At a certain point in the forest, the blindfolded girl had just finished tending to all the unfortunate people she had encountered on the brink of death.

It was night time by now and she had healed all 48 of them.

She was currently resting beneath a tree lamenting her fate. It was quite odd for someone to waste precious time during a test—the most important one of their lives at that—to help your competition.

That was the thought going through Kasen's head as he lay down face up, looking at his benefactor.

It would be one thing to help a single person, after all it wouldn't cost much.

But the girl was clearly tired, breathing heavily and sweating buckets. It would be safe to say her chances of passing the exam were quite low now.

'Is she just dumb... or hopelessly naive.' Kasen thought straightening up into a sitting posture. He crossed his legs and called out to her.

"Hey, thanks for saving me." He said simply. Then he fell into silence looking at her and she turned her face his way.

The girl looked at him puzzled, "Why are you already able to get up?"

It wasn't a foolish question. Those who had been wounded earlier by Vincent the mad butcher were still asleep.

The only two awake were Kasen and the unseeing girl in front of him.

'Hmmm, Vincent the mad butcher. I think that's a nice nickname.'

Kasen stood up then went to sit down next to the white-haired girl, "You're strange." He said, getting comfortable.

"Why would you help all these people? Aren't they technically your enemies?"

The girl looked at him for a while, not responding. She glanced at the unconscious people that lay on the grass in front of her.

She answered, "This is a special case don't you think? You were all grievously wounded. Who knows what kind of fate would have befallen you had I not arrived?"

She looked at him, then dropped her gaze down to his right side, "I'm surprised you can move so well. The wound isn't fully closed."

Kasen glanced down at his side, it still hurt. Though the pain was mild compared to what he felt a couple hours ago.

"I have you to thank for that don't I?" he said.

Kasen would be mostly inhibited by the wound for at least a few days. It was enough to make him slower by at least half.

"By the way..." Kasen looked up at the moon, its light shining down on them both, "Why isn't the exam over? I didn't think we would still be here after all this time."

The girl nodded, "You're right. I thought that the professors would have announced the candidates who passed and come to treat those who had been injured."

"I guess there's something we don't know." She said, resting her head against the tree trunk.

Kasen looked down, holding his chin, "Now that I think about it... the professor who explained the rules never said anything about how long we had to complete the exam..."

The girl looked at him, her eyes hidden behind her blindfold, "So you're saying that there's no time limit?"

Kasen shrugged his shoulders, "No idea."

The two pondered on the meaning of this discovery for a long while.

Kasen occasionally asked a question or two, wanting to get to know the person that saved him.

From their talks, he had gotten to know that her name was Jessy. She was apparently someone who grew up at a holy place, a few cities away from this one.

Kasen didn't really know much about 'holy places' so he asked for more specifics.

Jessy was quite ready to explain, telling him that a holy place was a place of worship to something called a deity.

There were a couple deities that were worshiped in this world. Each usually having a lot of holy places or temples as some liked to call them.

Jessy also asked Kasen about his life and his story. It wasn't anything special.

He was from a now fallen noble house. The house fell because his parents died and there was no one to inherit and manage their territory.

Kasen himself didn’t inherit the territory so the kingdom he belonged to stripped away his noble title and gave his families territory to another noble house.

He travelled to the academy with his loyal maid Luu and applied here, waiting to see where life would take him.

Jessy listened with a quiet attention that allowed Kasen to pour out his feelings.

At some point it had turned into a therapy session.

"I don't hate the kingdom for what they did." He said, his head resting on the grass, "It was necessary and I totally understand."

Jessy who seemed to have recovered somewhat from her earlier healing spree, put a finger to her chin.

"But you said you didn't want to inherit the territory. Why would you be mad about losing your noble title?"

Kasen folded his arms, "That's not the point. A noble title is a very convenient tool. You can skip lines. Ask for private meetings with important people..."

"And you can do whatever you want depending on where you are!" Kasen said, trying to convince Jessy.

Jessy shook her head and looked at the horizon. She preferred the simpler lifestyles. The extravagant living of the nobles just didn’t appeal to her.

It was already getting brighter. The sun would appear under the hour at this rate.

Kasen followed her gaze, "I thought maybe the exam was going to extend into the night and end in the morning. But it doesn't seem like that's the case."

Jessy looked at him apologetically, "You know you didn't have to stay with me. You could have gone off and hunted some beasts. That way you might have had a chance of passing."

Kasen shook his head, "And leave you unprotected in a forest full of monsters. I may be a fallen noble but my sense of honor is still very much with me."

Jessy laughed. "We'll both fail the test at this point. You know that right?"

Kasen shrugged, "I would have already failed if it wasn't for you saving me. I could even say you saved my life."

Jessy blushed slightly, "I didn't do anything too heroic. The academy wouldn't let students just die while taking their exam."

The two kept each other company until the sun was visible. Kasen belatedly realized that he was sort of tired.

It wasn't enough to stop him from continuing the exam, but it was going to be a bit of a struggle from now on. His list of burdens seemed to be increasing.

Jessy had recovered somewhat from the previous day, but he couldn't count on her to be at her best.

"Ughhh, hmmm." Kasen and Jessy both turned to see where the sound came from.

They both stared as one of the candidates on the floor rose to their feet unsteadily.

"Ugh, W-Where am I?" He spoke with visible trembling in his voice. He looked around the forest in confusion before his eyes settled on Kasen and Jessy.

"W-Who are... Who are you guys?" He asked pointing at the two of them.

Jessy stood, gently raising her arms to appear unthreatening, "Hello there. I'm Jessica. You were attacked and left bleeding. I advise you don't move around too suddenly."

The boy shook his head, then gasped suddenly and started feeling all over his body with his hands.

"What? But, but... I was ..." The boy was clearly still reeling from the shock of having his guts spilled out.

Kasen guessed even Vincent wouldn't want to provoke the school by killing a potential student.

This particular student had it easy — he was the first person Jessy treated. The others, like him, would have to manage their wounds or heal themselves.

Jessy spoke again, "Please calm down, you're no longer in danger!"

The boy didn't seem to be listening, as he slowly crumbled to the floor crying. His face was one of pure agony.

It seemed the torture Vincent had put them through wasn't something a person could just walk off.

Kasen stood up, about to suggest something to Jessy so she could handle the situation.

But then he heard it.

A voice could be heard as if the speaker was located inside his ear. It was clear and smooth, like that of a fairy.

[All necessary situations have been met. 

Hello aspiring students!

I am the exam managing system.

I am glad to inform you that all beasts have been hunted in the second degree and first-degree regions.]