Alicia's Perspective
Alicia, having come to take the Royal Academy entrance exam, ended up paired with that scion of the Ark House for a mock battle. Even as a child, she'd heard of the Ark House’s terrible reputation and had always watched from afar at parties as they were surrounded by a large group of nobles under their wing. They were the kind of people she wanted to avoid if possible, but given it was an exam, she had no choice.
Alicia switched gears mentally.
Besides, her opponents were Tristan of the martial arts faction Kako House and Saint Elizabeth. They'd be quickly defeated if they didn't cooperate.
“...It’s our first time speaking, isn’t it? I’m Alicia Mirai. So, what should we do for roles? I can only use magic, so I’ll be attacking from a distance.”
Absolute Ark gave the impression of being an eerie man. According to rumors, he was quite talented. If they combined their strength, they might be able to beat the Saint and her teammate.
Or so she thought, but Absolute told her not to interfere once their opponent entered his personal space.
“Are you sure? Saint Elizabeth can’t fight, so I think it would be more effective if I supported you with magic while you're fighting Tristan?”
Absolute answered Alicia’s question with composure.
“Hmph. No matter how much the Saint supports him, Tristan is the only one fighting. It’s not a very elegant approach to crush him with two people. It would be better to divide roles for each moment and fight one-on-one.”
“Eh?!”
Alicia felt ashamed of herself after hearing Absolute's response.
It was just an exam, and trying to defeat the opponent two-on-one was certainly not something to be proud of.
Alicia was impressed by Absolute's attitude toward the match. By essentially fighting one-on-one, he was respecting their opponent.
(I always hear bad rumors about him, but this time, I sincerely respect him.)
Alicia wanted to show this attitude toward the match to the Hero, Alto. The Hero, Alto, was strong, but she felt he didn't have the same pride as Absolute.
(...I wonder what Alto would think if he saw Absolute Ark’s attitude right now. I’d be happy if he felt something, but if he doesn't… I'd be a little disappointed.)
"...I'm sorry. I misunderstood you. You're right, it's not something we proud nobles should do. Understood, I'll follow your lead. Let's fight with pride!"
“Ah, and don’t hit the Saint, okay?”
Alicia felt a slight warmth toward Absolute’s kindness at this point.
Then the match began.
Tristan, supported by the Saint, closed the distance. Alicia attacked Tristan with magic, but he didn't stop.
She was quickly forced to switch with Absolute.
And when Alicia saw Absolute fighting Tristan, she was once again shocked.
(No way… Tristan is from the famous martial arts faction Kako House. He's not weak at all. In fact, with the Saint's support, he should be able to put up a good fight against the Hero, yet Absolute is fighting him evenly?!)
In reality, Absolute was fighting with plenty of room to spare, but to Alicia, who didn't have much combat experience, the two looked evenly matched.
And before she knew it, she was mesmerized by the fight between the two.
Absolute blocked all of Tristan's onslaught of attacks head-on.
The exam was no longer relevant to the two of them.
She couldn't take her eyes off the beautiful match where they exchanged sword techniques.
Her blood was pounding.
Only the sound of clashing blades echoed through the arena, and when she looked around, everyone was watching the exam intently.
"Let's end this."
As soon as Absolute said that, Tristan rushed in for a final attack as if he agreed.
Absolute continued to receive Tristan’s attacks.
As a result of the heated match, Absolute emerged victorious.
Once the match was over, Absolute left without even glancing at Alicia.
Alicia kept staring at his back.
On the way back from the exam, Alicia, having completely cooled down from the heat of the match, worried about the Hero.
(What should I do… I didn't think Absolute Ark was this strong. If Alto picks a fight with him at the academy from now on…)
Alicia imagined her fiancé, who was prone to running wild. He had previously been ranting about crushing the Ark House. He was bound to cause something to happen.
(The Mirai House is Alto’s backer… If Alto picks a fight with Absolute Ark… This is bad!)
If Absolute and the Hero, Alto, were to fight, the damage would likely be significant. The responsibility for that would fall on the Mirai House, which backs the Hero who started it all.
(When I get back to the mansion, I have to talk Alto out of picking a fight!)
Alicia’s hardships were set to continue.
◆
Ark House
After finishing the entrance exam, Absolute and the others invited nobles under the Ark House, who were also examinees, to a party at the Ark House.
Unlike in the past, people were gathering around Absolute.
“Lord Absolute’s fighting form was so cool!”
“Is that so.”
“To overwhelm Tristan of the Kako House like that, as expected of you. Please, spar with me sometime!”
“Yeah.”
“Lord Absolute! Please marry me!”
“……”
Absolute was curt to the nobles under his command who spoke to him, but he properly responded to them.
He seemed indifferent, but everyone around him was used to it, so they didn't mind.
As the party was drawing to a close, Absolute made a final announcement to everyone.
“Well then, everyone, thank you for your hard work today. Knowing you all, who never neglect your training, I’m sure you did your best.”
The faces of those listening were spirited. Everyone had never neglected their training in order to support Absolute. Absolute knew this.
“From now on, we will be entering the academy. It’s said that status doesn’t matter at the academy, but that’s just a facade, and the wall of peerage certainly exists. Therefore, we must show them. The unity of the Ark House faction!”
Absolute looked around at everyone’s faces.
“In the Rainana Kingdom, we, the Ark House faction, have always been treated as villains and scorned. It’s because we make a living doing shady work. But if being treated as villains just for doing shady work means I can save lives, then I’m fine being a villain for the rest of my life. I know there are lives that can be saved by shady work, and I take pride in the Ark House. The problem is, why are there guys who openly make fools of us? It’s because those guys are underestimating us.”
Anger could be seen on everyone’s faces. They had been made fun of countless times.
Absolute continued.
“I’ll say it again. We must show them. The unity of the Ark House faction! You are no longer weaklings who can be made fun of. And we must show our strength. Evil without power will be trampled by the strong who brandish justice as they please. If you don’t like that, let’s continue to resist together. I will always be in front of you!”
Thump.
Those listening felt their chests heat up.
The man who possessed the power to overwhelm even Tristan of the Kako Duke House was acknowledging them as his comrades, even saying he would protect them.
“Take pride in being part of the Ark House faction, in being evil! And let’s show them the pride of evil!”
Everyone nodded.
Seeing that, Absolute announced with a wicked smile.
“The beginning is crucial. Everyone, let’s go together!”
