Chapter: 166
Are those two first-year students in the same academy as me?
Arthur, watching Lucy and Frey spar, let out a bewildered chuckle.
There wasn’t a single person here who wasn’t amazed by their duel.
The battle unfolded so quickly that even tracking it with one’s eyes was a challenge—there was a power that commanded everyone’s attention.
However, just because they were witnessing it didn’t mean everyone drew the same conclusion.
Most of the students present were simply awestruck by their talent, but Arthur’s perspective was different.
He wasn’t standing on the same level as them. But it wasn’t as if the gap made him think they were far beneath him either.
Forget about decorum; his jaw dropped as he watched the duel, and he could see subtleties others missed.
At some point, a blue aura began to swirl around Frey’s sword.
That was clearly some form of aura or something eerily similar. Aura at this age?
Countless folks near thirty still floundered, unable to grasp aura during their training.
Was Frey simply clutching the end of her talent?
Incredible. How did she grow so rapidly?
Even when she entered the academy, Frey Kent was a genius. But she wasn’t that astonishing back then.
At that time, she had combat skills that anyone could catch up to.
But what about now?
What kind of tricks had she pulled to grow so strong so fast?
It wasn’t just Frey who was astonishing.
Lucy was equally impressive.
She was effortlessly parrying Frey’s aura-infused sword.
Well, saying “effortlessly” is an understatement.
Lucy wasn’t just defending; she was pushing back against Frey, whose desperate swings with all her might paled against Lucy’s shield.
How is such a thing possible?
The gap between someone who wields aura and someone who doesn’t is immense.
The primary reason a single knight can stand against a hundred soldiers lies in that aura!
No matter how skilled Lucy might be, she should normally be powerless against aura.
But Lucy was different. Despite not knowing how to wield aura, she was overpowering someone who did.
Given that she usually dealt with holy magic, she was likely narrowing that gap with her divine abilities, but even so, it shouldn’t make sense.
What appeared to be an intense duel wrapped up in an instant.
Lucy, having blocked Frey’s sword with her shield, seized Frey by the collar and slammed her down to the ground.
Well, not slammed—she stopped just before hitting the ground, but it was clear there would be consequences if Lucy hadn’t been careful.
Winning a duel like this was certainly Lucy’s triumph.
Haha. Am I supposed to beat such a monster?
Do I really have to surpass a genius who reached this level in just over a year?
Arthur had never thought there was something he couldn’t do.
He managed to achieve whatever he desired, be it physical challenges or mental tasks.
But now, for the first time, he harbored the thought that it might be impossible.
The wall that Lucy Alrn represented seemed too tall to even consider climbing.
It’s tough. Really tough.
Overcoming that monster, who displayed a brusque expression as if this was all trivial,
And then answering the question of why he felt so pathetic about himself.
Is this even possible?
A few minutes after their duel finished, Anton called out the names of others.
Jack Burrow and Meryl Baines.
Both were individuals recognized as future talents to lead the kingdom.
Their duel would undoubtedly be high-caliber, but both Arthur and those watching, including the two participants, showed signs of dissatisfaction.
Compared to the earlier duel between Lucy and Frey, this one felt flat.
*
“Lady Alrn. The final exam results have come out.”
Already?!
It was a weekend morning, and while I was stretching before my usual training, I froze at Joy’s words.
Wait. Don’t grades usually take longer to be released?!
Why are the academy professors so efficient? Can’t we take things slower and easier?
Why do they feel the need to push out grade reports early that’ll only doom most students? Why!?
“Let’s go check it out?”
Joy’s suggestion left me unable to reply right away.
Honestly, I didn’t want to see my grades.
I probably flunked.
I don’t mean I didn’t study—during my prep for finals, I worked hard and did my best on the exam.
Really! If I had worked this hard back in school, I’d be at the university near Gwanaksan!
But just because I tried my best doesn’t mean I’ll get good grades.
My guess is my score will land somewhere around average, maybe just a smidge above.
No way that serves as a decent score for someone who ranked first in the midterms.
I don’t want to witness that falling score!
I don’t want to hear others whisper about it.
Plus, heading to see my scores means Joy and Arthur would definitely tease me!
I really don’t want to become someone else’s laughingstock!
[But since you worked hard on the exam, you should at least check, right?]
‘…Can’t I just check later?’
[Hey now, ignoring it won’t magically help.]
Stuck between a rock and a hard place thanks to Grandpa’s near-threatening nagging, I reluctantly agreed to Joy’s suggestion.
Ugh. I really don’t want to see my name down in the rankings.
“Is Lady Kent not coming?”
Frey, who was warming up alongside me, tilted her head at Joy’s invitation.
