6 06"Choice without Profit"




One to go.

 I muttered quietly after defeating the boy holding the golden sword.
 To be honest, I didn't really know what each of them was capable of, since I was defeating them like a drudgery. They were all aspiring to be heroes. I could expect them to be above the average of their peers, but they must still be in the realm of students.

 There must have been a few other students on this floor, but they seemed to have already moved on, probably due to the aftermath of the battle. There was no one else around, so I had no choice but to go downstairs.
 At the bottom of the stairs, I saw something I couldn't believe.

"...... What a joke.

 I put my hand on my forehead and let out a sigh.
 In front of me...

I'm not sure what to say. You can't hurt me like that!

 I'm not sure what to make of it, but I'm sure it's a good idea.
 It's strange that a teacher is mixed in with the heroes' entrance exam.

 While wondering, I looked around.
 Mr. Farnese stepped into the gymnasium and swung his sword at all the surprised students. It's not like the students are going to die, but they look like they're in a lot of pain.

 --It's the same as a hero's swordsmanship.

 Could she be the sword master of the fourth generation of heroes?
 No wonder she is so dignified. She's also very skilled. Her refined sword stance is efficient in eliminating enemies. Because of his lack of extra movement, he did not show any signs of fatigue even when taking on a large number of people.

 At that moment. A girl stood up to Professor Farnese.
 It was a girl with straight, chestnut brown hair. With a sharp glint in her eye, she headed straight for Dr. Farnese and drew a blade from her waist.

"Mmm!

 Professor Farnese was astonished.
 Fearsome sword speed. The girl's swordsmanship was so fast that it could not be caught by the naked eye.
 She must have been using the close combat magic "Rage" to strengthen her physical abilities. The range of improvement in her abilities is very large, and she is using her increased physical strength to the fullest. The girl's abilities were distinctly different from those of other examinees.

"Sh--!

 The girl flashes her sword while exhaling sharply.
 But Farnese is also a master of the sword. She caught the approaching blade with the belly of her sword and turned around to kick the girl in the abdomen.

 With a loud bang, the girl's small frame was blown away.
 The girl rolled around on the floor and came to my feet.

 She gets up and our eyes meet.
 Her eyes seemed to say, "What the hell is this guy? Maybe she doesn't like that I've been sitting on the sidelines at a distance.
 I wonder if I should say something. .......

"Your skirt is up.

What?

 The girl seemed to be wearing some kind of spats to keep her underwear from showing, but her healthy legs were exposed almost to the base.
 I'm not sure what to make of that.
 The first thing you should do is to look at your eyes.

I'm not sure what to do.

 I'm not sure what to make of it.
 A kesa-slash, a right cleave, and a left cleave. They came at me without pause.

 It's hard to avoid these in the flesh.
 Like the girl, I also activated my "Kujimi" and avoided the attacks.
 After narrowly avoiding the last left-handed attack, I grabbed the girl's thin arm holding the sword.

"That's dangerous.

What?

 The girl's eyes widened in astonishment, as if she didn't think she could avoid it.
 I pulled the girl's arm and swiftly swatted her off her feet when she lost her stance. The girl turned her back to me and put both knees on the floor.

 I quickly tied the girl's body with steel thread and restrained her.
 I don't carry this thread around with me. I created it with a spell called "fixation," which materializes magic. The boy I defeated a while ago had a golden sword in his palm. The boy I defeated not long ago had a golden sword in his palm, and that too must have been a materialization spell or something along those lines.

"Ah!

 The girl who was restrained let out a frustrated sound.
 I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that.

It's a good move. Good move.

 Ms. Farnese muttered admiringly.
 Around her, nearly a dozen students had collapsed. I opened my mouth at the sight of the screaming and shouting.

"Isn't it against the law for a teacher to participate in an entrance exam?

I told you in the beginning. "I told you at the beginning, it's a battle royale for everyone in this room.

 I see. It's true that Mr. Farnese was there.
 So it seems he was ready to do it from the beginning.



