Chapter 11: Terror (2)

The crackling─.

A power of ice awakened at Nerian’s fingertips.

The beast that had charged forward from the swamp twisted its direction in desperation, but power was not something that could be avoided simply by dodging.

Thwack!

With a light swing of his sword, the beast was frozen in an instant and shattered.

Nerian frowned and looked around.

“……What on earth is going on.”

What had happened?

They had been suddenly separated from the group right after passing through the marshland.

That in itself wasn’t an issue.

After all, those guys had been nothing but dead weight—it was almost a relief to feel his shoulders lighter.

“If this is a personal trial instead, that would actually be better.”

The problem was the sudden horde of demonic beasts that had attacked.

Tsk.

He flicked the debris with his toe and saw pieces of flesh clinging to shattered crystal.

These weren’t illusions conjured by magic—they were real, flesh‑and‑blood beasts.

Even if real beasts had been released, he might manage fine, but the lower‑level candidates would be in deep trouble.

Some might be injured—or worse, die.

“They said Bayern’s practical exam wasn’t this brutal in difficulty.”

By now, most of the applicants who qualified had been filtered out through written and practical tests.

The underground labyrinth part was more like an exam intended to determine precise rankings among students.

Even if they altered the exam’s format a bit, this was way beyond acceptable boundaries……

Whoosh!

At the end of the alley that stretched on.

Sensing the chill ahead, Nerian lightly swung his sword.

Clang!

Along with bright yellow sparks, striking golden hair fluttered in midair.

Deflecting the opponent’s attack, Nerian let out a short sigh upon seeing the face before him, then sheathed his sword.

“It was you.”

“……Nerian‑kun.”

Laysis exhaled deeply, genuinely relieved, and stepped back.

Her sword, like his, dripped with sticky fluid along the blade—evidence of multiple fights.

“Do you know what happened?”

“……It’s hard to call it an accident. It’s most likely a terror attack orchestrated by some organized force.”

“Is that what you think as well?”

Taking a brief pause, Nerian drained a potion.

The power of ice—the exclusive ability of Hopfenheim—consumed massive magical energy.

It was wise to be prepared, since they didn’t know what lay ahead.

“Let’s move together for now. It’s hard to see the exam proceeding normally—they might intervene from outside.”

“Yes. That sounds like the better option.”

“Let’s move now.”

Nerian decided to move with Laysis.

If it had been other candidate students, he might have told them to hide somewhere safe, but Laysis was skilled enough to stay at his side.

“…….”

Their footsteps stopped mid‑path.

They encountered other candidate students.

…More precisely, the corpses of candidates whose breaths had already ceased.

“The blood is dried. Looks like they’ve been dead for at least an hour.”

Nerian examined the bodies with cool eyes.

The one at the front had nearly half their upper body eaten away.

Judging by signs of struggle, they’d likely been fleeing with others and were attacked from behind.

“…….”

Laysis’ eyes trembled but her guard remained firm.

A princess of a kingdom would not easily show distress over a single corpse.

“It’s been a long time, and yet no rescue has come from the outside…”

“The surface and underground labyrinth exits must be blocked. Whoever’s behind this has guts.”

Nerian clicked his tongue.

Planning to disrupt the empire’s event—were they sane?

Or, looked at another way, they clearly believed they could evade the empire and carry out a terror attack.

“…We should hurry and join up with the others.”

Nerian raised his head and looked ahead.

Tap‑tap‑tap!

In the darkness of the labyrinth.

The sound of something climbing the walls filled the air.

A creature known as a raptor spider emerged.

Not especially powerful on its own, but its sticky web made it hard to escape once trapped.

“…They’re charging.”

Snap!

Nerian and Laysis swung their swords with fierce resolve and sprinted onward.

They ran down the path, passed through an alley, and when their breaths began to catch, they entered a different space than before.

“A plaza, perhaps.”

It appeared to be the central plaza of the labyrinth.

Dozens of candidate students were already inside, resting like battered survivors.

Startled by the sudden appearance of the two, their expressions shifted to hopeful as voices from the edge called out.

“……Lord Nerian?”

Nerian Hopfenheim.

He was one of the few well‑known among the applicants who took this year’s entrance exam—impossible to mistake.

Furthermore, as scion of the Hopfenheim dukedom, he injected a ray of hope into those who’d slumped down.

“Lord Nerian, do you know what the current situation is…?”

“I don’t either.”

Nerian shook his head firmly.

He truly knew nothing.

He hadn’t even bothered to hear the exam content in the first place—preferring fairness.

With the might of the Hopfenheim family he could have easily acquired such information, and flattering sycophants tried constantly to win his favor.

“For now, we’ll establish this place as our stronghold. Until help comes from outside, everyone steel themselves.”

Leading the common—cowed masses—was his duty as a noble.

Even without many words, Nerian commanded the crowd, and those who’d sat in gloom gradually rose, one after another.

