A man who introduced himself as Eden smiled kindly and offered to shake my hand.
"Nice to meet you. My name is Eden."
I stared at his hand for a moment, then grabbed it.
"This is Zail Sieghardt."
Even though it was clearly an extremely kind act, for some reason I felt uneasy.
It felt like someone was trying hard to hide their feelings by wearing a mask.
"Is it because I'm squinting…?"
Maybe I was just being overly sensitive.
Since the prejudice that he was a blackmailer had been dominating my mind for a long time, it was natural to be reflexively suspicious.
"I enjoyed the match. You have incredible skills. You even had a fierce fight with Prince Sadin, who is known as the best knight in the empire! I couldn't help but be amazed the whole time I was watching. As a member of the same group, I will also work hard so as not to cause trouble for you, Lord Zail!"
"… Ah. Thank you."
I felt sorry for doubting him because he praised me so much that it was embarrassing to hear.
From a distance, Frey Caligo and Charlotte Mage walked toward me.
When our eyes met, she gave me a slight nod. I nodded slightly as well.
"My name is Frey Caligo."
"My name is Eden. It is an honor to meet the heir to the prestigious House of Frey. I will do my best to avoid causing trouble."
"Nice to meet you, Eden. Nice to meet you."
Charlotte chuckled as she watched Frey and Eden exchange greetings.
"Frey. How can a commoner like that greet someone like that?"
A bewildered Frey spoke cautiously.
"Charlotte. Within the Academy, regardless of status…."
"Ah, I don't know. I don't know. I don't know about that kind of thing. Hey, commoner."
"Ah, yes! It is an honor to meet you, Lady Charlotte Mage. My name is Eden. The status of the Mage family is…."
Charlotte cut his words off like a knife.
"I don't care about your name. What are you good at, commoner?"
Eden replied with a bright smile. He was a cheerful guy who didn't give in to Charlotte's teasing.
"I can handle swords and magic a little. My source attribute is triple."
"Well, I guess I can use it. Just do what I say. Got it?"
"Yes!"
Charlotte's gaze turned to me.
"I'll tell you in advance, but I'm going to impose the hardest rule on this test. Of course, this isn't a request, it's an announcement. Even if you have complaints, just shut up and do as I say. Do you understand?"
I looked at her in silence.
"… … ."
She asked with an air of arrogance. Her speech and actions were similar to his, even her rudeness was the same.
"Why? Can't you follow what I say?"
Frey, who could not stand to watch, tried to mediate,
"Charlotte…."
"I'm not joking right now, Frey. We need to get the rankings right here. You know that, right? If you want to be the top student, this exam is the most important."
"..."
I kept my mouth shut at her words.
"I have no particular complaints, but I have one question. You said you would impose the most difficult ban, but what is it?"
Charlotte replied with a smug look.
"Yes. That's a good question. You and that commoner don't know why I'm trying to impose the most difficult of taboos. That's because…"
"The more restrictions there are, the more they are reflected in the final grade."
Charlotte stuttered, seeming bewildered by the answer that was different from what she expected.
"… Ma, that's right. Huh. Where did you pick that up?"
"So what kind of ban are you planning on putting on?"
Charlotte answered again with a triumphant look on her face.
"Hearing, smell, taste."
Crazy.
She was talking about controlling three of the five senses. Did that crazy woman know how insane that was?
"… Are you serious?"
Of course, if you passed the test with these restrictions, it was a given that you would get first place.
But that was only true if you actually passed the test.
If you overworked yourself and failed the exam, that would be putting the cart before the horse.
"Why? Are you scared? Don't worry. Frey and I will take care of everything without you."
I understood that she was proud of being a pureblood of the Mage family, the best magical family in the empire. She was a talented person with outstanding abilities.
But what she was displaying now wasn't confidence—it was arrogance.
I sighed.
"Haa… Charlotte Mage. This test is not simply designed to test your strength. It's to see how well you can adapt and get through situations with your comrades when you're on your own…"
Then, Eden interjected with a lively voice.
"I agree."
I looked at him. He was still smiling.
"… Can you handle it?"
"If you try your best, won't it work out somehow? Aren't all the best minds in the empire gathered here? Oh, of course, excluding me. Haha."
I turned my gaze.
"Frey. What do you think?"
She thought for a moment and then answered.
"… Wouldn't it be possible with these members?"
It was an inevitable answer for her, as her ultimate goal was to be admitted as the top student.
"Everyone seems to agree, so I'll accept it… but may I make a separate suggestion?"
Charlotte asked nervously.
"What now?"
"In the forbidden list, we add touch instead of hearing."
This test was not designed to be cleared.
This was because the difficulty level was set to be such that it could never be overcome by academy freshmen.
This was also why everything that existed in the Forbidden Forest was an illusion.
The hidden theme of this test was 'survival.'
How long could you survive? In addition, many factors such as teamwork, mental strength, improvisation, and personality were considered to determine whether you passed or not.
If you applied all kinds of restrictions and couldn't even last two days, you were considered a failure.
Even for minimal communication, 'hearing' was essential.
"Good! I guess that's better than not being able to hear!"
"I agree with you."
Charlotte reluctantly answered,
"Ha. Don't bother me. Do whatever you want."
In the end, our group decided on three prohibitions.
It was an unprecedented taboo on the senses of smell, taste, and touch.
All the groups had finished their preparations. We were the only group left.
"Last group. If you're ready, follow me."
We walked down the narrow passage following the instructor.
After walking for about ten minutes, a small door appeared. The instructor asked,
"Have you decided on a time limit?"
Charlotte answered on behalf of the group.
"I will abstain from smell, taste, and touch."
When he heard that, the instructor laughed in disbelief.
"… Three? Once you enter, there's no turning back. Are you going to continue like this?"
Charlotte answered with confidence in her voice.
"Of course."
The instructor handed me a bracelet.
"Put it on."
When I put on the bracelet, the three senses disappeared, as if they had never existed in the first place.
The instructor opened the door.
"What you must find is the Mandrake."
We went inside the door, leaving the instructor's last words behind.
"Good luck."