NOVEL NEXT Chapter 53
Chapter 53
Citri was narrowing her brow slightly. And she asked Nahun, who was calmly watching the testing ground beside her, as if to question him.
“Nahun.”
“Yes?”
“Is this really an evaluation…?”
The soldiers participating in the evaluation were getting knocked out one after another by Seere, and only news of their elimination was being relayed. To be honest, Citri thought it was absurd.
It was astonishing that Seere’s strength and speed were not at all akin to that of a twelve-year-old child, but it made even less sense to expect the soldiers to withstand it. Wishing for talents gathered from the lower tiers to be that outstanding was too much of an aspiration.
However, Nahun tilted his head.
“Why wouldn’t it work?”
“No, how can this count as an evaluation right now?”
“Hah, just look closely.”
Nahun sighed, then pointed to Seere, who was once again swinging her sword. And just like before, the process repeated itself where soldiers were struck by Seere’s sword and were informed of their elimination.
“…What am I supposed to be looking at? It’s the same.”
“This time, the participant reacted 0.02 seconds faster than the previous one in response to Seere’s sword.”
“…Huh?”
Citri was a little flustered. And she looked at Nahun as if to say what kind of nonsense he was spouting. However, Nahun continued with a serious expression.
“Now it was 0.05 seconds faster. That’s a very good reaction speed.”
“…Are you really evaluating the soldiers based only on their reaction speed?”
“That’s not the case, but it means that even those who are helplessly eliminated can be evaluated differently like this. Among them, those with notably good performance… ah, here comes one.”
At the moment Nahun expressed admiration, Citri noticed it too. Though he had been struck by Seere’s sword, he was also lifting his sword. He was merely hit before he fully raised it to defend.
Seere looked at him and said, “You’re on hold.”
“Y-Yes?… Thank you!”
Only then did Citri finally understand the nature of this test. But thinking it was too uniform, she spoke to Nahun.
“No, while reaction speed might be a part of skill, it’s not an absolute standard… Is this really acceptable?”
“It is. The fact that an average demon can react to the attack of King Seere shows that they have some level of skill,” Nahun explained.
“That… is.”
“Even His Majesty would find it hard to defend against Seere’s sword, wouldn’t you agree?”
Citri looked down at Seere once more. She was continuously knocking the soldiers down in a single strike. Fast and accurate, it didn’t seem like she was using all her strength, yet her strikes were heavy.
“…It won’t be easy.”
“So if anyone manages to defend against Seere’s sword, their skills are certainly confirmed. It’s a very simple testing method.”
“Hm… did you propose this?”
“No, it was Seere who proposed it.”
At the mention that Seere was the one who proposed it, Citri let out a slight chuckle. It made her think that blood ties do matter.
‘That level of skill at such a young age…’
She felt a sense of foreboding that the reincarnation of Seir von Debata, known as the Demon King of Martial Arts, was not far off. Citri took a moment to watch and then asked Nahun,
“We’re about to start the conquest of the 67th floor, aren’t we?”
“I am thinking so, but the Demon King of the 67th floor is quite a formidable figure, isn’t he?”
“That’s right.”
The ranking of demon kings is determined by the scale of their forces, military power, and the personal influence of the demon king. The rankings are established during the demon world assembly that takes place once every ten years, to which all demon kings must attend.
The reason Seere, who conquered the 68th and 69th floors, is still ranked 72nd is precisely because of this. But would you believe that a demon king who left such an important meeting affecting their rank has existed?
“The King of Fire, Belial.”
“Honestly, that guy is quite crazy, but his abilities cannot be dismissed.”
“Crazy? That’s a bit harsh.”
“Isn’t it true? A demon king who voluntarily gave up their ranking is indeed crazy, what else could it be?”
Belial was a demon king who, by reputation and strength, shouldn’t be relegated to a lower position. However, at some point, he displayed an unreasonable habit of not attending the demon world assemblies, which caused his rank to decline due to the political maneuvering and plots of the other demon kings.
Naturally, as his rank decreased, in accordance with the changing order of the demon world, Belial was rising among the ruling classes, but he seemed not to care at all.
“That’s a bit of a bother.”
In Ebel Queen Maker, the toughest barrier in the early stages was indeed the existence of Belial. Although he was the demon king of the 67th floor, he was an early boss that inflicted suffering upon players due to his strength that didn’t match his ranking.
Even when Nahun played the game, he typically opted for a tactical build when confronting Belial and the 67th floor, rather than facing him directly. Belial’s power was too strong, making it too daunting for players of the lower-tier demon king faction to confront him head-on.
