250th Episode
After wrapping up the Sandworm story, which had yielded little gain, Ray retreated to a corner of the bathhouse. Leaving the other students to their own conversations, he submerged his head underwater.
Bubbling sounds filled the air as Ray exhaled beneath the water while massaging his forehead.
‘I’ll visit Doralanche later…’
Ray had no immediate plans to seek out the World Tree.
Even if he didn’t complete an entire semester at Izhise, Ray would still need to return to Phillip’s County.
While he missed his family, there was a more pressing reason for his urgency.
War was imminent.
It had been directly and indirectly revealed that high-ranking officials within the Rubia Kingdom were closely aligned with Devil Worshippers.
If left unchecked, it would only become more dangerous. Thus, the Empire planned to eliminate this threat entirely.
Preparations for war were already underway step by step.
Unless some major variable arose, the war would begin around the time spring arrived next year.
The outcome of the war was predictable.
No matter how much the high-ranking officials of the Rubia Kingdom resisted, they would be swept away in an instant by the Empire.
Many figures from the Rubia Kingdom were already recruited to cooperate with the Empire, making the result clear.
The problem was that Phillip’s County bordered the Rubia Kingdom.
‘If the kingdom’s main Rangers side with the Empire, Phillip’s County might be safer than expected…’
Still, given that this was a war between nations, small variables could always emerge. Letting one’s guard down could result in an unknown stone breaking one’s skull.
Phillip’s County wasn’t in a particularly defensible position either, so evacuating temporarily would be the right choice once war broke out.
‘Evacuating the territory will cause confusion no matter how well-prepared we are…’
With greater confusion came the likelihood of minor accidents.
Therefore, Ray planned to personally oversee the situation in Phillip’s County before the war began, just in case.
‘Leaving the county unattended for several months will cause significant losses for Lord Philip and the citizens, but the royal court has promised to compensate for them…’
Once the war ended and the Devil Worshipper faction in the Rubia Kingdom was completely dismantled,
that was when Ray intended to visit Doralanche.
“Phew…”
Emerging from the water, Ray exhaled and leaned against the wall. Strangely, now that his tasks and plans were clearly laid out, he felt somewhat lighter-hearted.
At that moment, a second-year student entered the bathhouse. It was Teon, who had recently been in frequent conflict with his peers.
Seeing Delun and Aaron, Teon immediately frowned.
“Why are third-year students in the bath?”
“Hey, Teon. The instructors said we should follow the rules from now on. It sucks, but what can we do? They’re cracking down on irregularities these days…”
Sebas tried to calm Teon down with those words, but the response wasn’t favorable.
“Have you already been corrupted by those communists? How pathetic.”
Teon’s remark, which cut deep into his pride, caused Sebas to furrow his brow in irritation. At that moment,
Ray stood up in the bath, approaching Teon.
“Uh, senior, I’ve noticed since we enrolled—why are you so aggressive? Has something bad happened recently?”
“…”
Teon momentarily lost his words upon seeing the scars covering Ray’s upper body instead of focusing on his lower half.
In that pause, Ray approached Teon, lightly tapping his shoulder and clicking his tongue.
“Tsk, Senior, why have you been wandering aimlessly lately? I’ve heard stories here and there, and yes, I understand, I get it. You must feel frustrated and hurt.”
“…”
“You need to focus your mind now more than ever. If you focus and work hard on yourself, you’ll achieve the success and recognition you desire. What good does it do to pick fights everywhere based on your emotions?”
“…”
Teon had heard rumors that Ray was a disguised instructor and was unsure how to respond.
During this time, Ray finished reprimanding Teon and tapped his shoulder again.
“Let’s do better moving forward, Senior.”
With a pleasant smile, Ray pushed Teon into the bath and called out as he exited the bathroom.
“Senior, remember to be patient, patience!”
“…”
Teon struggled internally about what to say back to Ray but ultimately couldn’t utter a word.
Seeing this, Harvey exclaimed to Sebas.
“Man… if it turns out later that he isn’t a disguised instructor but just a regular student, it’ll be hilarious.”
“Yeah, then we should catch him and hang him upside down at the entrance of Izhise for a month.”
*
A few days after meeting the Guardian-class Elf,
Ray found himself having lunch alone with Nelson in one of the break rooms used by the instructors during lunchtime.
Nelson had summoned him, saying he had something to discuss. As Ray cut the meat on his plate, he asked,
“Why did you call me?”
“I apologize for the inadequate prepared meal.”
“No, Instructor, let’s skip that and get to the point.”
“There will soon be a mid-term evaluation test for both third-year and second-year students.”
“Isn’t Izhise supposed to be a continuous evaluation system? Are we going to have another sparring match or something?”
“It’s not that.”
