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Reborn as the Doomed Heir of a Mage Dynasty (Web Novel) - Chapter 199
Chapter 199
This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl
What the hell?In the exam setters waiting room, the professors watching the situation widened their eyes in unison.
The scene before them wasnt easily comprehensible. No, it was outright incomprehensible.
One professor, staring blankly at the footage, muttered as if unsure of what theyd just seen.
Taking an exam blindfolded?
.
In the footage, Lucas Askanian tightened the loose cloth over his eyes again and began talking with his teammates.
Meanwhile, in Team 1s footage
All the students were frozen around Narce Farnese, their faces etched with shock.
The First Academy professor in charge of setting the exam muttered unwittingly,
A breakthrough.
There was one.
A Second Academy professor in the back row picked up the sentence. It was Johannes Ron, the homeroom teacher for Class 2.
The First Academy professor nodded, as if entranced.
There was a breakthrough.
None of the professors had anticipated a breakthrough.
They hadnt even considered such an option.
Unknowingly, the corner of the First Academy professors mouth curled upward. He spoke again, as if confirming what hed witnessed.
Blindfolding fills the mind with chaos, doesnt it? A battle mage whos been blind for years might act skillfully in low-visibility situations, but for that student, every detail will register as critical information.
Indeed.
Even a faint breeze brushing the ear would be perceived with heightened sensitivity.
In that case, the information Narce Farnese reads wouldnt be field assessments or teammates strategic discussions but rather a flood of external environmental hazards surrounding Askanian.
For instance, something tripping his foot or a teammates magic power felt behind him.
Utterly useless information.
Not only useless but also disruptive, hindering Narces movements.
Its like trying to solve exam questions while someone whispers nonsense in your ear.
.
Hah well, damn.
Someone, at a loss for words and staring blankly at the screen, let out a hollow laugh and shook their head.
A clean hit.
Not just to Team 1, but to the professors watching this match.
Team 3 was no longer doomed to lose.
Lucas Askanians unexpected decision transformed this one-sided, loss-guaranteed game into one worth playing.
It was the same in the second exam.
To us setters, it was an easy problem, but for students untested in real combat, it was daunting. Yet, from our perspective, he solved it in a flash.
Even a seasoned mage, dropped into Zugsspitze without preparation or guidance, tasked with handling two berserkers bare-handed, likely couldnt have made decisions as sharp as that student.
That wasnt the quick wit or judgment expected from students with less than 20 years of magic training.
And hadnt that student, unlike others, only just begun learning magic?
A raw gem.
Judgment as precise and swift asor sometimes surpassingthe seasoned veterans of the field, the ability to devise solutions no one else could in under a minute, and the boldness to embrace risk without hesitation for greater gain.
Thats true talent.
Everything else pales in comparison.
The talent glimpsed at Zugsspitze was neither a fluke nor a coincidence.
The First Academy professors gaze remained fixed on Askanian.
Then, Johannes Ron, watching the screen from the back, muttered,
Hes remarkably similar.
To whom?
His Excellency Ernst.
The professors eyes turned to him. The First Academy professor, lost in thought, said,
Hm, I heard he played a significant role in getting you out.
Yes, thats right. Even when there seemed no way to prove my innocence, he did it for me.
Ah, a similar situation. With no clear answer in sight now To be compared to the one who helped you, thats high praise the student would be thrilled to hear. If our foundation polishes him well, he could become like His Excellency Ernst.
At that, the professors nodded with pleased expressions.
Even then, the eyes of the Class 2 homeroom teacher didnt leave the footage.
The First Academy professor turned back to the screen and said,
With Team 1s initial plan in ruins, theyll pull out another. Now theyll have to face Team 3 directly. Starting with all their plans rendered useless, well see both teams raw skills judged as is.
The professors, once colored by shock and surprise, nodded with serious faces, though a faint excitement lingered from earlier.
The First Academy professor in charge of setting the exam looked at them, his eyes gleaming.
Its just beginning. Lets watch closely.
***
Lucas slightly lifted the bandage over his eyes to look at his friends.
Hope flickered on his teammates faces.
Youd think theyd be skeptical of going this far, but after facing a seemingly hopeless situation, no such complaints came. Instead, their minds seemed dominated by the thought, Now weve got a fighting chance.
Confidence is high.
Lucas smiled at his teammates.
Just then, an announcement came through the artifact hooked to his ear.
[Attention. Reports of residual damage have been received. Three secondary victims of a berserk incident have been identified in this area. Please promptly rescue the victims and warp them to the Imperial Central Hospital. Repeating]
Now its really starting.
Lucas turned, loosened the cloth, and tied it tightly again.
He could feel his teammates moving behind him to assess the situation below.
With his vision blocked, he focused on the flow of magic power, and this method made it surprisingly easy to sense where people were.
This was, in fact, thanks to Leo.
Thanks to Leos relentless grit, refusing to end training even when sweat blinded him, Lucas had honed the ability to track opponents positions through magic flow instead of sight to avoid getting hit.
