Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 55: The Holy Knight Exam Begins
“G-Good morning… Reina.”
As usual, Kenya wakes up in the morning.
“G-Good morning!!”
Reina greets him back with a slightly trembling voice.
It’s the same routine as always, but they’re both still affected by what happened yesterday.
They sit down for breakfast, both feeling awkward.
Reina, however, is acting noticeably different.
“Reina… today—”
“Y-Yes! W-What is it!?”
Her voice rises at the smallest thing.
She’s obviously self-conscious, her cheeks slightly flushed.
“N-No, I just meant… let’s do our best today.”
“Y-Yes! That’s right!”
(W-Why am I like this…? My heart is racing… My face feels hot…)
Reina desperately tries to maintain her usual cool demeanor.
But the more she talks to Kenya, the more her lips curve into a smile.
“Haha…”
(Yeah… she’s definitely still thinking about yesterday… This is so awkward…)
Kenya doesn’t quite realize what’s going on, but he still feels uneasy.
Their conversation is stilted, filled with an odd tension.
It’s like that awkward walk home together after two middle schoolers start dating for the first time.
A strange, floaty atmosphere surrounds them.
But… it’s not entirely unpleasant.
“Good morning, Sword. I heard the Holy Knight Exam starts this afternoon. I doubt you’ll have any trouble.”
“Apparently, the exam changes every year, so I can’t prepare for it… But yeah, I’ll do my best.”
“Hmph, as much as I hate to admit it, you two are stronger than me. You’ll pass for sure.”
Jin, Lielbert, and Zoid.
All three believe without a doubt that Kenya and Reina will pass.
And so, the afternoon arrives, and the exam begins.
At the examination site, over 1,000 applicants have gathered.
However, they’ve been divided into separate groups of about 100 people per venue.
“Looks like Reina is… in a different group.”
“Yeah, let’s do our best!”
She makes a double fist-pump gesture.
(What’s with that pose? Damn, she’s cute.)
Kenya heads to his designated venue alone.
“Hey, isn’t that…?”
“Seriously? He’s in our group…?”
“Ugh… Guess I’m failing again this year. This makes it my ninth attempt.”
“Why the hell is a royal knight taking the Holy Knight Exam…?”
As Kenya enters, all eyes are on him.
The name Sword Sylphid is widely known throughout Asgard.
Thanks to Lord’s publicity efforts, Kenya has already been unofficially recognized as Lord’s knight.
Reina Sylphid, also known as the “Silver Ice Princess,” is equally tied to Lord’s faction.
In that sense, everything is going exactly as Lord planned.
“Testing, testing. Alright, it’s time to start this year’s Holy Knight Exam!”
Standing on the stage is Colonel Star.
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It seems he’s the examiner for this block.
Kenya can’t help but feel there’s something behind this.
“Due to changes in the international situation, there have been complaints that the Holy Knight Exam has been getting easier every year. So this year, we’ve decided to completely overhaul the exam!”
(Well, war with the Asian Union is about to break out, after all…)
Kenya recalls Odin Asgard’s speech, where he officially declared war against the Asian Union.
The war is imminent.
The Emperor’s health is worsening by the day—there’s no more time left.
“That’s why I have to become a Holy Knight today.”
He must pass today, become the Holy Knight Commander, and officially serve under Lord.
Then, at the Imperial Swordsmanship Tournament, he will defeat Odin and make Lord the Emperor.
That is Kenya’s goal.
And that is Lord’s goal.
“Alright, here’s the exam content. In previous years, we’ve had written tests and strategy evaluations, but honestly, those don’t matter on the battlefield. A half-baked strategy won’t save you in a real fight. What you need is one thing and one thing only! Strength!”
Colonel Star’s voice echoes across the venue.
This year’s exam will use a simulator.
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“There are 100 of you here. All of you will enter the simulator at the same time and be placed in the same area.”
(Wait… that means—)
Kenya recalls a popular game mode from his previous world.
A 100-player battle royale.
It was one of the most popular modes in KOG, the game’s core gameplay, and Kenya himself used to play it occasionally for fun.
Although it wasn’t a team-based mode, players could still queue together with friends and enjoy it.
He had also heard rumors of high-ranked male players boosting female players, essentially carrying them to higher ranks.
Truly enviable… no, outrageous.
Do they not understand the sanctity of KOG’s ranked matches?
Me? Of course, I played solo.
In fact, whenever I came across those kinds of players, I made sure to completely destroy them.
If I had at least decent social skills, I could’ve easily gotten a girlfriend with my skills.
I’d always heard that being good at games would get you a girlfriend, but even after becoming the best player in Japan, I never got one.
After winning the Japan Championship, I once got invited to a random party while playing solo.
That was the one and only time I ever played with a girl.
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She called me “creepy.”
After that, I never played with a girl again.
She had said the game was difficult, so I patiently taught her every single advanced technique in detail.
What did I do wrong?
I still don’t understand.
I spent three whole hours carefully guiding her, step by step.
She had hesitantly said, “O-Oh, you don’t have to do all that for me…” but I reassured her and continued teaching.
What went wrong…?
“The simulation you’ll be participating in is a mock war!”
“The teams will be divided into Black and White—50 versus 50!”
(I see… so it’s a simulated war between two factions. But how do they determine who becomes a Holy Knight?)
“The person who takes down the most enemies and contributes the most will be chosen as a Holy Knight!”
“If multiple participants perform exceptionally well, more than one might pass, but typically, only one will make it!”
(Ah, now it makes sense.)
“We will evaluate whether you can achieve military merit on a real battlefield and whether you can function as part of an organization!”
Summarizing Colonel Star’s explanation, there are two conditions to becoming a Holy Knight:
- Winning the battle.
- No matter how many enemies you defeat, if your team loses, it means nothing.
- Being the most outstanding participant.
- Just like in real battles, individual achievements determine status and recognition.
But under these conditions, cooperation becomes impossible.
Military achievements become a shackle rather than a team effort.
In a real war, the fear of death would force people to cooperate for survival.
But here? That won’t be the case.
However, that concern proved to be unnecessary.
“And as a penalty for the losing team,”
Colonel Star smirks before making his next declaration.
“They will be permanently banned from ever taking the Holy Knight Exam again!”