<433 - Unknown Strategy>
━━━
[Class 981 Homeroom Exam Passers]
Group A Border Region – 4/17
Group B Empire – 8/22
Group C Special Group – 5/5
Total – 17/44
Elapsed Time – 30 minutes
━━━
Unlike the aggressive early challenges, after 15 minutes, the attempts became so timid that it was rare for even one person to step forward every three minutes.
“This is cheating.”
“There’s no rule against cheating, is there?”
“Hehe. Fool♡ Amateur♡ What’s with that on your neck~? If the second-years collude, can’t we just collude too♡”
“Oh, that’s a way!”
“As expected, our wise princess!”
Masugaki found a breakthrough.
One student from the Empire cautiously stepped forward for a challenge.
“I challenge White Knight Roe-senpai to a knowledge duel. The question is: What is the representative dish of the [Raclette] family, and what is the origin of its recipe?”
Surprised, it seemed Roe-senpai didn’t expect such a question.
“Hmm. If it’s a knowledge battle without force or intellect, then victory will depend on what you know. Clever thinking.”
“You don’t know? Then it’s my turn to answer!”
“No, I never said I didn’t know. And remember, the priority you are given is to choose the opponent and the competition type, not to answer first.”
“!!”
“Lady Mandela Castera. How much do you know about the origins of noble family cuisine?”
As always, Mandela answered with her signature smile, as if facing an insurmountable wall.
“I know about everything from the Empire’s renowned noble dishes to the humble family dishes of the border small countries. I learned [Heraldry] in my early education. For someone like me who knows about the origins, symbols, and representative dishes of every family, there’s no dish I don’t know!”
“W-What? Our family isn’t that great!”
“The Raclette Baron family. In an environment polluted by toxins from the Demon Realm, when it became impossible to catch prey, they realized the need to make preserved food and started making cheese from the local area.”
“I-I really do know!”
“They realized that purifying this cheese would consume mana, but thought it was revolutionary to cut cheese with the Holy Sword, which saved mana spent on purification magic and helped with local supply.”
“Stop, nooo!”
“The method of eating this purified cheese on top of other toxin-laden meat was named [Raclette]. This fact was kindly taught to me by my home tutor, as a rising star of a mere swordsman!”
Despite Lady Raclette’s tearful expression, White Knight Roe collected the words without mercy.
“Thus ends my answer.”
“That’s correct. Lady Raclette, you may return to your seat.”
At Professor Mahabharata’s declaration, Raclette drooped her head and returned.
Her attempts to highlight her family’s uniqueness were met with constant failure thereafter.
“Guess how many dolls are on my bed♡”
“Such questions that the referee does not know cannot be acknowledged.”
Even Masugaki Princess struggled to pass through the obstacles!
“Hmph~ Then I can do this♡ If I write the answer on this paper and submit it to the teacher, the teacher will know the answer~? If I can steal the answer without touching it, it will be Roe-senpai’s victory♡”
“There’s nothing against it in the regulations, but such tactics require the opponent’s consent. Will you accept this challenge?”
Though White Knight Roe was reluctant, he finally accepted the duel.
“The Benevolent Deity would want us to face difficult battles for the sake of our studies. It’s not an ideal competition, but I will engage.”
Roe unleashed his search eyes, staring intently at the other side of the paper.
“…Hmmm.”
Roe glanced at the other second-years.
“Hmm.”
“Ahem.”
“Cough cough.”
The second-years exchanged coughs, looking around to see if anyone knew the answer.
All eyes turned to Mandela Castera, who smiled brightly.
“I have no idea!”
Roe immediately declared defeat.
“…I concede.”
“Your surrender was too quick♡ How can you satisfy a woman like that, senpai~?”
“You’re using specially made paper that blocks all mana scanning and say such a thing.”
The emergence of this impossibly annoying paper showcased the collective intellect of the second years.
“Amateur followers, don’t strain yourselves and just write the answer on this paper to pass♡ But the target is limited to Roe-senpai♡”
“Waaaah!”
“I vow lifelong loyalty, Your Highness!”
“I respect you, Your Highness!”
Masugaki had all her faction pass and waved the paper that was a near cheat.
“What a fool. If all second-years got stuck, we could’ve earned more points against other seniors.”
In response to Isabel’s envious criticism, Jezel shook her head.
“That’s debatable. White Knight Roe serves the Benevolent Deity Immanuel. He has constraints that prevent him from committing unjust acts. Other second-years might find answers using methods that Roe cannot. Since Roe was the one competing, others may not have used all their options.”
“Either way, once a path is cleared, leaning on connections to follow the established way is the most certain and safe approach. It’s underhanded, but that’s one method too.”
Oknodie tilted his head slightly at Isabel’s grumbling.
“That’s not quite a cheat, though? Mana coating can be learned from Professor Bronze in the first semester.”
“Then can you make one for us?”
“Do we really need to? There are easier methods.”
Oknodie winked one eye.
“!”
“It seems the little lady has a plan. Let’s wait and see.”
━━━
[Class 981 Homeroom Exam Passers]
Group A Border Region – 4/17
Group B Empire – 14/22
Group C Special Group – 5/5
Total – 23/44
Elapsed Time – 60 minutes
━━━
Students who couldn’t expect amazing connections like Masugaki were naturally watching one person for hints.
