The capital tower loomed like a blade in the sky.
Polished obsidian, rimmed in golden veins, and crowned with the seven-clan sigils—minus one.
Arata's eyes locked onto the spot where the Assassin Clan's symbol had once been carved. It had been erased. Scraped flat. Like it had never existed.
But he remembered.
Every scar, every name, every scream.
---
"Whoa," Kaito whispered beside him. "This place is freaking huge."
The plaza in front of Heirloom Crest Academy was packed. Over 200 hopefuls had gathered, all from various clans—flashing tattoos, glowing auras, or family crests stitched into their robes. The air reeked of confidence and mana.
Healers were clustered together near the edge. No one was paying them any attention.
> As expected.
Healers were background decorations in this world—healers and trash.
"Registration line's over there," Kaito pointed.
They moved. Arata kept his gaze down, steps measured. Several other clans sneered as they passed. He caught whispers.
> "Healers?"
"Why even show up?"
"Bet they faint in round one."
Kaito was visibly sweating. "I might actually vomit."
"You won't," Arata muttered.
> Because I'm not letting you.
---
The Exam Arena
The courtyard had been converted into a wide battle arena. Steel gates surrounded it. Stone plates beneath their feet thrummed with magic.
Floating above, three golden towers hovered—each holding a Trial Overseer, one from each dominant clan: Mage, Elemental, and Spiritual.
From the center platform, a voice rang out.
"Welcome, Initiates."
It was a woman—tall, silver-haired, with four glowing staves hovering behind her back. A High Mage, no doubt.
"I am Instructor Lysine. And these are the rules for your initiation into the Heirloom Crest Academy."
---
Trial Format:
1. Round 1 – Survival Trial (All vs All)
Duration: 20 minutes
Goal: Stay standing
Anyone unconscious, forced out of bounds, or found cheating will be disqualified
2. Round 2 – Evaluation
Your performance will be judged
Exceptional cases may be passed forward regardless of rank
"Begin."
---
Round 1 Begins
Chaos erupted instantly.
Fireballs flew. Earth cracked. Lightning flashed.
Elementals launched massive AOE attacks without warning. Summoners released wolf packs and scorpion beetles. Mages threw spells like candy.
The Healers?
Screamed and ran.
Most of them were knocked unconscious within 3 minutes.
Kaito dove behind a barrier, barely dodging an exploding chain spell.
"THIS IS INSANE!"
Arata crouched beside him, completely untouched.
His aura was low. Subtle. Almost dull—but that was the point. Healers weren't supposed to be threats.
> The less they see, the less they fear.
The less they fear, the more they underestimate.
A boulder came flying toward them.
Kaito screamed—
Arata stepped forward and raised one hand. His palm glowed green for a second—then pulsed outward in a dome-shaped shield.
The boulder shattered on contact.
> "Barrier?" Kaito gasped. "You can do that?!"
"No," Arata said. "I mimicked the flow from the earth caster and disrupted the mana vector. It's fake."
"…What."
Arata glanced sideways. "Shut up and breathe. Conserve your energy. Don't look strong—look forgettable."
Kaito gulped. "Forgettable. Got it."
---
Across the battlefield, two instructors in the floating towers whispered to each other.
"Is that… a healer boy casting shield magic?"
"That shouldn't be possible. Wasn't even a full cast. Looked like a mana echo—that's Mage-tier theory."
"Name?"
The other squinted at a glowing scroll. "Arata Tadano."
"Unknown background?"
"Yup. No noble ties. Found in a rural temple orphanage."
"...Interesting."
5 Minutes Left
Half the field was down. A third had surrendered.
Kaito was breathing hard but still up. He'd only cast a single summon—an annoying little winged gremlin with a loud screech—but it had been enough to keep attackers away.
Arata hadn't even attacked once.
He'd just… stood there. Moved. Dodged. Blocked. Defended others. He looked like a pacifist—but his presence was chokingly calm, like he was just waiting.
A girl from the Spiritual Clan locked eyes with him.
She raised a hand—then paused.
> "That one's dangerous," she murmured, stepping back instead.
Trial Ends
Instructor Lysine clapped her hands.
The arena froze.
"Round One complete."
Over 140 students had dropped. The field was cleared.
Kaito collapsed into a sitting position, arms trembling. "I'm… alive… I made it…"
"You did good," Arata said quietly.
The instructor's voice rang again.
"Now, for Round Two: Evaluations. Step forward when your name is called. You will be judged."
Arata stood before three masked evaluators.
They stared at his scroll. His stats. His aura report.
"...You healed three other students mid-battle."
"Yes."
"But you never cast offensive magic."
"No."
"You protected a Summoner who was not your ally."
"He was injured."
The middle one leaned forward. "What are you hiding?"
Arata blinked slowly. "Nothing."
They stared at him for several long seconds.
Then one whispered, "Pass."
Kaito sat on a bench outside, waiting for his turn. His summon—Gremlin #4—was nibbling his boot.
"Stupid little rat."
Suddenly, a shadow fell across him.
A man stood there. Tall. Robes black with gold edges. Face hidden under a half-mask.
"You're friends with Arata Tadano?"
Kaito blinked. "Uh. Yeah. Why?"
The man said nothing for a long moment.
Then smiled.
"No reason. Just curious how long you'll survive."
He vanished into mist.
---
[End of Chapter 4]