Chapter 13

The time had come. Today was the day that the selection matches would be held to determine which students would join the expedition. I thought it would take place over several days, but apparently they were going to do it all in one day. There were currently more than 50 people gathered in the training grounds.

Each year has about 100 students, so there’s a total of about 600 students at the Academy. About a twelfth of the Academy’s students were here, but that was apparently less than usual since fewer people participate every year, and the criteria for the selection keep getting stricter.

“It’s nice to meet you all. I will be overseeing the selection process this year. I am Cyrus, the #1 Special Rank Exorcist,” he said, immediately setting the students abuzz.

“That’s the highest-ranked Exorcist…”

“The strongest human in the world…”

“He definitely has a dignified air around him, but he seems a little normal…”

The reactions of the crowds were mixed. He definitely had a certain air about him that wasn’t there when we last met. Maybe it’s just because he’s wearing a suit, but he has this expectant aura, almost like he’s expecting something from me, I thought.

“For starters… there are too many of you, so let’s start by trimming these numbers down.”

By the way, a different Special Rank Exorcist runs this selection process every year. This time, it just happened to be Mr. Cyrus. Because of that, the exam differs from year to year. Since the exam is decided by the examiner, the only way to prepare is to prepare for anything… or at least, that’s what Sherry told me.

“We’ll start by having you run around this track. When the people at the front of the group get about 3/4 of the way around, I’ll start running. Anyone who finishes before I do will pass the first test. And of course, you can use magic to enhance your strength. I will be using it as well.”

The area became noisy again. This time, though, the people in the peanut gallery were louder than the participants.

“Hey, Yuria. Isn’t his handicap a bit too big? This is good for us, right?”

“…Don’t let your guard down.”

The track is 200 meters around. In other words, Mr. Cyrus will start running when the group’s leaders have only 50 meters left. Normally, it wouldn’t be possible for him to catch up. However, since his aim is to thin out the numbers, this should prove quite successful since people will definitely drop out, I thought.

And so, everyone headed to the start line. Unfortunately, the people who’ve been bullying me have decided to surround me. They’re grinning and occasionally looking at me… They’re definitely planning something. There are no rules against participants sabotaging each other, after all. But I’m not just going to sit around and take it anymore. I need to stop being afraid of myself.

“Alright. On your marks, get set… And go…” Mr. Cyrus said in a flat, lifeless voice. Immediately, every participant kicked off from the ground and took off running.

Just as I predicted, the guys around me surrounded me, grabbing my clothes to try and make me fall. But that’s nowhere near enough to make me give up.

“Wh- huh?!”

“Hey, what the hell’s going on?!”

“I have no idea… Wasn’t that kid just obsessed with studying?!”

I flipped my switch, letting the magic flow through and strengthen my whole body, and pushed off the ground. I started off around the middle of the pack, but at this rate I’ll be at the front soon… no, I’ll keep going and take a huge lead. I went up one more gear, and managed to take the lead by the halfway point. I’m sure all the participants and onlookers are clamouring, but I can’t hear anything right now. I don’t need to be able to hear right now. I just need to move my body and reach that finish line before anyone else.

I was only a few steps away from the 3/4-point, where Mr. Cyrus would start. I may have raised the difficulty on the exam just by participating, but, after all, anyone who couldn’t keep up with me had no business in the Twilight.

“Looks like it’s time for me to start,” Mr. Cyrus said, kicking off the ground. In just a few seconds, he’d made it halfway around the track, passing students left and right. However, I managed to reach the goal. Sherry and Ms. Sophia also made it after me.

“RAHHH!!”

That yell came from the ringleader of the students who were bullying me. He was the only one left. Letting out his war cry, he desperately tried to escape from Mr. Cyrus. All the other students, having been overtaken, were sitting on the ground, dumbfounded. Somehow, that one remaining student managed to safely cross the finish line. It looks like his cockiness was actually backed up by some pretty impressive strength, I thought.

