Grade Evaluation (6)
Grade Evaluation (6)
......Day three of the Grade Evaluation.
"Hwaaah~"
Baek Ha-na, fresh from a shower, shook out her hair and let out a long yawn. Lee Na-young, who had been eating breakfast at the table, swallowed her mouthful of bread and asked a question.
"Ha-na, aren't you nervous?"
"Huh?"
"You know, the sparring evaluation's today."
Day one: monster subjugation.
Day two: crisis response.
And for the third day, a tournament-style sparring event was prepared.
Baek Ha-na answered while casually drying her hair.
"Either way, I'm gonna be near the bottom~"
"B-bottom? You, Ha-na?"
"Hm? I didn't tell you?"
Baek Ha-na explained that no matter how well she scored, the Disciplinary Committee's ruling fixed her rank at the bottom for this evaluation.
"O-oh, I see. I only thought they banned you from going out and from overnight stays."
"Well~ so I'm just gonna take it easy."
"But still... you'll try hard t-tomorrow, right?"
"Tomorrow? Ah, yeah. I'll go all out tomorrow."
The other exams were one thing, but the final test starting tomorrow afternoon was something that person had prepared personally.
"I'll, I'll do my best to prepare too...!!"
"You need to get some sleep. You were fine for a few months, but those dark circles are coming back."
"Uwyaaang..."
As Baek Ha-na grabbed Lee Na-young's cheeks with both hands and pressed firmly under her eyes, Lee Na-young flinched and kicked her legs, which dangled from the chair.
-Knock. Knock.
When someone knocked on the door, Baek Ha-na released Lee Na-young's cheeks and headed for the front door with bread in her mouth.
"Good morning."
"Mrrnin'. Uhmmf."
Nam Seo-hee, fully prepared, walked inside.
"Ah, hi."
"You look tired again today."
"Do I?"
"Duwai?"
"Uweeh..."
Still munching on bread, Baek Ha-na pressed under Lee Na-young's eyes again. Nam Seo-hee watched quietly before taking a seat.
"Ha-na. I think I'm a little tired too."
"Huh?"
"My shoulders feel a bit stiff."
"Mumble, mumble... uh-huh, really?"
Without a trace of suspicion, Baek Ha-na moved behind Nam Seo-hee and kneaded her shoulders. The corner of Nam Seo-hee's mouth rose ever so slightly, but Lee Na-young, clutching her own eyes across the table, didn't see it.
"Do your best today."
"Of course. Leave it to me. I'll secure the Top Seat for sure."
The Top Seat. Since the disciplinary action had taken her out of the running, Baek Ha-na had asked Nam Seo-hee, the next closest student to the top spot, to claim it for the sake of a peaceful vacation.
Naturally, Nam Seo-hee, who was always on the lookout for any chance to earn Baek Ha-na's favor, had accepted the request without a moment's hesitation.
"Ha-na. We should probably head out now."
"Yeah. Just a sec."
Baek Ha-na stood in front of the mirror and tied her hair back.
"Want some help?"
"Nah. I'm good."
Nam Seo-hee watched Baek Ha-na's hair gather neatly and let a hint of disappointment show on her face.
One of the forbidden places Baek Ha-na rarely let anyone touch.
She fervently wished that the day would come when she could stroke that hair, along with those fluffy ears.
"I'm off."
"Okay. See you later."
Leaving Lee Na-young to see them off, Baek Ha-na and Nam Seo-hee headed for the Grand Auditorium.
"You made it."
"Really cut it close, arriving right on time."
Behind the Grand Auditorium.
Waiting in front of the entrance connected to the waiting room, Maria and Idni greeted the two warmly.
"Exams over?"
"Something like that."
"It was closer to hazing than an exam, though..."
Idni hugged herself and gave a shudder.
"I'm here on priestess duty today."
"I'm on security..."
"Ah, that explains the gear."
Baek Ha-na's eyes sparkled as she looked at Idni, who was clad in silver armor unlike her usual attire.
"It looks good on you, Idni."
"Huh? R-really?"
