Two days have passed since the exam began meanwhile back In the cave
Miki knelt beside unconscious Seig and Aturia, gently placing cool, damp cloths over their foreheads.
A faint smile crossed her face.
Miki: "It looks like their fevers have gone down. It's already been two days but i can't let myself sleep..
Unknown to her she was being watched by two of jiao imposters from the trees.
Imposter 1: Heh....there they are they're the brats i fought earlier.
Imposter 2: As long as jiao commanded we'll strike at dawn and our target is Aturia Silva. But what about that purple haired girl looking after them?
Imposter 1: Oh she shouldn't pose a problem, Her magic element in healing magic so it's useless for combat.
Imposter 2: So what are we waiting for? let's strike.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the forest...
Team M hid quietly in the bushes, waiting for Kawaki to walk past.
But he suddenly stopped.
Kawaki: "Come out of hiding... unless you're cowards."
Nara: "How did he find us? So much for your brilliant plan, Luna."
Mochito: "I'm hungry..."
Luna: "Ugh, what a pain in the neck. Guess it's time for Plan B."
The three of them stepped out from the bushes.
Kawaki: "oh it's just you guys.
Luna flashed Kawaki a charming smile.
Luna: "Well, what an honor. The strongest male Rank 3 Magic Knight in the academy. Hey, Kawaki... long time no see."
She blew him a kiss.
Kawaki glanced at her for a moment.
Kawaki: "Get lost."
Luna's thoughts: Why didn't he fall for my irresistible charm?! What's wrong with him?!
Nara let out a sigh.
Nara: "I told you he wasn't going to fall for that."
Mochito: "Um... guys, when are we going to eat?"
His stomach growled loudly.
Luna: "Shut up, Mochito! Did you forget you're the one who finished all our food supplies!"
Nara: "Anyway, Kawaki... why don't you want to fight us?"
Kawaki: "I wouldn't demean myself by taking a gemstone from losers like you."
Kawaki paused for just a moment, looking toward the distant part of the forest where Miki's team had gone. Without another word looked away and quietly continued walking.
Nara gave an awkward laugh and gently pushed his teammates back into the bushes.
Nara: "Well... thanks, I guess. That's actually pretty considerate of you."
Luna: "Come on. Let's go pick on some weaklings instead."
Nara: "I doubt we'll find anyone weaker than us."
A beat of silence passed.
Then all three of their stomachs growled at once.
Nara rubbed the back of his head.
Nara: "Let's find something to eat first."
Mochito eyes lit up.
Mochito: "Yes! Finally!"
Meanwhile back in the cave
Jiao two henchmen approached slowly in front of the cave.
Imposter 1: Heh... you've been up all night standing guard uh.
Imposter 2: "As of now you're off duty just wake Aturia for us we want to fight her.
Miki: "So... you two are Jiao's henchmen."
Her expression hardened as she stared at them.
Miki: "Tell me. What was that poison Jiao injected into Aturia? Even my healing magic can't purge it."
Imposter 1: "We also have no idea what jiao is up to, we just follow orders.
Imposter 2: Hold on it's obvious she's been setting booty traps. He crouched and removed a rug of Grass covering a deep pit.
Imposter 1: "So amateurish.
They Both charged at her but brought out a dagger and cut off a string and a log of wood came swinging down.
Imposter 2: "So there was a trap above us."
He reached out and placed his hand against the log.
Without converting his mana into a magic element, he poured raw mana directly into it.
The log instantly splintered apart, exploding into pieces.
Miki's eyes widened for a brief moment before she quickly regained her composure.
Miki: "So... you got past the first trap."
Without another word, both imposters rushed toward her.
Miki focused on a tree stump behind them
In an instant, she switched places with the nearby tree stump using substitution technique.
The two imposters slashed the tree stump instead as it took the hit.
Imposter: "Tch... she got away."
The moment they took another step—
Click.
A barrage of sharpened wooden stakes burst from the ground beneath them.
The two immediately leaped backward, narrowly avoiding the trap.
Imposter 2: "She's been turning this entire area into a minefield."
Miki silently retreated another step, positioning herself between the cave entrance and her unconscious teammates.
She tightened her grip on her dagger.
I don't have to defeat them...
I just have to keep them away from Seig and Aturia.
Imposter 2: "Our turn."
He rolled up his sleeve, revealing a metallic device fastened to his forearm.
The device began to vibrate.
An overwhelming wall of sound burst forth, sending violent vibrations at high frequency through the surrounding forest.
Miki instantly clamped her hands over her ears, desperately trying to reduce the impact.
But the sound pierced straight through her body.
As the vibrations finally ceased, blood slowly trickled from her ears.
She stumbled, dropped to one knee, and vomited.
Miki: "My ears, what did you do to me with that device?
Imposter 2: Oh it's a toy that prevents you or anyone from blocking my attack. Do you understand the fundamental nature of sound?
Miki: "Vibrations.
Imposter 2: "Exactly, when you hear a sound it's actually those vibrations displacing the air which tremble against your eardrums making it impossible for you to maintain balance.
Miki's thought: I can heal this... but internal injuries take far longer to mend than external ones... And I doubt they'll give me the time to recover.
Miki hurled her dagger at Imposter 2.
