Chapter 23: The Truth is All Bullshit

  Ilya got up very early and was packing his luggage amidst the snores of his roommates.

  Simple tent, dry rations, spare clothes, towel, water bottle... Ilya stuffed things into the bag while thinking about what else to bring in case of an emergency. When he was sure that he had packed enough, Ilya took out a shiny steel breastplate from the cabinet and carefully put it on his body.

  Ilya is the son of a blacksmith in a small border town of the Byreia Empire, and this breastplate was brought from his hometown. Ilya's house faces Li Hua Yin's house, and the two are childhood friends. Li Hua Yin's father is a mercenary with only one daughter, so he tries to make her take over his mantle by training her as a warrior since she was young. Ilya, who often plays with her, has also been drawn into it over time. Fortunately, both of them have good talent and are very diligent, so they haven't disappointed expectations.

  As for Michelle, she was an orphan adopted by the church in the city, and her surname came from a nun who raised her. The process of the three getting to know each other was simple and clichéd——a silly and naive little loli was bullied by a group of bad kids, two young heroes happened to pass by and drew their swords to help...

  Ilya shook his head, ending the brief reminiscence. Then he pulled out from under the bed - why do I always feel like someone is expecting something? Is it an illusion? By the way, what do you think should be hidden under the bed?! - Ilya pulled out a gigantic two-handed sword from under the bed, almost as big as himself. He weighed it in his hand and then put it on his back along with a large backpack beside him.

  Then Ilya quietly walked out without disturbing his roommates who were still sleeping.

  Today is the day the trial begins. Even if he's a super wooden head who doesn't understand anything about love and has an IQ of negative value as identified by Eriolihya, Ilya knows that luggage for traveling in the wilderness is heavy, and as a man, it's impossible for him to let his lover carry luggage while hurrying along. So he got up very early to start preparing.

  When Elijah arrived at the entrance of the girls' dormitory, there were already many boys around him. It seemed that they all came to help the girls carry their luggage just like Elijah did.

  After a while, a group of girls with different figures and appearances walked out from the dormitory entrance, instantly attracting everyone's attention. These were the people Ilya had been waiting for: Michelle, Li Hua Yin, Eriol, Sofia, Khasi, Cecilia, Yue Ge, Grana, and... Eriol's exclusive bound equipment - Magical Miniature Doll Mercury Lamp Chairman.

  Mishelle was wearing a white female pastor's robe left behind by the nuns who raised her, but she was holding the school's standard staff, probably because the thing sold outside was too expensive for an orphan.

  Li Hua wore a simple leather armor and seven-point pants, with two single-handed swords hanging from her waist. Her fiery ponytail danced in the wind, making her look spirited and elegant - but of course, this was just the surface of this lily girl.

  Sophia wore a surprisingly ordinary magic cloak, and the staff in her hand was also one that seemed to have been bought temporarily from some store. Nevertheless, her noble and elegant demeanor still could not be hidden.

  Kasai's family background is probably not good, she still uses the standard equipment issued by the academy. But after all, she is the second place on the ranking list, and there is a thing called uniform temptation in this world...

  Cecilia was holding that famous magic wand for playing magical girls, but she was wearing a magnificent magician's robe instead of a magical girl costume - if she really wore it, Kriss would probably have stripped her directly.

  Yuè Gē was wearing a beautiful elven leather armor, carrying a longbow and quiver on his back, with a short sword at his waist, which was the orthodox attire of a wandering knight.

  Grenna, who hadn't shown her face in a long time, was also wearing a lightweight leather armor, with two daggers inserted at the back of her waist and a small pouch that looked very dangerous hanging from her belt - this girl turned out to be a thief.

  As for Eriol, she was dressed in a rather tasteless black Gothic princess dress, and instead of holding a staff in her right hand, it was a brown pipe - before setting off, the little loli had deliberately worn a bright red Gothic jumpsuit in front of the mercury lamp, and then she had to spend ten minutes picking out a large number of black feathers from her beautiful golden hair.

