WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Arsène

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◈ Spring Never Comes to Stolen Fields ◈

Chapter 15: Skill Assessment

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The second morning at the academy dawned.

I woke early, washed up, and changed into my uniform.

According to yesterday's announcement, we were supposed to gather on the field in front of the main gate by nine in the morning.

Once I was ready, I knocked on Luna's door at eight thirty.

"Let's go, Luna."

"Just a minute~"

There were loud noises coming from inside. Had she only just woken up?

"Sorry! You waited long, didn't you?"

Luna didn't emerge until eight fifty, her hair tied up unlike usual.

Her eyes were blue, and with her hair styled differently too, she looked like a completely different person.

"...You overslept, didn't you?"

It was obvious, but I asked just to make sure.

"What else is there to say?"

She was so shamelessly confident that I had nothing to say.

We hurried to the main gate.

Like at the entrance ceremony, we were among the last to arrive, so we lined up at the very back with the other first-years.

At the front of the field, the principal stood facing us with his arms crossed.

Once nearly everyone had gathered, he announced the day's schedule in a loud voice.

"I trust you all rested well yesterday. Today, we will assess your abilities so that we can guide you more effectively."

In other words, it was a level test.

I was currently suppressing my magical power with Master's ring, but if I wanted to, reaching the top ranks didn't seem difficult.

The question was how much I should hold back.

I thought standing out too much from the start might make people suspicious of our identities.

"Naturally, students with outstanding grades will have a better chance to appeal for a place in the Demon King Subjugation Force!"

It made sense.

Unless I, the golden ticket Celia had spoken of, was offered up, martial ability would be the most important measure for joining the Hero Party.

The number of members in a Hero Party varied by era, but aside from the Hero, there were usually at least four members and sometimes as many as six or seven.

As far as I knew, the basic formation consisted of knights who fought alongside the Hero on the front lines, mages and archers who covered them from a distance, and priests who supported them from the rear.

According to the records, people with unusual abilities outside those roles occasionally joined the ranks as well.

The strangest case I had seen in the records involved recruiting someone infamous as the worst pirate of the era to help subjugate demons.

Apparently, the personality interview was left to the Hero's discretion.

Then again, a kind heart wouldn't save anyone's life before the Demon King.

After the principal finished explaining, people who appeared to be instructors called out our names one by one and assigned us to groups.

"Group Four. Luna Iaros, Sirius."

We were in Group Four. Each group had around thirty people, and there were ten groups in total.

The instructor assigned to us was a young woman with sky-blue hair.

Even with a generous estimate, she didn't look a day over thirty.

After leaving the field and heading to the Fourth Training Ground, she explained how things would proceed.

"First, each of you will come forward and show us your specialty. Based on the skill you demonstrate, you will be divided into one of five ranks."

That was exactly what I had expected.

"Of course, the academy will offer full support to students in the highest rank. Do your best!"

Hearing her put it that way made me think I might try a little harder.

Who knew? Maybe they'd even let me skip class.

The students in Group Four all showed decent skill.

For humans, at least.

It felt strange for someone who had once been human to think that.

I had been human until not long ago, yet here I was thinking something so cringe-worthy as, "For humans." I really was a failure as a human. No Longer Human, indeed.

Once we were past the halfway point, it was finally Luna's turn.

"Luna Iaros."

The instructor lightly adjusted her glasses as she called Luna's name.

Before Luna stood, I grabbed the hem of her clothes and whispered quietly.

"...Hold back."

Luna turned back, but instead of answering, she gave me a faint smile and trudged to the center.

Ah... I had a bad feeling about this...

Then again, she had ruined my perfect Celia rescue operation without consulting me at all. Expecting her to listen now was asking too much.

"Luna, what is your specialty?"

Luna didn't have one particular thing that could be called her specialty.

When we trained under Master, we had to learn every field.

Of course, my physical abilities weren't especially outstanding, so I was weak in close combat. You could say magic was my specialty.

