Demon-Hunting Genius Mage

[Translator - Vanilla]

[Proofreader - Kawaii]

Chapter 20

I'm not sure why that guy suddenly showed such hostility towards me.

What was important was that even for someone decked out in expensive artifacts, the [Essence of Light] was a precious item.

And he was a mage who had reached at least the 4th Circle.

"The Essence of Light... is mine."

Therefore, it was fair to consider this a declaration of war against me.

- This is mine too, so give up while I'm asking nicely and get lost.

Truly noble-like behavior.

It was as if I could feel that he had always gotten everything he wanted until now.

Honestly, I wasn't in a great mood, but...

"Take it. If you can."

This was the best response I could give.

No matter what, unlike me, this guy was a noble with a family name.

Even if mages were respected in this world, I needed to show at least minimal courtesy to nobility.

Above all, there was no magic tower to shield me if I offended a noble.

"...You won't give up?"

Roan tilted his head as if he'd heard an unexpected answer.

When I nodded in response, Roan lowered his head deeply.

...Is he going to get angry?

While I was wondering about that, Roan's reaction was surprising.

"Pfft-pfft hahaha...!"

Suddenly he covered his mouth and started laughing like a madman.

Is he really insane...?

Damn, first that red-haired guy, then the silver-haired one, and now this blondie... Why do I keep attracting these weirdos?

[TL/N: He doesn’t attracts weirdos, he just attracts funky hair coloured individuals.]

He laughed for a while before finally raising his head.

"You're really interesting, you know that?"

As Roan said this, his serious expression had disappeared, replaced by a broad smile.

As if he had just been acting, he spoke again in a smooth tone.

"I just wanted to get close to you. I was also curious about what you might fear. As expected, you're not afraid of noble etiquette, are you? Please forget about what just happened."

...He did that because he wanted to get close to me?

Bam, bam, bam! You really are a psycho, you bastard.

"Let me introduce myself properly. I'm Roan Vilgef, the eldest son of the Vilgef family, about to graduate from the Academy. And you are?"

"Yuhan... that's me."

"...Yuhan. I'll remember that. You're the first person to surpass me in magic."

'Surpass?'

I pondered what he meant for a moment before realizing.

'In the previous evaluations, except for mana capacity... I was first in everything else.'

It seems he's talking about the rankings given by the judges in the previous evaluation.

'Then, is this guy second?'

They didn't reveal other people's rankings, so I'm not sure, but based on what he's saying, it seems that way.

If so, I can understand the hostility he showed earlier.

It probably came from competitiveness, inferiority, and those kinds of emotions.

"But you know, right? The real competition starts now."

I cleared my mind and looked at Roan.

Despite admitting his loss with his own mouth, he somehow looked relaxed.

That relaxed attitude must come from confidence that he won't lose in the upcoming evaluations.

Unlike me, who became a prodigy through game traits... He's a real genius from birth.

"What I said earlier was true. When I said the Essence of Light is mine."

"..."

"Look forward to it. I'll show you who the real owner of the Essence is."

With those final words, Roan turned away.

I too looked away from him, but my mind was spinning faster than during our conversation.

'I'm not a real genius.'

My talent came solely from my trait, spirit engraving, and the information I possessed.

But so what?

In the face of my grand goal of defeating Baal and my desire to return to my original world, such trivial issues meant nothing.

If there was something I needed to achieve that goal and desire, and I had to win to obtain it...

'...I still won't lose.'

I was determined not to miss that opportunity.

***

Even though I was thinking that way just moments ago...

Right after the break ended the next evaluation began.

I've already hit a roadblock.

'What the hell is this...?'

This evaluation is none other than a written exam.

It was simply a matter of solving a test paper made by Aldeon Magic Tower.

But this isn't as easy as it sounds.

Especially the questions involving history.

'Describe the name and principles of the light magic demonstrated by the Aldeon School at the demonstration ceremony 50 years ago...?'

For someone like me who just read tooltips a few times and used skills, I had no way of knowing the principles of magic.

No, to begin with, 50 years ago wasn't even the world I was gaming in.

"Damn, how am I supposed to know this?"

"Quiet over there."

"...Yes, sir."

I forcibly swallowed my anger at the judge's warning.

In the end, I left that question blank and moved on to the next one.

'Just solve what you know. Just what you know.'

The good news is that there are quite a few questions I do know.

I never thought the knowledge I gained while researching mage builds would come in handy like this.

'Alright, this should be...'

Out of 25 questions, I answered 15 confidently, guessed 5, and left 5 essay questions blank.

They said the cutoff is 17 questions, so if I didn't make any mistakes, I just need to get 2 out of the 5 I guessed right to pass.

Of course, it's terrible to leave such an important matter to luck, but I had no other choice. This was the best I could do.

'...Please.'

I waited for the test results with trembling anticipation.

Why am I as nervous as waiting for college entrance exam results over this?

Finally, the results came out, and the applicants rushed to check the papers.

Most of them smiled with satisfaction.

"...I passed."

"...This evaluation was a bit easier compared to the others. Did Aldeon go easy on us?"

"If you fail even this, you're still lacking the basics."

...The basics, huh.

I swallowed hard before squeezing between the applicants.

Desperately hoped that I'd be one of those with the basics down.

