Nerha tilted his head at Lucia’s sudden proposal.
“An alliance? What do you mean by that?”
“Exactly what it sounds like. Your group and ours form an alliance for this team assignment.”
“And why would we need to do that?”
“For the reagent ingredients, obviously.”
At that moment, Nerha realized Lucia already knew at least part of the information regarding the completed reagent.
He had no idea how she had learned it, but the reason behind her proposal immediately became clear.
“There are limited materials, aren’t there?”
“As expected, you catch on quickly.”
Lucia smiled brightly.
But Nerha couldn’t return the smile.
Her confirmation meant only one thing: the difficulty of this assignment had just skyrocketed.
“There are thirty groups taking this test,” Lucia explained. “And no matter how vast the Pallarest Mountain Range is, the places first-years can safely reach are limited. The rare materials themselves are limited too.”
“So what? You want our groups to ally together and monopolize the rare ingredients?”
“Of course not. That probably wouldn’t even work, and it absolutely shouldn’t.”
If they tried something like that, every other team would unite against them instantly.
“Then what?”
“It means that even if we obtain materials, we agree not to stab each other in the back.”
At her words, Nerha briefly turned toward the posted notice.
He reread the announcement from beginning to end before nodding slowly.
“I see… There’s no rule prohibiting ‘theft.’”
“That’s right.”
Even if you managed to secure a rare ingredient, it meant nothing if you lacked the strength to protect it.
As expected, this wasn’t going to end with simply finding materials. They really don’t make things easy here.
Since Libra’s purpose was to cultivate elite combat personnel, the institution would constantly force trainees into competition while pursuing their objectives.
And even though this was labeled a “group assignment,” it was still practical training. The academy would likely tolerate a certain amount of violent conflict.
Lucia asked with quiet anticipation,
“So? What will you do?”
“I refuse.”
“……”
Apparently, she hadn’t expected him to reject her immediately. Her expression stiffened slightly.
Nerha snorted before explaining himself.
“It seems they intentionally designed ‘stealing materials’ as part of the test. Forming secret agreements beforehand feels like cheating. Besides…”
He grinned.
“That sounds boring.”
“I would consider alliances a valid strategy to prevent theft.”
“Sure, you could see it that way. But I already said it—it’s boring.”
“……”
Nerha looked at the now-silent Lucia with amused eyes.
“I think Libra designed this assignment so trainees would experience the process of uncovering traps and schemes while searching for difficult materials—and overcoming those obstacles.”
“...Is that so?”
“Sure, groups might secretly cooperate and monopolize resources beforehand. But personally? I doubt Libra would just sit back and allow that. They probably prepared countermeasures already.”
“……”
“So if problems come up, we’ll deal with them then. This isn’t a real battlefield where we need to account for every possible variable.”
He smiled leisurely.
“You should enjoy things while you still can.”
“Enjoy…?”
“Having composure is important. At the end of the day, this is still an educational institution. And we’re trainees.”
Lucia stared at Nerha with strange eyes.
He reminded her of a veteran soldier who had spent decades on the battlefield before retiring.
“Well then, see you during the exercise.”
Waving casually, Nerha left Lucia behind and disappeared.
The sun had yet to set, but there was still plenty to do.
Nerha’s days continued to move at a relentless pace.
The next day—
Following Professor Bahares, their supervising instructor, Nerha arrived at a temporary camp set up outside Libra and met the teammates assigned to him.
“I’m Nerha Radeus.”
“I’m Sonia Iznen! Nice to meet everyone!”
“Jereon. Looking forward to working with you.”
“L-Ludel Agrahon…”
The team consisted of Sonia, the lone girl with a cheerful personality; Jereon, whose dark crimson hair and quiet demeanor left a strong impression; and finally Ludel, who seemed painfully shy.
“Hm. According to the guidebook, we’re supposed to choose a team leader first…”
Nerha looked around sharply.
“I plan on taking the position. Anyone else want to volunteer?”
“U-Um… what happens if someone does?”
Ludel timidly raised a hand to ask.
Nerha answered with a refreshing smile.
“Then they’ll fight me in a bloody duel.”
“Just give the orders, leader.”
“I pledge my loyalty.”
Both Jereon and Ludel knew about the incident in the men’s dormitory lounge where Nerha had instantly subdued Backer.
Outwardly, it had looked like Backer simply collapsed on his own, but most people present believed Nerha had used some mysterious method to defeat him.
And Sonia apparently heard the rumors through her own connections as well.
Thus, after successfully “claiming” the leader position, Nerha unfolded the team pamphlet.
I can’t believe we actually have to rummage through the Pallarest Mountains.
The pamphlet listed around twenty ingredients required for the magical reagent.
“We have three days. And judging by the fact there are no other classes or scheduled activities…”
“They want us focused entirely on finding materials,” Jereon finished for him.