'...... You're not very mature.'

 I muttered to myself.
 At the same time, the students hiding in the corner of the gym attacked Mr. Farnese.

"Boy, you can join in whenever you want! I'll always be your opponent!

 I'll be your opponent whenever you want!" Mr. Farnese said to me as he took on the approaching students.
 You have a belligerent personality. --I'm not very good at this.  

 For now, let's just finish off the girl crouching at my feet.
 That's the fifth one. Even though it's a self-imposed rule, it feels good to get it done.

"Wait, wait!

 As if she sensed our movement, the girl raised her voice.

I've got a proposal for you. I've got a suggestion. ...... How about we take down that teacher?

 I'm not sure what to say.
 It was an unexpected proposal. I thought she was going to beg for her life, but apparently she hadn't fought hard enough.

"What's in it for me?

"They're offering a prize of one million gold to the student who defeats the teacher in the entrance exam. That's what he said earlier, so it must be true.

A million gilds. ......

 Honestly, I don't want it.
 It's less than a tenth of what I've been getting at the Agency.
 I have over a hundred times that in savings.

"You can have all the money. How's that sound?

 I was silent, and the girl, perhaps fearing a failed negotiation, added a condition.
 But then I couldn't figure out what she wanted.

"You don't want the prize money, do you?

"No, I'm not in need of money. I just want to fight strong people. I just want to fight strong people. In that sense, I want to fight you too, but ...... you will be free to meet me at the school in the future, so for now, I will give priority to you.

 Apparently, in this girl's mind, I've been accepted into the Builders Academy. In fact, I'm planning to enter the regular school, so you're right.

"...... are you a fighter?

"Not exactly. I just want to fight now for my future education. Besides...

 The girl says, glaring at Professor Farnese, who is engaged in a battle with the students.

"Don't you want to put a bullet in that confident face?

 He's still a fighting maniac, isn't he?
 I let out a sigh. But the girl's way of thinking seemed refreshing to me.

 --Maybe this kind of haphazard strategy isn't so bad after all.

 At the agency, we've always worked with efficiency as our top priority. Through countless simulations, we have eliminated all the unexpected, and have simply and mechanically carried out our missions.
 Naturally, there is no change in emotion.
 As a soldier, as a pawn, I lived only as a tool to follow orders.

 So. I've never experienced whimsy, so the unprofitable option appealed to me.

 I feel free.
 I'm no longer a soldier, a pawn, or a tool.

I am no longer a soldier, a pawn, or a tool. I accept the ...... offer.

 When I was at the Agency, I would have refused to even talk to him and chopped his head off.
 I wonder if I've lost a bit of my skin. With that in mind, I agreed to the girl's proposal.

 Even if I had passed the heroic course by defeating Mr. Farnese, if I talked to him about it, he would change my course to the normal course. It should be possible since there are no entrance requirements for the regular course.

Thank you. I'm going to unbind you for now so we can have a calm conversation.

"......?

 I don't want you to untie me. Untie me?

 In front of my questioning voice, the girl invoked the magic of materialization. A glowing blade sprouts from her elbow, cutting the steel thread I've created.

What, you solved it on your own?

You can't talk to me without catching me off guard like this.

 I didn't let my guard down, but it was a reasonable decision considering the rough battlefield.
 The effect of magic is proportional to the quality of the image. For this reason, materialization magic, which creates and manipulates objects, is basically cast with the palm or fingertips. But this girl did it with her elbow. The image of a blade sprouting from the elbow is not something that can be acquired overnight.

 I guess she's used to it.
 As I was thinking this, the girl was also observing me.

I'm not surprised that you're not surprised by what you just saw. ...... You've been through a lot, haven't you?

"...... I don't know.

 It's true that I've had a lot of experience compared to her. But it's the "behind-the-scenes" experience that can't be recorded in history. I don't think it will help me in my daily life, and I'm not proud of it.



I'm Elysia. And you are?

I'm Two-Eight.