"Yeah. It's cool. Your hair's tied up pretty, too."
"...I-is that so."
"Oh my, look at you."
Maria furrowed her brow at the sight of Idni blushing and acting shy for once.
"When I compliment her, she acts like it's nothing. But Ha-na says it and she's over the moon, huh?"
"What are you talking about? Ahem... we're out of time, hurry along inside."
"Fine. Leave Idni here and the rest of us will go in. Let's go, Ha-na."
Maria quickly hooked one arm around Baek Ha-na's and dragged her deeper into the waiting room.
"We'll be cheering for both of you. Don't get hurt and do your best."
"Yeah. See you later."
Maria, who had accompanied them into the waiting room, returned to where the other clergy were gathered.
"Baek Ha-na."
"......?"
Baek Ha-na, who had been sitting with Nam Seo-hee, fiddling with her hand to pass the time, turned her head at the voice calling her from behind.
"Ahem."
"What."
Baek Ha-na watched Kang Seok-ho approach with an expressionless gaze.
"About today..."
"Just say it."
As Baek Ha-na's gaze settled into something cool, Kang Seok-ho quickly ducked his head and whispered, keeping his voice as low as possible.
"Please don't hit me in the face... I'm asking you, like this!!"
"......?"
Baek Ha-na blinked blankly at the sight of Kang Seok-ho bowing his head with his palms pressed flat together.
"So, you're saying, just don't hit your face?"
"...Yeah. Generally it's fine, but couldn't you spare me a little on a day like today, in front of all the visitors from outside? Seriously, just let me keep a scrap of dignity here."
"The rumors will spread everywhere once vacation hits anyway, so is that really necessary?"
"......."
Kang Seok-ho glared at Nam Seo-hee, but Nam Seo-hee stared back without flinching. Watching the silent war of nerves between the two, Baek Ha-na gently wrapped her hand around Nam Seo-hee's and stepped between them.
"Got it. If we end up matched together, I will."
"...Thanks."
Kang Seok-ho glared at Nam Seo-hee once more before walking away.
"Ha-na. If you meet me, we just do what we talked about yesterday, right?"
"Hmm... couldn't you just hit me moderately?"
"No."
Nam Seo-hee's expression turned dead serious, and she leaned in close, making Baek Ha-na flinch and nod.
"A-alright... let's do that."
"Yes. Leave it to me. I'll definitely get you the Top Seat."
Not long after, an announcement echoed through the waiting room.
[ We will begin in 5 minutes. Students, please move to your designated areas. ]
The students who had gathered in chattering clusters began to filter out of the waiting room one by one, and Baek Ha-na and Nam Seo-hee also rose from their seats.
"Well, see you later."
"Yeah. See you."
The two bid each other farewell and headed to their respective areas.
Baek Ha-na walked onto the stage, greeting a male student who had already climbed up with a nod.
'He said to show some consideration....'
Looking at the male student who failed to hide his nervousness and kept fidgeting with the sword at his waist, Baek Ha-na hesitated for a moment. And then.
[ Proctors, please enter. Please follow their instructions from here on. ]
Kang Han-na stepped onto the stage where Baek Ha-na was waiting.
She looked at Baek Ha-na and then the male student, once each, before speaking.
"We'll begin in 30 seconds."
She counted down while watching her wristwatch.
"Ten seconds."
The male student drew up his mana and adjusted his grip on the sword hilt.
"5, 4, 3......"
Swoosh.
A pure-white tail slipped down beneath Baek Ha-na's legs.
"Begin!!"
A pure-white predator cut across the stage.
**
[ Student Nam Seo-hee. Student Kang Seok-ho. Please come up to the stage. ]
The stage, which had been divided into small sections, was swiftly merged into one massive platform by the magic professors who had stepped in.
"A confrontation between Changgung and Iron Knight."
-Peep.
Claire, who had been holding my hand, placed a chocolate into the mouth of the Fairy tucked in her pocket with her free hand as she watched the stage.
"From what I've heard from the children, student Nam Seo-hee's skills are not inferior to Miss Ha-na's."
