Chapter 12
...Then an hour passed, then two, and at last my turn was drawing near.
Yep, that's the downside of lining up at the very end.
When there were only three applicants ahead of me, an examiner from another group spoke to the examiner in charge of mine.
"Our group has finished testing all of its applicants. We'll take a few off your hands."
Oh my, that slightly high, sexy voice for a man is very familiar.
See? It was Brother Ardio!
When I saw the face of the examiner who'd spoken to him, my knees buckled.
What are you doing, Brother?
You can tell just by looking around. Every examiner packs up and leaves once their group is done; nobody helps out.
Please, just go home!
I glared at Brother with all my might, but...
Against my wishes, Brother ended up taking charge of the three applicants, myself included.
...What do you think about having my own brother handle both the first and third exams, which determine whether I pass?
Even if I pass, won't people complain about this afterward?
While I worried over something I couldn't do anything about, Brother hopped onto the testing platform.
"Huh? The Ice Knight himself is going to be our opponent?"
"That's amazing. I'm seriously honored."
The other two applicants murmured excitedly.
No, no, it's not an honor at all.
Brother doesn't know how to hold back. The three of us are going to get utterly crushed.
...Just as I'd expected, the first applicant gave up after two minutes, and the second did so after a minute and a half.
Whoa, it's been a while since I saw Brother fight, but his swordsmanship is still like something out of a textbook.
Precise, exquisite swordplay.
...I can't win in a straight fight. The gap in our abilities is just too great.
One-hit kill, or guaranteed hit, whatever you call it, I'd need a special attack.
"Fia, come at me as if you mean to kill me."
...He quietly provoked me, but...
Hahaha, I'm not falling for that. You're just planning to beat me into the ground.
I decided to cheat in a subtle way.
I took a magic stone from my breast pocket and fitted it into the hole in my sword's pommel.
Of course, it was made from a magic stone the Black Dragon Zabiria had given me.
Whether it's a weapon or armor, the material limits how many spells can be imbued into it.
My iron sword had reached its limit with the attack power x2 and speed x2 enhancements I'd imbued in it.
Magic stones, by contrast, are easier to imbue with magic than other materials. A five-centimeter stone is rare—as you can tell from the fact that only A-rank monsters drop them—and can hold a powerful enchantment.
"Brother, prepare yourself for my ultimate move, the Zappy Sword!"
Facing Brother on the platform, I proudly announced the name of my special move.
"...You should expand your vocabulary a little. That's just an onomatopoeia."
Brother replied in his flat voice, narrowing his eyes slightly.
There you go lecturing me again! I should be allowed to name my special moves whatever I want!!
At the signal to begin, I charged at Brother.
Clang!
One clash.
After just one clash, Brother collapsed to his knees.
"Fwahahahaha! Behold the power of the Zappy Sword!"
I leaned back smugly and loudly announced the name of my special move once more.
Brother was down on one knee, using his sword to support his upper body. He glared fiercely at me.
"What did you do...?"
"It's a status ailment, Brother. If you touch this sword, you have a 100% chance of being paralyzed."
"What...?"
Brother glared at me with an expression of disbelief.
"Where did you get such an incredible magic sword?! Did you ask the Black Dragon for it?! More importantly, when will this paralysis wear off?!"
"Thirty minutes? An hour? At the very least, it won't wear off in three minutes. But the judges don't know that, so if I just keep my sword pointed at you for three minutes, you won't be able to move, time will run out, and I'll win—and pass!"
"...Are you really okay with winning in such a cowardly way?"
"That's a foolish question, Brother. The defeated aren't even allowed to make excuses. A win is a win."
"I don't remember teaching my little sister that kind of chivalry..."
"Of course not. You've been ignoring me lately, so I don't remember you teaching me anything."
I answered Brother with a smug smile, and he glared at me fiercely.
"Remember this, Fia..."
Oh, scary. That's quite the parting threat.
For the full three minutes, Brother stayed in the same position, glaring at me until time ran out.
Everyone there, including the judges, stared dumbfounded at the Ice Knight, who had dropped to one knee after just a single clash.
It wasn't until I got back to the inn that I realized I'd stood out just like I had in the first exam.