Chapter 6

Chapter 5 – 5. Exam

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“Damn it.”

Elijah brushed off the dust from his clothes.

He had just been clinging to Daud, trying to befriend him, but ended up being thrown out into the corridor by the dorm supervisor.

“Give me a break. Are you that narrow-minded?”

Although he grumbled like that, Elijah’s mind was still filled with thoughts about Daud Campbell.

It had been a while since he met someone so interesting.

Even now, outside, people were saying things like the sparring itself was a fraud, a manipulation, but Elijah had a gut feeling.

The skills of the man who had subdued him in one move were real.

No matter what method he used, it was impossible to tell.

‘There’s definitely something about that guy.’

At the very least, he knew the man was more suspicious than he appeared.

And she was the type who couldn’t stand not knowing when she was curious.

Thus, the logical conclusion she reached.

What would be the best position to learn those skills and observe the person closely?

A friend, of course.

There’s no harm in being friends.

‘...I don’t really know how to become friends with a guy, though.’

Thanks to growing up in a monastery with only girls, men were a mystery to her. She had hardly ever even had the chance to talk to one, let alone make friends.

Of course, that didn’t mean she was going to give up.

‘But with that attitude...’

No matter how she tried to approach him, his attitude of thoroughly pushing her away was like an impenetrable wall.

Even someone as stubborn as her felt hurt.

It might be better to give up on forming a relationship...

“Ouch.”

Perhaps she was too engrossed in her thoughts, as she turned the corner at the end of the corridor and bumped into someone coming from the opposite direction.

“Oops. Be more careful next time.”

“No, it’s my fault...”

Elijah’s voice, which was about to respond reflexively to the words from the other person, stopped abruptly.

She had recognized who she had bumped into.

“Are you hurt?”

While Student Council President Elnoir spoke expressionlessly, Elijah clutched her sword convulsively.

And then she immediately felt despair.

‘...I can’t win. Not at all.’

In an instant, she gauged the gap between her and the other person and inwardly groaned.

She also had the skills to be appointed a regular knight immediately, but the other person was on a different level.

No matter how she attacked, she could only see herself dying.

‘This is the House of Tristan...’

Fitting for the daughter of a family renowned as the pinnacle of swordsmanship on the continent.

Despite being only a few years older than her, he had achieved this level.

She let go of her sword and replied.

“...I’m fine.”

Biting her lip, she spoke with evident frustration, and the other person only nodded slightly.

For Elijah, it was a response that made her want to lash out again.

He had clearly seen her grab her sword, yet he didn’t even flinch.

As if it didn’t matter at all.

As if it wasn’t even worth his attention.

“...”

This is what Elijah means to him.

Just someone he can ignore.

Considering he was from the family that had twisted her entire life.

A surge of white-hot anger rose, but Elijah suppressed it inwardly.

There was no point in showing it now. Attacking with her sword wouldn’t help.

“Here, take this.”

Elijah managed to force a smile and picked up what Elnoir had dropped when they collided.

A simple envelope containing a snack. On the outside, in neat handwriting, it read “To Daud Campbell.”

‘Why is he popping up everywhere?’

Despite this thought, Elijah continued to speak politely.

“Are you going to where he is?”

“Yes.”

“If you turn right from here, you’ll find the place you’re looking for.”

With those words, she handed the envelope to Elnoir and quickly left.

She didn’t like facing this person.

“Wait.”

But Elnoir called her back.

“How do you know where Daud Campbell’s room is?”

“...?”

Why is he asking this? But she had to answer.

“I was just with him a moment ago.”

As soon as she said that, a wave of hostility surged from Elnoir.

It was almost as if he was about to draw his sword.

‘...Hostility? Anger?’

Why?

No, really, why?

He didn’t even change his expression when someone tried to draw a sword at him, but why is he so angry just because she was with that guy?

As Elijah was thoroughly confused, another question came.

“What for?”

The temperature of his voice had dropped significantly.

She felt like if she mentioned anything about being friends, she might actually be attacked.

“Um, just to build camaraderie among the new students...?”

Elnoir’s eyes narrowed.

It was clear he didn’t like what she had just said.

“Romantic relationships among new students are prohibited.”

“...What?”

What the hell is he talking about?

“Anyway, they’re prohibited.”

“Is there such a rule...?”

“I just made it.”

“...”

Right. The Student Council President does have that authority.

But it wasn’t meant to be abused like this.

“So, from now on, don’t go to Daud Campbell’s room.”

“Um, is there something between you and him?”

Elnoir fell silent at her question.

It was a long silence that made Elijah, who had asked, feel awkward.

