Chapter 29: The Academy's Service is Over (7)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 29: The Academy's Service is Over (7)
Finally, the day of the final exams arrived.
While the midterm exams had been marked by a foretold incident, this time, a foretold peace reigned.
As I arrived for the exam with a light heart, Prince Ellen asked me, "Did you actually study this time?"
"As much as I did last time."
"So you didn't study at all..."
It was an obvious answer. There are only three reasons why an international student would study hard at the Imperial Academy.
First, they have a screw loose and genuinely enjoy studying.
Second, they have a major screw loose and actually want to pursue the path of a graduate student.
And finally, they intend to betray their motherland and defect to the Empire.
I didn't have a screw loose, and I was a talented individual overflowing with loyalty to my country. Therefore, just like last time, I only needed to do enough to avoid a failing grade.
That was more than enough.
And besides.
"I was too busy to even have time to study."
"Liar..."
Prince Ellen looked at me with disbelief, but surprisingly, it wasn't a lie.
I might not have studied theory, but I had been receiving direct practical lessons from a Head Professor. The catch, of course, was that my practical exam scores were never the issue in the first place.
And that wasn't all. I had unintentionally ended up studying for the Magic Department's exams as well. Since the two villainesses involved with the RoFan male lead I was helping were students of that department, I had gradually accumulated knowledge about magic while assisting them.
Of course, that was also completely useless since it had nothing to do with the Swordsmanship Department's exams!
But it was still true that I had been busy!
"I won't get a failing grade, so don't worry."
"Really?"
"Yes. If I fail, I won't even be able to return home for the break."
"Oh, um..."
For a moment, Prince Ellen’s eyes wavered. It felt as if he were internally shouting, 'Ah, there's that option!'
"If you're thinking of failing on purpose just to stay at the Academy, you'd better be prepared."
You might think that's unlikely, but RoFan male leads who have been seduced by a fatally charming golden capybara are not in their right minds. Having personally witnessed and experienced the anecdotes of Prince Esid, the prime example of this, I couldn't be sure what kind of lunatic the normally naive and foolish Ellen might turn into.
"The Queen told me to tell you that if you don't return this time, you'd better be prepared for the consequences."
"She did, didn't she..."
Everything that happened here was reported back to the Kingdom. This was because I, of all people, reported directly to Her Majesty.
"You know the Queen's personality, right? If you don't go, she might actually come here herself."
"Surely not..."
A visit from foreign royalty is no small event. Even for Prince Ellen, who had the pretext of studying abroad, the process was not simple. It was unheard of for a Queen to visit another country on a whim.
However.
"It's the Queen we're talking about."
"......"
"Do you really think she wouldn't?"
The person in question was our Kingdom's Queen—in other words, Princess Hestia's mother. While she maintained the dignity of a Queen now, it seemed her past was quite colorful. No matter how much Princess Hestia acted out, people would say things like, "Well, she is the Queen's daughter," or "Considering who her mother is, she's actually quite well-behaved."
I never saw the Queen in her heyday, but both Prince Ellen and I had plenty of experience being victimized by Princess Hestia.
"...I studied hard."
In the end, Prince Ellen had no choice but to wave the white flag.
Unlike the Magic Department, where theory was crucial, the Swordsmanship Department was full of students who prioritized practical skills over theory.
What did that mean?
It meant that even someone like me, who had done nothing but participate diligently in class, could land in the middle of the pack if I was lucky.
"See? Nothing to worry about."
The next morning, after all the theory exams were over, Prince Ellen spoke as he checked the theory grades with a look of renewed indignation.
"...No, wait. How is there such a small gap between us with this score difference?"
Since there was a grade correction period, these weren't the final rankings. However, given the nature of the Swordsmanship Department, no one except commoners desperate for scholarships would bother applying for a correction. Even if the rankings shifted, it wouldn't change much.
"I told you several times. In the Swordsmanship Department, it's practicals over theory."
Of course, Prince Ellen had practically secured first place in the practicals as well. Unless something unexpected happened, I was slated for second, so I was brimming with confidence.
However.
"This year, I am the final exam."
In the middle of the practical exam hall stood the Sword Emperor, his mere presence sending chills through everyone's bodies.
Wait, has that crazy old man finally gone senile?
"You will come out one by one and spar with me."
It sounded simple, but it was anything but. The current strongest swordsman in the world was going to bully these growing sprouts? What were the other professors and TAs doing? Shouldn't they stop him before all the sprouts are trampled to death?
"......"
I looked around with that thought, but the professors and TAs holding the grading sheets were merely licking their lips as if they were envious.
"Who will step forward first!"
"Ah."
The moment the Sword Emperor shouted, I watched the students raising their hands and realized my mistake.
I was the one who was wrong.
The students who entered the Swordsmanship Department this year had all come specifically for the Sword Emperor. The place was packed with people who had traveled from distant lands just for the chance to meet the world's strongest swordsman and spar with him even once.
"I'll do it!"
"I'm first!"
"No, me!"
These sword-crazy bastards. Instead of being intimidated, they were making a fuss, practically begging to be killed first.
"No, as the one who took first place in the midterms, I should go first!"
