60 â Midterm Exam â 3
âKyaaa?!â
A cute scream rang out. This was because the slash extending from eternity shattered Ariaâs defensive magic and created a large valley right next to her left foot.
He broke through the fluttering defensive magic and rushed towards Aria. The next magic circle was drawn at the end of the staff pointed at me, but it was already too late.
I wielded eternity. As soon as the blade touched its neck, an alarm sounded and the two of us were forced to fall. Aria, who was dazed for a moment, laughed bitterly, saying she couldnât handle it.
âWinner, Mira Crate.â
The midterm exam for practical sparring ended with Professor Jakeâs declaration. From the audience, you could hear the frustration and screams of students who had accidentally hit the wrong odds.
Even if you bet on me, you probably wouldnât have won much. I told you how much the dividend was, but did you say it was less than 1.1?
âCongratulations on first place, Mira. âI donât think Mira can handle it.â
As soon as Aria finished sparring, she stood next to me with a bright smile. She almost made it to the full time limit, but she probably knows that it was possible because I watched it myself.
Rather than feeling sad that she couldnât win, she had a happy face on her face.
She unconsciously tried to pat Priscilla on the head as she had done to Priscilla to thank her for her hard work, but she stopped. But she had already raised her hand halfway.
While I was frozen in confusion, unable to do this or that, Aria made the first move.
âEight.â
Slender fingers grabbed my wrist and guided it, placing it on top of my bright blonde hair.
Although I thought there wasnât this much distance between Aria and I, she moved her arm because she thought it wouldnât be polite to take her hand away. The brilliant blonde hair flowed softly between her fingers.
âThis is a scam! âItâs shameful!â
Brünnhild, who woke up after receiving divine healing from Rosaria, burst in and went on a rampage, calling her a fraud, but the outcome had already been decided.
Aria, in her usual friendly and soft manner of speaking, nailed her by saying, âNo decision is allowed.â Brünnhild bowed her head.
âItâs really hard to get that⦠â¦.â
What was the name of that limited edition dessert? Was it a strawberry cream puff marshmallow chocolate muffin cake?
âWould you like me to help you save it?â
ââ¦â¦ Really?â
She was so frustrated that as soon as Brünnhild told me I could help her, her eyes lit up and she clung to me. She looked at Ariaâs notice as if she was wondering if she was going to miss it, but surprisingly, Aria said that she didnât care.
âIt was an unfair bet with a predetermined outcome from the beginning. âI can show you that much mercy.â
ââ¦â¦ âJust wait and see, Aria.â
Of course, when Brunhild heard those words, her desire for revenge burned.
After parting ways with the two, I returned to the club room and found Io Brante waiting in front of it. From the looks of it, it looked like he had been waiting without even eating dinner.
I donât know why, but Roxanne, who was visiting with her, whined that she should let her in too, so she just ignored it and kicked her out. Because a meeting to deal with succubi cannot be held in a place where half-succubi are present.
As soon as Io entered the room, the sweet smell of dessert wafted in the air and made a loud noise, and Rosaria devoured the dessert plate she held out. Her eyes were shining like never before.
âHello, Io Brante. âIâm a little late in greeting you, sorry.â
âGulp! Oh, helloâ¦â¦ Oh! It was deliciousâ¦â¦ Oh no! Thank you!â
When her plate was almost empty, she spoke. Io was so startled that she gulped down what was in her mouth and hurriedly received her greeting.
âYou can speak informally since we are the same age. âDonât try to show respect in an awkward way.â
âNo. Iâm comfortable here. And, since you are not just a classmate, but also my customer⦠â¦.â
âWell, if thatâs the case. âDo whatever you want.â
Favor is given only once. Since she herself had declined, there was no need for her to be offered twice. I handed Io the materials I had prepared in advance.
My hands were trembling as I accepted the information, perhaps because it was an opportunity to earn two platinum coins as an advance payment and twice that amount if I completed it without any problems.
âJust a moment before that.â
I held the paper tightly.
âThere is nothing I canât do or refuse after seeing the material. You have to do it absolutely. âIf youâre going to refuse, now is your last chance because you havenât confirmed it yet.â
âI will never refuse! âI would do it in the sky too!â
Io desperately tried to pull the material. He quickly let go of the paper before it tore. Io finally received the material and began to examine it, holding it carefully in her arms.