Thinking about it pisses me off, that bastard
Anyway, thanks to that, he could use it like this, so hed make good use of it.
With that thought, Lucas focused on the airs flow around him. As soon as he was ready, Tsheringens voice came.
Lucas.
What?
Thats surprising. I didnt expect you to blindfold yourself.
Me neither. Lucas, what the hell are you?!
Oswald shouted in an excited voice, bouncing over to Lucass side.
Whats what? If I cant stop thinking ahead, I just dont look. Right?
Hahaha! Yeah, exactly. As expected, Lucas, you always
Always?
Nothing.
Lucas could feel Tsheringens magic power surging toward his face.
From experience, it was obvious what she wanted. Lucas lightly swatted her hand.
Then, Tsheringens cheerful laugh rang out.
Lets do this right, one more time.
Yeah.
Hey, guys. This is touching and all, but we need to assess the situation quick.
Elias clapped his hands to grab attention.
p>You can tell what kind of field this is just by looking, right? Team 1s probably figured it out too, so Ill just tell Luca. This is Berlin, and theres another clock tower in the east.Another one?
Yup. Looks like they copied part of the city and pasted it right next to it. Or maybe mirrored it.
Its mirrored. The second hand on that clock tower over there is ticking backward.
Augustes voice.
Nice observation.
No big deal. The Spree River is in the north, the south is nothing special. In the west, theres the Reichstag and the Victory Column. Beyond the Victory Column, its blocked by a barrier or something, cant see. In the east, theres Alexanderplatz, with the city hall, right? Theres another one right beside it. Seems like Alexanderplatz is the boundary for the duplication.
Hm, nice.
The Victory Column in the west, the city hall at Alexanderplatz in the east. And then another city hall, another Victory Column.
Thats the structure.
Thats enough for the scope.
Lucas nodded slightly and gestured.
Alright, guys. Cast a silencing spell and revise the strategy.
Howd you know we need to revise the strategy~? See you later then~
Elias snapped his fingers.
Lucas didnt need to know the strategy. Well drag him along ourselves.
It might seem unfair, but its what he wanted. Anyway, Lucas can churn out high-quality countermeasures even when reacting on the spot, and thats the only way to stop Narce from reading his thoughts early and positioning teammates in front of us in some insane setup. No matter how well Narce reads thoughts, he cant dodge a surprise attack.
Elias left Lucas behind, approached the teammates, and spoke.
Alright, we need to find three victims. No way to pinpoint their locations, and this tower closes in five minuteswell, four now.
At that, Oswald laughed and said something dumb.
Man, I wish we could just stay here.
Too advantageous~ The schools closing it, what can we do? Anyway, with a field this big, even your sense of smell has limits, right, Oswald? And we dont have anyone who can even roughly locate them.
Elias scanned the teammates with a playful smile.
So, you know what we need to do, right?
Yulia flashed a confident smile, raising her eyebrows. The other teammates expressions werent much different.
Grinning, Elias stared at the other clock tower in the distance and said,
Lets go find Heike Ainsidel from Team 1.
Team 1 will definitely use Heikes unique ability.
The ability to read an objects pastperfectly suited for this field, isnt it? The school deliberately set up multiple berserk incidents without specifying which streets they occurred on. Knowing where a berserk incident happened would give a rough idea of the secondary victims locations.
No way were just drooling and watching that prime ability.
***
Bandage~?!
Narce, clutching his head while using his ability, suddenly shouted, then rummaged through the clutch at his waist and pulled out the medical kit.
A gauze bandage long enough to wrap his head three times fell into his hand.
Ha haha.
A disbelieving laugh kept slipping out.
No explanation neededTeam 1 members who saw it already grasped what happened.
Hildegard, from Team 4, pressed her forehead and turned away.
Damn it
Who the hell thinks to blindfold themselves during an exam?! Is it really a blindfold? Narce, you sure youre not misreading?
Ulrike, frozen in a daze, burst out laughing and looked between the students, as if hoping someone would say something positive.
But no one answered. Giving up, Ulrike let out a hollow laugh and paced in circles.
I felt it during the competition, but that guys no joke. Really? This is for real?
Hoo
Leo, pressing his brow, let out a deep sigh and scanned the team with sharp eyes.
Its already happened. Itd be more surprising if Askanian didnt prepare for this. Lets revise the strategy quick.
The students gathered around Leo with serious faces.
They couldnt let it end like this.
Anyway, this also meant Team 3 was down one member. Were six, theyre five.
Even if that werent the case, they were all confident in their skills, so facing six wouldnt have been an issue.
They just lost their advantage.
There was still plenty of time to start from scratch.
We prepared dozens of contingencies, but we didnt account enough for failing to extract meaningful info from Askanians thoughts. So, you know what we need to do now, right?
Figure out how Team 3 will move.
Heike Ainsidel said quietly.
Thinking about our own moves first is foolish.
We need to know how the opponent will move.
Leo ran a hand through his hair and closed his eyes.
