***
The strategy for Erika, the unofficial strongest of the Hero Department, to raise her grades was simple.
After all, in theory, the probability of beating her peers who sat at their desks studying every day converged to zero.
So, Erika's strategy was to aim for the top of the class by making up the gap with her overwhelming actual combat abilities.
Coincidentally, the era had also shifted in a direction favorable to Erika.
Due to the Black Saint's Medical Reform, the frequency of sparring increased, and grades became more focused on actual combat than theory.
On top of that, when an official document was announced stating that capturing black magicians infiltrating the Academy would also be reflected in credits, there was no one among her peers who could compare to Erika's grades.
It wasn't for nothing that Kal had wanted to join Erika's Sisters.
"Heheh. Freya. How is it? Doesn't it seem like my world has come? With this much, being top of the class is a guaranteed win, right?"
And today was the day Erika's 1st-semester grades were coming out.
Waking up early with Freya's help, Erika led the Sisters to the administration office from the morning.
"Fufu... Freya, this is a secret from the Young Master, but did you know there's a betting pool among Academy students based on grades?"
Where people live, an Underhand Business is bound to arise.
The cradle of learning, the Academy, was no exception.
"In slang, they call it Horse Racing, and it's a game where you just have to guess the 1st to 5th place in order of grades. They say students make those bets to blow through all their allowance before going to their main estate."
The 'allowance' students used at the Academy could not be used outside.
And every time a new semester started, half of the previous semester's allowance was taken as a tax.
This system was originally created to make students put in the effort to raise their grades even more, but it unintentionally became the cause of students opening up Horse Racing.
"Unnie, if that's true..."
"Fufu. I bet it all on me being top of the class!"
Erika spoke in an imposing manner.
She looked as if she didn't doubt for a second that she was top of the class.
"Cough!"
"Huh? Senior Jenny, did you catch a cold?"
"Huh? Uh. I suppose so. I think my condition is a little bad."
"You should have said so if you were struggling. We would have delivered your report card instead."
"It's fine. It's not to that extent."
Jenny waved her hands with an unnaturally distorted smile.
Jenny couldn't bring herself to say that she was the VIP and organizer of that Horse Racing.
'I didn't think the stakes would get this big.'
A year ago, Jenny lacked the dopamine she could get inside the Academy.
She gathered like-minded(?) friends and created a Gambling Club.
In the midst of that, her dopamine-deprived gang secretly created this Horse Racing system.
The operation was handled by the Guild Master's successor.
And the capital to create the system for collecting grades was provided by Major Clients including Jenny.
Since she had plenty of money earned from selling Shallot's incident as a novel, setting up the board wasn't difficult.
She just hadn't expected the stakes to get this huge.
'The Dean is letting it slide, saying this is also part of youth, but...'
Since it was Horse Racing done with grades rather than cards, the Disciplinary Committee also hushed it up and let it pass, which was how it could grow this large.
If there was a problem here...
"Does Senior Jenny do Horse Racing too, by any chance?"
"Ay, Unnie. She's an Old Testament Style priest, so there's no way she'd do something like this. The commandments also include the Commandment of Poverty."
The people around her seemed to never even consider that Jenny was a Major Client in this Horse Racing.
In the first place, the only one inside the Academy who knew of Jenny's gambling habit was her roommate, Shallot.
Because of that, her conscience would prick every time her juniors looked at her with those eyes.
"I'm from the Limbus Pit, so I don't think I could ever live like an Old Testament Style priest. You're amazing, Senior."
"Me too."
"Hahaha..."
Jenny thought while letting out a dry laugh.
It was because the fact she was keeping a secret from the Sisters came to mind.
The fact that her symbol of 'purity' was being chipped away precisely because of this gambling habit.
However, she rationalized it to herself with the fact that even if her symbol was chipped away like that, she could still use divine magic as well as a normal priest.
'Well, if push comes to shove, the symbolism quickly returns even if I just quit for a week.'
While they were chatting about Horse Racing like that, the party arrived at the administration office.
"Now. Shall we reveal the grades right away?"
Ttararan. Ttararan. Ttanttanta.
