Avoid Former Co-Workers

19 – 19. End of Semester Assessment (7)

It finally rains.

The cold winter rain moistens the soil and sand of the mountains, and little by little, heavy rain falls.

The students started agitated, and the soil of Mount Utulum was slowly developing into a large landslide.

However, there is a female student here who is still looking for someone.

“Huh… Where the hell are you…!”

In order to continue negotiations with Junon, Sylvia did not prepare for the rain and did not find a place to hide from the rain.

Even the Talbrut Arc couldn’t stop the chill of the winter rain.

In the rain, the gray hair clung to the skin, and the clothes no longer function properly.

The raindrops grow exponentially every minute, while Sylvia slows down little by little.

It may be a while before the red flags are raised.

Steel Puck!

“Oh no! What is this…!”

The dirt sand became muddy due to the pouring rain for several minutes and turned into a lump of mud.

“Sir…! It’s so hard I’m dying…!”

It’s raining right now, so I have to find Junon in the exam hall with the judge and make a deal.

Sylvia struggled to get out of the muddy water she had fallen on, her tears dripping down her cheeks, asking why she had to suffer such humiliation.

And soon enough, the sound of something heavy being buried in the mud is heard again.

This time, it wasn’t just her ankles that locked, but the force of her struggle caused her to lose her balance and fall over.

Sylvia couldn’t get up anymore as she was completely covered in muddy water.

“…Where did it go wrong…?”

-‘Aren’t you my daughter, this Count Kutelli? Nobility befitting one’s status must be clearly engraved in the eyes of the lowly. Well, it’s up to you. I don’t want you to ruin the family’s prestige.’

In order not to leave a stain on the count’s family.

-‘Oh, Miss Sylvia! It was really noble and beautiful to see them firmly educating the lower ones not to climb up! Nobility itself!’

To live up to the expectations of other nobles.

-‘Thank you. Sylvia. Thanks to your performance, the discipline of the vanguard has been established. Unlike the other guys, he doesn’t make any mistakes, and he’s really neat.’

For her goal, graduation, while receiving rave reviews from her professors.

You repeated the same action several times.

What Sylvia had to do was simple.

Show by example how to subdue the target from her letter and crush her opponent.

The reason was for the dignity of nobles and discipline between positions.

At first, she just put a spoon on a plate that everyone else had prepared and ate it. And she held back and tried to do the same with them.

Then they bowed their heads. Get on her knees or bend her back and begin to lower her stance.

-‘Sorry… I was wrong…’

-‘I won’t do that again! Please…!’

-‘I made a mistake because I was stupid and ignorant. Please be kind…’

It was from then. One part of my heart felt uncomfortable, so I relaxed a little or moderately and started to go back.

It was because he was reflected in their appearance.

What is the difference?

A superior-inferior relationship that frustrates the weak and establishes a relationship, or a master-servant relationship that desperately tries not to be kicked out by the count.

Still, I only touched the right level, but didn’t stop. No, I couldn’t stop. Because the Count was the only one who was satisfied.

I persevered and endured, thinking that it would be okay someday, but in the end, a big wedge was driven in by a single mistake, and everything was on the verge of collapsing.

I’ve been maintaining my position as if I’m walking on a tightrope, but now it’s useless.

That was the fact that Sylvia finally realized.

“I see…”

Sylvia begins to reflect on the past. She now found out where this disparate starting line was.

“Absolutely… It must have been wrong from the beginning…”

It wasn’t until she was covered in muddy water and rainwater that she couldn’t even find the dignity of an aristocrat, until Sylvia realized that she hadn’t even started.

Sylvia closed her eyes.

Because of the position of her illegitimate son, she doesn’t even want to notice the count’s family.

It is meaningless to receive compliments such as being noble or beautiful from nobles.

She tried to look at graduation to please her professors, but everything got messed up.

I don’t want to do anything I don’t care about anymore.

With this… It’s all over.

As she completely relaxed and reached the point where even the sound of the rain could be heard, a voice appeared in Sylvia’s head.

-‘Remember…! Because you always bully others like that, the time will surely come when you lose everything!!!!’

A boy with glazed eyes, a voice that gave in to evil, and who never gave up on his will.

A boy with black hair who he once bullied.

A boy who soon changed beyond recognition and overcame himself in the absurd way of breaking the magic circle.

It seems like his shouts can be heard vividly right next to her, and she lets out a big laugh.

‘It’s as you say…’

For the prestige of Count Kutelli? For the authority of the nobles? To show off the superiority of those with power?

There was nothing I could do now. There is no going back now, and there is no way to do that.

The resigned Sylvia emptied out her complicated thoughts and fell asleep listening to her rain.

I’d rather die like this, leaving only the thought that it would be more comfortable.

“────!!”

“──… ──.”

Shortly thereafter, two people arrived and tried to shake Sylvia, but her eyes were closed and her ears were closed.

“Those guys…?”

“What should I do? Do I proceed as it is?”

“Shh, wait for now.”

The supervisor who was watching Sylvia announced that there was an emergency, and under the direction of Professor Jake, who was nearby, Sylvia’s test was to be stopped and she was to be sent out of the test site.

But things didn’t go as planned.

“It’s too dark in front of my eyes because of the rain…”

It was because Junon picked up Sylvia, and in a way, the condition that could be considered part of her test was satisfied.

“Damn… Where is this…!”

At that moment, the string of light that has been dug up and spread cleanly illuminates one side of the road. It was Rhenias’ magic.

