Chapter: 115
Arthur was unleashing a tirade, and it seemed that he scored higher than Joy in most subjects.
Joy, having repeated countless blunders true to her nickname, racked up an impressive number of wrong answers on problems she absolutely shouldn’t have gotten wrong.
If the world had flowed as it should, Joy would have surely landed around 9th or 10th place, just like any other day.
So, what catapulted Joy’s score into the stratosphere? You guessed it—Mana Manipulation Studies.
Both Joy and Arthur were enrolled in this class, a must for anyone learning magic, and they had to take the same exam.
The professor, a stickler for practicality, naturally conducted the tests through practical assessments.
“What we had to do for this assignment was to demonstrate how many spells we could manage simultaneously and maintain stability.”
Listening to Arthur’s rant, I finally understood why Joy had thanked me.
That was from the practice I had put her through!
“The idiot Young Lady showcased some incredible skills during that exam.”
Joy must have diligently honed her Mana Manipulation skills until her magic was depleted every night, just as I instructed.
With her skills raised in the way a player would from the game, she was leagues apart from ordinary folks.
And just like that, Joy astounded everyone in Mana Manipulation Studies, snagging the top score.
It was a full score, a rarity that the strict professor had only given to four people in her lifetime.
Arthur also displayed exceptional prowess in that exam, but it paled compared to the astonishing talent Joy had shown, so he ended up with a significantly lower score.
“Can you believe this?! Is it right to have rankings flipped over just one exam score? And it’s not like I did poorly in the Mana Manipulation Studies either! I actually came in second overall! But the score gap between me and the first place was so huge that my ranking got flipped!”
I had to admit, I felt for Arthur.
After winning in every other subject, to be knocked down the rankings over one exam would be infuriating.
“But Prince, a win is still a win, isn’t it? Denying that makes you look bad.”
“Joy! You really—!”
Joy was beaming as she took genuine pleasure in having beaten Arthur, smiling brighter than ever.
It’s not often that someone with a fearsome appearance like hers appears so cheerful; perhaps she was laughing at Arthur based on her own standards.
Was she finally letting go of all the teasing she endured from him?
“Maybe you should have scored higher, then you wouldn’t have had to lose to me.”
I don’t know who taught her this, but she’s learned how to hit back like a pro.
As Arthur struggled to maintain his composure with that rollercoaster of facts being thrown at him.
He looked like he might blow a fuse, losing his grip any moment now.
After sufficiently teasing Arthur, Joy finally turned to me.
“It’s all thanks to the Young Lady Alrn. Because you asked him to practice, I could receive the professor’s immense praise.”
“Damn. Lucy Alrn. What’s this? Have you met the Prophet in black clothes or something?!”
The Prophet in black clothes?
What’s that all about?
I tilted my head in confusion at this unfamiliar tale, prompting Arthur to sigh.
“Ah, right. You don’t have any friends, do you?”
‘Arthur?’
“Poor Prince? Are you starting something?”
“Sorry. That was out of line. Let me explain as an apology.”
The Prophet in black seems to be a rumor making rounds among the academy students.
Apparently, if you walk around the village near the academy as evening falls, you might spot a man in black clothing. If you ask him for information you want to know, he’ll give you an answer.
Of course, you do need to pay a proper price for the information, but the accuracy of the answers is 100%!
Sometimes, it seems he even provides solutions to worries.
Having heard all of this, I realized the truth about the rumor.
That’s Naklad for you.
What the hell is that guy doing in the back alleys?
Isn’t he supposed to be on the hunt since the seal on the Evil God he serves hasn’t been broken yet?
Is he trying to gather pawns now that the pig-headed Young Lady failed?
Is he risking his life for that?
I guess he’s still pretty heated over what went down with me.
Hmm. I think I might just have to take Karl and Alsetin with me to give him a good scare later.
With the old man’s detection skills, tracking him down shouldn’t be too much trouble.
“You seriously didn’t know about this rumor?! What gives?! Then does Lucy Alrn’s insight extend beyond the dungeon to the academy as well?!”
“If it’s the Young Lady Alrn, it’s not surprising at all, is it, Your Highness?”
“Maybe for her. Ugh! Lucy Alrn! Do things fairly next time! Do you hear me?! Fairly!”
Uh, hold on. I seriously didn’t know anything!
I had no idea what exams would be on the midterm!
Games don’t give you those kinds of details.
If I had known that, I would’ve panicked about my log flying away while taking the exam, right?
I just told her to learn the basic stuff when leveling up a mage character. It was pure luck that it all lined up!
Don’t expect anything weird from me!