It seemed Prince Ellen was no different, as he was making a scene while waving his midterm grades around.
"Fine, you there."
The Sword Emperor pointed with a satisfied expression.
"Adam Smith."
...It wasn't Ellen.
"Me?"
Oh, for fuck's sake.
"Yes, you."
I didn't even raise my hand...
"You come first."
Despite my expression, which looked as if the world were ending, the professors simply dragged me onto the stage by force.
"How long will he last?"
On the prepared stage, the students shared their opinions as they watched the two swordsmen draw their blades.
"It's Adam. Excluding theory, he's the runner-up of our department. Don't you think he'll last at least two minutes?"
"How many tickets?"
"Three."
Meal tickets were being pooled along with the opinions.
"Three tickets on under a minute. He's the first one up, after all. The Sword Emperor will probably take him down quickly just to set the tone."
"I'll put five tickets on under a minute too. There's a reason it's customary to give extra points to the first person to step up."
Most students were betting on whether he could last a minute. It wasn't because Adam Smith was weak. The students here knew his skills well. It was just that his opponent was the Sword Emperor.
They were certain that the only person here who could last more than three minutes against the Sword Emperor was...
"Ellen. What do you think?"
The Sword of Leon, the Kingdom of Knights. They were sure it could only be Ellen Leon.
"Over three minutes, ten tickets."
At that, Ellen bet ten meal tickets with a serious expression.
"What?"
"Ten tickets?"
In truth, meal tickets were nothing to the noble students. They could be a decent source of income for commoner students, but the Academy maintained low prices at the cafeteria specifically for those with less money.
However, in these small bets, the number of meal tickets represented one's pride. It signified that, in their judgment, the bet was worth that much. In a game where the maximum bet was limited to ten tickets because it was a simple wager rather than real gambling, betting all ten meant they were certain they weren't wrong!
"He's that good?"
Even Asran looked surprised. Even he, who had sparred with Adam the most recently, had only bet five tickets on three minutes.
"He should be able to manage that much."
At Ellen's confident words, Asran frowned.
"I fought him at the training ground just the other day, though?"
He was implying that Adam hadn't seemed that impressive when they sparred.
"I'm the one who's known Adam the longest," Ellen replied, his voice full of confidence.
"Are you guys in some kind of competition or something?" another student asked, sounding exasperated. But Ellen didn't even flinch as he explained his reasoning.
"Adam's foundation is defense."
"And?"
Asran, who was always on the receiving end of Adam's devastating offensives, looked like he was listening to nonsense. But Ellen nodded seriously.
"No one is a powerhouse from the start."
"He wasn't?"
"Really?"
I don't think that applies to you, though. Despite his friends' skeptical glares, Ellen smiled as he recalled the past.
"We had a monster too, you know."
Hestia.
He could beat her now, but he remembered his sister, who had been like a monster in the past. When they were young, she would often snatch Adam away from Ellen whenever she was bored. One day, feeling it was unfair, Ellen had tearfully asked his sister why she always took Adam, instead of Lucia or himself.
What had Hestia replied back then?
"She said, 'Because it's more fun.'"
"What does that mean?"
Even after hearing the story, Asran couldn't understand Ellen's point.
"Back then, and even now, my sister had almost no rivals among her peers."
Perhaps it was because of such a sister that he himself had come to be called a monster. Ellen chuckled softly as he explained the reason to his friends.
"Back then, both Adam and I were weaker than her. She said if everyone was going to be weaker than her anyway, she'd rather fight someone who made it more interesting."
"What does that mean?"
It was natural that they didn't understand. Even the Ellen of that time hadn't understood those words. But from the moment his skills improved and he found himself without rivals among his peers, Ellen realized why his sister had dragged Adam along.
"Adam is strong against the strong."
"......?"
Everyone's expressions shifted in a similar way. It was a look that said, 'What kind of bullshit is this?'
"I know what you're thinking."
He had been there himself, so he knew exactly how they felt. And he also knew the exact moment that thought would change.
"It's something you only realize once you become stronger than Adam."
"Why, you little...!"
"Only the guy in first place could say something like that."
"I'm going to beat Adam just out of spite."
"You?"
"I don't think that's happening."
"Worry about beating the perennial third-place 'Defeated Sword Emperor' first."
"Hey, damn it! Who called me the Defeated Sword Emperor?!"
"Right. Asran is the So-so-so-so-so-so-Minor Sword Emperor, not the Defeated Sword Emperor."
"You bastards...!"
For some reason, it felt like Asran was taking more of a beating than Ellen, who had actually started the conversation.
"When it comes to holding out, Adam is better at it than I am."
As someone who was evaluated as stronger and actually held more wins in their sparring matches, Ellen could say this with confidence.
"Challenger number one, Adam Smith. The exam will now begin."
And his words were naturally proven as time passed.
One minute. Two minutes. Three minutes.
"Ellen was right!"
The students marveled as they watched Adam endure for three minutes.
And by the time five minutes had passed...
"......Wait, even I didn't think he'd last this long."
Ignoring the silent stares of his friends, Ellen quietly gathered up all the meal tickets.