“Ishtar, what will you do?”
“Hmph. I don’t need those who only wag their tails when it’s unfavored. Just you and Skola are enough.”
“Aack, that’s harsh, Warrior! Don’t forget I’m also active in the Warrior’s Guard!”
A male student in impressive armor reminiscent of Black Knight Mob burst into tears.
“Who is that?”
“Vanilla. The captain of the Warrior’s Guard and an upper-class male student. Being a minority, it’s understandable that Isabel doesn’t know him from the Empire faction.”
“Hmm… So he’s upper class. What can he do?”
“He’s a tank. I heard he managed to run away after being caught by Sing without collapsing and passed the exam till the end.”
“From Sing?”
Isabel was honestly amazed.
When it came to attack power alone, wasn’t Sing a match for Assassin Jiang?
There were countless cases of upper-class candidates who got wrecked by Sing during the entrance exam and ended up in the lower class, making his defensive abilities remarkable.
“It seems even Warriors have an eye for talent. Taking such a person as the captain of the Guard without anyone knowing.”
“Haha. Regardless of character, he is a Warrior, isn’t he?”
The Warrior Party boldly submitted a proposal.
“Are you up for a 4v4 challenge?”
“If all challenged accept, it’s valid.”
The second-year seniors seemed curious about the Warrior’s power and accepted the challenge.
“You were quite the performer against the Dark Princess in the inter-class competition. I believe you used that technique called Holy Mirror, right? We were quite inspired.”
“Just so happens we’ve created a technique similar to that as well.”
A onmyoji, filled with talismans in one hand, scattered them across the area.
[Talisman Technique - 108 Directions Protection]
[Talisman Technique - Attribute Imbuement]
A mage with a staff followed by enchanting all talismans.
[Imbuement - Shield]
[Imbuement - Reflection]
An archer shot arrows toward the shield.
[Quick Shot]
[Strong Strike]
Finally, trying to protect against the remaining arrows bouncing off the shield, the shield-bearer held a large shield in front, determined to guard until the last.
The party balance of the second-year seniors was tight.
Even managing to mimic the Warrior’s techniques in just a few months was impressive.
However, the Warrior had also grown tremendously after a crushing defeat against the cursed plant colony from earlier.
[Holy Mirror]
<108 Directions>
Instead of spreading out 108 mirrors separately, it summoned them all together.
[One Strike Technique - Heart Sphere]
A simple yet swift strike pierced through all 108 mirrors in a straight line, accelerating as it moved.
The top speed that reached made it so overwhelming that it pierced through the second-year senior’s shield like a circle.
“Cough!”
Just as an arrow, which had just taken off the protection charm, began flying towards Yufi, it didn’t go unnoticed by Warrior Party’s archer, Skola.
[Masterful Barrage]
[Mana Arrow]
[High-Speed Shooting]
[Auto-Targeting]
Bullets shot fiercely at a rate akin to a machine gun shattered the second-year seniors’ arrows.
“Hitting arrows with arrows?!”
“You aimed every single arrow perfectly?!”
“Watch out, it’s coming!!”
[Holy Mirror]
<108 Directions>
Another volley of the 108 accelerated strikes assaulted the abdomen of the senior shooting arrows.
“Take down even one of them!”
“Damn it, this is dire!”
The onmyoji and the enchantment mage, dodging Skola’s relentless shots and Ishtar’s fearsome strikes, targeted only one person—the tank!
But the seat of the Warrior’s Guard captain was no easy place either.
[Iron Wall]
[Defensive Stance]
[Defensive Area Expansion]
[Hit Point Shifting]
[Attack Evasion]
[Steel Legs]
[Subtle Step]
In a brief moment, the relentless defensive maneuvers showcased unyielding toughness that bore no wounds even against the seniors’ last-ditch efforts.
It seemed they could even withstand a Warrior’s strike with such stable defense!
“All four members of the Warrior Party have passed.”
━━━
[Class 981 Homeroom Exam Passers]
Group A Border Region – 4/17
Group B Empire – 18/22
Group C Special Group – 5/5
Total – 27/44
Elapsed Time – 65 minutes
━━━
The remaining groups, aside from the few unassociated minorities, were all factions made up of Border Region students.
As the Empire faction was renowned for the Masugaki Princess faction, Ishtar Warrior faction, and the three major noble families, the Border Region also had some individuals leading their groups.
Such as Oknodie’s largest faction, the spiritual support of female students in the Arcadia faction, Andersen’s cursed insight faction, and Jezel’s Dark Trading Company faction, solidifying relationships formed during the entrance exam.
“We are, in essence, all allies of Di, aren’t we?”
“That’s right. We attend lectures together too.”
“At this point, I think it’s time to share whatever schemes the little lady has hidden.”
Oknodie held up three fingers.
“There are three methods!”
“Three?”
“Performance-focused strategies to earn a lot of points! Favorability-focused strategies that also bring along the weak! And finally, the one I’ve never tried but know exists—unknown strategy!”
Even the little lady had a concept of the unknown.
Jezel felt an intense curiosity.
“What exactly is the unknown strategy?”
“It’s a charm contest where the cuter person wins!”
“…!”
That’s truly… an adorable strategy!
A challenging glint sparkled in the eyes of all the female students.