Then, after a moment, he spoke.
Alright. First, Team 3 will target you, Heike Ainsidel.
.
Heike nodded.
Lucas and Oswald, who trained with you for two weeks, know you can read memories by touching objects. They dont have anyone with a unique ability to locate victims in this vast field. That means theyll come toward our area.
Right.
Now lets think about Askanian. Lucas Askanian will stay as far back as possible. Hell keep the blindfold on, not knowing when his mind might start strategizing without him realizing it. With no vision, hes at a huge disadvantage in direct combat.
Leo lowered his voice, looking at the team.
We cant let him stay hidden like that.
Right.
Exactly. So, youre sending one or two to hunt Askanian? Ill go.
Leo was momentarily speechless.
Does she think she can win? Even blindfolded, Lucas is Lucas. His skill isnt something just anyone can overcome.
Of course, he couldnt say that out of courtesy.
Leo shook his head with the same expression as before.
Not at all. Act like Askanian doesnt exist. Dont even think about him.
At that, the teammates exchanged glances.
Then what?
If they could just get Askanians blindfold off, victory would be within reach. Even if he tries not to think, hell find the right answer, and the moment we crush and block that answer, their team loses momentum and heads toward defeat.
Didnt Leo just say they cant let him stay hidden?
But now, dont even think about him?
The students questioning gazes turned to Leo.
As if hed anticipated this, Leo looked back at them, unfazed.
Heike.
Yeah.
From now on, east is south.
?
Heike, whod been expressionless, gaped.
The teammates looked at Leo with bewildered eyes.
***
A street emptied by the aftermath of a berserk incident.
Eliass eyes were glued to the sliding window of an empty commercial buildings hallway.
Two Team 1 students were visible outside. Bringing Oswald here instead of sending him to search for victims was worth it.
Crouching low, Elias pressed his wand to the window crack, held his breath, and counted.
Three, two one.
Crak! Shatter!
Argh!
What the hell?!
J-just now something flew from above. My artifacts broken!
What?!
The Team 1 student beside them quickly raised a barrier with their wand, aiming it skyward. Clearly trying to figure out where the magic came from and where Team 3 was.
Not happening.
Elias put a finger to his mouth, cast a silencing spell, and chanted.
[Yet Yahweh knows all my paths.]
Blue magic power, guided by a spell, twisted sharply, slipped under the barrier, and shot toward the other students ear.
Shatter!
Ugh! What?! Where are they?!
Yours broke too?!
Hearing that, Elias whistled and darted downstairs.
Oswald was at the back door, gesturing for him to hurry.
Okay~ Two down~
[Wow, already broke two? Nice work, Elias~]
Yulias gentle voice came through.
Elias grinned and started teasing.
Whats the key to battle? Firepower? Numbers?
[Focus.]
Despite Lucass scolding, Elias kept whistling and continued.
Info, thats what~ You gotta know to win.
[Alright, well done.]
Lucass laugh, tinged with slight resignation, came through.
But whyd you connect the artifact, Lucas? If Narce finds out, theyll come to stop it.
[You were doing so well but missed something. If I cut the connection, theyd know right away.]
True~ So? Whyd Yulia connect your line? Thats not all, is it?
[Haha, sharp, Elias. You should come over now.]
At the center of the two clock towers, next to Alexanderplatz, stood the Grand Hotel.
Yulia, crouched on the hotel rooftop, touched the artifact by her ear and spoke to Elias.
On the street below, Heike Ainsidel was kneeling, hand on the ground. The hotel wasnt tall, so the view wasnt vast, but Heike was within sight.
Heike stood, placing a hand on her artifact.
Found it. West from the starting point. Below Alexanderplatz.
Faint, but with magic focused in her ears, Yulia heard clearly.
Heike said that and waited there for her teammates.
The implication was clear.
A berserk incident happened there, and an unrescued secondary victim was nearby.
Yulia, keeping watch, said to Elias,
Elias, I found the location.
[Nice. Where is it?]
Two blocks south from the Grand Hotel. North from your perspective.
[Got it. Ill be there in under a minute.]
Yulia smiled at that and kept watching below.
Hm.
Thats odd.
Its been over two minutes since Ainsidel contacted her team, but no ones shown up.
Even looking far out, there was no one.
No sign of anyone.
Just then, Lucas, sitting beside her, spoke as if reading her mind.
Right. I was wondering about that too. It caught your attention, huh. Elias.
[Hm?]
Hold off for now. It could be a trap. Ill contact you if Team 1 shows up here.
No.
Lucas shook his head.
He lifted the blindfold slightly to check where Heike stood.
Elias, take Oswald and head north now.
***
Man~ As expected, sharp.
Narce looked up, gazing beyond the building.
East is south.
What does that mean?
Exactly what it sounds like. East is south, south is east. West is north, north is west.
A plan to confuse Team 3 students, who could be hiding anywhere.
Narce placed a hand on the artifact and said with a smile,
Leo. Lucas already figured it out. Youd better hurry~