Humming the tune Wangcho used to sing every time he gambled in the Limbus Pit, Erika unfolded her report card.
And the rank written there for Erika was...
"Ehhh? Second in Class? Why?"
Erika stared at the report card as if she couldn't understand.
Even after unfolding it forward, unfolding it upward, and holding it up to the sunlight, the number written in the rank section was a 2, not a 1.
"Why?"
Erika stared at the report card as if she absolutely couldn't understand.
She was always 1st place in sparring.
In addition, although she lost points in theory, the special points received for capturing black magicians would have been more than enough to make up for it.
But why was she 2nd place and not 1st?
"There's no way there's a student who caught more black magicians than me...?"
Beyond the 1st years, even if you searched the entire student body, it was hard to find anyone who had achieved more meritorious deeds than her.
The only one who could even compare was the 2nd-year Shallot, who frequently solved unsolved cases.
Because of that, this report card made even less sense to Erika.
"Just who on earth is 1st place? I should make an inquiry at the administration office..."
It was then.
"Huh? Unnie?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm top of the class, though?"
"...Ah."
Only after hearing those words did Erika realize.
Whenever she beat up and caught black magicians, Freya, an original member of the Sisters, was always by her side.
Because for Erika, whose only specialty was smashing into things, finding black magicians hiding among people was difficult.
Thus, Erika had always been indebted to Freya whenever hunting black magicians.
In other words, it was a structure where the more meritorious deeds Erika achieved, the more naturally they were reflected in Freya's grades.
On top of this, Freya's theory grades were always higher, and though her sparring grades were lower than Erika's, they were still around 3rd place.
Lastly...
"That's right... I was recently disciplined."
Erika, whose points were slightly deducted due to Professor Yulian's Silver Bullet Tactical Movement Incident.
That difference swapped the ranks of Erika and Freya.
"Huh? Unnie? Then what about your allowance..."
"Noooooo!!! I went all-in!!!!!"
In the middle of the Academy plaza.
The red-haired girl clutched her head and screamed in despair.
'Noooo!!! I bet on Junior Eri!!!!!'
And behind her, Jenny silently screaming in despair in her mind was a bonus.
Naturally, the person with the most money in the Sisters became Freya.
Without Freya herself even knowing.
"Uheuhuk... Freya. How on earth could you do this to your Unnie."
"Uh... Should I apologize, Unnie?"
"No. Just don't apologize. It makes me feel even more like trash."
"You have some self-awareness, at least."
That was how the capital of the Sisters was plummeting.
"Excuse me, are you student Erika?"
A soldier approached Erika, who was screaming in despair in the middle of the plaza.
Lying flat on the grass and whining, Erika raised her head to check the soldier's rank.
1st-year cadets were Privates.
2nd-years were Private First Class.
And graduate students were slaves.
In the Academy, which also served as a military institution, the ranks of students were roughly like this.
And the rank of the soldier she checked was a Sergeant.
"Yes! 1st-year cadet of the Hero Department, Erika Nihilrit! What is the matter!"
As soon as she confirmed he was a Sergeant, Erika sprang up and saluted out of ingrained habit.
Watching the bits of grass stuck to Eri's head and body fluttering down, the soldier couldn't hide his uncomfortable expression.
Something like this... is the Red Watchdog that black magicians fear?
Such an impolite thought crossed his mind, but the soldier didn't reveal it on his face and opened his mouth.
"The Security Bureau has requested cooperation from student Erika's 'Valkyrie'."
"Valkyrie?"
"Unnie. The official name of our party is Valkyrie. The Hero Management Bureau rejected Sisters when we registered, saying it could be confused with nuns."
"Ehing. Still, our party is the Sisters."
Erika showed a stubborn stance, saying she could absolutely not acknowledge it.
"Anyway, you called for the Sisters, right?"
"...Yes."
Listening to that conversation, the Sergeant nodded.
Right. She really is the Red Watchdog.
Since olden times, skilled heroes always had some sort of flaw.
Erika must also be a sprout of a hero with outstanding skills.
Thinking so, the Sergeant got to the main point.
