Chapter 105: Assessment passed

For the next few nights, Lita spent her time intermittently working through the online courses in her mind.

The rest of the time, she would occasionally go drinking with Momoka, or accompany Cecilia for shopping, meals, or baths—nothing particularly noteworthy happened.

But in recent days, the atmosphere in the city had become less calm; a considerable number of troops had been transferred to the outer city, and people on the streets and in the alleys discussed the news all day long.

“Do you think a war is coming? Why are so many soldiers going in and out every day?”

“I don’t think so, right? Fewer patrols is actually a good thing.”

“There’s a rumor that the goblins are attacking.”

“No, no, I heard it’s the Zerg.”

“Come on, how could the Zerg cross mountains and rivers to attack us? I think it’s just that the alert level has been lowered—it’s a good thing!”

However, the soldiers had all been given a gag order; Solus City couldn’t afford more turmoil.

If the people lost their composure, the city would truly be finished.

As for those willing to participate in the second round of assessment, some had already been filtered out.

After enduring the Zerg swarm’s assault and not running away, only a few returned with the main group.

They certainly weren’t about to go out and spread rumors.

As Cecilia had said, she was just a passerby here.

Everything she’d done to help Solus City before was for her own sake, and in the current situation, she shouldn’t be overstepping her role.

After a few days of rumors and speculation, the final step of the Holy Knight assessment had finally arrived.

Or rather, it was actually the penultimate step.

Just as she’d done while waiting for others to enter the testing grounds in previous days, Lita sat alone in a corner, watching people rise one by one to approach the stage and hand their Record Stones to the host responsible for collecting them.

There had been over a hundred people in the first round, but now there were barely thirty left scattered about the examination hall.

It seemed that most had either given up on the assessment or fled during the beetle attack.

Among these thirty-some survivors, the vast majority looked quite optimistic.

With more than half their competition gone, their chances of passing had increased dramatically.

Their names would even occupy a spot in the letter written personally by Cecilia to the Emperor; for them, this was already more than half a success.

Among those present, quite a few had actually fled, but hadn’t lost their Record Stones.

Of course, there were also some who, despite having run away, decided to turn in their stones on the off-chance they might get lucky—if they failed, so what? After all, they’d already escaped.

“Is there anyone who hasn’t handed in their Record Stone? If not, we’ll begin tallying. Candidates who fail to hand in their stones will automatically forfeit their qualifications.”

The host’s voice echoed through the hall.

At that, Lita slowly rose from her seat, walked to the front, placed her hand to her chest, and respectfully saluted the host and the three examiners on stage.

“Honorable examiners, I lost my Record Stone during the operation by accident. May I request another chance?”

The host’s expression didn’t flicker in the slightest, as if this had been expected all along.

Yet murmurs broke out in the audience below.

“Lost it? What now?”

“But she’s one of the Princess’s people. Even if it’s pure favoritism, no one would complain, right?”

“Besides, she’s the one who brought back information on the Lord of the Night. I heard she and Promi worked together to kill both a Broodmother and a Night Commander. Just based on that, there’s no reason she wouldn’t advance!”

The audience was abuzz with discussion, while silence blanketed the stage.

The hush seemed contagious, spreading throughout the hall as countless eyes fixed on Lita, eager to see how this unexpected development would play out.

“If you’ve lost your Record Stone, then you forfeit the right to participate. Lita, I’m truly sorry.”

The first to speak was Cecilia.

Everyone knew this was just a formality—the ones who were meant to pass would always pass.

To the crowd, it was just another part of the performance.

“Respected Your Highness the Princess, you once said that passing the assessment is not limited to just this method.”

Lita pressed her hand to her chest, bowing her head even lower.

It was her first time addressing Cecilia as “Your Highness the Princess” instead of “Lady Cecilia”—it felt a bit awkward on her tongue.

“Oh? Then tell me, what other ways are there to pass?”

Cecilia narrowed her eyes, her voice soft yet commanding.

Everyone’s curiosity was piqued, their faces showing, “Let’s see what happens next.”

