The 3rd-grade cadet, who found his turn again, smiled and chose a 2-star Summoner. Noah then picked the remaining 2-star Summoner, and it was my turn once more.
But this time, my choice remained the same.
“… Ian?”
“Yes.”
“No, why do you keep… Are you only picking 1-star Summoners?”
A belated smile appeared on the face of the second-year senior, who had been contemplating which one to choose from the remaining members. Since choosing a 1-star Summoner gave me a wider range of options, it was natural in a way.
Seeing Clara flustered and unsure of what to do, I decided to clarify my reasoning.
“Because it’s convenient.”
“… Convenient?”
“Yes.”
“What…?”
Clara clearly didn’t understand what I meant. No, in fact, no Summoner in this world would.
For those who took it for granted that each person had only one summon, cooperation with other Summoners wasn’t an option—it was a necessity.
But not for me.
‘Three high-grade summons.’
With power like that, it wasn’t just impressive—it was comparable to a modern armored corps. Of course, in terms of firepower and strategic value, an armored corps would have the upper hand…
‘Still, a 1-star summon won’t make much of a difference in battle.’
I didn’t need teammates. In the game, the player was an army unto themselves, fighting alone and winning everything alone.
And I had brought that same power into this world.
“Hey, Ian? I think you might be misunderstanding something, but this test—”
“The team that secures the most demon supply points wins, right?”
“That’s true, but—”
“There’s no rule that says the team has to stick together, right?”
“… That’s right.”
Clara fell silent, quietly nodding her head.
Exactly. I didn’t have to move with the team.
I was stronger on my own—I didn’t need their help.
‘Whether 1-star or 2-star, Summoners who rely on them…’
They could just sit back and enjoy the ride.
***
On the Day of the Final Exam
I boarded the designated carriage. The cadets sharing the ride with me looked puzzled, as if they couldn’t understand why I had chosen them.
After making sure I had their attention, I leaned back with the confidence of a senior addressing juniors and spoke.
“Nice to meet you. My name is Ian Clark.”
“A-Ah, nice to meet you…”
“You’re probably wondering why I chose you.”
I deliberately paused. Not because I cared about their curiosity—it didn’t matter.
What mattered was their role.
“You won’t be doing anything.”
“… What?”
“I specifically chose cadets who wouldn’t mind staying put, so there shouldn’t be any complaints, right?”
“Are you mocking us?”
Naturally, their pride as aristocrats flared up. As their glares intensified, I met their gazes and smirked.
“If you don’t like it, you’re free to leave. I can take the top spot without you.”
“… You think you can do that alone?”
“What, do you doubt me?”
The boy who had questioned me hesitated, as if my unwavering confidence unsettled him.
“You guys just need to stay still and enjoy good grades. Sounds like a good deal, right?”
If they wandered around needlessly and got injured, it would be my loss.
As the team leader, I’d have to take responsibility for their failures too.
The best way to avoid that? Keep them in one place and make sure they didn’t cause any problems.
But how could I keep fellow cadets locked up?
The ideal solution was to convince them to stay put voluntarily.
“… Can you really, truly take the top spot?”
“Hey!”
One of the cadets, after a moment of hesitation, spoke up. The girl sitting next to her immediately scolded her, but she turned back to face her teammate.
“What? It’s not like we’d be able to do anything anyway. Do you really think a bunch of 1-star Summoners can take down more demons than the other cadets?”
“Don’t you have any pride?”
“Pride? Does that feed me? My parents do. And my parents care about my report card, not my pride!”
In the end, a cadet in this world was still a student. And a student’s worth was determined by their performance.
Her decision to work with me wasn’t based on loyalty—it was about securing the best possible results for her future.
Once one person made up their mind, the rest would follow. Nobody wanted to be left behind.
“So, has everyone decided?”
“… Yeah.”
“Good. No backing out later.”
With the agreement settled, the carriage came to a stop.
Far to the east, at the edge of humanity’s domain—
We had arrived at the Eastern Front.
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