Chapter 12: Department Test Part 5

Benjamin felt quite pleased, yet at the same time, he realized how much time had passed.

Three days had already gone by since the practical test took place.

Just moments ago, the last student emerged after clearing the dungeon.

During this time, many students failed to clear the dungeon but there were also not a few who succeeded.

But that was not all.

What made Benjamin feel pleased yet also aware of the cruelty of time were the top three students listed.

First and foremost was Clayton R. Shane.

He had cleared the dungeon with such an astounding speed that it had caused quite a stir at the academy.

Not only was this impressive, but this year, two other students had also broken Benjamin’s dungeon clear record which had stood unchallenged for 20 years.

First was Bernshtein Osten.

The student who was ostracized by his family for being incapable of using magic cleared the dungeon four hours later than Shane.

Surprisingly, his method of clearing the dungeon bore an uncanny resemblance to Shane’s.

The only difference might have been that he did not use the glowing moss.

Osten also succeeded in subduing the goblins easily by using an anesthetic he obtained from killing a goblin and adding it to the dispersal device to knock them out collectively.

However, unlike Shane, he did not use glowing moss to save time which resulted in him taking four hours longer than Shane.

However, when it came to commanding, he displayed a level of skill that was both experienced and prescient, and he surpassed all others in commanding his way through the dungeon.

The remaining individual cleared the dungeon three hours after Osten.

Although this one cleared the dungeon only a few hours faster than Benjamin in the past, it was still faster than Benjamin’s long-standing record.

Lindberg J. Anais.

Anais did not make use of the dungeon’s terrain as Shane and Osten had.

Instead, she excelled through her superior command abilities.

What was particularly remarkable was her ability to quickly assess the capabilities of the golems under her command and use that analysis to direct them with unerring precision.

Moreover, her charisma in commanding stood out as the most distinguished among all the students.

While Shane had drastically reduced the need for combat and Osten had devised strategies based on extraordinary foresight,

Anais was the type to understand the battlefield in real time and issue commands that were immediately responsive.

Overall, her strategic vision of the battlefield proved to be superior to Benjamin’s from twenty years earlier.

“Master was right after all.”

With such a pool of talent, the current era of the Command Department was indeed experiencing an unprecedented golden age.

Not only in the Command Department but also in other departments, students of unprecedented excellence were distinguishing themselves.

In that respect, the passage of time seemed cruelly swift.

However, being able to serve as their mentor during such times could arguably be considered the greatest fortune for a professor.

“These are the talents who will bring peace to the continent.”

“Oh, if they are such talents, even I am intrigued, Knight Commander Benjamin.”

“…When did you arrive?”

Benjamin slowly turned his head to the platinum-blond haired girl who opened the door and asked that question with a low sigh.

It wasn’t that he hadn’t sensed someone approaching; he simply hadn’t paid it much attention.

Or perhaps he did not want to be distracted from his current reflections.

Such dignified footsteps could only belong to someone he could not possibly ignore.

“Ah, but since you’re here. Instead of such questions, why not serve some tea first?”

Her bright and engaging smile would have made anyone blush with its beauty.

It was a smile like that of a freshly bloomed flower that subtly healed those who beheld it.

Yet Benjamin’s heart was as hard and dry as a barren plateau.

“I had no idea Her Highness would grace the Academy with her presence.”

“Tsk, you’re just as unapproachable here as in the Imperial Palace. I thought becoming a free man might have softened you a bit.”

Of course, Benjamin could show such an attitude towards the princess because he was of a high enough rank, and indeed, he had no need to defer to her in their current situation.

“Is your head still filled only with thoughts of my younger brother?”

“As an imperial knight, I am not here to provide political favors to either of you.”

“So, you came to the Academy to find talents for my brother, didn’t you? You’re underestimating me.”

“……”

One of the two flowers of the empire.

While maintaining her innocent smile, Zephyr D. Arsha Olicia had seen right through the essence of this conversation.

Though she had said nothing,

Benjamin quietly closed his mouth.

“Ah, how cruel the world is. Why is it that my brother has all the talents like you, and all I get are wild beasts?”

“I really wouldn’t know.”

“Hmph, so you’re saying you don’t want to be of any help to me.”

As if her excitement had waned, she puffed her cheeks and sharply turned her head.

Benjamin knew very well that each of these gestures was designed to play on a man’s psychology and trigger his protective instinct.

Was it merely to bewitch people?

No.

It was designed to instinctively evoke friendly emotions in others and to exploit any flaws that arose in the process.

It was also her most powerful weapon. No one had ever been as gifted as her in reading people’s psychology.

“Still, tell me at least this. I saw two interesting people on the street today.”

“I haven’t been at the academy for long either.”

“Come on, really. Just listen. They seemed like students of the knight commander.”

“……”

He wanted to argue that he was no longer a commander, but Benjamin didn’t bother to correct her.

