"Zero point zero zero one percent." Magnus set down his fork. He looked at Isaac in disbelief. "It went down ever further. I mean—forget F-ranks in other categories, alright? We've seen what you can do, and those F-rank parameters mean nothing. Overload Risk though—zero point zero zero one percent. How?"
Two days passed.
The Mana Quality Assessment had come and gone as any standard procedure would do. It was the academy's method of confirming that sixteen students heading into real-world situation were operating within safe parameters.
Magnus, even though it's been a day since the assessment, couldn't get it out of his mind.
"It's essentially zero! You will never be subjected to Mana Overload, Isaac!"
"Are you jealous?" Cassiopeia asked without looking up from her notebook, as if she knew what Magnus was thinking. She has been writing something before the conversation started. "The fact that his Total Reserve and Mana Efficiency sit at F-rank still serve as major limits. I don't sense jealousy in your tone."
"Well…" Magnus, caught red-handed, rubbed the back of his head. "C'mon, Cassiopeia. You didn't have to point that out."
"I was simply telling the truth."
"I mean… white lies exist for a reason."
"Lies are lies. They exist to deceive, to make fools out of others." Cassiopeia stated in a flat tone.
Magnus, at loss of his words, turned to Vesper, "Vesper, what do you think?"
Vesper cleared his throat rather awkwardly. "I agree with Cassiopeia."
"What? Just during the festival, you—"
Vesper clasped his hand over Magnus, allowing no further words to come out of his mouth. For a few seconds, Magnus comically thrashed, before looking at Vesper in resignation.
As Vesper released his hand, Isaac chuckled in amusement.
"Anyway," Vesper quickly changed the topic. "Everyone had significant decrease in Overload Risk. Good signs."
"What did you drop to?" Isaac asked.
"Nineteen." Vesper paused. "From twenty-six."
"Mine went from forty-two point three to thirty," Magnus said cheerfully, with the previous strangle with Vesper already forgotten. "Which Raul said was good progress, apparently." He then looked at Cassiopeia. "Cassiopeia?"
"Four point one," she said, still writing. "From six point three."
"What the…" Magnus was at loss of words.
Cassiopeia raised an eyebrow, "it's nothing compared to Isaac."
"True, but your Total Reserve and Mana Efficiency are—" Vesper spoke, then froze in the middle, before turning to Isaac, "not that I am trying to downplay your achievement, but just saying—"
"It's fine." Isaac dismissed without taking Vesper's slip personally. After all, the moment he was able to generate sufficient mana output through the use of mana thread method, Total Reserve and Mana Efficiency no longer mattered to him.
"It seems that the weapons training that we have undergone for two months of time had positive effects on managing our Overload Risk." Cassiopeia said as she wrote, "Academy knows the system well. The assessment yesterday was nothing more than confirmation—a safety check."
"Yes, indeed." Vesper nodded eagerly. He then took an interest at what she was writing. "What are you writing?" He asked.
"Nothing that concerns you," she said pleasantly.
…
The morning of departure arrived the same way other events arrived—far-fetched at the start, but present before the blink of an eye.
Sixteen students assembled at the academy's western gate in the early morning. The capital's skyline was visible behind them, with the road ahead carrying west toward the Kingdom's less-populated regions. Students stood in proximity with their group, and hence, there were four clear clusters in front of Maren Solke, who stood at the gate's center.
Beside her stood four figures Isaac hadn't seen before.
They were not faculty. The distinction was immediately legible, not because of their attire specifically, but because of the way they held themselves, which were the bearings of people who had spent significant portions of their lives in terrain that didn't have corridors or lecture rooms. Each carried equipment that was functional rather than ceremonial. Each looked at the sixteen assembled students with professional attention of people who had been asked to do a job and were beginning to assess what variables the job contained.
"Your assessors," Maren said. She gestured to each in turn. "Howe, assigned to Group One. Saija, Group Two. Bren, Group Three. Nolt, Group Four."
Howe, assigned to Isaac's group, was a compact man in his mid-forties. He had the kind of stillness that was acquirable after years of training patience. He looked at Isaac's group with an expression that suggested nothing but an assessment.
None of the four assessors spoke. Isaac found this natural, for Maren hadn't introduced them as people who would speak to the students.
"These individuals are professional Manafold Beast hunters," Maren continued, "contracted by the Academy for the duration of this assignment. They will accompany each group to their designated location, observe the engagement, record their findings, and return with their assessments. They will not intervene. They will not advise. They will not respond to requests for assistance." She looked across the sixteen. "If you direct a question to your assessor, expect silence."
Howe, for his part, appeared entirely comfortable with this description of his role.
"Before departure." Maren produced a small case and opened it, revealing rows of small white pills in individual sealed pouches. She moved through the groups, handing one pouch to each student. "This is an emergency pharmaceutical measure. Two pills per pouch. Keep these with you at all times."
The reactions across the sixteen students were as varied as the students themselves. Silas looked at the pouch with visible distaste before pocketing it with the expression of someone putting something unpleasant out of sight. Magnus opened his and peered inside with genuine curiosity. Lyra pocketed hers without any particular reaction. Camilla held hers at a slight distance, as though proximity to it carried social implications.
"These pills are meant for the event of Mana Overload Symptoms," Maren said, "one pill will suppress mana output sufficiently to prevent escalation. Effects include drowsiness and, in some cases, depressive symptoms—this is not fully understood. Unlike healing skill intervention, which addresses overload directly and completely, this measure manages symptoms by suppressing mana production. It is imperfect." She looked across them. "It is also what you have. Know its risks."
"What if it doesn't work?" someone asked from the back—Petra Voss.
"Then you use the second one," Maren said. "And if that doesn't work, your assessor has already been informed of the situation and directed to the nearest Order of Acacia outpost." She closed the case. "Any further questions?"
