Please, Just Read It

Please, just read this.

Chapter 32

Their Situation (1)

“GRAAAAH!”

The strongest invisible chimera among chimeras roared.

This invisible chimera was so incredibly strong that it was considered the mightiest among chimeras.

Even if all the candidates attacked at once, it would win. There was only one invisible chimera in the world. Anyway, it roared.

“Ugh, damn it! Let’s run away!”

The other candidates fled…

Thud!

Squish—.

…But they couldn’t escape and were immediately trampled into oblivion.

[Oh…].

Such a pity.

Rest in peace, dear departed.

[Anyway, this selection test is truly brutal.]

I recalled what had happened three minutes ago.

Until that point, those corpses had been our legitimate rivals standing opposite us.

-……

-…….

We had crossed paths in the alley.

The tension hung thick in the air.

—Kiiieeeek…!

—Grrr, kyaaah!

—W-what’s happening?!

—What the hell is this?!

Suddenly, one of them had their head ripped off.

—F-Fight! It’s a monster!

—Its body is invisible! W-We have to be careful… Aagh! Kyaaah!

The opponent was facing a disoriented invisible monster, and we used the chance to hide behind a pillar.

And as you can see, those competitors we had faced just three minutes ago all lost their lives.

[Riley.]

‘Yes?’

[What do you think the odds are of fighting that invisible chimera?]

‘Hmm.’

In the dark alley of the ruins.

Riley, hiding behind a pillar, began to ponder for a moment.

Soon, she reached a conclusion.

‘I think it’s worth a shot.’

[Really?]

‘Yes. Since there are no other competitors around, we won’t be interrupted.’

[Hmm…].

Hearing Riley’s reply, I swallowed hard and looked straight ahead.

“GRAAAAH!”

About 100 meters ahead.

The invisible chimera roared again.

It began gnawing on the corpses of the candidates it had turned into mush.

Chomp, chomp—.

SQUELCH!

[Ahh, how cruel…].

The monster was eating humans.

This grotesque sight unfolded right before my eyes. It was different from the predatory feeding scenes you see in wildlife documentaries; this was a whole new level of brutality.

[Ugh.]

Unable to bear it, I felt like vomiting inside.

“Ugh, ugh…”

Ah, of course.

Right next to me, Olivia, who was hiding behind the same pillar, was actually heaving as well.

Seeing that, Becky was horrified.

“Hey, hey, you idiot! Don’t throw up! Swallow it! You have to swallow that back! Ugh, I hate the smell of vomit…!”

“Ugh…”

“Just try to spit it out! I’ll really get mad….”

“Uweeeek.”

“Ugh, damn it.”

Becky grimaced and turned her head away, the splattering sounds and foul stench wafting around.

[…….]

Not wanting to witness Olivia’s vomiting any longer, I quickly turned my gaze back to the invisible chimera.

“GRAAAAH!”

Crunch, chomp—.

Squeak—!

Thud!

It was still happily continuing its meal.

As flesh tore away, the once-invisible chimera had blood smeared on its mouth. The bloodstains increased, gradually dyeing its body a deep red.

Yeah.

Now the once-invisible chimera was starting to become visible.

[…….]

I took the opportunity to closely observe the monster before me.

Bipedal.

It could use its arms freely.

Overall, it resembled an orc.

What can I say, it was certainly a chimera, but its body had been altered in various places. The rough seam marks on its skin reminded me of a ragged golem.

[Oh, right.]

And that invisible chimera knew how to use magic too. I always had to keep an eye out for the beam attacks it could shoot from its mouth.

[……Is this about enough?]

Anyway, what was important was just one thing.

[I can see it, I can see it…]

Chomp, crush—!

The longer the meal went on, the more blood splattered.

Red stains began appearing all over its body.

I could see it.

Now its form was clearly visible.

The invisible chimera was no longer invisible.

What does this mean?

It’s simple.

Its combat ability had sharply diminished.

[Let’s see…]

Realizing that, I quickly scanned the surroundings.

As Riley had said, I sensed no presence of other candidates around.

At least it seemed there was no one else nearby except us.

Given that, we could afford to fight the chimera without a worry.

Right, well.

It was about time to limber up anyway.

[Alright.]

‘You mean it?’

[Yeah. It’s okay to fight.]

‘Aha.’

Hearing my words, Riley’s face lit up with joy.

She stepped out from behind the pillar and began stretching her arms.

Apparently, she had been feeling stiff all along, although she hadn’t shown it.

“Becky.”

“Yeah?”

Riley spoke to Becky, who was still hiding behind a nearby pillar.

“Stop hiding and come out already.”

“…Huh?”

Riley smiled.

“You’ve wanted a fight that flowers with romance in your heart since earlier. Now that a golden opportunity is right in front of you, are you planning to ignore it?”

“Oh.”

A grin crept across Becky’s lips.

It was the same passionate smile I had seen the first time we met.

“Alright! Finally, we’re on the same page!”

Becky also leaped out from behind her hiding spot.

“GRAAW, RRR…?”

Could it be the chimera finally sensed us?

The once invisible chimera—no, now the red-stained chimera—stopped eating and turned its gaze toward us.

“…GRRRR!”

It contorted its face and began to growl.

‘How pitiful,’

[What do you mean?]

‘They say you shouldn’t disturb a monster while it’s eating.’

[…….]

Maybe it’s just Riley being Riley.

Feeling sympathy in such a strange aspect is odd.

Feeling sorry for an opponent I was about to kill for interrupting its meal.

[What’s it to me.]

For the sake of victory, I won’t hesitate to do anything.

Even if they call my methods despicable.

That’s my belief, and it’s the way I’ve lived for thousands of years.