By now, he was simply too lazy to do so.

“I saw the Clayton brothers. Just as the rumors described, both were quite striking, weren’t they?”

“Is that so?”

“But especially… the one with black hair, the older brother named Shane. What is he like?”

At that, Benjamin also became curious.

He wondered how this princess, with her keen insight into the true nature of humans, perceived the boy with the stoic expression.

Benjamin opened his mouth quietly.

“I’m not sure myself, but he’s not someone to be judged merely by rumors.”

“Heeh. If the knight commander says so, he must be talented.”

Benjamin had been renowned for his keen eye for talent ever since his days as a commander of the imperial knight.

With his words in mind, the princess’s eyes sparkled as she recalled the man she had seen in the hallway.

She was not particularly proud of her appearance but she knew exactly how to wield her innocent looks to her advantage.

So far, there hadn’t been a man who hadn’t been at least somewhat attracted to her, if not completely smitten.

At least on the first impression.

There should have been some hint of a change, however slight.

But this man showed no change at all.

It felt like talking to a wall.

His eyes which did not seem to see people as people were so detached that they sent shivers down Olicia’s spine.

It wasn’t just that he was cold or detached.

It was something more.

He didn’t see people as people, yet he didn’t treat them like objects either.

Even those who sometimes regarded people as objects usually showed some slight emotional change when evaluating them.

Olicia who never missed such nuances wondered how this man viewed the world.

That was the curiosity that gripped her.

“Well, anyway, I understand now. Since I know why the knight commander came to the academy, that’s enough for me. I suppose I don’t need to worry about my brother, right?”

Benjamin felt a slight relief at her words and Olicia did not miss even that emotion.

Olicia who always enchanted people with her innocent appearance and smile,

She felt envious of her brother at that moment.

Now that things have come to this, I think we should pay some attention to the academy as well.

Although Benjamin was the reason she had come to the academy, the princess was already starting to find the academy itself more intriguing than Benjamin.

She had thought these youngsters were too green to be involved in politics just yet.

If there are people like the one we met earlier, then the story changes.

What would happen if such an enigmatic man were to enter the chaotic political arena of the imperial court?

Her interest was piqued but,

I must still proceed with caution. My greedy brother will try to devour everything.

With this thought in mind, Olicia suppressed her growing curiosity.

***

A week flew by just like that, and before long, the day of the written test arrived.

“That… big brother, are you alright?”

“Haven’t I told you before? There’s no need to mind them. Those who need to recognize you will do so anyway.”

A week was enough time for Shane’s new record to spread among the instructors and eventually throughout the academy.

Not only the students but even some professors initially dismissed the rumors as nonsense.

Among them, the biggest issue was,

– Did he really achieve that on his own?

– Do you believe that? That Shane who is consumed by inferiority, how could he set the highest score in the command course? Does that make any sense?

– Even so, could it really be possible to bribe the academy’s professors with money…

– Is there anything in this world that can’t be done with money?

This kind of rumor had started circulating.

However, Shane paid little attention to it.

“Once the written test is over and the scores are released, they won’t be able to make such comments anymore.”

In the case of the written exam, it’s not just one professor who sets it, but dozens of experts who bring questions on the day of the exam.

It is a very specific type of test, with only a few selected questions chosen on the day itself.

Even if it was possible to bribe people with money, there was no way for him to get the questions prepared in secret by a select few experts at the Academy and who wouldn’t share them with anyone.

Even the department head didn’t know the source of all the questions, so cheating was impossible no matter what means were employed here.

“At least when it comes to using my brain, I am second to none.”

“…I’m sorry. That was unnecessary of me to say.”

“No need to apologize.”

Following that, Shane and Klein stepped into the examination hall where the number of candidates had dwindled to fifty. Each one of them was seated in their assigned spots.

“Is everyone here? If so, take your seats.”

A slightly gaunter Benjamin than when they first saw him entered the examination hall and silence fell over the room.

“As you all know, this test will take place over the course of a week.”

The written test was set to last an entire week.

Just the mention of the time hinted at the extraordinary difficulty of the questions that would be posed.

Unlike the previous year, the practical test now began with hellish difficulty and the students who survived its challenges were each tinged with tension.

While at first glance, the practical seemed like the most crucial test, in truth, more students were eliminated during the written portion of the Command Department test.

The reason was…

“There are a total of five questions written on this test paper. In the meantime, you are not allowed to leave the library or your designated examination hall. Be aware of this and take action. Also, don’t forget that unnecessary actions can arouse suspicion.”

It was because these mere five questions required a whole week to address, and each answer was comparable in complexity to a minor thesis.

And with that, the test papers were distributed and the test began.

Sitting at the desk assigned to him in the examination room, Shane slowly perused the content of the test paper and immediately encountered difficulties.

This is…

This is because the difficulty of the questions caused Shane to worry in a different way.