How to Survive as a Mage Inside a Game-Chapter 41: Ruins Exploration (7)

Pakion looked around as he spoke.

People nodded with tense faces.

One of the knights chimed in.

"This isn’t hard at all. We just need to each choose ourselves, right?"

"Exactly. If we do that, we can easily pass this trial. There’s no reason to choose anyone else, is there?"

It was obvious, and everyone nodded in agreement.

Except for one person, who frowned, troubled.

Karl.

'...This is gonna be a pain in the ass.'

As they said, the way to pass this trial was simple.

Everyone just needed to pick themselves.

[Lv.38]

[Heretic, Demon Worshipper]

[Lv.41]

[Spy from House Pluton]

The problem was that in this group, there was a crazy demon-worshipping bitch who wanted the trial to fail.

And, although they hadn’t made a move yet, there was also that damned spy.

Karl glanced sideways.

He could feel the demon worshipper glaring at him with quiet hostility.

She was still pissed about him solving the last trial.

Meanwhile, the spy’s attention was fixed on Rosariel.

'That bitch’ll definitely pick me, and the spy’s planning to pick the lady...'

This was a headache.

Karl could just pick the demon bitch in return, so he’d be fine—but Rosariel had no idea about the spy.

There was no way he could let her die because of this stupid rigged game.

"This is... odd, though."

"What is?"

"They said we just have to think of who we want to sacrifice, right? That means whatever’s behind this crap can read our minds too, doesn’t it?"

"Hmm... when you put it that way. Maybe it’s some kind of divine being?"

Karl took advantage of the small commotion and casually moved closer to Rosariel.

"My Lady."

"...?"

She turned to Karl, startled, her face tight with tension.

But what he said next was even more out of nowhere.

"Do you trust me?"

"...Trust you? What are you talking about all of a sudden?"

"I know it’s weird to say this about myself, but haven’t I done quite a bit for us to get this far? I’ve saved your life once, and I solved that Trial of Wisdom too. Isn’t that right?"

Rosariel nodded, still a bit dazed.

It was true, but she didn’t get why he was suddenly bringing it up now.

"And didn’t you say you’d repay me for saving your life? That now was the time?"

"...I did say that, but what the hell are you talking about? What do you mean, now’s the time?"

"It won’t be easy, but it’s simple. Just trust me once—even if it sounds insane."

Karl gave a sideways glance at the spy and whispered.

"When the trial starts, don’t pick yourself. Pick that knight."

"...?!"

Rosariel’s eyes widened like they were about to split.

She thought she’d misheard and asked again.

"What did you just say?"

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"When the trial starts, pick that knight."

"..."

Her face twisted, her eyes shaking violently.

Of course they did.

She didn’t know anything.

To her, Karl’s demand sounded like he was telling her to kill a loyal knight of her house, ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) out of nowhere.

Karl’s next words made her tremble even harder.

"He’s a spy from House Pluton. That knight will choose you."

"...!!"

"I know. You probably think I’ve lost my mind. But this is the only way everyone survives. The trial’s about to start, I don’t have time to explain. Just know I’ve got no reason to lie."

With that, Karl turned away.

Trying to explain more would just confuse her even further.

Honestly, he wanted to tell her to pick the demon bitch too, so they could just kill her here.

But that wasn’t an option.

If someone died, the trial would repeat.

And then, people would stop trusting each other, knowing someone hadn’t picked themselves.

After that, they’d all start picking each other, and it’d turn into chaos.

Killing the demon worshipper during this trial would be the worst move. As much as it sucked, there was no helping it. Right now, they all had to survive and pass.

Fwoosh!

The circle on the ground turned red, pillars of light shooting up from its edge.

And once again, letters appeared in the air.

「Choose your sacrifice.」

「Once everyone has chosen, the result will be revealed.」

Tension filled the faces of everyone in the expedition. Some even shut their eyes tight.

Rosariel bit her lip, glanced at Karl, then closed her eyes.

If she still didn’t listen after all that, there was nothing he could do.