I knew what she was about to say.
She’s a person who cares not at all about academy grades. She’ll definitely—
“Yeah, I’m coming.”
Huh? I thought for sure Frey would refuse, but instead, she happily joined me.
What’s this? Why is she suddenly so interested?
I didn’t know the reason, but the three of us headed towards the academy plaza.
By that point, many people had already gathered there.
Whoa. Look at that crowd. Everyone’s early birds today.
Normally, I’d have to figure out how to snake through that throng, but today, we wouldn’t have to worry about that.
Our very presence was a free pass.
“Hey everyone.”
“Hey, losers.”
As soon as I spoke up, all the eyes around me snapped in my direction.
Standing at the front was Lucy Alrn, the crazy girl who insults royals on a whim.
Next to her was Joy Partran, the young lady from the mighty Partran family, the center of many noble ladies. She looked just the part of a villainess.
As for Frey… well, let’s just move on.
With our group looking like this, a path naturally opened up among the crowd.
At first, I was hurt watching their shocked faces, but I gradually got used to it.
These days, it actually felt quite comfortable. Just show my face anywhere, and the way would be cleared.
Finally arriving in front of the grade listings, I started scanning from the middle for my name.
If my guess was correct, it should be around here somewhere.
As I peered closely, I tilted my head in confusion.
Huh? Why isn’t my name here? Did I miss it?
Growing more perplexed, I checked again, but the result was the same.
My name was absent from the middle.
What?! Did I mess up my written exams more than I thought?! Am I beyond recovery with my practical exams?!
Whoa. I’m in trouble. For real.
Bottoming out in grades would be awful.
If I end up failing, it’ll be a disaster. A total disaster.
Lowering my gaze again, I first spotted Frey’s name before my own.
I scored lower than Frey?! Tell me I wasn’t the bigger idiot here!
“Aah. I failed to beat His Highness the Third Prince again. Strange. I was sure I had a higher score on my practice grading.”
Joy failed to beat Arthur?
So, Arthur must be in first place this time, like in the game.
Since there was no other interference, everything is back to normal.
“Thank goodness Lady Alrn maintained the first-place title, though.”
…Huh? What? I’m first?
What kind of nonsense is that? With how many questions I guessed!
Are you joking? Are the professors pulling some practical joke on me?!
No, that can’t be it.
What could it mean? Is it a dream? Yeah. That must be…
No, I’ve been rolling around in my sleep, so dreaming isn’t an option right now.
‘Grandpa, what is going on?!’
[What do you think? You came in first.]
‘How?!’
No way. How am I first?! This doesn’t make sense!
I acknowledge I nailed the practical exam!
And for subjects where my gaming knowledge applied, I get it!
But outside of that, I must have bombed any subjects I wasn’t familiar with!
I guessed at least half of them in the tests I didn’t know!
[Even I was amazed watching you. How does the answer pop up every time you toss your pencil? Seeing how the Gods bless you even in minor things, it seems you are genuinely adored.]
Ex. Are you saying that every time I rolled dice to guess, I hit the correct answers?
…Oh wow! Dice God, is it?!
This time, despite not specifically praying, you still shower me with such blessings!
Thank you! Truly, thank you!
While I offered gratitude to the capable Dice God, a sudden thought crossed my mind.
‘Grandpa, you knew my scores from the start, right?’
[Isn’t that so?]
‘…Then why didn’t you say anything?!’
[I wanted to see this exact situation play out. Your gloomy face to elation.]
So, you’ve been hiding this until now just to watch me go from feeling despondent to joy?
Grandpa, are you a creep? You were likely grinning from ear to ear watching my anxiousness.
Seriously, I want to unleash some mutually assured destruction upon you.
Isn’t there anything better than a junk tour? Something that can bring embarrassment upon the old man?
“Lucy Alrn.”
My thoughts swirled about how best to make Grandpa scream when suddenly, Arthur’s voice called my name, snapping me back to reality.
I wasn’t sure how long he had been approaching, but there he was right in front of me.
His expression didn’t look too cheerful.
That made sense.
Thanks to my guidance, Joy’s practical scores soared high enough above Arthur’s. He must have put in relentless effort.
Yet, again he found himself losing to me… It wasn’t too surprising if he felt down.
Hmm. How do I comfort him?
Wait, can I even comfort someone else?
Isn’t the best course to just shut up?
“I have something to say.”
‘What is it?’
“What, did little ol’ me beat you down again, loser prince?”
“Cough.”
Yep, maintaining silence seems like the best option. Who am I to comfort someone else like that?
After clearing his throat a few times, Arthur finally managed to speak.
“Teach me how to get stronger.”
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