Chapter 156: Rest (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 156: Rest (1)
Disaster.
The tumultuous final exams were drawing to a close.
In the remaining two days, the awakened Magic Spammer almost froze the world.
Inspired by Ellen, Sososo awakened as the Minor Sword Emperor.
In a development faster than the original work, Gerard, who had been fading into the background without getting his turn, finally proved his worth.
And Esid, having unified all the students through brainwashing and political maneuvering, launched an attack on the other RoFan Male Leads…
None of that happened.
Instead, it was as if everyone was trying to forget the violent incidents that had occurred at the start.
“……?”
“……!”
Even when the Swordsmanship Department and the Magic Department met on a narrow path, they were more likely to pass each other in silence than to start a fight.
The reason for this was obvious.
‘…Hey. We totally tanked the exam, didn’t we?’
‘At this rate, aren’t we looking at remedial classes at the very least?’
‘Remedial classes would be a blessing. If we end up having to repeat the year…’
The Imperial Academy was the finest educational institution recognized across the continent.
As such, there were students who didn’t mind repeating a year to get better grades and secure their future.
However, that only happened in the General Department.
In the Swordsmanship or Magic Departments, where practical skills were paramount, repeating a year was essentially proof that one lacked talent.
Therefore…
—We have to survive!
Human emotions can sometimes be intense enough to kill, but in most cases, they rarely scale the wall of reality.
The flames of emotion—fueled by someone dousing the area in oil and a Dark Mage tossing a single small match—had not been completely extinguished even after the match was removed.
The embers had remained, smoldering until now.
But as they gazed upon the massive natural disasters known as the Sword Emperor, the Archmage, and the Prince of Leon, those sparks were utterly snuffed out.
When they finally snapped back to their senses, all that remained was the cold reality: at best, their vacation was deleted; at worst, they faced the crisis of repeating the year.
In the face of that chilling, objective reality, the sparks could no longer burn.
“Emergency! It’s Adam Smith!”
“Does that bastard have no shame?!”
To the students of the Magic Department, Adam Smith was no longer an enemy to be removed at the cost of their lives.
He was simply a Grim Reaper who had already secured enough points to run amok whenever he pleased.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”
And Adam Smith knew that fact all too well.
Which was why…
“There’s no need to be sorry. It all happened during the exam.”
Adam Smith was enjoying himself.
“Then why are you following me?! We were on good terms!”
Adam Smith maintained a steady distance as he pursued the tearful, fleeing Princess Ruelle.
“Now, now. People might misunderstand if you say it like that.”
Adam Smith spoke nonchalantly, but he was being sincere.
Loreliya had once said that if the people flocking around you are nobodies, your own value decreases. But the more big shots you have surrounding you, the higher your own value rises.
That was true for Daisy, and it was true for Adam Smith as well.
Of course, it wasn't that there were no rumors at all.
But when the subjects of those rumors were RoFan Male Leads, the Saintess, or the Empire’s Princess, people had to be careful even when whispering behind their backs.
If you’re involved with mediocre people, you’re just a rake.
But if you’re involved with extraordinary people, you become extraordinary just by association.
And Princess Ruelle was certainly someone who fit that criteria.
Following the Saintess and the Empire’s Princess, now it was the Princess of Dale.
At this point, she was practically a trophy.
“Then stop following me?!”
Regardless, it didn't change the fact that he was a rake.
He was just a really impressive rake now.
Still, there was only one reason Adam Smith was doing this.
“I don’t want to.”
“Why?!”
“Because… I’m bored?”
With Sword Emperor Aren, the Head Professor of Swordsmanship, and Archmage McGregor, the Head Professor of Magic, still standing, no student could threaten Adam Smith’s score.
Even accounting for the points lost from his previous elimination, he was currently in first place.
Even if he were to be eliminated one more time, he would likely remain in first unless several variables aligned perfectly.
And even if those variables did occur, he was guaranteed a spot in the top ten.
But most importantly… Adam Smith never had the intention or reason to aim for first place anyway!
Having already achieved everything he needed, Adam Smith was simply playing through the exam.
“Please, just go away already!”
To those who were finally trying to take the exam seriously, he had become a disaster incarnate.
Violet - Divine Punishment
I had met a truly unspeakable end, but the facilities for the eliminated were surprisingly good.
“Why did I work so hard?”
Thinking back on all the suffering I’d endured, I felt a sense of injustice.
Suddenly, I was reminded of a desert island episode of a variety show I’d seen in my past life.
The celebrities had starved and struggled desperately to eat ice cream locked in a birdcage.
When they failed, they tried to lick the melted remains off the cage, getting it all over their faces.
And just as everyone was falling into despair and lethargy, the PD said, “Alright, let’s go eat,” and revealed a feast spread out on the other side of the island. Was this how those celebrities felt?
I felt truly, deeply wronged, but…
“This is delicious…”
Once I started eating, I was happy.
“I wonder if Daisy is doing well.”
I accepted a glass of fruit juice from a chef I often saw at the Academy and entered a room that looked like a movie theater.
I’d heard from those who had been eliminated twice that many people watched the footage to keep track of the situation in case of a Losers' Revival Match.
Was it because revival was out of the question, or because the exam would be over by the end of the day?
