Chapter 31 – You Are My First Guardian
The children of renowned wizard families undergo rigorous education from a young age.
The reason being.
To be chosen by the Tower Masters and to gain Montemer’s recognition.
If one catches Montemer’s attention during the first evaluation match, they can immediately enter a prestigious magic tower.
The Tower Masters, too, kept an eye on those who showed promise.
And the second opportunity is this selection match.
Here, if one stands out in the eyes of the Tower Masters, they can leap to greater heights, secure key positions, and use connections to their advantage.
This was directly tied to the honor of their family.
Thus, there was no choice but to work hard from a young age.
‘Even with Montemer here, I can do it too.’
Everyone seated in this place harbored such thoughts.
Even with Montemer present, they had studied diligently.
While they may not excel in practical magic, they had confidence that they wouldn’t lose to Montemer in terms of theory.
‘Besides, isn’t that guy an illegitimate child? I heard he always stayed in the annex. Could he have even studied properly?’
Particularly, Lawrence, who was participating in this selection match, was considered an easy target.
An illegitimate child.
A child despised as a defect for not having a Mana Core.
Would the proud Montemer family have given such a child their full support?
Of course not.
The Montemer family wasn’t that lenient.
If anything, if he hadn’t awakened a unique ability, he would have likely lost even the Montemer name.
‘After the subjugation battle, this selection match will be my chance. This time, I’ll take the top position.’
That’s what the family had said.
This was the opportunity.
To defeat Montemer’s youngest and catch the attention of the family head and the Tower Masters.
Countless times, he had heard that the future of the family depended on him.
Perhaps because of this, the air in the exam hall was incredibly intense and serious.
But determination and physical limitations are two different matters.
“Urgh…”
Thud!
With a loud crash, a young wizard fell.
The supervising wizard casually walked over and carried the child out.
“We will remove him from the test.”
“Hmm.”
The young wizard was carried away as if it were a common occurrence.
The Tower Masters didn’t show pity but rather disappointment in their eyes.
This was such a place.
A field of endless competition, where the weak fall behind.
Starting with that child, others began to collapse one by one.
At first, they managed to endure, but those with similar abilities started dropping quickly.
One by one, participants who couldn’t withstand the pressure of mana began to collapse.
‘This level, huh. The standard is quite high this time.’
‘Is the youngest Montemer still unaffected? Should I increase the output?’
The mana was already so dense that even breathing was difficult for ordinary people, yet Lawrence’s expression remained calm.
The Tower Masters’ curiosity and obsession knew no bounds.
As if it was a matter of pride, they poured out even denser mana.
“Urgh!”
“Aaaaah—!”
Groans erupted here and there, but the supervisor remained silent.
The difficulty of the selection match was entirely up to the Tower Masters.
The indifferent supervisor thought to himself.
‘It’s as expected with the participation of the Montemer young master. They’re not holding back.’
Yes, this was what being Montemer meant.
The external supervisor, invited to ensure fairness, held a strangely distorted perception of the event.
When the number of victims of this misconception began to increase, someone finally couldn’t hold back any longer and spoke up.
“Hey, are you trying to kill all the kids?”
“Huh.”
“Ugh, just look. There’s hardly anyone left standing.”
“…”
Iron Hanma.
The Master of the Iron Magic Tower stepped in to stop the Tower Masters’ frenzy.
Only then did the Tower Masters, realizing what they had done, hastily retrieve their mana.
The scene before them was a mess, lacking any semblance of fairness.
“It seems we got… a little too excited.”
“Hmph! This is rather… embarrassing.”
“…Oh?”
Lawrence, who had been cheerfully solving the questions that he hadn’t seen in a while, finally looked up.
Looking around, he realized he was the only one left standing.
‘What’s this?’
Were the candidates this time that incompetent?
Or had he simply taken too long to solve the problems?
Being someone who lost awareness of his surroundings when focused, Lawrence couldn’t fully grasp the situation either.
Had he gotten too excited because he encountered questions he knew?
He hadn’t even heard of any notable names among the participants this time.
“Hmm, Lawrence Montemer. Have you finished the questions?”
“Ah, yes. I just finished them.”
“Please submit your answers and prepare for the next test.”
“Will do.”
Lawrence submitted his answer sheet and headed toward the 10th floor of the Tower of Wisdom, where the next test would be held.
The next test involved navigating through a virtual dungeon.
It was an ancient artifact-based trial established long before artifact technology was fully developed, utilizing advanced illusion magic.
The facility was exclusive to Montemer, the imperial family, and the great knightly house of [Isaac].
The reason Montemer had produced so many exceptional mages lay here.
The fact that they possessed lost artifacts had an enormous impact.
Later on, it even became a source of significant issues.
It was a relic Lawrence hadn’t even had the chance to see in his previous life.
‘I might gain more knowledge by seeing it. But… I wonder if Rachel is doing okay?’
Suddenly, Rachel came to mind.
Hopefully, she wasn’t causing any trouble or killing anyone…
He was a bit worried that she might cause a scene.
