Long ago, humans were originally beasts.

Though the ability to wield tools with hands and to craft language with tongues was praised as God’s gift, these traits were not particularly remarkable compared to other beasts. They were merely useful characteristics, just like those possessed by the all too ordinary, other animals.

Humans were just one of the many creatures walking this land.

When there was food in front of them, they ate, and they strived to spread their seeds all the same. For the sake of living. For the sake of survival. As it was quite literally a desperate effort, they were not particularly picky about their opponents and circumstances.

This effort included hunting fellow humans for food. Murder, rape, extermination, robbery. All of these existed as common sense within barbarism, without being specifically named.

And no one blamed them for it. After all, it was a perfectly natural thing to do.

Just like all other beasts.

And then, at some point in time… Humans found dignity.

They despised barbarism and established laws and morals. When the Saintess of Origin descended to this land and the King of Humans vanished, humans truly became the rulers of the earth.

After treating all barbarism as an Anathema and burying it in prehistory, they stood above the world, determining what was right and what was not. What was justice and what was injustice. Within this context, humans discovered prosperity and order.

However, as always, it was merely buried under sand and dirt. Anathema still… existed.

“Im-Impossible…. Nicholas. Are you saying you would do such a thing?”

Lankart, having heard the unexpected news, widened his eyes and covered his mouth with the book he was holding. His eyes trembled with disgust and fear, as if he was looking at a monster wearing human skin.

“I cannot understand. No matter, no matter how I think about it, I just can’t understand. Even if we are not in a position to pick and choose our methods… this, this! This is too much!”

So terror-stricken, even he, who normally wasn't easily scared, trembled violently. While clutching his arms pitifully and sobbing, Lankart roared fiercely.

“How, how could you think of feeding one in such an inefficient way! If there are ingredients…! For the sake of not letting the life of that ingredient become wasted in vain! It must be consumed completely!”

Lankart was a mage. As a mage officer, he inherently had access to all sorts of ancient texts. To say he found it by chance… was a bit shameless as his actions had been far too deliberate. But regardless, he had stumbled upon an Anathema.

And when he accessed some confidential information about the Anathema, he cheered and immediately went to Nicholas. He presented it to his friend as though he had found it coincidentally while investigating on his behalf.

The plan was successful, but only partially.

Lankart, having vehemently expressed his emotions, organized the thoughts that filled his mind.

“Type 1 Anathema. Gluttony. A forbidden ritual that gains their power by killing and quenching the throat with their blood and flesh. It is the easiest, and thus, the most horrifying Anathema.”

It was a bit difficult to even call it an Anathema. After all, 'Gluttony' itself was a common occurrence in daily life.

Long-cultivated crops or the meat of animals raised on them. Humans became stronger by taking hold of such things. By chewing and swallowing to nurture themselves, thus gaining Mana and Qi from within, they became healthier.

Simply put, Gluttony was just a synonym for the act of eating.

“But essentially, what is outside the body differs from what is inside. It requires a process to break it down and make it one’s own. That’s why Gluttony is very, very inefficient. In order to transform something, it demands equivalent losses worthy of that.”

That was why it was an Anathema. Those who tried to gain power through this Gluttony had devoured thousands of lives just to become slightly stronger. Historically, those who were called tyrants, disasters, or even devils were often empowered this way. Yet, in the end, most were vanquished. Even if one gained the strength of 1 by consuming 100, the accumulated karma would become too great to handle.

...However, it was not necessary to carry out Gluttony on such a large scale. A few humans, valuing efficiency, had found a slightly more productive way.

“Over 3 years, they have learned the same Qi Arts, nurtured similar mana, ate the same food, and shared the same biological cycles. It is hard to call them different people, as there are just too many similarities. It is a perfect situation… as if it was planned from the very beginning.”

It was a common occurrence. Secret organizations of a certain size would often raise orphans for a long period and then consume all but one with Gluttony. In fact, there were so many cases of this, that it needn’t even be mentioned.

That very Gluttony was undoubtedly one such reason why the Military State established schools. However, this Anathema had never been performed until now.

As prepared as he was, it was still rather shocking. Even so, Lankart understood that fact with great certainty.

“It makes sense. It is not necessary for me or that boar woman, after all. Eating a mere hundred or two hundred doesn’t change anything for us. And in fact, Historia actually won against two hundred alone….”

The world stood on top of rationality.

So far, the Military State had not sacrificed a hundred students to empower just one because creating such a half-baked artificial superhuman wasn't worth the sacrifice of the other hundred.

It wasn't a matter of flawed morality or ethics, but because it was simply irrational.

If so…

“However. For Huey, it is an entirely different story. That punk… just lacks power. But his ability to handle and manipulate it is more than sufficient.”

What if there was a case where consuming power through Gluttony turned out to be more rational? What choice would the Military State make?

Claiming to have formed some petty sentiment and affection.

Saying that everyone had deemed it a taboo.

Insisting that no one had ever tried it before.

Would they declare such things? Would they deny just for the sake of denial? Would they ignore rationality?

“The Military State has passed the test. This country is still worth working for….”

After a brief consideration, Nicholas decided to feed the students to Huey. Though, he did choose a slightly inefficient method. Instead of making them kill each other, he wanted to push them into a situation of mortal peril.

Excluding Lankart, Historia, and 38 other advanced students from different occupational groups, 162 students were destined to become stranded while following the course of the Hamelin River for a practical exercise. They would have to survive for two days in a forest inhabited by wolves, wild boars, and crocodiles.

…And it was likely that an Anathema Ritual was set up in the camp. So that someone’s blood could serve as sustenance.

“That method is incomparably despicable, but it is alright. I can just pull some strings, so that there are no issues. By the way, Nicholas, why choose such an ambiguous, uncertain method… Could it be?”