"What do you think?"
"Miss Ha-na could subdue her within twenty exchanges."
Without a second of hesitation, Claire was confident of Baek Ha-na's victory.
-Begin!!
The proctor's voice rang through the hall, and the two students on stage simultaneously launched themselves at each other.
'Nam Seo-hee holds the advantage in skill, and the matchup is unfavorable for him too.'
Even though they had only exchanged a few blows, Kang Seok-ho was gradually being pushed toward the edge of the stage. Had it not been for his awakened 'Steel' ability, he would have been flattened immediately.
But even that began to fail as Nam Seo-hee unleashed her Thunder Energy. As the energy accumulated on his body, Kang Seok-ho's stance crumbled quickly.
'From next year on, she'll start drawing real attention.'
Baek Ha-na, who had crushed Na Ju-hee in a rematch during the round of 32.
Nam Seo-hee, overwhelming Kang Seok-ho, another child of a Top 10 Guild.
Once this match was over, only the finals remained.
Only the showdown between Baek Ha-na and Nam Seo-hee was left.
No matter the outcome, word of Baek Ha-na would start to spread little by little to the outside world through the lips of those attending this event today.
-Victory, Nam Seo-hee!!
Outsped from the start, Kang Seok-ho couldn't land a single proper attack on Nam Seo-hee before being pushed off the stage in defeat.
[ We will proceed with the final sparring match in 10 minutes. ]
The professors came up, tidied the slightly disrupted stage, and descended.
-Peep!!
The little creature that had been tucked quietly in Claire's pocket spotted Baek Ha-na's face and scrambled out to perch on Claire's shoulder.
[ Student Baek Ha-na. Student Nam Seo-hee. Please come up to the stage. ]
With the announcement, the two of them climbed onto the stage.
-Peep! Peep-peep!
As soon as Baek Ha-na stood on the stage, the Fairy began flailing its tiny arms and chirping incessantly.
"Claire."
"......Yes."
Claire took a chocolate from the pouch at her waist and placed it in the Fairy's mouth.
-Peep, peep.
Leaving the little one behind as it continued to chirp something around the chocolate in its mouth, I shifted my gaze back to the stage.
As the countdown proceeded, Baek Ha-na gently swayed her pure-white tail and slowly lowered her stance. In response, Nam Seo-hee likewise drew up her mana, ready to draw her sword at any moment.
'Strange.'
The two were surrounded by gazes full of anticipation and tension. Yet, the emotions the two of them actually held had nothing to do with what was about to unfold.
Oddly, Baek Ha-na seemed embarrassed, and Nam Seo-hee was brimming with some kind of expectation.
I waited for the countdown to end to resolve the mystery.
-Begin!!
The proctor's voice boomed throughout the auditorium.
Claaang—!!
Baek Ha-na's fist met Nam Seo-hee's sword, and a small spark of lightning leapt up.
Any other student would have pulled back to avoid that electric shock, but Baek Ha-na, with overwhelmingly superior mana, shrouded her entire body in it and used pure force to push Nam Seo-hee down.
Right at that moment.
Flaaaash—!!
A blue flash blanketed the entire stage. The spectators shielded their eyes from the intense light, letting out small cries of surprise.
-Peep?
Listening to the Fairy's tiny sound as Claire protected it, I fixed my eyes on the stage, now completely consumed by Thunder Energy.
"Ha."
A sigh escaped me without my realizing it.
The intense light gradually faded, and those who had turned their heads or covered their eyes carefully looked back toward the stage.
-Uhh...
The proctor's dazed voice leaked through the speakers.
It wasn't just the proctor. Most of the people who saw the stage once the flash died down had the exact same reaction.
On the stage, now clear of the blinding light.
Baek Ha-na was trembling, collapsed face-down on the floor, while Nam Seo-hee straddled her, gripping her tail firmly.
-I w-surrender...
Baek Ha-na's voice came softly through the proctor's mic.
And just like that.
-N-Nam Seo-hee, victory.
The third day of the Grade Evaluation came to an end.