“That said, I don’t think conquest is impossible.”
“That… might be true. Will you be doing this among yourselves again?”
But that was a game, and this was reality; there were quite a few differences. For one, the quality of weapons held by this place’s army was far superior to that of Belial’s forces. Weapons produced at the forge of the 70th floor had been distributed to all their military right upon sale.
And secondly.
“What do you mean? Why would I do such a thing with allies?”
It was the matter of having allies. In the game, allies provided a role that only offered some funds, food, and a few soldiers, but in reality, it was not that simple.
There were powers of allied demon kings and talented individuals beneath them. Additionally, the number of troops that could be supported was overwhelmingly larger.
“Are you including me in this?”
“Of course. We still don’t have enough troops to independently face the 67th floor.”
“Hehe… so you do need my strength?”
“…Yes, that’s the case. But seeing you get a bit smug makes me reluctant to admit it.”
“When did I ever act smug?”
And lastly, the third point: the reality of Seere’s forces being significantly stronger than the game depiction. The current growth rate of Seere’s power was much faster than what had been represented in the game.
Plus, leveraging some events that Nahun was aware of, Seere’s forces had become quite robust when they would have been considerably weaker in the game. Although still lacking compared to top-ranking demon kings.
“However, I believe I need to lay some groundwork.”
“What are you planning? There shouldn’t be anyone to draw in this time like with Andromalius.”
“Not that kind of groundwork; something else is needed.”
Nahun hinted with a slight smirk.
“The soldiers following Belial have incredibly high morale and deep loyalty, right?”
“…That’s true; those guys are still following that lunatic.”
“So we need to lower their morale a bit. After all, one of the most crucial factors in warfare is soldier morale, as everyone knows.”
“And how do you intend to do that?”
In response to Citri’s question, Nahun watched Seere testing the soldiers. It was nearing completion, yet Seere showed no signs of fatigue.
“We need to instill fear.”
Upon hearing the word fear, Citri became curious about how Nahun would go about it.
Clang!
Just as she was about to ask, a somewhat extraordinary scene occurring in the training ground caught both of their eyes.
“Oh….”
“We’ve got one!”
#
There was someone who had perfectly blocked Seere’s sword. Seere looked at the one who had halted her blade with intrigue.
“What was your name?”
“4th Legion, Celestia, Your Majesty.”
The woman who introduced herself as Celestia did not seem like it was by chance that she had stopped Seere’s blade. She was continuously maintaining the block against Seere’s pressing assault.
Seere observed for a moment, then quickly withdrew her sword and said, “…Good, you pass.”
“Thank you!”
Pointing at the now-successful Celestia, Nahun spoke to Citri.
“That’s how it goes. Isn’t it more efficient than you expected?”
“Well… it doesn’t seem bad.”
“See? She’s learned to think in that way, and Seere is astonishing too.”
“…That’s true; I think it’s remarkable how much that child has grown.”
“Child?”
“Oh, come on! It’s true she was small and young!”
As Citri shouted, Nahun chuckled lightly and let the moment of jest pass. Reflecting on memories from five years ago, he spoke to Citri.
“From the moment we first met, she was quite a diligent child. She did everything I asked without missing a beat. Despite her age, she seemed rather mature.”
“…Uh, yes.”
Hearing a nostalgia that she had no interest in made Citri feel somewhat displeased. Nahun might have appeared a bit foolish for holding on to such nostalgia.
Seeing Citri’s reaction, Nahun narrowed his eyes and asked,
“Does His Majesty not think the same?”
“…Should I speak honestly?”
“What, go ahead.”
“When she was younger, she was indeed cute, you know? She’d smile brightly while in my arms, it was just so adorable. But these days, that thought doesn’t come to me as much.”
“Excuse me?”
Nahun said this with surprise.
“She’s still a twelve-year-old child. She still seems like a cute child in my eyes… Are you perhaps jealous that Seere is becoming more beautiful as she grows?”
“Why on earth would I be jealous? I’m prettier.”
“…Oh, indeed.”
“It’s not like that. I’m saying the cuteness aspect has disappeared. These days… well…”
Citri’s expression slightly soured at that. Seeing this, Nahun tilted his head. He couldn’t help but think if something had happened between Seere and Citri. It wasn’t a good sign.
Citri was an ally that needed to be not only there but also willing. However, if Citri didn’t like Seere much, that would be a significant problem.
“Were there any issues?”
“…Haven’t you ever felt it?”
“What do you mean?”
“Seere sometimes looks at me with a gaze that’s downright frightening. It’s as if she wants to kill me right there.”
“…Huh?”
