At the Terminal while Scarlet is doing her Evaluation

Cipher continues staring blankly at the terminal for who knows how long, wondering just what the heck is going on. Never once has there been a blood magic user whose physical capabilities were so high. Not once.

Blood magic is supposed to be a magic focused, well, magic. It is not supposed to be a physical focused one.

But if that’s the case, then what are these results?!

After a few seconds, Cipher finally begins to remember that he isn’t alone. So he looks up just to find that Scarlet had already begun the Constitution test, making him immediately grimace before turning around at the sight of her clothes ripped up. Even if she continuously repairs them to keep them from getting too badly damaged to repair again.

Everyone hates that test.

Nearly three minutes pass before the test ends at the sound of the tone from the terminal. And the moment Cipher sees the results, he can’t help but shout, “What the fuck is going on here?!”

Tier B Constitution. Three Tier Bs in a row. In Physical capabilities. For a Blood Magic user.

Cipher raises his head to gawk at Scarlet, who is already walking back to the terminal with the platform having healed her of all of the wounds and even cleaned her and repaired her clothes for her after the test finished. But that doesn’t do anything for the scowl that’s on her face, showing exactly how she felt about that test.

After she reaches the terminal, she doesn’t even bother looking at Cipher, simply pressing the next test button and going back to the platform.

Is this why White wanted me to bring her to an orphanage of my my own creation and give her the same care as the other orphans? Because she knew just how powerful Scarlet would be if she became a Guardian? Or is there something else about Scarlet that I don’t know? There is of course the question of where her ears came from when she just has simple blood magic, but I can't see that making her this powerful...

Cipher can’t help but think back to the day when White arrived carrying Scarlet as a baby nineteen years ago. The first thing he thought when he saw her was that there was something strange about her. About the way she looked at him. Not as a baby would look at an adult, but with silence. With calm eyes and not making a single sound in the process.

Some things never change. And that was one of them.

Cipher looks down and rubs the lower half of his face as he ignores the test going on right now.

But just what is Scarlet’s connection to White? At this point I wouldn’t be too surprised if she were her mother. They do look a little bit similar, in a way. But then why would she give her daughter to someone else to raise? It doesn’t make any sense.

He thinks about the questions for several minutes before looking up again to find Scarlet struggling to keep going in the endurance test after having run on the treadmill for who knows how long. The test also occasionally stops the treadmill and has her fighting with a golem that is instructed not to actually harm her but to just tire her out before switching back to the treadmill again.

Another unpleasant test. But there’s no way she can get a fourth Tier B capability. Right?

Time flies by as the test continues until it finally ends with another tone, following which he lets out a sigh at seeing the capability at Tier C this time.

Right. No more Tier Bs. She can’t be that much of a demon.

If her capabilities were too high then people would flood her with requests to join their Association, or to enter their university. She wouldn’t have a moment of peace, and he knows exactly how that would turn out.

With her probably running and blowing everyone off, not bothering with it after only the fifth request. Which would in turn look bad for Cipher.

She’s already passed the criteria and more for Lion’s Heart, so it’s fine even if she gets a Tier D beyond this point.

Cipher nods to himself as Scarlet passes by, sending him a strange glance at his actions before pressing the next button on the screen.

Perception.

Wait. Doesn’t she… shit.

Cipher stares as she walks into the perception test, only to walk out of it again a few minutes later with the terminal beeping once more, showing her perception as Tier A.

Well, shit.

Scarlet’s eyes widen before she smirks and then presses the next button as if getting three capabilities in Tier B and one in Tier A wasn’t earthshattering already.

At this point, Cipher just stares at her, not letting anything faze him anymore. Not the nonchalance she’s carrying herself with, nor the theoretically impossible Tier set she has listed next to her physical capabilities.

“Scarlet…” he says, calling out to her right before she steps onto the platform of the vitality platform. But when she turns around to look at him with her head tilted slightly and her ears somehow tilting with them, he just says, “Nevermind. Just… just continue.”

Scarlet frowns at him, her head straightening, only to shrug and continue onto the platform.

After her test starts, he finds himself putting his face in his hands and leaning them on the cracked counter with a groan.

And to think I was originally thinking that I’d enjoy seeing her capabilities. That maybe her competitive streak would be sparked by seeing some low capabilities or something and she would work hard in training to make up for the lacking capabilities instead of just trying to level up. Or that he’d just be proud of her for doing quite well.

The tone sounds again a few minutes later, making him lift his head to see a B for Vitality as well.

At this rate, I’m pretty sure the others are going to be going after me to take her in.

Cipher turns to look at Scarlet, his frown growing deeper as he stares at the source of his current troubles. Only for her to frown and tilt her head ever so slightly in confusion again.