If you don’t have eyes, there’s no way you can’t get through this bright road.

“Is this enough?”

“It’s nice that it’s bright! How long can it be maintained?”

“I think I’ll keep it for a few hours unless I suddenly collapse.”

“You’re strong? First of all, I need to go and raise my body temperature, so start the fire.”

It was because of that perfect pair that Professor Jake and all the directors stopped walking.

Predicting that it would rain, we immediately folded the tent as if we were going to stop the test, and took a safe position in case of a landslide.

While other students gathered their strength and evacuated from various places as the local waves hit, this pair had time to take the exam in the remaining time.

“…This side will proceed as it is.”

The most heterogeneous boy in this test added another peculiarity.

***

“Please lay me down this way!”

“Wow.”

A wet, gray-haired girl who passed out is laid on a bed of moss grass made in advance by the campfire.

“Can I leave the rest to you?”

“Yes? What do you entrust?”

“Since I’m a man, you, a woman like me, shouldn’t have to take off his clothes and dry them. I can’t do that.”

“Ah.. That… That’s right…!”

“I’ll be away from the entrance for a while, so please. I don’t have time to dry my underwear, so take off your outerwear and cover it with the remaining cloth over there.”

With Rennias behind me, I sat back at a distance where I barely got wet from the rain and squeezed the clothes soaked in the rain.

‘How did this happen?’

This is the place where Lenias and I hurriedly folded up the tent and moved, expecting that it would rain since the cumulonimbus clouds formed.

Looking for a place to shelter from the rain, they dismantled the tent and took leaves, clods of earth, and even trees to build a crude shelter.

I thought I could be relieved now, so while I was taking turns taking breaks while continuing the test, didn’t Rennias suddenly say that someone had collapsed?

I went to see what it was about and found a familiar face buried in the mud on the wrong side.

If I had left it as it was, I could have turned my back on it, saying it was none of my business, but…

-‘You’re a senior friend! Hurry up and go get it!’

He wants to go rescue me while pushing his back, but what should I do…

No, that’s not more than a friend!

“Whew.”

…I’ve already committed it, so what can I do?

I never thought I would pick up that Sylvia, who had tried to frustrate me time and time again, not long after I made the shelter.

It seems that something unimaginable is happening, perhaps because it is Professor Meuniher’s test.

“I’m done, senpai. You can look back now.”

I listened to Rhenias’ words and turned my head slightly, but I still can’t believe he’s lying here.

So I moved my gaze outside where the raindrops were falling again and said.

“…I’m going to watch. Since I took a break earlier, it’s your turn to take a break, Rhenias.”

“Are you still thinking about the exam…? You’re poisoning… Your friend is lying in bed in so much pain!”

“It’s not like that… Jeop, that’s it…”

Let’s just say that.

Rather than talking about this, I’ll leave it alone.

Actually, it’s because I’m a bit reluctant to look back, but… Later, when Sylvia wakes up and sees my reaction, Renyas will know.

‘That’s… Not like a kid.’

Sylvia Cutelli.

A few families that contributed to the position trouble caused by collusion between nobles and professors. The daughter of Count Kutelli, who belongs to that family.

The behavior I saw before the regression was not much different from the behavior I’ve seen so far.

That’s why, from my point of view, she is a guy who leans towards the bad side rather than the good memories.

Still, there is something strange about it.

Before the end-of-semester evaluations started, she came to me with a stiff look and asked for a deal.

When I first heard about it, I wondered if she was thinking of taking revenge on me.

But can it be?

It is very paradoxical to dare to do such a thing in a place where everyone can see, especially in the presence of Professor Jake, whom I often saw fighting Sylvia.

If you want revenge, you can mobilize the four you always have with you after the exam is over, and you won’t even bother talking to me.

The most awkward thing is that he requested a transaction.

The kid who had been oppressing me with a coercive attitude from beginning to end made a deal.

‘…Maybe it had something to do with how awkward I looked then?’

In the past, I had always seen bullying others, so I never had the conviction to do so.

Then, among the days Sylvia brought me to my knees once more, there was a day like this.

-‘…It’s a request. I don’t want to hurt you more, so please stay calm.’

A thing in the distant past. These were the words Sylvia whispered quietly after kneeling me for the last time before returning.

The reason why this was awkward was because, on that day, it gave off the nuance of being chased by something and giving up.

From that day on, Sylvia remembers that she didn’t show up. There were no rumors about it, so I don’t know what’s going on next.

“I… Senpai. My shift is over.”

I wonder if 30 minutes have passed since I thought about this and that.

For now, when you wake up later, listen to the story.

“Yes. Just like before, please.”

“Since the clothes are all dried, senpai, please close your eyes for a moment. Even though you had a hard time carrying it on your back earlier.”

“What about the snow? It’s okay. I’ll dry my wet clothes because of the rain.”

It’s 1:50 during the last exam of the end-of-semester assessment. So, after the first day and the second night, the time passed.

Since the field called Utulum Mountain is the site of the test, it seemed that the test would stop soon when I thought of the remaining students.

It seemed right to expect that the unstable soil caused by rain would cause an avalanche and be swept away by the rapidly changing topography.

But nothing happened. This is not an unexpected situation, but a test prepared by Professor Meuniher…

I mean it’s upgraded even more than before… What do you think? My head hurts.

While warming up by the fire, worrying about her school life, Sylvia muttered something after a while.

Surprisingly, what Sylvia said…

“I’m still sorry…”

It was a completely unexpected word.