[V1C6] The Exam’s Intent
Translated by Jodas 1: The Wedge TowerThey decided to leave the man whose map and key had been stolen tied up with vines under a nearby tree.
Wren suspected that, even if they left him behind, either his allies or the test officials would come to retrieve him.
That handled, Tia, Wren, and the black-haired woman, began moving in the opposite direction from the pond.
As they walked, Tia raised a hand and declared to the group.
“Wouldn’t the pond be a better place to rest?”
“…And a lot of guys are thinking the same thing, so if we want to have our strategy meeting, we should go in the opposite direction.”
“I am of the same opinion.”
To the words of Wren and the woman, Tia’s mouth dropped wide open.
“Wow! Both of you are so smart!”
Both Wren and the woman made faces like neither of them were fully moved by her honest compliment.
“Well, you know, I am the brainy type of pretty boy, after all.”
“I love receiving honest praise. You may compliment me more.”
The black-haired woman ran her hand through her flowing locks that stretched down her back and looked both Tia and Wren in the eyes.
“By the way, I have yet to introduce myself, haven’t I? I am Sevil. Now that I’ve given you my name, you two may also state yours.”
“What’s with that damn condescending attitude? … Wren.”
“I’m Tia!”
“I see. Tia, Wren, there is no need to be so on edge. I am quite gentle to children.”
Wren frowned at Sevil’s words, making a waste of his self-proclaimed pretty face.
Wren spoke with a gruff tone.
“This whole damn time, you’ve been all ‘children’ this and ‘child’ that, but I’m already fourteen, you know!”
“I’m fifteen!”
“Well, I am twenty. From my perspective, both of you are most definitely children.”
Treated like a child, Wren quieted down with a pouty face.
Even though he calls himself a pretty boy, he seemed to dislike being treated as a child. Tia couldn’t understand this trait of him.
The three of them walked a little further and sat down in a reasonably open clearing. The surrounding trees were not very densely packed, so it would be hard for anyone to eavesdrop on their conversation.
Sevil sat cross-legged on the ground, and cut to the chase as she motioned the other two to sit.
“So, let me hear it. Just what is the trick to this examination that you have discovered?”
“I wanna confirm something first. In this exam, you have to collect four keys, then get a Wedge Medal from one of the X marks. On top of that, there are only three X marks drawn on the maps.”
“Mhm, mhm.” Tia nodded along. None of that differed from what Tia knew.
Sevil gave a small nod, then motioned with her eyes for him to continue.
With a sense of exaggerated importance, Wren pulled two maps out from his clothes.
“Here is my map, and the map I took from that blond man earlier. See if you notice the difference.”
As instructed, Tia stared at the maps, then it hit her.
“The X marks are in different places! Huh? Does that mean, mine too….?”
Tia pulled out the map she had hidden under her clothes.
Since meeting Wren and Sevil, Tia hadn’t taken out her map once. Wren had done the same.
They were important, and it would be a big hassle if they were stolen, so she memorized as much as she could and kept it hidden—that’s why it took so long to make this discovery.
Thinking back, she had felt something was wrong when they reached the location of the first X mark.
At that time, Tia felt like they weren’t at the place marked on her map, but Wren didn’t notice anything—naturally. That X mark was on Wren’s map, but it was not the one marked on Tia’s map.
Sevil also wordlessly took out her map, leaving four maps spread out on the ground in front of the three of them.
Doing such, they could see something else.
“Ah, only the farthest X mark is the same for everyone!”
As Tia pointed at each of the maps in sequence, Sevil, still sitting cross-legged, nodded deeply.
“You noticed that quickly. I give you my compliments.”
“I’ve been complimented! Horray!”
“Why do you have to be so condescending about it, though…”
Grumbling quietly, Wren continued his explanation.
“There are a few other places where X marks overlap, but the only mark shared by all four maps is the farthest one. Dont’cha think this has some kind of deeper meaning?”
“Hmm… Certainly, I can sense a sort of intentionality.”
“I’ve been thinking, maybe this farthest X mark is the most important. The other ones could be dummies… or they could only contain one passing medal. They could aim to split apart groups that way.”
Split apart groups. Sevil’s eyes narrowed in response to those words.
“I see. This examination is designed such that the applicants will come into conflict against each other. Even those who earnestly wish to cooperate from the beginning will find it rather difficult….Is that what you mean?”
“I think they made the keys this way so the applicants would have to steal each other’s keys. It’s easy to tell that you only have one quarter. The moment you see that, you’ll think ‘I have to collect four of these,’ right?”
If the test-takers shared maps with each other, they would immediately notice the discrepancy with the X marks. However, if they’re concerned about stealing keys or having theirs stolen, it would be difficult for them to share their maps.
Tia suddenly remembered something.
“Um, before I left, I asked that person called Director Hegelich ‘Are there only three Wedge Medals?’”
“And then?” Wren prodded.
Tia repeated Hegelich’s words exactly as he had said them.
“He told me ‘I can’t answer that question. Figure it out by yourself.’”
“Well done, Tia.”
Wren snapped his fingers and the corners of his mouth rose.
“‘I can’t answer’ is an answer in itself. It’s just a guess, but I think there are quite a few Wedge Medals out there. At least there aren’t just three.”
“I am in agreement.” Sevil nodded to Wren’s suggestion.
“I also found it bizarre. The Wedge Tower entrance examination is only held once every three years. To only allow three to pass would be far too few. To sustain an institution of that scale, they would want to admit at least ten.”
The three of them exchanged glances.
Tia, Wren, and Sevil voiced their thoughts in succession.
