CHAPTER 66 - ACT 1 (3)

“A-Ahhhh!”

Soren screamed, collapsing to the floor, hands clutching his head as tears streamed down his face.

His body shook uncontrollably, his chest tight, breaths coming in jagged gasps.

“I-It wasn’t supposed to…! W-Why… why?!” His voice cracked, broken by sobs.

His eyes trembled as the crimson blood of the fallen stained his clothes.

Each heartbeat thudded painfully in his ears.

Dash!

A black figure flashed past, landing on the wall next to him.

[Heehee… My lord will be pleased, right? Heehee.]

The creature’s laughter crawled over him like ice, its fingers tracing the blade of the dagger it held.

[Heehee, I can’t wait to be praised.]

Soren’s stomach lurched, panic and guilt knotting together inside.

‘I tried… Why? Why did it end up like this?’

Everything felt unreal, like he was outside his own body, watching it happen but powerless to stop it.

* ••✦ ♡ ✦•••

The day of the practical exam had arrived; in other words, it was the day Act 1 of the story finally ended.

Only once the sun rose once more would the story have finally begun in full swing.

Although it was such a momentous day, to Soren it meant something different.

It was his final chance to fix everything.

He had been working day and night ever since that night at the catacombs to put together a plan to fix everything.

There were a multitude of things that needed to be fixed, but the main priorities for Soren were as follows:

– To push Alex to become stronger.

– To create a relationship between Alex and Amelia so that she would be by his side, rather than Soren’s.

As long as at least those two goals were completed, then Soren could rest easily.

Felix and Lilliana were characters that, even though they appeared in the game, were largely unimportant, meaning Soren didn’t need to do anything there.

Then, Esper and Louise were both characters who simply did not exist in TKS.

The only thing that mattered today was creating a reason for Amelia to stay by Alex’s side.

Soren didn’t care if it wasn’t the exact same as in the game, but he knew that Alex would need Amelia in the future, and although Soren enjoyed being with Amelia, he was fully aware of what was more important.

‘It’s not like we won’t ever talk again either.’ He thought to himself as he sat, waiting in the auditorium.

The sun streamed through the windows as the humid heat made his clothes stick to his skin; it once again made Soren realise that summer had truly arrived.

“「Breeze」”

He created a small gust of wind in his palm, making sure to severely reduce the power of the spell, and to continuously infuse mana so that the cool air wouldn’t dissipate.

‘Magic really is the best.’

It was as Soren was cooling himself off with magic that someone finally stepped out onto the podium at the front of the auditorium.

[Ahem!]

A woman stood before the lectern, clearing her breath and pulling down the hood from her cloak.

As the hood left her head, her pale-blonde hair cascaded down like a waterfall, shimmering under the magic lanterns of the auditorium as her long ears twitched from the feeling of warm air touching them.

The chatter of the students immediately ceased the moment the woman's identity on stage was revealed.

Soren even noted that a few boys' faces had turned crimson at the sight of the high-elf, likely experiencing something akin to love at first sight.

‘I don’t blame them.’ He thought to himself as he directed his gaze towards the woman.

[Greetings, I am Dorothy Ibrahim, the principal of this lovely academy. It brings me great joy to stand before you first-years today, as we come to the close of your first semester at Stellaris Academy. I would like to commend you all for the diligence and perseverance you have demonstrated thus far. Beginning your studies here is no small undertaking, and each of you has already demonstrated the ability and resolve required to walk the path of a Stellaris Academy student.

It is now time to take the next step in your journey: the practical examination. This trial is designed not merely to assess your progress but to give you the opportunity to apply your knowledge and skills beyond the classroom. It will test your skills, your creativity, and your ability to think under pressure. In this way, the exam is as much a measure of growth as it is of aptitude.

Know that we, your instructors, do not look for perfection, but for promise, for the spark that, with further guidance, can become mastery. Approach the challenge with clear minds and steady hearts, and you will see just how far you have already come.

Now I will hand over the explanation of the practical examination to the dean of arcane studies.]

As Dorothy’s speech came to a close, applause rang out across the entire auditorium.

Then a new figure emerged from the curtain at the end of the stage: a woman with dark green hair and light green skin, which made her appear almost inhuman.

‘A dryad…’

It was Soren’s first time seeing a dryad in person, leaving him wide-eyed, much like many other students around him.

Dryads in Ivansia were a rare, almost extinct species.

They were born from the branches of the world tree, which lies in the kingdom of Yggdrasil, the elven kingdom, and, much like elves, were blessed by Minerva, the goddess of life.

