Chapter 71: Elaris Island Exam 11
The answer was simple.
They were lies. Every last one of them. Cassien had never spoken to twelve students last night; he was dead asleep, enjoying the tent’s comfort.
He had never distributed separate secrets.
He had never even performed an experiment.
Yet, his expression remained calm. Because the objective had never been to expose the traitor. It was to make the traitor believe they had been exposed.
Working with Ren and Alex closely.
Why those two?
Because Cassien’s eyes had been glued to those two since the beginning of camp, not caught much suspicion on them as he had with the others.
"..."
However, Cassien still hadn’t figured the traitor out.
"Who is it?" Audrey asked.
Cassien smiled. "I’ll reveal that later."
Siv began drying off his swimsuit after feeling the fresh cold water with the others. "Is there seriously one?"
"Yes..." Cassien responded. "There is one."
’Because the [Transmigration Game Shop] would never be wrong. If the events unveiled that our loss was caused by a traitor, then a traitor there was... if I didn’t make up my mind by tonight, then our class would have an inevitable loss with the amount of mysteries I can’t just easily solve as I would regularly.’
’Tonight, the one who abandoned our class for whatever the fuck, will unveil themselves.’
After a little while, the group decided to move toward the [Second Territory].
The earthquake happened for a reason. Everyone nearby is probably heading there, including other classes.
...
After a little while, they finally arrived at the second territory. The direction was directly input into the game system’s map, so it was quite easy to navigate.
But the guardian wasn’t a monster; they were none of that sort.
Long ears stretched thinly, a tall but powerful posture. Cassien did remember the elves, but he never assumed he would find one here.
Guarding the very thing their class was trying to claim.
The elf sat atop a massive stone pillar at the center of a circular clearing. Unlike the monsters they had encountered so far, there wasn’t a trace of hostility coming from him.
His emerald eyes slowly swept across Class-1C.
Then, he smiled.
"Students."
’An elf co-working with humans? An impressive way to improve military standings. I do say, the demon continent is quite the harsh place after all.’
Several floating screens appeared above the clearing.
[Territory #2]
[Status: Unclaimed]
[Guardian Type: Intelligent]
[Challenge Requirements Available]
The students exchanged confused looks.
The elf stood tall, far taller than any human present.
"My name is Elandor. To claim this territory, you may either defeat me."
"Or?"
"Pass my trial. It’s quite simple, really." He smiled. "Get through the maze and find its heart."
The floating screens changed.
[Territory Trial Initiated]
[Find the Guardian’s Heart]
[Time Limit: 2 Hours]
[Failure Results In Territory Lockdown]
The students immediately looked toward the labyrinth. Hundreds of pathways, thousands of routes, and absolutely no clues began to form in front of them.
Siv’s face turned quite pale.
"We’re absolutely toast."
Cassien stared at the maze. He felt as if the challenge was quite simple. Though, fighting an elf would be a clueless and stupid move. If he fought one, especially an elder like the one standing before them, he would’ve turned into nothing more than fairy dust.
Because Elandor wasn’t just any elf.
He was the king of the empire itself.
The Elven Empire.
Suddenly, footsteps began to crunch as Elandor’s smile widened.
Someone else had arrived.
Not someone, really, but an entire group of reckless and ignorant students.
The forest behind Class-1C parted as several figures emerged.
None of them looked exhausted. Cassien recognized several faces immediately.
’So they’ve finally decided to appear.’
At the front stood a young man carrying a light sword over his shoulder. It was Cid Forge.
Behind that man walked several elite students, including the princess.
She stepped in front of the group, smiling gently, a smile that made Cassien quite uncomfortable.
"Well," she said, "it seems we’re competing for the same territory. I wonder who will find this ’heart’ first."
Several students from Class-1A laughed, and Class-1C was quite the contrary.
One side was the strongest class in the academy, while the other was them.
Not exactly an encouraging comparison to be placed in.
But they had no choice. They still hadn’t discovered any of the classes’ leaders, so to accumulate points, this was the best option Class-1C had.
"Then I suppose we’ll be competing." Olivia stepped forward.
The princess smiled.
"I look forward to it."
Elandor continued.
"Participants may begin whenever they wish."
The maze shifted slightly, stone walls rose higher, and ancient roots twisted throughout the pathways.
This emphasized that the trial had officially begun.
Immediately, several students from Class-1A entered.
They moved like a well-trained military unit.
Cid entered first while the princess followed.
Others split into smaller groups, and Class-1C simply watched them disappear.
Olivia turned.
"Silence. We must make our move on the double."
Everyone nodded until Cassien’s voice stopped them.
"Wait."
"What’s up?" Olivia asked.
He sat back down on a nearby rock.
"Find the [Guardian’s Heart]..."
"Find the [Guardian’s Heart]..."
The wording repeated itself inside his head again and again.
Cassien suddenly laughed, a quiet one, then it continued to evolve into something louder.
"He’s at it again," Ren sighed.
"Quite the crazy fellow," Siv added.
"Maybe... but he’s the class-rep’s assistant, so we should treat him with the utmost kindness," Alex added.
Elandor’s smile widened. Not too much, though, but it was obvious Cassien was onto something.
"Get on with it," Audrey added. "We don’t have all day. Class-1A is already on the move."
"Found it."
Cassien pointed toward Elandor.
"The heart."
Several students burst out laughing, not believing his thought process whatsoever.
"Your challenge is impossible."
Elandor raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
"Or rather, it just doesn’t make sense. I mean..."
He exhaled calmly before moving forward.
"If the objective was to find an object, you’d have called it an object."
"If the objective was to find a crystal, you’d have called it a crystal."
"If the objective was to find a core, you’d have called it a core."
"But instead..."
Cassien stepped forward, confident in what he was about to say.
"You specifically called it the Guardian’s Heart."
The clearing became quiet.
Very quiet.
And that was when Cassien finally broke it down.
