W-We transported...
Along with Lord Anos!
Wait a second, you think this was an indirect transfer?
What is it, like an indirect kiss?
If we got transferred by linking spaces...
Then it's the same as if we all got linked to Lord Anos!
Oh!
And since it was our first time ever...
First indirect transfer!
Settle down, my students.
A god's word is absolute.
Whoops, uh-oh...
He called us out...
Starting today, we'll be administering an Aharthern Expedition Exam.
That forest is a Spirit.
The way to it depends on the rumors of the time.
You will search for those rumors, and reach the forest within ten days.
That will be your task for this expedition exam.
When the Lishas Meadows surrounding Zehenburg are covered in a mysterious fog,
you'll find mischievous spirits lurking there.
Make them smile, and they'll show you the way.
This rumor is your clue.
Now, then, offer the gods your gratitude and highest praise,
and let the exam begin!
I know it's an order, but still...
I just can't figure these Gods out.
03 - THE SPIRIT'S SCHOOL BUILDING
Well, we split up into four groups, but since we're with you, Anos...
Does that mean it's possible that one of us is the Child of God?
The odds are about the same.
Misha did create a pseudo-god, but she is a descendant of mine.
Who do you think you are, little girl?
Ugh!
You may be an information broker or whatever,
but you better stop spreading vile reviews of my shop!
You only have yourself to blame!
Running your business like a scam, and ripping off travelers the way you do!
Who's running the scam here?
I've heard how you're always talking up a storm about a forest that doesn't exist!
Aharthern does too exist! You just don't believe it!
Tch!
Hey, give this one a beatdown!
I'd stop right there if I were you.
Who the hell are you?
Butt out, stranger!
Sorry, but I need to speak with this woman.
What a pain in the butt! Go on, school him about local customs!
Forgive me, I couldn't help blasting you away with my laugh.
If safety is important to you, I wouldn't say anything too funny.
Thanks. I owe you one!
That's all right. I wanted to ask you something.
Do you know the way to Aharthern?
Then you believe it exists?
I've been there before.
Huh?
But to enter that forest, one needs to know about its rumors.
If you agree to tell me what they are, I'll give you whatever you want.
Then will you bring me along?
That would be fine. But what do you want to do there?
I don't know.
I know this may sound strange...
But I've lost my memory, see.
Hmm.
When I came to, I was here in this town.
And I know there was something that I needed to do...
But when I heard the rumor about Aharthern, I knew that I had to go there.
I feel like I've forgotten something that I shouldn't have.
I'm sure I'll find a clue in Aharthern!
She doesn't seem to be a Demon.
What are you going to do?
Fine. I'll take you with me.
Really? Thanks!
I'm an information broker, and I've gathered all kinds of rumors about Aharthern.
Was there a rumor about a mysterious fog?
Yes.
The fog covers the meadows during an eclipse.
An eclipse? But those hardly ever happen, do they?
No, there'll be one nine days from now.
What?
About three minutes past noon.
Three minutes...
Not a lot of time to make the spirits smile.
Misha.
Let Lay and the others know.
Let's go.
Go? What about the eclipse?
Not a problem.
Ih Guneas.
Even moving a star isn't beyond me.
Oh! The fog is rising!
Aharthern must be beyond that!
Anos' magic doesn't seem to surprise you.
What?
I guess not.
But somehow it feels familiar.
Do you remember your own name?
It's Lena. I think...
All right, Lena. Do you know any rumors about the spirits luring in that fog?
The Spirits, Tithi. Since they love anything new,
you can probably get them to smile if you show them something cutting-edge.
Cutting-edge might be easier said than done.
I have a plan.
What kind?
I'll say something funny.
And then you'll correct me, Sasha.
And then?
They'll burst out laughing.
I've never heard of such a half-baked plan!
You don't like it?
Of course not.
Everybody!
There was an eclipse all of a sudden, and it gave us a start!
If there's fog already, does that mean we can get to Aharthern now?
We've only just begun. All of you, use your hidden abilities.
Tithi, here's the question!
What are my favorite numbers?
Zero and three, I think?
Lay...
Who said to start mooning over each other?
Now then, Zeshia.
Let's see your Sasha impression!
Lord Demon King... I love you.
That's ridiculous!
And now your Misha impression!
Misha's gonna do her best.
Who's that?
I don't sound like her?
I mean, why are you teaching Zeshia to mimic people anyway?
Hmm.
Lord Anos!
We're so sorry!
For being late!
Where did you get those?
Oh, we bought them in that town just now.
S-See, they had such a lucky name, we couldn't help ourselves.
Oh? What would that name be?
It's... the Club of Anossu, see.
