Announcing the Results

Under the watchful gaze of the gathered crowd, the instructor raised his voice.

"The match is not over yet. The results will be announced once every participant has either finished the course or forfeited."

"Awww~"

"Come on, that’s so mean~"

The students groaned in disappointment, though most secretly felt the outcome was already set in stone.

"That idiot Mob ran like a complete madman. Last place is already locked in for him."

"Third place will be Live anyway, and fourth will probably be Carnegie."

A battle among the stragglers.

While the rest of the crowd waited with little expectation, Orknodi pricked up her ears. The cognitive interference magic completely obscured what was happening inside the course, but if she focused intently, faint sounds trickled through the veil.

"…ang in there!"

"……just a little more…"

"Don’t……give up!"

The distant cheering grew steadily louder. Then, rappelling down the rope and sprinting across the final stretch came the third-place finisher. The moment his identity was revealed, everyone gasped in disbelief.

High above on their brooms, the third-year seniors taking Jenegger's Tactics watched with bated breath. Having indulged heavily in underclassman gambling by wagering their precious academic investment points on the first-year rankings, they had somehow completely forgotten whose names they had even bet on.

The clash between Orknodi and Scholar had certainly made their palms sweat, but the desperate struggle among the stragglers gripped their chests even tighter.

"Lane two, don’t let him catch up!"

"Don't give up, lane four!"

With astonishing willpower, Mob ground his teeth through the pain of his injuries and began clawing his way up the cliff face. Mindful of his mangled condition, he mobilized every safety harness and rope at his disposal to climb. Ironically, thanks to that meticulous caution, he steadily inched his way upward, hand over hand.

In contrast, Live had pushed his luck with reckless bravado early on, only to see his spirit shatter the moment Orknodi overtook him in a flash. Ever since, he had failed to build any semblance of momentum. The instant a runner's concentration snaps, their strength evaporates like dispelled magic. That was precisely the state Live found himself in.

"Hang in there!"

"Just a little more!"

"Don't give up!"

Despite the chorus of encouragement, Live, having lost his fire, was ultimately left in the dust by Mob. Reaching the summit with the aid of his harness, Mob realized that the exact same safety rig could be hooked directly onto the transport lift.

"Ugh... Every muscle in my body feels like it’s tearing apart."

Looking for the targets was out of the question; simply crossing the finish line was the absolute most he could manage. When the lift clattered to a halt, his exhausted body was thrown forward, landing flat on the dirt with a dull splat. Fumbling with the buckle to release his belt and shedding the vest, he dragged himself upright with agonizing effort, only to see the final sprint unfolding ahead.

Limping heavily on one leg with shuddering, unsteady steps, he stumbled across the finish line. The entire crowd stared at him with wide, dumbfounded eyes. Their faces made it painfully clear: not a single person had imagined he would ever cross in third place.

"Orknodi. Did you take first?"

"I'm not sure. It was super close!"

"They're about to announce it."

Zhuang, despite her usually vile temper, chimed in with unexpected ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠casualness.

"Hey, you've got some real guts."

"H-huh? Me?"

"Not a fan of the stuttering, though."

"Ugh."

"Gwahaha! This kid's absolute pirate material! A real buccaneer needs the grit to throw hands with roaring waves!"

"All I remember is throwing hands with the obstacle course, though?"

"For a pirate, that kind of crazy is essential!"

Somehow, earning brownie points exclusively from certified lunatics felt rather pitiful.

"All right. Settle down. I will now announce the results."

First place, Scholar.

Second place, Orknodi.

Third place, Mob.

Regrettably, Orknodi had fallen just short of seizing the top spot.

"I'm sorry, Mob."

"Why are you apologizing? One look at that report card says it all. Anyone can see how hard you fought against that monster."

Mob was genuinely satisfied. Even if she hadn't claimed first, everyone now acknowledged her. Everyone had witnessed Orknodi's true caliber. Against the Descendant of Divine Archery—the unrivaled prodigy said to have no peer in marksmanship—the final tally was ninety-five to eighty-nine. It had been a close, bitter clash, a spectacle well worth watching.

