FEFR 34

Chapter 34

“You said the summoned beast would be ordinary! Just treat those things as an accident, and proceed with the experiment together with the test…”

“Hey, listen.”

Lanze cut in with a tilted head.

“Maybe you got tricked too?”

The supervisor abruptly stopped talking. Lanze continued, still tilting her head.

“If there was a problem with the summoning process, the spell wouldn’t have formed at all and the summoning would’ve failed, right?”

Just from the magical energy detected, the beast was clearly not an ordinary one. You could confidently say there’s no way a more advanced beast could be summoned by accident or mistake.

It would be like messing up the dough recipe but somehow pulling a fully frosted cake out of the oven.

Summoning was such a delicate field that even mages rarely possessed solid knowledge about it. It was different from spiritual invocation, which could involve some degree of communication with the summoned being.

To control a beast, the mage’s power had to be clearly superior, and of course, summoning a large, powerful beast required detailed planning and proper materials.

The supervisor finally faced reality. His shoulders slumped, and his already pale face turned completely ashen.

Libé also gave up on him, recognizing he was completely useless.

As the supervisor trudged back to where he had originally been crouching, Libé turned her attention to Lanze.

“…You seem to know something. Explain.”

“Hmm?”

“If there’s a trap laid targeting you, then you probably know something. Right? You’re staying calm even now… and you seem to know summoning well.”

Libé had realized this wasn’t Lanze’s fault. But seeing the chance to extract useful information, she softened her tone compared to when speaking with the supervisor.

Lanze turned her gaze away awkwardly.

‘I don’t… know anything?’

Her knowledge of summoning was limited to what she had just said.

Even in the academy, the subject was briefly mentioned in history class but never formally taught.

The reason she had been able to point things out appropriately was because she specialized in spirit invocation, making her more familiar with space and dimension concepts, and because she had a sharp memory and recalled what little knowledge she had. It wasn’t because she was actually well-versed in the subject.

As for her calmness…

She hadn’t expected something like this to happen during the entrance exam, but life often threw unpredictable things. Rather than waste energy on panic, it was better to focus on finding the next course of action.

“…Why aren’t you answering?”

Libé pressed. Lanze, still silent and tilting her head, had already calmed Libé’s earlier agitation. But the words she finally spoke defused the mood entirely.

“I’m debating whether you’ll get mad if I say I have nothing to say.”

“What did you just say?!”

“Heine Reppels, seventeen years old.”

“Libérite Adelaea. I’m seventeen too.”

After finally calming down, the examinees, including Libé, formed a circle and began introducing themselves.

It wasn’t exactly a peaceful situation, but everyone realized—just like Lanze had—that panicking wouldn’t help.

Since most didn’t even know each other’s names yet, the first step was introducing themselves.

“I’m Lanze, and this is Erna. We’re both sixteen.”

“Are you twins?”

“No. But we are sisters. Erna’s probably a week older.”

That concluded Lanze’s vague introduction, as it was hard to explain the full story. Then, they officially began discussing what to do.

“Lanze, you said you didn’t know much about that beast, right?”

Libé led the conversation. She pointed her chin toward the supervisor seated in the center and asked,

“Neither the dead guy nor this man are anyone you know?”

“For now?”

“Give a clear answer.”

Their dynamic seemed to be poor, so Erna quickly stepped in.

“Lanze means no harm. She’s just… like that.”

Heine suggested,

“Perhaps Erna should handle answering for now.”

Lanze nodded in agreement, sensing it was a reasonable suggestion, even to herself.

Erna let out a small sigh and continued the explanation.

She couldn’t mention Lenart or their grandfather, Count Swanhild, but she did say that there were forces who wouldn’t welcome their enrollment.

“…I’m sorry for getting you all involved in this.”

“No. I doubt things would’ve gone differently if you weren’t here. If someone wanted to sabotage the entrance exam, there are easier ways.”

“The supervisor mentioned an experiment. Maybe this has more to do with the summoning and the beast than with you two.”

“Then why disguise it as an exam and drag us in too?”

That came from the person who had earlier tried to stop Libé from shouting at the supervisor.

After a moment of silence, the answer came from Lanze.

“Bait.”

The word was chilling, but everyone—even the supervisor—listened closely.

