237: Thinning the Herd

"Weiss... H-how? How are you this strong?! It’s not fair. This is exactly why I hate geniuses... Dammit!"

"Ha, me? A genius? That’s rich."

An upperclassman who had been born with the innate ability to manipulate wind magic was actually spouting that crap at me. I didn't give him a chance to keep talking; I went straight for the neck for an instant elimination.

Currently, we were inside the old Adventurer's Guild. I’d noticed these guys peeking out from the windows to scout the area, so I decided to launch a preemptive strike.

"Even I have my pride as a senior—"

"Forgive me, but that attack will not work on me."

Beside him, Cynthia was closing the distance, a Glass Sword in one hand as she nimbly dodged a barrage of Mana Cannons. She delivered a merciless, silent strike. Her Absolute Zero was as terrifying as ever. No matter how much you trained, the fundamental mechanics of the human body didn't change. If you were made of flesh and blood, you stopped moving the moment frostbite set in. In the worst-case scenario, your limbs would just undergo necrosis and rot off.

For someone as kind as her, that power is probably a bit of a nightmare to handle, I thought. A 'genius' is a word meant for someone like her, someone born with that kind of terrifying potential.

【Eliot Al and Laurie Cal have been eliminated. Points awarded to Weiss Fancent and Cynthia Violetta.】

"The upperclassmen who were pinging my Mana Detection outside are retreating," Cynthia reported.

"They probably had a pre-arranged retreat time. It's a relief that Carta and Tura haven't been knocked out yet."

There was a natural order to things. As students progressed from lowerclassmen to upperclassmen, the curriculum at Noblesse became exponentially more difficult. The magic, in particular, was a massive pain. Much like grappling in martial arts, if you didn't know the specific technique to break a spell, you just couldn't win. That was the clear wall between us and the seniors.

There was no doubt that Neil and Priscilla were the ones pulling the strings. They’d succeeded in taking down Cecil and Duke—the two biggest threats—and then moved on to target Olynn and Carta. But Carta had already overcome her past trauma. She wasn't going to go down that easily.

Their next target had to be Tura. However, her movements were more akin to a wild animal than a student. Even if you could predict where she was going, actually pinning her down was a different story. Furthermore, she was almost impossible to pick up with Mana Sense. Duran’s training had focused heavily on anti-magic specialization, and Tura herself was a natural prodigy. Unless you practically tripped over her, nobody was going to notice she was there—

"This one is so cute I almost want to take it home with me..."

I stopped mid-thought as I spotted Tura in the back of the Adventurer's Guild, staring intensely at a row of stuffed animals on a shelf. She was muttering something to herself with a goofy grin, reaching out a hand toward them.

"Hey, Samurai. What do you think you're doing?"

"Gah?! Wh-what?! Wei—Weiss-dono!?"

"We're in the middle of an exam, you know."

"I-I am well aware! I was... I was hiding! Truly!"

"Didn't look like it to me."

Tura let out a fake, forced cough to clear her throat. "A moment ago, Priscilla-san and Neil-dono attacked me. I managed to get away, though I became separated from my partner in the chaos."

"Hoh. Impressive that you escaped them."

"It was thanks to my partner. I realized that being eliminated here would be a disaster, so I suppressed my presence and went into hiding."

I see. I guess those wild instincts of hers are good for something after all.

Just then, Cynthia appeared from behind me. "Oh dear, am I interrupting something?"

"Cynthia, knock it off..."

But honestly, having her here was like giving a metal club to an ogre. It was no exaggeration to say she was the person I’d been hoping to run into most. And besides...

【Evil Light has been eliminated. Points awarded to Allen and Shari Elias.】

The Magic Bird’s announcement confirmed it. In terms of raw numbers, we—the intermediate-year students—actually had the advantage now. It was likely the unintended consequence of the seniors scattering their forces to take down Cecil’s group. The fact that they couldn't finish off Carta meant they had wasted more time than they’d planned for. On top of that, they’d let Tura slip through their fingers.

Those guys were actually struggling. If we were still the same people from the Original Story, we would have been wiped out by now. But we weren't. We had clawed our way through life-and-death situations. And now, I knew exactly where Neil and his group were hiding.

"We’re heading to the Royal Castle. If they’re playing the role of upperclassmen, they’ll definitely use that as their stronghold."

No matter how skilled Neil and Priscilla were, if their 'pawns' were depleted, they’d be at a disadvantage in an open area. Magic had its affinities, after all. No matter how strong an individual was, a gap in numbers was an absolute advantage—

【Ori Toa has been eliminated. Points awarded to Eva Avery.】

【Kou Angou has been eliminated. Points awarded to Eva Avery.】

"...Why? Why would Eva-san do that?" Cynthia asked, her voice wavering.

"Don't tell me she's sided with Neil?" Tura added, looking panicked.

Why...? No, wait. I got it.

"She's thinning the herd."

"Thinning the herd? Weiss, what do you mean?"

I had the number of seniors, their magic types, and the capabilities of our own classmates burned into my brain. Looking at the remaining combat power on the field, these latest eliminations actually brought the two sides closer to being perfectly even. There was no way Eva didn't realize that.

In other words... she was enjoying herself. She wanted to ensure the final battle reached the most exciting development possible. If that was the case, she’d be at the Royal Castle too.

Eva was the one who had set the stage for this entire match. She was like a billionaire who had bought front-row tickets to a bloodbath. I suppose this level of 'amusement' was only natural for her.

I’d almost forgotten, but Eva Avery was neither an ally nor an enemy. She was an observer. She moved solely for her own desires, seeking out whatever entertained her most. But she would stay to see it through to the end. She wanted to see which of us would claim Victory. To her, that would be the ultimate feast.

"Don't sweat it. Eva probably won't interfere any further. Cynthia, Tura—stay behind me and focus on support. We’re going to make a break for the Royal Castle and end this!"

"Understood, Weiss."

"Understood!"

Even if I ended up having to trade blows with Eva herself, I had no intention of losing. At least, that’s what I’m telling myself so I don’t start shaking.

———————————————————— Afterword: Next time, a ridiculous onslaught from Weiss and the crew! Will the strongest attack yet be unleashed on Neil and Priscilla?! Also, Eva really is a pain in the neck ( ;∀;) And finally, pre-orders for the print version have begun! The title has been changed to: I Reincarnated as a Lazy and Evil Noble, and After I Destroyed the Scenario, I Became the Strongest with Extraordinary Magic Power. Label: Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko Illustrator: Reine Kuwashima-sama Thank you for your support! ☺