âThese peopleâ¦â¦ âArenât they all noble?â
âThey are nobles, but they are far from noble lineage. If you play well, youâll be a viscount or a baron. And they also have something in common: they are very bad guys.â
To be exact, they are people possessed by a succubus. Since the original work, they have been the limbs of the Astrière family and have a history of carrying out all kinds of modifications.
In other words, it was safe to say that there was absolutely no possibility that the four people written on that piece of paper changed into good people because of me.
âIt has nothing to do with being bad or good. Because I just kill and get moneyâ¦â¦.â
Io calmly let out an extremely cruel sound and looked at the data again.
âDo you have a family? Even for me, killing a child is a littleâ¦â¦ So. I would think again if you really gave me a lot of moneyâ¦â¦ Lol.â
âEveryone is single. âIt says there is no family history.â
âYeah, thatâs right. Sorry. âI didnât see it.â
Because they are aristocrats and idiots who have not or have not entered into an arranged marriage, they have become the top targets of the succubus. That way, itâs easier when youâre cooking up various things. There is almost no risk of being caught.
Io, who had been studying his data for a while, gathered up his papers with a much more cautious look and put them in his inner pocket.
âConfirmed. I will start work starting next Monday. I also have to take a test firstâ¦â¦.â
âDo whatever you want. Arenât you asking anything else? âWhy are we trying to kill those guys?â
âThere is no need.â
Io shook his head resolutely.
âAll I have to do is finish the request and receive the money. I donât want to know unnecessary information that doesnât help resolve the request. âThe more you know, the more likely you are to be silenced.â
âThatâs wise.â
She is a woman with good posture and knows her subject well. From an employerâs point of view, hunters who are obsessed with money like that are the easiest to deal with.
Fools who are obsessed with fame often fail because they are unnecessarily honest, and assholes who are obsessed with the thrill or pleasure of hunting often end up in the wrong situation.
Before Priscilla fell to her demons, she was like a mercenary who assured her that she would be useful if she could be seduced.
âTake it. âItâs the advance payment she promised.â
From Noble mtl dot com
âHey! Okay, thank you.â
He took out two platinum coins from her pocket and threw them to her. Io let out a cute scream and caught the falling platinum flower in a parabolic curve.
âJi, a real platinum flowerâ¦â¦ I saw it for the first time⦠â¦.â
Io trembled when she saw the coin in her palm, similar to silver but a slightly different color. My legs were shaking like crazy.
âPlease keep todayâs matter a secret. If I reveal it, I canât guarantee what will happen next. It would be natural for all future requests to be cut off, right? âI bet you, there are very few employers as generous as me.â
ââ¦â¦ âCan we continue to meet in the future?â
âIf you show your skills properly.â
âI understand. Iâll see you later. âDonât worry, I will never disappoint you.â
Io, who held the platinum flower carefully in his arms, bowed his head.
I asked to go back without being seen by anyone, just in case, and Io faithfully followed my instructions, opened the window instead of the door, and disappeared into the shadows.
âWhy, is someone even watching?â
âRoxanna was with me when I came in. âI sent her after her, but she might not have gone yet.â
I donât want to mess things up for no reason, so I have to be careful.
âBut why are they suddenly trying to kill me? âDid you find anything?â
âNothing. So, I ordered it from Io.â
ââ¦â¦ âI donât quite understand.â
âHave you forgotten how finding the possessed people was done in the original work?â
âAh.â
In the original work, a warrior attacks the succubus queen and inflicts serious wounds on her, and while the queen concentrates on recovering from her wounds, she sets her plans awry and finds evidence to track down the traitor.
This means that there are no gaps. No matter how much knowledge you have of the original work, you cannot accuse something without even evidence. It would be much more difficult if their power had increased significantly like now.
Even the half-succubi that roam the human world have been âprocessedâ, so it is impossible to reveal that they are demons with human technology.
âThen we should just leave. âThey wonât know who killed them anyway, so whatâs the big deal?â
âYou are really amazing too.â
She asked a question as if she suddenly remembered Rosalia, who was shaking her head with an expression of boredom.
