Chapter 2: Class Placement Exam Part 1

It might sound like an excuse, but there was a reason I didn’t have any friends.

I simply couldn’t get close to the others.

How was I supposed to fit in among kids who laughed and cried together after surviving countless terrorist attacks?

With no shared topics to talk about, I naturally became an involuntary loner.

And so, now—

Perhaps because they weren’t human enough, I found myself eating lunch with a backdrop of bastards who made a fuss over the fact that I was eating alone, looking at me with pity.

What? Was it such a crime to eat alone?

They were acting all bothered over something so trivial…

Sure, cultures could differ depending on the world you came from, but this was too much.

It was while I was eating lunch as usual, feeding off others’ glances, that it happened.

“Isn’t that…?”

“It’s the young lady.”

The area near the cafeteria entrance grew noisy, and someone stepped inside.

A female student with a witch’s hat pulled down over her head, as if she wanted to make it obvious she was a mage.

Judging by how the hat occasionally twitched, there were probably animal ears typical of beastkin hidden underneath.

Considering that most barbarians were beastkin, it was understandable that she would hide her ears like that.

Even those barbarian warriors trampled through Cradle once, didn’t they?

It was one of the 22 terrorist incidents.

Was that why? Her glowing red eyes beneath the hat darted around restlessly, like someone seeing this place for the first time. She almost looked like she was trying to gauge the mood.

Her pure white hair was neatly braided and draped over one shoulder, and that brought to mind a “terminally ill” cliché.

She’s going to die soon.

For some reason, it was a hairstyle often worn by protagonist’s mothers or frail female characters. It was also known as the “short-lifespan hairstyle”.

You might think it was a joke, but considering the fact that the world I lived in was actually a game, it wasn’t something I could just laugh off.

“Young lady, are you perhaps looking for someone?”

“Oh, huh? Yes! I-I am, but still…”

Wasn’t there a saying that life is a comedy from afar but a tragedy up close?

Maybe because it was her first time in a regular cafeteria, where commoners made up most of the crowd, she was visibly trying to read the room. It was kind of cute.

Yes, even if Lady Ariel was a human weapon who could massacre people with magic, seeing her look so plain and ordinary like this did make her seem like a student.

But then…

“…I found him right away, so it’s fine.”

The moment our eyes met, she began walking toward me.

The girl who had been a scene from a faraway comedy was now coming at me as the tragedy known as the main story.

“Oh, come on. That just ruined my appetite.”

“Huh?!”

As the girl took a seat across from me, I let out a sigh and spoke.

“……This is the first time I’ve seen someone so openly hate beastkin people.”

“Now, let’s not hide behind the beastkin shield, Lady Ariel. Would you still have an appetite if someone from the group that threatened you last night suddenly sat across from you at lunch?”

Seriously, trying to paint me as some kind of beastkin-hating bigot out of nowhere? As expected from the protagonist’s side. They really knew how to put someone on the spot.

“…Alright, I admit it. That was inconsiderate of me. Still, I only came over because you looked like you were eating alone, and I thought I’d join you. Don’t you think that was a bit harsh?”

“Come on, it’s not a crime to eat alone. Don’t you sometimes eat by yourself too, Lady Ariel?”

“How could you say something so cruel…!”

Ariel’s eyes began to well up with tears.

Wait, she was seriously tearing up now?

She had understood and even apologized for my comment about losing my appetite, and now she was squeezing out tears?

An unexpected sneak attack at a completely unpredictable moment.

“What a humiliating thing to say!”

“Who is that guy, to speak like that to the young lady?”

I was left completely exposed to the wave of criticism that followed, unable to even react.

Seriously, what’s so wrong with eating alone? Why is everyone making such a fuss out of this?

You’re all the worst.

***

Like most students her age, Ariel who had been keeping an eye on Johan ran straight to the person she trusted the most after hearing something so harsh.

“That bastard’s a total piece of shit.”

“I see. Starting off with that kind of language tells me all I need to know. I told you to just watch from a distance, but you had to make contact and ended up getting ignored, didn’t you?”

