Chapter: 113
The plaza was already bustling with students gathered in masses.
The exams at Soul Academy mark a significant threshold on whether one can advance to the next year.
Every student here has no choice but to have their eyes wide open.
It seems like the results haven’t been posted yet, but there are indeed a lot of eager folks around.
Just as Arthur was contemplating this, someone grabbed his shoulder.
“Hey there, you here to check your grades too?”
The voice belonged to none other than his brother, Cecil Soladin, known for his warrior-like charisma among the palace’s nobility.
“Brother.”
“Greetings, Prince.”
Arthur merely stared at him blankly, but Joy, standing beside him, was a different story.
She deftly maintained her decorum and greeted Cecil with a courteous nod.
Cecil insisted there was no need for formalities at the academy, yet the pleased smile on his face indicated he appreciated Joy’s manners.
After exchanging some light chatter with Joy, Cecil turned his head towards Arthur and grinned.
“So, do you think you’ll be on top this time?”
While it sounded like a simple inquiry about Arthur’s performance, it was far from that.
Cecil wouldn’t genuinely care about Arthur’s well-being and would certainly take a jab at the fact Arthur had been beaten by Lucy Alrn last time.
It was a provocative challenge, and the smug laugh on his face made it clear.
Had this been Arthur before his encounter with Lucy, he might’ve been incensed and reacted emotionally.
Losing that top spot had been a complex for him.
But now things were different.
He viewed Lucy Alrn as a rival who was above him, someone he would someday surpass.
So even in the face of Cecil’s provocation, he managed to smile.
“Well, I did my best, but I don’t know about the results.”
“…Hmm, really?”
Cecil’s response was more lackluster than he’d anticipated.
Evidently disappointed, he muttered something about needing to check his own results before walking away.
Honestly.
With a warrior’s physique and bravado, yet so delicate on the inside.
Cecil doesn’t seem cut out to be a king after all.
As Arthur watched his brother disappear into the crowd with his entourage, he shifted his focus to the massive sheet of paper appearing in the distance, carried by a professor.
Finally, it’s here.
What kind of results did Lucy Alrn achieve this time?
Had her pride gotten the better of her?
Or had she yet again showcased her incredible talent to the world?
Whichever it was, his curiosity was piqued.
Come on, show me.
The professor reached the center of the plaza and affixed the paper to the bulletin board.
What was first revealed were the first-year results.
The name at the very top was…
‘Lucy Alrn’
The name Arthur had expected.
Ha.
Hahaha.
So she really is a genius, huh?
She can make everyone bow down to her with sheer talent without even needing to attend any lectures from the professors—unbelievable!
It was completely incomprehensible in his mind.
She possessed the overwhelming power to even defeat the continent’s strongest genius knight, Frey Kent, and yet, she had the intellect to dominate Soul Academy without studying at all.
Is she really a part of the same human category as me?
He had considered himself a genius in his own right, but it seems there’s always someone above him!
“Wow! Wow!”
Just as Arthur marveled at the name that once again occupied the top spot, a sudden cheer erupted to his side.
For someone like Joy, who usually maintained an air of aristocratic composure, such an outburst of emotion was quite excessive.
What on earth are her grades for her to react like that?
Given her joy, it seemed she hadn’t made a colossal blunder after all.
Curiosity piqued, Arthur glanced back to the list and his eyes widened at the name beneath Lucy’s.
“Joy Partan”
“Second place?! This is the highest score I’ve ever gotten!”
Arthur Soladin’s name was listed just below, in third place.
What… what is going on?
Joy beat him?
How?
Did he make some kind of mistake?
Was there an error in the grading process?
Thoughts whirled in his mind, but he couldn’t voice any of them.
After all, Joy beside him looked too overjoyed.
It would’ve been petty to ask her why she had outperformed him.
He managed to feign a smile instead.
“Congratulations, Joy.”
“Thank you, Prince!”
*
I woke up suddenly from a dream where I was chased by spirits, only to tumble forward and stare blankly at the empty wall.
So tired.
I should’ve gone to bed early instead of acting all high and mighty last night. My current fatigue stems from that first-time study session I decided to undertake.
After the midterms, the old man had been nagging me all day to start studying.
Though I suggested taking a breather post-exam, his retort of “Did you take the tests? I did!” left me at a loss for words.
[If you keep putting it off like that, you’ll never get it done in your lifetime! You need to start right away!]
Unable to bear the old man’s incessant complaints, I went to the academy’s library and picked up some kiddie books to start from scratch.
I mean, I lacked even basic common sense before diving into learning.
To study, I had to go back to the foundations, starting with what little kids learn.
At first, I begrudgingly cracked open those books due to the old man’s pressure, but surprisingly, I found it quite fun as I went along!
Usually, the boring bits hit when you’re struggling over every little word.
In math terms, at the level of learning addition and subtraction, there should be no roadblocks, right?
Plus, every time I solved those basics, the old man would praise me, calling me a genius, which made me unknowingly engrossed.
