Quit The Hero Party

EP.58 Rotten Thing (1)

On the morning of the exam day, Resti sipped the tea brewed by the maids of Apuria and closed her exam paper.

Hoo…

A light mist escaped with her sigh.

Though it was spring, the early morning in Apuria was chilly. To concentrate, she had kept the window open while studying, causing the room’s temperature to drop significantly.

…

Resti silently gazed out the window.

The sun was rising. It seemed she had stayed up all night. Still, her mood wasn’t too bad.

Well, at least I’ve tried all the questions once.

Mana Trading Studies, Basic, Midterm Exam.

Resti glanced at the exam paper they had distributed earlier, nodding slightly.

She still hadn’t solved question 8. Yet, she had fully grasped questions 6 and 7.

I just hope I can solve them in time.

The calculation was particularly complex, requiring focus no matter how many times she tried, but… it should be fine. She had practiced several times already.

With the rising morning sun shining on her, Resti stood up. After washing her face and changing into her uniform, she finished preparing to head out.

She doubted a few hours of sleep would truly alleviate her tiredness. Better to just pull an all-nighter, she thought.

Clatter.

Carrying her notebook and writing tools, she left the Central Academic Hall. The chill of the early morning air dispelled her drowsiness.

There were three hours left until the exam.

Resti headed towards the reading room near the classroom. She wanted to solve the problems at least once more in an atmosphere similar to that of the exam.

…

How long had it been since she started walking?

On her way to the reading room, Resti suddenly felt an unsettling sensation.

…This isn’t right?

This was not the direction to the reading room.

She was in a corridor lined with professors’ research rooms, the opposite direction from the reading room.

Had she mistaken the path due to her drowsiness?

No, that wasn’t it. Resti felt clear-headed, and the layout of Apuria was hard to mistake. The uneasiness only grew at that realization.

…Something feels strange.

Just as that unease began to shift into suspicion…

Ashen.

A voice echoed.

Resti turned to where the voice came from.

Despicable Ashen.

The voice grew closer.

There were no footsteps; only the voice drew near.

I’ve heard your story, you despicable Ashen chaser, child.

The approaching voice was eerie.

It resonated with a darkness that was too low to be human, yet too distinct to be an animal.

Your tales are amusing. Even after centuries, you remain unchanged. Yes, that’s why Ashen is the most despicable. It seems you could not learn from the kingdom that birthed them.

The voice slithered along the floor. The low tone gradually consumed Resti from her toes.

Even now, after centuries, you have not changed at all. You are the proof of that.

Resti’s consciousness began to sink slowly.

I remember the Ashen Elf. I am also like you, child. You resemble me.

A pile of bones crawled up the wall.

Unknowable things swarmed. Her eyes refused to accept the incomprehensible.

Thus, her pupils dilated in shock.

Before the darkened pupils, the owner of the voice reached out a hand.

Won’t you ■■■■■■■?

Beyond the broken voice, a gaunt bone joint was visible.

Blood flowed from the skinned bone joint. What was that black blood? Resti pondered in her hazy mind.

That black blood belonged to the Betrayer.

The moment she realized this, her dilated pupils snapped back to normal. Resti’s eyes widened.

Yes, that’s how it should be.

Someone was rather pleased at that sight.

He lightly tapped Resti’s forehead.

I will call you when you are ready.

Resti’s vision flipped upside down.

*

Blink.

Resti opened her eyes. She wasn’t asleep. Upon opening her eyes, she found herself standing in her spot. She was still holding her notebook.

Just a single blink.

That was all the time that had passed.

…What was that?

Resti kept blinking. For some reason, her eyes felt dry. She stood there blankly, lost in thought.

…The exam…

…Quick! At this rate, I’ll be late…

She heard voices.

Someone brushed past Resti. They were students. Startled, Resti tilted her head in confusion.

Why are they in such a hurry?

There were still three hours until the exam.

Thinking that, she turned her gaze and suddenly looked out the window. The sun was high up in the sky and shining brightly.

…Huh?

Resti felt something was wrong.

In a hurry, she took out her watch to check the time. There were only 10 minutes left until the exam began.

Three hours had vanished.

In just one blink, it had disappeared entirely.

It felt as though she were possessed by a ghost.

Resti hurriedly moved her feet. The steps were urgent. Though she was rushing, each step felt weak.

Thud.

Resti collapsed to the floor.

Her legs had lost strength.

Ugh…

As she rubbed her weak ankle, Resti suddenly looked at her palm.