[Then let’s hurry up and go.]

‘Okay.’

Vroom—.

The magical energy in the air began to tremble.

Becky and Riley.

The two magicians charged at the chimera…

“Uweeeek.”

[Geez, just ruining the mood…]

Olivia continued to heave from behind the pillar.

*

Kiiieeeek—!

Thud!

With its last breath, the chimera’s hefty body collapsed to the ground.

It was a one-sided battle.

Riley, skilled in dispel magic, neutralized the chimera’s attack every time it shot its beam, while Becky summoned clones to confuse it.

Aside from its invisibility, it was nothing special.

Moreover, having already revealed its form due to bloodshed, it posed no threat to us.

“Phew…”

Checking that the chimera’s life had completely extinguished, Becky let out a dissatisfied sigh.

“…What a letdown.”

She shrugged her hands off in the air and glanced at Riley.

“By the way, Riley.”

“Yes?”

“You’re pretty good at this, huh? The way you move without hesitation indicates you’ve faced similar monsters before, haven’t you?”

“Uh, yeah, sort of…”

As Becky remarked, Riley had indeed fought such chimeras in the past.

In a closed laboratory.

That too, against seven of them.

[…….]

And here’s a shocking fact: we were also acquaintances with the creator of these chimeras.

[…Damn that skull-headed bastard.]

Just wait until this trial is over.

I’ll storm into his hideout and teach him a lesson.

“Oh, for a small fry, you’re quite something. You’ve even fought against a chimera like this before.”

Becky continued.

“You’re unexpectedly elite, huh? Of course, you’re still far from my level.”

“…Do you really have to tack on such childish remarks at the end?”

Sticking out her tongue and laughing, Becky lightly brushed aside Riley’s comment and turned away.

“Let’s see. By the way, where’s our ancient magic geek? What’s he up to…?”

Becky stopped speaking.

Her expression turned serious.

“…Oh, she’s doing that again.”

What’s making her react like that?

I followed Becky’s gaze.

[Ah.]

Behind the pillar.

Olivia was still quivering in hiding.

She sat crouched, curled up, and muttering to herself. She seemed to be in a state of panic.

[Ugh…].

This is exactly why I find that shut-in mages pathetic.

Those without practical experience are the real issue. The moment things get a bit dangerous, they always fall into panic.

Honestly, they could stay calm and observe the situation from the back like everyone else.

“Hey. Get up. It’s all over.”

“Hiih…!”

“It’s over. Just calm down a bit.”

“…Y-yes?”

Becky tried to soothe Olivia.

Only then did Olivia realize that the situation was resolved, letting out a sigh of relief.

“Ah, it’s o-over, huh…”

“Seriously. This idiot isn’t any help at all.”

“I-I’m sorry.”

“Forget it. Just get up, you slowpoke. Stop being such a bother.”

“Ah, y-yes…”

I watched them from a distance.

[Hmm…].

The one thing I was glad about was that Becky was actually quite caring toward Olivia.

Of course, Becky’s words and actions were a bit rough around the edges…

But watching the situation unfold bit by bit, I realized that this was Becky’s own way of showing concern.

She was trying not to embarrass Olivia.

Yeah.

In fact, it must be more comforting to receive direct insults than to cling to empty consolation after messing up.

‘Come to think of it, Becky isn’t inherently evil either.’

[Exactly.]

That’s what I wanted to say.

Becky, surprisingly—how do I put it… was quite normal.

No, wait.

Sure, she was a bit of a weirdo…

But she didn’t seem like a bloodthirsty killer who would indiscriminately murder just for fun.

[…….]

Rebecca Duncan.

She might seem emotional, but she wasn’t a frivolous mage.

She stayed calm when it was needed.

She was objective when it mattered.

Though she sometimes bickered with the other team members… during important times like this battle, she always displayed excellent teamwork.

At least, her image differed from the insane killer we had initially imagined.

Maybe she’s just a bit of a tsundere? Or perhaps a hardcore deredere? Anyway, something like that.

[Hmm…].

Honestly, I was a bit puzzled.

[…She doesn’t look like a bloodthirsty maniac known throughout the magical realm, does she?]

Of course, I wouldn’t rule out that Becky might be a bit peculiar for a mage.

She was combative enough to pick fights right off the bat, spoke harshly, and sometimes acted utterly insane…

But, wait.

If I thought about it, Riley behaved similarly too, didn’t she?

[…….]

Anyway, this is my conclusion.

After observing for half a day, at least Becky was not the kind of person to commit slaughter merely for enjoyment.

‘I think so too.’

[Right?]

Even Riley agreed with my opinion.

[But then, what about the warning Garon Theobalt gave us last night…?]

The time he killed the administrator of the selection test two years ago.

The time he murdered the candidates a year ago.

And last week when he butchered bandits on the way to Wilhelm…

Yeah.

This wasn’t something out of the blue.

As a rumor circulating around the magical realm, it was undoubtedly a matter from Becky’s past.

Moreover, we had directly confirmed that Becky slaughtered those bandits.

It was certain.

The magical energy felt at the scene of that incident was exactly the same as Becky’s.

But…

Why does it feel like there’s definitely something more behind these incidents?

‘Should I ask if I’m curious?’

[No need.]

No need for that.

Since we’ll be stuck together during the second exam anyway, the truth about those rumors will eventually reveal itself in due time.

[What’s important is something else.]

At least during the trial, Becky wouldn’t turn into our enemy.

That was incredibly good news for me and Riley. One less troublesome problem to worry about.

[I can hear the washing machine running. Rattle, rattle, rattle.]
‘Huh?’
[Nah. Never mind. Just a thought.]