Episode 34

“Before the test, we’ll provide a digital map showing the Ether distribution. It’s only a rough guide, so those less adept at mathematical reasoning might prefer a physical search. Download it here if needed.”

That summed up the briefing. I soaked in every detail provided.

I noticed students from the regular and lower classes quickly banding together. The less adept instinctively united, leveraging collective strength to mitigate individual weaknesses.

I couldn’t dismiss their strategy.

It’s a natural human instinct, and undeniably, a form of strength.

I, too, felt the urge to ally with someone strong.

At that moment, Ceti approached with a proposition.

“Want to team up?”

Her tone was blunt, tinged with a hint of eagerness.

“You’re quite skilled in combat, right?”

“Me?”

I pointed to myself, incredulous. Ceti nodded confidently.

“During the practical test, when you vanquished that monster.”

“That was with Rustila’s help, you know?”

“I’m aware.”

Suddenly, Ceti seized my hand and led me away.

“Where are we going?”

“To the deep sea.”

Ceti halted as we reached the shore’s descent.

We had come to a camp set aside for supplementary classes, meant for students with low entrance scores.

She began to explain, scanning the area.

“I suspected the test would be like this. That’s why I honed my Ether detection skills.”

“That sounds risky.”

“It was a calculated move, not a risk.”

This was what set Ceti apart from Aidel.

“It’s akin to stock investments, perhaps? I’ve got a knack for it—a sense of triumph, something you lacked back then.”

“Is that so?”

Her manner of speaking strangely reminded me of Zelnya. The Adelwein lineage was unmistakable.

“Assist me with my scheme.”

“Okay.”

My response came nonchalantly.

“So, the plan is this: we leverage my Ether detection skills, your competent combat abilities, and our collective aptitude for mathematics.”

“…”

“Honestly, traveling together as siblings, I believe we’d offer each other more support than when we’re apart.”

“…Siblings.”

“What’s the issue? We are biologically related, after all.”

Ceti crossed her arms and pouted in response.

“You previously refused to even acknowledge me as your brother.”

“Just be quiet and listen.”

Clearing her throat with a deliberate ‘ahem,’ Ceti continued.

“Yet, enjoyment for just the two of us might prove elusive. We need a third, as you hinted earlier.”

Who could this third person be?

The answer was clear.

At that moment, a girl with a blonde ponytail walked past us. I noticed her, but she seemed oblivious to our presence, lost in the crowd.

She looked like she was searching for someone to accompany her.

Our requirements seemed to match perfectly.

“Rustila!”

I was about to call out to her when,

Snap!

My hand was abruptly pulled down. Following that, a sharp pain shot through the back of my hand.

“What?”

Turning with a scowl, I faced an android in a suit, its expression indifferent.

“Look with your eyes only.”

It was someone who bore a resemblance to Sonia.

At the academy, students enroll for various reasons. Some are there purely for academics, while others seek romance or indulge in a carefree lifestyle. Essentially, it’s about liberation.

After dedicating oneself to studies, isn’t a form of reward deserved? Among these rewards, many young men seek romance.

At seventeen, interest in the opposite sex blooms, leading to active pursuit, much like cunning snakes. However, the influx of these ‘snakes’ to Rustila was unprecedented.

“Would you like to join our team?”

She had just turned down another offer 10 seconds prior when two male students approached Rustila with their proposal.

“Your swordsmanship is unique. You must be highly skilled.”

“I’m good at math, and my friend here has a sharp sense of detection. What do you think about joining us?”

“No, I…”

Rustila sighed, about to decline.

“It’s not possible.”

An android, dressed in a crisp suit and with sleek, straight hair, intervened. Named Verdia, she was the 5th Generation android assigned to protect Rustila, following Zermel.

“Miss Rustila comes from a noble family. I suggest you refrain from approaching her without due consideration.”

“Her name is Rustila? As beautiful as she is,” one remarked.

“You’re wasting your time,” Verdia said, effectively warding off their advances with her fortress-like defense.

Rustila felt a mix of embarrassment and awkwardness due to Verdia’s stern demeanor. She couldn’t help but think that Verdia’s overprotectiveness might be causing more inconvenience than protection.

“Isn’t that a bit too much?” Rustila asked.

Verdia shook her head. “Miss, you are a peerless beauty. Do you really think those unworthy ones will back off with just a gentle rejection?”

“That’s…” Rustila hesitated. To be labeled a peerless beauty felt like an exaggeration. She didn’t see herself as unattractive, but she felt more ordinary than anything.

“Still, Verdia, I’m not interested in romantic entanglements at the moment. I think it’s wiser to consider such matters seriously once I’m older.”

“Miss, your innocence is showing,” Verdia sighed, countering with, “There’s an old saying that no tree can withstand ten strikes. Men are akin to woodcutters, relentless. Can you imagine what will happen if those persistent ones start targeting you?”

Rustila fell silent.

“I refuse to let those fools anywhere near you,” Verdia declared, her hands clasped behind her back. “However, the danger of being alone is real. Given the unknown threats lurking in the forest, having a protector by your side isn’t a bad idea.”

“You’re okay with it?”

“Yes. Frankly, I believe your father’s directive to isolate you from others is overly cautious.”

Rustila’s eyes widened in surprise. Verdia, unlike Zermel, showed flexibility. As a 5th Gen android, her adaptability was notable.

‘Miss, I was assigned to keep an eye on you since you haven’t been home. It’s a pleasure to meet you.’

The high-end android, acquired by the Kersil family at a significant cost to both safeguard and surveil Rustila, unexpectedly became Rustila’s ally in seeking freedom.

