“You’re here. Are you ready?”
Neries went with Yuugo to the training area, and Uno, who was waiting there, nodded strongly.
Melt and the others were in the audience seats to cheer her on (Ryuuga was not there), and as he thought it was reassuring, Uno cleared his throat and spoke.
“Neries Serein… You will be performing the practical exam to determine your power. Is your partner Yuugo Clay?”
“Y-yes…!”
“All right. Then listen carefully as I explain and point to some things you need to keep in mind.”
After checking for the final time, Uno cleared his throat again.
Yuugo and Neries took deep breaths, and he explained the exam.
“The exam is simple, you just have to work together to defeat the targets I summon. After seeing how Serein does, I will decide if you pass or fail.”
“But it’s not like she passes if we just win, right?”
“Correct. Conversely, if you work well enough even if you don’t win against the targets, you pass. It’s not about winning or losing, remember that it’s about your work.”
“Y-yes…!”
What mattered was not winning, it was whether or not Neries did her job properly.
She was psychologically unstable enough to become a shut-in, and whether or not she had recovered was a standard of passing for Uno.
But Neries nodded strongly as she heard this was not about winning or losing, and he continued.
“I will watch you fight what I summon and judge you. I will say right now that I don’t intend to summon enemies that are too weak or strong.”
“Yes! Question! How many enemies will there be?”
“I can’t give you a clear answer. If I want to see you fight a group, I will summon more, but if I want to see you fight a strong individual, I will lower their number. Well, I intend to see three patterns.”
“Understood! Thank you for telling me!”
Basically, the enemies would come in three waves.
There could be a lot or few, what mattered was having enough time to show off what they had, thought Yuugo as Uno handed something.
“Clay, wear this during the exam.”
“Hn? What is this? A bracelet…?”
Yuugo tilted his head as he looked at the big golden bracelet.
He equipped it on his right arm as he was told, and Uno responded.
“That bracelet casts weakening magic on the wearer. The control room decides the weakening, but don’t worry, we don’t intend to use strong magic.”
“I see… It’s a measure so I don’t run wild on my own and Neries doesn’t get to do anything, right?”
“That too, but we also want to see how Neries deals with this. Don’t take it off, Clay.”
“I got it! I can’t once Blaster is activated anyway!”
Uno warned Yuugo and explained the debuff bracelet.
Yuugo laughed, not thinking it was a heavy debuff, and Uno turned to Neries.
“Lastly, there will be a barrier set around the training area to prevent outside interference once the exam starts. Defeat the summoned targets with Yuugo and prove your strength. Understood?”
“Y-yes…!”
“…That will be all. If you have any questions, now is the time to ask.”
Uno was done explaining.
After seeing neither was saying anything, he was about to leave to observe the battle, but stopped just before he did to say something to Neries, sounding as though he forgot about it.
“Serein… I assume you already know, but you passed the written exam. If you pass this one, you won’t be expelled… Good luck.”
“Yes! T-thank you!”
Normally he should not tell if she passed the written exam, but Uno broke that rule as a way to encourage Neries, to which she was thankful.
Yuugo also thanked him for accepting Mizari moving in with her temporarily, and smiled as he thought once again that Uno cared about his students. Uno’s voice echoed as he made his way to the control room.
“The exam will begin now. The targets will be summoned once the barrier is up.”
“Got it! We’re ready, so go ahead any time!”
Yuugo yelled while waving, and he gave the signal to the control room.
After a bit, a pale barrier surrounded the training area, and three arachlaw appeared. This made both feel like the test was truly underway.
“Gigi! Gugigigigi!!”
“Ou! I’ve been the dark hero lately, but today I’m on the side of justice!!”
Yuugo said to Neries as the arachlaw groaned and showed their hostility.
He then got fired up as he turned his right arm diagonally to the left, and infused Blaster with magic energy.
“Henshin!!”
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