Please, Just Read It

Please, just read it!

Episode 46

After-party (2)

“Why did they do that?”

Riley asked incredulously.

Hearing this question, Garon Theobalt paused for a moment and replied in a quiet voice.

“There was a small misunderstanding.”

“……?”

[……?]

What kind of misunderstanding could lead someone to offer up their core?

I can’t even imagine it.

In a situation where there are only ten minutes left in the exam, you’re going to give your one remaining core to the opponent?

Is that lunatic a superfan of Garon Theobalt? Trading their own success for fan loyalty? What is that?

“Oh, by the way, they also passed.”

“……What?”

Oh, come on.

Let’s just forget about it.

[Haah……]

I sighed deeply.

The only silver lining was that the awkward atmosphere between us had quickly dissipated.

Garon Theobalt’s group didn’t hold any ill will towards Riley. In fact, they were showing rather blatant goodwill.

“What? So we’re all taking the final exam together?”

Especially that girl with the ash-colored hair.

Her name was something like Dorothy Greyard?

Anyway, she wouldn’t leave Riley’s side.

The reason for her affection was a bit absurd.

She simply thought Riley was pretty and cute.

“And since the exam is a meeting with the archmage, we don’t even need to compete among ourselves? That’s awesome, right?”

“Yeah, well….”

Dorothy grabbed Riley’s hand and smiled brightly. It was a pure smile without a hint of malice.

Still, is it really possible to be so friendly with someone who had just beaten you up two days ago?

“Still, I’d prefer someone simple like her over those who hold grudges.”

[…….]

Well, that does make sense.

“Riley-chan.”

“Yes?”

We were deep in our conversation when someone called for Riley.

When I turned to look, I saw a man with dark green hair.

Arfel Mage Stingwood.

As I mentioned before, he’s a descendant of the great magician Chrome Bell Stingwood, one of my students.

In the dark ruins, I hadn’t noticed, but in the light, I could tell he closely resembled Chrome Bell.

Damn, he’s quite handsome.

Chrome Bell looked just like him when he was in his twenties.

But that sort of appearance won’t last long.

By his late thirties, he’ll start to go bald.

Anyway.

Arfel Mage Stingwood adjusted his glasses and extended his hand to us.

“I happen to be moving for a meal. Would you like to join us, Riley-chan?”

“…….”

It was a dinner invitation.

I had heard that he is the general manager of this hotel.

Supposedly, he used the vast wealth inherited from his family of great magicians to build this hotel in Wilhelm or something like that.

If he was inviting us for dinner, it surely must be an extravagant banquet.

Especially since this meal was taking place after the second selection exam’s results were in.

‘What to do?’

[…….]

However, it was a bit uncomfortable given that we were going to dine with someone we had beaten up earlier.

[It feels like I might choke eating with them.]

It was certain to be an awkward meal.

Riley seemed a bit hesitant about it too…

“No, wait.”

[……?]

“I could just order room service and munch on something delicious in a warm bath instead of trekking to the restaurant, right? That sounds way better.”

[What?]

“I’m tired. I just want to go in and relax.”

[…….]

So she was just being lazy about it.

Yeah.

I was such a fool to assume I could understand her thoughts through a normal person’s lens.

[Then just decline the invite.]

“Yeah, I guess so.”

Just as Riley was about to express her refusal, Garon Theobalt, who had been silently observing, suddenly cut in.

“To celebrate passing the selection exam, there will be special dishes prepared by a former royal chef.”

“……”

“You can be assured it will be the most delicious meal you’ve ever had.”

A former royal chef.

That statement made Riley’s eyes sparkle.

“I’ll go.”

[Hey.]

*

As I followed the descendant of Chrome Bell Stingwood down to the banquet hall.

Suddenly, Riley opened her mouth, seeming to think about something.

“Um, Stingwood….”

“You can just call me Arfel.”

“Oh, okay. Mr. Arfel.”

Riley continued speaking.

“The thing is, one of my team members is also expected to return from some personal business soon.”

“Ah.”

Arfel replied as if he remembered.

“Are you referring to the female from Blaze Arcane Academy?”

“Yes.”

“Well, you needn’t worry.”

Before Riley could say anything else, Arfel Stingwood nodded with a look that said he understood.

Snap.

He snapped his fingers, and one of the staff walking alongside us reacted to the sound as Arfel smoothly requested:

“A magician who was flagged will be entering the hotel soon. Please guide her to her room.”