“You once said that a succubus infiltrated Solus City. If someone brings back her tail, that person can pass the assessment.”

Lita answered with utmost respect.

“So you’re saying you’ll hunt down the succubus whose whereabouts are unknown?”

Cecilia retorted, her aura growing even more oppressive.

“Not quite.”

Lita replied.

“Then what is the point of what you’re saying?”

“……”

As she spoke, Lita drew something from the small pouch at her side, prompting many in the audience to stand up for a better look.

But the object was too small, and she was too far away for them to see clearly—they could only faintly make out a small box in her hand.

Lita opened the box with both hands, presenting its contents to Cecilia and the other two examiners.

Inside, coiled neatly, was a black tail with a heart-shaped tip, still faintly exuding a seductive fragrance.

“I’ve already brought what you requested.”

An uproar swept through the audience.

Albert nudged Momoka with his elbow, but Momoka only shrugged silently.

Fake, it must be fake.

Everyone knew the pink-haired succubus had once appeared in the forest.

But Lita’s achievements were indisputable—even if she staged a scene like this, no one would complain.

“Words alone are no proof. How will you verify it?”

“You can have it examined on the spot.”

This time, there was no need for Cecilia’s nod; Angus immediately called out in a low voice, “Summon the Magi!”

Within minutes, two Magi hurried over, took the small box from Lita, and began a series of operations few understood but everyone watched intently.

Afterwards, the two returned to the stage to report.

“Honored examiners, the aura of this tail matches precisely with that of the succubus who committed multiple attacks in Solus City half a month ago. The tail is also quite fresh. Without a doubt, this is indeed the succubus’s tail.”

Everyone knew it had to be fake—the Magi had arrived far too quickly, obviously prepared in advance to put on an indisputable show for everyone.

But Lita was fully qualified for this spot, and Cecilia was willing to stage the performance—no one could find any fault.

Even if it was fake, everyone would accept it as real; nobody would challenge it at a time like this.

However, not everyone—

“Impossible.”

Dorothy’s voice suddenly rang out.

Her graceful figure, hidden beneath a black robe, slowly stood and stepped in front of Lita.

“How could you possibly have gotten the succubus’s tail?”

“If Lady Dorothy does not believe me, you may inspect it yourself.”

Lita met Dorothy’s eyes, neither servile nor overbearing, handing over the succubus tail returned to her by the Magi.

All the other candidates stared, wide-eyed.

Huh? It wasn’t just a showdown between Cecilia and Lita—there was a guest appearance too? Now this was good, this was intense!

Under Lita’s expectant gaze, Dorothy raised her hand and touched the tip of the heart-shaped tail with her finger.

A faint magical glow flowed from her fingertip, lighting the tail up like a string of night lights.

Truthfully, the earlier part of the day had indeed been scripted—up until Dorothy stood up, everything had gone just as Cecilia expected.

But even with Dorothy’s intervention, the outcome would not change.

After all, this was the heart-shaped tail of Sumily, who’d had her neck twisted by Valfys just days ago. No matter how they checked, they wouldn’t find any problem.

Moreover, of the only three people in Solus City who’d ever experienced Lita’s succubus powers, one was the unsuspecting Cecilia; the other two were Johnson and Promi, both of whom had been knocked out after leaving the city. None of these Magi had come into contact with them.

And even if anyone found out, Lita could always blame Valfys.

A few knew there had been two succubi in the city, but only Lita knew that there had actually been as many as three present at one time.

It’s real.

This was the tail of the succubus who’d caused trouble in the city just a few days ago.

The more advanced a Magus was, the less likely they were to make rookie mistakes—just like a master chef would never confuse sugar for salt.

Even those two Magi could sense it, so denying it would be pointless.

Dorothy looked again at Lita’s innocent face, and noticing Lita watching her, Lita blinked and asked, “Lady Dorothy, do you have a conclusion?”

Dorothy nodded, speaking in a low voice:

“It’s genuine. As Her Highness the Princess said, Lita is qualified to pass this assessment.”