“…Yes.”

A quick admission.

Ariel immediately lowered her head at Robelia’s sharp remark.

The problem was that she approached Johan without even considering his perspective.

But honestly, she had only gone over because he looked so lonely eating by himself; she just wanted to join him for lunch.

And what she got in return was rejection.

Ariel was deeply hurt.

“Still, he had the nerve to tell me I was eating alone!”

“Ooh, harsh words indeed.”

At Cradle, pointing out that someone was eating alone was considered a serious insult.

Commoners needed to stick together to hold their ground against nobles, and nobles were always accompanied by their servants anyway.

Technically, a servant just stands by and doesn’t actually eat with you, but the point is you’re not alone.

That was the norm. So if a noble was eating alone? It meant they didn’t even have a single attendant by their side.

That usually implied a fallen household or someone ostracized even within their own family.

And in Ariel’s case, she really was treated like an outcast at home because she was beastkin.

It was a painful wound for her.

“Still, I doubt he meant it that way. Maybe it was self-deprecation. Like he was just acknowledging that he was eating alone.”

“No way! That gray-haired bastard! You can just tell he’s a troublemaker from the color of his hair! He’s definitely up to no good!”

“That’s just blatant prejudice. All I’m sensing is blind resentment.”

“Your Highness has sharp judgment when it comes to people, but I’m no slouch either, okay? That guy is definitely shady!”

“News to me. Since when were you such a good judge of character?”

“Since the moment I chose to follow Your Highness.”

“I admit defeat. I guess you really do have an eye for people.”

Robelia gave a wry smile at Ariel’s shameless flattery.

It wasn’t as if she could deny it here, so this round of verbal sparring could be considered Ariel’s victory.

However…

“Still, let’s keep watching.”

“……”

“We haven’t even gathered all the information on him yet……”

Robelia smiled as she looked at the calendar hanging on the wall.

“At the very least, the stage where we’ll get to see what kind of person he is isn’t far off.”

The new semester was approaching.

It was the time when new students entered and current students moved up a grade.

And during this period, the Cradle always compiled the year’s academic performance.

Yes.

“When people are placed in extreme environments, their true selves tend to emerge.”

The class placement exam.

It was the beginning of the comprehensive practical evaluation.

***

There was only one country on the continent. It was the Miltonia Empire.

In fact, just a few years ago, there had been many countries with different names, but the Empire had conquered them all.

So then, what happens when a single country devours an entire continent?

Were there no side effects?

Of course there were.

Before the Empire even had time to stabilize itself, it had repeatedly waged countless conquest wars, leaving the internal state of the Empire in utter ruin.

And what about the Cradle that was the Empire’s most prestigious academy in such a situation?

There was no way it could have functioned smoothly.

All kinds of secret organizations operating within the Empire, as well as rebels, barbarians, fanatics, and even plain lunatics—

They all took turns trampling through the Cradle.

It was named “The Cradle” because it was said to be the place where one could grow into the most perfect talent in the most comfortable environment.

But ironically, it became the most incident-ridden place in the entire Empire.

Of course, the Headmaster’s embezzlement played a big role in that. Amid all this, the Headmaster even embezzled the funds meant for security, and this was the result.

As a consequence, there had been 22 terror incidents across the entire academy.

There had already been countless terror incidents limited to specific environments.

So then, what would happen if the Headmaster’s corruption were exposed amid all this chaos and turmoil?

What would happen?

He was dismissed.

And in place of the dismissed Headmaster, the Empire appointed a new one. It was an old woman with a kindly face, like someone you’d expect to find in a countryside home.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you all. I am Olga Hermod, and as of today, I have assumed the role of the Cradle’s Headmistress.”

At the same time, she was one of only three Archmages in the current era.

At this point, it was practically an announcement from the Emperor himself that he was determined to protect the Cradle.

Now that was the true resolve of a ruler.

Though he was a madman who had done nothing but wage war since taking the throne, one had to admit he made a good choice in this appointment.

In any case, with her presence, the academy was expected to finally quiet down.