He didn’t need to say anything detailed; Arfel quickly grasped our situation.

Riley had a somewhat surprised expression.

‘He’s quite quick on the uptake.’

[Yeah.]

That trait he has is just like Chrome Bell Stingwood.

That guy was also impressively sharp-witted.

Though he used that sharp wit to slack off, which was a flaw.

“We’ve arrived.”

At that moment, Arfel said, and I gazed forward.

Before I knew it, we had reached our destination.

A cozy room illuminated by soft candlelight.

Around a beautifully dressed round table, several seats were arranged.

“Oh, you’ve arrived!”

And there were other people already seated there.

Riley looked at them, asking in a quiet voice.

“Who are they?”

“These are Pamela von Haslpacht and her group. They, too, are candidates who passed the second selection exam.”

Garon Theobalt replied while looking at Riley.

“I heard you ran into them at the ruins?”

“……Really?”

Now that I thought about it, those faces did seem somewhat familiar.

After several seconds of contemplation, I could recall their identities.

[Ah, right.]

Those were the people.

Those cowards who yielded their Golden Golem’s core without resistance due to their PTSD with Olivia.

‘Ah.’

Only then did Riley seem to remember, exclaiming in dismay.

-P-Please don’t use torture magic!

-…….

-I-I’ll hand over the Golden Golem’s core voluntarily. Please, just please… don’t use torture magic!

‘…The candidates who surrendered before even fighting, right?’

[Yep.]

After hearing my response, Riley made a strange expression.

‘So not only did they give us their core, but they also offered it to Lord Theobalt.’

[Huh?]

That’s true, isn’t it?

What on earth are they doing?

They’re not exactly generous like a giving tree.

‘In the meantime, they’ve also passed the exam.’

[…….]

The fact that they passed means that Riley managed to retrieve the core she threw off the cliff.

And she did so with less than ten minutes remaining in the exam.

[……they’re quite remarkable in many ways.]

‘I agree.’

*

The meal was truly delicious.

Of course, I couldn’t physically eat the food, but I could grasp the flavor through its aroma and appearance.

[It looks delicious.]

‘Want to have some?’

[You eat plenty.]

Garon Theobalt was right; it truly wasn’t just empty talk when they said the meal would be the best ever.

Courses kept flowing in, and Riley couldn’t control her happiness as she continued her meal with a blissful expression.

“Wow.”

Dorothy beamed at Riley as she quietly watched her eat.

“You really enjoy your food.”

“I was hungry.”

“Then how about this?”

Swish.

Dorothy offered a salad topped with eggs.

Gulp.

Looking at it, Riley swallowed hard before replying.

“No thanks. I learned not to touch someone else’s food…….”

“I have an egg allergy.”

“I’ll eat it well.”

Clatter─.

[…….]

She’s eating well.

I always feel that despite appearances, Riley has an unexpectedly good appetite.

‘It must be because she’s in her growth phase.’

She’s probably at a time when she needs to eat a lot.

[Enjoy your meal, then.]

‘Yes.’

After finishing her reply, Riley continued to eat in a trance.

How much time passed like that?

Suddenly, a conversation that caught our attention drifted to our ears.

“Hey, do you know where the last core was?”

Someone complained in a defeated tone.

“It was down below the cliff. I mean, you couldn’t even see the bottom of the cliff, right? Good grief!”

When I turned my gaze, I saw the cowardly individual with the generous demeanor frowning as she spoke.

Her name was Pamela, wasn’t it?

I think that was it.

Anyway, hearing Pamela’s words made Riley pause her mumbling for a moment.

‘…Isn’t that about us?’

[Looks like it.]

It seems they were talking about the core that Riley had thrown off the cliff at the end of the exam.

“Even the administrators are so indifferent! Who do they expect to go and look for the core if they throw it off a cliff?”

“…….”

[…….]

That’s not something they placed there.

That was our doing.

“I just don’t understand. If I get to meet the person in charge later, I want to ask directly why they placed the last core at the cliff.”

“…….”

[…….]

I should just keep my mouth shut.

With her head bowed, Riley quietly continued her meal.

“Hmm…….”

It was then that Garon Theobalt, who had been listening silently, finally spoke up.

“You were lucky to find that core that was below the cliff. Even at a point where only ten minutes were left in the exam.”

“Ah, yeah, well…”

“Impressive. The title of being the best pathfinder in Wilhelm suits you well.”

