Chapter 31: The RoFan Female Lead is Strong (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 31: The RoFan Female Lead is Strong (1)
“Ellen Leon. 4 minutes and 52 seconds.”
I beat Ellen.
Of course, I meant in the exam, not in terms of pure skill.
That punk Ellen used mana right from the start.
Maybe he wanted to save the best for last? Except for his grandson, Asran, the Sword Emperor had pushed most of the top-tier students to the back of the line.
Because of that, by the time it was Ellen’s turn, he knew the Sword Emperor wouldn’t use mana until he did.
Well, technically, I was the one who sacrificed myself to reveal half the answer sheet.
In the beginning, half the students didn't catch on, and the other half weren't sure because there had only been one test subject.
But then Asran, living up to his title as the Minor Sword Emperor, used sword energy from the get-go.
And once Asran, living up to his new nickname as the Defeat Sword Emperor, got absolutely wrecked, every student was certain.
From then on, they were able to prepare according to their own swordsmanship and strategy.
Unlike the Minor Sword Emperor, Adam had succeeded in holding out brilliantly from start to finish.
So, if you were to ask if I wasn't happy...
“If I play my cards right, I might actually win this.”
Of course I felt good.
When else would I get a chance to beat Ellen?
Back in the kingdom, the instructors would throw a party on the days I beat Ellen, and I’d get a performance bonus.
If I managed that here at the Academy, with a report card made public to all students, just how big would the reward be?
Plus, this would give me a legal right to nag Ellen.
You fell for a girl and neglected your training.
You claimed you were studying, but you couldn't even take first place.
It would be so satisfying to grill him like that.
“I wonder what my score will be.”
I was completely overwhelmed in the theory portion of both the midterms and finals.
But for the Swordsmanship and Magic Departments, a high practical score usually settles everything.
During the midterms, the practical exam was canceled due to a terrorist attack, but since I played a role in stopping it, I received nearly a perfect score.
This time, although the process was different, I still held out for thirty seconds longer.
Even if Prince Ellen used mana from the start, the theme of the exam was to endure as long as possible.
Even without the extra points, it was clear my score would be higher.
“If I’d known it would be like this, I would’ve studied a bit for the theory exam too.”
I never imagined that beating Ellen would even be an option, so I couldn't help but feel a lingering regret.
“As expected, the Sword Emperor is strong.”
While I was smacking my lips at the chance for a reversal of roles, Prince Ellen, unaware of my thoughts, approached me with a face full of satisfaction.
“You look pleased.”
“Yeah. I threw everything I had at him, didn't I?”
He looked completely satiated.
Unless something happens with Daisy, he’ll be picking up a sword instead of flowers for a while.
For me, it was a satisfying turn of events.
“Still, you’re below me.”
I decided to fan the flames a little more.
“You were just reading the room to stall for time.”
The moment I pulled the 'you're trash' card, Prince Ellen’s expression crumpled slightly.
He wasn't angry; he just looked a bit pouted.
“Why don't you call it fighting smart?”
I let out a smirk at that.
No matter how crazy he was for a girl, in moments like this, you could tell he was a born swordsman.
“Well, if you caught on despite going first... I suppose that’s a talent in itself.”
At that, Prince Ellen’s expression relaxed, and he complimented me.
I am pretty quick on the uptake. It’s how I make my living, after all.
“I wonder if Daisy is doing well on her exam.”
“I heard their setup is similar to ours. She’ll probably end up facing Violet, right?”
If this were a normal school life, many would have challenged Daisy as an example—the lone girl remaining among the popular male leads (there was Violet, too, but in RoFan, the heroine’s friend is usually treated as if they don't exist).
However, after the midterms, not many people dared to mess with her now that she was recognized as a Saintess.
Thus, it was easy to predict that the friends would have a duel that felt more like a friendly match.
...Of course, I knew there were two people who intended to challenge Daisy.
But since that was a secret between us, I sold out Violet as usual.
“That wouldn't be a problem, but it is a bit of a shame.”
“What is?”
“It would definitely be a sight to see if those two fought.”
True, Daisy would win a hand-to-hand fight by a landslide.
But Violet’s grades were said to be at the top of the Magic Department, so she could probably put up a good fight against Daisy, who had awakened as a Saintess.
No matter if the opponent was a RoFan heroine, Violet was a possessor!
Since a fellow possessor was aiming for first place in the Swordsmanship Department, Violet, as a possessor who knew the original work, might also be aiming for first place in the Magic Department.
Or so I thought, until—
“Holy crap!”
Suddenly, someone came running into the testing grounds.
It was a guy who had taken his exam two turns after me and had stepped out to go to the restroom.
He ran toward the students who had finished their exams and shouted out of nowhere.
“Daisy from the Magic Department is on an 18-game winning streak!”
“...?”
He began shouting about the legend of Daisy the Overlord.
This year, the Imperial Academy had undertaken bold reforms.
They had reformed many things behind the scenes and were still in the process of doing so.
However, the reason they were able to attract high-profile freshmen this year boiled down to just two people.
The presence of the Sword Emperor Aren, who was appointed as the Head Professor of the Swordsmanship Department, and McGregor, the former Tower Master of the White Tower, who was appointed as the Head Professor of the Magic Department.
Because of this, the momentum of the Swordsmanship and Magic Departments was sky-high at the beginning of the semester.
However, after the Academy terror attack, the Magic Department’s momentum had collapsed miserably.
No matter how much they were targeted by bad luck, the fact that a man who was a former Tower Master did nothing but sleep through the whole thing was a disgrace.
It was enough to shatter his reputation both as a former Tower Master and as a Head Professor.
