The operation failed.
“I’m sorry, Saintess.”
“No, it’s my own mistake for not anticipating that the Dark Trading Company had that level of capability.”
“Thank you for your generous forgiveness, Yufi.”
Yufi understood as well.
Jezel.
For a mere commoner, his cunning was exceptional.
He teamed up with the Arcadia Princess for business.
Desperately dreaming of that opportunity, there were hundreds of followers fluttering around her.
Out of those, only a handful could hold a proper conversation, and the practical elite guard who came to assist her on the Arcadia’s call was barely in single digits.
Given that Jezel was a man chosen equally as a business partner that even that elite guard failed to recruit, he was certainly not a man to be underestimated.
But that shouldn’t mean the warrior had to fail.
“Does that mean you’re going to give up easily?”
As the fierce yellow glare flickered in Yufi’s eyes like a beast, Skola shivered in surprise. Was it shame to be overwhelmed by the Saintess, or was it shame over his failure?
Biting his lip while confronting the humiliation, Skola bowed his head in a submissive stance.
“If there’s an opportunity for revenge, please grant it.”
“The practice is over. Next is the midterm exam showdown. Show me your specialty in the next upper class test.”
“…Saintess. Like I said before, I can’t directly snipe.”
“I’m not saying to attack Oknodie herself. There’s another target, right? One you can shoot at.”
At Yufi’s clarification, Skola realized what target she was referring to.
“Do you mean to aim for Oknodie’s golem?”
“There’s no rule against attacking the boarding animals. This academy is quite lenient with its regulations.”
“The golem is a rock creature. I’m an archer.”
Skola hesitated.
The extraordinary talents of Oknodie and her surrounding protective forces, along with her close ties to competent individuals.
Anyone seeking to target her needed to fully reconsider whether they truly wanted to pursue her.
Yufi understood Skola’s mentality as well.
A cowardly man.
But that didn’t mean his skills were a lie either.
“And you’re a disciple of the archery master. I heard the master’s arrows can pierce any metal in the world. Can’t the disciple even pierce a rock?”
Yufi’s provocation hit its mark directly, piercing his pride.
Skola’s gaze shifted.
“I’ll show you how far my arrow can penetrate.”
*
Tuesday, 5:40 AM.
The upper class students gathered at the foot of the mountain unusually early.
They had to take the exam six hours earlier than usual lecture time to hold the Ironman Triathlon.
“Oknodie must be nice. The boarding animal listens well.”
“But Dorothy is quite skilled too. She chose the horse everyone covets as her boarding animal!”
“What about our Rudolf?”
“How’s Rudolf’s condition?”
“I don’t know. He’s been gloomy since he ate something strange. Should I say he’s sulking…? The other horses probably stole his feed.”
“…That’s a big deal!”
“What was that hesitation just now?”
“…I was worried about how to comfort you!”
Such brazen lies from Oknodie.
Isabel, watching from behind, poked Jezel in the side.
“Will Oknodie be okay?”
“Even if the excuses are shaky, she won’t get caught. As seen in the entrance exam, Dorothy has a naïve nature that’s weak to trickery.”
“That’s not it. The exam. The eyes are everywhere!”
Skola, who had already told the professor about Oknodie’s feed theft at the boarding storage room, was concerned, but so were the burning gazes coming from everywhere.
Princess Masugaki’s followers and those who idolized Warrior Ishtar were among them.
Many students eager to check the overwhelmingly ranked first Oknodie glared fiercely.
‘Just grab her skirt and cling on!’
‘Oknodie. I won’t let you ride that golem!’
‘Let’s find out who’s the relative weakling this time♡’
It was clear to see their inner thoughts just by looking at their expressions.
Contrary to Isabel’s concerns, Jezel remained calm.
“I understand the worrying heart, but there’s no need for it.”
“Isn’t it obvious we’ll be concentrated on?”
“It’s not like we’re in a relaxed position to worry about others.”
“Are we going to be targeted too?”
“It’s not just us being targeted. Professor Plato has cunningly deceived all upper class students.”
