Arrogance

"B... big brother..."

The apprentice hesitated, seeming unsure whether he should say it.

"What is it?"

The apprentice went ahead and said it.

"I heard that apprentice is pretty strong..."

"Go on..."

"I heard that apprentice defeated a Sword Chant School teacher in Swordsmanship Class."

Richter knew that apprentice had taken a Swordsmanship Class and had distinguished himself there. Even he was impressed by how quickly the apprentice had improved.

The apprentice had gone from being unable to manage even the basics to skillfully using a Breathing Technique and mastering a Combat Technique he excelled at. He was clearly a promising candidate for the Sword Chant School.

"Oh! I suppose that teacher's just old. He can't even lift his sword, and he still lost to an apprentice who hasn't even joined a school."

He knew Fran had made great progress, and that she certainly wasn't the clueless apprentice he had first met anymore.

But he was sure Fran was no match for him. He knew better than anyone that a school's spells were far superior to the spells offered as class rewards, and that its members were far stronger than nobles who were helpless outside their own territories.

"Big brother... is it possible you might lose to that apprentice? I heard that apprentice is already strong enough to compete for a ranking in the examination."

"What a bunch of ignorant idiots. Listen, I'll tell you why we're called Advanced Apprentices: the school directs its resources toward us, and our spells and mental strength are superior to those of ordinary apprentices."

He had never forgotten how, on his first day at the Transmutation School, the senior who had shown him around casually cast a terrifying spell. And when he saw the knowledge the school provided, he could hardly believe what it said.

He knew better than anyone that apprentices who had joined a school and those who hadn't were practically people from two different worlds.

"She's only joined the Sword Chant School. She hasn't learned any of its spells yet... Tonight, I'll show you how the school's spells crush an apprentice who won through some kind of dumb luck."

If Fran had already joined a school, he might have thought twice before making a move. But she hadn't joined one yet, and she couldn't possibly have learned any spells. There was no way she could be his match.

Besides, he had just earned a ranking and regained the Transmutation School's protection. If he didn't use the 'privilege' he'd been itching to use, he'd feel restless all over.

It was like getting good grades but receiving no reward.

When Fran returned to the dormitory, she spotted a note tucked into the crack beneath her door.

After reading it, she could only laugh helplessly.

"I just came back from over there, and now I've got a letter."

But she knew the letter was referring to tonight, and there was still a while to go.

She closed the door and set down the shovel she had just bought beside it.

Fran wore a loose robe as she slowly walked into the wasteland.

She looked around but saw no sign of anyone.

As she was still surveying the area, two figures emerged from behind a large boulder nearby.

She feigned a nervous look and asked:

"Who are you?"

Neither Richter nor the apprentice beside him had covered his face, so she recognized them at a glance.

Richter pointed at the apprentice next to him and said:

"I think you should take a good look at him and see if you recognize him."

"Y-You're..."

Fran's rather unconvincing act seemed to hit the spot with Richter. She saw the corners of his mouth curl up, and he kept grinning.

"Never mind, apprentice. Let's get to the point. I'm the one who wrote that letter."

"You called me here... saying I had a secret... I don't even know what secret I'm supposed to have."

Richter pulled out a scroll and smiled.

"We don't actually know what your secret is..."

Fran's mouth twitched. If they didn't know what her secret was, why had they called her out here?

"But we do know that you died once, don't we?"

He watched Fran's expression, hoping to enjoy her panic, but she seemed confused by his words.

"I died..."

Fran thought for a moment before realizing he must mean that the original owner of her body had died before she took it over.

But how did Richter know the original had died? Had he killed her...?

"You were once killed by this Spirit Driving Scroll. So tell me, is the person in that body now the original you, or an evil spirit?"

Richter figured there were two possible explanations for why the apprentice before him was still alive.

First, the evil spirit hadn't actually killed the apprentice, and she had somehow fooled whoever checked.

Second, there was something wrong with the evil spirit. It either knew some unspeakable secret art or had seized the body in front of him.

He leaned toward the second explanation. It would account for why the apprentice seemed like a different person and had learned so many skills that should have been impossible to master in such a short time.

Perhaps these were techniques the evil spirit had possessed in life, and they had gradually surfaced after it took over this body. That would explain the apprentice's rapid progress.

After hearing him out, Fran's look of alarm faded, and she drew her sword.

The only thing she hadn't understood was why Richter was coming after her. After a few words, she had figured it out.

Richter had probably sent the apprentice beside him to use the Spirit Driving Scroll to kill the original.

That was why he had looked terrified when he saw me still walking around, then run off as soon as he saw me.

As for Richter, my 'resurrection' had piqued his interest, so he had lured me here.

Now that Fran knew everything she needed to know, all that remained was to bury them, just as in the future she had seen. The two Construct Mages would take care of the traces for her.

Seeing Fran draw her sword, Richter laughed.

"Apprentice, are you going to kill us to protect your secret?"

Fran said nothing, so Richter pulled a badge from his pocket.

"Do you know what this is? It's the badge awarded this year to every Advanced Apprentice who earned a ranking in the examination."

"So, I'm an Advanced Apprentice."

Richter put the badge away.

"Maybe you think school members are nothing special because you managed to defeat that Sword Chant School teacher by some method I don't know."

"But let me tell you this: the teachers are the weakest members of the school. Only those who are too afraid to take the examination become teachers."

"And now you're facing me, an Advanced Apprentice with a ranking."

Fran's hand trembled around her sword. She had a feeling that moment was almost here.

"Apprentice, if I were you, I'd stop resisting... Of course, if you tell me the secret of your immortality, I can make your death less painful."