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After the written exams concluded, the regular students in the general department were given a break, while the students in the magic and warrior departments prepared for the trial.
The higher-level students had already participated in the trial, so their preparation time was relatively short. Basically, when the new students were taking their written exams, the older students had already begun the trial.
The new students had three days of preparation time, during which the school no longer controlled their access to the campus. They could choose to leave and return or continue staying on campus and report for trial preparation.
During these three days, some students chose to buy the necessary items for the trial outside of campus and then return to train with their teammates and prepare for the trial. However, Aresia and her group had already prepared everything they needed for the adventure, so they didn’t need to buy anything else.
Karina took this opportunity to invite Aresia for a shopping trip, as a way to relax.
“Aren’t you going back to the Duke’s territory this summer? We won’t see each other for two months.”
Aresia had already explained her summer plans, so it was regrettable that they wouldn’t see each other.
Aresia agreed to Karina’s invitation, and the two of them went shopping, enjoying their time together.
With only two days left, they joined the rest of the group for training and to discuss the details of the trial.
The higher-level warrior students managed to obtain a copy of the trial ground map. Although they didn’t know who sold it to them, they knew it wasn’t easy to acquire. They were willing to pay a little extra to get it. They were currently researching it.
The map they obtained was quite rudimentary. It was hand-drawn by a student and the proportions were severely distorted, making it difficult to discern the shape of the trial ground.
Despite the map’s simplicity, it had some labels indicating the distribution of beasts and magic plants in different areas. This information was not available on the school’s official map, so they believed that the map had value.
However, Aresia frowned as she looked at the map.
Jorgus, with a serious expression, asked, “What’s wrong?”
Aresia pointed at several marked areas on the map that seemed incorrect. “The labels in these areas are wrong. For example, the Kolakla grass prefers sunlight and water, but it cannot tolerate excessive water. It definitely doesn’t grow near water sources as indicated on the map.”
“The actual habitat of the beasts and magic plants shouldn’t be in these locations.”
Aresia circled the problematic areas on the map and wrote the correct names of the beasts and magic plants in those regions.
After making the corrections, Aresia smiled and said, “Did the person who sold us the map have a grudge against us? If we follow this map, we will waste a lot of time and may not even find the required items.”
It seemed that someone didn’t want them to complete the trial smoothly.
Jorgus’s face turned serious, as if he realized something.
Vic and the others hesitated in disbelief. “Could it be that the person who sold us the map made a mistake? Are they really that incompetent?”
Aresia replied, “These mistakes are not simply due to an oversight in labeling.”
If it wasn’t a deliberate error, these mistakes wouldn’t be so subtle. They were mislabeled in areas that contradicted the natural habitats of the beasts and magic plants. It was not a coincidence.
After finding several errors, Aresia decided to examine the other maps. “Let’s see if it’s just us or if there are problems with the other maps that were sold.”
Vic immediately rushed out, saying, “I know someone who bought a map. I’ll ask them!”
Sade followed suit, “I’ll go too. My roommate bought one.”
“I’ll go back to the dorm and ask other students. It seems like there are others in the magic department who bought the map.”
Rony and Karina left in succession, leaving only Aresia and Jorgus behind.
The atmosphere grew tense.
Quietly, Aresia glanced at Jorgus, whose face clearly showed his dissatisfaction. She reassured him with a few words.
“Although the map was deliberately falsified, it’s not necessarily targeting us.”
Jorgus snapped back to reality. “What’s going on?”
“Well, I’m not sure, but it seems that the senior students at the Royal Academy have a long-standing tradition of causing trouble for the new students. Maybe this is the ‘tradition’ of our generation?”
Aresia had only just learned about this, and she wasn’t certain about the exact details. This tradition varied from generation to generation, and Aresia had only recently discovered it.
There was no doubt about the hesitation in their hearts.
Although it was true that the senior students had a tradition of bullying the new students, Aresia couldn’t recall any instances of map tampering in the previous generation.
It couldn’t be ruled out that this was due to the fact that their generation was different. In the end, they needed to continue observing the situation.
Jorgus didn’t completely relax, as there was still a possibility that this was targeted at them.
Let’s see what news the others bring back.
Aresia stood up. “They may take a while, so let’s research some information in the meantime.”
They had agreed to meet in the library. Besides studying the map, they planned to search for related information. They didn’t want to encounter unfamiliar beasts or magic plants during the trial without knowing how to handle them.
Aresia believed that the trial wasn’t an individual effort. The others also needed to train, and she didn’t plan to be selfish about it.
Jorgus nodded, and they each went to find books.
Aresia quickly found several books about beasts and magic plants and brought them back. By the time Jorgus returned, he was sitting at his seat reading a book titled “Where to Find Magical Plants,” which happened to contain information about the Kolakla grass that Aresia had mentioned earlier.
Aresia silently nodded, and Jorgus seemed to be confident about the accuracy of the information. It was important not to blindly trust, as this represented a lack of trust in their abilities. This made Aresia believe that even if they hadn’t pointed out the mistakes earlier, Jorgus would have noticed them.
When she returned, the others, including Karina, came back looking puzzled and angry.
“So, how was it? Is it confirmed?”
As they sat down, Karina couldn’t wait to share the situation. “Several people in the dormitory bought the map, and I borrowed one. It’s the same—there are errors.”
Vic and the others nodded. “It’s the same for us. There are mistakes.”
Compared to Karina’s smooth experience, Vic and the others were refused when they tried to borrow the map. After all, they had paid for it, and the person who sold them the map didn’t want to simply lend it to someone else. They felt that buying the map and then letting others borrow it for free was unfair. They had promised to treat the person to a meal in order to get their hands on the map.
Annoyed, they were determined to confront the person who sold them the map.
Jorgus stood up. “Let’s go.”
The four warrior students went to settle the score, while Aresia and Karina stayed behind, focusing on finding information.
Karina pointed to the pile of books on the table. “Headmaster Alvin said we can’t bring books, but should we borrow a few? If we encounter any problems, we can refer to them directly.”
Aresia nodded in approval and replied, “Sure, let’s borrow some suitable books.”
“Okay.”
When Jorgus and the others returned, Aresia and Karina had already selected the books they wanted to borrow. In addition to the two books about beasts and magic plants, they managed to borrow a travelogue written by adventurers. Karina believed that the book contained valuable survival knowledge, and they might encounter some of the things mentioned in it.
Seeing Jorgus and the others return, Karina immediately asked, “How did it go? Did you get a refund?”
Sade shrugged helplessly. “No, but we managed to take back the things that were sold to us. They won’t give us a refund.”
They were frustrated because they had collectively paid for the map, and even though they had borrowed it, the person who sold it to them refused to lend it to them for free. It felt like they were being taken advantage of, and they couldn’t help but feel upset.
Jorgus stood up. “That’s unfair.”
“Refund.”
“What? Isn’t that unreasonable?”
Karina, hearing this, became even more indignant. “He sold us something that was wrong, but he refuses to give a refund! How does he expect us to react? Did we get scammed?”
“It’s a bit complicated.”
Once again, they sat down, and the reason for not getting a refund was explained. “You see, the person who sold us the map intentionally made mistakes. Moreover, it turns out that he is a senior student at the academy. So, asking for a refund is not an option.”