39 – rival

In the center of Rigbed was a large square and fountain.

Unlike major cities in other countries, thousands of soldiers did not gather for a military parade.

At best, five or six wagons could pass at the same time, and this waste of space was the biggest luxury in the rig bed.

Lilith looked out the window.

This square could be said to be the most expensive view of Rigbed.

Opposite the fountain was the Eternian branch of the Magic Society.

And in front of it, a generation of black carriages bearing the seal of Eternia were parked.

Those black carriages stimulated Lilith’s desire.

Even staying in the most expensive mansion in Rigbed didn’t mean much to her.

Lilith had been trying desperately to enter Eternia throughout her teenage years.

Now the fruits of that are right in front of us.

‘Will the day ever come when I can confidently ride that wagon?’

She closed her eyes for a moment. I imagined the joy of that day for a moment.

And when she opened her eyes again, the dry reality faced her.

“Sigh.”

You shouldn’t put off what you have to do because of dreams and delusions.

Lilith’s desk was piled up with letters from the Empire.

She sat down at her desk again.

Thanks to the Empire’s embassy being the building next door, she was suffering from direct mail.

Lilith opened and read the letters one by one and wrote down the replies step by step.

Even if you were bald, you should never go overboard.

She knew what her organs were.

She could feel it just by looking at the sex ratio of the senders of this letter.

Nine out of ten were men.

In the letters, everyone pretended to be purely supportive of entering Eternia, citing the empire’s honor, the empire’s magical achievements, the cause, and rhetoric.

Lilith knew. If she had only been male in her current situation, this letter of support would never have arrived.

In this way, by reducing their guard and building intimacy, in the end, what these men are trying to get is Lilith’s beauty and body.

Most men were such creatures. Obvious, boring, and obnoxious.

Never before have they taken Lilith’s mind and body. And there won’t be any in the future.

It was just managed by throwing firewood so that the flame of interest would not be extinguished. so that they can continue to benefit her.

The moment Lilith put an end to her reply to the 5th prince, someone knocked on the office door.

smart.

“Come on in.”

It was the captain of the escort who had been ordered by her to track down the masked man.

He politely saluted Lilith before posting his report.

“There was no trace of the masked man.”

He swallowed his saliva nervously. It was because the artifact was stolen, and even the command she had specially emphasized had a bad ending.

Contrary to expectations, Lilith answered calmly.

“OK. Go inside.”

“sorry. Release a little more soldiers to search… .”

“it’s okay. That person is not an enemy. They say they’re going to kick my stomach, but what can I do?”

Lilith appeased the escort captain and sent him back.

Her wounded self-esteem had long since been restored by writing replies to letters. There was no need to react sensitively to this.

I don’t know if that man is a current student, or if he’s aspiring to enter the school like her, but it was a fate that we will meet again in Eternia someday.

I don’t know how good he is. Swords and magic do not rule the world. After all, it is politics that moves the world.

The emperor rules the empire even though he is unfamiliar with swordsmanship and magic.

Although she was not one of the best in magic, her main specialty, she could be confident that she would be the best ‘connection’ in Eternia.

So I could guess. He said that one day he would regret ignoring him forever.

***

After catching the thief, there are people who catch up.

I took off the mask and prepared a cape so that I could not be identified, covering all of my clothes.

After changing the wooden sword into the shape of a sapling, I bought a bunch of miscellaneous herbs and weaved them together.

Fortunately, by the time I reached the Magic Society, no one caught up with me.

And Silverin, who saw me in front of the Magic Society building, was contemplating whether to scold me or not.

“Didn’t I point to ‘Filin’s Forge’? Did you go somewhere else?”

“Nope. It is true that you have been there.”

“Where did you go wrong and get scammed?”

“… .”

I returned the money bag to her.

Silverin confirmed that the pockets were still heavy and said.

“What about black?”

I grabbed the root of the seedling. Soon after, it was transformed into the form of a wooden sword.

Silverin crossed her arms, looked at this, and nodded quietly.

“Well, I picked the right one.”

“I had to change my appearance for some reason.”

“yes? Come on, let’s go to the carriage. There are too many eyes in the plaza.”

I separately loaded the pile of herbs into the back of the wagon, and got on the wagon with Silverin.

When she gave the signal, the wagons started moving.

