|| TL: miyakriko ||
On the morning of the day of the exam, we were all gathered together and brought before Rose.
“Good morning, today is the day of the exam that we have been preparing for”
Rose greeted us formally.
Femu and Fia were nervous, San seemed sleepy, Isuna was as usual, and Anna spoke confidently, each of them responding with greetings that reflected their own feelings.
“By the way, where will the exam be held?”
Perhaps we would be using the back plaza for it. But that would be a bit boring.
“The exam will be held at the venue in Hazal-sama’s main castle.”
“The Demon Lord’s castle!? How are we supposed to get there?”
“We have prepared teleportation magic.”
“Teleportation magic… That’s quite an extravagant welcome…”
Teleportation magic may seem like a simple spell that can move people and objects to those who don’t know much about magic, but in reality it’s the opposite. Distorting space to connect two points requires a lot of effort, a large cost, and a significant amount of time.
I had used it before when I was brought here, but now I was starting to worry about the contents of my wallet.
“Are you all ready?”
Rose asked, and we all nodded in agreement. She then proceeded to open the door at the back of the room.
Watching this scene, the events of that night in the forest came to mind.
Perhaps everyone was also nervous, as the room was strangely silent.
However, I never imagined that I would visit the Demon Lord’s castle in my lifetime.
You never know what will happen in life.
But this is just another step along the way. We can’t stumble here.
I must lead everyone to pass the exam.
As I prepared myself mentally, Rose opened the door.
The large door began to open.
“Whoa!”
It was as if we were suddenly thrown outside, blinded by the brightness.
Then we heard loud cheers followed by a blast of hot air like the breath of a dragon.
“What’s going on…? It’s so noisy,”
San said, holding her pointed ears and frowning.
“Hey, hurry up and come in!”
We heard a familiar rough voice from the other side of the door.
“Father!”
Upon hearing that, Anna was the first to fly out through the door.
Followed by Isuna, San in order of age
“Frey-sama, please go ahead,”
Encouraged by Rose, I stepped into the light.
The first thing I felt was a trembling sensation throughout my body in the bright light.
Gradually, my vision returned while I felt pressure all over my body.
The scene that emerged from the light was a huge, plain circular arena.
We landed in the center of it.
There were places that looked like spectator seats surrounding us, and countless demons, which I had never seen before, were crowded there.
I realized that the pressure I had been feeling was due to their cheers showering me from all directions.
“San-sama! Do your best!”
“Wow! Anna-sama looks cool!”
“Isuna-sama! Look over here! And if possible, give us a gaze like looking at maggots swarming over a dead pig!!”
Demons of various races such as elves, dragon people, and orcs threw their cheers towards the sisters.
As expected of the daughter of the Demon Lord, they were quite popular…
However, what exactly was the going on here?
Everyone seemed to be taken aback and at a loss.
In order to seek an answer, I turned my gaze to the man standing directly in front of me.
A slightly luxurious spot, a little higher than the other spectator seats, with a large chair in the center.
The man standing there was both the father of these children and the Demon Lord who oversaw this exam.
“Welcome!”
The Demon Lord spoke his voice rang out clearly amid the loud cheers.
When I met him a little while ago, he was dressed like a street thug in an alleyway.
But this time, he was wearing a large cloak with decorations here and there, and looked somewhat dignified.
And around him were five beautiful women.
Without anyone needing to tell me, I knew they were the Demon Lord’s wives, in other words, the mothers of these children.
I could remember the first time I met these children in that classroom, as each one of them had a unique appearance.
Among them was a woman with familiar light green hair, waving her hand at us.
It was Isuna’s mother, as big-breasted as ever.
I confirmed the appearance of the other four women one by one.
First, the red-haired woman standing next to the Demon Lord.
With her large wings folded behind her back and wearing ceremonial attire, she must be Anna’s mother.
In addition to the wings, the thick tail extending from under her clothes and the horns extending from the side of her head to the back are the pure characteristics of a dragonkin.
She sat still next to the Demon Lord, giving off a mystical impression due to her clothing and posture.
Next to Eshuru was a woman with short blue hair and tanned skin.
With the characteristic long, pointed ears of an elf, it was obvious that she was San’s mother.
Despite being in a solemn place like the exam, she was wearing clothes that were easy to move around in and had a friendly smile on her face while chatting with Eshuru, just like San.
