Kobold Wizard's Journal

Chapter 340 Heart and Eyes

Is that really how things are?
Ruger couldn't confirm it, only that the general outline of the events was laid out before him, or rather, the other person's life, the past few decades, was laid bare on the table, confessed to in person. The only difference between Ruger and the other person was that the other person was honestly admitting and showing what was on the table, while Ruger wanted to investigate what was under the table that supported everything.

Perhaps this is exactly what the assessment aims to achieve.

Ruger felt he was always trapped in the perspective of a wizard apprentice. Wizards and those powerful forces that had existed for a long time viewed things from a completely different angle than wizard apprentices who had only lived for a few decades.

Perhaps this test doesn't care about the so-called truth. What the brothers are really like is not important. What they want to see is the test taker, Ruger's reaction. Everything else is just a question. Although it is their life, the joys and sorrows of ordinary people on the island, it is just a tool for the test.

What matters is Ruger's reaction, whether he thinks about the situation, and how he handles it after thinking it over.

Should we believe what the other person says? Or, like Ruger, should we have the necessary skepticism?
Perhaps every move is being recorded.

There was an examiner in the shadows, or perhaps he didn't pay much attention to it, but the small trinket he wore served as a record. It's possible that once the assessment began, that trinket would allow a wizard from afar to see everything. The fact that they could set such a question meant that they had already investigated beforehand, and the answers were already in their minds.

However, Ruger believes that this answer should not be viewed from the perspective of an apprentice, as their ways of thinking may be very different.

If two brothers commit evil deeds, can they then enjoy the fruits of their evil deeds without any remorse if one of them is sacrificed?
Ruger didn't want to delve deeper into the thought, because further exploration would only make it harder to take action.

The foul-smelling skin was gone in a flash.

The twin wizard apprentices, kneeling on the ground, instantly collapsed, their outstretched hands unable to prevent their heads from hitting the ground.

Without becoming a wizard, one is ultimately insignificant.

"He used the power of faith to envelop his body..." the person who kept the rats nearby suddenly reminded him.

Luger nodded.

He certainly didn't know anything about this, but he had some guesses.

Judging from this guy's reaction, he was quite resentful of the witch hunter who appeared before him. Perhaps he transferred the resentment brought about by his brother's self-sacrifice, that desire for further progress, onto the witch hunter who was carrying it out. The intense malice was well hidden, which led Luger to speculate. Logically speaking, witch apprentices with strong mental power should be better able to hide their malice from being detected than other superhumans, but Luger had never encountered one that was hidden so cleanly. It seemed that this was the application of the power of faith, in order to deal with the witch hunter who might come.

Unfortunately, for Ruger, this kind of perfunctory approach is not just a matter of attitude, but directly affects the spell.

The twin wizard apprentices stood up, trembling.

It was not fear, nor physical pain, but endless resentment, which made me tremble.

"Oh? Are you angry? Think about your brother who made the sacrifice for you. Don't let all your previous efforts go to waste," Ruger said with a smile. "Do you think these methods can fool a witch hunter?"

The man trembled even more violently.

Ruger continued making things up.

“Your resolve is still insufficient, far from sufficient. You should plan more thoroughly, extend the timeframe, and make greater and more resolute sacrifices to obtain what you desire... Otherwise, even the endless sea will not be able to accommodate you.”

Ruger looked at him, or rather, at them. He thought that these two brothers had figured out that getting to this point on their own was the best they could do, the limit of what they could achieve.

“Do you know what your biggest mistake was?” Ruger suddenly said in a deep voice, “Actually, I’ve been playing you all along, toying with you brothers. I have no ability to see through it, nor to prove what you really did…” The malice was now even more intense and could no longer be concealed.

"Your so-called meticulous plans, your self-proclaimed ruthless sacrifices, are all done from the perspective of a wizarding apprentice," Ruger said in a complex tone. "You will ultimately fail. Wizards see things differently, and their methods are beyond your imagination. Your caution is nothing but a waste of time, even laughable, to them. Of course, they won't laugh at you; they'll just find it annoying... just like you, a god, looking down on those ordinary people in this city who pray to you or try to outsmart you in front of you..."

"Equally ridiculous..."

The twin wizard apprentices paused for a moment, their trembling bodies still.

"And I, unfortunately, am not a true apprentice demon hunter wizard. I am merely someone taking the test, and you are my test question..."

Ruger's words seemed to chill the other person's heart completely, and even the excessive malice subsided somewhat.

“During the assessment, some wizard will inevitably turn their attention here…” Ruger said with a smile. “Of course, it may only be their gaze; busy wizards probably won’t actually set foot on this island.”

This was one of the few valuable truths he uttered while he was making things up and teasing the other party.

However, Ruger felt that the other party might not be able to understand at the moment, or might not have the energy to think.

Ruger thought of the influence of human believers on their faith wizards, and then of the influence of demons on those they dealt with. Looking at the twin wizard apprentices before him, he felt that unless they were promoted to full wizards, they might no longer be able to perfectly control their emotions.

But in this situation, is it still possible to get promoted?
In various novels and stories, those who deal with demons almost always end up with nothing, getting closer and closer to success only to gain nothing in the end.

Suddenly, the malice that had just decreased surged dramatically.

Luger laughed; he liked it that way.

He couldn't figure out what the test questions were, or rather, he knew they wanted to see his performance, but he had no idea what kind of performance would be acceptable, so he couldn't act recklessly.

This "reckless behavior" refers to the limits of his actions, not the methods he would use. As for how to do it, he had already decided. Since he couldn't guess, he would just do it his own way.

But his methods were limited, so he used words to guide him, guiding him to a point where he could act recklessly.

Such as now.

"How dare you," the twin wizard apprentice trembled. "You're actually taking the exam? Why is it a witch hunter's exam? The incident I reported... is that all there is to it? Am I really that insignificant?"

The twin wizard apprentice raised his head as he spoke.

"If there were no wizard here, you could die, you inferior bloodline wizard. The Endless Sea is far larger than you imagine, far beyond the reach of any wizard, large enough to accommodate anyone. If there is indeed a formal wizard somewhere on this island, then let me kill you and die at the hands of that wizard."

A strong sense of malice surged within his incoherent words.

One could sense a strange resentment in his words, as if it had been suppressed for countless years, or perhaps it was a summary of the repression over those years, but there was no one to vent to, no target to vent to. And at this moment, it was only natural to direct this malice, which was intertwined with several emotions, at Luger.

Is he planning to kill me and then run away? Ruger thought to himself.

(End of this chapter)