No matter how talented they were, how many maniacs could there be willing to break through an Archmage’s defensive magic just to deal with a bunch of fledgling kids? Even from a practical standpoint, it just wasn’t worth it.

Moreover, she was a master of defense.

“It’s truly an honor to be entrusted with the future of the Empire, young people like yourselves.”

She was a living fortress, a pinnacle of cost-efficiency who specialized in illusion and spatial magic.

Still, even so, problems were bound to arise. Internal issues that erupted from within were inevitable.

So then, for this upcoming first semester of the second year—

What was the biggest incident I needed to prepare for in advance?

“Well then, let’s end the boring talk here. We’ll now begin the first evaluation of the class placement exam.”

The class placement exam.

No, more specifically, what resulted from it.

Dividing students into ranks from S to F in such an obvious way was bound to stir trouble.

Of course, even though that system had existed, there hadn’t been any real issues so far.

Or rather, even if there had been, nothing had escalated to the surface.

But there was one thing Olga Hermod didn’t know.

“Then good luck everyone.”

What kind of mindset the students would have as they stood here this year?

When those who had risen by stepping over their fallen comrades were branded with an “F”?

What kind of backlash that would provoke? How deep the wound to their pride would be?

The rebellion of the underdogs.

In the moment swept away by that madness and heat, I could easily be swept away as well.

So there was only one thing I had to do.

Just avoid F and S.

In the class placement exam, I had to avoid both the very top and the very bottom.

Flash!

The moment Olga’s staff sparkled, my field of vision shifted entirely. As expected, should I say she was a true master of illusion magic?

She had thrust every student into an incredibly realistic illusion.

The content of the exam was survival.

Simply put, survive by any means necessary.

All the students were thrown into one location, and the goal was to reduce their numbers.

This wasn’t just a test to gauge strength, but also to assess judgment in various situations.

The weak could band together to take on the strong, or they could choose to avoid combat and hide.

All such decisions would be part of the evaluation. Of course, the most important thing was to survive. As long as I survived, I could at least avoid ending up in Class F.

“Well then……”

Of course, I had no confidence that I could do any of it well.

Right now, there were almost no students I could beat through pure skill. How was I supposed to go up against those slaughter machines, forged through real combat experience?

I didn’t even have a friend to team up with.

Hide? Only students with exceptional stealth abilities could manage that.

So I had to find another way to survive.

And from that, I arrived at the answer.

If one couldn’t shine on the stage, then the answer was simple….step off the stage entirely.

“Students, welcome to the exam site!”

Illusion magic: [Polymorph]

Change the face, change the build.

“As you can see from the notice floating in the sky, this exam is designed to assess your ability to respond to unexpected situations.”

Illusion magic: [Camouflage]

Change the atmosphere, change the clothes.

“Reduce your numbers. The method doesn’t matter. The exam will continue until only one-third remain, and I’ll be evaluating your actions in real time, so do your best!”

Add a spoonful of acting on top.

Not as an examinee…. but disguised as an examiner, I shouted.

“Then, begin!”

Chaos unleashed.

***

A survival-style exam where students were thrown into a fabricated environment.

Simple, but there was nothing better for assessing students’ true abilities.

Olga observed the students’ responses with a kind expression.

As expected of veterans who had been through countless incidents—

Even in the face of a sudden shift in the situation, they adapted quickly.

However…

“What the hell is that guy…?”

Even someone as kind as her couldn’t help but let the word “hell” slip out.

There were no actual examiners in this test. From the beginning, even the stage itself was an illusion.

The exam’s instructions were intended to be conveyed by writing them into the sky. Discovering that was part of the exam itself.

But then, some crazy bastard suddenly started pretending to be an examiner who didn’t even exist and started riling up the students.

The act was so natural that, for a brief moment, Olga wondered if the academy had arbitrarily assigned an examiner without informing her.

But upon closer inspection, it was just a student disguised with Polymorph and Camouflage magic.

“What a crazy bastard…”

It was a moment that once again validated Ariel’s eye for judging people.