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Chapter 05
The moment our eyes met, I reflexively squeezed mine shut again. My heart pounded like crazy.
That—really is him. It’s truly Calyx.
The same man I had seen inside the prison before my regression.
While I stood there, stunned after encountering him in person, Calyx cupped my face and shouted urgently,
“Get a grip! Damn it. Damon! Call Marcus. Hurry! Tell him we’ve got a critically injured person and to move fast!”
Ah, did I land right at the destination point? Lucky me. But… something about this situation feels off.
Sensing that I shouldn’t stay in his arms any longer, I snapped my eyes open. Borrowing the power of healing that had refreshed me, I forced my gaze to look as clear and alert as possible.
Calyx, who had been shouting and then looking down at me again, froze when his eyes met mine.
In the calmest voice I could manage, I politely greeted him.
“H-Hello… Thank you. But I’m really fine! Haha.”
“……”
At my greeting, Calyx stared blankly. Taking advantage of his hesitation, I quickly got up and stood in front of him.
“I slipped a little and fell, but look. I’m perfectly fine. Really.”
I flapped my arms like wings and twisted my body this way and that to show how unharmed I was.
“But you clearly fell from up there—”
Calyx spoke as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing, staring at me in a daze. When I even demonstrated alternating kicks with both feet, he finally fell silent, closing his mouth.
“A fall? Goodness, a fall? If that were true, would I look this fine? Of course not!”
Revealing my absurd healing ability here would cause all sorts of trouble, so I decided to be shameless about it.
“Then how did you get down here so quickly? And what was that enormous crash we heard earlier?”
Calyx asked, his eyes full of suspicion. Well, about that…
“Ah, um… there was a wooden board that was just perfect for riding. I slid down on it nimbly! The rocks were nice and slippery too.”
“You risked falling to do that?”
“Ah… y-yes, well, I suppose so. I just—how should I say it? I was confident I’d land nimbly at the last moment… haha! Um… judging by the humidity of the rock wall and the material of the board?”
Honestly, I didn’t even know what I was saying anymore, but I blurted it out anyway. If Calyx had called it complete nonsense, he wouldn’t have been wrong.
Either way, I got down to the destination faster than anyone else and I was alive—wasn’t that enough?
“I see… So that’s how it is.”
Huh?
That worked?
Calyx nodded as if satisfied and stood up. Just then, the vice-captain who arrived late rushed over and scanned me from head to toe with a horrified expression.
“You—are you… alive? How? Is this some final spasm right before death? Or are you already a dead soul?”
“Watch your words. The applicant, Riana, is completely intact. I’ve confirmed it myself.”
“What? Does that make any sense? I saw her tumble down at tremendous speed from up there, and so did you, Captain!”
“She says it was intentional movement.”
“…Pardon? What kind of insane—”
Calyx silently stared at the vice-captain. Overwhelmed by that pressure, the vice-captain fell quiet.
“I will restrain myself.”
At that moment, rough breathing and movement came from behind us.
“Huff, huff… Finally down—wait, what?!”
A muscular man approached, staring at me as if he couldn’t believe his eyes. Behind him, a taciturn man who had also come down looked equally shocked as he approached.
“You… didn’t you clearly fall?”
“No?”
Well, living a life of lies shouldn’t be a problem, right? After all, I wasn’t officially a saintess right now.
This is all to save the world, so please forgive me, God.
“No, I saw it with my own eyes—”
I decided to quote Calyx.
“It was intentional movement.”
“…That’s ridiculous.”
“It might’ve looked like a fall, but it was actually my own special technique to slide down in the most efficient way. Look at me—do I look like someone who fell?”
The two applicants were about to argue further, but when they saw my flashy kicks, they shut their mouths. Their expressions changed subtly—surprise, or perhaps awe.
“…I see. If it were truly a fall, you couldn’t be this unharmed.”
“Wow, you’re really not injured anywhere! That’s amazing!”
Calyx, who had been quietly observing our conversation, stepped forward and spoke.
“All applicants arrived earlier than the standard time, so all of you pass. As for who earned the highest score, there’s no need to say it—you all know.”
At that, the vice-captain, who had been watching me with deep suspicion, stepped forward.
“Captain. Even so, is it really right to pass someone who just slid down?”
Calyx turned to him with a cold expression and replied,
“The test was to descend the cliff quickly. Whether one slid down or calmly climbed down the rock face is irrelevant. No—rather, breaking through by using unexpected abilities without holding back one’s body is not something just anyone can do.”