Unlike elves, however, dryads were closer to spirits than humans, which meant they were much more in tune with nature than any other species, allowing them to utilise the all-powerful spirit magic without having to forge contracts.

[I am Neyla, Dean of Arcane Studies. As Headmistress Dorothy has already outlined, it now falls to me to provide you with the details of today’s practical examination.

The task before you is straightforward: to reach the end of a labyrinth.

This labyrinth, constructed by the Headmistress herself, is imbued with both illusory traps and golem guardians, each intended to hinder your progress. While these constructs are products of advanced magical engineering, do not mistake them for harmless diversions. A lack of caution or foresight may still result in injury, so approach with care.

Your performance will be evaluated across several measures: adaptability, strategy, and even teamwork. On that note, you will be placed into groups of four upon arrival at the examination site. These groups have been determined in advance by your professors after careful consideration, as such, reassignment of team members will not be permitted. Any attempt to exchange places with another student will result in immediate failure of the examination.

That concludes the explanation. Your professors will now escort you to the testing grounds.

Face the challenge with confidence, work together with trust, and let this trial reveal not only the strength of your body, but the strength of your spirit. Today, you have the chance to show just how brightly your potential can shine.]

With Neyla’s final words spoken with a warm smile, the homeroom professors of each class began rounding up their students and escorting them towards the test location.

In the process, Soren made eye contact with Lilliana, and they both exchanged smiles, and just as he was about to turn away, Lilliana parted her lips and mouthed a sentence of encouragement aimed at Soren.

– Good luck, Ren

Soren thanked her internally as he continued on his way towards the exam site.

Once every student had arrived, the teaching assistants went down each of the lines and handed each student a sheet of paper listing the members of their teams.

When someone finally reached Soren, he reached out and took the sheet of paper, only to raise his eyebrow skeptically.

“Should I call this lucky or not…?”

Listed on his sheet of paper were four names, two of which, not including himself, were a familiar sight.

– Soren Arden (Arcane Studies) Class F

– Felix (Arcane Studies) Class B

– Lyra (Divine Studies) Class D

– Yuli Enron (Martial Studies) Class E

Of those he recognised, there was Felix, who Soren already knew was strong, and Yuli Enron, Soren’s opponent from the first mock duel.

The reason Soren wasn’t sure whether this was fortunate or not, however, was the way he had ended the duel: he had completely humiliated Yuli when he had already lost.

Then, although Felix was strong, he was a defensive magician, meaning that the fighting itself would be left to Soren and Yuli.

The only name on the list that was new to Soren was the name Lyra, a student in the divine studies major, but given her class D placement, he was sure she would at least be able to pull her weight.

‘Should I go find them then?’

Soren left his now deformed line and headed towards the area where he had seen class B students standing earlier; within seconds, he spotted the NTR antagonist lookalike.

“Hey!” Soren said with a slightly raised voice as he smacked Felix’s back.

“I take it you’ve already seen it then?”

“Yep. Not sure if it’s good or not, though,” he said with a shrug.

“True, who knows if that guy’ll hold a grudge against you.”

“Let’s just hope not. Should we go find them?”

“Sure, it doesn’t look like they’re coming over here.”

The two of them wandered around the area near the exam site for a few minutes until they finally spotted a pair of students arguing.

One of them was a small raccoon beastkin, clutching a wooden staff in her hands as her tail drooped; the other was a familiar face, a slightly arrogant-looking knight, leaning against their sword, which was planted in the ground.

Soren grabbed the clueless Felix and strolled over towards the pair, cautiously greeting them once an opening had revealed itself.

“Hey there, I’m pretty sure we’re on the same team.”

As Yuli turned to face Soren, he immediately grimaced.

“It was you after all.”

Soren smiled awkwardly as he turned his attention to the small raccoon girl.

“I’m guessing you’re Lyra?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m Soren, and this guy is Felix.”

“I can read, you know.”

Soren’s eyebrow twitched at the clearly aggressive tone as he turned back towards Yuli with a questioning gaze, as if asking why she was acting like that.

“The brat was complaining that she was the only girl.”

“Ah.”

Instead of responding, Soren simply nodded his head, understanding her thought process before parting his lips to speak once more.

“Lyra? Don’t worry, I’ll keep Felix away from you.”

It was the least he could do for his temporary teammate.

Felix’s sigh was heard, but he didn’t bother arguing, knowing he would only lose if he tried.

————「❤︎」————