âIs it possible for him to kill a noble without anyone finding out? Anyway, Iâm a studentâ¦â¦.â
âIt is possible.â
Instead of me, Priscilla answered in a confident tone.
âBecause that person is 48 years old, not 18.â
ââ¦â¦ What?â
âThe reason he looks like an 18-year-old is because of the ancient artifacts he has, and the younger siblings he is supposed to take care of are actually orphans. âIâve been working as a mercenary for decades while changing her face and body, so of course itâs possible.â
âThatâ¦â¦ No⦠â¦.â
Rosaria, who had been speechless for a while, must have been so shocked, could barely form her words.
âWhy did you come to the academy at that age?â
âThey give you money.â
The last day of midterm exams has arrived. I mean, Friday evening.
Priscilla said I might not see her for 2 nights or 3 days, but she clung to me all day and didnât think about leaving. Even before she was in the throes of time.
I was barely able to be released after promising dozens of times that I would return as soon as possible.
âWhereâ¦â ⦠âI took all the supplies.â
As the schedule was suddenly changed, the school provided more than the basic items, but of course did not prevent additional items from being brought in.
I packed up magic tools containing various survival items and headed to the meeting place. The plaza was crowded with first-year students, and Professor Jaina, holding a sword and cane, was leading the students.
âCome on, come on! Entry begins! âDonât push, take turns!â
Soon after, the exam began, and students disappeared one by one through the teleportation magic circle. Since the order of entry was determined by lowest score, Brünnhild, Aria, and I were last again this time.
Even so, the difference is only about 5 to 10 minutes.
âGood luck on your exam, Mira! Aria, you too!â
âLeona, you too, do well on the exam. Mira, please cheer up too.â
Aria and Brunhild entered the dungeon first. This time it was a solo exhibition, so it seemed like we wouldnât have to see each other again for a while. When I was left alone, Professor Jaina grinned.
âWhy are you smiling like that? People are ominous.â
âAre you excited to see how quickly our great future chief will overcome the dungeon?â
The thought that something strange had been done in the dungeon rose to the top of my lungs, but I held it in. Even if he had that kind of expression on his face, he wouldnât have messed around during the midterm exam.
When I stood on the magic circle, my body was transported to a corridor made of rough stone. I looked around. The hallway was closed at the back and open at the front. Does this mean that you donât play around with the road from the beginning?
âI should go as quickly as possible.â
Even for Priscilla. As I was thinking that, I was just about to use my body strength to run away.
âWhere are you trying to go in such a hurry, Mira Crate?â
The devil appeared right in front of me and spoke to me.
My instinct was faster than I thought. Immediately, I reached out to eternity. He materialized his sword and was about to swing it, but the Demon King raised both hands high above his head. It was a hand signal commonly used to mean surrender.
âI didnât come to fight you. What would it be like to be sincere? âI only came like this because I seized the opportunity to meet you.â
âHow can I trust you?â
âI will ask you the opposite. What should I do to make you trust me?â
â⦠â¦.â
If it got that far, I thought it would be okay to pretend that I couldnât win at least once and make an offer. It is not too late to make further judgments after seeing the actions.
Except if this situation itself is a trap.@@novelbin@@
âLetâs start by taking off our coats. âYou never know whatâs hidden inside, right?â
ââ¦â¦ âYou are making truly mischievous demands from the beginning.â
I donât know why, but the demon king, whose cheeks were slightly red, reached out for the thick gray coat that wrapped his body tightly.
Without even moving his fingers, the front island slid open and fell down as if guided by the laws of nature. From his shoulders to the bottom, the womanâs skin was revealed sequentially.
Yes. A womanâs skin.
â⦠â¦.â
I stopped for a moment. This was because I checked the attire of a janitor inside that I would never have imagined a demon lord should wear.
The clothes looked quite thick and looked like they were hiding something inside and would be good for a surprise attack, so I told them to take them off first, but I really didnât expect them to be dressed like that.
âWell, donât look at it so intentlyâ¦â ⦠No matter how young you are, there is always a feeling of shameâ¦â¦.â
The devilâs voice echoed strangely in the hallway.