The Protagonist Already Knows

Chapter 64: Return [4]

After taking a moment to eat, I asked.

"How long ago did Carissa recover?"

Her onyx-black eyes locked onto the grill, Professor Sooyung answered.

"I believe...it was Wednesday? Thankfully, one of the Grove Healers recognized the poison she was hit with and could easily re-create the cure."

Casually adding while eating a piece of beef herself, Professor Sooyung said.

"You know, she’s the reason your hospital was so nice. Your family didn’t even care enough to know you were injured."

Unsurprised, I just nodded my head.

Was she testing Ash to see if he still cared for his family?

At that moment, suddenly recalling something, I curiously asked.

"How’d I do on the exam?"

"Individual Exam Rank #13 and Team Rank #1. Lily, Leon, and Ren were ranked first, second, and third."

Seeing Professor Sooyung answer my questions without asking anything, I finally unrestrained my curiosity.

"Was the mana theory exam difficult?"

"You’ll have to make it up on Monday, and yes, most of your classmates thought it was difficult."

"Did anyone notice my disappearance...?"

"Everyone just thinks you’ve been skipping class for a week. You can use whatever excuse you’d like when you come back."

...

After about another thirty minutes, Professor Sooyung and I arrived back at the Sunken Pearl, and I headed straight back to my dorm room to rest.

I would say sleep, but unfortunately, I couldn’t get any.

...

...

...

Glancing at the boy sitting down in the mirror while one lady tidied up his pitch-black hair, pushing it off his forehead, and another fixed the collar of his tuxedo, I sighed.

Then, before I could even react, another lady grabbed my loose green tie and pulled at it, tightening the tie around my neck to the point where it was hard to breathe.

Breaking into a fit of coughing, I took a deep breath to calm myself and remained still.

I felt more like a doll than a human at this point.

A few moments later, snapping me back to reality, I felt a tap on my shoulder as a voice sounded.

"You’re ready!"

Hopping off the chair, resisting the urge to push my hair back on my forehead, I stretched my arms and opened the door of the dressing room.

After following another man down the hallway for a few seconds, I found myself standing behind a set of crimson-red curtains.

A few moments later, I heard a door behind me squeak open.

A girl with amber-brown hair and matching eyes, dressed in an extravagant jade-green dress with an emerald necklace, slowly walked down the hallway before pausing a few steps away from me.

As both of us faced the crimson-red curtains, her voice suddenly sounded.

"Hey."

I just nodded my head, loosening the green tie around my collar while glancing around to make sure no one was watching.

At that moment...

"The curtains are opening!"

While the curtains began drifting apart, my tie was now loosely hanging on my shirt without a knot.

Panicking, I rapidly attempted to tie it again, but I just made it worse, my face reddening to match my eyes.

This was my first impression on dozens of influential figures...I couldn’t let it start like this!

As the images of the powerful heroes chuckling and laughing at me appeared in my head, I pulled at the tie harder, but it only looked worse.

As I desperately attempted to fix the tie, I suddenly felt my hands being smacked away as a voice sounded.

"You don’t even know how to wear a tie?"

Looking up at me, she smirked mockingly and smacked away my panicked hands again.

Untangling my tie, Carissa slowly fixed it with both her hands, letting it ease up around my collar while still looking proper.

With my hands waiting by my waist, I awkwardly looked to the side while she finished up and moved away just in time, as the curtains revealed our figures.

There, in front of us, lay around thirty chairs packed with wealthy tycoons and powerful heroes, gazing up at the two of us on the stage.

I could recognize at least a third of the audience: all of them had different distinctive features the novel had described, like star-shaped pupils, yellow hair with a red streak, or even a shiny bald head.

This room alone...could start a revolution.

Already standing on the stage behind a podium, a figure with long, layered amber-brown hair cascading down to her waist smiled and turned around to face us.

"Let us welcome these rising heroes!"

*Clap~clap*

*Clap~clap*

As the crowd broke into applause, Carissa and I awkwardly walked to the center of the stage and nodded our heads.

The lady left her podium with two gold medals and approached us, now standing in front of Carissa with a bright smile.

As she placed the medal over Carissa’s head and around her neck, the lady said, just loud enough for me to overhear.

"You have no idea how proud of you I am."

Carissa whispered back, her face reddening and amber-brown pupils sparkling as she avoided the lady’s gaze.

"Thanks, Mom."

In the next moment, Carissa’s mom continued walking and stood in front of me, her eyes practically locked onto my face.

Perhaps noticing my nervousness, as I awkwardly looked at the ground to avoid her gaze, she gently tapped my shoulder.

"Ash, was it? I’ve heard a lot about you!"

As I bent my head so she could put the golden medal over my hair and around my neck, she simultaneously said with a dazzling smile.

"You sound like a great person, so don’t look down like that, alright?"

Feeling my face heat up, I slowly looked forward, and as I met her gaze, she grinned and gave me a thumbs-up before returning to the podium.

"Please enjoy the food and treats in the back!"

As everyone slowly stood up from their chairs and headed to the back of the auditorium where a luxurious buffet was set up, Carissa and I simultaneously exited the stage.