“They’re in the same year as me?”
Arthur let out a disbelieving laugh as he watched Lucy and Frey sparring.
Among everyone present, there wasn’t a single person who wasn’t amazed by their duel. The battle moved so quickly that it was almost impossible for the spectators to keep up, and there was an undeniable power in the exchange that held everyone’s attention.
However, not everyone came to the same conclusion when watching them.
Most of the students were simply awestruck by the talent on display, but Arthur was different.
He wasn’t on the same level as Lucy and Frey, but he wasn’t so far below them that he couldn’t understand the techniques they were using.
His eyes, wide in amazement, saw the finer details of their fight that others might miss.
At some point, Frey’s sword had begun to glow with a faint blue hue.
An aura?
It was undoubtedly either aura or something very close to it. An aura, at her age?
Most warriors train their entire lives, and even then, many can’t grasp the concept of aura by the time they’re nearing thirty. And yet, here was Frey, reaching for it on sheer talent alone.
Incredible. When did she grow so much?
When Frey Kent first entered the academy, she was already a prodigy, but nothing like this. Back then, Arthur had thought she was someone he could catch up to if he worked hard enough.
But now?
What could have happened to make her so strong so quickly?
And Frey wasn’t the only surprising one.
Lucy was just as remarkable.
She was parrying Frey’s aura-infused sword as if it were nothing.
No, simply saying she was parrying it would be inaccurate.
Lucy was actually pushing Frey back, overpowering her. Despite Frey putting everything she had into her sword swings, Lucy’s shield rendered her efforts useless.
How was such a thing even possible?
The gap between someone who could wield aura and someone who couldn’t was immense.
It was said that a single knight with aura could face a hundred soldiers alone.
No matter how talented Lucy was, she should have been powerless against Frey’s aura.
But Lucy was different. Even without knowing how to wield aura, she was suppressing someone who could.
Perhaps it was related to the divine magic she often used, something that allowed her to close the gap, but even that explanation didn’t make much sense.
What had seemed like an intense, drawn-out battle came to an abrupt end.
Lucy blocked Frey’s sword with her shield, charged in, and grabbed Frey by the collar before slamming her into the ground.
Well, not quite into the ground—Lucy had stopped just short, letting Frey down gently. But the result would have been clear if Lucy hadn’t held back.
In the end, Lucy was the victor in their all-out sparring match.
So that’s the monster I have to beat if I want to win.
To surpass a genius who had reached this level in just over a year?
Arthur had never believed there was anything he couldn’t do.
Whatever the task, whether it required physical or mental prowess, he had always been able to achieve his goals.
But for the first time, Arthur was struck with the thought that something might actually be impossible for him.
The wall known as Lucy Alrn was far too high for him to even dream of overcoming.
It’s difficult. Too difficult.
How could he ever surpass someone who, after accomplishing something extraordinary, stood there with a blank expression, as if it was nothing?
And after that, how could he ever answer the question that made him feel like he was pitying himself?
Is it even possible?
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A few minutes after Lucy and Frey’s duel ended, Anton called out the names of the next pair.
“Jackal Burrow and Merrill Baynes.”
Both were considered talents who would one day lead the kingdom.
Their duel was undoubtedly high-level, but neither Arthur nor the others watching seemed impressed. Even the participants themselves looked dissatisfied.
After the fierce battle between Lucy and Frey, their duel felt lackluster in comparison.
“Lady Alrn, the final exam results are out.”
Already?!
It was a weekend morning, and I was stretching before starting my usual training when Joy’s words froze me in place.
Wait a second. Weren’t the results supposed to take longer to come out?!
Why are the academy professors so eager to crush the hopes of students by handing out their disappointing grades so early? Why not take it easy and live life a little more slowly?!
“Shall we go check them out?” Joy suggested.
I couldn’t respond immediately.
To be honest, I didn’t want to see my results.
Because I knew they’d be bad.
It wasn’t that I hadn’t studied. I’d done my best to prepare for the final exams and worked hard during the tests.
Seriously! If I’d studied this hard back in my school days, I could’ve made it into a university next to Gwanak Mountain!
But just because you work hard doesn’t mean the results will always be good.
Based on my guess, my grades would be somewhere in the middle, or maybe a little above average.
For someone who had placed first in the midterms, that would be a pretty embarrassing result.
I wasn’t eager to see how far I’d fallen.
I also didn’t want to hear other people whispering about me when they saw my scores.
And, more importantly, if I went to check my grades, Joy and Arthur would definitely tease me about it!
I didn’t want to voluntarily turn myself into their next target of mockery!
<You worked hard for these exams, so you should at least check your results.>
‘...Can’t I do it later?’
<Tsk. Ignoring something just because it’s unpleasant won’t do you any good.>
With the old man’s nagging, which was more like a threat, I had no choice but to accept Joy’s suggestion.
Ugh. I really don’t want to see my name at the bottom of the list.
“Lady Kent, are you not coming?” Joy asked Frey, who had been stretching with me.
I already knew what she was going to say.
She had no interest in grades, not even a little. She was the type to...
“Yeah, I’ll come.”
