Chapter 291
Chapter 291
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 291
Chapter Title: How to Steal the Protagonist's Woman
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Luna burst into the auditorium with a sense of urgency, rushing straight toward the podium where she immediately locked eyes with me and began blurting out questions in a flustered, breathless ramble.
"Wh-what on earth is going on here, Suho!?"
"Oh, you're finally awake? You must have been completely exhausted from yesterday's efforts. You ended up oversleeping quite a bit, didn't you?"
"Th-that is absolutely not the point right now!"
Her face flushed a deep crimson at the teasing lilt in my voice, but she quickly shook her head to clear her mind and began scolding me in earnest for the benefit of the surrounding eyes.
"You need to explain yourself this instant!"
"Alright, alright... just calm down for a second..."
I started from the very beginning of the morning's events and laid everything out clearly for her—explaining the specific sequence of events that had led us into this public mess. Luna's face twisted in a look of profound bewilderment, her brows furrowing deeply as she processed the information.
"Are you telling me that Louis... actually orchestrated all of this?"
"Yeah, I guess the guy simply couldn't accept the reality of the final results."
"My god... how could he be so reckless..."
She pressed a hand to her forehead, feeling a headache coming on, and scanned the entire room. She saw me seated at the single desk placed prominently on the podium, the panel of senior professors surrounding me, and the sea of students packed into the auditorium. Luna seemed to pick up on the rising tide of student chatter, gauging their increasingly negative perception of me from the whispers. Then, her eyes met those of Louis, who was standing off in the distance.
He was clutching a single notebook tightly to his chest and was already heading our way with a look of grim determination.
‘I figured it wouldn't end easily given his nature, but I honestly didn't expect him to go this insane just to prove a point.’
Louis glared absolute daggers at both me and Luna before stopping to calmly explain his intentions to the elderly professor standing midway.
"I personally spent the entire night crafting this validation test myself, Professor."
"...Student Louis, you do realize how large this situation has grown, don't you?"
"I do, sir. But it's not just my personal pride at stake—the other students here have serious complaints about the integrity of the exam as well. That is why I made this formal request."
"...Very well then. Proceed."
Louis bowed his head in a brief show of thanks, then strode toward me with renewed purpose. On his way, he passed by another faculty member who was joining the group.
"...!"
"Tch..."
Professor Sonya glowered at Louis with her arms crossed tightly over her chest. As expected, the senior professor's earlier mention of leaked questions had reached her ears, and she was clearly not pleased. It was especially risky talk for someone currently gunning for an assistant professor promotion. It was clear that their relationship had crossed an uncrossable river of resentment today.
Louis hurriedly bowed to Sonya out of habit before scampering over to my desk. I lounged back in my chair, propping my chin on my hand and smirking up at him sideways as he approached.
"How pathetic... I really didn't think you would stoop this low just to save face, Louis."
"Shut your mouth. None of this would have happened in the first place if you had just taken the test fair and square."
"Louis, you have no right to say that right now..."
"Luna... this matter doesn't involve you. I suggest you stay out of it for your own sake."
"...!"
Luna glanced around, acutely aware of the hundreds of eyes fixed on her, and realized she couldn't raise her voice without causing a further scandal. Louis slapped the notebook onto my desk with a sharp thud. The elderly professor sidled up beside me, along with the other supervisors, and addressed the room.
"As regrettable as this entire situation is... since the student here has provided his full consent, we will resolve these allegations by having him solve the problems Student Louis has prepared."
"However, since this is a matter of alleged cheating, we faculty will not look at the specific questions you have made to avoid bias."
"But I warn you, if you have somehow made problems of absurd or impossible difficulty..."
"There is no need for concern, Professors. The problems I have crafted..."
Louis replied with a smug, self-assured grin as he looked down at me.
"...are simply the original exam questions with some minor scenarios and numbers tweaked to test actual understanding. If he truly possesses the knowledge he displayed on the exam, he should find these quite simple. If he can't solve them, it proves beyond a doubt that he cheated on the written exam."
I couldn't help but smirk at the sheer irony of his words.
‘...Armonia, are you seeing this?’
I had once spent some Enel to tweak a pilfered exam for practice. My first goal then was to get Luna to solve the problems for me, but my second goal was to prepare for exactly this kind of situation. I couldn't have predicted his exact moves, but the practice was about to pay off immensely.
"There are ten problems in total. I assume thirty minutes should be more than enough time for someone of your supposed 'skill'?"
"Who knows? If you actually managed to make proper, coherent questions, it'll be fine."
"You little..."
I knew that modifying a problem I already had the core answer to wouldn't take much Enel or effort.
‘This is going to be an absolute breeze.’
But the elderly professor, entirely oblivious to my internal confidence, still looked deeply uneasy. She turned and warned the increasingly rowdy students in the auditorium with a booming voice.
