Episode 153. Last evaluation
“Isn’t that the story of coming in with your real identity?”
Let’s think about it calmly for a while. It was a little surprising, but not frightening.
If you look at his nuance, it seemed to mean that he would simply protect my family, who could be my weakness.
“of course. why? Do you want to stir up controversy that Salem Yedidiah, the empire’s worst wanted criminal, has gone under the command of Count Cromwell?”
“It was so sudden that I said it for granted.”
“It’s not that surprising. It’s not like I’m going to stay forever, it’s only one year. And I couldn’t fully analyze the Bible you gave me. Studying here for a year wouldn’t be a bad story.”
As long as Salem’s true identity is not revealed, he will be welcomed with open arms.
Because of the faction issue of the meeting, there could be checks from other warlocks, but it is said that it will be blocked at the source.
‘If I knew that Salem was attached to me, I wouldn’t be able to move recklessly.’
And that wasn’t all.
Right now, he said he would only stay for a year, but he never knew how the situation would change.
Maybe this or that thing overlapped and it could have been under me all the time.
“Hey, thank you. If Salem is by your side, you can feel at ease.”
“Instead, there are conditions.”
“…Didn’t you just help me because you received so much from me?”
“Am I Hogu?”
There was nothing to say about Salem’s confident words.
I nodded my head, wanting to see if I could hear what the conditions were.
“What are the conditions?”
“I am a wizard too. And research requires money.”
“I never thought Salem would be short on money.”
“Ever since, he is a wanted criminal for the Empire. Do you think you have a decent source of income? Still, thanks to my lack of skills, I have been begging here and there, but the moment I settle down in one place, that is impossible.”
I hadn’t even thought of this.
If you still need money, but you have to give it to Salem, you won’t be able to pull out the ‘strong’ character for a while.
‘Still, being able to hire Salem with money is a great advantage.’
The question is, how much do you really need?
“You don’t have to take it so seriously. While I’m begging the Cromwells, I’ll try to make my own money. More than anything, your brother’s business is doing better than expected. With my connections and help, I will grow much more than I do now.”
“Amy’s business is that big?”
The last time I checked, it was about 1/10 of the money I made from patents.
Of course, it was unavoidable because it was a newly formed guild, so the expenses were higher than the income, but it was questionable whether he was earning enough to cover Salem.
Frankly, I didn’t think that Salem would be happy if I spent all the money I was making on patents.
“okay. I heard that you have a small share in the upper ranks, but let’s talk about my salary with your brother.”
“All right.”
“okay. Let’s go back and finish talking about work.”
Salem stood up, ordered a beer straight from the counter, and returned with a satisfied smile.
Regardless of his age, that mischievous expression didn’t suit him that well.
“It will be pretty fun. The time of one year from now and the work after that one year has passed. Can you really eat the meeting?”
“If I become the owner of the meeting, will Salem come to the meeting then?”
“Am I crazy? If you go in, go in now when the owner is gone… …. No, if you make it good for eating, would you go and swallow it then?”
I know it’s a joke, but it’s a little scary when Salem says it.
Come to think of it, I know that the reason Salem didn’t join the rally was because he hated being tied down somewhere, but it was surprising to see that he was willing to be with me.
Although it was only for one year, even that one year felt like a great concession for Salem.
“Amy doesn’t know Salem’s identity, right?”
“For now, I hid my identity. I plan on hiding it from now on. There’s nothing good about finding out.”
Salem, who drank the beer he ordered, got up from his seat.
“You probably know him as a guy who uses his strength in the dark circles of politics or the underworld. I’d rather be happy if I entrusted myself to the Cromwell family for a year or so. Your brother is smarter than you think.”
“Are you Amy?”
What the hell do you think of our naive Amy?
It was unbelievable, but I knew that he had a strong side, so he was a trustworthy younger brother.
“Let’s go home and finish the story.”
“All right.”
