Chapter 153: Final Exam (5)

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The Siege Warfare, the final exam of the “Understanding of Combat” lecture that lasted three days, had finally ended.

First place went to Nerian’s party, who crushed every other team without a single retirement.

They received a perfect score and proudly demonstrated their prowess.

Second place was Laysis’ team, who unfortunately fell short by just one tier of points, widening the gap.

Starting with the symbol taken from Carl, they went around massacring cadets indiscriminately, avoiding Nerian’s group.

They were so brutal that complaints spread among the cadets, second only to Nerian’s group.

“Ah, we barely made it into the top ten. That’s a relief.”

Yuria sighed in relief after checking their party’s score.

After losing their symbol to Laysis, they had also fought desperately.

Especially Carl, who stepped up actively as if to make up for his mistake, and after three days of relentless effort, they managed to secure eighth place.

“I’m sorry. If only I hadn’t lost the symbol to Laysis.”

“It’s fine. There was nothing we could do about that. Still, thanks to you, Carl, we managed to raise our score a lot.”

“Yeah, so don’t beat yourself up over it.”

“That’s right.”

Neither Yuria nor the other cadets blamed Carl.

Stopping Laysis, who had taken second place right behind Nerian, alone was an impossible task.

No matter who had been there, the result would have been the same.

Instead, Carl spared no effort to make up for his mistake and actually achieved great results.

Everyone was cheerful, since none of them had expected to make it into the top ten.

Except for Yuria.

‘Does Laysis really have something special?’

Yuria stared at the back of Carl’s head as he spoke with the other cadets, lost in thought.

Even though Laysis was a princess of Alforam, born with immense talent and a “late bloomer” character type, there shouldn’t have been anything particularly remarkable beyond that.

She herself only stayed by Laysis’ side because she liked her as a person, not because she had any plans to use her for anything.

‘…Or could it be that she’s his favorite character?’

That seemed like the more plausible explanation.

When people played games they loved, there was always that one or two characters they got deeply attached to.

Now that the game had become reality, the desire to help or gift something to a favorite character would be even stronger.

‘Yeah, that makes sense.’

If Laysis was Carl’s favorite character, then his past actions were understandable.

The strange favoritism, the way he taught her swordsmanship, helped her in countless ways, and tolerated what seemed like childish behavior.

Those were things one could never do without personal affection—so it seemed reasonable to think along those lines.

“Yuria?”

“…Huh? Oh, what is it?”

“You were staring at me just now. Is something the matter?”

“No, not really.”

Yuria flinched and quickly changed the subject.

“I was just wondering who’ll be the top scorer this time. Laysis worked really hard, didn’t she? You even helped her with the theory part, Carl.”

“Hmm.”

Carl nodded.

Laysis had devoted herself to studying without rest from the start of the exam period, determined to take the top spot.

She even stopped her training in the Boundless Azure Sword Technique for a while.

‘She said her goal was to take first place at least once, even if it meant surpassing Nerian just this one time.’

As time went on and the grades advanced, the gap between the top ranks would inevitably widen.

Laysis, being highly self-aware, knew her talent was inferior to Nerian’s.

There was a tiny, almost negligible difference between them that sheer effort could never close.

So she clenched her teeth and decided to challenge herself for the top position while the gap was still smallest in their first year.

“Then we’ve got two days off starting today. What about you, Carl?”

Since the Understanding of Combat exam had lasted three days, the cadets were given a short break.

Was he going to spend that time with Laysis again?

Yuria asked casually to test the waters, and Carl stretched his shoulders before replying.

“I have plans.”

“With Laysis?”

“Laysis?”

Carl tilted his head.

Why was her name suddenly brought up?

“I haven’t spoken with her recently. There’s some work related to the Merchant Group managed by my family’s territory, so I’ll be going there.”

“Ah, I see…”

Come to think of it, Carl belonged to the Leipzig Family.

Because she saw him as another player like herself, the idea of noble houses and titles still felt a bit strange to her.

“Well, you’re working hard even during exam season. Take care.”

“You too, Yuria.”

Carl bowed his head politely.

She must have exhausted herself leading the other cadets in his stead.

Even if she was called the Successor of the Gray Magic Tower or the Gray Lily, she was still just a twenty-year-old rookie.

She needed some rest as well.

“Then, I’ll take my leave.”

After bidding farewell to the cadets, Carl returned to the dormitory.

He washed away the exhaustion from the three-day exam, changed into fresh clothes, and then departed from Bayern.

“……”

While traveling by carriage, he leaned against the window and gazed at the scenery of the city.

The three-day Siege Warfare reminded him of the assassin training methods he once experienced in the Central Plains.

‘Though ours was far more brutal.’

Unlike Bayern, there were no illusion fields, no rations were provided, and “retirement” simply meant death.

The only supplies were a single dagger and a meager amount of food distributed twice daily—at noon and midnight.