How can you utter the name "Club of Anossu" in front of Lord Anos, Ellen?
You need to be more careful.
R-Right.
It's the real thing!
The real thing! The real thing!
Real thing?
The Club of Anossu.
Lord Anos's...
...Club of Anossu.
What interesting children!
What fun children!
Long time no see, Tithi.
Huh?
What's this?
I know this person!
It's the Demon King of Tyranny.
I'd like to go to Aharthern. Will you show me the way?
Sure!
Sure! Come on!
To the Great Spirit Forest!
You might as well see it up close.
That way, I can keep an eye on you better.
No need to be so wary. I'm only going to lead the class.
Since it's an order.
We're here! The Great Spirit Forest!
So this is Aharthern.
Tithi. There should be a Demon here named Shin Reglia. Do you know him?
Shin Reglia?
Don't know him!
Don't know him, do we?
There are subordinates of the Demon King.
Demons from 2,000 years ago.
They're in the Spirit's School Building.
Anos, Spirit?
Apparently so.
A Spirit based on a rumor about memories...
That's what it might mean.
- Hey! - Huh?
This girl looks like Leno!
She really does!
Great Spirit Leno!
Huh?
The mother of all Spirits.
But Leno is...
She passed away.
When was it?
Hmm, when was it?
A few years ago?
Maybe 2,000 years ago?
I forget!
Because she is the child borne by the Great Spirit Leno.
What? What?
But she smells like her.
Leno's smell.
Uh... I was told that I'm the Great Spirit Leno's child by birth.
Child by birth? The child in her tummy?
What's your name?
Misa.
You're Misa?
Hmm.
Um! Then do you know who the father is?
Of Leno's child?
That's a secret!
We're not allowed to tell!
The Spirit King said so!
Spirit King?
He didn't exist 2,000 years ago.
Wow, it's gigantic!
What a shock.
Here he is!
Some Demons are here.
Always here.
A classroom?
But nobody's here.
What?
What's this?
They've been spirited away!
Well, well.
Who would've thought I'd see you here?
You haven't changed. After going after my subordinates...
...you have some nerve, Scarlet Monument King Gilysiris.
Scarlet Monument King!
Ah, ah. You mean Zabro?
Even I didn't intend for that to happen, you know.
But there's so much pressure from above.
I never thought you'd serve another Demon.
It's been 2,000 years. You shouldn't judge things by outdated, shallow criteria.
I have surpassed you by far.
I wonder if any of the other Four Evil Royals are around, too?
The bad kids?
They'll be here soon!
The one with the horns, and the one with the eye patch!
Unless the necessary sacrifices are made,
there will only be more additional sacrifices.
King of the Netherworld.
When did you ally yourself with the Scarlet Monument King and the King of Curses?
If that's how it looks to you, it's the Spirits' handiwork.
School bell? Enyunien?
What's going on here?
Are we trapped in here?
My name is Enyunien.
This is the Spirit's School Building.
Why's everyone just sitting here quietly?
Hmm... we might all be trapped inside this place.
Let me explain to the new students.
In this building, we teach about various Spirits, and their histories.
To enter means that you've matriculated,
and you cannot leave until you've graduated.
As the so-called Great Tree Spirit of Education, I'll be teaching this class.
Those who fail will be spirited away, thanks to the Hidden Wolf Gennul.
Also, we have a zero-tolerance policy regarding violence here.
Anyone who defies this policy will be forced to traverse the back of the long serpent Ibiteoh.
What do we have to do in order to graduate?
You must pass my trials.
Those who take three tests, and get an average score of more than 80,
are eligible to undergo the Spirit's Trial.
Pass that, and you will be granted an audience with the Spirit King.
And those who succeed can then graduate.
And those who've been spirited away?
If you plead your case to the Spirit King, I believe he'll return them to you.
In other words, our only option is to go through these trials.
I understand how it works now.
But let us take one single test.
What's that now?
We can just take the three tests in one go.
Hmm. Right, but my tests are difficult, you know.
It's fine.
Very well. However...
To pass, you must score at least 90.
Quite a bold thing to do.
The tests will be held a week from now.
Don't think that they'll be easy.
Then why don't we bet on it, Scarlet Monument King?
Bet, did you say?
We will all pass these tests.
Not just you, you mean?
Yes.
If I win, then you'll have to tell me about the "one above" from whom you received your orders.
Then if I win, I shall claim your Source.
It's settled, then.
You'll soon regret this. Zecht.
Do we have a chance of winning?
These are Spirit tests we're talking about, right?
I think they'll be hard.
You can start learning now.
And there's someone here who's well-informed.
What? Me?
Lena. Do you know that you're a Spirit?
Yes.