“Some might think going to the countryside is safer. But in low-population areas, suspicious activities stand out more. Even an academy is just a gathering of people. It’s hard to give up the capital’s infrastructure. So any experiments would have to be done near the capital. No matter how well-connected someone is, setting up a large-scale barrier and securing bait isn’t easy. An accident during an entrance exam makes a perfect excuse.”

This was the real plan the supervisor hadn’t realized.

Though he had regained his strength to speak, the supervisor’s mind hadn’t recovered. He muttered irritably.

“Then why me… Why am I involved in this…”

He repeated the unanswerable question, not understanding why he had been caught up in it.

Some assumed someone had to activate the summoning ritual, but Lanze didn’t bother pointing it out.

Meanwhile, a few examinees, including Libé, figured the supervisor had likely been abandoned by his colleagues due to his personality—and like Lanze, they chose silence over the truth.

“Well, now that we’ve assessed the situation… time to plan.”

Libé looked at Lanze. Unlike earlier, Lanze was now willingly offering clear explanations. For someone who’d claimed she had nothing to say, she had turned out to be the most reliable person there.

Compared to the adult mage supervisor, whose only notable skill seemed to be running away quickly, Lanze’s defensive spell from earlier had shown far superior speed and strength.

“The academy won’t let this situation continue forever.”

Lanze followed up on Libé’s gaze.

“If the barrier isn’t properly maintained, it’ll collapse. Maintenance costs a lot. Once they’ve gathered enough data, they’ll probably send the beast back.”

No matter how securely it was sealed, leaving a dangerous summoned creature near the capital was a huge risk. The academy would likely intervene soon.

“If we hold out until then, we might be rescued…?”

“If we just sit here, we’ll probably get eaten.”

Lanze bluntly shot down the hopeful guess.

“Or die from dehydration or starvation first. Unless we move, there’s no hope.”

“You mean… there’s a way?”

“We’ll dismantle the barrier ourselves.”

“What?”

Even amid the flood of doubt, Lanze calmly explained.

“You’ve all learned the basics, right? You may not handle advanced formulas, but if we divide the calculations, we can analyze the barrier.”

“But we’re not just trapped. If we use magic, the beast might attack.”

“That’s why we split up. Someone needs to keep the beast distracted.”

They would have to draw the beast’s attention to keep it from interfering, and with luck, even break the summoning spell and defeat it.

There was no protest, but no one volunteered either. Not expecting any, Lanze pointed to herself.

“I’ll take care of it.”

She could’ve reassured them by saying the enemy wasn’t too strong—but this time, she couldn’t make any promises. It would be her first time fighting a summoned beast.

‘Anyone who follows out of obligation will only get in the way.’

This wasn’t about willingness or duty. Even if the mind understands, if the body freezes, it’s all meaningless.

A few people spoke up belatedly, but Lanze refused them all.

“I’m not trying to be reckless. It’s better to have more people analyzing the spell. The more you handle, the less time I have to buy.”

They didn’t insist. In the end, only Erna and Heine remained.

“I know you’re worried.”

Erna stopped Lanze before she could try persuading her.

“But if I really let you go alone, I’ll be no help anywhere.”

“Why…?”

“I’ll be too busy worrying about you to think straight. How can I do complex calculations like that?”

Erna’s voice was calm. Having recovered from her illness, she no longer shrank back. When courage was needed, she didn’t falter.

“I’ve studied hard for this test too. You don’t think I can at least support you?”

Lanze, who had seen Erna’s talents up close, knew better than anyone how capable she was.

Her attitude was perfect. Even if Lanze wasn’t thrilled to drag her into danger, anywhere in the barrier was equally dangerous, no matter the task.

“Yours is broken.”

Lanze handed her rifle to Erna and split the ammo to share with Heine.

“You’re… taking me along too?”

Heine smiled awkwardly, thinking he’d have to prove himself.

“If you don’t want to, you don’t have to.”

Her tone was firm, but Lanze was sure he wouldn’t back out. Heine had remained calm throughout. People like that don’t die easily.

Then again, there were also people destined to die young.

The moment Lanze briefly got lost in thought—

The supervisor suddenly stood up.

“What the…?”

Even though the pressure had eased, he had stayed crouched in place.

Libé tried to stop him, but the supervisor shook her off more forcefully than expected and bolted into the forest.

There was a brief moment of shock. Then, from where he’d been sitting, a pillar of light shot up into the sky.

BOOM!

A loud noise followed as the light exploded outward, scattering into the air.