Chapter 9

## Chapter 9: Checkpoint

"We can't let Amon run wild. Someone like him would even threaten his own group members."

"Without a doubt, Amon's the one we need to watch the most. His swordsmanship is top-tier, and so far, he hasn't shown a single flaw. On top of that, the default weapon is a wooden sword. However you look at it, this test is clearly stacked in his favor."

Kinzo held up the wooden sword he'd been issued.

"And to make things worse, Bell ended up in his group. That makes Group B the strongest by far. Bell's ability might be single-use, but that one shot is unstoppable. Then again—maybe it's not single-use after all. We have twenty-four hours to get back to the training ground. Bell could recover in that time."

He pressed his fingertips beneath his chin.

The scar from the Rioter's dagger was still visible there.

"She might recharge through rest. Could be that Bell can use her ability two or three times..."

For a moment, the misunderstanding that he was just some pervert using Clairvoyance to spy on people's insides faded away. Kinzo's true talent lay in combat analysis and strategy.

He'd memorized a single map with his Clairvoyance Magic, and from that alone, he'd already spun out this much discussion.

Once Kinzo graduated from the training grounds and took on larger missions, his effectiveness would only shine brighter.

As long as he didn't lose his Clairvoyance Magic, Kinzo would become the key to their counterattack.

---

One hour before the first test.

Group B.

"Yesterday's friend is tomorrow's enemy."

Amon pressed the hilt of his wooden sword against his forehead and muttered.

"What are you doing?"

Bell asked.

"It's a ritual. A ritual."

"Right... good luck with that."

She kept her distance, clearly not wanting to get tangled up in anything weird.

"This is me declaring that right now, in this moment, I'm facing you as a competitor—with full hostility."

"Do you really need to be hostile?"

"Bell, don't get the wrong idea. You can't win with a half-assed mindset."

"Win against who?"

"Who else..."

Amon's eyes went wide as he shouted.

"Louise, obviously!"

"Ah... right."

"Damn it, why did Louise have to end up in Group A? She's the one person I didn't want to fight."

Amon slammed the tip of his wooden sword against the ground.

"Why do you care so much? The real threats in Group A are Mago and Kinzo, aren't they?"

Bell cleanly ignored the Louise talk.

"Mago and Kinzo? I don't give a damn about those guys..."

"Didn't those two come in together before the training grounds? I think... it was like a slave and master situation."

"Oh, right. If I were Mago, I'd have ditched someone like Kinzo the second I became a free man. But look at him—still sticking around. Means he doesn't even have the guts to leave. Guys like that aren't worth worrying about."

"Still, they've made a name for themselves in the Capital. I've already heard that nickname that combines both their names... Majo."

"That's the only nasty nickname they've got. Kinzo's a Mage, so I'll admit he's dangerous—you never know what tricks he'll pull. But Mago? There's nothing to him except being a bit fast."

Amon conveniently erased from his memory the fact that he'd lost to Mago in a spar not long ago.

"That one didn't count."

He couldn't bring himself to acknowledge a former slave.

"Didn't count?"

"It's nothing."

"Something feels off..."

Bell muttered, crossing her arms behind her head.

"Never mind that. The real question is how to deal with Louise. If I go too hard on her, you need to hold me back."

"If you hate it that much, you could always trade maps, you know."

"No way. No matter who it is—even Louise—trading maps is off the table. It's not about crossing the finish line together. It's about eating the competition. I need to take down as many of the others as possible."

"You sure get serious when it comes to this, huh."

Amon pressed the hilt of his wooden sword against his forehead again.

---

Five minutes before the first test.

Group A.

Mago finally admitted it.

"Yeah, I guess so."

"The other trainees don't know anything about the lake," Kinzo said. "No one's going to be watching you. Which means the conditions are perfect for exploiting their weaknesses. And just because we're in the same group doesn't mean we can let our guard down."

Kinzo nodded a couple of times, as if organizing his thoughts.

"It's not Group A versus Group B. It's a battle of two-person teams. In the end, the scores are based on who gets there first."

He reframed the instructor's briefing that way.

"There are plenty of ways to interfere with each other. Still, it'd be ideal if Group B fell apart from within."

"Kinzo, I'll carry two packs."

"Two? Mine too?"

"Yeah, yours included. While I do that, you run ahead. I'll catch up right away."

"You're saying you can carry two packs and still be confident enough to catch up..."

"What are you two whispering about?"

Louise, who was nearby, asked.

"We were just saying that even though we're in the same group, that doesn't make us allies," Mago replied.

"Mago, why are you stirring up trouble? Are you saying Louise is the enemy?"

"Who knows? Once things start..."

An awkward silence hung in the air.

Kinzo tried to break the tension by changing the subject.

"Louise. Why did you come to the training ground?"

"Huh? Well... ah, it's kind of embarrassing to say out loud. Do I really have to tell you?"

"On your feet!"

The small talk came to an abrupt end.

The Head Instructor raised his arm high.

Everyone in Group A hurriedly lined up.

"Group A."

The instructor's low voice cut through the air.

Tension surfaced on the trainees' faces.

"Go!"

He brought his raised arm down sharply.

With a shout, Group A took off.

"For now, stick to the plan," Kinzo said.

"Yeah."

I lowered my stance and took a deep breath.

Ready to spring.

The sand beneath my feet scattered the moment I launched forward.

In an instant, I blew past the trainees ahead of me.

"What the—?!"

"Was Kinzo always that fast?"

