Please, Just Read It

Please, just read it.

Chapter 57

Final Exam (4)

“What do you see?”

“……”

[……]

Just then, Yan Irantes posed the question.

His lifeless gaze was fixed on the chessboard.

“The chessboard takes on various forms depending on the viewer.”

“……”

“For some, it is merely a board game, while for others, it is a small battlefield…”

Swish.

Yan Irantes lifted his head towards Riley and continued his inquiry.

“Then, child.”

“……”

“What do you see?”

Riley remained silent, looking down at the chessboard.

After staring for a while, she finally spoke softly.

“I see ruins.”

“……”

“The ruins I saw during the second exam looked exactly like that.”

A faint smile appeared on Yan Irantes’s lips upon hearing her answer.

“Indeed.”

“……”

“You see it as the ruins from the second exam, correct?”

Nodding slowly, Yan Irantes immediately asked the next question.

“Then, child, what do you think?”

“……What?”

“I’m asking how you feel about that second exam that took place five days ago.”

He continued speaking.

“Humans often reveal their true worth in extreme situations. And thanks to keeping that in mind, I was able to discover treasures like you during the second exam.”

“……”

“However, in exchange, dozens of magicians lost their lives. Those who barely survived have suffered serious internal injuries and can no longer walk the path of magic.”

The second selection exam.

Out of 42 candidates, only 9 passed this exam.

The other 33 failed. As Yan Irantes mentioned, many of them lost their lives or were severely injured.

“So, child.”

“……”

“What do you think?”

Once again, Yan Irantes directed his questioning at Riley.

“Do you believe that it’s possible to adequately assess the candidates’ abilities through peaceful methods, like the first exam?”

“……”

“Or do you think putting candidates in life-and-death situations is the best way to determine their capabilities?”

A choice between two options.

Now, Yan Irantes was forcing her to choose one.

Hearing that question, both Riley and I fell into deep thought.

“……”

[……]

Most would probably choose the latter option.

As I’ve mentioned before, the selection test was not merely for ‘evaluation’; it was a ‘proof’ of worth.

There was no reason to pity fools who came unaware of their own capabilities, after all.

Because they were unqualified from the start.

But…

‘…Choosing that option is a trap, isn’t it?’

[Yes.]

Didn’t I say earlier?

This situation is akin to a final interview.

It’s a place where the tendencies and values of the candidates and the Magic Tower must intertwine.

Right now, Yan Irantes wasn’t asking for Riley’s individual values.

Instead, he wanted to know how well Riley’s thoughts aligned with the values of the tower.

‘The values pursued by Irantes Magic Tower are colorless.’

[Yes.]

Colorless.

It has no firm identity, but thus can change into any color as needed.

Having grasped this, our answer must be one.

“……”

Swish─.

Riley slowly lifted her head.

She looked at Yan Irantes and opened her mouth.

“I would like to ask the tower master’s opinion instead.”

“……”

“What do you think of this second exam, tower master?”

Riley countered with a question.

Hearing this, Yan Irantes’s expression twisted in irritation.

“What?”

He looked quite displeased.

In that moment, the magical energy emanating from him grew even more turbulent.

“Child, I asked for your opinion.”

“……”

“But you dare… are you trying to respond to my question with another question?”

Yan Irantes pressed on as if Riley had gravely insulted him.

But I found assurance in his reaction.

Until now, he had shown no signs of emotional turmoil, but here he was displaying an overly artificial anger.

Beneath that lay a painfully obvious intent.

And I quickly grasped his true purpose.

[Riley, he’s trying to frighten you.]

“……”

[And he’s trying to hinder you from offering a rational answer as you get closer to the truth.]

But what to do?

We already knew the truth.

That Yan Irantes’s anger was nothing but an act.

And right now, he was probably more pleased with Riley’s answer than ever before.

“Tower master.”

Thus, Riley was able to respond calmly despite his menacing aura.

“The reason I ask for your opinion is simple.”

“……”

“Your answer will become my answer.”

In a final exam with different magic towers, such a response might yield adverse effects.

One could easily be chastised for not being able to formulate one’s own answer to even such a question.

But Irantes Magic Tower would be different.

– While others stick to their own colors and fall behind the times, we have changed to fit the demands of the era.

They preferred flexible magicians over those with fixed identities.

“……”

“……”

Silence.

An ominous quiet followed.

Yan Irantes stared at Riley in silence, his expression inscrutable.

“Hah…”

Yet, it wasn’t long before that silence shattered.

A bright smile began to spread across Yan Irantes’s face upon hearing Riley’s profoundly accurate answer regarding being colorless.

Siiik─.

His smile was eerie.

Like a broken doll trying to force a grin.

“This…”

From between those unsettling smiles, his voice sank low and echoed across the hall.