Her palm was red.

…Blood?

The blood wasn’t flowing from her palm.

Blood continued to drop. Where was it falling from? Resti raised her head.

Her reflection displayed in the glass.

That face was pale. Blood flowing from her nose stained her lips red. Her eyes were bloodshot.

No one could mistake that face for anything normal.

—

2.

Mana Trading Studies, Basic.

The midterm for this subject was held as planned. Unlike other subjects, the midterm for this course was unique.

When the students received the exam papers, they did not feel confusion or unfamiliarity. Instead, they felt familiarity. After all, it had been nearly a week since they had last seen the exam paper.

Though they had only seen questions 6, 7, and 8, the familiarity emanating from the paper couldn’t be disguised.

The exam lasts for 90 minutes.

And then, the exam began.

Most students started solving from question 6. Questions 7 and 8 were already out of their minds. After a week of preparation and classes, even question 6 proved too much for the students.

They wrote down solutions based on what they had memorized. However, just halfway through, they hit a wall.

A few outstanding students reached the end of question 6.

Yet even they could not answer it. The path forward was far too complicated.

Thirty minutes had passed since the exam started.

Now it was hard to find any student still tackling question 6. Instead of challenging themselves with something beyond their capabilities, they focused on the remaining problems.

And then they realized.

The remaining problems weren’t exactly easy either.

Question 1 is easy.

Question 1 only dealt with the basics. Students did not take a full minute to solve it.

Question 2 is doable too.

Though it took a bit more time, it was a problem easily solved when applying the calculation from question 1.

Question 3 is… complicated.

That was where the students began to separate.

Some stacked their calculations to solve the problem. Others remained stuck at question 3.

Question 4…

Only a few students reached question 4.

The solving method remained the same as question 1. However, the number of equations to stack was on a different level.

Many students started to hit a wall at question 4.

Only a handful managed to write down answers for question 4.

Question 5.

Only a very small number of students reached question 5.

It was in question 5 that differentiation occurred. Question 5 could not be solved with the existing methodology.

One had to twist the approach.

The moment one hits upon that idea, the answer could be quickly found. And where does that idea come from?

Circuits are ultimately the total sum of runes.

Please break down the circuit according to that meaning.

It came from the knowledge built from previous lessons.

Lac touched upon that idea.

Belnoa did the same. They had attended Professor Rania’s classes closely.

They used the insights gained then to tackle the problem.

Ayla utilized her innate intuition for problem-solving. The direction in which she should go was clear to her. All she needed to do was follow that path.

Thus, each student harnessed their own methods to solve the problems.

Thud.

Time passed just like that.

Drip, patter.

Until they heard that sound.

Patter.

It sounded like droplets of water falling. Wondering if it was raining, someone looked out the window. It wasn’t raining; the sky was clear.

Did someone spill water?

At that moment, it was important to focus on the exam. Most students pretended not to hear that sound.

Huh?

However, they soon heard a sound they couldn’t ignore.

Blood… R-Resti, you…

A female student pushed her chair back. She stood up. The classroom became noisy.

Eventually, a few students turned around.

…

At the back of the class, there was a student with her head down.

She was covering her mouth and nose with her hand while moving her pen. The pen trembled lightly.

Eventually, she dropped her pen.

The pen rolled across the floor.

Ah.

She stared blankly at her pen rolling on the ground.

The hand that had covered her mouth fell away.

Revealed was a face smeared with a long streak of blood. Her palm was stained bright red.

That face was pale.

Her lips quivered.

Cough.

A dry cough sent droplets of blood flying.

With that, Resti Elenoa collapsed onto her desk. Chaos erupted in the classroom.

And…

…

Standing at the podium, Raniel looked down on everything with cold eyes.

—

3.

During the exam, one student vomited blood and collapsed. But that wasn’t all. Several students had seizures. Most of the professors were taken aback by these occurrences. They were individuals who hadn’t experienced the battlefield.

In contrast…

Where’s the knight’s garrison?

A professor was immediately looking for knights.

Professor Mackhart was one such individual. Although he hadn’t visibly contributed, Mackhart had experience on the battlefield.

Contact the knights at once; we need to call for reinforcements.

The students’ collective fainting.

And the signs of poisoning appearing in their bodies.

They’ve been poisoned by magic.

He recognized those symptoms immediately.

Having arrived at the garrison, Mackhart realized he didn’t even need to step forward.

Many knights were forming ranks.

