Chapter 223: The Test (2)

Ep. 223: The Test (Part 2)

Louis’s words were soft, yet everyone could hear them clearly.

A common emotion surfaced on the students’ faces as they processed his words.

Shiba, standing beside Louis, spoke for their classmates: “Louis… you’re being ridiculous.”

Of course, Shiba had to be punished for uttering those words.

Thwack!

“Crack!”

Shiba stumbled against his desk after a hard slap to the back of his head. While he clutched his throbbing skull, Brew rose from the front row and strode toward Louis.

His face was contorted in a terrifying scowl.

Brew glared at Louis.

This annoying bastard…

Brew hated Louis. He hated that Louis was Head while he himself was only Deputy. He hated that smug expression. He hated Kani lingering by his side.

Nothing pleased him. Today’s events proved to be the final blow.

I was the one who first brought up the concept of attribute power conductors!

He had gone to great lengths to discover what Harold had been researching recently, all in an effort to capture the man’s interest. Through painstaking effort, he had finally uncovered information about attribute power conductors and managed to pique Harold’s curiosity. Yet the one to receive Harold’s attention wasn’t himself.

The prize he’d worked so hard to prepare had been devoured entirely by another.

And it had to be this bastard!

Had anyone else taken the credit, his anger might not have burned so fiercely. But the fact that Louis had gobbled up the fruits of his labor left Brew seething with uncontrollable fury.

Thud-thud.

Brew glared at Louis, growling menacingly.

“Cut it out.”

”…?”

Louis stared at Brew with a blank expression, utterly confused. His innocent look irked Brew.

“I don’t need to go that far to know you’re a madman. Keep your crazy antics in check from now on.”

At Brew’s icy tone, Shiba glanced nervously at Louis, who was blinking rapidly.

What’s this about?

This strange guy showed up out of nowhere to lecture them.

Louis sighed softly.

Haah… At my age, I’m still being dragged into these shenanigans with some bloodthirsty brat…

“I understand you want to curry favor with the professor, but there’s such a thing as restraint. Can’t you see how your foolish behavior is ruining our class’s academic atmosphere?”

…Damn. Right! I should do it. Who the hell is this snot-nosed brat to lecture me? Alright, let’s really give them a hard time today.

Louis’s eyes blazed with fury.

He had been ready to let it slide, but now he bit down on his lip.

The corner of his mouth twisted upward in a smirk.

“What’s this, you moron?”

”…What?”

“You’re the one who’s been begging to get noticed by the professor.”

”…Watch your tongue.”

“Attribute power conductors. Those are only used in at least third-grade Transcendent stages, right? Not something students who just entered the lower class should be handling.”

”…”

“Seems like you’ve been preparing to make a big splash on your own?”

“Don’t make assumptions! You guys knew about conductors too, didn’t you?”

“Shiba and I only knew in theory. When did we ever pretend to be experts and ask questions? If you were going to ask, you should’ve at least studied the answers properly and memorized them. We had to answer for you because you couldn’t manage it, right?”

Shiba pouted, asking why Louis included himself in that “we,” but Louis brushed it off nonchalantly.

“Hey, if you’re going to act, at least do it properly. Asking about attribute power conductors just because the professor suggested a question… It’s obvious you were prepared for this, isn’t it?”

”…Wh-what are you talking about?”

“If even I could notice that, how could a Master not see through it?”

”…?!”

Brew’s expression hardened.

Louis stood up and looked down at him with contempt. “Cut the crap. Don’t ruin the scholarly atmosphere with your stupid antics.”

He’d taken Brew’s own words and thrown them back in his face, adding interest on top of what he’d received.

“A hundred days of this… you’ll never measure up to me.”

”…”

“So stop wasting your energy. Go work on yourself instead. Pick your battles wisely - that’s how you survive long and thin.”

As Louis patted Brew’s shoulder, Shiba muttered from where he’d witnessed the exchange:

“Wow… he’s really something else…”

The other students nodded in agreement.

Thwack.

“Ugh!”

“You little bastard… Play nice with Kendrick. You’re starting to act just like him.”

Shiba, who had been slumped over his desk again, was left behind as Louis stormed out of the lecture hall.

“Hey, Louis!”

“We’re here!”

“Let’s go to the store!”

The Twins and Flame siblings swarmed around Louis as if they’d been waiting for this moment.

“Come on, let’s go together!”

Shiba, who had grabbed Louis by the back of his neck, chased after him and fled the classroom in a frenzy.