“This is quite the treasure!”

“……”

[……]

Yan Irantes’s eyes sparkled.

Gazing at Riley with the look of someone who had found exactly the talent they were looking for, he slowly continued.

“Yes, child. Did you ask me what I think of the second exam?”

“……”

“I believe the second exam was the true selection test. A magician’s true skill only reveals itself on the battlefield filled with the fear of death.”

As Yan Irantes stated, in moments where life and death hinge on immediate decisions, talent and experience merge to showcase true ability.

And this is an element that can only appear in a fully developed magician.

Thus, from the standpoint of the ‘Five Great Towers’ that seek perfected magicians, they have no choice but to force candidates into life-threatening situations.

It is, after all, the best way to assess the competency of magicians.

“Of course, some towers hold different views from mine.”

“……”

“They believe that, like the first exam, talents can be evaluated through peaceful methods.”

Yan Irantes continued speaking, scoffing as if that thought were ridiculous.

“But look. Among the 42 magicians who fairly passed the first exam, how many survived until the end?”

“……”

[……]

Nine.

Though 42 attempted the second exam, only 9 magicians survived until the end.

“Do you think the method of the second exam is unreasonable?”

“……”

“Do you think it’s unreasonable to put candidates on the brink of death to filter out a handful of successful applicants?”

Of course, I think it’s unreasonable.

Because while the sacrifice of the few for the many is a common phrase, I’ve never heard of sacrificing the many for the few.

“But, child.”

“……”

“Such is the nature of magic.”

However, as Yan Irantes mentioned, the path of magic has always been unreasonable from the start.

Those with high affinity for mana.

Those with exceptional mana control.

Those with strong mana heart circuits and intensity.

In short, those blessed by mana.

Thus, only a select few are qualified to walk the path of magic.

A path where one is given no opportunity unless chosen.

That is why the path of magic is deemed unreasonable.

But could that be the only starting point?

No.

This unfairness often arises even in the midst of walking the path.

As one walks this path, a magician will inevitably encounter walls.

And this wall is certainly not a barrier that can be broken through human effort alone.

Talent.

This wall can only be breached by innate talent.

“Do you understand, child?”

“……”

“Magic is not an equal path for everyone.”

Yan Irantes declared in a firm voice.

“For some, it may be an extremely treacherous cliff, while for others, it might be a smooth plain.”

“……”

“For some, it might be a solitary path; for others, it could be a journey shared with many.”

And the sole factor that determines all these circumstances is one.

“All of this is dictated by talent.”

“……”

[……]

Swish─.

After pausing for a moment, Yan Irantes slowly raised his head.

He looked at Riley with a serious expression and asked.

“Child.”

“……”

“What else could be an unreasonable path?”

Everything he said was right.

Not a single word from Yan Irantes was wrong.

He was correct that magic is an unreasonable path.

Also, it is selfish.

And highly arrogant as well.

[……]

But.

No matter how true that is…

[You…].

I could not accept it.

Not when it comes from someone else.

I couldn’t allow that bastard Yan Irantes to speak such words.

[……You can’t say that.]

Didn’t I mention before?

At one point, I treated my contractors like tools.

I thought of them merely as test subjects, without a care for their safety.

Yes.

That was true.

In the past, I could not have cared less whether contractors lived or died, forcing them onto dangerous paths.

I simply used the repeated deaths as data to achieve better results in the next iteration.

The road I walked in magic was built upon the sacrifices of those pitiful contractors.

Even if it’s a path that nurtures great magicians, the bloodstains left in my wake can never be erased.

That is the sin I have to bear for my entire life.

Thus, my magic is unreasonable.

Because I forced countless contractors to their deaths for my own gain.

And the ones who could have grown into great magicians if they had met me now were treated as mere data and died simply because they encountered me too early.

[……]

But Yan Irantes was different.

He was a fraud who had stolen all the fruits of sacrifices I made through my path.

I’ve said it again and again, but his sins were not merely an insult towards Marta Parheirich.

It was an act of denying every contractor who sacrificed within the bloody path I had taken.

And it was an act of deceiving me, who had barely managed to persevere on that painful path under mental torment.

To talk about magic in front of me, after all this.

A person who reached that position through lies and deceit dare speak of the unreasonableness of magic.

[……It’s a lie.]

It was a lie. That he was a disciple of Marta Parheirich.

It was a lie that he successfully created the ritual of immortality.

It was a lie that he honestly advanced the Irantes Magic Tower through sheer social skills.

[……Everything is a lie.]

Snap─.

I heard the sound of something breaking.

[But how…].

The thread of patience I had been barely holding on to snapped.

An indescribable fury began to boil up from within me.

[……But how dare you talk about magic?]