“Then what is it?”
“If categorized, it would be closest to extreme endurance training.”
Nelson began explaining the details of the mid-term evaluation test.
“First, we plan to form two teams by mixing second-year and third-year students.”
“And?”
“In an environment with restricted food and water, while fending off intermittent attacks, you must traverse over hundreds of kilometers without any dropouts. For several days, getting proper sleep will be impossible, and even lying down will be difficult. The team that reaches the destination first wins.”
“So it really is extreme endurance training.”
Patience, crisis management skills, teamwork, and mental strength.
These abilities were essential to survive under extreme conditions and complete the mission.
The mid-term evaluation test was designed to assess and hone such capabilities.
“But… Nelson, where exactly is the training area if the route covers hundreds of kilometers?”
“Within Izhise. We’ll use barriers to make everyone loop around the same point continuously. Inside the barrier, we can artificially alter the environment, so the weather will change constantly.”
“Aha, typical Izhise.”
Ray secretly felt relieved.
If the test involved running loops inside Izhise, any dangerous accidents could be handled immediately.
“But doesn’t it seem like a normal barrier won’t suffice? The students are skilled enough that a weak barrier might just reduce tension rather than challenge them?”
“Yes, so we plan to receive power supply from the central system of the Imperial Capital. With the power issue resolved, we can deploy a much stronger barrier.”
The central system of the Imperial Capital was overflowing with residual mana.
If its power was utilized, maintaining a large-scale high-level barrier safely for several days would be possible.
Nodding, Ray asked Nelson,
“Are you participating in the mid-term evaluation?”
“…I’d prefer to sit this one out if possible.”
“If you want to maintain your status as a student, you must participate.”
Nelson firmly stated this.
Since the test was designed to push people into extreme situations, whether due to illness or insufficient skill, everyone had to participate regardless.
Moreover, if Ray skipped it, the purpose of the exam would collapse entirely.
Though respectful, Nelson’s stance was firm: it couldn’t be avoided.
Sighing deeply, Ray asked,
“Is it safe?”
“We are ensuring maximum safety. Similar types of training have been conducted many times, and there hasn’t been a serious accident in the history of Izhise.”
“Ah, looks like I’ll suffer for a few more days… Hmm?”
As Ray sighed, he sensed movement and turned toward the door.
Subsequently, Ray was startled to see Saria peering at him through the window, causing his chair to wobble.
Feeling uneasy, Ray reluctantly opened the door.
Saria quickly entered and sat right next to Ray.
“Nephew, why are you eating here?”
“The instructor said he had something to discuss, haha. Aunt, have you eaten?”
Saria shook her head.
Her gaze was quite intense, so Ray put down his fork cautiously.
“Would Aunt like to join us for a meal?”
“I’m full. Watching you eat is fine.”
“…”
Ray groaned softly.
Nelson, sitting across from them quietly listening, subtly tensed his jaw.
Given her young appearance, it was hard to tell that Saria was significantly older than Ray. Watching her treat him like a child despite his achievements was quite amusing, though Nelson tried hard not to laugh.
Ray trembled with embarrassment before finally giving up and cutting the rest of his meat.
Truthfully, it was commendable that Saria hadn’t placed Ray on her lap.
*
“Amazing.”
A man in an underground chamber clapped briefly.
“I thought the information was unreliable, but it seems to be true.”
“…Is it confirmed?”
“It’s confirmed. But where did this information come from?”
“…”
“Is it a secret from me? Huh? After coming this far?”
“…The Crown Prince.”
The heavily robed figure replied. The man chuckled dryly.
“Hah, the Crown Prince can’t even open his eyes properly yet…”
The man paused mid-sentence, letting out a soft exclamation.
Thinking carefully, it wasn’t hard to guess whom the “Crown Prince” referred to. Wasn’t there someone who attempted to seek asylum in the Rubia Kingdom as the Crown Prince a few years ago and died?
That person had once held the title of Crown Prince, so naturally, he would know several confidential matters related to the Imperial Capital.
“I’m suddenly worried.”
The previous Emperor would have known what the Crown Prince knew. Naturally, precautions should have been taken.
On a positive note, considering the complex political situation after the Crown Prince’s assassination and the Emperor’s profound grief, it was understandable that any overlooked gaps went unnoticed.
“Alright. If we can use this, when will we move?”
“…”
The heavily robed figure and the man stared each other down, engaging in another bout of psychological warfare.
At that moment, a woman standing a few steps away flicked her finger and approached, her vertically slit pupils staring intently at the man.
“We need to tap into the central system of the Imperial Capital after entering. Normally, it would take a long time. We need to shorten this period…”
“…”
“Fortunately, a good opportunity will arrive soon.”
Guardian (2)