It seemed as if they had anticipated such an incident from the start.

And at the center stood the Hound he had met previously. After issuing a brief command, he headed somewhere. The direction he was headed was towards the roof of Apuria.

—

*

On the roof of Apuria.

The two perched there clicked their tongues while gazing at the forest. Though invisible to the eyes of normal people, the forest was teeming with magical energy for them.

It seems like it’s about to start.

Tracker Kalt spoke up.

This is why I dislike altars. Until they’re completed, I have no idea how they’ll be positioned or through whom they’ll be mediated.

Tsk, he clicked his tongue.

Not knowing who the medium is remains a weak point. Once it’s revealed, we can start working right away.

I have a rough idea.

What?

At that question, the Ashen Mage replied matter-of-factly.

I have a rough idea, but I can’t touch it, which makes it all the more frustrating. You know? The altar is a pain in that once a target is selected, nothing can be done before the ritual.

…I know well enough.

Kalt shook his head.

He had seen that altar on the battlefield.

If you stimulate it poorly from the outside, thinking about what was created… it still gives me chills.

Yeah, and if the chosen one is… touching it wrong would mean creating another Heavenly King.

…Is it really that much?

Just think of it as someone with talent similar to mine.

…Someone with talent on par with the Ashen Mage?

Could someone like that be in Apuria? Momentary curiosity flared, but he hesitated to ask.

It doesn’t quite seem like the right atmosphere.

Leaning against the roof, Raniel frowned.

Let’s hope they pull through.

Isn’t that going to be difficult?

They don’t seem weak-willed. Plus, I’ve taken measures as well.

Sighing heavily, Raniel continued.

Really, timing has been atrocious.

What do you mean?

It was midterm exams today.

…What do you mean by that?

Raniel cracked his wrist, the sound ominous.

It means it’s an exam I’ve put a lot of effort into. I’ve spent two weeks dedicated to this one exam. Given the curriculum, retaking it won’t be easy.

…Really?

It was just a damn examination I worked hard on, and now it’s all ruined thanks to that damned altar. How do you think I feel about that?

…Uh, I’ve never been to an academy, so I’m not quite…

Kalt pondered how to react to his former superior’s words. It seemed he was angry about something, but not knowing the cause was the problem.

…In situations like this, hiding is generally the answer.

Sadly, that wasn’t an option now. Not to mention, Kalt also had to deliver the kind of information that could provoke his superior.

…This might be a disaster.

Slowly, Kalt took a deep breath and gazed at Raniel. Just as he gathered his resolve to speak, Raniel cut in.

What is it?

Uh, uh?

If you have something to say, say it quickly. Don’t waste time.

Under that gaze, Kalt felt a chill. Despite the change in appearance, the sharpness of the gaze remained unchanged.

Gulp.

Kalt swallowed dryly and spoke.

Uh, I mentioned before that there would be reinforcements, didn’t I?

You did.

Well, they’ve been sent to where the altar is opening, so the chance of running into them is minimal…

Stop dragging it out and just say it plainly.

Kalt squeezed his eyes shut and answered.

The reinforcements are Hero Kyle Toven! Additionally, there’s a high likelihood the Saint and the Archery Master will also come to support!

He blurted it out loudly.

Kalt had been working alongside Raniel and Kyle. In other words, he was someone who had witnessed the actions of the Saint and Archery Master up close.

Because of that, when Kalt heard news of Raniel’s retirement, he had an inkling.

Ah, at last, something is about to burst.

I can already tell there was bound to be some explosive situations…

Even if it were the Hero, the fact that both the Saint and the Archery Master were joining forces would surely invoke fury from this mage. Kalt steeled himself, bracing for a potential backlash as he waited for Raniel’s response.

…

However, a long moment passed without any reaction. Kalt slowly opened his eyes. He found Raniel staring down at him.

What’s that?

Uh?

What’s that, you punk?

He looked perfectly unfazed.

At this scale, the Hero Party should have rushed right in. Isn’t it more unusual if they didn’t?

…Oh, that’s true?

What were you hiding that for? Afraid I’d get mad?

Uh, well… that’s right.

Raniel laughed incredulously.

Kalt.

Y-yes?

I distinguish between public and private. At least during public matters, I won’t recklessly dash at the Hero Party.

At those words, Kalt breathed a sigh of relief.

However, he soon realized something strange.

…Then what about in private?

Well…

Crack.

As Raniel cracked his fingers, he grinned.

I might just give them a smack or two.

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