"Kyuu... kyuu-kyuu..."

The examiner let out strange squeaking noises like a small rodent while turning his face toward the priest on top of the castle wall.

The blue-robed priest leaned forward.

"What’s the recorded value?!"

"U-um... I-I think it’s 95."

"95?! You mean it’s on par with Court Mage Lord Etranger?! Are you sure there’s no mistake?! ...Hm? You said ’I think it’s 95’?"

"Y-yes. I think it’s 95. No... it is definitely 95..."

"Why are you phrasing it so strangely?"

"W-well, that’s because..."

"...?"

"Um..."

"What is it? ...Enough. I’ll see for myself."

The priest flipped his blue robes and jumped down from the top of the castle gate.

He looked like a man in his 60s, but as expected of someone who managed a church in a fantasy world, he landed lightly—probably using some kind of magic.

The priest approached the target and his eyes widened.

"Th-this is...!"

Then he looked at me.

He looked back at the target. The examiner also stood beside him and stared at it.

The priest staggered, and the examiner hurriedly supported his back.

Hmm.

Judging from how panicked they were, 95 seemed to be an incredibly high number.

Being comparable to some court mage meant... was I possibly at the strongest level in the entire country?

Not just Physical Attack Power, but Magic Attack Power as well — did that make me the strongest overall in the country?

"Ahh... War God Ryute, please..."

The priest looked up at the sky, clasped his hands, and prayed to the gods for some reason.

Then, using the same magically amplified voice as before, he addressed the noisy venue.

"Everyone living in Montvan. I am Priest Griess, in charge of the Montvan Diocese of the Ryute God Church."

Hm?

What about announcing my score?

For some reason, the blue-robed priest who had been acting as the emcee suddenly started introducing himself.

"Since there is no city near Montvan of similar scale, our jurisdiction is officially a diocese, but in reality we oversee an area equivalent to an archdiocese."

In short, even though he’s just a priest because this is the countryside, the size of the territory he manages is on the level of an archbishop?

Hey, why is he suddenly bragging?

"My Magic Attack Power is 62, and my Magic Defense Power is 70. Many of you probably know my magical combat ability because last year, when a horde of goblins attacked the city, I cooperated with the knights of the Red Iron Corps who defend this city. As someone who serves the gods, I do not hold a knight rank, but if evaluated under the same standards as them, I believe I would be in the upper tier of B-rank."

What the hell is this about?

I have zero interest in suddenly listening to some random old man’s life story.

However, unlike me who had just arrived in this city, the residents were watching the priest with serious eyes. It seemed Priest Griess was deeply trusted by the citizens.

And people in medieval-like worlds really love listening to sermons and long stories from church officials.

"Even so, in mock battles using magic, I am toyed with like a baby by the young Court Mage Lord Etranger. His Magic Attack Power is 95."

I see.

So a random newcomer like me putting up the same number as the strongest mage in the country had them terrified.

The priest (who was basically an archbishop) was saying that even though this O-Oma Saharu, the so-called prince of the fallen kingdom, had the same value as the court mage, everyone should continue to show respect, right?

Then just say that from the beginning. No matter the world or era, priests always talk too much.

"It is said that the great mage Mister, who served the first King Aras—the founding king—and left his name in legend, had a Magic Attack Power of 300. However, magic researchers and historians dismiss this as an exaggeration. In reality, it is believed to have been around 90. A value of 300 is so unrealistic and abnormal that even an elementary *Fire* spell would have been powerful enough to burn down all of Montvan in an instant."

Isn’t this completely off-topic?

The spectators were also getting restless.

Well, I’ve served my purpose. Time to go back to the group of examinees. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

As I tried to leave, the priest grabbed my wrist.

He then wrapped both of his hands around mine and knelt down.

"Saharu’s Magic Attack Power: 950."

H-hey. I don’t feel happy having my hand held by a man.

But I couldn’t exactly shake off the hand of a priest who was deeply trusted by the citizens.

What should I do?

....

Stop it. Don’t silently stare at me while an old man holds my hand.

Don’t get the wrong idea, okay?

The entire area fell so silent it felt like time had stopped again.

Only one person moved — Ana, the leader of the Red Iron Corps.

Ana jumped down from the castle wall and leaned in close to the magic target as if trying to devour it with her eyes.