  The last chairman - have you seen her change clothes?

  The stunning scenery of this morning suddenly made countless people pay attention, but when eight beauties plus a beautiful doll walked towards an inconspicuous boy together, the attention immediately turned into deadly stares.

  Ilya completely ignored this and just wondered why these girls didn't bring any luggage.

  "If you're looking for our luggage," Eriol said, noticing Ilya looking around as if searching for something, "it's in here. You can put yours in too."

  "Oh, thank you." Ilya wasn't polite either, this backpack was quite a hindrance in battle.

  What a wooden head. The rest of us didn't even notice, and yet none of us complimented Michelle on her outfit.

  "Good, now we're all here." Cecilia raised her hand and said, "Let's go have some dessert before breakfast!"

  "...having dessert before breakfast..." Everyone couldn't help but break out in cold sweat.

  I am a divider line

  Because the trial is equivalent to actual combat and there may be unexpected situations, I hope that the higher-ups of Hope's Garden will allow students to wear casual clothes and use their own equipment during the trial - of course, on the condition that you must carry your student ID with you. As for the rules of the trial, there is one sentence: you can have all divine artifacts on your body, but absolutely cannot bring a follower to help you. In this regard, the college will not budge.

  That's also why Eriol and others dress like that. The other people in class are about the same.

  But no one is as exaggerated as Kris - boxing gloves, tank top, long pants, leather boots and a chocolate bar in her mouth. Hey, sister, the first year of Wuji Class A is on the right side, you're standing in the wrong line!

  "Alright, listen up! You bunch of rookies! Anyone who's still slacking off will have to run ten laps before coming back! This year's trial is being led by me, and if you want to die, be my guest!" Chris shouted at the students from both Class A's martial arts and magic departments.

  "Huh, Huayin, where's your mentor?" Elisia suddenly had a bad feeling.

  "Our instructor broke his left leg by accident half a month ago and can't go," Li Hua sighed, "What a pity."

  "......May I ask how the location of the trial was determined?"

  "It's decided by the instructors of both the martial arts and magic departments after discussion, then approved by the principal. It seems to be this process."

  At this moment, Xiaoluo's sweat was all coming down: "So, Huayin. Do you know who your mentor originally chose?"

  "Cardron Lake, a beautiful lake in a scenic valley. Apart from the occasional appearance of small magical creatures, it is said that an elf tribe also lives nearby. It's a great place for a relaxing outing. Everyone agreed at the time."

  "Kurisu-sensei, you really will stop at nothing to get your hands on that dwarf liquor..."

  The students of the two classes formed a loose formation under Kurisu's pressure, which seemed to be on the verge of collapse at any moment. However, Kurisu seemed to ignore this and shouted loudly: "Alright, now everyone is in line, let's depart! We're going to the station to take the train to our destination!"

  In the midst of everyone's responses, Eriol looked quite startled. She was stunned for a full three seconds before turning to ask Li Hua Yin: "Just now, did Coach Kuri say 'train'?"

  "Yes, it's that kind of thing with a magic circle and magic crystal driving, running on iron rails in a metal can." Li Hua looked at Eriol with a curious expression and asked, "Little Eriol, haven't you seen a train before? It's not a short distance from the Empire of Relia, how did you come here back then?"

  "We came here slowly in a horse-drawn carriage." Little Loli said calmly with a lie.

  "So I'm saying I hate rich people..."

  Eliya ignored her and walked away, lost in thought.

  "What's wrong? You're very interested in that train?" asked Mercury Lamp, who had been keeping a distance from Eriol.

  "There is a point," Eriol nodded and said, "It will appear in this world, which makes me feel a bit annoying."

  "You don't have that thing anymore, it won't hurt." said the chairman who knew Eriol's identity inside out.

  "Alright, alright, I give up!" Little Lori hastily raised her hands in surrender.

