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After the written exam was the magic power assessment and the practical exam.
For the assessment, mine was just slightly bright, and nothing else remarkable happened.

No, I guess it was remarkable in the sense that it helped remind me of just how absurd Ain’s barrier is.

Then, after we moved to the practical exam venue, as expected, Ain said she’ll be the one to spar.
Since there’s a chance that people will notice me holding back, we already decided on this arrangement beforehand, but I still don’t like it.

After all, that’s my role. Ain protects, and I fight.
With Ain’s protection, I can fight to my fullest.
That’s how we’ve been doing things until now, so I don’t like this.

Still, I know I’m just being selfish.
The reason why I’ve been the one fighting is because that was the best course of action.
This time, Ain fighting would be the best course of action, so I just have to bear with it.

That’s why I only voiced my gripes.
I already handed over control, and I know Ain’s response,『If the opponent could be harmed by my weak attacks, you can’t really consider it a real fight, can you?』 was all to console me.

『Mngh… Alright. It can’t be helped, after all.』

Since Ain readily pampered me, I ended my selfish whining there.
After all, I don’t want Ain to hate me.
And I think Ain understands my feelings.

The important thing isn’t sticking to our roles, but being together with Ain. I know that, but it’s still complicated.

Perhaps knowing that is what makes me feel conflicted.
Being together is important, but if we’re together, I want to be of help to Ain.

While I was contemplating to myself, Ain’s spar began.

Since Ain rarely fights, I need to have a proper look at this.
While my feelings are complicated, a chance like this rarely comes by.
Rather, the fact that I get to see a rare side of Ain might have helped me get over myself.

Now, about Ain’s fighting style, we have discussed it before.
Ain is incapable of using magic power to attack. It’s a really strict limitation, to the point where physical reinforcement will probably not improve her offensive ability at all, according to Ain.
Because of that, Ain can only win against opponents she can harm with her pure physical strength.

If Ain and I were to fight, it would end up with me being unable to break Ain’s barrier and Ain being unable to break mine.
Then it would go on forever, and depending on the rules, we’ll probably end it with a stalemate.
But if Ain was serious, I’d likely lose.

Ain can win against me, but I’m sure she can’t win against a wyvern. After all, I’m human, but a wyvern is a monster.

But for this spar, we have certain limitations. As Ailneige, Ain can’t use any powerful barriers.
Which is why Ain openly stated that she’ll surrender if her barrier breaks.
Well, I’m pretty sure Ain wouldn’t be able to land a proper strike against a high-ranked hunter, so it’s a pretty reasonable action.

The result, as expected, was Ain’s loss. She didn’t fight seriously.
In the first place, her spar ended up being more of a game than an actual battle, so it could hardly even be called a proper fight.

Perhaps Ain held back for my sake? I’d like to think so.

After that, there was some loud chattering at a different place, so Ain moved to a position we could observe from a distance before switching with me. I honestly wouldn’t have minded if she didn’t, though.
I’m not really interested in the ruckus, but since Ain brought us here, I’ll also take a look.
There, I saw the boy with above-average magic power swinging his sword around.

This apparently made the people excited, but his opponent didn’t seem to be having a hard time. He’s probably only assessing the boy’s abilities.
In the end, after witnessing the examinee fall for a trap, I asked Ain’s opinion for confirmation.

『Ain, how did that look to you?』
『Ailneige likely wouldn’t win. But depending on the rules, I don’t think we’d lose either.』
『Yeah, that sounds about right. This is normally amazing, isn’t it?』

With Ailneige as a standard, that examinee boy would be on the stronger end.
And his current strength should already be shocking for his age.
I don’t quite see it, though. But according to Ain, we’ve just become extremely strong due to the events back at Rispelgia’s mansion.

Well, I did have multiple near-death experiences back there, and there wasn’t really much else to do, so I’d be learning sorcery whenever I wasn’t dancing, and the drug I was made to take daily increased my magic power by a lot.
Ain considers that experience a painful lesson to learn from, but for me, it’s filled with memories of my first meeting and time alone together with Ain, so while there were terrible times like the spiders and when Ain was asleep, I don’t find it to be all bad.

Perhaps not satisfied with my reaction, Ain attempted to provide further explanation.

『How do I put it? You remember those low-ranked hunters who kept picking fights with us, right?』
『Right, they did exist.』
『Those people were much older than you, but they are weaker than that boy, don’t you think?』
『That’s true. I feel like there were some around his level, but either way, that means the boy earlier is amazing, right?』
『Relative to his age, yes. It’s similar to how you’re now far stronger now compared to when we first escaped the mansion.』
『Just like how Ain’s barrier keeps getting stronger and stronger, right? I wonder how many years it would take for him to reach the level of Carol or the Fool’s Gathering?』
『He has the potential to get there, but it’ll depend on his efforts from now on. If he starts cutting corners, he might never grow beyond being moderately strong.』

Ending up mediocre as a result of cutting corners isn’t something limited to that examinee.
If I, too, start being complacent, Ain will likely end up leaving me in the dust.
That’s just how much effort Ain puts in even now.

『I see… I need to be careful about that, too.』
『Let’s do our best together, okay?』
『Yes! Of course!』

No matter what happens, I’ll be happy as long as I can stay with Ain.

And that ends this chapter! We’ve got as far as the mock battle this time, but—SPOILER ALERT?—we still have much to go through in Ciel’s POV!

Ain always tries to ground herself and know what “normal” is—mostly so they can keep a low profile—so it’s kinda funny how Ciel’s standards are absolutely broken; from being surprised about how many children there actually are in the world, to having a hard time understanding what makes the Hero Juerd’s impressive.

Now then, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please feel free to comment. Stay healthy, stay safe, and have a nice day~!

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