Chapter 46: Hunter and prey (2)
There were a number of things severely limiting Eiros. He had a stigmata that let him come back after dying, but just to be safe, he really couldn’t afford to let himself get killed and then come back to life in front of someone.
Yes, the Saintess might have seen it happen, and all he could do now was hope she’d keep her mouth shut. That was what had been on Eiros’s mind constantly for the past few days.
Fortunately, after a few conversations with Estiel, Eiros had worked out enough of a resolution to feel some relief. That included the matter of Remnant of Red Light itself—Estiel would personally help him cover it up, so that it would only ever be recorded as a type of stigmata unique to Eiros alone.
A stigmata that manifested as a large black sword, with the ability to return from death as its power.
That was what Eiros had told Estiel. Of course, he’d added his own limitation to it—that he couldn’t keep coming back to life endlessly, since the resurrection could only trigger up to three times a day.
That, at least, kept it from looking too... well, too broken. Because really, who would believe there was a stigmata out there that let its holder just keep rising from the dead over and over? That was the kind of power that would leave anyone stunned, honestly.
He hadn’t told Estiel that he could actually keep coming back indefinitely. That was a secret Eiros had to keep for the rest of his life—shared only with Erness, by the way.
Anyway, once that whole matter was settled, Eiros could finally breathe easy and focus on his other goal.
Okay.
So, what was that goal?
It was wrestling with a devil of a piece of paper.
"...Damn it, why is this so hard?"
Eiros had figured he’d at least be smart enough to fill out this answer sheet. But well, that hope crumbled the second he actually looked at the questions on the page.
The beginning-of-semester exams kicked off with a written test first. Each group would be sent into a soundproof room to make sure the exam went completely undisturbed.
The students’ desks were also spaced out generously, making cheating nearly impossible on top of having professors watching over them constantly.
’Not surprising, really.’
Eiros let out a long sigh. Even with all the knowledge he had about this world, he still couldn’t quite get used to the kind of phrasing they tended to use. Just looking at his answer sheet, there were plenty of terms he simply didn’t understand.
’Hah... The only answer I’m actually confident about is... uh... my own name.’
He stared at the exam paper a few more times, his expression growing bleak, before a small, awkward, resigned smile crept onto his face.
’Well, whatever.’
He decided to just leave the answer sheet blank. Then he spent his free time staring up at the ceiling of the exam room.
Aside from Leiden, Eiros didn’t recognize a single face there. So that was basically how he spent his time—giving up on the exam paper and promising himself he’d actually study for the next one.
Once the written exam wrapped up, next came the real test. The students had all regrouped out on the field, the atmosphere lively and buzzing with first-years chattering excitedly in the background.
As explained earlier, the initial grouping had only been meant to help organize their sheer numbers. This time around, though, that wasn’t needed anymore.
The sun had climbed high. Yeah, it was genuinely bright and scorching out, and as always, Eiros found the professors lounging comfortably in the shade of a large tree while he and the rest of the students got roasted under the blazing sun.
While the professors still seemed to be discussing something among themselves, Eiros decided to glance around. He scanned from one student to the next, but couldn’t find the person he was looking for.
A quiet unease had been creeping through him for a while now.
’The Saintess is nowhere to be seen at all.’
He sighed, unsure whether that was a bad sign or nothing at all. It really was a shame Eiros had no solid knowledge of the future to fall back on here.
That would’ve made everything so much easier. But well, given things were already like this, what else could he do?
Eiros rubbed his face in frustration when he heard a soft, pleasant voice beside him:
"Who are you looking for?"
Eiros glanced to his side, lowering his gaze. His eyes met Erness’s pale pupils, curved into a sweet smile on her face.
"...No one."
"But, darling, you look pale. You’re not thinking about some other woman besides me, are you?"
Eiros blinked. ’I’m pretty sure we’re only dating because of my situation, right?’
As if she could somehow read the thoughts behind Eiros’s now completely rigid expression, Erness giggled and said:
"Don’t go all stiff on me. Alright, alright, I was just teasing, hehe."
"....."
"By the way, remember your promise, okay? Once the exams are over, we’re absolutely going on a date."
Eiros nodded—right, there was also that.
Since he had promised, Eiros had no intention of going back on it.
Right around then, the professors finished up whatever they’d been discussing. Whatever the conversation had been, it apparently ended well, since Professor Richard Newson stepped forward once more as the one leading the exam.
Using an amplifying device, Professor Richard looked over every student present, then spoke in a calm tone:
"So, here we all are again."
His voice, amplified, carried clear across from one end of the crowd to the other.
"This beginning-of-semester exam will determine your overall ranking. Make sure to give it everything you’ve got, because a strong ranking means proper resources from the academy—resources that will directly help make you stronger."
His words hung in the air for a moment.
"Let’s skip the small talk, you all know how this works well enough. Besides, it’s brutally hot today, and I’m honestly worried some of you might burst into flames. Alright then—the theme of this beginning-of-semester exam is survival, hunter versus prey."
In short, the exam worked like this:
The students would be split into two camps—hunters and prey. They’d be sent into the forest on the right side of the academy, the exam site itself guarded far more tightly than before.
The exam would run from noon today until six in the evening. That was an incredibly long stretch, six full hours of survival in total.
"So... the students who become hunters earn points by hunting down prey?"
Eiros nodded, and Leiden nodded along in understanding.
"What about the prey?"
"Were you even listening to what Professor Richard said?"
"Come on, I don’t have time for all that."
Watching Leiden lazily shrug both shoulders made Eiros let out a long sigh.
"The prey have to survive for three hours. The longer they last, the more points they rack up."
"Wait, why three hours? I thought the exam ran for six. Is there something else going on?"
"Yeah, after that, the roles flip. Prey become hunters, and hunters become prey."
"Ah...!"
Leiden clapped his hands together as he finally grasped how the exam worked.
"I get it! Yeah! I totally get it now, haha!!"
Then, everything went suddenly quiet as Leiden’s shoulders slumped, his expression turning dark.
"...Still doesn’t change the fact that I have no idea what I’m supposed to do...?"
Ignoring Leiden, who was clearly starting to spiral, Eiros turned his attention to a small slip of paper he’d just received earlier.
It was something the professors had handed out to every student.
"Oh! Wow! I’m a hunter for the first round!"
"What?! I’m the prey...!"
"Get ready, I’m coming for you."
"Oh my god, quit acting like that, you know how creepy that sounds, right?"
The students around Eiros started buzzing with noise, each of them clearly hyped up about their assigned role.
Eiros calmly unfolded his own slip of paper, reading a short line written on it.
"Prey... well, guess I’m the prey for the first three-hour round, huh?"
Let’s just hope this goes smoothly, with the thought that Eiros wouldn’t end up running into some terrifying hunter.
Unfortunately, though, this exam was about to get a lot messier for Eiros.
***