This oversight by Rustila’s parents turned out to be a fortunate twist for her.

“I have someone in mind,” Rustila mentioned, a blush tinting her cheeks.

Verdia detected a change in the atmosphere.

Rustila continued her search for the person she had in mind. Soon, she heard a boy’s voice calling out to her from afar.

In an instant, Verdia reacted, deflecting a demon’s hand aimed at Miss Rustila.

“What is she talking about? Telling me to only ‘look with my eyes’…”

I rubbed the reddened back of my hand, glaring at the android.

She had introduced herself as Verdia.

“Our Miss Rustila is truly a gem, a branch of gold with leaves of jade. No matter who you are, you simply cannot compare.”

“I am a direct descendant of the Reinhardt family.”

Silence fell.

The android’s face went blank.

“Excuse me, but who might you be?”

“Aidel von Reinhardt.”

“…Ah, that rascal?”

“Would it pain you to call me this year’s valedictorian?”

“My apologies. I was merely attempting to provoke a reaction.”

Verdia started to circle me.

She continued her inspection, her eyes narrowing, reminiscent of a flatfish.

“The information in my database does not align with yours. I find no matches with the news articles.”

“And?”

“Please, give me a moment.”

Verdia didn’t limit her scrutiny to me; she also circled Ceti.

“This young lady is acceptable.”

“What about me?”

“Just a moment, please.”

As she continued her observation, I began to decipher Verdia’s algorithm.

It appeared that if the individual was the same gender as Rustila, the criteria were somewhat more forgiving.

That’s when Rustila stepped in.

“Verdia, Aidel is one of my only two friends.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. There’s no need to doubt Aidel.”

Silence ensued.

Tap, tap. Suddenly, Verdia began to jab at me lightly.

They were mere taps on the shoulder and cheek, not painful but decidedly offensive.

Still, I bore it.

I had a hunch about her motive.

“Verdia, what are you doing…!”

Rustila was visibly upset, while Ceti giggled, watching me endure the mild assault. I tolerated the uncomfortable ordeal for almost a minute.

“You’re approved.”

The reward for my patience was more gratifying than I had anticipated.

Being considered one of only two friends by Rustila brought an unexpected warmth to my heart. Had I truly managed to transform one of the main characters into an ally?

It dawned on me that cultivating friendly relations with my other classmates and converting them into allies was a strategy worth pursuing.

“Aidel, Aidel?”

“Hm?”

Rustila’s voice broke through my thoughts.

“We’re really close friends, aren’t we?” she inquired, a hint of uncertainty in her tone.

Her question took me by surprise. Were we friends? What exactly was she trying to ascertain?

“Absolutely,” I assured her.

“Yes, of course! That’s reassuring,” Rustila exclaimed, her sigh of relief audible, as though a heavy burden had been lifted from her shoulders.

Accompanied by Ceti and Rustila, I embarked on a quest to locate Ether at the Dodeca Forest’s fringe.

The practical test was governed by three rules:

Firstly, engaging in combat with others was prohibited.

Secondly, golems would emerge after a predetermined interval.

Lastly, each Ether fragment was worth six points, and defeating a golem awarded 300 points.

Although referred to as Ether fragments, they resembled gleaming pieces of chromium, easily visible even under the bright sun.

As we journeyed, we found fragments sporadically strewn about. Each time I collected a piece and slipped it into my pocket, a satisfying ding! resonated, and the scoreboard promptly updated.

Nonetheless, this method proved to be inefficient.

To truly excel, I needed to harness my Ether detection ability and uncover what was colloquially known as a ‘jackpot.’

“I’ll try focusing.”

Ceti closed her eyes, entering a state of meditation before confidently pointing in a direction.

“Over there,” she declared, her finger aimed northwest.

The precision was impressive but insufficient for our needs. While adequate for an individual, the task at hand required distributing Ether evenly among three people. Thus, securing a quantity sufficient for our trio necessitated interpreting the map more meticulously.

“Solved it,” I announced, a moment later. Interpreting the map proved straightforward with a few mental calculations. I quickly jotted down the numerical solutions, effectively mapping out the Ether distribution.

To describe the process in technical terms, this method is known as Brute Force. It involves considering all possible solutions to a function and applying them to the equation outlined by the map until finding a match.

In simpler terms, it’s thorough, exhaustive work.

Yet, for someone with cognitive capabilities akin to a supercomputer, like myself, it was hardly a challenge.

“What, already?” Ceti expressed her astonishment, leaning over to glance at the tablet.

I pointed out several peaks on the display, resembling delta functions. “Clusters of Ether are concentrated here,” I explained. “Targeting these areas could significantly boost our points.”

Following Ceti’s initial direction, I selected a few promising spots in the northwest. “Circling this region and gathering Ether could be as lucrative as defeating a golem in one sweep,” I suggested.

Thus, we set off toward the identified area.

In retrospect, the first discovery was akin to stumbling upon a minor gold mine, netting us a total of 60 points. Although modest, it was a satisfactory start.

Time was on our side, with the golem yet to activate, and our team boasted the sole achievement of completing the map’s translation into a visual graph format.

This advantage allowed us to accumulate 72 points at the second site and 108 points at the third, steadily increasing our score.

Suddenly, a cold wind swept through, signaling a shift in the atmosphere.

“…Doesn’t it feel like something’s changed?” I remarked.

“Indeed,” Ceti agreed, her sensitivity to Ether making her the first to notice. Simultaneously, Rustila instinctively reached for her sword.

While my connection to the Outer God left me oblivious to the subtle changes, I sensed an emerging disruption.

This realization coincided with an update to the quest window of the Outer God.