Most of the eliminated students were resting, so there were only four of us left in the room with the recording magic tools.
“Hmm…”
As I sat back, munching on popcorn and sipping my juice, the three people appearing most frequently on the screen were exactly who I expected.
The first was Ellen, who had made the biggest impact in this exam.
—Aaaaagh!
—Run away!
—No, wait…
Perhaps it was because the exam was nearing its end.
Or perhaps the image of the Aura he’d shown on the fifth day was just too powerful.
Ellen looked miserable as he realized the students were treating him like a God of Pestilence.
“Well, he reaped what he sowed.”
To be honest, even I had found his appearance back then a bit chilling.
For a while, it would be hard for me to even acknowledge him in public.
No matter how great Ellen was, his Academy life was going to be difficult for a while.
“Well, vacation is starting soon anyway.”
My damn boss was planning to take Ellen and bolt for Leon anyway.
After a month or so, people’s memories would start to fade.
Even the legends of Daisy’s exploits last year or the mastermind theory that Esid was behind everything—which used to be treated like gospel—had been forgotten by most students.
…Well, that’s why the "true believers" who still remember are even scarier.
But they were only a handful.
As time passed and Ellen learned to control his power and reached the level of a true Sword Master, everything would work itself out.
The real problem was…
—Eek! This man is here again?!
It was my boss, who was back to tormenting the Princess of Dale just like yesterday.
“At this rate, it wouldn’t be surprising if Dale filed an official protest…”
Of course, that was just a figure of speech.
Dale would never actually protest.
On the surface, the Academy maintained that everyone was equal, but the moment they filed a formal complaint, it would be an admission that the royalty of Dale couldn't even handle a knight trainee from Leon.
It would be a declaration of defeat. Even if Arwen or Princess Ruelle requested it, Dale would never lodge an official protest.
“In that sense, the sword is definitely…”
The agent from Dale, the Fire Spammer… no, the woman named Marie, was also no ordinary person.
She was a character who only had a few "there's a person like this" hints that even avid readers barely remembered.
But when she suddenly flipped and blackened, she had made even Ellen take a step back.
That was the Hellfire of Dale.
A fire that supposedly burned the soul itself and could never be extinguished once ignited.
Only Arwen’s Eternity could stop it, which was why it was used in the original work purely as a plot device to make Arwen look good.
“But since it’s too strong, she can’t use it.”
I suppose the silver lining was that she no longer had a reason to blacken?
As my boss suggested early on, I had prepared a salvation narrative, but since he went and BSS-ed Daisy to the RoFan Male Leads, all those carefully crafted narratives had vanished. Not that it mattered.
…Well, Marie herself said she was just digging her own grave.
But that was her own fault.
Moving past our boss, who was steadily building a case for why his death by magic should be ruled as "death by natural causes," Daisy’s figure finally appeared.
“Hmm…”
In the Special Exam, one could be eliminated if they lost to a TA or a professor.
Fortunately, the Sword Emperor and our Head Professor were well aware of their own overwhelming presence.
Surprisingly, the number of students eliminated by those two was zero.
They subdued the students, but they didn't take their Badges of Survival or Proof Tokens.
Daisy, who had been abandoned as a sacrificial lamb, was quickly taken down by the Sword Emperor, but she wasn't officially eliminated.
After hearing the news that I had suffered a pathetic elimination—which I couldn't even bring myself to describe—she didn't exactly go for revenge.
Instead, she diligently racked up points.
—Daisy, wait a second!
—I’m sorry!
—I’m your senior!
—I’m not in the Magic Department anymore, though?
—I-I’m a senior from the Swordsmanship Department…
—I was taught that this is how the Swordsmanship Department does things!
—You were taught damn well!
…However, while other students earned points through minor quests like monster hunting or gathering, Daisy was earning points by hunting students without hesitation.
“…Seriously, how did that kid end up like that?”
My boss blamed me every time.
Honestly, at this point, I had to admit it.
The change in Daisy’s personality?
I’ll admit I played a part in that.
How could I just leave her to suffer through the frustrating "sweet potato" segments of the original work?
The fact that she became a bit of a combat fanatic?
I’ll admit I played a part in that too.
I was watching her closely, but then she suddenly got kidnapped and the plot turned into a forced-love-turned-pure development.
How could I just stand by?
Honestly, even for a RoFan, mixing non-con with pure love is a bit much.
But that was it.
I just made it so she could step forward without hesitation or worry, and I injected a bit of social awareness into her.
I had raised the RoFan Female Lead as a precious childhood friend, so I could guarantee one thing.
—Did you think you could win just because there are three of you?
Dammit, there’s no way that alone would turn a kid into such a combat maniac…!
I definitely didn't raise her to be someone who, upon seeing three people, thinks "Triple the points!" instead of "Let's not overdo it and just run away!"
“…I wonder if those two will run into each other.”
If they met now, Daisy would probably give my boss a "true education" too.
But unfortunately, until the very moment the final day ended…
The villainous boss who tormented people never encountered the hero of justice.
And so, as the day drew to a close…
Our third final exam came to an end.
And.
“Oh…”
Fortunately, it seemed the Goddess was not going to forgive the villainous Adam Smith.
…Though the form that forgiveness took was a bit strange.