Nobody asked any.
"Good." Maren stepped back. "Departure is now. Safe return is expected." She paused. "Know your limits. Act with an awareness that you are the representatives of your generation." She turned, "I will see you on the last day of the month. Good luck."
She walked back toward the Academy without looking back. Four assessors remained.
"So," Magnus was the one to break the silence among sixteen students, "we… go now?"
Everyone looked at Magnus.
"Yes." Vesper was the one to respond, smiling as if he witnessed exactly what Magnus would do, "we go."
Isaac looked ahead, at the western road that was laid out in front of them. They would travel beyond the road, beyond the walls of the capital, to the western field of Aetherion.
"Isaac."
Isaac turned and found Vane calling him. From ahead, Camilla and Randal have already begun walking.
Vane sighed as he looked at the two. "I swear," he grumbled, "can't they wait for a second?" Shaking his head, he gestured, "come on."
They followed the two ahead, walking at a quick pace.
"As we discussed before, when it comes to combats, I absorb their attacks with my [Mana Siphon]. You handle the counterattack with… whatever you did with [Condensation]. Let those two do whatever they want." Vane spoke and Isaac silently listened. He seemed to be thinking. "Apart from that, we also need to consider our means of transportation right now. The land is vast, and month of time to travel by feet and complete the mission sounds brutal. We need to hire a coachman."
Isaac glanced at the back and found that their assessor, Howe, was silently tailing them. Then, he replied, "then, we need to let them know."
Vane nodded, "exactly—"
"Hey!" Camilla, turning around from ahead, shouted at them. "Hurry up!"
"Camilla! Randal!" Vane shouted back, "stop and wait for us! I have something to say!"
Camilla didn't listen. Turning back, she resumed walking at a fastened pace, for Randal was walking even as she momentarily stopped to speak. It seemed that the two of them were treating this as a small race where running was not allowed.
Vane's eyes twitched. Isaac looked at Camilla's back in silence.
From behind, assessor Howe wrote something in his note.
…
After a while, they finally managed to reach a consensus to travel by carriage.
Given how they were in the capital and the current state of the kingdom reduced travels, hiring one to go to west, which was far away from the frontline, wasn't difficult.
Five people boarded a carriage that was being pulled by a horse. On top of said horse was the coachman whom they hired, fulfilling his duty faithfully.
"So," Camilla distastefully pointed at assessor Howe, "what is he doing in here?"
"He is our assessor." Vane stated.
"He didn't pay for the carriage!"
"None of us did." Vane gazed at Camilla in disbelief, "you decided to dump your own entirely before we decided how we would split the bill."
"Well, I wasn't expecting him to board as well!"
Even as Camilla blatantly pointed at assessor Howe, he didn't respond. Isaac noted the man's professionalism in interest, wondering just how much he was paid to endure insults of a young lady.
"For one fucking second," Randal, who looked cramped with his huge frame barely fitting into the seat, growled, "can you shut up? My ears are about to bleed, woman."
"Bleed? Is that something that you should be saying to a noble lady like me? One who was generous enough to pay for everyone?" Camilla seemed to have found a new target, turning to glare at him. "Besides, I don't see any bleeding!"
"About to, I said. About! To!" Randal's face reddened in annoyance. "Do you ever listen?"
Camilla snorted. "I will listen if you speak what is actually worth."
Vane seemed to be running thin on his patience as well. "You—"
"Calm down." Isaac, who was silent the whole time, decided to interrupt. Randal and Vane looked at him with faces that were ready to explode any time, asking with their eyes of how he is able to maintain his sanity in front of Camilla's endless insults. He looked back at the two of them. "Treat it as white noise."
"White noise? White noise my ass. If this is white noise, my old man's snoring is the tune sent from the heaven." Randal fumed.
"Hah, noise!" Camilla, whose legs were crossed, snorted at Isaac. "Who do you think you are, Nameless—"
"Hey!" Vane intervened, frowning, "we are in the middle of an assignment. Avoid sensitive terms like that."
"Sensitive?" Camilla acted innocent, "what do you mean sensitive? I'm merely stating a fact!" She looked around at three men. "Besides, what's with this attitude? I am a member of House Hedron, higher noble. I have the A-rank skill. Meanwhile, what are you guys? Lesser nobles and Nameless. One with a B-rank and C-rank skill, another with a single B-rank skill, and… last one with F-rank skill."
Randal was trembling in rage. He opened his mouth with an intent to lash out, but Camilla wasn't done as she caught his demeanor.
"Randal Ursula." She snorted, "think about how House Hedron's work may accidentally harm House Ursula."
Randal was about to shout, but nothing exited from his mouth. He paused. Gave a thought to it. Realized that she wasn't fooling around. He snarled at low tone, "so now, you're bringing in my family?"
"Bringing in? I am merely brainstorming on future possibilities."
Camilla appeared smug as Randal decided to back off after series of calculation.
"Go ahead and try." Vane, however, didn't yield as he glared back at Camilla.
Camilla frowned. Observed Vane as if trying to think of why he was able to stand his ground. Then, her eyes slightly widened as if she found an answer. Snorting, she turned and said nothing to that.
Silas Fulgur. Vane's reaction suggests that he is close enough that Silas will defend him. Watching this, Isaac deduced.
Camilla found Isaac's eyes on her. She scowled, "what?"
"You're more hysterical than the usual." Isaac casually replied. "Try to keep your emotion more contained later on. Volatile emotion during the active manifestation of skill tends to be the primary cause of Mana Overload."
Camilla blinked, at loss of words. After a while, she growled, "mind your own business."
No one spoke after that, and the carriage continued to travel toward its destination.