‘They were watching the entire time. Damn them.’
Her fiery red hair fluttered in the blizzard.
The woman strode through the air with measured steps before glaring fiercely at Joshua.
“Applicant No. 49, Joshua. You endangered the lives of other applicants. In accordance with the examination regulations, your eligibility to take the examination is hereby permanently revoked.”
“W-What are you talking about?!”
Galev shouted in alarm.
“They were the ones who threatened us first!”
“Our leader only fought back to protect us! Joshua, say something!”
Heria and Alvan each spoke up in his defense.
While everyone else seethed with indignation, Joshua himself remained calm.
‘I am accustomed to injustice.’
He recalled the days when he had fought a demon army more than ten times the size of his own forces.
Joshua had remained composed even on battlefields such as those.
“Instructor, I never had the slightest intention of harming those who will soon become my comrades-in-arms. The fact that not a single hair on their heads was harmed is proof of that.”
“That must have been because your sword was too weak.”
“That is not true, Instructor.”
His whip-like gaze struck the woman.
Her body instinctively trembled.
“As an Instructor, you must have observed the battle closely. As Heria said, they deliberately caused the avalanche. Why did you not stop the disaster?”
“…I determined that your lives were not in danger. In fact, every one of you survived unharmed.”
“If I had failed to subdue them, we would all have died.”
“That is merely a supposition. And… do not dare challenge an Instructor. You are nothing but the son of a lowly prostitute.”
The air upon the snowy mountain grew heavy.
Joshua’s expression hardened as he looked around.
The gazes directed at him had changed slightly.
His keen senses were more than sharp enough to notice.
Joshua silently swallowed a sigh.
When had Galahad’s Knight Order become a place that judged people by their origins?
“Although others may consider my mother’s profession lowly, my mother herself is not a lowly person. And the ideal I carry is nobler than anyone else’s, Instructor.”
“Why do all sword-wielders insist upon shouting about ideals? Why should Galahad accept people who refuse to face reality and do nothing but rebel against it? The world is cruel. We cannot grant a place in the Knight Order to someone who refuses to awaken from a hollow dream.”
The woman added that swordsmen remained trapped in the mire of idealism because of that accursed Joshua.
She never imagined that the real Joshua was standing directly before her.
‘How bitter.’
Joshua had been raised in an age when ideals became convictions, and convictions became strength.
This world, where that fundamental truth had been overturned, felt utterly foreign to him.
“Of course, you may be different because you possess the Sacred Eye. Perhaps you will overcome the walls of reality. However, I cannot allow false hope to bloom because of you alone.”
The woman believed that the faded sword was a shackle holding Galahad back.
Most of the knights shared her opinion.
The enemy Joshua had to cut down was far more deeply entrenched than he had imagined.
“Return the Crystal Orb and descend the mountain.”
“…Understood.”
He was on the verge of being eliminated with no means of resistance.
Just as the hesitant Heria was about to speak, Instructor Light appeared before Joshua.
“Even if it is futile, hope is never meaningless, Sezelin.”
A sword still hung from the man’s waist.
“…Another grand idealist has appeared. In the end, you are nothing more than a fallen bird yourself.”
“Falling does not mean that one can never fly again. Moreover, standing by while an avalanche threatened the applicants clearly makes you unfit to serve as an Instructor. You understand that, do you not?”
“…Yes.”
“Return to the Knight Order immediately and submit to one month of disciplinary confinement.”
After Sezelin departed, Light turned to Joshua.
“I am sorry. A twisted adult tried to trample a young sprout. However, she was not entirely wrong. The road you intend to walk is truly treacherous. I know because I once tried to walk it myself.”
He caressed the sword at his waist with a sorrowful expression.
‘Has the sword truly become something misguided in this age?’
Complicated thoughts filled Joshua’s mind.
Reading the grave expression on his face, Light lightly patted his shoulder.