The result was...

'...Passed!'

I barely made the cut-off by getting exactly 17 questions right.

Only then did the tension in my body release with a deep sense of relief.

Well, I ranked 81st out of 100, but even that was satisfying in its own way.

It means there are 19 people worse than me, right?

'They really must not have studied at all.'

While I was grinning at that thought, I felt someone approaching quietly.

"Hm?"

Turning to the side, it was that blond-haired kid again.

Roan Vilgef.

He stared intently at the results sheet before turning his head towards me.

"Strange. I wasn't planning on deciding the owner so soon."

He said this while tapping the sheet with his finger.

There, Roan Vilgef's name proudly occupied the first place.

"..."

...What's he getting at?

***

15 hours into the evaluation.

My stomach was clinging to my back, and my mind was as hazy as if I were in a dream, but I couldn’t voice a single complaint.

Earlier, I witnessed someone whining to the judges about being tired and asking for food, only to be told ‘Then go outside and rest’ and get kicked out.

That reduced the competition by one.

80 people remain.

'Huff, just hang in there a little longer.'

But I could endure it if I thought of it as a game.

When I was deep into [Demon Fantasy], staying up for two nights straight was nothing.

Anyway,

"Hey, Mr. First Place. You'll be with me."

This evaluation is to check 'cooperation skills'.

Because of this, Aldeon requested we form teams of two, and somehow my teammate was decided for me.

Thompson, the owner of a huge body more suited to be a barbarian than a mage.

"...Right. I'm glad to have you, sir."

I didn't have the option to choose a competent teammate.

Out of the remaining 80 people, excluding me and Mr. Thompson, all 78 were noble-born mages.

I glanced over to where Roan was.

"Roan, my boy! Given our connection, surely you should team up with me..."

"Roan, you'll team up with me, right? My water affinity would work well with your..."

"Mr. Roan Vilgef, correct? Ah, I'm from the Icestan family..."

They were all clamoring to team up with Roan.

Honestly, I wonder if this was right.

If they really want to pass, wouldn't it be common sense to stick with a talented individual like me who performed best in the practical?

What's so great about social status?

'At least I managed to get a commoner status...'

If I had come here with the beggar status I first had in this world... well nevermind, it's horrifying just imagining it.

Even if a beggar becomes a mage, it's hard to overcome their social status.

They probably would have openly discriminated against me.

Well, I'm not far from being openly discriminated against even now.

"Being a commoner has its perks too! Teaming up with you means passing is already in the bag, right? Hahaha!"

Well, it wasn't that Mr. Thompson was a bad teammate.

After all, he was the only remaining commoner beside me.

His skills were definitely guaranteed.

"Ah, did you know? That noble called Roan over there, I heard he's the top student at the Academy? They say he's a once-in-a-millennium genius, even in the academic society..."

...I wish he'd just talk less.

To cut off his rambling, I asked casually.

"Mr. Thompson, you said you're 3rd Circle, right?"

"Hm? Ah, yes, that's right."

"What kind of magic can you use?"

"Oh, right. You're trying to make a plan! As expected of Mr. First place. Well, as you can see, I'm quite big, right? To make good use of that, I use earth magic..."

Just as we had almost fully grasped each other's abilities...

"Everyone, attention."

Our strategy meeting was interrupted by the appearance of the Tower Master Dercion.

"It seems all teams have been decided... Now, I will explain about this evaluation."

Snap! Creak, creak, creak!

As Dercion snapped his fingers, small doors at the edges of the lobby opened.

And then.

"...Huh?"

"...What is this?"

"Don't tell me, we're supposed to catch those...?"

People couldn't help but be shaken at the sight of the cages the judges brought in.

Kieeeek!

Growl, growl!

...Hiss.

From demon goblins to demon hydras, demon basilisks, and more...

Over a dozen types of demons were trapped in the cages.

'These bastards... they've actually captured demons?'

It didn't matter where you were, whether in Asteron or anywhere else in the world, demons were targets for immediate execution.

In other words, what they're doing now is clearly illegal.

I couldn't believe they were boldly revealing such acts in front of 80 mages.

'I thought something was off...'

I finally realized why Aldeon is particularly associated with demons.

'...If they've been locking up the tower for 100 years and raising demons inside, no wonder such rumors spread.'

It's a wonder it remained just a rumor.

This is a matter that could endanger the entire academy if the information leaked out.

"This can't be... Aldeon really is involved with demons...?"

"We, we need to go out and report this immediately!"

"...I can't do this anymore. I'm quitting the evaluation!"

As expected, protests arose among the mages.

However, Dercion spoke even more resolutely, as if it didn't matter at all.

"You are not worthy to walk the path of light. Yes, if you want to leave, then get out."

Rumble, rumble!

As Dercion gestured, the exit slowly opened.

I thought they'd explode in anger at this point... but they were opening the door? What were they thinking?

Dercion continued speaking with an impassive face.

“Let only those who wish to see the true light remain.”

I still couldn't understand his intentions.

But…

"...Hey, Mr. First Place. What are you going to do?"

I had to make a choice.

Whether to stay here aiming for the [Essence of Light], or choose a different path.

[Translator - Vanilla]

[Proofreader - Kawaii]