062 Selection

"Plant Bandage! A-Alright! Weiss, I don't care how strong you are, with this—!"

A tangle of vines snaked around my body. Earth Attribute, maybe? He was doing a decent job of weaving them together with his magic.

By the end of their first year, students stopped relying on basic spells and started using more complex, personalized formulas. It definitely made the game harder, but it was pretty interesting to watch.

Not that it mattered to me. I let my mana surge, blasting the vines into splinters.

"...W-What!?"

"Creative trick," I said. "Catch you later."

I crushed him without mercy and snatched his three rings. Just like with Lilith, I didn't finish him off. If this guy managed to scrounge up more rings later, they’d eventually find their way back to me anyway.

The endgame of this exam was a gold mine—you could just swoop in and steal rings people had spent the whole day bleeding for. Still, even if he was just a lower-class student, he was a survivor of the Calamity. That guy hadn't even earned a mention in the original story, but he was clearly a powerhouse.

Man, this is the best.

I wasn't sure exactly how much time was left, but the clock had to be ticking down. After taking out Lilith, I'd run into a literal crowd; I currently had thirty rings in my possession. Thankfully, the rings shrank as you collected more of them, so they weren't bulky. They must have been enchanted to feel lighter, too. I’d expected them to be a clanking, heavy nuisance, but someone had actually put some thought into the design.

There was one other change from the original story: the rings were imbued with a faint trace of magic. It was like a scent—each ring carried one of the Four Great Elements. Because of that, a student with the Fire Attribute would have an easier time sniffing out a "fire" ring.

On the surface, it looked like a way to make things fair, but it was actually a pretty twisted mechanic. Instead of finding rings at random, students were funneled toward specific areas where they were more likely to encounter each other while searching. This had Teacher Milk's brand of cunning written all over it. She really wanted us to tear each other apart.

I ran into a few Undead Monsters along the way, but they weren't much of a challenge for me anymore. Judging by the distant cries of agony, though, plenty of other people were struggling. I was probably monopolizing a huge chunk of the rings. There were going to be a lot more "zeros" than there were in the original plot.

Teacher Milk had made it clear that failing to get a ring meant a massive point deduction. We were looking at a wave of expulsions. It was a shame, but selection was necessary. Keeping dead weight around would only drag the rest of us down during the next Calamity. I needed allies, but they were useless if they weren't strong. That was a lesson I'd learned the hard way.

I encountered a Ghoul and pulverized it instantly. A moment later, I sensed several presences nearby. One of them was very familiar. I activated Dark Eye, and saw that he was being surrounded.

...Well now, what to do?

---

"You guys, head over there!"

"Got it! Dammit, what is this monster... so annoying!"

"Heheh, you idiot! Olynn, you can't get through there!"

There were three men. Since it was a joint exercise with other classes, I didn't recognize them. They each had a single ring hanging from their waist.

"Ah, ugh..."

Outnumbered and cornered, Olynn collapsed to the ground. They must have set a trap; the moment Olynn stepped forward, the soil had softened into a bog before hardening again. It was a simple trick, but devastatingly effective in the dark.

"Pi-pi-pi-piru!"

A tiny squirrel stood defiantly in front of the fallen Olynn. The male students just smirked.

"Haha! Even if you can tame beasts, this is all you’ve got?"

"I guess he's just one of those guys with talent who's too lazy to put in the effort, huh?"

"No doubt. See ya, Olynn. Don't take it personally."

The students raised their swords to strike, but to my surprise, the squirrel moved with terrifying speed. It vanished, blurring into a streak of motion that only I could track, and headbutted one of the students right in the chin.

"—Wha...?"

"Hey, hey! You okay!?"

"Dammit, you brat! What do you think you're doing!"

"Pi-pi-pi!"

The remaining two weren't complete idiots, though. They immediately used magic to bind the squirrel. Olynn had his eyes closed—he must have been pouring mana into the creature to manual-pilot it. A first-class Tame user can move monsters like their own limbs or set them to auto-pilot. In the future, Olynn would be able to command any monster. He’d even be able to turn them into suicide bombers if he wanted. There is no special attack more terrifying than a high-mobility flying monster on a collision course. Well, I don't know if Olynn would ever go that far.

"Screw you, Olynn! Just sleep until the exam is over! Hope you get expelled, you piece of trash!"

They ruthlessly swung their swords at him.

But...

"————Eh? A... E-EH? Weiss-kun!?"

"That was a good show," I said. "I really should pay the entrance fee for a circus act like that."

"Eh? A circus...?"

I was just joking, but looking closely, I realized these were the same guys I’d already stolen rings from earlier. In the original story, Olynn didn't get expelled here, but my interference must have caused the timeline to sour. I’d been content to just watch, thinking it couldn't be helped if he died for being weak, but after seeing a glimpse of that much talent... it was more "profitable" to keep him around to help me avoid my own ruin.

"W-What the hell, Weiss! Why are you helping him? You... don't tell me you and Olynn are—"

"…………Die."

I put a little more "oomph" into it than usual as I took one of them down. It was an overkill strike that definitely would have ended him if not for the protective enchantments on the training uniforms. He collapsed without even a groan.

You... if you spread weird rumors, I really will kill you.

"D-Dammit! Just because you're strong doesn't mean you can bully the weak!"

"Hah. Now that's a funny comeback."

I hadn't been knocking people unconscious until now, but my blood was up. I didn't give a damn if these guys got eaten by the Undead while they were passed out. Honestly, it might be better that way—it would keep them from flapping their mouths about me.

Just die already.

"Pi-pi-pi-ru!"

"...Huh?"