As much as I had to return to the academy, Amy’s doctor was more important to me in this matter.
If she said no, I was going to try to convince her somehow.
‘Salem offers escort and help for a few pennies, but if I refuse, it’s a loss.’
1 year ahead.
If it was short, it was short, if it was long, it was a long time, but it was enough time to make a change.
* * *
Now, the academy is in a mess due to the final evaluations that are just a week away.
In particular, the 4th grade students, who will be graduating next year, all looked serious enough to have furrows on their foreheads.
“Long time no see?”
While sitting in the classroom and waiting for the lecture to begin soon, an unexpected person spoke to me.
She casually sat down next to me and started taking out her major.
“Uri? What about Diene?”
“I came first today because I had something to do.”
“okay?”
I didn’t know that Yurihi would talk to me first.
I’m not stupid either, so I knew what she thought of me all along.
I just ignored it because it wasn’t worth dealing with.
“so. What did you come for?”
“It’s the final evaluation soon. It’s the second most important evaluation after the graduation exam, so I came to get some advice from our great Adrias Cromwell.”
Anyway, it was a form of adding up the grades and scores from the academy and going up to the senior class, so if you did well in the meantime, you could safely be promoted.
Of course, that doesn’t mean that this final evaluation, which can be the last evaluation before going up to the senior year, isn’t important.
Of course, having played Diene, I knew the content of the evaluation.
“What advice can I give you? I don’t know what the evaluation will be like.”
“Do you know if it’s a group evaluation? If that happens, I wish you well.”
You can tell how she became friends with Diene when you see her talking kindly.
And surprisingly, what she said was right.
After all, the last academy evaluation for the 4th year of the Faculty of Magic was a group evaluation.
And if possible, I wanted to be in a group with Diane.
‘It’s a meaningless wish because it’s randomly selected.’
Unlike the midterm evaluation, which passed without rumors, a special event occurred in this final evaluation.
It was a kind of episode like the ash dormitory incident that happened the other day.
I’ve experienced it a couple of times while playing Diene in the game.
Of course, I couldn’t attack properly at first, so I loaded my save.
However, once you try it, you have no choice but to break it, so I easily broke it on the next try… ….
Unfortunately, things have changed a little this time.
There is a me who shouldn’t have been there.
‘If it were a game, I would have already died.’
Just then, I saw Diene enter the classroom.
Yurihi, who was sitting next to us, waved her hand in welcome, and she came straight to us.
“What is it? The two of you are sitting together.”
“I mean.”
When I accepted it playfully, she burst out laughing.
If I couldn’t be in the same group as her for this final evaluation, there was no way to protect her.
‘but….’
Now she is a real person, not a character in a game.
Besides, he was a genius.
Maybe you can get through this episode without my help.
It’s not an episode that requires force.
I looked at her face again.
Diene, chatting with Urihi, seemed rather innocent, but considering the appearance she showed during the tournament, I couldn’t belittle her.
I have no choice but to trust her this time.
* * *
The 4th year of the Faculty of Magic gathered together after a long time and got on the mana injury train.
Professor Michelle, who leads them, looked happy as if going on a picnic, but on the contrary, the atmosphere of the students showed their determination to go to war.
“I know everyone is nervous, but being too nervous is poisonous.”
Professor Tolman, who was in charge of the leadership together, said while looking at the students’ expressions.
However, the atmosphere still felt heavy and I got up from my seat.
“The upcoming assessment is only a process leading to graduation, not a destination. When it comes to senior year, there will be many things like this evaluation every time in the future. If the body is too tense, it gets tired easily and he soon loses power. Let’s all relax a bit and have a conversation with your friends, even if it’s okay.”
The former battle mage’s advice certainly had public confidence.
The students exhaled and forcibly drove the tension away.
“Aren’t you nervous?”
Taking a deep breath, Urich asked Diene.
Then Diane smiled like a medicine.
