I slowly start to wake up as I feel a brightness reach my face. In a way, I curse myself for not closing the curtain the night before, but that thought quickly fades away.
I open my eyes and see the dark oak ceiling. A small thought that this could have all been a dream vanishes. I get up from bed and go to the washroom to take a shower to start the day. Fortunately, I have some hygiene products, but I'll soon need to buy more.
After bathing and completing my morning hygiene routine, I go back to my room to get dressed. I opt for a basic black short-sleeved shirt, dark gray shorts, and a pair of black boots. I'm really going all out with my 'cosplay' of Jeanne Alter.
I let out a small laugh at this silly thought and head to my kitchen to have a small breakfast. From the brightness of the day, I can see it's probably been about 30/40 minutes since sunrise at most.
I really need to think about how I'm going to act. In a way, I'd like to show my weapons/armor in this test because it would give me more visibility within the family, and with my ability to level up faster, I could rise higher in the family hierarchy.
On the other hand, if I draw too much attention, I could attract other gods who aren't as 'welcoming.' But since this is the Loki family, I doubt they'd try anything. After all, mid-tier/low-tier gods wouldn't want to mess with one of the two strongest families in terms of dungeon exploration/current strength.
Hmm... well, that's it. I will show my equipment and skills. I have to at least take a little risk.
Closing my eyes briefly, I imagine my equipment appearing.
Soon, a black armor fits perfectly around my body, along with a long black cape with fur details attached to my shoulders. At my waist, strapped in its sheath, my sword appears, and finally, in one of my hands, Jeanne Alter's characteristic lance/banner.
(Image)
I take a breath and open my eyes again. Mostly centered and calm, I begin to leave the house and walk through the streets towards the Loki family mansion.
Even though it's still early, as soon as I arrive in the more central part of Orario, I notice that many people are already awake. Merchants are opening their stores and stalls, adventurers are probably heading towards the dungeons, and even some children are playing.
I notice that my appearance is drawing the attention of many people around me. Whether it's because of my equipment, perhaps eye-catching, but with a beautiful and apparently strong/expensive design, or my appearance, which, modesty aside, I/Jeanne Alter are indeed quite beautiful.
I've never been a narcissist, but a small, mischievous smile forms on my lips. Maybe being in a body similar to Jeanne Alter's has brought a bit of her personality to me.
But jokes aside, I finally arrive in front of a large structure that resembles a castle. In front of the large open gate, two guards are watching some people entering the family base. Either they are children of Loki, or they are here for the test to join.
After observing for a bit, I walk towards the base as well. I offer a small polite nod to the guards, as their job seems quite exhausting in a way.
As I enter, I see that in front of the mansion, there is a large area of hard-packed dirt, with several racks holding a wide variety of weapons and a stage at the front. Around it, a beautiful green lawn with some flowers and trees decorates the space. It's really beautiful.
I see a man, dressed in the same uniform as the gate guards, approaching me and offering a basket with a large variety of crystals of various colors, shapes, and sizes.
Judging by the man's look, I'm supposed to take one of the crystals, probably. I quickly place my hand in the basket, choose a random crystal, and store it in my pocket. It's probably going to be used in some part of the evaluation test.
I walk over to a nearby tree and lean against it, crossing my arms to wait for the test to start. Thinking for a bit, I realize I resemble some cliché anime protagonists, which makes me want to let out a small laugh, but I hold it in.
Looking around, I notice that I've caught the attention of some people. I hear mocking comments, with some saying that I'm probably the daughter of some rich noble who bought the armor just to show off. Fortunately, I'm not easily influenced by provocations, especially not from brainless idiots, so I let it go.
Soon, a small horn sounds, and I turn my attention to the stage. A small blond 'boy' with slightly messy hair steps onto the stage. From my memories, I see that he is probably Finn, the captain of the Loki family and a Pallum. That explains his appearance, which is similar to that of a 12-year-old child at most.
"Welcome. My name is Finn, and I am the captain of the Loki family. First, I want to thank you all for coming to take the test to join our family. However, our family is mainly focused on exploration, so even novices need to meet a certain minimum requirement to enter. This test is quite simple and consists of two phases. I'm sure you received a crystal from one of our family members. This crystal is basically paired with another crystal from someone else. In phase one, you will fight 1v1 matches, and the winners will then fight against one of our senior executives. Finally, after the battle, our executives will either accept or reject you. Did everyone understand?" Finn finishes speaking while keeping his eyes on everyone present.
A chorus of agreements follows, and with a final nod from Finn, another family member approaches him with a basket of crystals. There are probably three identical crystals, two of which are given to the participants to choose from, and one is used to match the fights.
Slowly, various battles begin to take place. It's really impressive to see the variety of combat styles on display here. Spears, swords, daggers, clubs, and even a couple of magic users—both of whom are elves. From what I recall, it's extremely rare for humans to possess magic before acquiring a Falna.
I watch the matches happening and haven't been called yet. Soon, I see that only I and one of the idiotic brutes who were mocking me earlier are left. I notice the idiot smiling like he's won a prize. He's probably thinking I'm an easy target and that his entrance into the family is already guaranteed.
He and I head to the arena, each of us standing at opposite ends. I see his gaze sweep over my body, and a feeling of extreme disgust rises in me.
"So, cutie, how about we make a bet? If I win, I want all of that fancy equipment of yours." I hear the brute say, followed by laughter from his idiot friends.
I keep a stoic expression on my face as I look at him with complete disdain, as if he were a mere ant whose only purpose is to be crushed under my boot.
"Alright. But if I win, you have to do whatever I say, no excuses," I say, still maintaining my stoic expression.
