Chapter 97

While Sivar was busy causing mayhem here and there, Grace and Lee Yeon-joo were rummaging through the house.

There were plenty of places to check, but as long as Sivar bought them enough time, they’d surely find it.

“Cha, cha, cha! Found it!!”

While rummaging through the third house, they discovered the artifact tucked away in a drawer.

The artifact was about the size of a tangerine, looking more like a rock with a gem embedded in it.

It had an appearance that you might easily overlook. But since it was the later part of the test, I recognized it straight away as the artifact.

‘We’ve won the test.’

The moment Sivar regained the right to attack, their odds of winning skyrocketed, but finding the artifact put their minds at ease.

The next step was to figure out the artifact’s effects. Most artifacts activate when infused with magic power.

Grace began infusing the artifact with magic and waited for the effect to trigger.

Kwahwang! Kwahwang!

But there was no time to relax. Hearing the sound of bombs exploding outside made Grace flinch.

Although Sivar was faithfully acting as a shield, it was hard to tell what was going on.

Could a makeshift Molotov cocktail make such a noise? She felt a mix of curiosity and fear.

‘Still, we should head outside… right?’

Now that the artifact was found, it was time to regroup. Grace thought this as she began to move.

Despite the cacophony of screams outside, it would be fine. If anyone could break through any hurdles, it was Sivar.

The only one she really worried about was Lee Yeon-joo. She had to hurry and let her know to facilitate a swift reunion.

‘Just in case…’

Grace tightened her grip on the artifact with one hand, while the other was ready to unleash magic at any moment.

With a bit of bad luck, she could run into another team the moment she stepped outside. She couldn’t let go of the artifact even for the sake of infusing magic.

Finally, when she almost reached the door, Grace slowly extended her hand toward the doorknob.

And then it happened.

*Clunk!*

The door swung open abruptly, without any warning or signs. It was a situation that was far too sudden.

The one who opened the door was, of course, Sivar, but Grace had no way of knowing that. Shocked, she instinctively reacted.

“Ugh!!”

She reached out her hand to cast a spell. Only a scream escaped her lips, but she had extended her hand, so it was something.

The issue was that she reached out with the hand holding the artifact. In her shock, her hand shot out the wrong way.

As a result, the artifact flew right towards Sivar’s mouth. Spinning through the air as it went.

“Sivar. I’m back… ugh?!”

*Gulp!*

Sivar had swallowed the tangerine-sized artifact without even realizing it.

An accident caused by coincidences stacking up—one that was impossible to reverse.

[Artifact has been damaged!]

[Artifact has been damaged!]

The result was what they were facing now. Both Sivar and Grace were left stunned by the artifact’s cries for help.

Not just Sivar, who had swallowed a tangerine-sized object, but Grace, who had launched the artifact in a panic as well.

It was a symphony of calamity rather than a harmony of perfection. Lee Yeon-joo, always timid, suddenly felt normal by comparison.

“… …”

“… …”

Sivar wore a dumbfounded expression as he realized that the artifact was crying out from inside his stomach, then looked at Grace.

Just then, Grace also met his gaze with an equally incredulous expression. Both seemed momentarily shocked, as if their thought processes had frozen.

“Grace!”

“Huh, huh?”

“The magic barrier is shrinking rapidly! Other teams will converge here!”

Fortunately, Lee Yeon-joo’s quick arrival helped them regain their wits. Grace grasped the situation from that shout.

The artifact was lodged inside Sivar’s stomach, and getting it out would be tough. Couldn’t he just throw it up?

Swallowing the tangerine-sized artifact was impressive enough, but if he tried to throw it up, it could be genuinely dangerous.

He could get stuck in a situation where nothing could be done. It was better to opt for a time attack.

[Artifact has been damaged!]

The artifact’s desperate cries for help reached Lee Yeon-joo, and her eyes went wide.

Eventually realizing that the sound came from Sivar’s stomach, she muttered in disbelief.

“…Where is that sound coming from?”

“I’ll summarize it quickly. I accidentally threw the artifact at Sivar, and he swallowed it. Right now, digestion is in progress.”

“…Huh?”

“It’s not a summary. It’s a straight-up explanation.”

“… …”

If it were someone else, they’d have said, “What kind of nonsense is that?” But given it was Sivar, she couldn’t help but nod along.

In the end, it meant they needed to act until the artifact inside Sivar’s stomach melted away.

The problem was they had no idea when the artifact would completely melt. Normally, digestion wouldn’t go this well.

However, it was a problem that he had snacked on junk food in between. Some of his treasures included edible items.

“How fast is the magic barrier shrinking?”

“Almost double-speed.”

“Double speed…”

Grace’s mind raced. The best option now was to run away.

If they just ran away, the other teams would likely get pushed out of the magic barrier and get eliminated on their own.

The issue remained: when would the artifact be completely digested? No, if it stopped working before digesting, that would be the end.

‘Should we hurry and eliminate the opposing team, or just keep running…’

It was a dilemma no one had any idea how to approach, made all the more complicated by not knowing how damaged the artifact was. If only they could figure out the damage level, it’d help.

Grace sighed and suddenly noticed her bracelet. Maybe it would indicate the damage level…?

[Artifact: 80%]

“Yikes!!”

It showed up. But the damage level was alarming.

It had been less than three minutes since the artifact entered Sivar’s stomach, and already 20% was gone.

A rough calculation showed they’d have at least 15 minutes left. Considering various factors, it was likely only about 10 minutes at most.

What kind of digestive ability was so fast? Or perhaps the artifact was particularly weak against acids?

“We need to hurry! We’re running out of time…!”

Clunk!

