BXBX NOVEL Chapter 99 - The Competition (2)
Chapter 99 - The Competition (2)
The Capital Defense Headquarters is somewhat unsuitable as a venue for the competition.
While the premises are quite large, there are no special training structures capable of evaluating this many teams.
Most areas are restricted due to security, and there don’t seem to be any buildings that allow free access.
However, the size of the venue may not be the key factor in this competition.
The reason for that is the person standing right at the entrance.
Most people passed him by without a second glance, but a few stopped in surprise or whispered among themselves.
That’s because the person standing at the entrance was none other than Kaiden, the mage of the Demon King Slayer Task Force.
"Dian."
As our carriage passed through the gate, Kaiden walked alongside it, greeting me.
"Hello, Kaiden. Is everything ready?"
"Yes. Everything is perfect. The participants will enter the sealed rooms to be evaluated."
Illusion magic in a sealed room. It’s like full-on VR.
"Anything unusual with the Second Princess?"
"There were a few minor matters, but nothing serious."
"Good. I’ll see you later, then."
Parting ways with Kaiden, I headed toward the drill grounds, which had been turned into a parking area.
I expected Ismera to pounce on me the moment the carriage stopped.
She’d surely seen me talking to Kaiden and would want to know how I was connected to a former member of the Demon King Slayer Task Force.
However, strangely enough, I didn’t hear her usual sharp voice filled with suspicion.
When I opened the door, I saw that Ismera had fallen fast asleep, her head resting against the wall.
"She fell asleep while we were waiting at the gate."
Merilda gently shook Ismera’s shoulder, and she blinked her eyes open before quickly sitting upright.
"Have we arrived?!"
"We’re inside the headquarters."
"Oh, dear…"
Ismera splashed her face with water from her hands and climbed out of the carriage. She must be really exhausted.
We entered one of the annex buildings of the headquarters with the other participants.
"What a motley crowd."
Hindrasta clicked her tongue at the chaotic scene.
Just as she said, the place was like a bustling marketplace.
There were young academy students, mercenaries, and all sorts of dialects from around the Empire. Curses and laughter echoed all around, creating a noisy atmosphere.
Merilda practically clung to me to avoid being swept away by the crowd.
Knightley kept her nose buried in a small summary book Ismera had given her, despite being jostled by people on all sides.
As for Ismera, her fatigue seemed to peak at this critical moment, and she kept losing us in the sea of people.
I had no choice but to grab her wrist and pull her along.
"Let go of me!"
"If I let go, you’ll just get swept away again. I’d rather not waste my energy here."
With no other choice, Ismera allowed herself to be dragged along.
"Hey, wait! Over there!"
Suddenly, a commotion erupted from the other side.
Armed men were roughly shoving people aside as they made their way toward us. They were the Leblanc mercenaries.
"Hey, you! Isn’t that Sophie?!"
They must have spotted her distinctive pink hair, even through the crowd.
"Long time no see."
Hindrasta greeted them with a bored expression as the mercenaries looked her up and down in disbelief.
"What the hell happened to you?"
"What do you mean? What’s wrong with this?"
Hindrasta glanced down at her academy infiltration uniform.
"We heard you ditched your contract and ran off to the academy. And now you’re here for the competition as an academy student?"
"Traitor to the mercenary corps!"
"Do you think the boss is just going to let this slide?"
As the mercenaries yelled at her, Hindrasta rubbed her ears.
"Geez, stop shouting. I can hear you just fine."
"Sophie! What do you think you’re doing?! Huh?!"
"What do you mean, what am I doing? And since I ran into you, I’ve got a favor to ask. Can you get my money and send it to the academy?"
At Hindrasta’s words, the mercenaries flinched and exchanged nervous glances.
"Money…? What money…?"
"Money, you idiots. That shiny stuff that makes you feel invincible when you’ve got it. Wait a second."
Noticing the mercenaries’ expressions, Hindrasta’s face grew cold.
"Don’t tell me you’ve already spent it."
"W-we didn’t spend it…."
"So the boss did? Where is he?!"
Before she could finish, the mercenaries bolted, running for their lives.
"My money! Where’s my money!!"
I grabbed Hindrasta by the shoulder before she could chase after them.
"The competition’s about to start. We’ll deal with the money afterward."
"Ugh, those bastards probably spent it all, thinking it was unclaimed."
"Even if they did, the Leblanc Mercenary Corps is still around, so we’ll just take it back from them. For now, focus on the competition."
"Ugh, that was my entire fortune…."
"I’ll help you out."
"Tsk…."
Reluctantly, Hindrasta turned and continued walking.