Pamela, who was complimented, shook her head dismissively.

“Oh, no, not really. I didn’t do that.”

“Then who did?”

“This friend here found it.”

Pamela patted the shoulder of the young man sitting next to her.

He flinched in surprise.

He looked to be in his early twenties, and he was one of the candidates we had encountered in the ruins.

“This is Gilbert Winifred. He is my beloved apprentice. He was the one who found the Golden Golem in the ruins.”

Garon Theobalt raised an eyebrow.

“Gilbert Winifred? I’ve never heard that name before.”

“Haha! That’s because I’ve been raising him in secret.”

“Oh….”

Garon Theobalt replied in an intrigued tone.

“I’d like to hear more about Winifred.”

“Anytime!”

Naturally, the topic switched.

Pamela excitedly sang praises about her apprentice.

How incredibly talented Gilbert is as a pathfinder.

How unparalleled his mana affinity is.

How he broke through the magical interference in the ruins. How he managed to track the magic of the Golden Golem, and so on.

“Anyway, what I’m saying is, our Gilbert….”

Clatter─.

While Pamela’s boasting continued, Gilbert remained silently eating.

He should have at least been modest about it, but he wasn’t reacting at all.

It was as if he was listening to a story unrelated to him.

‘He’s a bit arrogant.’

[Yeah.]

Right, I guess he has every reason to be.

Even I could see that Gilbert, the apprentice in question, was impressively gifted.

It’s a talent typical to rarely come by.

Of course, compared to Riley, it was like comparing a drop in the ocean, but still, with that level, he could work hard and reach a high ranking.

“Haha! Do you know how quickly this friend found the management office?”

Pamela’s flurry of compliments did not cease.

“I can assure you no one passed the first exam quicker than our Gilbert….”

“Wait a second.”

Dorothy uninhibitedly interrupted at that moment.

“What about Rebecca Duncan? I heard she was the fastest.”

“…….”

Listening to Dorothy’s words, Pamela paused for a moment before responding.

“Haha…. Let’s exclude that murderous girl since she used underhanded methods.”

“Well, sure.”

Pamela continued speaking with an awkward smile.

“Anyway, Lord Garon Theobalt, you passed the first exam in just one day, right? Hmm, in that case, I’d say our Gilbert is around second place!”

“…….”

“This friend took only two days to find the management office! Quite an achievement for someone who just reached the intermediate level last year! Haha!”

Before long, the meal had reached the main dish.

As Garon Theobalt quietly cut into the lamb chop steak, he suddenly spoke.

“Pamela.”

“Yes?”

“You were saying Gilbert found the management office in two days.”

“Of course!”

Pamela replied with pride in her apprentice’s achievements.

However, she couldn’t help but stumble over her words at what Garon Theobalt said next.

“Then unfortunately, Gilbert is not in second place.”

“……What?”

Pamela’s expression turned to one of confusion.

“What do you mean?”

“I know of a candidate who passed the first exam quicker than I did.”

Hearing this, Pamela immediately questioned him.

“Could it be… Lord Theobalt?”

“Why do you think that?”

“Re-Rebecca Duncan used a clone.”

“I’m aware.”

“Therefore, I think it doesn’t make sense to compare candidates who use spells like ‘Pathfinding’ on the same level as Rebecca Duncan…”

“Oh, it seems there is a bit of misunderstanding.”

Garon Theobalt smiled.

“I’m not talking about Rebecca Duncan.”

“……What?”

Pamela blurted out with confusion.

Swish.

Ignoring her questions, Garon Theobalt turned to our side.

“Riley.”

“…….”

“How long did it take you to pass the first exam?”

This was a question he already knew the answer to.

It was a conversation I had shared with Garon Theobalt during a previous meal.

While quietly continuing her meal, Riley calmly replied.

“It took about half a day. Specifically, six hours and thirty minutes.”

Six hours and thirty minutes.

A mere half a day.

Considering the average record for the first exam is one week, this was indeed an exceptional achievement.

Clatter─.

“…….”

“…….”

Silence.

An utterly tranquil silence hung in the air.

As soon as Riley finished speaking, the atmosphere felt like it had turned frigid.

Only the sound of Garon Theobalt clinking his utensils could be heard.

“Well, that settles it.”

For some reason, Garon Theobalt’s voice carried a sense of pride, as if he were boasting about a granddaughter.