As Grace spoke urgently, the door swung wide open. Sivar’s team was all huddled in this house.

That meant the intruder was from another team. Upon realizing this, Sivar’s team turned their focus toward the door.

“There you are. In a hurry, are we?”

It was Kara. She flashed a cool smile as she eyed Sivar’s team.

The traces of the small meteor Sivar had launched moments ago remained scorched around various spots.

[Artifact has been damaged!]

The sound of the artifact echoing from Sivar’s stomach played perfectly into the timing.

Hearing that noise, Kara raised an eyebrow and asked with a hint of suspicion, “What was that? Was that sound just now coming from him?”

“No way?”

In response to Kara’s question, Grace stiffly denied it. But her overly rigid denial sounded more like a confirmation, which was the problem.

Kara accepted that and glanced at the bracelet. It seemed the bracelets of opposing teams also displayed damage levels.

Soon after, she nodded, grasping the situation, and sprang into action.

Screech— Clunk—

Silently closing the door.

“Sivar swallowed the artifact!! If you run away, you’ll automatically be eliminated!!”

She shouted in a booming voice for all the teams to hear. Usually, they’d take that as a falsehood.

But the artifact’s damage displayed on their bracelets would make them realize her words held truth.

Even if it was a lie, they’d just have to hold out until the end, so it wouldn’t matter. Grace also understood this and scrunched her face.

‘Seriously, why is this exam such a mess…!’

The overarching mid-term issues had all been caused by Sivar, which was the twist. Now it was their turn to deal with consequences.

Sensing the chaotic noise outside, Grace shouted to her teammates.

“For now, let’s head towards an open space instead of the crowded street! It’s disadvantageous for us here!”

“Y-yeah!”

“Sivar!”

“Yeah.”

Speed was vital right now. Grace was prepared to sacrifice herself for the sake of the exam.

With that, she opened her arms wide and boldly shouted, “Please hug me!”

“?”

What the heck was she saying now? Sivar blinked in surprise.

But Grace was serious. She waved her arms, insisting they hurry with an urging motion.

“Just hug me! I’m not confident in my speed, so you, Sivar, need to hold me and run!”

“Oh. Sure.”

If that was the case, Sivar complied with Grace’s request.

Under normal circumstances, he would have picked her up, but given the situation, he could only hold her awkwardly.

“Wait a minute! Th-this is…!”

The common princess-carry position. Grace belatedly realized this and exclaimed, but it was too late.

Sivar was already swiftly moving toward the open area she mentioned. Lee Yeon-joo followed closely behind.

“W-where have I seen this before?!”

“I don’t know.”

“Even in a hurry, this is just…!”

It looked like something out of a fairytale with a princess and a knight. Grace’s face burned a deep red.

As the daughter of a duke, she’d been to many parties and social gatherings, and had even danced with men before.

But she’d never experienced such closeness before. It was both shocking and embarrassing.

“R-right! This is an exam! It’s just an exam, so I’ll let it slide!”

“… …”

“You heard me, right?! Please say yes! I’m supposed to be above this…!”

“Quiet.”

“… …”

At Sivar’s sharp reprimand, Grace clamped her mouth shut. Regardless, the fact remained that she needed his help.

She just wanted to shout to hide her embarrassment. Now she felt unnecessarily guilty.

“Hurry and chase them! We can’t go outside the magic barrier!”

“Th-there’s another team over there…”

“Is this the time to fight?! The ones who are getting eliminated will do so anyway!”

As the magic barrier shifted, the other teams began to pursue Sivar’s team.

It would be good to wait until all the artifacts disappeared, but there was little meaning if the magic barrier was collapsing.

Thus, everyone who was to be eliminated would be, and by the time Sivar arrived at the open area with Grace in his arms…

“Phew… lucky I anticipated this.”

Just as he said, Kara and—

“Heh… heh… ugh…”

—Luna, who had been late to grasp the situation, were hot on their tails.

“Seriously… is this exam even real?”

“I don’t know either.”

A decent number of students gathered, including Antonio and Elvin.

Meanwhile, Grace, having slipped out of Sivar’s hold, looked at her bracelet. Her flushed face was visible even from afar.

[Artifact: 50%]

Half was already gone. From here on out, they had no choice but to eliminate the other teams.

No sooner had Grace thought that than she immediately turned to Sivar.

“Sivar.”

“Yeah.”

“We need to eliminate all the other teams from now on. Can you do that?”

“Definitely.”

No doubt about it. Sivar nodded and shifted his gaze toward the other teams.

Grace rewarded him with a proud smile, feeling he was a true knight.

Of course, it was not just Sivar. The situation was such that all the other teams would have to pay attention too. As mentioned before, forming alliances was absolutely forbidden.

In other words, they had a chance to eliminate other teams while still confronting Sivar? That meant they could take them out right away.

“Geez. Should we hold out?”

“If you hold out, I’ll eliminate you first.”

“What about them?”

“They’re already on borrowed time, right?”

Exactly. This whole mess was caused by Sivar swallowing the artifact.

Had the artifact been intact, he would have thrown in the towel ages ago.

“Hit me from behind, and you’ll seriously die.”

“Are you saying that to me?!”

There were no allies or enemies. They were both foes and allies at the same time.

Sivar’s team was not exactly at ease either. Every team outside of theirs was their enemy.

“… If midterms were like this, I can only imagine how chaotic the finals will be.”

Someone muttered, and the theme was changing in real-time.

“But isn’t that artifact expensive?”

“Don’t worry. Just write it off. We can trim down the budget.”

“Won’t the principal swing his sword with a smile?”

The professors remained in a humorous atmosphere, merely spectating.

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