Chapter 35: A foreigner's wish

After the show ends at dusk, in the moonless night, the words woven on the papers become a quantifiable kind of knowledge, for the most part, words of agony. Some which can be read will undoubtedly be inventive in their repair methods...

In short, the knowledge test is a complete shambles, with candidates remaining hilariously desperate. Some attempted to cheat by using spells and "unique" authority but were quickly shot down by Advisor's eyes and Librarian's authority. Many are deemed unable to continue, and most have succumbed to paralyzing fear.

The outcome is passable, to say the least, with seven civil servants and six military personnel remaining. On whether they're worth a shot at earl or marques for some of them, we'll see in tomorrow's dawn practical test.

In contrast to Andromalius, who worried and stayed up late with me. Shin, on the other hand, falls asleep with the clock's hand stuck at 8. Perhaps he wasn't well-adjusted in this position.

"One's mind must be sharp for the blade to be spoken, your majesty," he said before going to bed; his aloofness is one of the reasons I have taken fondness of this child rather than Akin or Akan.

With that said, I noticed something was different from when I first met Shin. His mana flow is quite weak as if he isn't processing any, but something glows in his soul in a deep shade of blue. Something similar to the aura that physical attackers typically employ in battle.

Something along those lines would be interesting to record. So, for the dawn test tomorrow,

…

The candidates return to the palace grounds without incident...not all of them, but the most confidence are. In terms of names, I read those whose writing is passable, and the demon from the land of sloth is the most passed in both criteria in the majority of them.

"Very well then, those who have lost will return to their homes. When the time comes, the sovereign will hold another official recruitment for these positions." Before returning to his preferred duty, the advisor announces with ease.

"Those who enlist for civil servants may come with the agriculture minister for the second half of the test. The military position will be here with me and my protector." I issue another order, this time not as harsh as the previous one, but a gentle breeze for the serious one.

"May I inquire whether the test will be a knowledge test once more?" Fearfully, one asks. Even when one enters the palace, one is distracted.

"Of course not, I'm not that cruel. You have all passed as unofficial Saudade kingdom personnel. This is just a starting point for your future work." I carefully explain how things will work, but those words have gone on deaf ears because those young ones are relieved not to have to go through it again.

With a cheer, the thirteen-person crowd divides into roles and follows the direction of the place. How naive of them to dismiss this as fearful simply because of the amount of research one doesn't have to do themselves.

The agriculture minister will squeeze every last drop of mana belonging to those civil servants by monitoring sub-space activity and packing foods, while the commerce minister will teach them about trade and how to account for the kingdom's treasure, but I doubt their fate will be so kind at the end of the day.

Walking them down the hall and into the training that has been repaired by the dusk of yesterday. I received an earful tantrum for how rough I handled this terrain, so some ground rules must be established before the small tournament can proceed.

"There will be a small tournament to determine whether those writings on paper are as practical as you have written," I say as I cast a small barrier spell around the training ground to prevent a debris blast from escaping.

"There will be three sparring matches, with the winner progressing from common guards to apprentice knights, and finally to the highest rank of all, apprentice general." As for the rule, since most of them are less than an earl, I have never intended to elevate them to general status without an ounce of real strength.

The final fight will be with Shin, who appears agitated by the list of candidates. I am sure he was aware of the existence of a knight of hell in the Ars Goetia here. If the knight of hell's intentions is pure, I will not take such action to halt his advance.

"It goes without saying. Mahtsa Buer, steps forward." There must be merit in easily surviving knowledge, so advantage will be bestowed on the sharpest blade.

"You have summoned me, your Majesty?" The female lioness appears with her cloak, and her letter astounded me with such humble words. Her ancestor, Buer, is a demon known for his kindness, so I don't doubt the letter's authenticity.

"Because you have the highest knowledge grade, you have the advantage of skipping the first round." I give my support to her.

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"But it doesn't make you an apprentice knight, so keep an eye out." Nonetheless, I warn of the obvious staggering fate of such ignorance.

"I appreciate your kindness, your Majesty." The lioness bows deeply before returning to the row.

"So, without further questions, may the best win."

The tournament begins without incident. The first round is made up of common demons whose names aren't valued because their strength shines ephemerally with those quick wits of human tactics they used.

For the Knight of Hell's match, he uses such slow movement to give his opponent some hope of winning before crushing them with one blow. As if he's trying to see what those worthless beneath him can do.

To delay the inventable, I let Buer's descendant fight against a different opponent in the second round. Mahtsa appears uneasy with chantless spells, as she struggles with more advanced spells that take longer to cast than instantly.

As is customary, the knight of hell continues to play with the victim before dispatching them. It's odd that the brutality is missing from the title he carries; perhaps he was genuinely interested in this.

"The last round will end with the ranking, do give it your all," I announce as the time comes.

"Finally, one I enjoy dealing with." The knight of hell speaks with a chuckle; surely he finds this small tournament amusing.