Furthermore, wasn't it the freshmen, including myself, who resolved the situation?
Normally, it was such a massive embarrassment that the Academy would have demanded his resignation.
However, the consensus was that the incident wouldn't have happened if the Empire's defenses hadn't been breached in the first place.
Additionally, the entity known as Silence was a hard counter to mages.
Finally, the fact that not only McGregor but also the other magic professors and TAs were rendered helpless made it feel like everyone was just letting it slide.
But even if the Academy let it slide...
As the former Tower Master of the White Tower, and furthermore, as the current head of the Imperial Academy’s Magic Department...
McGregor had no choice but to work hard to restore the value of the Magic Department that he had let fall.
“What matters is skill.”
In terms of pure skill, the department was full of talent that didn't fall behind the mages of the Magic Tower.
But it wasn't enough.
The Swordsmanship Department had monsters.
He didn't know the details of swordsmanship like a swordsman would.
But through his long acquaintance with the Sword Emperor, he knew just how incredible the skills of Asran, known as the Minor Sword Emperor, were.
And yet, that Asran was a perennial third place, not first or second.
He was losing so overwhelmingly that his nickname, Minor Sword Emperor, was turning into 'Defeat Sword Emperor.'
In contrast, while the Magic Department had many brilliant geniuses, there was no overwhelming monster.
Perhaps Prince Arwen of Dale, which was called the suzerain of magic?
But even he didn't feel like he had broken through the wall yet.
Not even Arwen, who was the furthest ahead in the Magic Department.
Therefore, McGregor slightly changed the regulations for this final exam.
“To face the wall, one needs trials.”
If the students had heard him, they would have asked what kind of crazy talk that was.
Unfortunately, students were not allowed into the professors' offices during exam periods unless there was a special reason.
And so, by the hands of the corrupted Head Professor McGregor, part of the magic exam was altered.
Of course, it wasn't a massive departure from the previously prepared exam.
It was just...
“Unlimited?”
The one-on-one magic duels had simply become an Unlimited Winner Tournament.
Loreliya and Marie couldn't help but eye each other.
Since it was no longer a duel between year levels, Marie also gained the chance to challenge Daisy.
'If it goes like this...'
'It might look like we're bullying her!'
Viewed positively, it would be a winner continuously taking down challengers.
Viewed negatively, it could look like they were putting one person on stage just to torment them.
Thus, Loreliya and Marie—who intended to fight Daisy to win back a fiancé or to make a loved one look their way—hesitated.
“Miss Daisy. I wish to fight you.”
“Senior?”
Loreliya quickly folded her worries and threw down the gauntlet to Daisy.
'It’s fine as long as I win.'
If they kept Daisy up there and made her keep fighting, it could be bullying.
But if she won cleanly and then faced the next challengers, there would be no problem at all.
In the meantime, with the help of various people...
She, who had built up her practical combat skills, would surely be able to defeat Daisy!
With that confidence, Loreliya challenged Daisy, and—
“...”
Huh?
“Winner, Daisy Parvan!”
The moment she thought that, she lost.
'What did I get hit by?'
It clearly started as a standard magic battle, but what decided the victory was close-quarters combat.
Magic clashing against magic.
She had tried to exploit a split-second opening to throw a small spell like a dagger.
But Daisy did the same.
When the large spells canceled each other out and the small spells did as well, what remained were the fragile bodies of mages.
...To be precise, only one side was fragile!
“No, this is...”
This is a magic exam. Why are you launching a physical assault?
With that silent protest, Loreliya looked at the examiners with a face full of injustice.
However, having already been told by the Head Professor that the goal was to increase practical combat viability, the examiners simply shook their heads.
“Sigh...”
It was unfair.
It felt like all her effort had gone down the drain.
Naturally, the voice she remembered was...
—Honestly, I’m telling you, she needs to be transferred to the Knight Department.
The voice of the capable spy who had helped her by giving her information on Daisy.
Because the spy was so capable, the information provided had been perfectly accurate, but Loreliya’s failure to pay enough attention to the unbelievable information was the cause of her crushing defeat.
...Or so she judged about an hour ago.
“She doesn't even let you feel wronged.”
“...How are you supposed to beat that?”
Loreliya and Marie, forming a group of losers, watched the testing grounds with their mouths agape.
“...Winner, Daisy Parvan.”
Now even the examiners looked fed up.
Apparently, one person winning fifteen times in a row was something even the examiners hadn't anticipated.
“She really handles every attribute of magic.”
“That’s not the problem. In an unlimited winner format, pacing yourself is what matters most. But that’s just cheating!”
No matter how brilliant a mage was, they were still an unfinished Academy student.
Therefore, McGregor intended to teach the students three things in this exam.
First, the experience of fighting various opponents.
Second, the practice of planning how to fight with a limited resource called mana.
Finally, to face their limits and squeeze out the best possible move in that ultimate situation.
However.
“Argh!”
Daisy was capable of all elemental magic, divine power, and even close-quarters combat.
Despite having an extraordinary amount of mana, if she saw an opening, she would crush them with her physical prowess to save mana.
“Now then, next.”
And while waiting for the next challenger to appear, she would rest and heal herself with holy magic.
“The next opponent is...”
By the time the next challenger stepped up, she was engaging in battle in a perfectly fine state, as if it were her first fight of the day.
“...Should I just give up on the Prince?”
And so, by the 29th match.
Watching even the Empire’s Prince Esid fall to Daisy, Loreliya, who had stepped forward out of a sense of duty rather than love, reached the point where she seriously considered resigning from her role as the villainess.