"Oh my, it seems someone has already been eliminated."
Fíliya stopped in her tracks. This [Ruins of the Royal Tomb] had several branching paths. At this moment, she could clearly feel the tremors coming from other rooms, as well as those chaotic mana fluctuations.
"The walls of this labyrinth are quite thick, so the sound insulation shouldn't be this poor. It seems they must have triggered too many traps and hidden monsters all at once?"
Fíliya crossed her arms over her chest and analyzed casually.
"By the way, you examiners really have wicked hearts. Not to mention that guy Genau, but I didn't expect you, Sense, to pull something like this too."
Fíliya looked at Sense with a smile, but Sense just silently tilted her head, looking at her with an innocent expression.
"What did I do?"
"Mm... to actually use a [Labyrinth] like this to test mages, I have to say it's quite subtle. In the era when the Demon Race was rampant, there were indeed many labyrinths. But in this era, existing labyrinths have been explored almost thoroughly... Mm, although some labyrinths have a certain capacity for [Self-Repair], the treasures taken away certainly cannot regenerate. Therefore, among this batch of modern mages, I fear few have any experience exploring labyrinths."
"...A First-Class Mage ought to possess the ability to overcome the [Unknown]," Sense answered slowly.
"That is true, but listen to this commotion; it sounds like quite a few people threw their lives away right at the start... I wonder how they passed the first round."
Fíliya shook her head.
"Isn't it your fault that they were able to pass the first round?" Sense chuckled lightly.
"Eh? Using the word 'fault' is a bit harsh, isn't it? Didn't I properly fulfill my promise to you? There shouldn't have been any casualties in the previous round of testing, right?"
"Mm, that is true, but you did indeed protect many examinees who ought to have been eliminated, for example..."
As Sense spoke, she narrowed her eyes and looked at the girl silently following one body length behind Fíliya.
Sense could not understand why this girl would choose such a path. One must know that modern mages essentially no longer had the type who [Specialized] in a single magic, walking one path to the end, let alone something like [Mental Magic], which lacked direct combat capability.
"Eh? Sense, do you feel Edel's level makes her unworthy of being a [First-Class Mage]?" Fíliya slowed her pace slightly, looking at Sense with curiosity.
"Umu... it is not a question of being [Worthy or Not]. Although the registered [First-Class Mages] on the entire continent only add up to fifty or so people, Edel's Mental Magic can be ranked among the strongest in the current era. So in terms of [Scarcity], she is actually higher."
"Right, doesn't that settle it? Edel's Mental Magic is the most formidable I have ever seen. As long as she gets serious, it is enough to break through my... or even that Frieren's mental barrier. On this point alone, she is already sufficient to become a [First-Class Mage]."
"However, that child has no combat power. [First-Class Mage] implies not only rights but also obligations... As long as one becomes a Second-Class Mage, one will contribute to the Continental Magic Association. And Edel basically doesn't have much combat strength, does she? You can let her follow by your side now, but are you going to protect her forever in the future?"
Sense looked at Fíliya's profile with a faintly resentful gaze.
"Mm?" The confusion in Fíliya's eyes deepened.
"There's no rule that a [First-Class Mage] must fight alone, right? Since it was decided to deploy [Edel], properly protecting her should be the Association's responsibility, shouldn't it? Even if I'm not there, wouldn't it be fine to just have a few First-Class Mages who are good at fighting protect her?"
"That is true, but... if she relies on others for protection, how far can she really go? So it would be better to just let this child be eliminated. After all, as a [Second-Class], she is already famous enough on the continent."
...Edel had been silently following the two without making a sound the whole way, but now, hearing Sense evaluate her like this, she immediately clenched her small fists.
This was, of course, a result of her unconvinced defiance. She really wanted to loudly refute Sense: on what basis did she assume that she would definitely drag others down?
But she still didn't say much. After all, everyone knew that the relationship between Fíliya and this Examiner Sense was extraordinary, so it was better for her not to interject carelessly...
"Mm, Sense, there's a big problem with your words, you know? Things that haven't happened simply haven't happened. [Assuming] they will definitely happen is unreasonable. I don't think Edel will drag everyone down."
Fíliya spoke slowly. These words instantly lit up Edel's heart, causing her to raise her head in some disbelief.
"Is that so."
But Sense's attitude remained as calm, or rather, as cold as before.
"Of course... I've always felt that the Continental Magic Association's definition of the [Strong] is very problematic. For a mage, the definition of strength shouldn't be how well she can fight, but rather how much [Use] she can be."
"Since you made a hypothesis, Sense, let me hypothesize a scenario too... Mm, suppose we now encounter a Monster from the Age of Gods that is extremely adept at using mental attacks, trapping us all in an unsolvable illusion... In that situation, no matter how good one is at fighting, one would be helpless... Unless there is an expert like Edel to save us."
As Fíliya spoke, she glanced back and cast a reassuring smile at Edel.
"...You really do like her."
Sense once again used that gloomy tone.
"Eh? I think I'm still more prone to liking existences older than myself."
Fíliya chuckled lightly and snuggled closer to Sense. She had naturally sensed the change in Sense's mood. Mm, what was that word again? Sense was obviously being jealous, right? What a cute fellow.
"Is that so? In that case... those members of the Demon Race and Elves are indeed much older than me."
Sense's expression was calm, but this tone was clearly different from usual.
"Ara? What's this? What did you eat this morning? It smells so sour."
The smile on Fíliya's face became even more brilliant. She continued to lean against Sense, then gently bumped Sense's shoulder.
"...You'd better worry about yourself."
Sense glared at Fíliya reproachfully, then suddenly quickened her pace, forcing Fíliya to hurriedly chase after her.
But this made things difficult for Miss Edel. After all, aside from her combat ability being sub-par, her stamina was also a major issue.
Thus, after running for only a short while, she was panting heavily, her hands pressing against her knees.
"Don't... don't leave me behind..."
Looking at the ferocious statues around her, Edel couldn't help but feel a bit fearful, even feeling as if these Gargoyle statues would come to life in the next second.
However, there is a strange theorem in this world: when you feel that something bad might happen, there is a high probability that it really will happen.
So, very quickly, those Gargoyles began to slowly tremble.
"Wait... they're really moving!"
Edel was immediately scared out of her wits. Just as she wanted to call out Fíliya's name...
...She saw a figure flash back at high speed from ahead. Then, in the next instant, more than a dozen beams of magical light, fired almost simultaneously, shattered the Gargoyles to pieces before they could fully recover their mobility.
____
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