"Tell me which tree the flag is on."
Elena scoffed triumphantly as she looked down at me. She stood firmly on the trunk, while I barely hung from a branch by my left hand. It was blindingly obvious which of us was at a disadvantage.
"...Why don't you climb up and look for it yourself? What's stopping you?"
"I refuse to get stuck with a fake. Once I secure the real flag, I'll help you up."
So she didn't want to leave anything to chance. In her mind, my only hope of getting out of this was to tell her where the real flag was.
"Come on, spit it out."
"Before that, there's something I want to ask. Elena, why are you acting alone?"
"I'm not about to tell you my squad's strategy."
"You split the other nine into three strike teams and went off on your own to hunt me down, didn't you? Am I wrong?"
"...Say whatever you like."
Right on the mark. Elena must have viewed my detection magic as a major threat, making its disruption her top priority. That was the only reason she would have gone through the trouble of lying in wait without using mana.
"But that wasn't your real objective. Elena, your plan was to claim the flag for yourself first."
"D-Don't be ridiculous! I did it for my squad—"
"Once the center descended into a melee, detection magic became useless. You had no reason left to eliminate me."
"..."
"Yet you came after me anyway....You realized Hermann and I went to find the flag, didn't you?"
"...What are you trying to say?"
One of the criteria evaluated in this exam was cooperativeness. Ambushing me to evade detection magic was certainly a move made for her squad's benefit. But her actions after that... No one could fault an observer for concluding she was solely trying to grab the flag for herself.
"Elena. Is it possible... that unless you secure the flag with your own hands, you won't be able to pass?"
"Wh-What...?!"
I knew it. Elena had lost her composure and chased after me. As a result, scoring points in areas like teamwork and selflessness was out of reach... and now she was backed into a corner.
"I'll tell you right now, my magic stone is practically empty. But... burning that flag would still be child's play."
"Wh-What are you saying—"
"If I blast the real flag with fire magic... what happens to you?"
"If you do that, you'll fall too, you idiot!"
"And you'll fall right along with me. We go down together."
Earlier, I had thought the Phantom Staff was useless in this situation, but it made for an excellent bluff. In truth, I had no idea if I could snipe the flag from such an unstable posture. Still, I had put on quite a show during the third exam. Flaunting your strength was just another way to use it.
"...Fine. What do you want?"
"Transfer half your mana to me. Then I'll tell you where the flag is."
"You don't want me to pull you up?"
"There's no guarantee you'll actually pull me to safety. I'd rather use magic to climb up myself."
"...Fine, whatever."
Looking thoroughly displeased, Elena crouched on the trunk and reached her left hand toward me. With that, mana should flow through her body and replenish my magic stone. That gave me a little breathing room.
"Thanks. Deal's a deal—I'll tell you where the flag is."
"Where?"
"It's tied to the crown of that tree over there. You can climb it directly or chop it down with magic."
"Which one... Ah, I see it."
As I pointed out the flag's location with the Phantom Staff, Elena squinted in that direction. Taking advantage of the distraction, I began swinging my hanging body back and forth. Even with the mana transfer, I wouldn't make the distance without some momentum.
"Huh? W-Wait, what are you doing—"
Feeling the trunk shift beneath her feet, Elena snapped her head back toward me. But it was already too late. Gritting through the fading sensation in my left hand, I clung to the branch and swung myself harder.
"You—if you try anything funny, I'll knock you down right n—"
"Now!"
The moment my body reached the peak of its upward swing, I unleashed wind magic with every scrap of mana I had. Propelled by the explosive burst, I shot forward through the canopy.
"Damn it—"
Elena tried to blast me in the back with magic, but she was too slow. Right on trajectory, I flew straight toward the flag. Grabbing onto the treetop, I snatched it into my hands.
"Got it!"
"No...!"
Elena's devastated cry echoed from far below. The tree creaked and groaned violently under my weight, sounding on the verge of snapping, but it held. I let out a breath of relief and began climbing down with the prize in hand.
"The exam is over! Cease all actions!"
Wittmann's communication magic rang in my ears. The examiners stationed throughout the grounds must have signaled that I secured the flag. And so, by claiming the flag with my own two hands, I passed the fourth exam.