The lecture hall, which had been swept by a whirlwind of commotion, settled back into silence.

The students who had been watching Louis and Brew gradually rose to resume their tasks.

But one remained.

Grit.

Brew clenched his teeth.

His gaze remained fixed on Louis and Shiba, who were disappearing into the distance.

Clatter-clatter…

A carriage crossed the vast plain. The driver was an old dwarf holding the reins of two horses. Douglas, wearing a broad-brimmed hat woven from straw, smiled as he gazed at the surrounding scenery.

“Hmm…” He had returned to the Autumn Continent after leaving the island for the first time in many years. The essence of autumn at the end of his life approached him in a peculiar way.

As he savored the autumn atmosphere…

Swish.

The canvas curtain connecting the driver’s seat to the rear of the carriage lifted, revealing a pale face. Erica, her red hair cascading down, stuck out her lips and asked, “How much longer do we have to go?”

“Don’t rush me. We still need to travel for several more months.”

“Ugh… Boring! We’ve been riding this carriage for a whole month, and we haven’t even left the southern region yet! Does that make any sense?”

“Kluk, if you’re that bored, why don’t you go wait in Syron first? With your flying speed, you’d reach there in ten days, wouldn’t you?”

“That’s only if you fly nonstop without rest! Do you know how boring and exhausting it is to fly all day without doing anything?”

“I guess I wouldn’t know, since I’ve never flown before.”

“Want to experience it now? I’ll carry you and fly.”

“You’re just looking for an excuse to dump a corpse. Go ahead and try if you want to see me dead.”

“Ah, really…”

Erica’s eyes narrowed.

Though she looked dissatisfied, she couldn’t keep grumbling.

Thud-thud-thud…

The carriage’s endless slow pace annoyed her, but she knew it was pushing Douglas too hard.

Douglas smiled at her.

“I’ll say it again: if it’s too hard, go ahead and wait at Syron. I’ll definitely come.”

“That’s settled. What would I do alone anyway? Just end up pestering the kids. Better to sleep in the carriage here.”

Kluk.

When Erica pouted, a white hand emerged beside her to lift the tent flap. It belonged to Floria, who placed her hand on Douglas’s shoulder.

“Douglas, go rest inside. I’ll drive the carriage from now on.”

“It’s fine. This brings back old memories.”

Douglas’s eyes softened. Before growing old, he had been the Tower of Wishes disciple who traveled most extensively beyond its walls.

Back then, I’d traverse the continent in a carriage for the Tower’s sake, never shying from long journeys.

As I drove the carriage, memories from that time came flooding back.

Then a voice interrupted my reminiscing.

“Ah, maybe we should’ve made something like the Dragon Fly? If we had that, we could’ve reached Syron in no time.”

“Dr… Dragon Fly?”

“What? You know, the thing the Tower Lord created back then.”

Both Douglas and Floria wore expressions of utter disbelief at Erica’s words.

“You’ve lost your mind.”

“Indeed. Erica, snap out of it!”

Even the usually quiet Floria’s stern rebuke made Erica stumble over her words.

“W-What? What did I say?”

“To create such a monstrous thing just because we couldn’t make anything else!”

“If we’d made that, this continent would’ve been destroyed!”

The memory of that day remained vivid in my mind—the frenzied dash across the continent.

Erica pursed her lips at their startled reactions.

”…You’ll both be trembling when you see the Tower Lord later.”

“Heh-heh, we don’t know when the Tower Lord will come, but it’ll probably be after this old body’s in the coffin. Floria, keep up the good work.”

”…Don’t accept death as a blessing, Douglas.”

Kluk, kluk, kluk.

Perhaps because they’d mentioned Dragon Fly, the conversation naturally shifted to Louis. On the slowly moving carriage, they continued their reminiscing.

Thud-thud…

The carriage kept moving along the golden, tranquil plains. Time passed.

Transcendence Academy’s Research Building.

This structure housed numerous private offices for professors and instructors, as well as a dense collection of research rooms.

Currently, Transcendence Academy operated a total of 70 research societies.

Every year, new societies were created and dissolved in a continuous cycle.

This year was no exception, with 12 newly established research societies in total.

Among these, one particular society stood out, capturing the attention of many:

Pest Extermination Research Society

Such a society existed with such a peculiar purpose.

The society’s unique name drew as much attention as its composition - six freshmen from the lower class.

After class, the six members gathered in their research room as usual.

Among them, four were constantly glancing at one particular member.

Glance.

