It seemed that in most of the exams, Arthur had consistently scored higher than Joy. True to her nickname, Joy had made countless “dimwitted” mistakes, messing up on problems she shouldn’t have. If the world had continued as normal, Joy would have likely ended up in her usual spot—around ninth or tenth place.
But what had skyrocketed Joy’s rank was Magic Manipulation Studies. Both she and Arthur, being students of magic, had taken this mandatory class, and the exam was, of course, a practical one.
“The task this time was to see how many spells could be stably controlled at once,” Arthur explained, and I finally understood why Joy had thanked me.
That was exactly what I’d made her practice.
“Dimwit over here showed off incredible skill during that exam,” Arthur continued, clearly frustrated.
Of course she did. Every night, Joy had probably been practicing until her mana was depleted, just as I’d instructed her. NPCs in the game couldn’t raise their skill proficiency the way Joy had been able to through my training methods. Naturally, she would have outshined the rest of the students during the exam.
And she did. Joy had not only surpassed her classmates but had also earned the highest score in Magic Manipulation Studies, receiving a perfect score that the strict professor had only awarded to four students in his entire career.
Arthur had performed well, too, but compared to Joy’s brilliant display, his results paled in comparison. And that had been enough to tip the scales, knocking him down in the rankings.
“Do you see now? Does it make sense that one exam could affect the rankings so much?! Even though I came second overall in the other exams, the gap between first and second in that test was so large that my ranking dropped!” Arthur was fuming, and I couldn’t blame him. If I’d won every other test but lost because of a single exam, I’d be pissed too.
“But Your Highness, a win is a win. Refusing to accept it is... quite unbecoming,” Joy replied, her smile wider than I’d ever seen it.
It was rare to see Joy this cheerful, given her usual stern appearance. She’d clearly been holding onto all the times Arthur had called her “dimwitted” and was now relishing her victory.
“Well, you should have scored better. Then you wouldn’t have lost to me,” Joy said, her tone smug.
Whoever taught her that line deserves a medal because Arthur looked like he was about to lose it.
Arthur, unable to respond, clenched his teeth in frustration. Joy, finally satisfied with her teasing, turned toward me.
“It’s all thanks to Lady Allen. Your suggestion to practice helped me earn the professor’s praise.”
“Damn it, Lucy Allen! Did you meet the Prophet in Black as well?!” Arthur groaned.
The Prophet in Black? What the heck was that?
I tilted my head in confusion, and Arthur sighed, as if remembering something.
“Oh, right. You wouldn’t know. You don’t have any friends.”
‘Arthur?’
“Are you picking a fight, pathetic prince?”
“Apologies. That was a slip of the tongue. As an apology, I’ll explain.”
Apparently, the Prophet in Black was the latest rumor spreading among the academy students. Supposedly, if you walked through the village near the academy at dusk, you might encounter a man in black robes who could answer any question you had—for a price, of course. His answers were said to be 100% accurate, and in some cases, he even offered solutions to students' problems.
As Arthur finished explaining, I immediately knew who the Prophet was.
It’s Nackrad, isn’t it? What the hell is that idiot doing now?
Nackrad, the scoundrel I’d thwarted before, was clearly up to something again, likely trying to gather more pawns after his previous plan had failed. And now he was resorting to giving out information on the sly, probably hoping to win over students.
He must be really pissed off at me for ruining his last scheme. I’ll have to pay him a visit with Kal and Alsatin and teach him another lesson. With Grandpa’s detection ability, finding him won’t be a problem.
“You really didn’t know about this rumor? Then that means your foresight isn’t just limited to dungeons—it extends to the academy as well!” Arthur exclaimed, amazed.
“Come now, Your Highness, this is hardly surprising from Lady Allen,” Joy chimed in.
“I suppose so, but still... Lucy Allen! Next time, let’s make things fair, alright? Fair!”
Excuse me, what? I didn’t know anything!
I had no idea what kind of exams were coming up, and if I had known, I would have panicked. I only made Joy practice because it’s the first thing anyone training in magic should do. It was pure coincidence that it worked out for the exam.
Don’t expect me to know everything!
‘I swear, I’m clueless! I’m not some genius!’
“Hah. Begging for fairness, pathetic prince? I’m telling you, I had no idea. You’re getting worked up over nothing,” I teased.
