Chapter: 166
Are those guys in their first year at the same academy as me?
Arthur, who was watching Lucy and Frey’s duel, burst into hahaha laughter in disbelief.
No one present could fail to be amazed by the duel of those two.
The battle unfolded so quickly that even following it with the eyes was a challenge; it captivated everyone with its sheer force.
Yet, seeing me doesn’t necessarily lead everyone to the same conclusion.
Most of the students standing here were simply in awe of their talent, but Arthur felt different.
He wasn’t at the same level as those two. However, he wasn’t so far beneath them that he couldn’t at least guess the early stages of their prowess.
Forgetting the word dignity, his mouth agape in astonishment, his eyes caught more subtle details.
At some point, a blue aura started to envelop Frey’s sword.
It was surely an aura or something infinitely similar. An aura at this age?
Many who were nearly thirty and still struggled to grasp the concept of an aura were common.
Had Frey merely clung to the end of it with her talent?
Amazing. How had she grown to that point so quickly?
When she entered the academy, Frey Kent was a genius. But not to the extent of being that astonishing.
Back then, she was someone whose power was within reach.
But how was it now?
What kind of trick had she pulled to grow so fast?
The surprises didn’t only belong to Frey.
Lucy was the same.
She was effortlessly receiving a sword imbued with an aura.
No, it wasn’t right to say she was merely receiving it.
Lucy was pushing back against Frey, who wielded her aura. Frey’s desperate swings were powerless against Lucy’s shield.
How could such a thing be possible?
The gap between those who could wield an aura and those who couldn’t was huge.
The biggest reason a single knight could face a hundred soldiers was precisely that aura.
No matter how skilled Lucy was, it was normal for her to be powerless against an aura.
Yet, Lucy was different. She was overwhelming someone who wielded an aura without even knowing what it was.
Usually, she practiced divine magic, so she must have been bridging that gap with something related to the divine, yet that still didn’t make sense.
What seemed like an intense duel between the two quickly came to an end.
Lucy, having blocked Frey’s sword with her shield, grabbed Frey by the collar and tossed her to the ground.
To be precise, Lucy had stopped just short of throwing her, but it was clear what the result would have been had she not shown mercy.
In this fierce duel, it was Lucy who emerged victorious.
Hahaha. To think I need to surpass that monster in order to win.
In just over a year, I have to outdo a genius like her.
Arthur had never felt like he couldn’t do something until now.
He had accomplished anything he ever desired, whether it required brawn or brains.
But this time, for the first time, he entertained the thought that it might be impossible.
The wall that was Lucy Allen felt insurmountably high, preventing him from even attempting to keep up.
It’s tough. So very tough.
To surpass that monster, who wears a stoic expression as if what she’s achieved is nothing,
and then find the answer to the question of why I am pitiful—is that even possible?
A few minutes after the duel ended, Anton called out the names of others.
Jack Burrows and Meryl Baines.
Both evaluated as individuals who would lead the kingdom one day.
While the duel between those two was undeniably high-level, both Arthur and the others, including the two actually dueling, seemed unimpressed.
Compared to the earlier duel of Lucy and Frey, theirs felt trivial.
*
“Lady Allen, the final exam results have come out.”
Already?!
It’s Saturday morning. I had stiffened in surprise at Joy’s words while warming up, just like usual before starting training.
Wait, don’t the results take longer to come out?!
Why are the professors at the academy so driven? Can’t they take it easy and chill a bit?
Why are they so eager to hand out grades that could be despairing for most students? Just why?!
“Shall we take a look?”
Joy’s suggestion caught me off guard, and I struggled to respond.
To be honest, I didn’t want to see my grade.
It must’ve been a total disaster.
I don’t mean to imply I didn’t study. I did prepare for the final exam and gave it my all.
I really did! If I had tried this hard in school, I could’ve gotten into a university next to Gwanaksan!
But just because I did my best doesn’t mean my grades will be good, right?
I guess my grade will be around average or just above.
That’s a pitiful score for someone who got first place in the midterms.
I don’t want to see that plummeting score.
I don’t even want to hear the whispers of others while looking at it.
More than anything, if I go check my score, Joy and Arthur will definitely tease me!
I absolutely do not want to willingly become someone else’s target!
[But you should check it since you worked hard on your exam.]
‘…Can’t I just go later?’
[Oh no. Don't dodge unfavorable things.]
With Grandpa’s nagging that was close to a threat, I reluctantly accepted Joy’s suggestion.
Ugh. I really don’t want to see my name down there.
“Aren’t you going, Young Lady Kent?”
Frey, who was warming up with me, tilted her head at Joy’s suggestion.
Her response was what I expected.
She probably has zero interest in academy grades whatsoever. Surely…
“Yeah. I’ll go.”
Huh? I thought for sure she would refuse, but she didn’t.
She unexpectedly agreed to join me without hesitation.
What’s up with this? Why is she suddenly acting like this?
