Testing

"Fuck, it hurts."

Headache.

Artorius felt like someone repeatedly hitting the back of his head with a spear, both in reality and in dreams several times... so goddamn painful.

Artorius, who regained consciousness again, groaned, "Agh..."

Such an attractive youth, such agony. If it were the usual big sister, she would have surely shown concern and care by now.

But the other person didn't.

"You're not dead, kid."

The cold, purple-haired beauty uttered such cold words. Artorius, dizzy and disoriented, fixed his gaze on her icy face.

Unlike the battle-hungry woman from the previous battle, this Scathach had an aura of tranquility and wisdom.

She crouched beside Artorius's head, looking at him with indifferent eyes.

"Just now..."

Artorius recalled and confirmed how he had been defeated.

When his Frost of Deathly Silence froze her right arm, Scathach swiftly turned around, allowing it to pass.

In that split second before the Frost of Deathly Silence could spread, she struck Artorius on the back of his head with the butt of the spear in her left hand.

As the Frost Dragon, Artorius had an incredibly robust physical constitution, so he shouldn't have fainted from a single blow. However, he also had to factor in the head injury caused by Scathach's surprise attack in the real world before. The combination of the two made Artorius lose consciousness.

'It was just a moment.' Artorius thought, 'If just a little longer, the Frost of Deathly Silence would have spread throughout her body, and then the victory would have been mine.'

That's why he had to get close to her, initiating the Reality Marble. He was concerned about her speed and reaction.

If he couldn't strike from zero distance, she would undoubtedly evade his Reality Marble's range, use some magecraft, or find other ways to counter him.

Artorius's plan had indeed succeeded.

As for the subsequent failure, it was the result of the shameless surprise attack from her before the battle.

"So, let's call it a draw, fifty-fifty. Since she as well, could barely hold her ground against me after all."

Artorius deliberately spoke in a tone that Scathach could hear and said softly.

Scathach: "..."

The Queen of the Land of Shadows felt that she hadn't hit this kid hard enough.

Although she didn't fully understand Artorius's thought process, by putting herself in his shoes and reconstructing the previous battle scene, Scathach, possessing the 'Wisdom of Dun Scaith', could grasp about seventy to eighty percent of his meanings.

And then, she felt like hitting him.

"I only used spearmanship, kid."

After standing up, Scathach said to Artorius with a casual tone, "I didn't use magecraft, nor did I use my authority as the Queen of the Land of Shadows. And yet, I am the one who emerged victorious."

"Uhh, yeah, sure, sure."

Artorius also stood up and looked at the purple figure in front of him with a slightly contemptuous gaze.

"You won, you won, okay? Are you satisfied now, Big Sister?"

Scathach: "..."

No, she wanted to hit him even more.

This kid's attitude seemed to say—"You're already such an adult. Why bother arguing with me, a child, about these trivial matters? So competitive and eager to prove yourself. What Queen of the Land of Shadows? What Hero? you're just too narrow-minded."

"So..." She took two deep breaths, suppressing the desire to beat him up, and then said to him, "Why were you searching for me all over Ireland, Britain's Son of Dragon?"

"Firstly, your address is outdated," Artorius told her, "My primary titles now are Governor of the Roman Empire, Conqueror of Germania, Guardian of Gaul, and Savior of Europe. Secondly, I no longer wish to find you. The journey of seeking you, prompted by a momentary whim has ended because this prince is now satisfied. So now, it is you who has come to find me, Your Majesty. You're the one who's so competitive."

Watching Artorius behave shamelessly like that, talking nonsense with a straight face, Scathach burst into laughter instead of anger.

"Is this the kind of tough guy act you put on in front of women you like?" she commented, "Of course, even if you're like that, I don't dislike it."

"..."

Hearing Scathach's words, Artorius showed a flustered expression of 'How did she know?' which made Scathach burst into a joyful laugh.

"Don't pretend, kid," Scathach leaned in close to Artorius's ear and spoke with a magnetic voice, "With your craftiness, you wouldn't be flustered just by this. Stop this poor performance of yours."

"..."

"Hahaha~"

Hearing Scathach's remark, Artorius finally revealed a genuinely happy smile from within.

"It's not poor at all, Your Majesty Scathach," Artorius turned his face slightly, imitating Scathach, and whispered in her ear, "I've been earnestly contemplating your feelings. That's why I'm acting with great care."

"Such a boring trick."

"Really? Is that what you think? Don't you find it amusing?"

"What a twisted taste."

"Agree to disagree, then."

After this conversation, the two of them separated. Two chairs appeared out of thin air behind them, and Artorius and Scathach sat down together. Artorius could see a sense of 'appreciation' in the other's eyes.

===

From the moment Scathach appeared before Artorius, they were testing each other.

To be more precise, Scathach was the one testing Artorius more.

Testing his reaction speed, his martial skills, his intelligence, character, and even his shamelessness.

It was her instinct as an excellent 'Teacher.'

Every teacher tests their new students to assess their abilities and tailor their teaching accordingly. Scathach was no exception.

She divided each test subject into six grades: EDCBA, and an extraordinary evaluation that didn't fit into any category, EX. Of course, in reality, these should be written with runic letters. But using modern English directly makes it easier to understand, right?

Scathach's evaluation of Artorius was quite high.

Martial Arts, B-: Coming from a disciplined background, he is very solid. He has gained a lot of practical experience on the battlefield, but without guidance, his techniques and moves need improvement.

Magecraft, B--: He patched together his knowledge, self-taught. His foundation in magecraft is weak, but there is a lot of room for improvement.

Physique, A+++: Whether his speed, strength, endurance, or magical energy, they are all top-notch. Flexibility, reaction speed, and body control need improvement, but with training, they can reach the highest level.

Wisdom and Temperament, A-: Quite intelligent, cunning, and willing to resort to any means necessary. In some aspects, he even exceeds her expectations...

In conclusion, this is a child with considerable talent and potential. The potential and talent are so high that it made her excited. It's hard to resist the urge to teach and eagerly anticipate his progress.

Teacher Scathach is very satisfied with this.