“…Alright, looks like 12 people passed the first test. I thought I could trim it down to under 10, but it looks like the people in this city are quite impressive,” Mr. Cyrus said with a smile, not winded in the slightest. We were wearing combat uniforms, which are easy to move in. On the other hand, he was wearing a suit, and yet he still managed to run around this track in just a few seconds. I’m not sure I could move that fast even if I wanted to…

Of course, speed isn’t everything, but my earlier impression of him – that he was just a kind person – was gone.

“Hey, why’s that little bookworm still in the running?”

“That cross-dresser was first, right?”

“He reached the finish line faster than Sherry, who’s a Rank 1 Exorcist.”

“Ah… Yuria… my precious…”

The others had a lot to say about me, but I no longer cared. I decided to move forward. That’s why I was fine with this. I decided to lose my fear of others. Even if people come to fear me… I decided to wield my power for the sake of others.

“Huff… huff… Yuria, you’re fast. I – cough – even though I was running as fast as I could, you passed me like it was nothing…”

“Well, this much speed is the bare minimum necessary, you know.”

“You’re not even winded. Ugh… it’s frustrating…”

While the two of us were talking, Ms. Sophia came over. “Hiya! Looks like the two of you managed to pass!”

“Congrats to you, too, Ms. Sophia.”

“Ugh, it’s Sophia.”

“Oh, Sherry, don’t look at me like that!”

“You’re clingy and annoying.”

“It’s just my way of communicating!”

“Wh- Get off me! You’re covered in sweat!”

“Hehe… You’re quite the maiden!”

“Well… I mean… So are you…”

“More importantly, Yuria, looks like you changed your mind, no? Everyone’s eyes are on you now, after all.”

“I’ve made up my mind. Sherry helped me sort through my thoughts.”

“Hmmmmmm? I seeeee…”

Grinning, she stared at Sherry. Sherry’s face turned red. Fearing a misunderstanding, she shouted, “I-I didn’t do anything weird, you know!”

”

”

“Yeah… I can tell from your reaction that you’re still a puuuure young girl.”

“…Mm.”

While the two of them were loudly arguing with each other, someone approached the three of us. Oh, it’s that ringleader – the one who was always bullying me. He stood over 180 cm tall with short-cropped hair. His thick muscles were clearly visible, bulging out beneath his clothes. If I’d met him two years ago, I would’ve felt myself shrinking in his presence.

“Hey… Yuria.”

“Oh my, it’s nice to see you. I’m quite indebted to you,” I said, bowing my head slightly. Of course, I meant that to be sarcastic. From now on, I’m going to stand up for myself. I looked him straight in the eyes and faced his anger and frustration head on.

“The name’s Keith. You’d better remember it. Looks like running away is the only thing you’re good at.”

“Yes, much better than you, in fact.”

“Bastard… Looks like you don’t know to respect your elders.”

“It’s quite impressive that you really think age alone makes you worthy of respect. Of course I respect people older than me – those who actually have a brain in their skull, at least…”

“That’s real funny, you cross-dressing bookworm of a bastard.”

“I think it’s pretty obvious that these are men’s clothes.”

“Shut up! Just look at your long hair and your face! You look like a woman!”

“Hahaha… I can tell you’re trying to insult me, but you really need to try harder.”

“Hah. Just you wait. The next test is probably going to be mock battles. You’re gonna fail, and I’m gonna pass. See ya later, loser.”

“Wow… I’ll certainly be praying for you!”

“Tch…”

I tried to agitate him as much as possible. After all, I have feelings, too. I’ve got to pay him back for all the times he dumped cold water on my head. I could see a little confusion in his eyes – probably because I stood up for myself. Well, I think I’d feel the same way if the kid I’d been bullying suddenly came after me with his fangs bared. Alright, time for the next test.

“For our next test… let’s have a round-robin tournament. The top 3 participants in this tournament will accompany me on the expedition,” said Mr. Cyrus.

This would be the final exam. A tournament in which the remaining 12 students will all compete against each other.

And so, our battle began.