But Luna was the Demon King's daughter. She could confidently say that no one could surpass her in pure physical ability.

She had no trouble fighting with weapons or engaging in close combat barehanded.

So out of her many talents, I had no idea which one she would choose to mention.

Luna stood at the front, considered it for a moment, then answered.

"...Everything."

"Pardon?"

The instructor asked again, sounding flustered.

"Everything. Whatever it is, I think I'd be better at it than anyone here."

Luna puffed out her chest as she said it, but the looks from the Group Four students were sharp.

"Luna. Your attitude is arrogant enough, but regardless, you must show us the one specialty you are most confident in."

The instructor spoke firmly, apparently displeased by Luna's attitude.

Luna snorted as though this was beneath her.

"That includes you too, Instructor."

I couldn't help grabbing the back of my neck.

Seriously...

"I will not tolerate any further disrespect. If you do not intend to show us your specialty, I will assess you at my discretion."

"If I beat you, will you give me the highest rank?"

Luna asked with her arms crossed, and I thought I was going to lose my mind.

The instructor strode toward Luna as if she couldn't take it anymore.

"Teaching ill-mannered students is part of an instructor's job, I suppose."

Luna remained in the same pose without moving and asked, "I asked if you’d give me the highest rank. Answer me."

Her outrageously insolent reply left all the students, myself included, holding our breath and staring.

Unable to bear the humiliation, the instructor thrust out an arm at Luna.

"Fine! I'll give you the highest rank! But be prepared if you lose!"

The instructor switched to informal speech with Luna. I was impressed she had held back that long.

Still, sparring with Luna was a terrible idea.

The instructor seemed to be a fairly capable mage, but being fairly capable wouldn't be enough.

Because Luna was...

"...You'll keep your word, right?"

I doubted there were many people who saw exactly what happened next.

The instructor couldn't even cast a proper spell before clutching her stomach and collapsing to the ground.

That was the fatal weakness of all mages, myself included.

When mages entered battle, the key was to keep their distance.

Since mages had relatively weak physical abilities, securing a safe distance was vital if they couldn't gauge how quickly an opponent could close in.

I didn't know whether the instructor's judgment had been clouded by Luna's provocation or whether she had simply underestimated Luna, but Luna shot forward at tremendous speed and drove a palm strike into the instructor's stomach.

I was used to sparring with Yan, so I could see Luna's movements clearly. But unless someone was a high-level combat veteran, it was only natural for an ordinary mage to be unable to stop her.

Still coughing, the instructor remained slumped on the ground. Tears welled in her eyes, perhaps because she could barely breathe.

"I told you, I don't lie."

Luna crouched before the instructor and looked into her eyes.

"You'll give me a proper evaluation, right?"

Luna smiled sweetly. Her looks alone were enough to make her famous throughout the academy, but the surrounding students' faces had gone stiff.

Could we... make friends, Luna...?

She had beaten up an instructor, and there was our image to worry about too. My concerns only kept growing.

Our princess of the Demon World had beaten up the instructor in the name of a skill assessment.

Group Four's evaluation was temporarily suspended, and we were forced to take a break.

I sat Luna beside me and gave her an earful.

"They asked you to show your skill, so why did you go and do that?!"

Luna covered her ears and looked away as though she didn't want to listen.

"You weren't even sparring another student, you went and beat up the instructor! The instructor!"

"Only someone at Lady Amelia's level deserves to be called a teacher or master. Why should I treat someone like that as a teacher?"

She muttered with a pout.

Anyone at that level would have united the human continent instead of working here as an instructor.

What was done was done, but I repeatedly begged Luna not to create any more trouble.

As I shook my head and Luna sat with her legs crossed, a female student approached us.

Her neat, short red hair swayed with every step.

She stopped in front of Luna as though she had something to say, then opened her mouth.

"Luna Iaros. Are you truly Count Iaros's daughter?"

...I was an idiot for getting my hopes up that we had finally made a friend.

Footnotes:

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