Please, Just Read It

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Please Read This

Episode 45

Post-Exam Gathering (1)

Two days had passed since the selection exam ended.

At a temple on the outskirts of Wilhelm.

In a three-person room with a gentle scent of lavender.

Riley was dozing off on her bed, soaking up the sunlight streaming in from the window.

Maybe it was because she had spent the entire day at the ruins; the fatigue seemed to cling to her.

Despite having slept well, Riley still complained of tiredness.

Well, she wasn’t the only one.

Turning my gaze to the side, I could see Becky and Olivia dozing off as well.

[…….]

Yeah.

We should rest while we can.

Knock, knock—.

Suddenly, a knock echoed from beyond the door.

The group jumped in surprise and all turned their eyes toward the sound.

“Excuse me.”

A single administrator opened the door and stepped inside.

It was a familiar face.

The gray-haired high-ranking magician we had seen during the selection exam and at the ruins. She lightly nodded her head and continued speaking.

“I came to provide information related to the next exam.”

“…….”

“The final selection will be held in a week.”

A whole week, huh.

That was quite a long preparation time.

Were they waiting for the recovery of other candidates who passed the second exam?

“The exam method will be a one-on-one interview with each tower master. Further details will be provided later.”

[One-on-one interview, huh…….]

An interview.

There was nothing bad about that for us.

It was a chance to directly showcase Riley’s strengths.

And above all.

[……Finally, I’ll get to see that guy’s ugly face.]

Jan Irantes.

I finally had the opportunity to see that bastard’s face directly.

“That’s all I have to say.”

“…….”

“Oh, and. Those who have recovered can return to their accommodations. That’s all for now.”

Having finished her brief announcement, the administrator promptly exited the hospital room. Becky, surprised by the abrupt departure, mumbled.

“What? Is that it?”

“It seems like it.”

“How boring.”

The sulking Becky jumped off the bed and began putting on her robe that was hanging on the coat rack.

“What are you doing? You guys should get dressed quickly. We can go now.”

“Oh.”

After hearing that, Riley also got out of bed and started changing her clothes.

Thanks to the dedicated priest’s healing over the past two days, her injuries were already fully healed. Not even a trace of aftereffects remained.

While there was still fatigue left from the ruins, that could be relieved at their respective accommodations.

With the discharge permitted, there was no reason to stay in the hospital any longer.

Having finished all preparations, we stepped outside the temple.

Creeeak—.

Late afternoon.

The scenery of Wilhelm unfolded before our eyes.

Had there been a heavy snowfall overnight? The entire city was covered in a blanket of pure white snow.

“Ahh……”

Riley took a deep breath with a relieved expression.

The cold air filled her lungs and puffed out in a white cloud.

‘Ah, outside air really is nice.’

[Yeah.]

Having been cooped up in stuffy places like the ruins and hospital, breathing in fresh air after such a long time felt refreshing.

Of course, as a magician, I didn’t actually need to breathe. I just meant it felt nice.

As I savored the outside air in silence with Riley, Becky next to us poked Riley’s arm.

“Hey.”

“I’m going.”

“Where to?”

“I’m going inside to rest some more. I’m tired.”

She yawned widely as she spoke.

Her face looked particularly sleepy.

“Which way is your accommodation?”

“I’ll be staying at a friend’s house in Wilhelm for a while.”

Becky paused and turned back to look at Riley.

“Wait, didn’t you mention this before?”

“Ah, yes. I think I heard that.”

It was something Becky had told us when we first met.

She had recommended the Sky Whale Inn to us while saying she would be staying at a friend’s place.

“Yawn, yeah. Be sure to check out the Sky Whale Inn. It’s really nice.”

“…….”

Riley glared at Becky, who just flashed a mischievous smile and walked away.

“See you at the final exam. Take care of yourself.”

“Yeah. You too, Becky.”

Riley said goodbye in a tired voice, and Becky turned away without a hint of regret.

As we silently watched her retreating figure, Riley turned her gaze to Olivia.

“Where are you staying, Olivia?”

“I, I’m staying at the Stingwood Grand Hotel.”

“We’re at the same place.”

Olivia’s expression brightened.

“Oh, really? But I need to stop by Arkadia first. I have some books to borrow…”

Arkadia.

So, she meant she had to visit the central library of Wilhelm.

“Riley, would you like to go to the library together? There are really good books there…”

“I’m sorry. I’m too tired.”

We had already been to Arkadia. We had borrowed all the necessary books and left them in our room.

More than anything, Riley was physically exhausted right now. She desperately needed a rest.

“Oh, I see.”

Olivia nodded with an awkward smile.

“Oh, I understand! Then I’ll see you at the accommodation later! Rest well!”

“Thank you for understanding.”

That was the end of our farewells.

Olivia walked towards Arkadia library.

Riley also started heading towards the Stingwood Grand Hotel.

“……”

[…….]

Creeeak.

Creeeak—.

The sound of crunching snow underfoot came through.

As we walked in silence, Riley spoke up.

‘Magician.’

[Yes.]

‘Is there a way to hasten the secondary awakening?’

It was a rather sudden topic.

Wanting to hasten the secondary awakening, huh?

[Hmm…….]

The secondary awakening.

In other words, it was the blessing that comes on a magician’s coming-of-age day, the final awakening stage where their “attribute manifestation” occurs.

And it was also the most crucial period for a magician’s growth.

Riley wanted to hasten that timing.

I already knew the reason.

[You’ve realized your limits, huh?]

‘……Yes.’

Riley nodded, honestly admitting it.

[Well, that makes sense.]

During the second exam, we encountered many magicians.