As a result, I didn’t crawl into bed until dawn.
When I finally caught some sleep, I didn’t rest for long.
Let’s see.
It’s 7:10…
Crap, I’m late!
Panic-stricken, I began getting ready to dash out.
First, I needed to tidy up my bedhead…
‘Why didn’t you wake me up?!’
[Waking up someone sound asleep feels wrong, and daily training isn’t strictly necessary.]
‘That may be true!’
Even if it’s not a must, there’s a pattern I follow!
I always start training at dawn.
Training with the knights from the Alrn family naturally ingrained that habit in me.
Initially, I’d been training solo after coming to the academy, but it wasn’t long before Frey joined, and then Joy came along after the last incident.
We three had never really talked, but we trained at the same time every dawn.
By now, they were probably waiting at the training grounds.
Hopefully, they’re not waiting on me?!
Darting out from the dorm, I set my sights on the training grounds when, out of nowhere, I noticed a crowd gathering in the academy plaza.
What’s going on here?
Unless there’s something planned, people would gather there for no reason.
Oh! It’s the day results are released. That slipped my mind with everything else.
…Even if I head over now, I’ll still be late, so a few minutes longer won’t matter, right?
After all, those two will be training without me.
Slowing my steps, I tiptoed to peek at the bulletin board.
Regrettably, I was a head shorter than most other students by at least one or two heads.
Tiptoeing wouldn’t let me peek over their shoulders.
Sigh. What a shame.
I didn’t want to resort to this, but it looks like I have no choice.
Giving up on checking the scores from behind, I nudged the person blocking my path.
The male student frowned and turned towards me.
“Who…?”
But the fierce look vanished as soon as he saw my face.
‘Hi there! Could you move over a bit?’
“Scram, you little pest! You standing there is really annoying me!”
“Yes! Sure thing!”
The moment he literally squeaked those words, heads turned towards me, and suddenly, people began to shift, making way in the crowd.
This is the miracle the Apostle of Armadi can pull off.
Parting the sea of people.
What? Armadi doesn’t have such powers?
Who cares.
I’m the only apostle for our pathetic god, so this strength of mine defines the pathetic god’s powers.
Accustomed to the whispers and murmurs around me, I ignored them and pushed forward until I could finally see the results posted on the bulletin board.
‘Lucy Alrn’
‘Joy Partan’
‘Arthur Soladin’
‘Jack Burrow’
Confirming those four names lining the top, I blinked, wondering if I’d misread and checked again.
Nope. Everything’s still the same.
Huh?
Why is Joy in second place?
Am I still groggy from sleep?
‘Old man, is this a dream?’
[Think it’s a dream? Snap out of it.]
‘Right?’
But why did the clueless Young Lady come in second place?
She shouldn’t have that kind of ability?!
Who are you?!
Tell me the truth!
Is another possessor out there besides me?!
There’s no way the clueless Young Lady could achieve second place without any blunders!
[Quest Clear!]
[Rewards are being distributed.]
[Inventory feature is now activated!]
Just when I was panicking over something I couldn’t comprehend, a notification pinged!
Our pathetic god certainly rewards faithfully though.
I could check how Joy snagged that second place later; for now, let’s look at the rewards.
I opened my inventory, feeling a sense of calm wash over me as I saw the familiar sight I’d grown tired of in Soul Academy.
Yes, this is it.
This is the game, and it feels good!
I dropped the ring I had on hand into the inventory window, and watching it disappear within brought me joy.
Thank you, Armadi! No, really. Bless your awkward, pathetic self!
Please, just keep adding these convenient features.
Pretty please.
No more of that rubbish log feature!
– Ding!
[A new quest is assigned!]
Do I get a new quest just because I cleared one?
What’s it this time?
What gifts are in store for me?
Will it be something as useful as the inventory feature?
Or perhaps something to boost others’ favor towards me?
Our pathetic god may try to pull another of his ridiculous, useless prank quests with me as the target, but I can deal with that.
As long as the rewards are worth my while.
“Lady Lucy of the Alrn Family.”
As I prepared to read the next message, a voice called out to me.
Who is it?
Typically, students at the academy would avoid coming near me, right?
Are they looking to start something?
If so, I’ll show them what a Mesugaki is all about.
Charged with various spicy comebacks in my mind, I turned around only to freeze at the sight of the person behind me.
‘S…Hey!’
“Good to meet you. I’m Cecil Soladin, the second prince of the Soladin Kingdom.”
Cecil Soladin.
The second prince of the Soladin Kingdom and a rival to Arthur in the quest for the crown.
Before he embarks on his character development journey, he’s just a simple-minded, petty guy unfit to be a king.
Whoa, that was a close call!
Holding my mouth shut was my saving grace. If I had mentioned his name, it would have been a disaster.
It’s not like he’s known among users as ‘Idiot Prince’ for no reason.
You may also like Mesugaki Tank Enters The Academy