“…A foolish adult has made a disgraceful display of himself. This was not a burden I should have placed upon a child. You only need to grow diligently. The day will never come when you must abandon knighthood merely because you chose to wield a sword.”
Joshua accepted Light’s warm consideration while making a decision of his own.
‘He said that even futile hope is still hope.’
Joshua would help the fallen bird take flight once more.
Light then approached the fire-wielding boy sitting in the snow.
“Applicant No. 3, Hannibal. Do you understand what you have done? They nearly lost their lives because of you.”
“…I was the one who planned it. Eliminate me alone and allow my teammates to continue the examination.”
“H-Hannibal!”
The boy’s teammates called his name at once.
“…Your willingness to accept responsibility as the leader is admirable. However, rules are rules. Your entire team is eliminated.”
Elimination, rather than permanent revocation of eligibility.
The difference between those two punishments was immense.
‘Is he giving them a chance to retake the examination? That makes sense. Hannibal possesses too much talent to cast aside.’
If the boy could correct his fiery temperament, he would undoubtedly become a great Mage.
“I will take Sezelin’s place. This will not happen again, so the examination may resume.”
Once the situation had been resolved, Light used Levitation Magic and disappeared from sight.
THUD―
The strength left Joshua’s legs the moment he released his concentration.
It was the price of overusing the Sacred Eye.
It was a wonder that he had remained standing until now.
“COUGH―”
Even as Joshua collapsed upon the snow and coughed up dark blood, Galev was the only one who immediately approached him.
“Are you all right? Alvan, heal him!”
“Y-Yes. Understood.”
The subtle change in everyone’s gaze after learning of his origins was deeply uncomfortable.
However, just as he had accepted the decline of the sword, he had to accept that his social standing had changed as well.
“With my body in this state, I do not believe I can fulfill the duties of the Team Leader for some time. Alvan, would you carry this Armband in my stead?”
Joshua forced himself to smile.
He pretended that nothing was wrong, as though nothing had happened.
“You want… me to be the leader?”
“I witnessed your courage during the battle. I am certain that you will do well.”
Joshua encouraged the hesitant boy.
“…I will do my best to live up to your expectations.”
Alvan accepted the Armband and steeled his gaze.
His resolute expression almost resembled Joshua’s reflection.
“First, we will find a suitable base and secure food, just as we did on the first day.”
The others, still tense, nodded.
“Galev, I entrust Joshua to you.”
“Leave him to me.”
Alvan led his teammates from the front and once again established a place where they could survive.
They used Heria’s magic to build a sturdy shelter and drew upon Lunae’s experience to hunt a reindeer.
However, Alvan could not acknowledge his own worth.
He had merely imitated Joshua.
‘…What should I do now? What should we do tomorrow?’
A deep darkness descended with the snow.
Night had fallen upon the mountain.
The team under Alvan’s leadership gathered around the campfire and ate the reindeer meat.
Unlike the bear meat, which had remained gamey even after receiving an elf’s culinary touch, the reindeer meat was tender and rich with juice.
“…I apologize for being unable to help with today’s work.”
“You were injured while saving us. Do not worry about it.”
Galev rose from his seat as he spoke.
“By the way, could you examine my thrusting technique?”
“Gladly.”
The boy drew his sword with the same refreshing smile he had worn when they first met.
“Your lead foot is positioned terribly. You cannot properly put your weight behind the attack, so naturally, your thrust lacks force.”
As Joshua’s enthusiastic lesson continued, Alvan remained silent.
‘…What can I do to help my teammates?’
Meanwhile, the two swordsmen wiped away their sweat and returned to the campfire.
“Joshua, may I ask for your advice as well?”
Heria had repeatedly swallowed her words ever since Joshua’s origins had been revealed.
Joshua’s performance had worked.
He had returned to his usual self as though nothing had happened and nothing was wrong.
“If it concerns magic, I know very little.”
“It is not about magic.”