Why is he acting like that?

I don’t know either…

He’s looked off for the past few days.

Is something wrong, teacher?

The moment they saw Louis’s protruding mouth, the Twins and Flame siblings slowly edged away from him, inch by inch.

Of course, these concerns remained unspoken.

They feared provoking Louis’s anger might make them collateral damage.

As expected, Louis’s irritation had already reached its breaking point.

The source of his frustration? None other than William.

Ah, this is maddening!

Four months had passed since Louis had secured Victor’s Legacy and set the trap. Yet according to Fin’s report, William was still drowning in data, unable to grasp the pattern.

For Louis, who had been waiting for William to walk straight into the trap, this was nothing short of infuriating.

How can a Master like him not find it?!

Though Louis grumbled inwardly, he understood the situation. As a Transcendence Academy with such a long history, the number of people who had passed through its halls was truly staggering. The fact that it remained undiscovered even after all this time meant it must be hidden exceptionally well.

Of course, that was one thing, but the frustration remained.

Should I give him a few more clues?

When William had wandered too far off track, Louis had subtly dropped a few hints. Yet even with these clues, William’s continued hesitation was driving Louis to the brink of madness.

No, it’s still too dangerous… If I give him more clues here, he’ll notice something’s off…

Everything needed to be done in moderation. Giving too much away would be like throwing salt on cooked rice - pointless and destructive.

Stupid William… Pull yourself together.

Now Louis was fervently cheering for William.

As he turned his head, his gaze fell upon Shiba, who was intently studying a book. While the Flame siblings and the twins were stealing glances at him, Shiba remained focused on her studies.

“What are you reading so intently?” Louis asked.

Shiba looked up from her book at his question.

“I’m reviewing the scope for the upcoming written test.”

“Written test?”

“Yes.”

“Why suddenly bring that up?”

Shiba was startled by Louis’s tone, as if he’d never heard of it before.

”…The semester-end written test is in two days, isn’t it?!”

“Already?”

“Already?!” Shiba exclaimed. “Other students have been studying with fire in their eyes for two weeks now…”

“Ah, so that’s why everyone disappears after class. You’re all going to study?”

Shiba clicked his tongue at Louis’s dismissive tone, as if exams meant nothing to him.

“Louis, don’t you study? For the Flight division, it’s true that only practical skills matter since there’s no written test. But for our tech team, written test scores are crucial. Oh, I got last year’s exam papers from an upperclassman… Want to review them together?”

“Nah. You study. What’s the point of studying anyway? Exams are just about testing basic skills.”

“Ah, yes…”

Shiba grumbled, looking disgruntled at Louis’s words.

“Louis, you’re hopeless…”

The moment Shiba finished speaking, a spark flew across Kendrick’s forehead.

Crack!

“Kek! What?!”

Kendrick clutched his forehead, glaring at Louis with an expression of injustice.

“Since you’ve been playing with him, the kid’s completely abandoned his studies.”

“W-Why is that my fault?!”

“Who knows? It’s just your fault.”

“Grrr!”

Louis continued bickering with Kendrick.

Khan, Kani, and Tania started playing cards at the table.

They showed such carefree ease, as if the exam looming under their noses was nothing to worry about.

Right, why should I worry about anyone else…

Everyone present except Louis himself was a Head Entrant.

Just as Shiba shook his head and turned back to his book, it happened.

“Huh?”

Louis’s hand, which had been playfully tapping Kendrick’s head, suddenly froze.

Vmm… Vmm…

He urgently pulled out his vibrating communication stone.

“What’s wrong, Fin?”

Mr. Louis, it’s happened!

The voice from the communication stone made Louis bolt upright from his seat.

The news they’d been waiting four long months for had finally arrived.

“I asked it!” Louis exclaimed, throwing his arms up in victory.

Startled by the sudden outburst, Shiba dropped his book and whipped around, but Louis had already vanished from his spot.

“L-Louis… he’s gone?!”

Shiba stared in disbelief at the empty space where Louis had stood. This was his first time witnessing space movement, and he felt utterly bewildered.

But for those who’d grown accustomed to such things, it held no particular interest.

“It’s your turn now.”

“Khan, hurry up!”

“Hmm…”

“Count me in too.”

Shiba watched the four of them huddled together, shuffling cards with practiced ease.

“Ugh…”

He picked up his fallen book with an awkward, embarrassed expression.

Something… my sense of normalcy is crumbling…

Shiba heaved a deep sigh before returning his attention to the book.