The ground trembled as grains of sand and gravel flew into the air.
A great number of something approached.
Thump. Thump.
The sounds grew closer.
The insects stopped chirping, and the birds ceased their chirping from early morning.
Boom… Thump!
Finally, even trees began to tumble.
As the procession that had been approaching from beyond the rocky area finally emerged from the forest, they could grasp the source of the sudden commotion.
“Students?”
“Look at their collars. It’s the insignia of the second year.”
“W-What! That insane number!”
Over a thousand students, all glaring with venom in their eyes.
“Lazy bums. You’ve finally arrived.”
As Professor Plato ridiculed them, a knight clad in armor stepped forward from among the students with a clanking sound.
“This year will be different. We’ve trained hard for this day.”
“Hahaha! Looks like you’re in trouble, Andrew Conrad. This year’s upper class has skill levels unmatched in history. You won’t stand a chance.”
A battle of words between the two professors.
Who was that unfamiliar professor, and why did the second years gather at the first year upper class exam venue?
A vague sense of anxiety loomed.
The cruel truth that one wished to ignore.
As the instructors leading the second years approached and stood in front of the first year upper class, everyone had no choice but to forcibly awaken to the reality they dreaded.
“Midterms for the first year upper class will be taken simultaneously with the second year lower class students.”
“Ehhh!?”
“The exam will run from 6 AM to 6 PM for a total of 12 hours, and points will vary depending on running, swimming, and riding 3 events’ completion status and records.”
“Wait a minute, we’re first years! How can we suddenly compete with the second years without prior guidance?”
“Silence is gold, and is there gold here? By the name of the Golden God, I command you to shut the mouth of the beggar.”
As the instructor threw a piece of gold foil from his pocket into the air, a golden X mark appeared in the mouth of a first-year upper class student who had been protesting.
The student, struggling to open their mouth in surprise and then clutching their throat nervously, was treated indifferently by the instructor.
“Interfering with administrative duties, lose 10 points. Stay quiet for 5 minutes.”
More than being unable to make a sound for five minutes, the fear of point deduction made the students tightly shut their mouths.
Isabel glanced at Oknodie and spotted her covering Dorothy’s mouth, a perfect target to receive a penalty at a time like this.
…As expected.
This kid knows everything.
It seems the foundation secretly delivered this exam as well.
“Just so you know, your opponents are the lower class students taking the second year’s mandatory class in advanced physical training. They are pathetic individuals who try to fill their lack of skills with the power of faith.”
Despite the blatant ridicule, the second years stood in silence, burning with animosity.
Their seriousness was on a different level compared to the first year lower class students who were apprehensive before the mana evaluation test.
“There’s one special rule for these pathetic ones. If you retrieve your first year upper class tag, you automatically receive the highest grade in this exam.”
“!!”
“Losing your badge won’t decrease your grade. However, there will be no promises regarding the embarrassment of doing so.”
The competition within the upper class.
The overwhelming entry of the second year lower class.
“Additionally, third-year students taking [Genege’s Tactical Studies] will also participate in this test. They won’t run as competitors but have been given permission for indirect involvement to predict grade rankings and realize their predictions.”
From afar, seniors on broomsticks waved their hands excitedly from above.
“I believe in you, Jungbae! Warrior Ishtar!”
“Jezel! Trust your strategy. Wash away the label of underdog!”
“Show the might of the Three Great Meritorious Families of the Empire!”
An enormous midterm exam with first, second, and third-year students participating simultaneously, almost reminiscent of a sports meet!
“When the horn blows, the first year will start first, and the second horn will signal the second years to follow. First years better run as if death is on the line.”
The instructor’s corners of his mouth curved up in a frighteningly wide smile.
“If you get caught up, you’ll face dire consequences.”
Gulp!
The first years swallowed nervously.
At 6 AM sharp.
As the scheduled race time arrived, the horn rang out.
The Ironman Triathlon.
It began— a test that was expected to be far more challenging than anticipated.