Huh? I had fully expected Frey to refuse, but she didn’t.
Surprisingly, she followed along without hesitation.
What’s with her all of a sudden?
I didn’t know why, but the three of us made our way to the academy’s plaza.
There was already a large crowd gathered.
Wow. Look at all these people. It’s so early in the morning, and they’re all here already.
Normally, I’d have to think about how to get through the crowd, but that wasn’t an issue for me anymore.
Our presence itself was a free pass.
‘Hey, guys.’
“Hey, losers.”
The moment I spoke, all eyes in the vicinity turned toward me.
Standing in front was Lucy Alrn, the crazy woman who insulted everyone she came across, no matter who they were.
Beside me was Joy Patrane, the Lady of the Duke’s household and the one who commanded the attention of the other noble ladies. She looked like a villainess straight out of a novel.
And Frey... well, Frey was just Frey.
With us three together, the crowd naturally parted.
At first, I used to feel hurt seeing people panic around me, but I’ve gotten used to it by now.
Honestly, I kind of like it. No matter where I go, problems solve themselves as soon as I show up.
When we reached the results board, I immediately started searching for my name in the middle of the list.
Based on my guess, I should be somewhere around here.
But as I scanned the names, I furrowed my brows.
Huh? Where’s my name?
Did I miss it?
Puzzled, I looked again, but it was still nowhere to be found.
What?! Did I do worse than I thought? Did I mess up the written exam so badly that I couldn’t make up for it with the practicals?!
Oh no. This is bad.
Being in the lower ranks would be a disaster.
If I fail and get held back, it’ll be a catastrophe.
As I continued searching down the list, I spotted Frey’s name first.
Wait, my score is lower than Frey’s?! Was I dumber than her?!
“Oh, it looks like I failed to beat the Third Prince this time. Strange, I was sure my score was higher during the preliminary grading,” Joy remarked.
Joy failed to beat Arthur?
Then that means Arthur is first this time. Just like in the game.
Things seem to be going back to how they originally were without any outside interference.
“At least Lady Alrn managed to secure the top spot again,” Joy added.
...Wait, what? I’m first?
What kind of nonsense is that? I guessed so many answers on the test.
Joy, are you messing with me? Are you going to laugh and say, “Did you really believe that? Gotcha!” and then hit me with a Joy Kick?
Are you trying to relieve all the pent-up frustration you’ve been holding onto?
Fine. That idea is kind of cute, so I’ll humor you for now.
I let out an exasperated laugh and lifted my head to check.
Lucy Alrn.
Arthur Soladin.
Joy Patrane.
Jackal Burrow.
...
I froze when I saw my name at the top of the list.
Huh? Why is my name there?
Is this some kind of elaborate prank? Did the academy professors team up to mess with me?
No. That doesn’t make any sense.
So, what is this? A dream? It must be a dream...
No, it’s not like I’ve been having dreams lately. Not with the old man running me ragged every night.
“Grandpa, what’s going on here?!”
<What else could it be? You got first place.>
“But how?!”
How in the world did I get first place?! This doesn’t make any sense!
Okay, I’ll admit, I did almost perfectly in the practical exams.
And sure, I probably scored high in subjects like Dungeon Studies, where my game knowledge came in handy.
But what about the other subjects where I got destroyed?! How did I end up in first place?!
I guessed on half the questions in those exams!
<Even I was amazed watching you. How does someone manage to pick the correct answer with every throw of the pencil? If the god of dice is blessing you like this, you must be truly loved by the divine.>
Wait. So, you’re telling me that every time I guessed, I miraculously hit the right answers?
...Oh wow! All hail the god of dice!
Even though I didn’t specifically pray for this, the god of dice has blessed me with this amazing stroke of luck!
Thank you! Thank you so much!
While I was silently offering my gratitude to the infinitely superior god of dice, a thought suddenly crossed my mind.
“Grandpa, so you knew my results from the start, didn’t you?”
<Of course.>
“...So why didn’t you tell me?”
<Because I wanted to see you squirm before finally being happy.>
So you kept quiet just so you could enjoy watching me go from despair to joy?
Grandpa, are you some kind of pervert? You were just sitting back, grinning to yourself as I suffered?
This seriously makes me want to declare mutually assured destruction.
There’s got to be something worse than latrine duty that I can make Grandpa do.
“Lucy Alrn.”
I snapped out of my thoughts when I heard someone call my name.
Arthur had approached me without me noticing.
His expression wasn’t great.
And why would it be? He had probably put in even more effort than Joy, who had scored higher in the practicals thanks to what I taught her.
Despite all that, he lost to me again. Of course, he’d be upset.
Hmm. How should I console him?
Actually, am I even capable of consoling anyone?
Maybe I should just keep my mouth shut. That might be the best option.
“I need to talk to you,” Arthur said.
“What is it?”
“What is it, ‘pathetic prince who just got stomped by me again’?”
“Ugh.”
Yeah. Keeping my mouth shut is definitely the best approach. I’m terrible at comforting people.
After a few more awkward coughs, Arthur finally managed to speak.
“Teach me how to get stronger.”