While searching for rationality, Lankart came upon a possibility that shocked him. It was an absurd hypothesis. In fact, he found it so ludicrous that he began laughing uproariously.

“Could it be? Could it be, Nicholas? Do you think Huey will kick away such an opportunity? HAHA! HAHAHA! Surely, surely not! There is no way that would be the case! He is a genius. Frustratingly, even more so than me! Do you really think such a monster would be hindered by something so mere?!”

After laughing for a while, he suddenly stopped. The sudden silence contrasted sharply with his previous laughter, giving off an even more eerie feeling.

Lankart smiled as if to dismiss or outright negate the hypothesis.

“This is a test, Huey. I… I trust you. I believe in you. If it is you, who is more talented than anyone… even more talented than myself… You will never miss this opportunity.”

Lankart muttered in a darker manner than ever before...

***

“Thanks for believing in me, Lankart. But I’m not sure if I can meet your expectations.”

“Eh? Huh? Why is that fucker’s name coming up here?”

After the written exam ended and everyone walked out drained of energy, Historia and I casually took a seat in the shade outside the exam hall. We seemed utterly detached from the exam we had just taken.

And in reality, we actually were.

Historia was an Irregular who should have been fast-tracked into a military academy and I was a walking ceiling for grades, always expected to be number one.

At Historia's question, I shrugged my shoulders and answered.

“Ah. You know, it looks like I’m going to be in first place again. Just as expected.”

Historia displayed her biggest smile of the day.

“What a shame! That jerk has been clinging to his book every day, saying he would definitely beat me this time. Too bad for him.”

“You’re right. He’s been working hard.”

Thanks to him, I benefited a bit. I could just read what he studied and use it myself. If there were gaps, I could refer to others' work.

To me, an exam was like a puzzle. I just picked up pieces to see if they fit, discarded them if they didn't, or stuck them into the puzzle if they seemed right. That mental gratification when a piece fit perfectly into an empty spot was so very stimulating.

It was honestly a pretty fun activity.

I wasn’t someone who knew the right answers immediately; I just read minds. If someone was convinced that the answer was 3 and I agreed without much thought, we would both end up with the wrong answer.

An exam was not about getting the right answers, but about learning the discrepancy between belief and reality. It wasn't what the Military State wanted, but it greatly contributed to training my Mind Reading.

“I think I’m first place for this exam too. At least, that’s what I expect. Let Lankart know. That he can go be number one in a place where I’m not around.”

“Giggle. Can I really tell him that verbatim?”

“Act like I didn’t allow you to. That punk hates me being hypocritical more than anything el-”

“That’s my specialty! I never get tired of seeing him so chagrined every year!”

“...Ria. But you know, without the bonus points in the practicals, you score lower than Lank-”

Historia grabbed my shoulder with the same smiling face. The strength that could crush a tin can was testing its power against my very bones.

“Ehhhh? Huey. Say one more word and I’ll spill everything about Movements Number 1 through 7 from the sparring test, okay?”

“I apologize. I was wrong.”

“If you hadn’t matched moves with me, you might have come in second place. Be careful from now on. And don’t mess with me.”

As usual, Historia, still joking and laughing carelessly, leaned her head against my chest. The crown of her head, covered in jet-black hair, filled my view.

After burying her face deeper, she whispered softly,

“...And be careful during the graduation practical exercise.”

Whoosh. With a swift motion, as if she never showed any weakness in the first place, she tilted her head back and grinned. Her long, braided hair moved energetically just like her.

“Hey! After this ends, you need to decide where you’re going to go! After all, your future changes depending on which military academy you choose!”

“Yeah. I need to think about that.”

“It’s best for you to think very carefully about it! If you feel like there’s nowhere to go, just come be my adjutant! I’ll be a general officer, so I can at least make a spot for you!”

While Historia spoke excitedly about a bright future, desperately suppressing her uneasy mind, I wondered why she felt so anxious.

She didn't know anything about Gluttony according to my Mind Reading. If so, was it some instinctive realization?

Or was she just a bit afraid of graduation and separation itself? Just like the other kids?

It was hard to say. Human emotions were incredibly complex, after all.

I, too, feigned brightness in response to her hopeful mood.

“Nah. Come on. I still have some pride, you know? How can the top student be an adjutant to 3rd place?”

“I told you, I’m in 2nd place!"

Still, her current bright demeanor was only possible because she was unaware of Gluttony.

But what if…

What if Historia was to find out about Gluttony? How might she change?

Would she accept it? Or would she deny it?

I wasn’t too sure. Though I was a Mind Reader, I couldn’t possibly fathom the future. I could only guess.

“Historia. If some problem occurs… Can you help me?”

“...What are you talking about all of a sudden? What is that supposed to mean? Are you going to die or something?”

But I couldn't say any more than I already had. This was a secret closely guarded by Nicholas and Lankart. If I, as a mere student, revealed awareness of the conspiracies surrounding me, I would surely be questioned about the source.

Being discovered as a Mind Reader, or even suspected of it, was not an option. It would render my only weapon useless.

Though everything was shared with me, it ultimately left me in solitude. Why me? Even if I wished to ask that, there wasn’t a single person who could answer.

I shrugged nonchalantly and spoke.

“I was just scared. You know how infamous the graduation practical exercise is. I heard people die there all the time.”

“What a scaredy-cat.”

Though she said that, Historia was smiling happily. She shook her head vigorously with a youthful smile.

“I’ll save you. In exchange, if that happens, you’ll be my adjutant, okay?”

“I just realized how ironic it is for 1st place to ask for help from 3rd place. Forget what I just said. I’ll just handle it myself.”

“Hey!”

Waving grandly at Historia, I headed towards the assembly point.

A place where many go but few return; the practical exercise, a veritably one-way street, was about to begin.