He turned his gaze to me and continued,
“So if anything, I’d like to give a higher score for that.”
With that, Calyx finished speaking and left.
Watching his retreating figure, my heart began to race strangely. Maybe it was because I never expected to meet him again like this after my regression.
Just as I was about to sink into my thoughts, the vice-captain spoke.
“All right, the final test will take place at the garrison. Everyone, get back on the carriage you see over there!”
And so we returned to the Henes Mercenary Corps’ garrison, where the final test would be held. This was truly the last hurdle.
The location of the final test was a wooden building on one side of the training grounds.
According to Damon’s explanation, it was usually used as a resting area for the members, but it had been cleared out today for the final selection.
Two chairs were placed at the front for Calyx and the vice-captain, and three chairs at the back for the applicants.
“The third test is to prove your worth. You’ve all heard about this, so you know.”
“Yes!”
“Think of it as a chance to show your special skills to the fullest. The captain will be coming out shortly, so come to the center one by one and demonstrate.”
This is bad.
Cold sweat broke out. My special skill was healing—and it only worked on myself.
I can’t exactly injure myself and heal here, and no one seems hurt… what do I do?
No matter how much I thought, there was no good solution.
As I anxiously racked my brain, the front door opened and he entered.
It was Calyx.
Long limbs, glossy black hair, a straight nose bridge, and faintly red lips.
Earlier, I’d been too flustered to look closely, but somehow he felt different from how I remembered him before the regression.
There’s no scar on the bridge of his nose…
Calyx, uninjured and unweathered, looked both dangerous and dazzling at the same time.
Then his gaze slowly turned toward me. Our eyes met.
Thump—thump—
The sound of my heartbeat filled my ears again. That brief moment felt as though it stretched endlessly.
Does he remember me?
The thought crossed my mind, but it was meaningless. He was someone I had known only before the regression, so that memory belonged solely to me.
That night in the dark prison, when we shared our final breaths together, was a time that never existed for him.
So to him right now, I’m a complete stranger.
I gave a small smile. Calyx looked at me quietly, then indifferently turned his gaze away.
At that moment, the taciturn man stepped forward first.
“I’ll go first.”
“As you wish.”
Calyx gave his permission and took a seat, with the vice-captain sitting beside him. The muscular man and I sat in the back.
After confirming everyone was seated, the man drew the sword he had prepared. Slowly lifting it and steadying his breath, he swung the blade toward the wooden blocks he’d set up.
After a clean, upright stance and a flawless arc of the sword, the wooden blocks were neatly cut in half. Even to someone like me, who knew little about swords, it was clearly good swordsmanship.
After taking a moment to catch his breath, the man straightened and offered a knightly salute.
“That is all. I believe the place for my sword is with Henes alone. If you accept me, I will devote my life.”
Damn it. His skill and his resolve were both perfect.
Ah… what am I supposed to do…
Just as my anxiety deepened, the muscular man beside me suddenly stepped forward, carrying a massive hammer.
“Greetings! Bang! Bang! Bang! As for me, I am a young man of the Empire who once struck down adamantite ore—stronger than steel—with these mighty arms! Now, with these same arms, I seek to strike down my enemies! Entrust me with the task, and I’ll smash every enemy’s skull!”
“……”
As silence lingered after that overwhelming introduction, the man, growing anxious, hurriedly added,
“I—I made this hammer myself! It’s very sturdy! Yes!”
“Alright. Next.”
Calyx’s firm voice rang out.
“W-What? Y-Yes…”
Wait, no. I’m not ready yet.
What do I do? What kind of skill do I have to show to not get eliminated here? Oh God, please grant me wisdom…
From the moment the dejected miner returned to his seat hugging his hammer, cold sweat began trickling down my back.
No. I can’t fail here… Huh?
At that moment, something caught my eye like a beam of divine light—a coin-sized patch of bare skin on the inner part of the vice-captain’s hair as he brushed it back with one hand.
Is that… alopecia? If it’s that, then maybe…
Whatever. I’ll just show something—anything.
I stood up with a confident expression and boldly walked forward, declaring,
“I will show you a miracle of healing, right here.”
“…How?”
Calyx asked, sounding oddly tense. I confidently pointed at the vice-captain.
“I’ll heal the vice-captain’s pain.”
“!!”
All right—time to show my special skill.