“Today we won’t go far, we’ll stay in Rigbed. Also, there are some things that the society has been holding on to and digging up things related to Eternia. Things you should know.”

“All right.”

“And at the place where you will be staying today, you will meet the girl who will be your motivation for entering school.”

“Is that kid in the combat club too?”

“No, Ministry of Magic. He’s a noisy kid, so don’t bother talking to him.”

You seem to have a lively personality, but is there any reason why you shouldn’t talk to me?

“Can’t we get to know each other?”

“Well. I just don’t like people.”

“… ?”

“Especially men.”

Her last words made me a little nervous.

The carriage stopped not far from the square.

When we got off the carriage, a luxurious mansion greeted us.

Above the front door of the mansion was a golden plaque with a wolf’s face on it. Judging by the build quality, it seemed to be used as an annex to a prestigious family.

A butler and a girl with long blonde hair came out to meet me at the front door, as if I had heard the loud sound of wheels.

Is that girl the child Silverin talked about?

When they saw Silverine, they bowed respectfully.

said the blonde girl.

“It is an honor to see you again, Professor.”

she replied nonchalantly.

“yes. long time no see. I’ll take care of you.”

The blonde girl just glanced at me for a moment with an emotionless gaze, but didn’t do much.

I also remembered Silverin’s request, so I didn’t make any special gestures.

The butler guided us. The interior of the mansion was not very spacious. Silverin and I were each assigned a VIP room, and the attendants were given two rooms to share.

“First, pack your things and come to my room.”

Silverin said that and went in first.

I didn’t have much to organize, so I lay down on the bed for a while and waited.

Speaking of being noisy, the mansion is so quiet that you can even hear the sound of swallowing.

smart.

Someone knocks on my door, opens the door, and sticks out his face.

It was Lyria.

“Sylverin-nim is calling.”

“OK.”

I got up and went out into the hallway. Then he went to the next door and knocked.

“come in.”

Inside, Silverin was sitting at the tea table wearing only a translucent negligee.

“sit down.”

She crossed her legs and rested her chin on her languid face.

As I sat across from her, she pushed the paper on the table in front of me.

It had the name of a stranger written on it.

said Silverin.

“The entrance exam is not taken individually. We all gather in one place and take the test with the same goal. It’s up to you whether you cooperate or compete with the other kids, but you’d better at least know who you’re dealing with.”

“This… .”

“This is a list of children who will enter Eternia through letters of recommendation.”

“Can I know this?”

“doesn’t care. Rumors have already spread as they spread. Wouldn’t it be unfair if only you didn’t know?”

Wait, so the rumors have already spread about me?

She went on to explain each one by name.

“Gail Varianne is someone I know quite well. I’m from the north He is not skilled enough for his age, and there is no weapon he can’t handle. I feel as good as you. He’s also a combat veteran.”

I can remember faces well, but I can’t remember people’s names. Even if you tell me this, I might forget it all.

“Did you see Luna a while ago? I am the owner of this house.”

“… !”

The blonde girl you just met is Luna.

She hates people, especially men, so it would be impossible for her to get along well in the future.

“Since Cecil Fontar is an enchanter, he is not your direct competitor. But it might come in handy later, so even if you don’t feel like it, try to be friendly.”

I’m not good at getting close intentionally, but I just want Cecil to have a personality that likes people and men.

“Actually, the other kids aren’t that important. There is another reason I called you.”

With her index finger, she pointed out one name on the last line.

“It is because of this child. He said he made a name for himself on the next continent across the sea. He is also famous as a disciple whom the great sword master himself cherished.”

It’s embarrassing, but I didn’t know how great a sword master was. This is because they have been living in a place with little interaction with the outside world for a long time.

“I guess none of the applicants this time can beat this girl.”

“no one… Can’t you win?”

“yes. It is the incarnation of the desire to win. I’ve already been around Gail and other up-and-comers, but I think they’ve all been crushed by this guy. Sounds like fun, doesn’t it?”

“…”

I don’t know what would be fun.

For some reason, Silverin’s tone was full of anticipation. Wasn’t it the intention of planting a warning or caution in calling me like this?

What she pointed out was the name of a girl I had already met.

They also met a few hours ago at the smithy in Filin, not far from here.

I kept my eyes on the name.

Zion Izarel.

“He might be your rival.”