It was an environment so harsh that surviving was a greater priority than passing any test.

What was the result back then?

‘I can’t even remember.’

All he could recall was crawling through swamps and mud for a month, clinging to life with sheer determination.

Clatter.

The carriage came to a halt, pulling him out of his recollection.

Stepping outside, Carl felt the cool air against his chest, clearing his mind.

He hadn’t slept a wink for the past three days in case of a surprise attack, so he was mentally fatigued—but this level of tension only sharpened his senses.

Step.

As he walked deeper into the agreed-upon alleyway, the newly established NOX stronghold came into view.

Disguised as a logistics warehouse, it was both a base built for Carl and a central hub for expanding operations toward the capital’s underworld.

[Madeira Trading House]

The merchant front connected to NOX and operated under Carl’s control was the Demera Merchant Group.

The Madeira Trading House was created as a cover identity, posing as a foreign business entering the capital to facilitate the empire’s expansion—serving as Carl’s new persona.

Of course, it functioned as a real trading company as well.

Through NOX’s distribution routes, they safely imported expensive ornaments and rare goods from abroad and sold them in the capital at high premiums.

The pricier the items, the more profit they brought, and in the imperial capital of Polfoardel, there was no shortage of the rich eager to spend their wealth.

Carl catered to their demands and greed, reaping profits like a rake sweeping leaves.

Creak.

As he approached the warehouse entrance, the doors opened automatically.

Outwardly, there were no guards visible, but elite NOX operatives were stationed throughout the premises.

After all, this was the moment when their master, Carl, had come to visit.

“Master.”

When he entered the top floor—the fifth-floor office—a familiar face greeted him.

“Queen, you look even better in person.”

“Oh my.”

Because of the exam period at Bayern, Carl hadn’t gone out for quite some time.

Seeing him again after so long, Queen smiled at the sudden compliment.

“I’ve been following your advice to rest thoroughly.”

“It’s important to think long-term. We’re not running this for a day or two.”

Ever since NOX had reached a stable trajectory, Carl had consistently emphasized rest to Queen.

In the early stages of managing an organization, it was inevitable that a small number of members would be overworked.

The foundation hadn’t been fully laid, and every decision was crucial at that stage.

But NOX had already taken full control of the underworld in Leipzig and its nearby regions, and had achieved the milestone of seizing the Western Third Commercial District after advancing into the capital.

It was progress several times faster than what Carl had originally planned back when he first entered Bayern.

Although his direct involvement played a part, the dedication of Queen, the executives, and all members of NOX had also been instrumental.

“Tell everyone to rest well while they can. Once we resume expansion, even sleep will become a luxury.”

After seizing control of the Western Third Commercial District through Lahan, it was their first proper period of rest in a while.

Now that no one dared to challenge them in this area, they focused on consolidating their internal strength.

“By the way, how are the new recruits?”

“They’re doing well. X is handling them nicely. They seem to be performing better on average than the previous batch.”

“Then everyone will have to step up.”

Carl nodded.

NOX operated under a strict meritocratic system.

While the executive positions rarely changed, the ranks below were divided into upper, middle, and lower tiers based on ability.

Anyone could request a test against an executive or challenge a higher-ranked member to a ranked duel in order to gain points.

That was how competition and growth were fostered within the organization.

‘An organization obsessed with seniority and years eventually rots from the inside.’

The Martial Alliance had fallen that way, and so had countless sects—and even the Killing Veil.

Experience and history were to be respected, but the ultimate standard was always strength.

The world was too harsh to let accumulated years serve as superiority.

To survive, one had to keep moving, struggling fiercely.

Of course, Carl was the exception.

NOX existed solely for him.

Even if the executives changed, their leader—Carl—never would.

“How’s the merchant business?”

“Both Demera and Madeira are showing steady upward trends. However, the expenses going toward Lahan have been increasing, so we may need to be cautious in the long run.”

“Hm.”

Running an organization required enormous funds.

There was a reason Carl had gotten involved with merchant groups and money from such a young age.

Moreover, as he established bases and expanded manpower across the capital and multiple territories beyond Leipzig, the additional expenditures naturally grew.

On top of that, with the recent absorption of the massive organization known as Lahan, they now had to cover that front as well.

“It won’t take long to turn a profit. Dirsen isn’t an incompetent man.”

Due to the aftermath of the war, Lahan had lost 30% of its total forces and a significant number of its businesses.

That was why Carl viewed it as an investment.

Once Lahan fully recovered, the profits would flow back tenfold.

With both merchant groups growing steadily, and a promising future ahead, the situation was far from bad.

“…However.”

“However?”

Sitting at the desk and flipping through documents, Carl glanced up at Queen, who had hesitated mid-sentence.

“Recently, more people have started probing into Lahan and digging for information on NOX.”

“As expected.”

“Some groups are even saying they wish to meet with you personally, Master.”

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