Just then, we heard more murmuring from the opposite direction.
Turning to look, we saw something black towering over the crowd.
It was someone a head taller than the average human, with pitch-black skin.
Their cold expression and the chilling aura that seemed to flow from them—like someone who hadn’t shed a single tear upon leaving their mother’s womb—made it clear who they were.
Dark Elves.
That’s what a pureblood Dark Elf looks like. They’re one of the intelligent races that sided with the Demon King’s army during the Four-Year War.
Their appearance is completely different from Kirrin, who’s a human-elf hybrid.
"Who the hell let you in here?!"
Angry shouts rang out from the crowd upon seeing the Dark Elves.
"Get out of here before we kill you!"
"You traitorous bastards of the continent!"
The atmosphere turned murderous, as if a brawl could break out at any moment.
It was so tense that even Ismera clung to me for safety.
However, the Dark Elves didn’t react. They simply scanned the faces of the people hurling insults at them with their red eyes.
Surprisingly, this simple action caused the commotion to die down.
People who had been shouting angrily immediately fell silent when their eyes met the Dark Elves.
Dark Elves are unparalleled assassins. It’s no exaggeration to say that their race was created by the gods for assassination.
There’s no guarantee that those marked by a Dark Elf’s gaze would live through the night.
Of course, that’s not going to happen.
The fact that they passed through the main gate means that these Dark Elves are part of the Nemara tribe, the same tribe Kirrin belongs to.
The Nemara tribe was the only Dark Elf tribe that turned against the Demon King’s army during the war and sided with the human alliance. They were pardoned by the Emperor’s decree.
There’s no way they’d be stupid enough to come after someone for a simple insult, not after being granted a royal pardon.
"Please refrain from threats or insults! These people are from the Nemara tribe!"
As expected, a security officer appeared and shouted.
"The Nemara tribe was pardoned by His Imperial Majesty! Any harm done to them will be considered an act against the Emperor!"
"Unbelievable, just unbelievable."
Someone quietly clicked their tongue at that announcement.
"What nonsense. Traitors who defected and then defected again get royal protection?"
"What’s the point of risking our lives to fight? If you just join the Demon King’s army and then switch sides again, you get to live freely?"
As tempers flared again, the security officer quickly ushered the Dark Elves further inside.
"Wow, they’ve got some terrifying faces. Our headmaster looks like a cute puppy compared to them."
"Yeah, I’ve only ever heard that purebloods looked different, but this is the first time I’ve seen one in person."
Knightley and Hindrasta shared their thoughts after seeing the pureblood Dark Elves up close.
After the Dark Elves made their quick exit, the crowd began filing into the building again.
Inside was a large hall with partitioned booths for each team.
When we reached the booth marked ‘Imperial Special Mission Academy,’ we found that it had been meticulously prepared with chairs for resting and refreshments laid out.
State funding really does go a long way, whether here or in the real world.
[All team leaders or representatives, please come up to the stage!]
A voice echoed through the hall, likely through magic, and I made my way to the stage.
There, we were given a brief explanation of how the competition would proceed.
The environment would be simulated perfectly using illusion magic in the sealed rooms.
Each team would face the same illusions, and their every move would be observed and evaluated by a panel of experts.
It was the same information we had already received via official notice, so there wasn’t anything new.
After returning to our booth, I repeated the instructions to the students.
"Nothing special. Let’s just get it over with quickly."
Hindrasta, acting smug, stretched her legs out and started doing some stretches.
Knightley continued reading through Ismera’s final summary while limbering up.
Merilda was taking deep breaths, mentally preparing herself.
As for Ismera, what was she doing? Oh, dear.
"We have to get first place. We have to get first place…"
She was pacing nervously near the entrance of the booth, muttering to herself.
"Professor, please sit down. It’s not like chanting is going to change anything."
Ismera obediently started walking over.
But it wasn’t because she had listened to me.
A shadow had suddenly darkened the entrance of the booth.
It was three Dark Elves.
Ismera had retreated inside as if she were running away from them.
"Ah?!"
"Oh my god!!!"
"What the hell, you crazy dark-skinned bastards?!"
Knightley and Merilda screamed and hid behind me, while Hindrasta growled and started moving forward, which I quickly stopped.
"Professor, over here."
But Ismera was so paralyzed with fear that she didn’t even hear me calling her.
"Professor!"
When I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her back, Ismera instinctively buried herself in my arms.
Her body trembled slightly. She had been completely overwhelmed by the Dark Elves’ presence.
Regardless of her state, the Dark Elves silently scanned the booth before one of them finally spoke.
"Where is Kirrin?"