It wasn't because I was naturally faster than them.

It was the obvious result.

There was nothing on his back.

Compared to the others carrying full packs, he had a completely different speed.

"Where's his pack...?!"

"Isn't that cheating?"

Kinzo's pack sat on my right shoulder.

I'd slung mine over my left.

After planting my left foot back and bracing, I shot forward like an arrow.

A body that could haul a full-grown horse over its shoulder.

A simple pack wasn't going to weigh me down.

"Son of a bitch!"

"How is he carrying two and still faster than us...?!"

I heard my peers' whining voices behind me.

Ignoring them, I focused on my breathing.

Before I knew it, I'd caught up to Kinzo.

"You're... already here?"

---

The checkpoint was the first and only place Group A and Group B would meet.

The faster we arrived, the more options we'd have.

We needed to get there early, observe the rest of our peers, and choose our next move accordingly.

We passed several trainees and took the lead in Group A.

"So far, we're the fastest in Group A. But I wonder how the other side is doing..."

Kinzo's voice carried a mix of anticipation and anxiety.

---

30 minutes into the first test.

Group B.

"You know what's weird about Bell? She moves exactly as much as she eats. Like a machine running on oil. Half the time, she doesn't even look human..."

Amon gasped for air.

Sweat-soaked hair plastered itself to his forehead.

"Haaah... haaah... what's your point...?"

A fellow trainee running beside Amon answered.

"Amon Coster, youngest son of one of the Empire's Three Great Families... and you're struggling this much? Still don't get it? Hah..."

"What exactly are you trying to say...?"

"Our family's been training since we were babies. So... haah... this kind of mountain hike, even with a pack... it's nothing."

"For someone who's been training since birth... haah... you look like you're about to give up..."

"Shut up... I've been preparing for today since yesterday."

Amon wiped the sweat stinging his eyes.

"So what...?"

"So, I gave all my dinner from last night... to Bell."

He said it through gritted teeth.

"Which means...! Right now, she's probably the fastest one here!"

"Damn it... I knew this group was stacked wrong..."

"I'm the one who's going to graduate top and join the Special Forces! For the glory of my family..."

---

We pushed through the endless maze of trees and finally broke free.

When we cleared the last hill, flat ground spread out before us.

"The checkpoint," Kinzo said quietly.

No more trees.

Just open ground and sunlight.

And red hair, whipping in the wind.

"You're late."

Bell swept her hair back.

The blue cloth wrapped around her arm.

Group B's insignia.

And on top of that, she was the opponent Kinzo had rated as the most troublesome in Group B.

"Bell. You're clearly out of breath. You just got here too," Kinzo said.

"Hah... No, I didn't?"

She forced herself to hold her breath.

I was more concerned about something else.

"Where's Amon?"

"Right behind me."

"You didn't leave everything to him, did you?"

"I said he's right behind me."

I'd been hoping for an answer that said he was far away, but that wasn't happening.

"Hand over the map."

Bell extended her wooden sword.

"Hold on, Bell. How about we trade maps instead? There's no reason for us to fight, right?"

Kinzo took a step back.

Having Bell unleash that explosive power of hers at the very start of the test—and against us of all people—would be a huge waste.

At least, that was the hope.

"We made a plan too. Amon didn't agree, but I decided anyway."

Bell finally spoke.

"Forcing your own plan isn't a plan—it's just your way of getting what you want."

Bell ignored Kinzo's snide remark.

She said it confidently. "Group A. Specifically, the moment I run into you two, I'm using it."

"We're screwed... Why did it have to be us?"

Kinzo pressed his palm to his forehead.

"Listen to me, Bell."

He started his rebuttal.

"We trade maps here and head down peacefully. The difference between first and second place is only one point, right? There are still three more tests ahead. Plus the individual assessment."

"I knew you'd say that, Kinzo. You two came together, but I have to wait for Amon. You expect me to just watch you take first place? Even if it's just one point, why should I hand it over?"

"Bell. Choose your words carefully."

That's when I cut in.

"You said Amon was right behind me, didn't you?"

It was clear now—she was alone.

"I-I meant figuratively! And besides, our plan doesn't include map trading. If we can drag even one person down, we do it. That was Amon's resolve. Even if that person was Louise."

"Even if it was Louise, huh. That guy Amon's got some serious determination..."

Kinzo acknowledged him for the strangest reasons.

But he also struck back.

"Still, that's Amon's resolve, isn't it? You agree with him on that?"

"Is she wrong?"

For a moment, Kinzo was speechless.

He looked at me with a "I've had enough" expression.

"Good. I was getting tired of all this talking anyway. The fact that Amon isn't here means Bell's alone."

I dropped both packs to the ground like I was tossing them away.

Then I drew my wooden sword.

"Kinzo. You remember what we talked about on the way up?"

He nodded slightly.

We'd prepared for this situation. We had a plan for dealing with Bell.

- Huh? Bell?

Kinzo had asked back then.

- If we run into Bell. If we have to fight her no matter what. We don't block her sword. We dodge.

- Dodge?

- Even dodging once will leave her combat-ineffective. Dodging is winning.

- Easier said than done.

- Even saying it is hard. But I know her body well.

- Stop saying things that could be misunderstood.

I'd ignored the joke.

- Before Bell uses the Red family's unique magic, her body turns red and radiates heat. Smoke rises from her skin. She forces explosive energy through herself, and when she burns through it all, she collapses.

- Like a machine running on oil.

- The important thing is that you can see the timing. With your own eyes.