"Regarding the interrogation of Belgian and his party among the black magicians Lady Erika arrested, we request the cooperation of the Val... no, the Sisters."
***
The place the Sisters headed following the Sergeant was the interrogation room of the Security Bureau, which was in charge of the Academy's public order.
The Sergeant who guided them provided cheap coffee to the hero party and briefly explained the situation.
"Do you remember Belgian?"
"Uh... I'm sorry, but who is that? I haven't just caught one or two black magicians."
"Unnie. You know that black magician who was recently begging you for mercy."
"Aha."
Thanks to Freya, who doubled as Erika's external memory drive, Erika was barely able to participate in the conversation.
The Sergeant thought that she was indeed like a skilled hero and continued his explanation.
"Thanks to the great performance of the Sisters, we were able to catch that black magician named Belgian recently. They said he was a famous black magician to the point of being wanted in the Capital."
There were a total of 4 black magicians Erika had arrested recently.
Belgian, who used plagues and Necromancy Magic.
Othmun, who used Curse Magic.
Rodeny, who used Blood Magic.
And finally, the Chimera Sorcerer Baltazan.
Those black magicians were figures who held a position roughly equivalent to middle management even within the Round Table of Thirteen.
They weren't at the executive level, but they were at least highly likely to possess valuable information.
The military highly regarded the meritorious deeds of the Sisters who had arrested such individuals.
The only problem was...
"All we have found out is that they use this kind of magic."
It was that their mouths would rarely open.
"We've tried various interrogations, but... perhaps because they are black magicians, their pain threshold was very high."
Why were the words interrogation and pain in the same sentence?
Freya, who was listening to the Sergeant's explanation, harbored such a doubt, but she didn't delve deeply into it.
"I heard you all have recently been taking the Black Magic Defense Arts class. However, as I understand you haven't learned about how black magicians hone their black magic, may I briefly explain it to you?"
Erika nodded as the representative.
Then the Sergeant handed over the prepared documents to the party and spoke.
"First, I'll explain Curse Magic.
A Curse Caster makes their body suitable for invoking magic by modifying one of their four limbs into an offering to cast a curse."
A Necromancer frequently attempts suicide to wander the brink of death and increase their understanding of death.
A Blood Mage has to taste various bloods or make themselves bleed in various ways.
And finally, a Chimera Sorcerer...
"To ensure none of their original appearance remains, they supposedly peel off the skin and flesh of that body part with their own hands, and perform a ritual on top of it themselves."
The reactions of the Sisters upon hearing the explanation varied.
Erika found it fascinating, thinking 'Is that so?',
Freya made an expression of disgust,
and Jenny maintained a calm stance, thinking 'I figured as much.'
Among them, Freya raised her hand and asked a question.
"Why do they go to such lengths to hone black magic, those people?"
"Because the entry for black magic is easy."
The one who answered wasn't the Sergeant, but Jenny.
"Black magic has easy methods for entry and raising one's level of mastery. You just need the mental strength to endure the pain."
According to Jenny.
Black magic doesn't require a demanding talent like other magic.
Of course, it's not that a Mage's Talent isn't needed at all.
But unlike a normal mage, they didn't have to feel ridiculous conditions or symbols.
"In the end, black magic is magic that deals with people, right? As long as they endure the pain themselves, their understanding builds up so fast it can't even be compared to other magic."
Of course, because there is a limit to the pain a human can endure, black magicians would raise their understanding using other people's bodies, and if they felt like they were about to hit a wall, they would experiment on their own bodies.
"That's why torture doesn't work well on black magicians."
Cutting with a sword and burning with fire?
That was already training for them?
Even if they might feel it was a waste for their bodies to be consumed like that, they were not the kind of humans who would succumb to pain and spit out information.
This was the factor that made interrogating black magicians difficult.
"You know these things well, Senior Jenny?"
"It's similar to the Old Testament Style Training Method. I just happened to know."
The Old Testament Style can also rapidly raise one's level of mastery through purity and asceticism.
Acts like Fasting Prayer, or self-immolation.
A prime example of this was Jenny's older brother, Gregor.