Her tanned bare feet, dangling from a slightly elevated position, as she constantly crossed and uncrossed them, were a sight to behold.
Next, there was a blond woman standing with her arms crossed a little further away.
Her sharp gaze, as well as her black collared cloak and red-themed clothing, were impressive, but her demonic features couldn’t be discerned from this distance.
However, based on the information I had heard before, I realized that she was Fia’s mother.
Her body was considerably smaller than I had imagined, but her dignified posture made it easy to understand why Isuna had called her the female Demon Lord with such resolute presence.
She was staring at Fia with sharp eyes, and it was unclear what she was thinking.
And finally, the last person.
The woman with even higher transparency than her daughter was undoubtedly Femu’s mother.
She had long silver hair that seemed to reach her waist.
She wore a bright white outfit that covered almost all of her skin except for her head.
It was a style of clothing that was not very familiar to me, but when combined with her long, translucent and beautiful silver hair, it exuded a bewitching elegance.
However, she seemed to be completely unaware of what we had come to do, absentmindedly gazing at the empty space.
Perhaps she was asleep…?
“Um…what exactly is going on here? Is this the test?”
Returning my gaze from the mothers to the Demon Lord, I asked in a loud voice to avoid being drowned out by the cheers.
“Yeah! Of course it is! But, if we’re gonna do it, we might as well make it flashy, right?”
The Demon Lord replied with a big laugh.
Flashy, huh…
“Seriously…just like a father…”
“Ugh… so noisyyy…”
Isuna shows a sigh of exasperation as San, with her sharp senses, holds her long ears with both hands and groans.
It could be considered a spectacle, but these children will eventually become leaders of these spectators.
If that’s the case, showing their abilities to them now might not be a bad idea.
Besides, in a situation as outrageous as this, there’s no need to be nervous.
For a moment, I thought that maybe I was thinking too much about it, but when I saw the Demon Lord sitting in his chair laughing loudly, I immediately reconsidered.
“Well then, Rose. Explain the exam method to them.”
Upon hearing those words, I turn around and notice that Rose has also moved over to his side without me realizing it.
“Understood. Allow me to explain the exam.”
Her voice is clear, not very loud, but still audible in the midst of this noise.
“The exam will be conducted one by one, in order. The content will be different for each individual, but if the predetermined conditions are met, the individual will pass.”
“That’s simple.”
“Yes, it is simple.”
“Can you tell us what the exam is?”
Isuna asks Rose.
“Yes, that will remain a secret until the moment it begins.”
“Eh…so you’re saying I might suddenly be asked to take a written test or something like that?”
San approaches Rose, her face turning pale.
“Don’t worry. The exams are designed to take into account the achievements that the young ladies have built up to this point.”
“Hmm…well, I hope so…”
“In any case, I just have to complete the challenge given to me.”
Anna feels confident that no matter what challenge is given to her, she won’t fail, despite San still seeming doubtful.
Although it is not clear what kind of exam each person will face, given the location, it is likely that it’s a combat-related exam as a basis.
“Alright! If you’re ready, step back for now!”
When they looked behind Rose, there seemed to be a waiting area reserved only for them, where there were no spectators.
All seven of them moved to that location.
Just as everyone entered the waiting area, the stone pillars in the four corners of the arena began to emit a magical reaction and soon a thin, translucent film enveloped the arena.
It was a high-density magical barrier that could be seen with the naked eye.
It was unclear whether it was to prevent outside interference or to prevent collateral damage from the inside, but one thing was for sure – the exam that was about to begin was not going to be a peaceful one.
“All right! I’m ready! Let’s get started with the first person!”
The Demon Lord’s words were met with another loud cheer.
“What!? A-are you already starting? I’m not mentally prepared yet… Please, let someone else go first…”
Fia holds her chest and prayed that she won’t be the first one.
Femu also seems a bit nervous, though not as much as Fia.
San seems to be either overconfident or bored, as she lets out a big yawn.
Anna and Isuna are already fully prepared and seem ready to go no matter what order they’re called in.
The Demon Lord’s mouth slowly opens.
“The first one is… San!!”
After building up anticipation, the name of the first participant is announced.
At the same time, the spectators surrounding the arena roar even louder.
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