“Don’t lie, Lucy Allen! Are you only helping the people closest to you?!”
Seriously, I didn’t know!
With more free time than usual, I headed straight for the back alleys of the academy district. There was something I’d left behind at the manor that I needed to retrieve.
—"Oh, hey... Oh. It’s you?"
As soon as I stepped into the manor, Adrienne appeared, greeting me with a cheerful smile that quickly disappeared when she saw me. Her face immediately twisted into a frown.
Okay, I get that you like Bissy more than me, but isn’t this a bit much?
If I wasn’t so used to this kind of treatment, I’d be hurt!
But Adrienne’s cold look only seemed to say, "Ugh, not this nonsense again."
Jeez. Why does she treat me like this?
Most people are scared stiff just by looking at me! I’m not that scary!
—"So, why are you here?"
‘I came to keep you company.’
“I was worried the lonely old hag might die from loneliness, so I decided to visit.”
—"Oh, really? Then can I tell you I’m not lonely, so you can leave now?"
‘Nope!’
“Why should I listen to the lonely old hag? Nope, I’m staying.”
—"Fine, do whatever you want."
Adrienne waved me off as if she couldn’t be bothered, but I had other things to do, so I didn’t tease her further. I passed by her and headed upstairs to find the sword I’d left behind when I hastily escaped the manor last time.
—"So that’s what you came for?"
‘Yep.’
“Yup.”
This 𝓬ontent is taken from fгeewebnovёl.co𝙢.
I planned to give this sword to Kal as a gift. He’d been working hard as a professor lately, and his current weapon was decent but couldn’t compare to this.
Besides, since Kal is my loyal dog, imagine how happy he’ll be when I give him a gift!
—"Be careful with that. It’s cursed by a wraith. You might be fine, but an ordinary person who touches it would be cursed to death."
I was thinking about how to calm Kal down after he inevitably freaked out over the gift when Adrienne, in her usual blunt tone, offered a warning.
Oh? She’s worried about me?
She may pretend to be indifferent, but deep down, she cares. She’s just not good at expressing herself after living alone for so long.
If only she’d be honest and admit that she’s worried about me.
As I smirked at Adrienne, she quickly looked away, flustered.
—"I was only worried about a disaster happening because of that sword, nothing more!"
‘Oh, is that so?’
“I didn’t say anything, though. What’s the matter, old hag? Feeling guilty? Haha, you’re such a lonely, socially awkward granny. Need a hug? Or should I hold your hand?”
—"Just get out!"
After grabbing the sword, I fled the manor before Adrienne could explode. I didn’t want to destroy the place by getting into a fight with her.
With the sword in hand, I headed toward the church. I knew all about the curse on this weapon. It was once wielded by a paladin who had turned into a wraith after being consumed by his hatred of the undead.
In the game, wielding this sword came with the penalty of losing control whenever you encountered undead, which wasn’t ideal. I couldn’t give such a dangerous weapon to Kal, or who would protect me if he lost control?
That’s why I needed to remove the curse first.
Luckily, I’m a VIP at the church, thanks to lifting two of Agra’s curses. Even if they weren’t thrilled about it, they still pretended to treat me well. Getting rid of the curse on this sword should be a piece of cake for them.
As I walked toward the church, I spotted a familiar face.
‘Oh, Lady Saintess.’
“Hmph, lowly saintess.”
It was Lady Favie, the saintess I’d last seen in the infirmary. It had been a while since I’d run into her. Strange, considering we used to cross paths often.
Is it just me, or has she been avoiding me lately?
“Lady Allen. Is there something you need at the church?” she asked.
‘Yes. I need this sword—’
“This sword has a curse on it, and I’d like it removed. Your pitiful church can handle that much, right?”
"...May I see the sword for a moment?"
She reached out, offering to help. I trusted that if Favie handled the purification, it would be done properly, so I handed her the sword without hesitation.
And this sword was no exception.
Its design was unmistakably that of the Church’s, specifically a rare item that only those at the rank of commander would receive. It was an antique, something from long ago, but how had Lady Allen come to possess it?
And why did it bear the curse of a wraith?
Unable to hold back her curiosity, Favie asked Lucy, who responded nonchalantly.
“I got it as a reward for clearing a dungeon, guided by our Trash God.”
Guided by the Trash God?
Favie looked up from the sword and stared at Lucy.
Again?
Why is it always her?