“Injured are to gather in the center so their condition can be checked. The remaining personnel will split into teams of three to guard the entrances to the plaza, and those who have the capacity are to come with me to rescue the scattered candidate students.”

With clear orders, the chaotic atmosphere instantly organized itself.

The injured were isolated.

Guards were posted in the plaza and drove off the demonic beasts.

Additionally, Nerian personally coordinated with the candidates and rescued the scattered refugees.

It can truly be said that he performed exceptionally well.

‘…At this rate, the academy might take note of it somehow.’

The entrance exam had already been disrupted.

But as a member of the Hopfenheim house, he had to secure command of the top rank.

So he intended to cement his merit through his actions here.

“Lord Nerian. This entire area seems to be cleared.”

By now, he even had followers who adhered to him like a personal guard.

He returned to the plaza with other candidates he had rescued alongside them.

“We will end the search here. We’ve checked the surroundings and left markings…”

Boom─!

Interrupting Nerian’s words, one side of the pathway in the plaza collapsed.

At the same time, as they trampled over the debris, a massive horde of demonic beasts surged in.

“…Damn.”

Nerian frowned.

It seemed the path to becoming top-ranked would be quite harsh.

***

Thud!

Carl bounded over the maze and patrolled inside the labyrinth.

He avoided combat as much as possible, only secretly helping candidate students in danger.

There was no benefit in fighting minor beasts.

‘So Nerian has taken control of the plaza side.’

He was organizing and rescuing scattered candidate students together with others.

Carl eliminated only the dangerous beasts heading that direction, then set down Yuria’s new-type [illegible] whom he had been carrying along the search route.

-Huh? Isn’t that Ms. Yuria?

-Yuria? The Yuria Euclid?

-She’s injured. Join her with them over there.

Carl confirmed that the search team found Yuria and safely returned to the plaza before he resumed his tasks.

‘First, we need to find the cause.’

If it couldn’t come from outside into the underground labyrinth, then some seal or device inside must be blocking it.

He had to find it…

Thud.

While running over the maze, Carl suddenly halted his sprint and landed on the floor.

Simultaneously, several silhouettes appeared around him.

He wondered if they were allies who had entered from outside—but seeing their sharp, lethal aura seeping through their full-body masks, he thought otherwise.

“A black mask? I haven’t heard of someone like that.”

“Hey, who are you?”

The masked intruders tilted their heads and asked.

Their gaze was laden with intense suspicion.

From their appearance, Carl could gather some information.

‘Only one organization isn’t involved in this terror attack.’

Since they weren’t sure if he was friend or foe, most of them seemed to have hidden their identities upon entering.

After all, if their identities were revealed, the empire would retaliate harshly—it was only natural.

“…You don’t need to care about my side. I’ve been placed as insurance in case you fail.”

Carl replied in a deep tone.

With the sharp intonation typical of the Black Sword and a stern murderous gaze.

Realizing he was a formidable warrior, the intruders flinched and looked at each other.

“…So you’re that troubleshooter Xentu mentioned.”

“This is great. As expected, the candidate students have started gathering in the plaza. We plan to herd the beasts there and crush them all at once.”

“Proceed as planned.”

“But you know…”

Despite Carl speaking, they shrugged and let the tail of their sentence trail off.

“You know Nerian? The young master of the Hopfenheim dukedom? He’s a primary capture target.”

“From watching him fight, his level is better than expected.”

“You’re talking too much. Just say what you need to say.”

“Ugh. Do we have to say it ourselves? How tacky.”

Carl slit his eyes.

So they were asking for more money?

He let out a bitter laugh at how absurd it was.

‘Just how vile can they be?’

They strive for perfection in this terror operation, yet they’re greedy too?

Carl let his aura rise sharply and stared at the intruders.

“Don’t think about anything else—just make sure the beasts move properly. I’ll handle him.”

“…Well, that’s fine too.”

“Then we’ll be off.”

They turned to leave, weakened by his fierce demeanor.

…In that fleeting moment when their attention wavered.

It was the moment Carl had been waiting for while playing along with them.

Swoosh─!

The throat of the nearest man was severed instantaneously.

They were just starting to lift mana and leap when it happened.

Scrshhh!

Scarlet blood splattered.

Hearing the chilling sound right beside them, the intruders widened their eyes in horror.

Shoulders shaking, they turned—but death had already approached them.

Shhiiiik!

Five decapitated bodies collapsed to the ground.

No doubt—they were killed instantly.

Carl lightly swung his sword and stared at them with cold eyes.

“You should’ve verified allies properly. What fools.”

He extended his hand and rummaged into one of the bodies without hesitation.

He didn’t touch any coins but searched for clues that could identify their identities.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t discover anything.

“…Beasts, huh.”

Carl recalled the dialogue they had and slowly raised his head.

The force behind occupying the subterranean labyrinth for Bayern’s entrance exam—capable of controlling beasts.

What kind of fiends could they be?

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