“Then ask me anything.”
At last, the girl spoke comfortably.
“The truth is, I received an offer of special admission to the Academy. My father opposes my joining the Knight Order and wants me to attend the Academy instead. There are many excellent teachers there, after all.”
“Regrettably, that is true.”
“Which path should I choose if I want to lend my strength to Galahad?”
“Would either path not be acceptable? Follow the road that you believe is right. If your destination remains the same, every road will eventually converge.”
“You mean… I should trust myself?”
“Precisely. And Heria, you will become a great Mage no matter where you go.”
A delighted smile spread across the girl’s face at Joshua’s praise.
As the atmosphere became warm and cheerful once more, just as it had been the previous night, there were two people who could not smile.
‘I want to become a pillar of support like Joshua as well….’
Feeling increasingly anxious, Alvan turned toward Lunae.
The girl stared endlessly at the burning logs.
Even so, her eyes remained empty.
It was as though she did not wish to see this world at all.
“Do you have any troubles you wish to discuss? If there is anything I can listen to, I will hear you out.”
“…No.”
You appear to have more troubles than anyone else.
Can you not rely on me?
Alvan swallowed the words that had risen to the tip of his tongue.
Silence naturally followed.
The boy scratched the back of his head and awkwardly tried to lighten the mood.
“Haha… If you do not wish to speak, I will not pry.”
Time passed swiftly upon the fierce blizzard.
After days that felt less like survival and more like ordinary life, the night of the sixth day arrived.
They had occasionally sensed someone nearby, but whenever they went on alert, the presence quickly disappeared.
Having finished recovering, Joshua received the Armband back from Alvan.
Starting the previous day, he had also resumed the Night Watch duties from which he had previously been exempted.
“…It is peaceful.”
The cries of nocturnal birds, the charred scent rising from the campfire, the chilly air of dawn, and the touch of fine snow pellets—
After experiencing them for several days, Joshua had almost forgotten that he was in the middle of a survival examination.
RUSTLE―
A discordant sound suddenly broke the tranquility.
Joshua assumed a defensive stance a moment too late.
“…Where are you going in the middle of the night?”
Fortunately, it was Galev.
“I am going to relieve myself.”
“Ah… Do not go too far.”
At that moment, another discordant sound rang out.
None of his other comrades were moving.
Blue light suddenly blossomed beneath Joshua’s feet.
He instinctively seized the sword he had set down.
“Enemy attack!”
“Yes, it is an enemy attack!”
The girl who suddenly appeared looked familiar.
She was the genius Mage who wielded Teleportation Magic.
“Would you care to keep me company for a while, if you are free?”
The hostility concealed beneath her cheerful tone caught Joshua off guard.
The girl gently wrapped both arms around his arm.
Since this was an examination, he could not simply cut off her head.
‘I have been had.’
Before his awakened comrades could understand the situation, the figures of Joshua and the girl began to disappear.
“Joshua!”
However, Galev, who had been on his way to relieve himself, rushed forward and seized Joshua by the collar.
“Everyone, the kidnapping was a success!”
As the cluster of light faded, Joshua quickly surveyed his surroundings.
The girl’s teammates and what appeared to be an allied team surrounded them.
There were nine opponents in total.
“But I used all my mana! Moving together with another person really is difficult. I will leave the rest to you!”
“…Was the original plan not to bring only the person wearing the Armband?”
“Sorry! I could not help it!”
While their opponents were busy bickering, the two boys stood back-to-back and assumed their battle stances.
‘So the presence I occasionally sensed belonged to this girl. She observed our movements without being detected by me. Despite her appearance, she is remarkably meticulous.’
Having solved the mystery, Joshua gave a faint smile.
“…Are you smiling right now?”
The leader of the team allied with the girl asked sharply.
Joshua ignored him.
“Galev, it is time to show them the power of the sword.”
“…We are in a hurry, so let us finish this quickly.”