Inglis, Leone, and Liselotte went further up. With the power of her Artifact, Liselotte flew while carrying the other two. And, as they reached the top-most layer, a glimmer of white light appeared beyond the pierced ceiling.
The moment the three of them touched itââ
The next second, they were all back to the stone ring in the Academyâs courtyard.
ãHm? Seems like weâre out.ã ãAhâ¦â¦Y-, youâre right.ã ãIt appears to be so.ã
They could see behind them a door that looked like the one they walked into.
ãWelcome back! But, eeehh?? You all walked out from a different door than when you entered? And three people from the same doorâ¦â¦?ã ãThere wasnât anything weird when weâre in there, if you wondered.ã ãReally? Hmm, I guess itâs on me, then?ã
Said Principal Miliera as she craned her neck.
ãThatâs a big fat lieââ Even though you forcefully created your own exit.ã ãSheâs rightâ¦â¦You even saved me on the way.ã ãItâs better if we all pass, you see. You donât want to redo the test, right?ã ãIndeed, I donât. Let us get the stories straight.ã ãYeah, letâs. Iâd hate to go through the same thing twice.ã
The three of them held a little meeting in a hushed voice.
ãPrincipal. Can we take this as we passed the test?ã ãHmmâ¦â¦You three came out from a door, so I have to lean to that. Well then, Miss Inglis, Miss Leone, and Miss Liselotte, you three have passed! You did great.ã
Right after the Principal announced so, Liselotteâs twin attendants came rushing over.
ãMilady! Well done!ã ãAs expected of you!ã ãWell, it wasnât anything hard.ã ãHowever, are you alright getting out with that woman?ã ãShe may plan something against you, Milady.ã
Out blurted those words as their eyes glanced at Leone. They seemed to be wary of her for being Leonâs little sister.
ãStop it, you two. Itâs fine that youâre concerned about my safety, but there is no point to harp on her.ã ãHuhâ¦â¦ Got it.ã ãIf thatâs what you wished, Milady.ã
The two seemed shocked by Liselotteâs change of heart, but they nodded anyway.
ãNow, shall we take a rest? Iâm quite worn out. We shall spectate for the rest of the day.ã
Said Liselotte as she went down from the stone ring.
ãI will prepare something to sit on in a minute!ã ãLet me get you a drink.ã
The two attendants gallantly took care of her needs. With a plop, Inglis put her hand on Leone, who watched Liselotteâs group off.
ãIt must have been hard, but perhaps she finally understands you, Leone.ã ãYeahâ¦â¦. I hope so; I guess. Rather than that, thank you for saving me. You were so cool back then, Inglis. You made my heart throb. Isnât it weird? Even though youâre a girl.ã ãHahaha. Well, âcoolâ is a compliment.ã
At the end of the day, Inglis was a man inside, so that part of her leaked out. She didnât know for sure, but she didnât feel bad about it.
ãI wonder how Rani is doingââã
Inglisâ eyes darted around, looking for Rafinha. But there was no sign of her. Instead, Inglis found Lahti and Pullum outside of the ring.
ãDid she pass?ã ãNah, she outright got disqualified. They drop you from a hole that tore the space if you failed.ã ãIs that so?ã ãUuuâ¦â¦Even though I shouldnât loseâ¦..ã
Said the dejected Pullum.
ãYouâre such a klutz, you know. Even if you have a High Grade Rune, you canât fight by yourself, right? Well, that canât be helped. Cheer up.ã ãCall me Iâm cute, then Iâll cheer up.ã ãHaah!? You idiot, I canât say something like that so wishy-washyâ¦â¦!ã ãBut you said that to Inglis!ã ãâ¦â¦Theyâre still at it.ã
Inglis thought âit wouldâve been better if Lahti just said it and be done with it, but she got where he came from. It was just how the heart of a boy worked. Boys couldnât be honest with the girls they liked. Lahti didnât hold any of such feelings for Inglis, so it was âeasy for him to compliment her. Things like this could only be solved with time.
ãAt any rate, it seems like Rani isnât done yet.ã ãIt seems so. Letâs wait for her.ã
However, just waiting would be boring. Free time like this was precisely there to be used for some kind of trainingââand that gave Inglis an idea.
ãPrincipal, may I?ã ãWhatâs the matter, Miss Inglis?ã ãWhile I wait for Rani, I wish to train under the heavy gravity pull like the one back then. May I please?ã ãEh? That? Well, you can, butâânow?ã ãYes! Please, and make it as heavy as possible!ã ãWell, we âhave a promise, so Iâm fine with it. Alright, I will apply the gravity field on the other half of the ring. Anyone who doesnât want to get hit please move away. For this timeâs exercise, you may use Artifacts, so feel free to do so.ã
Principal Miliera called out to the other students.