This really is an assignment where a leader’s capability matters more than anything.
Should they split up or move together?
He needed to evaluate his teammates’ abilities and physical condition, distribute search time efficiently, analyze ingredient rarity and locations, and optimize their routes.
“The academy did at least plant some of the ingredients in artificial locations to make them easier to find…” Sonia muttered.
“Meaning the remaining materials will have to be obtained through competition.”
“Exactly. What a headache.”
There was another unusual aspect to the assignment.
They didn’t actually need to gather every ingredient listed in the pamphlet.
More accurately, some components for completing the reagent allowed for optional substitutions.
“I think this is where the real challenge lies,” Sonia said while pointing at one section.
“For materials with multiple choices, there are two possibilities. Either the quantity is limited… or one option is absurdly difficult to obtain.”
“And if it’s absurdly difficult?”
“Well, this is only my guess, but… I think it might affect the quality of the finished reagent.”
“Is there any reason we’d need a high-quality reagent?”
“No idea. Maybe they’ll actually distribute the completed reagents to us later… Even if they don’t, there must be a reason they gave us options.”
As Nerha watched his teammates exchanging opinions, a faint smile appeared on his face.
I got lucky.
When assignments like this were divided by teams, the most important thing wasn’t talent.
It was enthusiasm.
The absolute worst teammates were those who sat around doing nothing, merely watching the situation unfold regardless of their abilities.
To accomplish anything, people needed to exchange ideas—whether through cooperation or conflict.
Thankfully, every member of Nerha’s team burned with determination to succeed.
At this level, they’re definitely usable.
While quietly observing the conversation, Nerha began analyzing each of them.
Honestly speaking, in terms of pure talent, everyone here besides Nerha ranked among the lower-tier freshmen admitted into Libra.
Perhaps the academy had grouped them this way because Nerha was a direct descendant of the Radeus family, expecting him to compensate for the imbalance.
Though the truth remained unknown.
Now then… how should I train these guys from here on out?
Shiver!
“W-What was that?”
The teammates suddenly felt chills run down their spines for no apparent reason while passionately discussing strategies.
The group assignment officially began.
All 120 freshmen departed through Libra’s gates at the same time on the same day.
To outsiders, sending students alone without guardians or instructors might have seemed recklessly dangerous.
Some freshmen even believed enemy forces could take advantage of the situation and attack while security was weakened.
But Nerha merely chuckled after sensing the presence of numerous hidden experts already scattered throughout the area.
This is overprotective to another level.
Nerha quietly stared toward a massive boulder in the distance that no one else paid attention to.
To ordinary eyes, there wasn’t the slightest trace of anyone there.
But such concealment couldn’t fool Nerha’s senses.
Behind the rock, Clouia was using stealth magic.
She silently mouthed words toward him.
Figh-ting!
Seeing her encouragement, Nerha broke into a wide grin and mouthed back.
O-kay!
“…!”
The instant Clouia met Nerha’s eyes, her heart nearly stopped from shock.
Whoosh!
She immediately ducked behind the boulder and clutched her pounding chest with one hand while desperately steadying her breathing.
She had never imagined Nerha would see through her concealment—especially from this distance.
D-D-Did he seriously see that?!
She had only meant it as a playful little cheer, but judging from his eye contact and clear lip movements, there was no doubt.
How?!
Naturally, the reason she was here was because she had also been assigned as a hidden protector and observer for the freshmen.
Her job was to maintain an appropriate distance without being noticed and intervene if necessary.
“What the hell? Don’t tell me that brat actually noticed you?”
Beside Clouia stood Rachel Rubiai, the professor in charge of Destruction Studies.
Rachel stared at her in disbelief.
“Even I can barely detect your stealth magic when I’m standing right next to you. Don’t tell me you secretly invented some kind of telepathy spell to communicate with him? Wait… did you use that during the first class too—”
“As if!”
Clouia shouted indignantly.
“If I’d invented something like that, do you think I’d still be here?! I’d already be presenting my research to the Magic Tower or the Imperial Academic Society and living in luxury!”
“Well… fair point.”
A telepathy spell that even a nearby 6th-circle mage couldn’t detect?
If such magic existed, every magical society on the continent would erupt into chaos, and the Radeus family would sacrifice anything to obtain it.
“So in the end, that young master really detected your stealth through pure ability.”
Rachel let out a disbelieving laugh and shook her head.
“Is that even possible?”
“I have no idea.”
The magical growth Clouia witnessed in Nerha before entering Libra had already been astonishing.
But that was still from the perspective of a beginner mage just learning magic.
His actual combat ability as a warrior was on an entirely different level altogether.
Seriously… what the hell happened to the young master during that time?
Completely unaware that Clouia was mentally praising him with curse-filled admiration, Nerha led his teammates deeper into the Pallarest Mountains.