Though she didn’t show it on the surface, Nahun was quite surprised at that revelation. He couldn’t comprehend why Seere would look at Citri that way.
“Did you do something wrong to Seere?”
“If that was the case, I wouldn’t feel wronged.”
“Then why…?”
“There was a commonality every time she looked at me like that. When I’m with you, if I’m acting overly sweet, she glares at me like that.”
Nahun’s eyes widened. Citri had never seen him make such an expression before, and it was quite fascinating.
“Did you really not know?”
“Not at all…”
“Anyway, nowadays, rather than being cute, it’s a bit creepy to be honest. The reason I haven’t come around much lately is partly because of that. Of course, being busy is a factor too.”
“……..”
As Nahun’s expression grew serious, Citri waved her hand dismissively.
“Don’t say anything to Seere that would make her dislike me more.”
“No, it’s not that… I was just pondering over why Seere would act that way.”
“Huh? Well, that’s obvious.”
“Really?”
“She doesn’t want to lose her teacher, that’s all.”
Citri coolly stated the reason for Seere’s attitude, revealing her affection toward Nahun. However, Nahun merely interpreted it literally and did not delve deeper.
“Oh, now I understand what you mean.”
“…But your reaction isn’t very compelling, is it?”
“Then what kind of reaction should I have? I’ll make sure to speak kindly to Seere later. So please do come for training more often.”
“Oh, understood. After all, we’ll need to discuss the conquest of the 67th floor often, so we can do that then.”
While saying this, Citri remained a bit suspicious. Was Nahun really understanding her story properly? And as Citri anticipated, Nahun was thinking in a direction entirely different from her intentions.
‘You’re jealous because I’m focusing on someone else instead of my pupil.’
Nahun was merely considering their relationship as that of a teacher and a student.
#
The examination ended without any issues. Only 16 out of the approximately 700 applicants were judged to have passed or been put on hold by Seere.
However, that wasn’t the end of it. They needed four officers, so another round of filtering was necessary. After Seere sheathed her sword, Baruna approached and spoke.
“You remaining here will have to duel each other. The four who win will become the leaders of the newly established legion.”
“Yes!”
“Time has gotten late today, so we’ll proceed starting tomorrow. The matchups will be announced on the day, so prepare as usual.”
Quickly, Seere climbed onto the platform and approached Nahun, who had been waiting with a smile.
“Teacher, I’m back!”
“Yes, you’ve worked hard. Sit down and rest.”
“What about Citri?”
“She left first. She mentioned she had things to take care of.”
“Oh, I see.”
Seere thought that this was good. It was better with no interruptions. She sat down next to Nahun and asked,
“How was the exam? Was it alright?”
“Yes, it was efficient and intuitive.”
“Then I did well, right? I won every match…”
When Seere inquired, Nahun chuckled. Then he reached out and gently patted her head in response.
“Hehe…”
As Seere smiled from the head pat, she recalled what she had asked of Nahun before starting the exam. She smiled as she turned to Nahun and said,
“Teacher, then are you giving me a reward?”
“Of course, since you did so well. What kind of reward would you like?”
“……”
Seere seemed to deliberate for a moment. Nahun thought that it was quite cute for a child to think so hard over receiving a light reward. So he did not quite understand why Seere would glare at Citri so much…
‘…Well, I’ve felt that way sometimes too.’
Though not in the same context, there were definitely times when Seere’s gaze or expression would change dramatically. Nahun watched Seere for a moment, then initiated the conversation first.
“How about cake?”
“Huh? I eat that usually, though?”
“Then it should be a special cake. I can make it for you.”
“…What?”
As Seere’s eyes widened in surprise, Nahun chuckled lightly.
“Since my pupil worked hard, I can give a gift of that level as a teacher.”
It was a reward prompted by the thought of Citri’s earlier words. If Seere was jealous when Nahun focused on Citri, then wouldn’t it be resolved if he showed a bit more care toward Seere? The idea was to instill the notion that he was attentive enough to make her a cake himself.
“Oh, but Mark makes such good ones that I don’t expect much? Then maybe something else…”
“No, I want it!!”
Seere exclaimed desperately, gripping Nahun’s hand tightly.
“I want to eat it! I want to eat what Teacher makes!”
Nahun smiled brightly. It seemed that she was only yearning for her teacher’s attention. Perhaps with all the recent work, Nahun hadn’t been able to pay her as much attention as he had before.
‘If I keep this up, maybe the jealousy toward Citri will naturally lessen.’
Seeing Seere’s desperate demeanor, Nahun let out a light laugh.
“Then look forward to it tomorrow.”