I quickly see the idiot agree with a disgusting grin on his face. He picks up a large two-handed sword and prepares for the battle. I decide to use my lance/banner for this. Initially, I know that I don't have physical strength similar to or greater than this brute, so I'll have to rely on my skills and agility.
Finally, a signal sounds, starting the battle. I see the brute begin to charge toward me with a heavy strike. I quickly move to dodge, and with a series of piercing strikes, I stab several holes into his arm with the tip of my lance.
I hear the idiot scream in pain, but I keep my mind focused on the battle. I see him yell in rage, trying another horizontal slash at me. Already predicting his intentions, I jump back to avoid the strike and quickly, using a horizontal blow with the shaft of my lance, strike the brute's face as hard as I can. Obviously, with the quality of my lance—even though it's just a 'fragment' of the original—it still has great durability, so the attack ends up knocking the brute to the ground.
A bloody smile forms on my lips. Well, since he wanted to mock me and is so strong, he might need a little lesson. With a series of movements, I start making several cuts on various parts of his body, avoiding the vital points. There are two reasons for this: one is that I can't kill anyone here because it would attract negative attention towards me, and the other is that this way, I can showcase my weapon-handling skills.
Finally, I see the idiot on the ground with a pained expression and several parts of his body bleeding from the cuts.
"Well... it seems I won. And since I won, my request is... to cut off what you have between your legs," I say, showing a nearly maniacal smile. Of course, I'm just trying to scare the brute with this.
And with the movement of my lance, I make an attack that stops less than 1 cm from the target between the idiot's legs. Looking, I see that he ended up fainting, probably from fear. Glancing around, I see all the men who were previously laughing now have pale expressions of shock and fear, while the rest have looks of acceptance and approval. Most of the approval is from the members of the Loki family present there.
Slowly, I walk away from the arena, sending a cold glance toward the remaining idiots, and return to the tree where I was leaning, waiting for my turn in the second phase of the test.
Soon, I see Finn clearing his throat to regain everyone's attention and start the second part of the test. Seeing this happen, I end up feeling quite disappointed. Most of those who remained couldn't even show potential during the battle. I know, of course, that a novice wouldn't even come close to defeating a high-ranking adventurer like the family executives. And it seems I was right—rejection after rejection, until it was my turn to fight.
I walk toward the arena and see that my opponent is Finn. Considering that both of us use lances, this makes the fight more challenging. After all, the only advantage I would have is my agility. However, I end up deciding to go all out since Jeanne is a specialist in swords.
"Now it's your turn. I was quite impressed with your previous battle, and your skill with the lance is really remarkable. What's your name?" Finn says with a friendly smile while holding one of the lances available for use.
"My name is Elizabeth. Nice to meet you," I say politely to him. After all, he is a notable warrior and leader who deserves recognition and respect.
"The pleasure is mine. But well, let's start our competition." I hear him say as he assumes a seemingly relaxed stance. I know he won't take this seriously since it's just a test.
But I will. Bringing my hand to the hilt of my sword, I draw it. The black blade, with some highlights in red stones and thorny branches similar to rose bushes, appears.
I assume my initial stance and begin my movements. I quickly head towards him with my agility and start a series of slashing movements. Jeanne Alter's swordsmanship is skilled, but it's full of fury and resentment. And that's what I channel. Even though I don't show it, I try to focus all the suppressed fury from my previous self. My attacks grow increasingly precise, fast, and violent. I see an expression of surprise appear on Finn's face and some difficulty in keeping up with all my movements.
I feel my breath gradually wearing out, so I decide to use a final move—after all, if I drag this battle out, I'll be the one at a disadvantage. Then, with one last sword strike, I put all my strength into a slashing blow from the left, and I see him use his lance to block it. However, at the same time, I lift one of my feet and aim a strong kick at his abdomen.
I see him quickly react by stepping back to dodge, but using my Cemetery of Swords magic, I summon my lance, which was previously leaning against the tree, into my hand and execute a piercing strike.
I hear sounds of surprise from most of the people left watching. Fortunately, it seems this caught even Finn by surprise, and although he dodged, I managed to land a cut on his cheek.
"I think that's enough," I hear a voice say, making both Finn and me stop. Turning my attention to the voice, I see it's the goddess Loki, smiling widely with her eyes closed as she watches.
Slowly, I step back from Finn, regaining what little breath I can without showing it to others. I sheath my sword and straighten my posture, holding my lance/banner in my right hand.
"That was impressive. It's not every day that a novice manages to wound, even superficially, the face of a high-ranking adventurer." I hear Loki say as she approaches. With that, many others, who seemed in a trance from the events, start to cheer. I even hear the loud Amazon twin shouting.
"Thank you, goddess Loki," I say, bowing slightly as a sign of respect.
"Well, well. It seems with that, you're the only one to pass the test. Congratulations on joining the Loki family." Loki says enthusiastically, clapping as others also begin to applaud.
"Thank you," I say with a small smile. And with a thought, both my armor and weapons disappear, leaving me in casual clothes.
Apparently, this surprised everyone, and I especially notice Riveria, a great magic user, looking at me in shock. In this world, it's fair to say that magic is mostly done through long chants or small incantations, but never without being verbal.
"Oh my, it seems we have a big surprise here. Come, I heard your name is Elizabeth. Let's go to my room so I can give you your Falna." Loki says excitedly. I think she's happy that someone who demonstrated some combat abilities and an apparent chantless magic has joined her family.
Soon, I start walking with Loki into the mansion to receive my Falna. It seems everything went well.