  "You suspect that there was a time-traveler before you, and he's the one who messed up the train schedule, right?" Mercury Lamp glanced at the little loli with a puzzled expression, "Want to meet that guy in person?"

  "Let's see, maybe they're no longer in this world. After all, it takes a lot of time for the railway network to develop."

  I am a divider line

  Familiar ticket counters, ticket gates, waiting halls, platforms, and even the small shops in the corner of the hall... If she didn't look at what people were wearing, Elisha would really think she was in a train station in some city in China. Now she is more certain that the inventor of this train must have crossed over from her world, and it's very likely they are compatriots.

  In a flurry of noisy chatter, Kris finally managed to herd all the students into the carriage before departure.

  "What's going on? Where did all these travelers come from?" Cecilia muttered to herself, leaning over the small table in front of her seat.

  "Yes, it's really tiring." Sophia wiped the fine sweat on her forehead with a handkerchief and echoed. Just now when people were crowded together, she often encountered perverts, but under Li Hua's protection beside her, no one could take advantage of her.

  "It seems to be some mercenary group." Li Hua said, looking at the crowd outside the car window with uniform decorations on their chests, "It looks like they're going to do a big job this time."

  "What a magnificent scene of group brushing BOSS! "Elisha exclaimed, "Unfortunately, there are only humans and no other races, and the professions are mainly warriors, thieves, and archers. It's very unbalanced."

  "Have you washed your face today?" The mercury lamp on one side suddenly asked coldly.

  "Not yet, I'll check on the road after departure." Uh...... Unexpectedly, Chairman-sama also came up with this move, and little Lori was suddenly choked to the point of almost passing out.

  I'm sorry, I'm guilty, I repent. The usually proud and noble chairman who is known for his sharp tongue and only attacks enemies head-on without resorting to underhanded tactics has shown a tendency to become more cunning after being with me for half a month! At this moment, even if it's not fair to the chairman's many fans, my heart is truly, extremely excited - although she only told a cold joke.

  The mercury lamp cast a "I know what you're thinking" glance at the little loli and said coldly: "Your home, which is full of moldy smell, should have its brain cut off and washed with holy water. Oh, I almost forgot, if it's really washed with holy water, your brain will probably be completely purified, right?"

  "Maybe all otakus are nerds, but not all nerds are otakus, okay?!"

  "Aren't both mainly studying the human body? Is there a difference?"

  "What a huge difference!!"

  Kurisu, with a chocolate bar in her mouth, walked into the car from the rear passage, interrupting the debate between Ruri and the Chairman about the aesthetic views of otaku and witches towards human bodies. Following Kurisu were Ilya and Fabiano, who had been temporarily pulled by Dendou to be his deputies, and were exhausted from helping their respective classes enter the four cars at the back of the train.

  Three people sat down on the four-person seat on the other side of Eriol and the others. Criss, who was quite casual, didn't do anything out of the ordinary, while Ilya and Fabiano politely greeted the girls sitting next to them. Perhaps because their instructor was present, Cecilia seemed a bit more reserved than usual, not using that tone of voice that could make one's skin crawl, instead simply nodding at Fabiano and calling his name.

  Although Eriol thought that Kurisu had known about them all along and might have even given them a push.

  Just as they were talking, the train let out a long whistle and started moving.

  Looking out at the constantly receding scenery outside the window, Eriol said: "What a fast speed. I wonder who invented this train, I really want to meet him."

  "It was invented by Master Reiz," Sophia said, "The master is truly a great sage, he not only broke the people's thinking shackles that magic can only be used for combat, but also applied magic to the livelihood, creating magical lamps, refrigerators, air conditioners and the trains we are taking now, all kinds of practical and great inventions; more importantly, he founded the world's first magic academy, Hope Garden, which greatly enhanced human overall strength. If Master hadn't passed away, who knows if the Allied Forces could have retaken Despair Land back then... Elisha, what's with that weird expression on your face?"

  "It's nothing, I just suddenly saw a blue-skinned cat with white wings and a bundle on its back flying in the air outside, so I was shocked." Eliyha said casually, still looking stunned.