If she died now and the trial repeated, Karl would kill both the bitch and the spy. No matter what.

He couldn’t let them mess up a second round. Things would spiral out of control. He’d rather kill them outright.

"..."

A heavy silence.

Someone swallowed loudly.

And then, the red circle returned to blue.

Grkkk...

At the same time, the stone gate to the next trial opened with a deep rumble.

"...Did we pass?"

The people, still stunned, let out a breath as they realized the trial was over.

A deep sigh of relief, rising from their core as the tension finally eased.

Even if there was no reason to pick someone else, their lives had been on the line—it was impossible not to be afraid.

'Good. That worked out.'

Karl let out a small sigh.

Thank god Rosariel had trusted him.

When he turned his head, he saw her staring at him, completely shocked.

And just behind her, the spy was watching her too—his eyes shaking like an earthquake.

That bastard probably couldn’t make sense of what just happened.

If they’d passed the trial, that meant Rosariel had chosen him too. His brain was probably short-circuiting by now.

"..."

Rosariel’s gaze shifted to him.

Their eyes met. The room was full of noise, but the air between them felt frozen, like you could cut it with a knife.

Shing!

That was when the spy drew his sword and charged at her.

He must’ve thought everything was exposed now and snapped, lashing out in desperation.

Karl didn’t need to move.

Another knight, who’d already sensed the strange tension, stepped in first.

Clang!

Blades clashed.

"...Stop him!"

"Protect the Lady!"

The other knights panicked and rushed in, drawing their swords.

The spy didn’t even manage a few swings before he was overpowered.

He dropped his weapon, his leg slashed, and was forced to his knees with a dozen blades aimed at him.

"Patrick, why... why would you do this?"

The knights were clearly rattled by the sudden betrayal.

Rosariel slowly walked up to him.

"He was a spy from House Pluton."

"...!!"

"He chose me during the trial just now. If I hadn’t chosen him in return, I’d be dead."

Her words made the knights glare at Patrick with cold eyes.

Rosariel drew her sword and pointed it at his throat.

"Got anything to say?"

"..."

The spy glared at her, eyes full of resignation, and finally spoke.

"...How the hell did you figure it out?"

Rosariel didn’t answer. She simply brought her sword down, without hesitation.

She asked if he had anything to say, not if she’d reply.

Slash!

Blood spurted.

His head hit the floor and rolled.

Karl was a little surprised at how decisively she executed him.

She hadn’t seemed like the type—but she had that cold side to her after all.

"W-What the hell just happened?"

The mages, adventurers, and priests were all thrown into confusion, but Rosariel explained it clearly.

It was a matter internal to her house. The others listened and just nodded. It wasn’t something they had any business interfering with.

"...Hey."

After things calmed down, Rosariel came up beside Karl and whispered.

"How did you know? About the spy..."

"We should focus on the trial for now, don’t you think? I’ll explain everything once we’re out of here."

It was a clear line, and she could only nod with a slightly unsettled look.

Karl had helped her too much now to push him for more.

"I really am grateful. I owe you my life twice now."

"Think nothing of it."

Karl turned his head slightly.

'Now... what about the bitch?'

Berren was in the same boat as the spy.

She’d chosen Karl too—but hadn’t gotten anything for it.

She stared at him, still not quite understanding what had just happened.

Karl grinned at her.

She must’ve at least realized that he’d figured her out, or come close. Her face twisted into a scowl.

"Let’s move on to the next."

The expedition passed through the stone gate, heading to the third trial.

* * *

「The Trial of Insight」

As they moved on, they entered a huge circular chamber.

In the center of the floor, there were three circles drawn.

Now what the hell is this?

Everyone looked confused, and as expected, more text appeared in the air.

1. Within 10 minutes, find the largest circle and stand inside it to pass the trial.

2. Anyone who doesn’t find and enter the largest circle in time will die.

3. No duplicates allowed.

"Find the biggest circle?"

Sounded simple enough.

But simple doesn’t always mean easy.

As people approached the circles, confusion quickly spread across their faces.

Because to the naked eye, all three circles looked exactly the same size.