From nameless nobodies to the gray-haired woman, the descendants of Chrome Bell Stingwood, and Garon Theobalt.

After competing against so many, Riley must have naturally come to feel her limits.

‘Of course, I think I have enough utility. But…….’

[It’s frustrating because your means of attack are severely limited, right?]

‘Yes.’

Riley slowly nodded at my words.

Well, I had already guessed this before I even started teaching her.

Compared to other magicians who could deploy unique “vision magic,” Riley’s means of attack were indeed very limited.

Her specialties, Passfinding and Dispel, were only means to assist an attack.

In reality, the only direct offensive spell she could cast was “Magic Missile.”

There was no way she could remain in such a state indefinitely.

And just like Riley said, the best way to break through this wall was indeed to hasten her secondary awakening.

[Well, it’s not impossible.]

After years of research, I had completed my exploration of the mysteries of magic. I also learned some ways to manipulate the laws that govern this world.

Naturally, the method to hasten secondary awakening was included among them.

However.

[The problem is that it’s incredibly difficult.]

“……”

Often referred to as “early awakening,” this act was a process that defied the flow of magic. It inevitably involved a complex and challenging procedure.

Very few students had succeeded in early awakening in the past.

[It will be very painful. It’s a truly hard and arduous task.]

“……”

[Early awakening is a lot tougher than you can imagine, Riley. In terms of difficulty, Passfinding and Dispel don’t even compare.]

The elements we had learned so far were built upon Riley’s innate mana affinity.

But with early awakening, the story was different.

[Your talent won’t help you at all here.]

“……”

This task hinged entirely on perseverance and effort.

Talent offered no assistance in early awakening.

Thus, the way it would progress would be somewhat different from her previously easy accomplishments with “Dispel” and “Passfinding.”

[Think carefully. You don’t have to force yourself to pursue early awakening.]

“……”

[In five years, you would naturally awaken anyway, so why go through such hardship? It wouldn’t be bad to spend that time leisurely practicing something else.]

I said this with a teasing tone, almost as if I were dismissing the idea that she could accomplish this task.

[Well, if you really want to do it, then.]

“……”

[I won’t stop you.]

And then, upon hearing my provocation, Riley……

‘I’ll do it.’

Answered without a hint of hesitation, just like always.

[…….]

Got her to bite.

At times like this, Riley was pretty easy to handle.

If you scratch her pride a little, she becomes filled with determination to achieve anything.

[Well, if you truly want it, then what can I do?]

The truth was, even if Riley said she didn’t want to go through early awakening, I had planned to force her into it anyway.

The reason I pre-borrowed the book “Understanding Secondary Awakening and Attribute Manifestation” from Arkadia was all part of my scheme.

I too wanted Riley to grow quickly.

Waiting idly for her secondary awakening to arrive felt like a waste of her talent.

I was going to talk about early awakening soon anyway, so I was just grateful that Riley stepped forward first.

[Then let’s give it our all.]

‘Yes.’

Riley nodded her head.

Her eyes were ablaze with enthusiasm.

‘I’ll definitely succeed.’

*

How long had we been walking? Finally, the facade of the Stingwood Grand Hotel came into view.

‘We’ve finally arrived.’

Upon seeing our destination, Riley’s steps began to quicken.

‘I want to go and rest.’

[…….]

‘I want to fill a warm bathtub with water and eat the ice cream I ordered from room service while I relax.’

Through the bond of power, I felt Riley’s desires keenly flow into me.

Yeah.

Rest is the most important thing, early awakening or whatever can wait.

[Alright. Let’s hurry up and rest.]

Rest is a retreat to advance further. Having ample rest will surely aid in her future training achievements.

Just as Riley said, I planned to soak in a warm bathtub and eat the ice cream ordered from room service, lounging lazily for just this day.

It was a wonderful plan.

Creeeak—.

[……Huh?]

But.

Unfortunately, our plans began to fall apart right from the start.

“……”

“……”

As soon as we opened the door, familiar faces came into view.

An echoing silence.

It was only after a good ten seconds that the other party broke that calm flow first.

“Oh, right. You’re staying here too.”

“……”

[…….]

Of all the times.

Of all the times, we just had to bump into Garon Theobalt the moment we opened the door.

“Um……”

Riley’s expression stiffened.

She whispered to me.

‘Those people……. They failed the selection exam because of us.’

[Yeah.]

I felt my breath hitch as well.

Though I wasn’t there at the moment they failed, I was certain they must have dropped out in the second exam.

Recovering from such injuries and finding the golem’s core in such a short time was practically impossible.

“……”

“……”

Despite the selection exam being a competitive arena, Riley was directly responsible for Garon Theobalt’s group failing.

So naturally, with him standing right in front of us, the awkward atmosphere was unavoidable.

This was bad.

What a coincidence to run into them right after the exam ended.

What to do about this awkwardness…….

“Hey! Nice to see you, Riley! We met at the ruins, but we didn’t get to formally introduce ourselves! I’m Dorothy! Dorothy Grayyard! Let’s be friends!”

[……?]

What’s up with her?

How is the person who failed the exam so cheerful?

“Oh, and we also passed the second exam?”

“……?”

[……?]

What?

[That doesn’t make sense.]

Didn’t we just part ways about ten minutes ago?

And in that time, did they find the core of the Golden Golem? While in a seriously injured state?

[Unless someone brought them the core, passing couldn’t have been possible.]

But logically, there was no way something like that could have happened.

*

“……Someone brought Lord Theobalt the core?”

“Well, if you look at it that way, then yes.”

“……”

[…….]

Ta-da.

But literally, such a thing happened.