I had no clue what her reason was, but anyway, the three of us headed towards the academy square.
There, a large crowd had already gathered.
Whoa, look at that crowd! Everyone’s so eager this early in the morning.
Normally, I’d need to think about how to navigate through such a throng, but I didn’t have to worry about that now.
Our presence was a free pass.
‘Everyone.’
“Hey, you shoddy ones.”
As soon as I raised my voice, the attention of those nearby focused on me.
In front stood Lucy Allen. A crazy girl who insults kings and more the moment you touch her.
Beside her was Joy Partlan, the Duchess’s daughter and the center of several noble young ladies. Just looking at her, she screams villainess.
Frey… umm, let’s just skip over her.
Given our group’s makeup, a path naturally opened up in the crowd.
Initially, I felt hurt seeing the shocked faces, but I got used to it.
These days, I even find it somewhat comfortable. No matter where I go, showing my face allows me to get through easily.
Upon reaching the results board, I started searching for my name from the middle.
If my guess was right, it should be around here.
As I scanned that section, I soon tilted my head in confusion.
Huh? Why isn’t my name here? Did I misread it?
I checked again, puzzled, but it was exactly the same.
My name wasn’t in the middle.
What the?! Did I really mess up the written exam more than I thought?! To the point where I can’t even make up for it with practical exams?!
Whoa. This is a disaster. Truly.
Even so, being in the lower tier is unbearable.
If I end up failing, it’ll be a catastrophe. A catastrophe.
As I lowered my gaze further down, I found Frey’s name before mine.
My grade is lower than Frey’s?! Am I actually dumber than her?!
“Aah. I failed to beat the Third Prince again. It’s strange. I was sure my score was higher during the mock grading.”
Joy failed to beat Arthur again?
So, that means Arthur is first this time too, just like in the game.
Eventually, things return to normal when no one else intervenes.
“Luckily, the Allen Young Lady retained first place.”
…Huh? What? I’m first?!
What kind of nonsense is this? Do you think I answered that many correctly?!
Are you kidding me, Joy? One look at the scores and you thought I wouldn’t believe it? Is this a prank?!
Joy. You’re just looking to release your pent-up frustrations this way, aren’t you?!
Ha. Seriously. That thought’s so cute that I’ll play along.
While I suppressed a laugh and looked up, I read.
‘Lucy Allen.’
‘Arthur Soladin.’
‘Joy Partlan.’
‘Jack Burrows.’
…
I was caught in confusion upon seeing my name written at the top.
Huh? Why is my name up there?
Is this some epic prank? Are the professors at the academy teaming up to mess with me?!
No way. That can’t be.
So what is it then? Am I dreaming? Yeah. It must be a dream…
No, wait. I haven’t had the luxury of dreaming, rolling around in bed, thanks to Grandpa lately.
“What’s going on, Grandpa?!”
[What do you mean 'what'? You got first.]
‘How?!’
Seriously, how the heck did I get first?! This is ridiculous!
I admit I probably got close to full marks in practicals!
And I’m okay with my game knowledge helping me do well in Dungeon Studies where it matters!
But there’s no way I could have done well in the other subjects!
I definitely guessed half the answers on those exams!
[I was also surprised. How can your answer choices always hit the right number whenever you throw a pencil? Given that even the Lord Jushin seems to be watching over such trivial matters, it’s clear you are being loved.]
Wait. So you’re saying every time I rolled the dice, I got the right answer?
…Whoa! It’s the Dice God!
To think I was blessed with this even without my separate prayers!
Thank you! Thank you very much!
While I was pouring my gratitude to the undeniably capable Dice God, a thought crossed my mind.
‘Grandpa. So you knew my scores from the start?’
[Isn’t that so?]
‘…But why didn’t you say anything?’
[Because I wanted to see you in this state.]
So you were hiding it all this time just to see me go from gloomy to joyful?
Grandpa. You’re a pervert. You were grinning while watching me squirm, weren’t you?
Honestly, I’m tempted to create a mutual assured destruction situation.
Is there anything better than this ridiculous tour? Something that could humiliate Grandpa.
“Lucy Allen.”
While I was lost in thought about how to make Grandpa scream, I snapped back when someone called my name.
Arthur was there, having approached I didn’t even notice.
His expression wasn’t particularly good.
Of course not.
Thanks to what I taught Joy, she was scoring higher than him now. Arthur must have put in tremendous effort to do so.
Yet, despite his efforts, he lost to me again, which made sense why he looked so gloomy.
Hmm. How should I comfort him?
Wait. Can I even comfort someone else in the first place?
Wouldn’t it be best just to keep my mouth shut?
“I have something to say.”
‘What is it?’
“What is it? Are you, once again, the Pitiful Prince who got defeated by me?”
“Ugh.”
Yep, keeping quiet is best. What do I know about comforting someone?
Arthur coughed several times as a response to my provocation and finally managed to speak.
“Teach me how to get stronger.”
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