Everyone present turned to her as if seeking salvation.

Ana’s face turned deathly pale.

With a trembling hand, she touched the magic target.

"Crimson Arm, roar! Slaughter the prey!"

The target was instantly wrapped in red flames resembling a beast. It seemed Ana had used magic.

"83... It’s not a malfunction of the target..."

It looked like Ana was also an elite mage.

After stepping away from the target, she came before me, grabbed my shoulders, and peered into my face. Her hands were hot, probably because she had just used fire magic.

Since we were almost the same height, her flame-like eyes stared straight into mine from the front.

"Masaharu... you... just what..."

"Um..."

This is bad.

**Did I do something again?**

I’m not stupid enough to play dumb at this point.

I understood the flow of the conversation.

The problem was that I had put up the number 950, far surpassing the legendary figure whose power of 300 was already considered exaggerated. That was ten times the current strongest court mage. In this world’s system, it essentially meant I could use magic roughly 100 times stronger.

Lucia... you should’ve warned me!

Even though it was just your magic power added at 10%, I ended up surpassing humanity’s legends... Well, she’s a dragon god even if she’s a massive pervert, so I guess that’s just how it is...

"Um... Could my record be due to a malfunction of the target?"

"No, it is not malfunctioning. Besides, I saw it."

"S-saw what...?"

"For a moment, you definitely produced a massive flame large enough to engulf all of Montvan."

"Ah..."

So Ana really had seen it after all.

"I instantly used defensive magic, but to be honest, if you hadn’t erased that magic, I might have died. Even if I survived, I would have been heavily injured and unable to move."

"Um... I’m sorry. So, can we say the test result was due to a target malfunction?"

"Eh?"

"I mean, 950 is a crazy number, right?"

"Y-yes... It will definitely cause chaos in the kingdom. Even I, one of only twelve A-rank knights, am in chaos... Neighboring countries will no longer be able to ignore your existence."

"That kind of thing is troublesome, so..."

"Tr-troublesome..."

"I’ll explain why I put out such an absurd number later, so for now, let’s just say it was a malfunction."

"B-but... No, you’re right. To avoid causing chaos in the country..."

"I think you’re the only one who can handle this situation."

"I-is that so... No, you’re right. ...We have no choice but to do that..."

Ana spoke to the priest who was still kneeling on the ground.

"Priest Griess. You heard everything. This is for the sake of the country. I ask you to allow your reputation to be tarnished."

"...Understood. It was my own shallow thinking."

"I’m sorry. Please amplify my voice."

"Yes."

Ana placed her hand on Priest Griess’s shoulder and began to speak.

Her voice echoed loudly across the entire area, just like the priest’s earlier.

"I am Ana Lunametia, leader of the Red Iron Corps and the person in charge of this status examination. First, a correction. His recorded value of 950 is incorrect."

The spectators seemed torn between wanting to make noise and wanting to hear the next words. An eerie, silent tension filled the area.

"Many of you must have been confused by the sudden announcement of this status examination. In truth, a top-secret mission for our corps was being carried out at the same time as the exam."

What Ana explained was this:

Recently, an organization selling illegal magic tools had been active. Ana had come to Montvan to investigate and crush them. The magic power measurement tools used in the exam were counterfeits. Therefore, the magic test would be redone tomorrow with proper equipment.

Many examinees looked dissatisfied, but they couldn’t openly oppose the leader of the Red Iron Corps.

After that, the Magic Defense test was carried out in the same strange atmosphere.

I received a "Measurement Impossible" record and took first place.

Just like the Physical Defense test, it was about how much magic attack I could withstand — but I was too tough, and no one could damage me. It seemed they would need to bring out magical weapons used in war to measure my Magic Defense Power.

Given the situation, I didn’t want to stand out too much, but since I wanted to free as many beastmen slaves as possible, I needed the money. I couldn’t afford to hold back.

The first day of the exam ended before evening.

As I was about to leave, the examiner caught me and took me to the staff tent. It was definitely about the magic incident.

Well, whatever. I wanted to get an advance on the prize money anyway. Perfect timing.

Inside the tent was Ana Lunametia, wearing her crimson armor.

Just the two of us.

This is...

Are they planning to seduce me to win me over?