Nerha tilted his head at Lucia’s sudden proposal.
“An alliance? What do you mean by that?”
“Exactly what it sounds like. Your group and ours form an alliance for this team assignment.”
“And why would we need to do that?”
“For the reagent ingredients, obviously.”
At that moment, Nerha realized Lucia already knew at least part of the information regarding the completed reagent.
He had no idea how she had learned it, but the reason behind her proposal immediately became clear.
“There are limited materials, aren’t there?”
“As expected, you catch on quickly.”
Lucia smiled brightly.
But Nerha couldn’t return the smile.
Her confirmation meant only one thing: the difficulty of this assignment had just skyrocketed.
“There are thirty groups taking this test,” Lucia explained. “And no matter how vast the Pallarest Mountain Range is, the places first-years can safely reach are limited. The rare materials themselves are limited too.”
“So what? You want our groups to ally together and monopolize the rare ingredients?”
“Of course not. That probably wouldn’t even work, and it absolutely shouldn’t.”
If they tried something like that, every other team would unite against them instantly.
“Then what?”
“It means that even if we obtain materials, we agree not to stab each other in the back.”
At her words, Nerha briefly turned toward the posted notice.
He reread the announcement from beginning to end before nodding slowly.
“I see… There’s no rule prohibiting ‘theft.’”
“That’s right.”
Even if you managed to secure a rare ingredient, it meant nothing if you lacked the strength to protect it.
As expected, this wasn’t going to end with simply finding materials. They really don’t make things easy here.
Since Libra’s purpose was to cultivate elite combat personnel, the institution would constantly force trainees into competition while pursuing their objectives.
And even though this was labeled a “group assignment,” it was still practical training. The academy would likely tolerate a certain amount of violent conflict.
Lucia asked with quiet anticipation,
“So? What will you do?”
“I refuse.”
“……”
Apparently, she hadn’t expected him to reject her immediately. Her expression stiffened slightly.
Nerha snorted before explaining himself.
“It seems they intentionally designed ‘stealing materials’ as part of the test. Forming secret agreements beforehand feels like cheating. Besides…”
He grinned.
“That sounds boring.”
“I would consider alliances a valid strategy to prevent theft.”
“Sure, you could see it that way. But I already said it—it’s boring.”
“……”
Nerha looked at the now-silent Lucia with amused eyes.
“I think Libra designed this assignment so trainees would experience the process of uncovering traps and schemes while searching for difficult materials—and overcoming those obstacles.”
“...Is that so?”
“Sure, groups might secretly cooperate and monopolize resources beforehand. But personally? I doubt Libra would just sit back and allow that. They probably prepared countermeasures already.”
“……”
“So if problems come up, we’ll deal with them then. This isn’t a real battlefield where we need to account for every possible variable.”
He smiled leisurely.
“You should enjoy things while you still can.”
“Enjoy…?”
“Having composure is important. At the end of the day, this is still an educational institution. And we’re trainees.”
Lucia stared at Nerha with strange eyes.
He reminded her of a veteran soldier who had spent decades on the battlefield before retiring.
“Well then, see you during the exercise.”
Waving casually, Nerha left Lucia behind and disappeared.
The sun had yet to set, but there was still plenty to do.
Nerha’s days continued to move at a relentless pace.
The next day—
Following Professor Bahares, their supervising instructor, Nerha arrived at a temporary camp set up outside Libra and met the teammates assigned to him.
“I’m Nerha Radeus.”
“I’m Sonia Iznen! Nice to meet everyone!”
“Jereon. Looking forward to working with you.”
“L-Ludel Agrahon…”
The team consisted of Sonia, the lone girl with a cheerful personality; Jereon, whose dark crimson hair and quiet demeanor left a strong impression; and finally Ludel, who seemed painfully shy.
“Hm. According to the guidebook, we’re supposed to choose a team leader first…”
Nerha looked around sharply.
“I plan on taking the position. Anyone else want to volunteer?”
“U-Um… what happens if someone does?”
Ludel timidly raised a hand to ask.
Nerha answered with a refreshing smile.
“Then they’ll fight me in a bloody duel.”
“Just give the orders, leader.”
“I pledge my loyalty.”
Both Jereon and Ludel knew about the incident in the men’s dormitory lounge where Nerha had instantly subdued Backer.
Outwardly, it had looked like Backer simply collapsed on his own, but most people present believed Nerha had used some mysterious method to defeat him.
And Sonia apparently heard the rumors through her own connections as well.
Thus, after successfully “claiming” the leader position, Nerha unfolded the team pamphlet.
I can’t believe we actually have to rummage through the Pallarest Mountains.
The pamphlet listed around twenty ingredients required for the magical reagent.
“We have three days. And judging by the fact there are no other classes or scheduled activities…”
“They want us focused entirely on finding materials,” Jereon finished for him.
