Chapter 89
Chapter 89
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 89
Chapter Title: Catching the Crown Prince (1)
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Above the foggy swamp canyon where four cadets had been eliminated in an instant.
A cleverly hidden blind spot in their line of sight.
There, three magic department cadets were gathered.
“Ace. We wiped out one team.”
I said this while sprawled out on the soft, damp moss like a sniper.
…Of course, not in any cool sniper pose—just propping up my chin and lounging around lazily.
“Jeron really called it—they came right here. How did you know?”
Yuria asked with eyes full of wonder.
I gave a vague reply.
“A feeling, y’know? A hunch.”
“Huh? What does that even…?”
“Or maybe an intuitive sense?”
“That’s even more confusing?!”
As Yuria floundered in confusion, Artel—who’d been keeping watch below—stepped in to explain.
“You can tell from the map. This is a strategic chokepoint. To get from the foggy swamp to the western sector, cadets have no choice but to pass through this narrow path.”
Artel nailed it.
“Plus, this spot is perfectly positioned. We have a clear view down on the enemy, but they’d have a hard time spotting us. It’s the ideal ambush point. How on earth did you find it…?”
“Ahh…! I see.”
Yuria nodded in admiration.
She turned back to me, her eyes sparkling.
“As expected, Jeron had a plan all along…!”
‘Artel sure is sharp.’
I marveled inwardly.
She’d grasped my intent just from the terrain.
She was right on the money.
The name of this strategy? “Checkpoint.”
No need to wander around hunting for star shards ourselves.
When others came trudging through with their hard-earned hauls, we could just collect our toll.
This was one of the prime honey spots I’d discovered after countless playthroughs.
High traffic, low risk.
All we had to do was lie in wait and serve the customers who showed up.
“So, should we go collect the star shards now?”
Artel said.
But my plan had more in store.
“Yeah. Sweep them up—but leave a few scattered naturally in the bushes or rock crevices down there.”
“…Why?”
Artel asked, puzzled.
I summed it up in one word.
“Bait.”
“…!”
Artel’s eyes widened.
She seemed to catch on immediately.
“I get it. If it’s too obvious, they’ll suspect something. But tucked subtly in the underbrush…? They’ll rush right in without a second thought.”
“Aha! Snagging them then would be a breeze!”
Yuria beamed innocently from the sidelines.
Spot on.
Spot on, but…
Hmm.
In the original story, using this strategy made Yuria flinch with something like, “But doesn’t this feel kinda bad for the others…? Is this really okay?”
“Hehe, Jeron’s so smart.”
But right now, she just looked thrilled.
I was a little worried that pure-hearted Yuria might be starting to rub off on me…
Still, business was business.
“Alright, let’s prep for the next customers.”
We set out the bait in natural-looking spots and settled back into our ambush.
***
Base camp’s central control room.
The professors watched Jeron’s team antics on the screens, plunged into heavy silence.
“…….”
On screen, Jeron’s team might as well have been a bandit crew.
No—worse than bandits.
Bandits at least made threats. These guys just laid invisible traps and waited.
“Why are cadets with top-notch detection and combat skills wasting time lurking around like that?”
“Guess they just didn’t feel like wandering.”
“Hoo… Well, now…”
One professor rubbed his forehead in dismay.
“Should we praise this as brilliant strategy… or call it cowardly…?”
“It’s not against any rules, that’s for sure. They’re playing it smart—maximizing terrain use and even psychological warfare.”
Another professor broke it down.
He had a point.
Minimum effort for maximum gain.
Tactically, it was A+ material.
But from an educator’s perspective, it stung a bit.
The magic department professor gave a wry smile.
“The upright lady of House Rosendal, famed for her diligence, and the innocent darling of House Isolde… both gleefully laying bait right now.”
On screen, Artel and Yuria were digging traps at Jeron’s command.
With gusto.
Even Artel—who always kept a straight face—was sporting a faint smile.
The professors sighed.
“Somehow, it feels like Jeron’s corrupting all the model students…”
The cadets they’d worked so hard to mold were falling to Jeron’s influence.
It felt off, but all they could do was watch.
Purely on results…?
Jeron’s team was racking up points at a devastating pace.
***
We shifted spots a few times and profited handsomely.
Of course, some sharper cadets had similar ideas—staking out prime spots to ambush passing teams.
But that was still in my wheelhouse.
‘Tsk tsk. Good for ambushing, but your rear’s wide open.’
I had the map’s layout memorized to perfection.