As a result of his fasting asceticism based on overwhelming faith, he was able to reach the 4th Rank despite his young age.
At least as far as Jenny knew, there was no madman who could endure the level of asceticism her older brother did.
'Unless there was some crazy human planting parasites or germs in their own body...'
There probably wouldn't be another person like Gregor.
Thinking so, Jenny shrugged her shoulders.
"That's why I also misunderstood Professor Yulian at first."
"Yes? Why?"
"You two have taken his class, haven't you? Just looking at the class content, he seems to be at the level of the 6th Rank, doesn't he?"
"Is it that great..."
For a moment, she almost asked the two if they had actually listened to the class properly, but she kept her mouth shut after remembering their relationship with Yulian.
Jenny smacked her lips, feeling an inexplicable sense of alienation.
It was then.
"Huh?"
"What is it, Senior Jenny?"
Regardless of her party members' reactions, Jenny spoke to the Sergeant.
"Sergeant. You came to find us because the black magicians aren't opening their mouths right now, correct?"
"Yes, that's correct, Sister."
Since healing priests did not belong to the military, the Sergeant answered with honorific language, treating her akin to a civilian.
"According to the written statement submitted by the Sisters when handing them over to the Security Bureau, there was a record that the one named Belgian showed fear towards student Erika. Accordingly, we have come to seek student Erika's cooperation."
Hearing the Sergeant's words, Jenny nodded.
And, she raised her finger as if to make a proposal.
"Is there someone who might be much more effective than us?"
"If, by any chance, you are talking about Lady Charlotte, who is close with Lady Jenny, we have already asked her. However, she said interrogation is not her specialty."
"Hmm... Certainly, if it were her, she probably would have declined, saying deduction is her specialty rather than interrogation..."
Jenny gave a bitter smile and shook her head.
"But the person I'm going to propose is someone else."
"Who is it?"
At the Sergeant's reaction, the corners of Jenny's mouth curled up.
"How about Professor Yulian?"
"He also declined. He stated that it is impossible, as he made a contract with the military to not use his black magic knowledge in a bad direction."
"You're misunderstanding. I'm not hoping for him to personally torture the black magicians."
"Then in what manner...?"
Before bringing up her answer, Jenny thought for a moment.
The way Yulian had handled her consultation in the past was extremely excellent.
She remembered how she had been swept up in his pace, blabbering on and spitting out things she hadn't even been asked, even though she hadn't said anything.
Jenny herself didn't even know how such a thing was possible at the time.
If she had to guess. Perhaps he read the clues from Jenny's body and created a dramatization as if he already knew everything, making her open her mouth without realizing it.
'It's a different direction of deduction from Shallot's, but if it's a method that makes the person open their own mouth based on those clues, he might be able to uncover information in a different direction.'
It wasn't for nothing that Jenny had used Yulian as the motif for the final boss in her novel.
A method of deduction different from Shallot's.
His ability to make the opponent spill the clues themselves through bluffing, rather than reading up from the clues, was enough to induce tension in the novel.
Of course, part of it was also due to the inspiration she got from seeing him so strangely and cleverly create a Board Game based on a murder case.
Anyway, if it were that kind of Yulian, wouldn't it be enough to make the black magicians open their mouths?
"Just letting him have a peaceful conversation with them once should be fine. If it's him, he'll make those black magicians naturally open their mouths, won't he?"
"Hmm... Understood for now."
The Sergeant nodded.
Jenny added to this.
"As for the interrogation method, the method I propose should be good."
And several days later.
Watching Yulian's interrogation process through a Surveillance Magic Tool, Jenny regretted her judgment in a different sense.
— "Please! Let me tell you everything I know. Please..."
— "Eueup... Eueup...!"
The Blood Mage woman fainting with a gag in her mouth.
Belgian collapsing from hyperventilation.
And right in the middle of it.
— "Please... I'm sorry... I absolutely cannot eat this... Please, have mercy..."
The Curse Caster slumped over the dining table, facing Yulian across it.
Watching that whole scene, she thought.
'It wasn't strange that I was terrified when I first met him.'