  The great genius, wise scholar, magical inventor, and far-sighted prophet that millions of people looked up to - was the true identity of Master Reiz actually a transmigrator with a protagonist halo?! From those perfectly integrated local fantasy-style knockoff products from Earth and the Hope Garden's completely university-modeled academic system... Master Reiz, you're actually a graduate of a technical university, right? The truth is always a soul-sucking existence!

  "It turns out that our book is just a sequel to someone else's story, and the experiences of that transmigrator called Reiz are actually the main story." Eriol whispered to Mercury Lamp on the side.

  The Mercury Lamp sneered at the little loli's words: "No, I think this is a foreshadowing that the author buried in order to write a prequel and make money after this book becomes famous. Although such a thing will not be possible even in a hundred years."

  The two of you should stop it now...

  I am a divider line

  During the long journey, people began to play poker to pass the time - of course, this was also one of Reiz's inventions. In addition to this, Reiz also invented dice and roulette, and established a distinctive casino at that time, then used these elegant gambling activities as a means of socializing, winning the support of many nobles. Later, the city where the casino was located became a famous gambling city in the Roland Empire.

  They played a purely lucky draw of ghost cards and then decided that the last loser would treat everyone to drinks.

  Fabiano, who had been encountering all sorts of unlimited things all along, finally became a scapegoat.

  The service car was in the middle of the train, along with the rest room for the conductors. To buy a drink, Fabiano had to cross through other cars towards the center. The poor Hope Garden students' car was at the very back, far enough for him to walk.

  That group of mercenaries who seemed to be on a big job had taken over four cars. Perhaps so they could always get liquor, they had sandwiched the service car in between, two at the front and two at the back. This was reasonable; those lawless mercenaries would not know what to do if they couldn't drink for one day - although after drinking, it seemed that they would make about the same amount of trouble - at least when Fabiano came to the corridor door of their car, that's how it looked.

  "Those security guards are mostly second-class warriors, can we handle them?" Along with this sentence, Fabiano's hand, which was about to open the door, suddenly stopped. He turned his head in shock and looked towards the toilet where the voice came from.

  "Don't worry, we have our people among the crew members. They will add something special to those guys' meals. When the time comes, we'll block them from both ends and see what they can do."

  "Isn't there still some students from Hope Garden behind?"

  "Siegs has already asked clearly, those are just first-year freshmen who have just entered the school, at most they can only release some aura or know a few elementary magic spells, and they don't pose any threat at all. You can rest assured and wait for your money."

  "Right, who would have thought that our infamous Lone Wolf Thief gang would disguise ourselves as mercenaries? Once we're done with this job, I'm really looking forward to seeing the photos of those railway management bigwigs in tomorrow's newspaper."

  Fabiano couldn't take it anymore, he quietly turned around and quickly wanted to leave. Unexpectedly, before taking a few steps, an old man on the side seat asked strangely: "Young man, weren't you going in just now? Why did you come back?"

  The old man was full of energy, and his voice could probably be heard throughout the entire train car. Sure enough, the bathroom door was flung open with a loud bang, and two men dressed as soldiers rushed out: "Who's eavesdropping!?"

  No good! Fabiano was so startled that he didn't care about anything else, and he threw out a fireball and ran away with his tail between his legs. The two people were burned by the fireball and were busy putting it out, and when they came to their senses, Fabiano had already escaped.

  "What should we do?" one of them asked in a daze.

  "Report it to Principal Siegel. Luckily they were students and not the police, so we still have a chance."

  It's likely that even if the sky were to fall, Chris would still face it with an expressionless face while eating a chocolate bar. She probably didn't expect that this time, the first trial for the two first-year students in Class A wouldn't be against monsters, but human thieves.

  Those who thought this "mercenary group" was going to exterminate the demons in the Geestrik mine, but it just so happened that they bumped into the main character and his friends. Sorry, but the truth is always a pitfall...