It could be that they dragged me into this Selection Trial so they could try and destroy me in the confusion of it all.
Another possibility was my memory loss.
I may have simply forgotten about them.
“In any case, it is a fact that you were chosen by a god. On that Holy Seat are inscribed your name and the title of Misfit bestowed upon you by your Selection God.” (Ahid)
My name was indeed engraved into that Holy Seat.
Along with the title of Misfit.
“A quarrel during the Selection Trial may cause the death of other gods. Wouldn’t losing their orders be a problem?” (Anos)
“The gods involved in the Selection Trial cannot perish. Therefore, no order will be lost. They are maintained by the pact made with the Selection Pledge Jewels.” (Ahid)
He stared at the jewel in my hand.
It appeared that this was quite an impressive item.
“Now I’ve got the gist of it all. However, I’m still not interested in this Selection Trial. In fact, I don’t want the birth of any Proxy of god. Not after all the trouble I went through to remove the order of destruction from this world.” (Anos)
Thinking about it that way, my Selection God may have intentionally made me a candidate to put an end to this Selection Trial.
If I destroyed every other contender, I would be the one to reach that position.
Since they knew that no divine power could destroy me, had they settled for turning me into a god instead?
Whatever your wishes are is irrelevant, Misfit Anos Voldigoad. Since you have been chosen, you only have two paths to take. Either wait the time of trial and follow the path of faith, or turn your back on god and perish.” (Ahid)
“So basically, once a god has chosen you, you can’t decline. Is that it?” (Anos)
Ahid nodded solemnly.
“Exactly. Gods are the order of this world. No one can defy them. Your will is nothing before god.” (Ahid)
“For a human, you sure speak like a god.” (Anos)
I now understood the general outline of the Selection Trial.
Since the gods were involved, it was bound to get messy.
If this dispute only concerned the Underground World, I would’ve paid no more attention to any of this, but I was convinced that getting in touch with me as a fellow candidate wasn’t Ahid’s only reason for infiltrating the Hero Academy.
If it was, then he didn’t need to become a student in it.
“Finally, here is a word of advice. You should not leave Gaelahesta until you have found your Selection God and made a pact with them. But you should not stay here in Everastanzetta either.” (Ahid)
“Oh-ho. And why is that?” (Anos)
“In Everastanzetta, the nonaggression pact only applies here in the Holy Seat Hall, for this is where candidates may demonstrate their faith.” (Ahid)
So this meant that as long as we were in Everastanzetta besides the Holy Seat Hall, anyone was free to fight, huh.
“You have exposed your true face to the other candidates here. You have also revealed that you have not yet made a pact with a god. If you leave this holy city, or in other words, the nonaggression zone, you will become the perfect prey.” (Ahid)
Any candidate could summon the god they had made a pact with.
So they thought killing would be child’s play because I hadn’t made a pact with any god?
I’ll admit that considering the rules of the Selection Trial, getting rid of your opponents before they gain the strength to fight back was indeed standard practice.
“Can’t you remember what happened the other day? Who was it again that ran off with his tail between his legs?” (Anos)
Ahid didn’t react to my question.
“If you have not formed a pact with a god, then what happened the other day is easy to explain. Basically, you are allied with another candidate. And you were borrowing their divine power.” he said, feeling like he had seen through my act.
Well, not that I could blame him for thinking so.
The theory that I had borrowed the power of a god was far more believable than the fact that I was simply more powerful than one.
No one was capable of assuming anything outside of their own common knowledge.
In fact, even I had never imagined that there was such a thing as a Selection Trial.
“Although, I have no idea if your alliance partner is here among us.” Ahid said, as if to keep the other candidates in check.
“But now that I have revealed your trick, it is only natural that your ally would keep their guard up. I don’t suppose they would dare lend you their divine power while the other candidates are keeping a watchful eye on everything. You would do well to proceed carefully.” (Ahid)
Still, it was oddly generous of him to be so thorough with his explanations, even though I was his enemy.
Maybe it was because he considered this whole thing a trial of the gods instead of a battle.
Or maybe he was just honest to a fault.
“I have one more question: when and how did this Underground World come to be?” (Anos)
“This is not related to the Selection Trial. I have no obligation to answer a heretic.” (Ahid)
“Hmm. Well, whatever. If this place is an institute, then there should be a history book or two in there.” (Anos)
As I mentioned this, Ahid pointed at a magic circle placed at the top of a staircase on the west side of the building.
“That magic circle leads to the thirteenth floor of this institute. There, you will find a room of stone monuments bequeathing recollections of the past. Including how this world came to be.” (Ahid)
“Is that something you can tell a heretic?” (Anos)
“If it is an explanation on Everastanzetta, then yes.” (Ahid)
Hmm. What a troublesome religion to follow.
“However, outside of this room, the nonaggression pact does not apply.” (Ahid)
“You already said that before. Misha, Sasha, let’s go.” (Anos)
The two nodded in agreement.
I turned around, climbed up the stairs with the girls, and stepped into the magic circle.
When I poured my magic power into it, the scenery faded away.
The next moment, we found ourselves in a large room with a great number of stone monuments lined up in it.
In front of those monuments were people dressed in uniforms here and there.
They were probably students of this institute.
Apparently, they were in the process of deciphering the characters carved on the stone monuments.
“Hmm. Let’s hope those are characters we can read.” (Anos)
“Hmm… I think that’s pretty unlikely. Even supposing we share the same ancestors, their culture is still different from what we have on the surface, right?” Sasha noted, with Misha nodding next to her.
Nonetheless, we walked to a stone monument with no one in front.
I scanned it with my eyes, and sure enough, we didn’t recognize their alphabet.
“–To think you would ignore the cardinal’s warning, your foolishness truly knows no bounds, heretic.” (Gazel)
I heard a voice coming from behind.
It was Gazel, the bald Saint who picked a fight with me earlier.
“Oh well. I should manage to figure out their grammar if I read a few of them.” (Anos)
“But before that, look behind us. Are you sure we can ignore this guy? I think he’s talking to you.” (Sasha)
“There’s no need to lend an ear to someone who never learned his manners.” (Anos)
The moment I said that, Gazel grabbed my shoulder.
“Receive the salvation of god, you heretic!” (Gazel)
“Oh, get out of here. You’re in my way.” (Anos)