‘Seriously, I know nothing! I’m an idiot!’
“Heh. Are you begging, poor Prince? But I really don’t know anything! No matter what you say, I don’t know a thing!”
“Stop lying! Lucy Alrn! Are you just looking out for your buddies?!”
I’m seriously telling the truth!
*
Just as I managed to shake off Arthur, who kept dragging me to gather intel for him next time, I attended various classes at the academy.
Since the midterms had just wrapped up, everyone seemed to be in a relaxed mood, and the professors took that cue to keep the classes short.
Thanks to that, I had some leisure time and immediately headed for the back alleys of Academy Street.
I had left something behind at the mansion.
– Heyyy… Ah, it’s you?
As soon as I stepped into the mansion, Adri appeared with a bright smile, but upon seeing my face, her expression immediately soured.
No matter how much she didn’t like me compared to Visi, isn’t this a bit too much?
If I weren’t used to this kind of discrimination, that would hurt my feelings!
Not that I cared about the stuff we talked, but Adri was giving me the look of “Oh great, here we go again.”
So unfair.
Does she think I’m somebody they can dismiss easily?!
Most people shake in their boots just seeing my face!
Am I really that scary?!
– Anyway, what are you here for?
‘Came to hang out with you.’
“Did you come to entertain the lonely hag in case she dies of loneliness?”
– Oh yeah? Then if I say I’m not lonely at all, will you leave me alone?
‘No!’
“Why should I listen to a lonely hag? No thanks.”
– Hah. Do whatever you want.
Watching Adri wave her hand as though I were a nuisance only made me want to tease her more, but I decided against it.
I had things to do.
Passing by the complaining Adri, I went upstairs to find the sword I had left behind when I escaped the mansion last time.
– You came for that, huh?
‘Yeah.’
“Uh-huh.”
I was planning to gift this sword to Karl as a present since he was struggling with more responsibilities as a professor.
Sure, his current sword was a decent one, but this one would still outshine it.
Not to mention, Karl had taken it upon himself to be my dog.
Imagine how much he’ll wag his tail when he finds out I’ve gifted him something.
– Be careful. There’s a curse of the undead bound to that. You’re fine, but a regular person would die from it.
While I was contemplating how to calm Karl down with all the chatter he’d throw my way, Adri gave me a blunt piece of advice.
Heh. Was that her way of showing concern for me?
Even if she claims otherwise, her heart must be thinking a different tune, huh?
Maybe being alone for so long made her awkward at conversing with others.
It would be great if she could just say she’s worried openly.
When I laughed at Adri, she hurriedly averted her gaze.
– I’m just afraid that might lead to a disaster!
‘Oh, I see. Is that right?’
“I didn’t say anything! What’s with you, hag? Are you feeling guilty? Puff puff. Man, you really are a socially awkward hag. Want me to hold your hand? Or maybe give you a hug? You don’t need to be embarrassed.”
– Just get out!
Looking around at the growing collection of items in the mansion made me desperate to flee.
While I’m pretty sure I could take Adri, if things escalated to a full-on brawl, I feared the mansion would collapse.
Having made it outside in an emergency escape, I headed towards the church with the sword in hand.
I knew well about the curse attached to this sword.
It contained the lingering resentment of a holy knight who had become an undead himself to kill the undead.
Anyone wielding this sword would be engulfed in animosity and hatred against the undead.
As far as I remember, if you encountered an undead enemy in the game, you would receive a penalty of becoming uncontrollable.
I couldn’t just gift this potentially troublesome item to Karl.
If he disappears, who’s gonna protect me?!
So, I had to preemptively deal with the curse.
Fortunately, I was a VIP of the church.
Having already dealt with Agra’s curses twice, even if they have their thoughts, they always put up a good front.
Thus, getting rid of the curse attached to this sword should be a piece of cake.
With a light heart, I headed to the church, only to bump into a familiar face outside.
‘Saintess.’
“Pathetic Saintess.”
This was the first time I’d seen her since that encounter in the infirmary.
It felt strange.
Hadn’t we casually crossed paths before while going back and forth?
Is it just me being paranoid?
Didn’t I bump into her a few times only to have forgotten about it?
“Oh, Lady Alrn. What brings you to the church?”
‘Well, I need to…’
“Yes, I need to remove the curse attached to this sword. This much should be in your pathetic church’s capability, right?”
“…May I take a look at that sword for a moment?”
Is this the most qualified person here to help?
If Phoebe offers help, I can certainly trust her.
Handing over the sword without a moment’s hesitation, Phoebe took a serious look at it.
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