"We did not gather you all here today to gawk at this like it is some form of entertainment. This session is intended to quash baseless rumors and wild speculation once and for all. Quiet down immediately."
The entire hall fell into a heavy silence at her words. She then turned back to Louis and Luna.
"You two, please step back. We need to provide him with a proper testing environment, at the very least."
"Yes, ma'am."
"...Yes, Professor."
Louis shot me one last venomous smile before turning away to join the crowd. Luna gave me a long, worried glance and followed him. The elderly professor then focused her attention on me.
"...I truly pray that this outcome does not further tarnish the school's reputation, Student Suho."
"I understand."
I nodded politely, and the professors moved back to keep their distance while watching me like hawks. Sonya was among them, her eyes etched with a palpable concern for my future. The elderly professor nodded once more and gave the signal.
"You may begin."
I flipped open the notebook without saying another word, scanning the problems with a calm, analytical eye. The text was incredibly precise—the letters, numbers, and geometric diagrams were so perfect that you’d swear they had been computer-printed rather than handwritten. Above all, the thick ink, likely from an expensive fountain pen, had dried perfectly—leaving no smudges or stains on the paper. Gazing at those crisp characters, I muttered into our private comms.
‘...Wait a second, Armonia.’
[...?]
‘Isn't that actually possible through the system?’
A brilliant and fun idea suddenly struck me as I eyed the problems. A natural, genuine smile crept onto my face, and I began the process of solving the test.
Exactly twenty minutes later, Seong Suho finished the last of the problems and submitted the notebook back to the panel of professors.
"Have you actually finished everything already?"
"Yes, every single one is complete."
"That is an impressive speed, especially if the student actually picked the toughest ones to modify..."
Professor Magerta nodded with an inscrutable expression, looking at Seong Suho's confident smile with curiosity. She glanced briefly at the notebook, then approached Louis and handed it over to him for verification.
"Since you were the one who crafted the problems, I assume you already know the correct answers by heart?"
"Yes, Professor. I have every single one memorized."
"Check his work immediately."
"Got it."
Louis began to flip through the pages one by one, verifying the answers with an intense focus. Midway through the process, a broad, triumphant grin suddenly split his face. One page... another... he began to beam with a sense of pure joy he probably hadn't felt since he first arrived at Schutra. After reaching the last page, he practically lunged forward, waving the notebook triumphantly at the crowd of students and whooped with delight.
"See!? Just as I suspected! He only managed to get four out of the ten problems correct! The cheating is officially confirmed!"
"!!"
The students, the professors—and even Luna—all turned their shocked and disappointed gazes toward Seong Suho. He, however, simply tilted his head slightly, feigning a look of utter and complete confusion.
Luna seemed to take the news the hardest of all. In her mind, slight tweaks to the numbers shouldn't have been enough to stump him if he truly knew the material. Still, she tried her best to defuse the situation before it turned into a riot.
"Wait, Louis! Anyone could easily slip up under this level of public pressure!"
"That is a ridiculous excuse! He accepted the challenge willingly! Luna, why on earth are you still trying to defend that incompetent idiot!?"
"Idiot!? Louis, how dare you say such a thing—"
Just as the two of them started to bicker loudly, a new presence made itself known.
"Hm? Am I the only one who was left out of this fascinating little event today?"
A deep, resonant male voice echoed through the vast auditorium. Every head in the room whipped toward the source of the sound. The professors on the stage stiffened as if they had been struck by lightning.
"D-Dean!"
"Hoho... hello everyone."
Dean Ludwig Rippenstein strode toward the podium with his massive cloak billowing behind him, looking as calm as ever, and asked his question again.
"What exactly is this entertaining little event you all seem to be having here?"
"Well, sir..."
Head Professor Magerta approached him and began explaining the entire situation. The dean listened to her fully without interruption, his prior cheerful smile slowly fading into something more serious. While it wasn't outright anger, the sudden shift from his usual jolly demeanor caused everyone in the hall to tense up with anxiety.
"So, we have a case of alleged exam cheating, do we..."
"My apologies, Dean. We felt the matter was too petty to bother you with—we had planned to handle it internally."
"...I see."
He offered a slow nod and began to approach Louis directly.
"You are the student who originally raised the objection regarding the cheating?"
"Yes, sir. I am."
"And what exactly is your name?"
"M-my... my name is... L-Louis... B-Br... Brandt Rup, sir."
Louis stammered his response, desperately trying to swallow his mounting rage in the face of such overwhelming power. Just days after I had mocked him for it, hearing the dean ask for his name again made the veins in his eyes bulge with a crimson hue. No one in the hall knew exactly what was happening, but they all held their collective breath for the dean's next words.
"...And has the objection you raised been officially resolved by this test?"
"Ah! Yes! That commoner guy over there—we just proved through my questions that he was cheating the whole time."
"You claim to have proved it... and where exactly is the physical evidence of the act?"