“That means the most important one is the farthest X mark?”
“I think it’s worth heading over there. We could also try and check out some other X marks along the way.”
“Then we must depart immediately. The farthest X mark is in the north of the forest. That area is close to the mountains with considerably rough terrain. If we intend to return by Noon on the day after tomorrow, we would not have time to spare.”
Sevil returned her own map to her pocket and stood straight up.
As if commanding an army, she promptly issued her orders.
“Each of you carry your own map and key. Wren, I do not mind if you take the map we stole from that blond man. However, I will hold on to the key.”
“Sounds good to me, how about you, Tia?”
“Uh-huh. Sounds good!”
As long as each of them could carry their own keys, Tia had no complaints in particular.
As Tia nodded, Sevil declared “Then it’s decided.” and glared towards the north.
“Then let us depart. I shall take the lead. If either of you notice anything out of place, let us know immediately.”
Walking behind Sevil, Tia pondered.
Had the people she talked to before the test began, the fuzzy guy and the spiky-smiley guy on his fourth test—John Rose and Oliver Lange, realized the trick to this exam yet?
“Hey, hey, hey, can’t we tell the other test-takers about the trick you noticed, Wren?”
The exam is designed so that it would be easy for the applicants to see each other as enemies, but if they actually worked together, it wouldn’t be very hard at all.
Then, she felt like it would be better if they explained the situation and got everyone else’s support.
“Don’t.” However, Sevil quickly shot down Tia’s suggestion.
“We don’t have the luxury of time to wander around explaining this to the other applicants. Furthermore…”
Sevil cut her sentence short and fell silent for a second.
Tia could only see her from behind, but she felt Sevil must be making a very conflicted face.
“Furthermore, there may very well be those who think ‘I don’t mind of the other applicants fail; in fact I would prefer it they did.’ I know far too many people who would take that attitude.”
“I agree.”
Wren expressed his agreement with a dispassionate voice.
Maybe Wren had also encountered humans who would drag each other down as Sevil said.
Tia fell silent, so Wren spoke with a grandiose and bright tone.
“We already have four keys after all! If we run into any other applicants on our way, then we’ll try to reason with them if they look reasonable, is that okay with you?”
“Oh… Okay, got it. Then let’s do that.”
The group of three spent a while silently walking through the forest.
The forest, at the end of summer, was still covered in think greens, but as they proceeded farther north, they felt the air becoming ever colder.
The north is dangerous. It must be, because the test official, Röhm, had warned her to head south if she ever felt threatened.
“Hey, I should probably confirm this sooner rather than later… I already heard Tia’s answer, but…”
Wren opened his mouth to break the silence.
“What is it?” Sevil asked, still walking ahead but twisting her head around to face him.
Wren cautiously glanced around their surroundings, then spoke in a serious tone.
“Since we’re gonna be working together from here on, I want you to answer me honestly, okay? …Can anyone here use magic?”
Tia and Sevil answered immediately.
“I can’t!”
“I came here to learn precisely because I cannot!”
“Seriously? … Well, I had a feeling that was the case.”
After their powerful answers, Wren put a hand on his forehead and stared up at the sky. Sevil shot a glare at Wren.
“It is not as if we intend to slay dragons or any such thing. There should be no issue even without a mage. I presume you cannot use any magic yourself, either.”
“Yeah, you’re right, I can’t use shit. But this is the exam for the Wedge Tower, a hotspot for mages, right? I thought if I gathered some allies that at least one of them would know at least a little magic, you know?”
Just as the man who’d attacked Tia before, Seitz, specialized in earth-attribute magic, there were several among the applicants who had already acquired a talent for magecraft.
Some had studied at other institutions and dropped out; some had sought out deep knowledge through self-study; some had been expelled by the Mage Association; there were countless such circumstances.
Sevil gave Wren a bitter look.
“What can you accomplish then, if not magecraft? I have my sword. In addition, although I haven’t brought one, I am adept at horseback riding.”
“Ooh, I know! I know! I can sing songs!”
“A good talent to have.” Sevil laughed pleasantly at Tia furiously raising her hand.
“Talented singers can raise morale on the battlefield. That said, Wren, what can you do?”
As Sevil adopted a teasing tone, Wren cleared his throat.
Then he puffed out his chest, spun around, and tossed his glistening golden hair to the side.
“Can’t you tell just by looking at me? My unique skill: Pretty Boy.”
Did that really count as a unique skill?
Tia had her doubts, but Wren was brimming with confidence.
“If you’re in a pinch, I’ll unleash my Pretty Boy Power and all will bow to me. How about that? Amazing, huh?”
“Pirorororo….” Tia rolled her tongue, trying to find the words.
“We were just chased around by that old man… that was a pinch…”
“That old fart must have just had bad eyes.”
Tia thought the most impressive thing about Wren was his perceptiveness and quick thinking, but apparently Wren thought his being a pretty boy was more crucial.
“Look, if you’re tired, just heal up by looking at my pretty face! You can trust in Pretty Boy Healing!”
“I’m not tired, so I’ll pass.”
“How ridiculous. If you wish to grant me levity, then perform a trick for me.”
“You just don’t get it, huh? Pretty boys are valuable just by being pretty, you know!?”
If he really had the type of Pretty Boy Power that could make everyone bow to him, then that would be the work of monsters.
Those who had such beauty they can entrance all others were, by definition, within the territory of the monstrous.
Wren was a little too excitable to be considered a monstrously pretty, and Tia thought Wren was better and more fun the way he was.
Wren was the type of pretty boy she could safely come to like.
The monstrous were creatures that one must not allow themselves to like.