you unraveled a few traps, you’re puffing up like that? Fine! Go ahead! Show me your skills! Come at me! I dare you!”

Riley shook her head side to side.

“I’d rather not.”

“Why not!”

“If one member of the team dies, we all fail. But if we fight two of us, you’ll be the one who can’t even raise a peep before you die.”

“……What?”

“I don’t want to fail unjustly.”

“Aaaah! Stop joking! I’d die before you ever would!”

Becky grabbed Riley by the collar. And she started shaking her while yelling loudly.

“Come at me! I dare you! Hurry up!”

“Hehe.”

Riley just wore a silly grin, enjoying the sight of her head bobbing around.

“Hey! Not going to attack? Then I’ll strike first! I warned you, you know?”

“Yep, yep. Go ahead and attack all you want. If you want to fail the test that badly.”

“Aaaah! This brat! Ugh, stress! My blood pressure, ugh, my blood pressure, ah….”

Here we go again.

Yeah, for some reason, the others were unusually quiet.

[…….]

Suddenly, Riley’s words before the Selection Test replayed in my mind.

– Do you have to pick at Becky that much?

– I told you, at the very least, I’m making her pay for fooling me.

[……This is a proper cost to be exacted.]

Riley seems to be thoroughly executing the revenge she planned.

“E-everyone, please stop.”

Just then.

Olivia, who had been watching the situation, intervened.

“What are you doing in front of the deceased? At least show a minimum of respect.”

“Uh, um….”

Her stubborn attitude was quite unlike her.

Was it her first time showing such resolve?

Becky, with a reluctant expression, began to let go of Riley’s collar.

“Phew….”

As the air settled, Olivia took a deep breath. She slowly reached out her hand toward the corpses.

“If I could close their eyes so they could rest peacefully….”

Smack!

Becky slapped Olivia’s hand down.

“Ow!”

“Stop. Why stick your nose in where it doesn’t belong?”

“What do you mean it doesn’t belong? Don’t you feel sorry for them, Becky?”

Olivia asked, looking at the corpses with pity in her eyes.

“Ha, feel sorry? Not at all.”

But there was no trace of compassion on Becky’s face.

“Not one bit. They died because they were weak, after all.”

“……Huh?”

Becky continued in a cold tone.

“Hey, idiot. Don’t get it twisted.”

“…….”

“This is the Selection Test of the Five Great Towers. Anyone who dies here isn’t cut out for it in the first place. Why should I pity some idiot who doesn’t even know their place?”

“B-but can’t you at least close their eyes…!”

“Ha.”

Becky let out a sigh tinged with annoyance.

“See, this is why I find inexperienced fools so aggravating.”

“W-what do you mean by that….”

“Watch closely. Do you think I told you not to touch those corpses for no reason?”

Becky pointed at the bodies.

“Look closely. Do you see the secretions all over them? What do you think that is?”

“…….”

“That’s Hound saliva. That shiny mucus is from the monster’s spit.”

Hound saliva.

“No matter how inexperienced you are, you know what kind of monster Hounds are, right?”

“…….”

“They have a great sense of smell like wild dogs. They can track down any ‘trace’ they leave behind remarkably well.”

Becky continued.

“And among those ‘traces,’ the most representative is their saliva.”

“…….”

What would have happened if Olivia had touched the corpse trying to close its eyes?

It’s obvious.

The Hounds, which had been tracking those traces, would have turned us into their targets.

Of course, Hounds, as low-level monsters, wouldn’t pose a major risk.

But in these ruins, we must minimize risks as much as possible.

No matter how trivial the matter might be.

“Now do you understand? Don’t start meddling where it doesn’t belong. Doing some silly thing like that in a ruin could cost you your life in an instant.”

“Ah….”

Olivia drooped her head.

“I-I’m sorry…”

“Forget it. Ignorance is not a crime. Just don’t do that again next time.”

“……Yes, yes.”

*

Olivia became even more despondent. She was now staring only at the ground. That gloomy aura was enough to be infectious to the others in our party.

Step by step─.

Silence fell.

Only the sound of footsteps could be heard in the quiet atmosphere.

“Well, surprising, isn’t it?”

Riley whispered to Becky beside her, keeping her voice low so Olivia wouldn’t hear.

“What’s surprising?”

“I thought you would let Olivia touch the Hound’s traces.”

“Why?”

“Since you enjoy fighting so much, I thought you’d intentionally lure the Hounds for battle.”

Hearing those words, Becky ground her teeth and answered irritably.

“Hey.”

“What?”

“Even so, why would I act that recklessly in a ruin? I can save my own life, you know?”

That was a perfectly normal reply.

But because it drew from Becky, it lacked any convincing power.

[……This person would dare to fight a stone giant.]

Riley conveyed that thought to Becky.

“Ha!”

Becky smirked and replied.

“Hey, that’s completely different.”

“……Huh?”

“The stone giant looks powerful just by looking at it. It seems really cool. So it’s a romantic thing to fight it. There’s a sense of achievement that comes with it.”

[……What?]

Romantic?

A sense of achievement?

What nonsense is that?

“But Hounds and such fodder… Well, they’re just annoying. In other words, they’re not worth the effort at all.”

Becky wore a confident smile.

“I only fight opponents who match my caliber. That’s my belief. So yeah, I will only bloom in battles filled with romance in my heart. Got it?”

“…….”

[…….]

Silence ensued.

Becky seemed pleased with her own words as though she found satisfaction in what she said.

And both Riley and I stared at Becky like she was some kind of lunatic.

[……What a crazy girl.]

‘……What a crazy girl.’

Romantic, my foot.

As I mentioned before, romance is just childish fantasy before the face of death.

‘But Master.’

[What?]

‘Come to think of it, Master doesn’t seem to have a right to criticize Becky.’

[……Huh?]

Why not?

‘Because Master also once spoke of romance.’

[When?]

‘Six months ago at Rich’s hideout.’

[……?]

I was completely lost.

As Riley steadily began to explain.

‘You said you wanted to enter Irantes Magic Tower for the sake of romance.’

[Oh….]

‘Said that little by little, you should smash it apart with your own hands for it to feel rewarding, that’s the true romance.’

[…….]

Did I really say that?

‘So it seems only when you say it is right, while when Becky says it, it’s wrong.’

[…….]

I had no words.

I had been thoroughly defeated in logic.

Why did I ever say such foolish things before?

In the end, I was left with no choice but to utter a trite excuse.

[Th-that’s different from this.]

‘Huh?’

[Different. It’s different, anyway.]

‘Ah, right.’

Riley nodded.

‘From my perspective, both Becky and Master seem the same level to me.’

[…….]

That was one of the biggest insults I had ever heard in my life. But it was so painful that I couldn’t even argue against it.