Act 1: Chapter 15: Graduation Test

Act 1: Chapter 15: Graduation Test

One week has passed since I became Lunaire’s apprentice.

I practiced my magic in one hand while reading a grimoire with the other.

Currently, I’ve a rough understanding about the magic principles.

In short, it was something like an electric circuit.

Or rather, both the magic circle and the magic formulae are magic invoked with electronic circuits.

And mana was the electric current.

After grasping this image, my understanding in magic progressed at a rapid pace.

Naturally, the 《Inquiry of the Magic King》 played a great part in this regard.

While starting the magic formulae, I was suddenly reminded of the day when I just came to this world.

『.... What in the world are you talking about? I’ve told you before that you’re just going to be a hindrance for staying in this kind of place. So you’re to leave as soon as possible. I’m gonna send you out of this 《Cocytus》 as soon as you’ve reached the end of your training.』

I recalled.... Lunaire had rejected my request to stay in this place.

Her tone when she’d said it was extremely cold.

It’s not like things got awkward between us ever since then.

And I have improved my skills too.

Currently, I wore a dark robe.

This was given to me by Lunaire on the morning of the second day of my training. On that day she said, “I found this in the corner of Noble’s body.” Despite saying this, I secretly checked its status with 《Akashic Record》 and discovered that this robe’s name was 《Lunaire’s Robe.》

It seemed that Lunaire went all out preparing this robe in secret on the first night I came to this place.

Though she wanted to hide that fact from me, she was too naive.

Should I thank her for pulling an all nighter to make this robe for me? Or should I play dumb about it?

Even after she’d rejected my wish, Lunaire always treated me very kindly, and Noble Mimic was always being too loose lipped and cracked jokes from time to time about his(?) master.

Nothing has changed at all.

But, I simply couldn’t ask to accompany her living in this place.

「Are you ready? Then let’s go.」

Lunaire called me.

I closed both of my eyes and stood there for a while.

「MAkE SuRe YoU GoT FaILURe MArK, Kanata.」

I replied to Noble Mimic with a bitter smile on my face.

Today was.... the day Lunaire was going to put me in a live combat test against a real demon.

In short... today was my graduation exam.

I’ve reached the Lv 100 mark that she aimed for before.

I continued my chant.

The wind pushed my body into the air. While I was mid air, I tore through the thin firewall and I landed directly on the back of the earth dragon..

The earth dragon who had lost sight of me dug up the ground with its foreleg.

I cut the earth dragon’s back with 《The Fool’s Magic Sword》.

My attack tore a large chunk of the earth dragon’s back, raising clouds of dust.

I used the recoil of my slash to jump off of the earth dragon’s back while activating 《Flugel》 for the second time to slip into the earth dragon’s blind spot.

《The Fool’s Magic Sword》 was enough to deal with this kind opponent.

「GUH....」

The earth dragon who had lost sight of my figure stiffened for a moment.

Using that momentary opening, I flew back while cutting its forelegs from its base.

The earth dragon’s body collapsed forward.

I spun a gigantic magic circle right in front of the earth dragon.

As soon as the earth dragon saw me, it used its falling momentum to spring towards me.

I was aiming for that.

Depending on the skill of the caster, the higher the ranking magic that they are going to use, the longer the casting time.

That’s why crushing the opponent before they could complete the spell was a well established tactic in live combat.

For the very same reason, the earth dragon was rushing towards me to prevent me from using high ranking magic.

But, using a large magic circle to bait the earth dragon to rush at me was my aim all along.

I took out part of the magic formulae from the magic circle that I was conjuring at that moment and used that formulae to activate 《Flugel》.

I used Flugel to push myself straight forward in line with the charging earth dragon.

I dodged the earth dragon’s claws attack and slit its throat.

The earth dragon’s neck shook, and then, its large frame fell on the ground.

I stabbed my sword into the ground to stop my momentum and stood again.

The body of the earth dragon twitched, and then stopped moving.

Numerous cracks spread all over its body as it slowly crumbled down.

I managed to defeat a Lv. 150 earth dragon without a hitch.

When I turned around to look at Lunaire, she was looking at me with an expressionless look on her face.

I... I hoped that would at least make her twitch her eyebrows though.

「I-I DID IT, MASTER! I DEFEATED THAT EARTH DRAGON! 」

「Eh...... Ah, y-you’re right, congratulation.」

When I called her, Lunaire replied in a way as if she just realized that I passed her graduation exam.