“Because I already got all the grades.”
“Oh, yes. You even won a tournament there. I really envy you.”
The conversation did not last long.
The students who tried to force a conversation soon fell silent, and eventually the same silence as before enveloped the inside of the train.
Eventually, after nearly 7 hours of silence, the place we arrived at was a famous attraction in its own right.
“Monet’s Labyrinth.”
A site discovered decades ago and currently managed by the Imperial Palace.
Excavation has already been completely completed, but due to its structural characteristics and mana anomalies, civilians are prohibited from entering.
“Now that you’ve come this far, you can guess what this evaluation is about, right?”
At Professor Michelle’s words, the students nodded.
It was so obvious that they came to the maze.
“This evaluation is to pass Monet’s Labyrinth. Of course, the relative evaluation will be based on how quickly you succeed in escaping.”
Tolman explained the contents.
“You will enter the maze all at once. Then, the starting point is randomly determined, and everyone can escape through the central exit.”
If it was a normal maze, there would be no problem, but this place is an ancient ruin.
Although the excavation has been completed, all the major dangers have been removed, but there are still small traps everywhere.
“By the way, this evaluation will be conducted by group, and as I just said, the groups are randomly selected. I hope people who start from the same starting point will think that they are in the same group and work hard towards escape.”
After Tolman finished speaking, the students began to mutter.
But his words weren’t over yet.
“The time taken to escape is important, but there is also a separate evaluation score for members. After the escape is over, the team members score each other points. Students who were not helpful or cooperative in their escape will have their points deducted here.”
The longer he spoke, the more strange tension began to flow.
And finally, as if Tolman had said everything, he spread his hands out.
“Now let’s enter. When I did the math, it turned out that there were only five people in each group, no more. I hope that the five of you will escape safely without fighting.”
The students approaching the entrance let out a nervous sigh.
Meanwhile, Urich was holding Diene’s hand and praying.
“please! Please be in the same group as Diene Alven!”
“Your prayers are admirable, so I hope you will be in the same group as me.”
“I am not kidding! I really want to be in the same group as you!”
“okay. I would also like to be in the same group as Yurihi.”
The two, who deliberately chatted jokingly to relieve tension, soon became quiet like the other students.
There was no need to be nervous as long as her grades were already met, but Diene, who had become assimilated into the surrounding atmosphere, found Adrias unknowingly.
‘Am I nervous?’
In the past, Adrias would have been shaking without raising his head, but I couldn’t imagine that Adrias was nervous now.
“….”
As Diene expected, he was just staring at the entrance to the maze.
Then Adrias, who must have felt her gaze, turned her head to Diene, and soon formed a mouth.
‘Watch out for Jo Won.’
Do you watch out for Jo Won?
Diene looked at Adrias’ unknown advice and soon saw the ruins that began to glow.
The entrance to the huge labyrinth began to open its mouth.
Professor Michelle shouted among the students who watched the scene while passing through Mokwool University.
“Come on in!”
In order to shorten the escape time, students began to enter the entrance, thinking that the sooner they entered the room, the better.
Urich, who held Diene’s hand until just before entering, entered the entrance with her.
“ah!”
Diene, who felt the space shift with a strange sensation, soon felt that Urich, who was holding her hand, had disappeared.
“Awesome. Ancient ruins after all?”
“Dene? It’s Diene Alven!”
“really? hey! It’s a win!”
When I looked around at the sudden voice, the students who entered first were cheering.
Diene looked at him with a bitter smile and soon felt something strange.
“wait a minute.”
“huh? why?”
The members of the crew, sensing her expression was strange, looked at her nervously.
Then, Diene pointed at each member of the crew, and then pointed at herself.
“Didn’t you say there were five people in each group?”
“That’s right. I said five unconditionally….”
The student who was talking only then noticed something and looked around at his teammates.
Diene spoke slowly of the question she had initially felt.
“But why are there six of us?”