The blade veered off course, missing him by a wide margin.
A grin spread across Imposter 2's face.
Imposter 2: "Wow... you can't even aim anymore."
He tapped the side of his head with a smirk.
Imposter 2: "The ringing from my sound attack is throwing you off your balance. You don't even know which way is up.
Suddenly, Imposter 1 slipped behind Miki, taking advantage of her dizziness.
He seized a fistful of her hair, yanking her backward.
Imposter 1: "You started off pretty well..."
A smug smile spread across his face.
Imposter 1: "...but now the tide has turned against you.
Imposter 2 used Miki as a punching bag, striking her over and over until she spat out blood.
The two imposters laughed, clearly enjoying themselves as they toyed with their helpless opponent.
Hidden among the bushes some distance away, Team M froze. They silently watched the scene, realizing Miki was being brutally overwhelmed.
Mochito: "So... should we run away, or should we help?"
Nara glanced toward the cave.
Nara: "It looks like Seig and Aturia are only unconscious."
Luna folded her arms, keeping her eyes fixed on the battle.
Luna: "No... wait."
A confident smile crossed her face.
Luna: "I believe Miki can handle this."
She looked at her teammates.
Luna: "Don't underestimate her. She's not some helpless girl... she's stronger than she looks.
Nara: Fine but if she falls one more time, we're stepping in.
Imposter 1: Huh have you had enough he said laughing mockingly as Miki was quiet.
Imposter 2: Why don't i finish off her teammates while she watches, The least we can do is entertain her.
Imposter 2 walks toward the cave but comes to a halt.
As they hear a silent mumbling coming from Miki.
Miki: "I've always thought of myself as a Magic Knight... proud to stand beside my teammates, to go on missions with them and Captain Baka."
Her voice remained steady.
Miki: "I've watched Seig and Aturia argue nonstop... yet risk everything to protect me."
A faint smile appeared on her face.
Miki: "So I've been training every day at home... hoping that one day, it would be my turn to watch their backs."
For a split second, the two imposters hesitated trying to understand what she said.
But It was all the opening Miki needed.
She slammed her heel down onto Imposter 1's foot.
As he winced, she drove her elbow backward into his chest.
His grip loosened.
Miki immediately seized his wrist, turned sharply, and used his unbalanced posture against him.
He stumbled over her hip and crashed hard onto the ground.
Luna: See i told you don't underestimate her. She says with a cocky smirk to her teammates .
Imposter 2: "How did she regain her balance already, I made sure i ruptured her eardrums and We even made sure she couldn't touch her ears to heal them..."
His eyes widened.
Imposter 2: "No... that's impossible. Unless..."
Miki: "I healed the damage to my eardrums by concentrating my mana directly into them at one point."
A look of realization crossed Imposter 2's face.
Imposter 2: "You healed yourself... without using your hands?"
He let out a low whistle.
Imposter 2: "That's an incredible level of mana control. Most healers struggle to cast healing magic without their hands—let alone treat internal injuries."
A grin spread across Miki's face.
Miki: "Well... I guess you underestimated me."
Imposter 2: "Quit lying around and take her out!"
Imposter 1: "Got it."
He slammed his hand onto the ground.
Imposter 1: "Vine Magic!"
Vines burst from the earth, lashing toward Miki.
Miki: "Substitution Technique."
In an instant, she switched places with a nearby log, which was shredded by the vines in her place.
Without slowing down, Miki sprinted toward the spot where her thrown dagger had landed and yanked it from the ground.
Imposter 1: "Damn it... that substitution trick is getting annoying! Stop running and fight me, coward!"
More vines erupted from the earth.
This time, they unleashed a barrage of razor-sharp cactus spines.
Miki raised her arms and legs, shielding her face and vital organs as the spines struck her. Several pierced her limbs, but she endured the pain and kept moving.
Imposter 1's thoughts: Where's she going to appear next with that substitution trick?
He glanced around, searching for her.
But Miki never disappeared.
Instead, she charged straight at him.
Caught completely off guard, Imposter 1 barely had time to react before Miki drove her dagger into his ribs.
Imposter 1 coughs up blood, gagging as the blade sinks in: "Gah, You crazy bitch.
In sheer panic, he grabs a handful of dirt, shoves it into her eyes, and frantically kicks her off to save his own life.
Imposter 2 runs up from behind her as he swings his fist preparing for a huge attack as the gadget on his forearm begins to charge but before he can complete the strike a shadow outline looms over him.
Mochito: "Expansion Magic: Titan Fist!"
Mochito's arm violently swells, expanding into a massive, boulder-sized fist coated in dense mana. With a deafening crash, he slams it directly into Imposter 2, sending the villain flying through the trees and plowing through the dirt.
Mochito's arm slowly shrinks back to its normal size. He breathes out a puff of air, his stomach giving a loud, tragic rumble.
Mochito: "Man... using that much mana makes me even hungrier..."
As team M finally steps out of the bushes as they stand in front of Miki.
Imposter 1: "Damn it, more allies have shown up.
Luna: "Don't worry anymore, Miki. You did your best... we'll take it from here, okay?"
She offered a warm smile, flashing a cheerful peace sign as the dust settled around them.