“Well, if she doesn’t listen despite the warnings, it’ll be her responsibility.”
Shrugging his shoulders, Lawrence walked toward the enormous relic.
But why was he the only one here?
The young master thought that the selection match he had heard about seemed very different.
#2
The Montemer main house was incredibly vast.
Naturally, if you searched, there were countless secluded corners.
It wasn’t unusual for there to be places unknown to anyone except the maids and servants who roamed the premises.
In one of those corners, several maids were gathered around Rachel, exchanging words.
“How’s life at the annex? Oh, wait, should I call it the trash storage?”
“By the way, it must be tough serving the youngest master, huh? He probably doesn’t know how to do anything, or even know anything at all.”
Rachel swallowed a sigh.
What childish nonsense was this…?
Or perhaps, was this also the matron’s order?
Or maybe it was instigated by another young master or lady?
“Actually, he’s been helping me quite a lot. The annex isn’t that big, so there isn’t much work to do.”
“A high noble of Montemer doing household chores? Hah. Truly, the young master’s dignity has hit rock bottom.”
“Young Master Lawrence is quite kind, though.”
Rachel tried to smile and diffuse the situation.
Clashing with them wasn’t as important as ensuring Lawrence’s evaluation results.
Besides, she was still preoccupied with the conversation they had last night.
<This is a secret, alright?>
<From now on, you’re on the same side as me. We’re on the same boat.>
<I’ve always thought so, but now it’s official—you’re my person.>
<You, Rachel, are my Guardian No. 1.>
When she recalled the confident look on the young master’s face, she felt an even stronger need to stay by his side.
She didn’t have the time to waste quarreling here.
Even though she smiled and tried to escape the situation, it showed no signs of improving.
Wherever you went, there were always people who disliked others for no reason.
“This wench dares to smile when her senior is speaking?”
“Maybe we should teach her who’s superior and who’s inferior.”
“No matter how hard you try, you’ll always just be chasing after the bastard son’s shadow. So keep your head down, you wench.”
A maid whose name Rachel couldn’t even recall raised her hand as if to intimidate her.
Another brought her hand forward to jab at Rachel’s chest.
It was at that moment Rachel’s strange power revealed itself.
“Huh?”
Her body moved on its own, grabbing the approaching hand.
Simultaneously—
“Kyaaa!”
Crack.
She mercilessly twisted the joint.
Another maid, shocked, swung her hand toward Rachel, but Rachel’s body moved of its own accord again.
She dodged the slap and landed a clean kick to the maid’s abdomen.
“Uh…?”
“Urgh!!”
“What’s wrong with this wench? Get her!”
[Artifact: Rachel’s Headband]
[Engraving: Assassin’s Agility]
[Learn some of the combat techniques of an assassin.]
[Rank: 3rd Circle]
Smack! Thud! Crack!
Loud sounds erupted from the corner where no one was watching.
Where did it all go wrong?
Rachel’s body moved like an amateur but trained assassin.
Everything was due to the artifact’s power.
When she came back to her senses, the other maids were all writhing in pain or had passed out.
Rachel blankly looked at her tingling hands and feet.
“H-How… did this…?”
“S-Spare us….”
“W-We won’t bother you again! We were wrong!”
“……”
Rachel looked down at the senior maids, who were bowing their heads and pleading.
With their swollen faces, disheveled hair, dusty clothes, and even bloodstains on their outfits, they looked pitiful.
But what could she do?
Why had they provoked her in the first place…?
“Senior maids, do you remember what the young master said earlier?”
“……”
They nodded enthusiastically.
Rachel sighed deeply and spoke calmly.
Perhaps due to the assassin’s agility, even her voice carried authority.
“So, what happened here is a secret, understood?”
“O-Of course! It’s just a disagreement among ourselves, right?”
“Absolutely! Right, Rachel? You weren’t even here!”
“I’ll take my leave now. If this incident leaks out…”
Of course, Rachel knew it was unlikely they would remain quiet.
Knowing their personalities, they would likely run off and snitch.
If she didn’t subdue them now, it could escalate into a bigger problem.
But Rachel had no idea how terrifying she looked at that moment.
Blood dripped from her clenched fists, and her face was spattered with blood, making her appear even more intimidating.
The psychological effect of fear was stronger than she realized.
“I swear! I’ll never tell a soul! Never!”
“……Alright.”
Lawrence’s first Guardian.
Rachel, an ordinary maid who once dreamt while reading fairy tales.
Her first real battle had been absurdly successful.
Rachel hurried toward the Tower of Wisdom.
Strangely, her footsteps made no sound as she moved.
Without even realizing it, she was using the most basic assassin’s skill as she walked.
The maids, left behind and trembling in fear, stared blankly after her.
‘I… might die someday.’
Or, worse, get called out again and beaten like this.
One of them suggested reporting to the head maid, but most vehemently shook their heads.
Even in the maids’ hierarchy, the rule of strength was absolute.
Rachel had just established a new order.
—
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