This really is an assignment where a leader’s capability matters more than anything.
Should they split up or move together?
He needed to evaluate his teammates’ abilities and physical condition, distribute search time efficiently, analyze ingredient rarity and locations, and optimize their routes.
“The academy did at least plant some of the ingredients in artificial locations to make them easier to find…” Sonia muttered.
“Meaning the remaining materials will have to be obtained through competition.”
“Exactly. What a headache.”
There was another unusual aspect to the assignment.
They didn’t actually need to gather every ingredient listed in the pamphlet.
More accurately, some components for completing the reagent allowed for optional substitutions.
“I think this is where the real challenge lies,” Sonia said while pointing at one section.
“For materials with multiple choices, there are two possibilities. Either the quantity is limited… or one option is absurdly difficult to obtain.”
“And if it’s absurdly difficult?”
“Well, this is only my guess, but… I think it might affect the quality of the finished reagent.”
“Is there any reason we’d need a high-quality reagent?”
“No idea. Maybe they’ll actually distribute the completed reagents to us later… Even if they don’t, there must be a reason they gave us options.”
As Nerha watched his teammates exchanging opinions, a faint smile appeared on his face.
I got lucky.
When assignments like this were divided by teams, the most important thing wasn’t talent.
It was enthusiasm.
The absolute worst teammates were those who sat around doing nothing, merely watching the situation unfold regardless of their abilities.
To accomplish anything, people needed to exchange ideas—whether through cooperation or conflict.
Thankfully, every member of Nerha’s team burned with determination to succeed.
At this level, they’re definitely usable.
While quietly observing the conversation, Nerha began analyzing each of them.
Honestly speaking, in terms of pure talent, everyone here besides Nerha ranked among the lower-tier freshmen admitted into Libra.
Perhaps the academy had grouped them this way because Nerha was a direct descendant of the Radeus family, expecting him to compensate for the imbalance.
Though the truth remained unknown.
Now then… how should I train these guys from here on out?
Shiver!
“W-What was that?”
The teammates suddenly felt chills run down their spines for no apparent reason while passionately discussing strategies.
The group assignment officially began.
All 120 freshmen departed through Libra’s gates at the same time on the same day.
To outsiders, sending students alone without guardians or instructors might have seemed recklessly dangerous.
Some freshmen even believed enemy forces could take advantage of the situation and attack while security was weakened.
But Nerha merely chuckled after sensing the presence of numerous hidden experts already scattered throughout the area.
This is overprotective to another level.
Nerha quietly stared toward a massive boulder in the distance that no one else paid attention to.
To ordinary eyes, there wasn’t the slightest trace of anyone there.
But such concealment couldn’t fool Nerha’s senses.
Behind the rock, Clouia was using stealth magic.
She silently mouthed words toward him.
Figh-ting!
Seeing her encouragement, Nerha broke into a wide grin and mouthed back.
O-kay!
“…!”
The instant Clouia met Nerha’s eyes, her heart nearly stopped from shock.
Whoosh!
She immediately ducked behind the boulder and clutched her pounding chest with one hand while desperately steadying her breathing.
She had never imagined Nerha would see through her concealment—especially from this distance.
D-D-Did he seriously see that?!
She had only meant it as a playful little cheer, but judging from his eye contact and clear lip movements, there was no doubt.
How?!
Naturally, the reason she was here was because she had also been assigned as a hidden protector and observer for the freshmen.
Her job was to maintain an appropriate distance without being noticed and intervene if necessary.
“What the hell? Don’t tell me that brat actually noticed you?”
Beside Clouia stood Rachel Rubiai, the professor in charge of Destruction Studies.
Rachel stared at her in disbelief.
“Even I can barely detect your stealth magic when I’m standing right next to you. Don’t tell me you secretly invented some kind of telepathy spell to communicate with him? Wait… did you use that during the first class too—”
“As if!”
Clouia shouted indignantly.
“If I’d invented something like that, do you think I’d still be here?! I’d already be presenting my research to the Magic Tower or the Imperial Academic Society and living in luxury!”
“Well… fair point.”
A telepathy spell that even a nearby 6th-circle mage couldn’t detect?
If such magic existed, every magical society on the continent would erupt into chaos, and the Radeus family would sacrifice anything to obtain it.
“So in the end, that young master really detected your stealth through pure ability.”
Rachel let out a disbelieving laugh and shook her head.
“Is that even possible?”
“I have no idea.”
The magical growth Clouia witnessed in Nerha before entering Libra had already been astonishing.
But that was still from the perspective of a beginner mage just learning magic.
His actual combat ability as a warrior was on an entirely different level altogether.
Seriously… what the hell happened to the young master during that time?
Completely unaware that Clouia was mentally praising him with curse-filled admiration, Nerha led his teammates deeper into the Pallarest Mountains.