"I'm sure you're full of yourself. Clearly, I did not catch your name." Mahtsa focuses her axe with deftness.

"Oh, my name isn't that important, child of Buer. But, since you inquired, it is Furcas." Furcas, the pyromaniacal knight, chuckles.

"Then let us have a fight of a lifetime, Furcas." She bravely poses her weapon against Ars Goetia's demon, readying it.

"Then I will not hold back, child of Buer." The fight begins with him holding his sword high.

Mahtsa's axe fails over beside her body, which is held tight with stitches and wounds, not even for a full minute. Furcas, despite his searing flame, were skilled with weapons such as a sword and lance.

"Your Majesty, it is time," Shin growls quietly; my plan to stop it before it escalates appears to have failed; why is Shin so different from his usual self? Looking at him, I imagined a snake dead set on his prey.

"Furcas, you have been crowned tournament champion. If you want to advance further, there is a challenge-" Furcas sighs and says, "Let it be, small majesty," before I can finish my sentence.

"All right then, Shin."

Shin leaps from behind the spectator's seat without further command. Shin gleams over Furcas, holding the blade to his belt, intent on murder.

"Ha, the foreign witch's child. We've met again." Furcas laughs as he prepares himself. So, his previous performance was merely a strength test for the other candidates, and he suffered a significant setback as a result.

"Do not insult my mother; a shrine maiden should not be tarnished while their god is still around," Shin snarls angrily. I'm trying to think of what a shrine maiden is. Is it like an angel... No, Furcas would not refer her to a witch, so how about a priest?

So, based on the length of his tone, there appear to be multiple gods? It is vastly different from the world of the god-like figure in the sky. There is a show to watch before I can confirm or deny it.

"You and her strange indoctrination. You haven't changed much since she died." Furcas rolls his eyes at Shin's strange words. He appears to have a disgusted attitude toward them.

"What a shame, if you followed the path of a knight, I would be able to help you with your strange power." Shin's rage cut Furcas' lament short. "Be quiet, let's see how you've corroded since your banishment, you pyromaniac," he said, unsheathing the sword. The weapon has a curved, single-edged blade, a circular or squared guard, and a long grip that can accommodate two hands.

"She died of mortality, boy...Since you won't listen, I guess we'll just cross swords in frustration." Furcas uncurls the cloth that has been wrapped around the blade. It's made of pit-black steel derived from a meteorite. With his authority, he sets fire to the blade, igniting a purple flame that burns the state of a soul.

Both swords collide with such force that it sends a shockwave throughout the area. The aura appears, emitting magical waves from both sides... No, the aura is only from that pyro-manic one. Shin's sword doesn’t have anything of mana but his soul changes from golden to sinister green.

‘flare’ as Furcas cast upon Shin. The scorching flame engulfs still the gorgon before my eyes, to have taken much damage must he be fine still?

“Dokueki style: Kurosupoizun” A strange pathway made by a sword gives way for the poison to open. The ground inflicts a cross area of poison, as Shin also corrupts his soul a little as a fragment of his crack from the previous ability to trade with. This is certainly not ‘aura’.

‘Infernium ignis’ Cutting Shin’s flesh with an ever-burning flame of hell, Shin cries out in agony, maybe I should stop this battle here before I lost one of my comrades of stupidity again.

“Dokueki style: Mahisaseru” A beaming wave of smoke that causes paralyzing, cuts through as Furcas falls to the ground still having a hold on his sword.

"You've become weak, Furcas. I've been aware of your weakness since the day you failed to protect my mother." Shin approaches the kneeling knight, his blade splattered with blue blood.

"Because you're blinded by vengeance. You are free to murder me if you so desire. I am vulnerable to your sword, so show no mercy." Furcas claims to be content with his fate.

Shin sighs as he stands in front of the fallen knight, clutching the blade in front of him. I don't mind if he decides to kill Furcas because this problem is between him and him. I understand his desire to satisfy his bloodlust because I am not that different. However…

"That is not their majesty's will. I'm only here to put you to the test; you've declared your defeat, so there's no reason for me to draw this blade against you." Shin returns the blade to its sheath, turning away from the knight, who has only just begun to recover from his paralysis.

"Take this for the antidote," Shin says, tossing a small flask of white liquid. "This is the reward for standing up to their majesty's protector."

Returning to the spectator's stand, Shin reverts to his previous timid personality, whimpering, "I'm sorry for going overboard with this. I wil-"

“This old woe of yours, I can understand it clearly. You’re hurt. Let's talk about this tomorrow, you can return to your room now.” I cast ‘amplexus tenebrae’ for his recovery to quicken, Furcas’s flame nothing to rest easy against knowing how slowly it eats one’s soul.

Announcing the ranking of the new military personnel, I end the day with questions left in my head. For Shin to overcome his hatred of Furcas, I wonder what lies beyond vengeance to have him stop at the moment of fulfilling it.

The end