Translator: RaidenTL

Chapter 90: Midterm Exam 10

A wave of agitation swept through the students as they stared at the screen. There was Loki, lounging in a plush, unknown room instead of the damp, miserable forest, sipping a cool drink while watching them.

"…Where on earth is that?"

"The screen he’s looking at… isn’t that the forest?"

"Does that mean he was tracking our locations the entire time the exam was going on?"

"Wait, isn't that the monitoring room where the professors do the grading? Why is he in there?"

Even the students of the Special Class stared at Loki in shock.

While they knew the announcement of his elimination had been a fake, they hadn't realized he had been watching everyone from the monitoring room itself. Only then did it click why they hadn't run into him once during the exam. It would have been weirder to encounter him when he was tucked away in a place like that.

As every eye in the room darted between the screen and the real Loki, he spoke up in an innocent-sounding voice.

"Why is everyone staring at me like that? Is there something on my face?"

"……"

His nonchalance left the other students—and even the Special Class—utterly speechless.

As if oblivious to the mood, Loki continued into the heavy silence.

"Ah, are you about to say I’ve got some 'handsomeness' stuck to my face? Please, don't. It’s such a cliché, and I’ve heard it so often I’m honestly getting sick of it…"

While the students were busy debating which part of that statement to refute first, Clara, who had been staring intently at the screen, spoke up.

"I can guess what kind of place that is, but how and when did you even get in there?"

"Did I not mention I was there?"

"You didn't."

"I’d love to tell you right now, but the video isn't over yet."

Loki pointed at the screen. This time, instead of just watching the students, the footage showed him holding a doll that looked exactly like himself. He used illusion magic to project a voice through the doll—a voice that was a perfect imitation of the professor who had been making the announcements.

— Loki, eliminated.

The screen cut to black just after showing the professors looking at Loki in bewilderment.

"Wait, so that elimination broadcast we heard during the exam was a fake he cooked up?!"

"To think he could manipulate sound to that extent with his Innate Magic…"

The Special Class students weren't surprised since they had known beforehand, but the rest of the freshmen were reeling. Just as they thought it was over, the darkened screen flickered back to life.

While Clara and Sepia’s highlight reels had been relatively short, Loki’s showed no sign of ending. Unlike the girls' videos, which only showed their best moments, Loki’s segment was long, as if intended to show the students every single thing he had done.

Furthermore, while the professors had provided feedback or explanations during Sepia and Clara’s segments, they remained silent during Loki’s. It was unclear whether this was because he was ranked first or simply because they were at a loss for words.

On the screen, Loki was once again holding the doll of himself. He began using screams to leak the locations of hidden students to others or instigating fights between groups just to watch the chaos.

"What? So the reason I got eliminated was because of him?"

"I knew it! There was definitely no one near me, but I suddenly heard a noise."

"This is way over the line!"

The room ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠grew even rowdier than before. His previous actions hadn't directly caused eliminations, but these were a different story. Some students, realizing they had been knocked out because of Loki’s interference, looked ready to give him a piece of their mind.

Of course, one sharp glare from Clara was enough to make them avert their eyes and hang their heads.

Unable to voice their complaints, the students were forced to watch the video to the very end. The screen finally went dark for good after showing Loki tricking Clara about the remaining time to secure her elimination.

"……………"

While the other students grumbled, the Special Class students actually began to look impressed halfway through.

"Are you all okay with this?" Loki asked, pointing a finger at the other students who were glaring at him.

"It’s absurd, but I have no complaints," Lucas replied, and the other Special Class students nodded in agreement. "You won through your own ability."

They saw how Loki handled Professor Elicia every morning; they knew this wasn't luck, but genuine skill.

— With that, the practical exam is officially over. Except for these three, all students should check their evaluation scores through their respective professors.

"………………"

Despite the announcement that the exam was over, the students didn't cheer. A heavy silence hung in the air until one student raised their hand. The look on their face made it obvious what they were about to say.

— Do you have something to say?

"Professor, I absolutely cannot accept these results."

With one student acting as the spearhead, the others seized the opportunity to pour out their grievances.

"He's right! I was unfairly eliminated because of that guy!"

"There should be a retake, or at the very least, he should be disqualified!"

Hiding behind the shield of the majority, they began to vent all the resentment they had been harboring. The student who had first spoken up glanced cautiously at Clara before speaking again.

"Furthermore, he even broadcasted a fake time at the end. Because of that, Lady Clara didn't get first place despite using such incredible magic."

The student harbored a hidden desire that this would earn them Clara's favor.

Lady Clara must be furious too. If I can use this as an excuse to get close to her…

Contrary to the student's expectations, however, Clara’s expression was ice-cold. Her red eyes were filled with nothing but contempt and disgust as she looked at them.

"Tsk. If you're going to whine, keep it among yourselves. Don't drag me into your pathetic behavior."

The chilling tone of her voice instantly silenced the complaining students.

Clara was, in fact, genuinely annoyed. The reason she had asked Loki how he did it was out of pure curiosity, not dissatisfaction. The video had satisfied that curiosity, which was fine, but the student's comment had soured her mood. It was so unpleasant that she felt she would have been happier just sitting exhausted in her chair after using that magic.

Though they were briefly silenced by Clara’s rebuke, the students' voices soon grew loud again. The professor announcing the scores listened to their complaints in silence. If Idra hadn't anticipated this, it would have taken a long time to convince them.

— You think Loki should be disqualified or that there should be a retake?

Believing their protest was working, the students looked toward the broadcast with anticipation. Of course, they were mistaken.

— I fail to see why that should be the case. In fact, let me ask you ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠this.

The strategy Idra had devised for this exact situation was simple.

— What exactly did he do wrong? Did Loki break a single rule during the exam?

It was the same logic the professors had used when they were victimized by Loki: So what's the problem? The reason the professors couldn't scold Loki was precisely because he hadn't broken any rules. They had shown every detail of Loki's actions on screen for this very reason—to challenge the students to find a single rule violation if they could.

The professor knew exactly why the students were trying to tear down Loki’s score.

"If we had done what he did, we wouldn't have been eliminated and could have survived until the end!"

"If I had 'coincidentally' been in a place where I could check everyone's location until they were exhausted, I would have taken first place too!"

They believed they could have won if they had done the same. They refused to acknowledge Loki’s actions as skill, viewing his fake broadcast and his manipulation of the battlefield from safety as mere luck.

The professor, expecting this, spoke the words Idra had prepared.

— Then why didn't you? It wasn't against the rules.

"Huh? That's…"

The students were struck dumb. They had no answer to "Why didn't you?"

— Did we ever state a rule saying you couldn't tail a professor? We told you not to remove your blindfolds until the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠signal, but we never said you couldn't move.

"……"

— There was a barrier around our location, but it was still inside the forest. If any of you had been able to find it and enter, we wouldn't have said a word. Was there any student other than Loki who even noticed it?

Again, the students were silent. They hadn't even realized the room was inside the forest until now.

— When Loki made the fake broadcast, he didn't use the microphone the professors use; he used a magic tool he owned. Did we ever state a rule forbidding the use of magic tools during ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the exam?

The silence deepened. Many of the students themselves had used magic tools.

Seeing the students hanging their heads in the silence, the professor decided that was enough.

— Then I ask again. What did Loki do wrong?

"……"

The students who had been shouting for a retake and disqualification just moments ago all shut their mouths. They couldn't offer a single rebuttal to the simple fact that no rules had been broken.

And so, the practical exam concluded without further incident.