I got a vague sense of that when we got here... and now I'm certain.
You spoke his name before Enyunien even arrived.
I don't believe that that was due to hearsay.
Well, I remembered that all of a sudden.
It seemed like I knew about the Spirit's School building... and Gennul, too.
Hmm.
If you can find the trigger, you may find a way to restore your memories.
Empty out your mind.
Okay.
Well?
I remember now... I think.
A lot of things about the Spirits.
I... have to see the Spirit King.
Why is that?
I can't remember.
That's all I know about myself.
Are there things that people can't remember, even under your spells, Lord Anos?
Well, this might not be just your ordinary amnesia.
But there are other ways of recovering those memories.
Thank you!
You really are amazing, after all, Anos.
What do you mean, after all?
Huh? Um... I don't know, that's just how it feels.
I might have met you before, maybe?
Is that right?
All right, let's start with a study group for the test, everyone.
Yeah, but we don't even know what the range of the test will be.
Don't worry, I know!
This is the Forest of Books!
The green books are all about the Spirits,
and the test questions will come from here.
Wow! That's a boatload of books!
Reading... isn't my strong point.
Hmm...
Huh? You're done reading already?
I only got through half.
Huh?
If you can't pull this off overnight, you won't escape death.
That was 2,000 years ago, though, right?
Leave the studying methods to me.
I'll turn you all into fine Spirit Scholars.
I can't find anything that would tell us about you in these books.
I see.
But there is just one page that caught my eye.
Love Fairy Fran?
The Spirit who gives shape to unrequited love,
and brings people together...
The page has been ripped out.
Right.
Rivide.
Seems to have been torn out quite a long time ago.
The test questions can be found in the Book Fairy Leelan.
The time limit is one hour.
Begin!
Although definitely a Spirit,
which Spirit isn't based on any rumors?
The answer is Hexapod Fairy Jijayk.
Love is memory. Memory is love...
The spirit who wanders about seeking love...
Nothing about this Spirit has been recorded in the Forest of Books.
So the answer's on that page?
Love Fairy Fran.
Strange. It should be easy to answer questions of this level.
Meaning that those are the wrong questions?
Would you like to check yourself, Demon King?
If you can get past the Demonic Eyes of Enyunien, who can see all foul play,
and look at the answers written by your subordinates.
Although those Demonic Eyes have been bolstered by this stone monument.
Hmm.
Your defeat has already been determined.
I see... So you've tampered with the questions.
Show me some proof.
But if you look at anyone else's answers, you'll be cheating.
That would depend on the time and place.
Although definitely a Spirit,
which Spirit isn't based on any rumors?
Well, that's too bad. The questions are the same.
Enyunien! I caught this one cheating!
You must fail him on the spot!
That, I cannot do.
What are you talking about?
Do you cheat after the test is over?
Huh?
I've already received Anos's answers.
What?
I never even saw him writing.
You didn't see me?
Oh, but Anos. Make sure you don't disturb the other students.
Right.
I wanted to save this for later, but...
Mmm... Now then, shall I announce the results?
Eges Code, 85
Kyhilam Jiste, 81.
Gilysiris Dello, 80.
Next, the new students. Zeshia Bianca...
150 points out of a perfect score of 100!
Impossible!
And as for the other new students, everyone got a perfect score of 100!
Now this can't possibly be right.
There must've been some kind of foul play.
I had my eyes peeled. There was absolutely no foul play here.
Would you mind showing me the answers?
Fine.
Question 27, the correct answer is Corpse of Lava...
But "Daytoylich" has been entered here.
The scoring must be off, no?
Hmm. But I felt that it could also be interpreted that way.
What?
This one, too! Question 15, the number of Spirits related to fishing.
The answer is 17!
Depending on how you count them, I thought that 21 could be possible, too.
Then what about this?
It says, "I don't know"!
No matter how you look at it,
it can't be right!
To admit honestly that one doesn't know—
not everyone can do such a thing.
What—no way—this is...
Did you think that just because the answers were wrong,
we couldn't get a perfect score?
Before the Magic Sword of Destruction,
even a blank page becomes a score of 100.
What a dirty trick.
Now, then, who's the dirty one here?
Rivide.
The questions were rewritten, only during the actual test.
You must've spoken directly to the Book Spirits,
and gone behind both mine and Enyunien's backs.
To honor our contract, you will now answer.
Is your "superior" the Spirit King?
That would be correct.
Did you use his power to engage in foul play?
You have no proof that it was I.
Mm... that's true. As they say, innocent until proven guilty.
I'm going to grant everyone the right to undergo the trial.
You've all passed!
THE SPIRIT'S TRIAL
The Spirit's Trial.