ãIâm joining, okay? Trainings are importantâ.ã ãSo am I. I wonât lose to the both of you.ã ãMilady! Me too!ã ãWe shall accompany.ã ãM-, me too!!ã ãStop it, Pullumâ¦..! Aah, sheesh, Iâm going too thenââã
Leone and the others seemed to be willing to join in.
ãHere we go, thenââthe current maximum power output!ã
DDOONNNNN!!!
The load on her body far surpassed Inglisâ imagination.
ãGhhâ¦â¦!?!? T-, this is incredibleâ¦â¦!ã
In Inglisâ case, she already had her own gravity pull she put on her own. The effect of the two pulls synchronizing with each other made the saying âheavy as a leadâ obsolete, as the effect Inglis had felt far surpassed that. If she didnât handle herself well, her body might as well crush under its own weight. Although, she stopped it by kneelingââ
That being said, the movement pattern of mana in this technique. Letâs make sure to remember how to increase the pull. If I could recreate it, I could train myself even better.
ãGUEEEeeehhhâ¦â¦!? Canât stand, canât move, Iâm deadâ¦â¦!!!!ã
Lahti fell flat on the floor, the whites of his eyes showed up.
ãLahti! Ahâ¦â¦Kyan!?ã
Pullum stumbled and fell on his backside.
ãGyOoeeeeeeâ¦â¦ã
That sounds like it hurts a lotââ
ãI-, I canât moveâ¦â¦.!ã ãAre you alright, Miladyâ¦â¦?ã
Van and Ray were completely sinking into the floor.
ãS-, somehowâ¦â¦. I suppose.ã ãUuuuhâ¦â¦What a heavy pullââã
While their knees were glued to the ground, Liselotte and Leone were trying to stand up. However, not a single soul in the gravity field could move.
At any rate, Lahti is in danger, so I probably should get him outside. Inglis cut off the load she put on herself. Now that she was only loaded with the one applied by the Principalâs Artifact, it was easier for her to move.
ãHaat!ã
To test the water, Inglis jumped. Her body properly leaped into the air. With a somersault, Inglis landed with a heavy thud.
ãããEEEeeeEEEHHH!?!?!?ããã
Leone and anyone else who saw her did so exclaimed in astonishment. They experienced it firsthand that the weight on their body would never allow them to do so.
ãEasy does itâ¦â¦! Are you holding fine?ã
Inglis approached Lahti and picked him up, then carried him out of the high gravity field.
ãHahahaâ¦â¦ Iâm such a damn loser, getting princess-carried by the princess.ã ãItâs fine. Just so you know, the ride from now on sports gender equality.ã
She then carried Van, Ray, and then Pullum, who seemed to be unable to move out of the field as well.
ãPhew. Doing such a menial task is quite the labor when itâs done in this gravity pull, isnât it?ã
Inglis wiped the few sweats she had on her forehead. Leone and Liselotte were speechless when they watched her.
ãI-, I canât believe itâ¦â¦. moving around so lightly in such a high gravity pullâ¦â¦ã ãNot to mention that she is just a Squire without a Runeâ¦â¦ itâs as if common sense doesnât work on her.ã
Principal Miliera was just as wide-eyed.
ãYou really are amazingâ¦â¦Itâs the first time I see someone moving around under this weight.ã ãThank you very much. Should I bring you two outside too?ã ãItâs okay. Iâll work my bestâ¦â¦!ã ãI hold no intention to loseââ!ã
The two gritted their teeth and began moving around.
ãHm, hm ? Receiving motivation from your friends and improving yourself! Oh, how exquisite! Do your very best ?ã
Principal Miliera was delighted when she saw Leone and Liselotteâs willpower fired up.
And, at that moment, a door appeared right in the middle of them out of nowhere. The one who walked out of that door was Rafinha.
ãEh? Iâm outâ¦â¦uugyaaauuuh!? Waiâ¦â¦whatâs happeningg!?!?!?!?ã ãAh, Rani. Welcome back. Iâm glad that you look fine.ã
You pass if you walked out from a door, so she must be qualified. Although, it was unfortunate that her exit was in the middle of a High Gravity Pull field.
ãIâm not fine! Itâs heavyyyyyyy!!!! Glis, save meeee!!!ã ãYes, yes. On my way.ã ãYou canât, Rafinha! Stand up with your own strength!ã ãYou shouldnât rely on others!ã ãTheyâre right, Miss Rafinha. Fighto!ã ãEeeeEEEh!? Even you too, Principal!? What IS happeningâ¦â¦.!?!?!?ã
Rafinha who just came out from the trial seemed very unhappy with how she was treated.
At any rate, Inglis and her group had passed the test and could take the request from the Lambert Firm.