"Th-the evidence... sir, this notebook is proof enough of his ignorance!"
"I will ask you one more time, Student Louis."
The dean began to radiate an immense, physical pressure as he spoke, his voice dropping several octaves.
"Where is the evidence of the actual cheating?"
"Th-that's..."
Louis wasn't the only one trembling now. Every student in the hall—even Luna standing right beside him—felt their reason beginning to shred under the weight of his aura. The dean pressed on mercilessly.
"Are you truly doubting the integrity of Schutra's senior professors without a single shred of proof? Are you openly questioning the security of the exam format I personally designed?"
"N-no, sir, that is not what I meant..."
"A mere student... actually daring to treat our esteemed faculty with such blatant disrespect?"
"Urgh..."
This wasn't mere academic intimidation. His words were brimming with a subtle fury and a touch of malice that seemed to gnaw at the students' very minds. As terror began to grip the crowd, Head Professor Magerta stepped in to mediate.
"Dean... please, calm yourself. For the sake of the school's public image, we deemed this validation necessary and decided on the course of action ourselves. Any fault in this procedure lies with us, not the students."
"...Understood. We will discuss your decision later in private."
His expression softened almost instantly, a cheerful smile returning to his face. The students let out a collective, shaky exhale, many of them clutching their chests in relief. The dean then smiled around at the entire assembly.
"Just to be perfectly clear to everyone: if any student is caught cheating at Schutra, immediate expulsion is the absolute least of your worries."
"...!"
"And above all else..." he side-eyed Louis and continued his point. "If you manage to do it and you don't get caught... then that is a form of skill in its own right."
"...I'm sorry, pardon me?"
Murmurs of confusion rippled through both the students and the professors alike. The dean took a moment to elaborate on his strange statement.
"If you possess the ability to cheat at Schutra without being detected by our systems, it means you are exceptionally skilled as a mage. Because..." his smile vanished again, and the heavy aura returned for a heartbeat. "Anyone caught intruding in the high-security exam storage area is authorized to be killed on sight."
"...!"
"So feel free to show off your infiltration skills—provided you have a few spare lives to throw away, that is."
He was technically correct. The exam storage vaults were located near the upper council chambers—an area that was strictly off-limits to anyone below the rank of associate professor.
"I myself couldn't breach those defenses easily. Please feel free to try it for yourself anytime."
With that terrifying statement, he personally quashed the rumors of a leak, then turned back to Louis.
"But since you have already started this little game, let us see it through to the end. Tell me, how was the performance on your test?"
"Th-that is exactly it, sir! He couldn't even manage to solve half of the problems I gave him."
"Hm... that is indeed a suspicious result for a top scorer."
The dean glanced toward Seong Suho, then extended an open hand toward Louis.
"...?"
Mistaking the gesture for a formal handshake, Louis offered his own empty palm. The dean let out a dry, amused chuckle.
"The problems you made, young man. Hand them to me, please."
"...H-here they are, sir."
With his ears burning with embarrassment, Louis handed over the notebook with visibly shaking hands. The dean then passed it directly to the panel of professors behind him.
"I want you to review the difficulty of these questions together."
"D-Dean! There is no issue with the difficulty! I promise they are just simple tweaks on the actual exam material..."
"We are just performing a routine check. There is no need for you to worry."
"A-alright, sir."
Louis scowled at the delay but managed a small grin when he saw Seong Suho quietly watching the proceedings.
‘You stupid bastard... even if the dean clears the cheating charge, the fact that you got that many questions wrong will seal your fate as an incompetent fraud.’
Botching simple numerical tweaks was undeniable proof of a lack of understanding. Luna felt the same rising dread.
‘Please... please let there be some kind of error in his problems...’
She prayed for flaws in the test itself to save Seong Suho from a harsh punishment. But Professor Magerta soon dashed her remaining hopes.
"Dean, we have finished our review. The difficulty level is perfectly fine. These are indeed just slight modifications of our official exam questions."
"I see..."
The dean slowly closed his eyes, nodding to himself. Louis began to beam with an ecstatic joy as he looked back at Seong Suho. Approaching the dazed-looking man, Louis leaned in and whispered into his ear.
"You dumbass. Are you still making that idiot face because you can't read the room? You are finished, you commoner fucker."
"Hmm..."
I simply shrugged my shoulders at his curt reply, causing Louis to taunt me even further.
"What's the matter? If you beg for my mercy right now, maybe I'll consider voiding the bet for you. Oh wait... there's no need. It's already time for you to pack your things and run, isn't it?"
"Nah, I don't think I can do that just yet."
"...What are you talking about?"
"The bet has to stand, Louis. I plan on winning it."
I offered him a wide, confident smirk. That was exactly the moment when Sonya, who had been staring intensely at the notebook away from the other professors' eyes, finally spoke up.
"Wait a minute. Professors... these answers Suho has written... they all seem to be fundamentally correct?"