"Scholar. Truly, a performance worthy of the Descendant of Divine Archery."

"Thank you, sir."

"Orknodi. You exceeded expectations as well. Though sprinting backward in the middle of a race was a bit of a mood killer."

"Hehe. You're making me blush with all that praise~"

"That wasn't praise, you dimwit."

The instructor glared sourly at Orknodi before turning his gaze toward Mob.

"Mob. Are you rebelling against me?"

"I apologize, sir. I just wanted to bolster her morale so Orknodi wouldn't get tied down by me and could push ahead to the front."

"Your conduct during this exam was atrocious. Course deviation, massive point penalties, and because you recklessly pushed yourself beyond your limits early on, you ended up an injured wreck who couldn't even run properly at the finish. In an actual military engagement, having a subordinate like you would be nothing short of a liability."

It was a reprimand so scathing that Mob couldn't even lift his head. Yet the instructor did not stop at mere scolding.

"Even so, you were vastly better than the other two. Your drive ignited Orknodi's resolve, and despite your battered condition, you pulled ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠off a splendid finish."

"Th-thank you, sir!"

"Carnegie. You stayed bogged down in that mire for far too long."

"I apologize, sir."

"Live. Test the limits of your abilities only after you have completed adequate training."

"I will take ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it to heart, sir."

The trial that had set everyone's blood ablaze was finally over.

"Next class will feature customized, one-on-one training tailored to each individual's scores, strengths, and weaknesses from today. For your information, anyone who failed to finish or received a negative score is assigned to remedial training and must attend over the weekend without fail. Dismissed!"

As the first-years scattered, the agonizing wails of the third-years echoed from the sky behind them.

"Aaargh! Third place was completely busted!"

"That bastard… His run was magnificent, but he completely detonated my points!"

"Seriously, how was anyone supposed to predict that outcome…?!"

"Still… didn't it kind of get your blood pumping?"

"We lost our points, but I feel like my lost passion was reignited."

"And what about our lost points?"

"……So that’s why our passion died out in the first place."

"Now we’ve realized things we never wanted to learn…!"

Once the class concluded, the students swarmed around Orknodi and Mob in droves.

"How on earth did you pull that off?"

"Your cliff climbing was completely insane!"

"How did you clear the fourth obstacle?"

"I hung upside down by my feet and fired my bow!"

"Whoa… You held yourself up by leg strength alone, curled your torso, and drew a bow? Your core strength is ridiculous!"

Students who had run the very same exam peppered her with questions about the sections they had found impossible.

"It wasn't that crazy hard! I've done it before, after all."

"Before? Something like this? Where?!"

"Ah. Well, I mean... s-something similar!"

The students exchanged deeply meaningful glances. The theory that Orknodi had undergone harrowing assassin training since infancy was gaining more credibility by the second.

"Still, how did you even think to run together? Sprinting backward, of all things."

"Well, I've crossed the finish line alone heaps of times. I just thought it'd be nice if two of us crossed together this time!"

"What happened to the friends you competed with back then? Were they as strong as you, Orknodi?"

That was a tricky question to answer. They were indeed her academy peers, but that belonged to previous playthroughs. Strictly speaking, reuniting with the people she had bonded with in past cycles was entirely impossible.

"Some were strong, and some were weak... but I can't meet any of them anymore."

The surrounding students instantly elbowed the one who had asked, kicking their shins in frantic reproach.

"Ah... I'm sorry. I had no idea... I shouldn't have pried."

"It's fine! After all, now I have all of you, right?"

Because the cycle changed, duh.

At those lighthearted words, the students were moved almost to tears.

"Di really was such a sweet child after all!"

Pushing her way through the crowd, Arcadia swept Orknodi into a fierce, suffocating embrace.

"There is simply no way such a precious darling could run around beating people up or making threats! From now on, anyone who slanders Di with absurd claims about how she threatens students or orchestrates brutal beatings will answer directly to me, Arcadia!"

...Somehow, I think I know exactly why those ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠rumors keep spreading.

Orknodi gave a strained, awkward smile, pointedly averting her gaze from the boundless, unshakeable adoration shining in Arcadia's eyes.