Using that, I flanked their ambush sites or slipped around blind spots for counter-ambushes.
“Surprise.”
“Gahhh?!?”
“H-How did you know about this spot?!”
Slash—!
Checkpoint on checkpoint.
Nothing tasted sweeter than turning the tables on ambushers.
The result?
Our pockets overflowed with star shards.
So many regular and silver ones we stopped counting, plus a decent haul of rare gold stars.
“Wow… We’ve gathered this many already.”
Yuria gawked at the glittering shards in awe.
“This might even beat our scores from the first exam.”
Artel shook her head in disbelief, though a satisfied smile played on her lips.
However.
“…….”
I calmly tallied the points.
Top ranks were locked in. Even the very top.
But my goal wasn’t just a good grade.
‘Not enough.’
The first-place prize for this exam.
I needed it to complete my plan.
Could I claim overwhelming first with this score?
No.
While I’d been sucking honey, the other monsters hadn’t been slacking.
The S-Ranks.
They were sweeping points through all-out frontal assaults with sheer power.
Especially Leonhardt and Justina—they were on another level.
To drive the final nail? One option.
‘Eliminate the competition.’
Not just gather more stars—hunt the strongest rival team and steal theirs.
The condition for first in Stella Academia’s second exam.
That brutal requirement?
‘Take down one of the top two S-Rank powerhouses.’
The Saintess. Or the Crown Prince.
One of them had to go.
‘Around now…’
I checked the time.
The “Forgotten Ruins”—prime battleground with the highest gold star drop rates.
The winner there would’ve just been decided.
The timing when the star-hoarding victor was most exhausted.
My target was set.
‘Crown Prince.’
Academy rank 1, Crown Prince Leonhardt.
Take him down.
***
Forgotten Ruins.
The site lay in shambles, scarred from the brutal three-way clash that had just ended.
Good thing it was a mock ruin built by the professors for the exam—not a real one.
“Whew…”
A man emerged from the thick dust.
Dazzling blond hair, golden eyes.
His uniform was torn and dirtied, but his noble bearing shone undimmed.
The Imperial Crown Prince, Leonhardt von Orsia.
If Jeron was a decadent pretty boy, Leonhardt was the textbook sharp-featured heartthrob.
He caught his breath and scanned the surroundings.
Karen and Ciel—the ones who’d pushed him hard—had already been eliminated, vanishing in beams of light.
‘The empire’s future is bright indeed.’
S-Rank elite showdown.
They’d been formidable.
Victory came at a steep cost.
He’d taken heavy damage himself, but worse…
“Sorry, Your Highness…! We couldn’t stick it out to the end…!”
His teammates had all fallen fighting to protect him.
They’d each blocked just one attack—from Karen, from Ciel—but sacrificed themselves in the process.
Just that one block each.
That margin let Leonhardt claim final victory.
‘Your sacrifices won’t be in vain.’
He clenched his fist, etching it into his heart.
Alone now, but he’d fight for them all and seize first place.
He paused to catch his breath, lost in thought.
‘Jeron Airgia, that cadet… hasn’t shown up again.’
The ruins—key hotspot for this second exam.
He’d expected to run into Jeron here.
The guy who’d outmaneuvered him for a dominant first in the first exam.
A lesser royal might’ve burned with rage or envy at the slight to their dignity.
But Leonhardt was different.
‘I was hoping to meet and learn from him.’
He held pure curiosity and respect for Jeron.
—The emperor stands above all, yet must humble himself lower than any.
—Always remember you can be wrong; never let status bar your learning.
Lessons from his father, drilled into him since childhood.
That’s why he’d admired Jeron’s unorthodox strategies and genius—enough to consider him a mentor.
‘Truth be told, I’ve wanted to approach him for a while…’
He recalled Jeron’s vibe.
Always sleepy, hating anything bothersome.
If the Crown Prince just showed up out of nowhere?
He’d surely feel burdened or annoyed.
‘Better to take it slow to get close.’
Swallowing his regret, Leonhardt sheathed his sword.
They’d missed each other this time, but a matchup would come eventually.
He checked the gold star shards bulging in his pocket and turned to heavier steps.
The moment his foot hit the path.
‘—!!’
Killing intent hit like a freight train.
Thicker than even Karen or Ciel’s aura.
Concealed so flawlessly, he couldn’t fathom how.
‘Ambush?!’
Then, in his ear:
“Magic Severing Slash.”
A voice endlessly languid—the polar opposite.
“—Mincing.”
Jeron’s first meeting with him began with dozens of slashes.