Before I knew it, the squirrel had broken free of its binding and positioned itself as a shield in front of the last student. I halted my blade just in time. A few centimeters more and the squirrel would have been split in two. My Dual Sword skill included a formula-cancellation effect; since the squirrel was a summoned monster, it would have vanished into dust without even leaving a corpse.

Wait—

"Why are you protecting them? You were about to be killed."

"...If even he passes out, all three of them will die out here."

Ah... so this is why Olynn was the most popular character. Calculations of profit and loss didn't exist in his brain. Allen acted for his own sense of justice, but his ethics were strictly human—he’d do whatever it took to win. If someone was evil, Allen wouldn't hesitate to cut them down.

But Olynn was different. Even though they’d been trying to kill him a second ago, the thought had already left his mind.

...Good grief.

"You really don't change. ——Get up."

I reached out a hand. Olynn crawled out of the dirt with a look of pure shock, huffing as he caught his breath.

"...What do you mean, I don't change?"

"Don't worry about it."

In the original story, his character was divisive. Actually, most people hated him at first. "Goody-two-shoes" characters aren't exactly popular these days; people prefer selfish, ruthless protagonists. But Olynn possessed a level of genuine goodness that smashed right through those modern values. A rare specimen like him was a treasure, even in a place like Noblesse.

But well...

"Hey, you. Hand over everyone's rings."

"Hi—! H-Here!"

"Want me to kill you?"

"N-NO! Y-YES SIR! TAKE THEM!"

Those guys were definitely going to be expelled, but that wasn't my problem. I was taking everything they had. Obviously.

"Weiss-kun, you're merciless..."

"Hah? You got a problem with that?"

"Eh, hehe... No. But, thank you."

I collected all the rings. Two were unconscious, but as long as one was awake, they probably wouldn't die.

"Olynn, give me yours, too."

"E-EEEEH!? Why!? Didn't you just save me?"

"I saved you because we're roommates and as a 'viewing fee' for the squirrel. I’m not that nice. You can find at least one more before the time runs out."

"Fueee... fine."

Teary-eyed, he reached for his waist. To my surprise, he handed over ten rings.

"...That's a lot."

"Ehehe. Actually, I tamed a little guy who's good in the dark. He was too far away to help me earlier, though." He stuck out his tongue and gave his head a playful bonk.

Heh. He's tougher than he looks. He’d been taming two creatures simultaneously.

"I’m leaving. If you get into trouble again, I'm not helping."

"I-I know. But Weiss-kun, you're a lot kinder than the rumors say. I'm surprised."

"I'll kill you."

I needed to get away from him as fast as possible. In every sense of the word, he was dangerous.

The surrounding mana was still—

"AUUUUAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

A woman's scream ripped through the distance. I looked up and saw a glow near the mountain peak. Is that... a cave!?

I hurriedly scanned the area with Dark Eye and Time Lapse. An incredible surge of mana hit me.

"Not now..."

It was like the lure of an anglerfish. In Noblesse Oblige, trap-like events occasionally appeared to bait players. Back when it was just a game, I enjoyed the developers' "playful spirit," but I couldn't afford to feel that way now. Depending on the timing and location, those traps often contained monsters so powerful they were laughable. To find out what it was, you had to walk right into the trap.

Most of them were "first-time kills"—encounters that weren't even designed to be cleared on a first attempt. The risk of dying was astronomical. They only appeared under very specific conditions, and even in the original game, they were random. Someone, somewhere, must have triggered the flags.

"Did you hear that voice!?"

...I forgot Olynn was still here. Given his personality, this was bad.

"Yeah, probably a monster or some students fighting. Leave it alone."

But Olynn closed his eyes. What is he doing?

"...No. Someone is being attacked. ——No, it's dangerous! Ah, it got them...!"

"Olynn... what did you see?"

"I sent my tamed monster into the cave. But it was killed instantly... Weiss-kun, this is bad! A girl is being attacked!"

"A girl? Who?"

"I don't know. I couldn't see her face."

For a split second, Lilith flashed through my mind. No, that was impossible. No matter how much she wanted rings, she’d never fall for a trap like that. Regardless, Olynn looked like he’d already made up his mind.

"What are you thinking?"

"...I'm going to help her."

"Don't. You felt it too, didn't you? Whatever is in there is a freak of nature. You go in, you die."

"But...!"

Olynn's eyes gave me his answer. He was going.

"I'm not letting you go."

I readied my sword. I’d knock him out if I had to. I wasn't going to let him die for some developer's prank. It wasn't that I was worried about him—it was purely for the sake of avoiding my own ruin.

"Weiss-kun, let me go."

"No."

He wasn't going to listen. I’d have to force him—

"Pipin!"

To my shock, Olynn didn't hesitate to have Pipin attack me. The squirrel moved with speed and destructive power far beyond what I’d expected. I caught the blow with my sword, but the impact forced me back.

"Weiss-kun, I'm sorry! Thank you for saving me!"

Using that opening, Olynn vanished into the forest. I tried to give chase, but Undead Monsters swarmed me from both sides. I cut them down in seconds, only to hear the wind whistling above. I looked up with Dark Eye and saw Olynn hanging onto the legs of a flying monster, soaring through the sky. He was heading straight for the cave.

"Ah... dammit...!"

Those traps had countless patterns. Monsters, eldritch horrors, sudden dungeons... the only common thread was that they were all impossibly difficult. If I lost Olynn here, it would be a massive blow to my plans. The difficulty of avoiding my "ruin" would skyrocket.

Even so, following him was insane. It was a suicide mission.

And yet... what was this feeling welling up from deep inside me?

It's not me. This is... Weiss, is this your emotion?

...Shit.

"Unnatural."

Before I knew it, I was sprinting through the air, heading toward the cave.