“...No, there’s nothing.”

It was a very difficult answer to give.

It felt like it was mixed with a lot of dissatisfaction. As if he really didn’t like the idea of any connection.

“Alright then. Remember what I just said.”

With those words, Elnoir left, leaving Elijah with a dazed expression.

“What the hell?”

If there’s nothing between them, why did he do that?

It’s hard to understand why a noble daughter would write a man’s name on an envelope containing food and bring it herself.

Daud Campbell is from a minor noble family, so why would he have any connection with someone like her—

- I actually like him quite a bit.

- It’s just for show. I know that too. I have a rough idea of what he’s been up to.

These thoughts suddenly flashed through Elijah’s mind.

They were the words she had heard directly from Daud yesterday.

As if he already knew a lot about the Student Council President.

“Hmm.”

Her intuition was tingling.

It felt like the pieces of a puzzle were falling into place.

A very suspicious man and a Student Council President who claims no connection but seems to have some link...

‘There’s something going on...!’

No way there’s nothing between them.

These two are definitely hiding something.

If I dig deeper, I’ll probably uncover some complicated backstory.

Maybe even a great secret related to the House of Tristan.

Elijah’s intuition was screaming.

“Alright. I’ll try to get close to him, at least for information gathering.”

If Daud had heard this, he would have screamed in real life.

●

The enrollment and class assignment at Elpante Academy are done in two stages.

The first is a rough 1:1 sparring to form groups.

The second is a detailed evaluation of the students’ overall abilities, known as the “class assignment” test.

The groups are formed based on the performance in the 1:1 sparring, and the test is taken accordingly.

And because I had knocked out a famous future hero candidate, I was assigned to the top-tier group.

Looking around, everyone in this group is full of confidence and pride, boasting about being part of it.

“...”

I’m the only one with a deadpan expression.

There are several reasons, but the biggest one is definitely this guy.

Glancing at Elijah, who happens to be in my group, he meets my gaze and waves.

He’s smiling without a single wrinkle. It’s creepy.

“...”

I really pushed him to the limit yesterday.

Thinking about it, there’s nothing good about me being involved with the protagonist.

The more I interact with important characters, the more my life is at risk, and with Elnoir alone, it’s already overwhelming.

So, I can swear I did my best to push this guy away.

▼ Elijah Krisanaks

But why is his affection level up?

What the hell is going on?

Why are there so many inexplicable things happening?

Come to think of it, yesterday, a letter with my name on it was delivered to my room.

It contained a note saying “Good luck on your test tomorrow” and some food.

There’s no one who would send me something like this, so I thought maybe I had a stalker, which was creepy.

‘...I don’t know.’

She sighed.

Since it says “not yet” for claiming the reward, it seems this guy does give something, so I should try to think positively.

But why doesn’t he give the reward? Is it because he’s not a villain?

“Group 1! It’s your turn!”

Hearing the instructor’s command, she stood up.

Well, that’s one thing.

For now, I need to focus on what’s in front of me.

The entrance exam is the first branch of the main scenario in Sera.

It involves various tests in the stadium to evaluate the students’ abilities.

The protagonist shows his skills, gains recognition, and receives good rewards.

In the original, it’s a smooth start. There’s no way it could go wrong.

Yeah.

That’s how it would have been, if not for this.

▼ Elnoir Erinarize de Tristan

Except for this.

She glanced at the text floating on the screen.

“Pleased to meet you. I’m Elnoir, in charge of conducting and leading the exam.”

Right. This guy isn’t a gentleman either.

As expected, for the top-tier Group 1, the Student Council President is personally leading us.

“...”

It’s too coincidental.

The events related to this person are happening today. He’s leading my group in the entrance exam.

It would be more strange if nothing happened during this exam.

“Let’s move inside the exam venue first. I’ll take questions inside.”

As Elnoir walked ahead, she followed into the stadium, keeping a tense eye on her surroundings.

Who knows what might happen.

In fact, it turned out to be a pointless precaution.

The event started in a very straightforward way.

As soon as they entered the stadium, the entrance was sealed with a loud thud, and all the lights inside the building went out, as if there was a power outage.

“...”

“...”

The dark room was filled with silence for a moment, then one of the students spoke in a slightly dazed voice.

“Um, you said you’d take questions? Is this part of the exam?”

I can answer that.

【Event: Subsequent Assassination Attempt】

- The assassins who survived are still targeting this person!

- Protect this person from getting hurt!

This isn’t an exam.

It’s a trap.

“...”

Daud Campbell. Academy enrollment, day 3.

His life is already being threatened.

Shit.

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