Chapter 240
Chapter 240
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 240
Chapter Title: Exam (2)
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The spectators were all plunged into great shock by Class 13's unexpected performance that exceeded their expectations.
"Really Class 13?"
"Too early to be surprised. Maybe just them being weird."
"Yeah, there are still plenty of tests left."
But contrary to what the students thought, Class 13's strong showing continued.
Next up was the long-distance run, and every single member of Class 13 crossed the finish line in the top ranks.
"Ugh, uwaaaak! I don't want to die!"
"I can't die without seeing Mom's face!"
Accompanied by bizarre cries whose meaning was somewhat hard to grasp.
On top of that, they posted excellent results not just in the long-distance run, but in long jump and push-ups as well.
"Damn it, our class is ranked below Class 13?"
"This can't happen. Something must be wrong."
The other students all denied reality, but the records didn't lie.
"Physical fitness, sure. But they won't do as well in the next test."
"Those morons couldn't have properly learned Imperial Standard Swordsmanship."
But even in the Imperial Standard Swordsmanship test, Class 13's dominance continued.
The Imperial Standard Swordsmanship test was divided into three parts: form, cutting, and interpretation.
How accurately one could execute it, how cleanly one could slice through sturdy objects like wooden pillars, and how well one understood it.
Class 13 students racked up high scores across all three categories.
"Cut, I have to cut it! If I don't cut the wood, my head's getting chopped off!"
"I can't see my late mother this soon!"
While muttering strange things, just like in the physical fitness tests.
"Last year, Class 13 came in dead last, right?"
"Not just last—all of them no-showed and got zero points?"
"Isn't something seriously off?"
The test results threw the entire academy into massive shock.
Among them, the person most shocked was the dean. He couldn't accept the results unfolding right before his eyes.
"N-No…… No, this…… What the hell is……"
Countless teachers had taken charge of Class 13 up to now, but not a single one had ever been able to control them.
That was why he had been certain Class 13 would definitely boot Demian Haksen out.
But the outcome was the exact opposite. Somehow or other, Demian Haksen had succeeded in perfectly controlling Class 13.
"Impossible……"
In the dean's bewildered line of sight, Demian Haksen came into view.
Demian Haksen was gazing at the dean from afar. The moment their eyes met, he twisted the corner of his mouth.
"Urk, eurk……"
Faced with the blatant sneer, the dean had no choice but to clutch the back of his neck.
"D-Dean! Are you all right?"
"Get a grip!"
The teachers around him rushed to support the dean. But his condition showed no signs of improving.
"A knight from the Apple Kingdom…… having to helplessly watch him strut around the academy like this……"
The dean muttered in despair.
"It's not over yet."
At that moment, someone spoke up. Dulong Mueller was looking at the dean with a resolute expression.
"What's not over! The scores are already set!"
"There are still two students left who haven't taken their tests."
Dulong Mueller held the position overseeing all first-years, so he naturally knew the details of Class 13's situation.
"Oliver Fortina and Penelope Borza. Those two selected sparring as their test event."
"What? Is that for real?"
"And they even nominated Gulliver and Emilio as their opponents."
At those words, the dean's expression shifted in a peculiar way.
Gulliver Fortina and Emilio Borza were the first-year top rankers, so the dean knew their names.
"The result's obvious. Class 13 trash can't beat the first-year first and second place."
"Then?"
"We use this to call Demian Haksen's qualifications into question."
The dean's eyes gleamed at those words.
The two students Dulong Mueller had just mentioned had chosen different events from the rest of Class 13. And if they flunked the test to boot?
They could nitpick it as Demian Haksen having abandoned those two.
"That's a brilliant idea!"
The dean instantly regained his vigor. The other teachers' faces lit up as well.
But the dean and the teachers had no idea.
That Demian Haksen, standing off in the distance, was eavesdropping on their conversation.
'Petty to the bitter end.'
Demian inwardly clicked his tongue at the dean and teachers' scheming.
In other words, they were bloodshot with desperation to kick him out.
'To keep the noise down, I have to make those two win no matter what.'
He needed to focus on the search for Sla even one day sooner, and he had no desire to create more annoyances.
"Sir Demian. You're here?"
At that moment, Blanca Roshe approached Demian.
"Sir Blanca? Didn't you head out for knight order business?"
"I did. But Class 13 was nagging at me."
Blanca Roshe spoke with an awkward look on his face.
"I trained those kids myself to some extent, so I want to stick around till the end."
Demian headed to the sparring test site alongside Blanca.
* * *
The sparring test took place at the outdoor training ground right next to the central athletic field.
The students taking the sparring test were already gathered at the training ground.
Among them were Oliver Fortina and Penelope Borza.
"Hoo, huaaah……"
Oliver was hunched over with his shoulders drawn up tight, letting out weird noises. His face was deathly pale from tension.
"Oliver, don't just stand there—warm up already. Sparring's about to start."
Penelope finally spoke up to him out of frustration. Oliver replied with a face on the verge of tears.
"H-How are you so calm? W-We have to fight those guys any minute now."
"Wasn't this what you wanted? What I wanted?"
"Y-Yeah, but……"
Hearing they had to actually fight filled them with a rush of fear.
"A-And…… we haven't even learned properly…… just got our asses kicked by the teacher every day."
"Mm."
Penelope had no choice but to nod at Oliver's words.
All the two of them had received from Demian Haksen so far was beatings disguised as training.
"But Oliver, the teacher said we could win."
"H-How can you believe that!"
"You idiots yapping nonsense right before sparring."
Demian Haksen's voice rang out then. Oliver and Penelope turned to look at him.
"Teacher, you've arrived. Sir Roshe is with you too."
Penelope bowed her head in greeting. Oliver hastily followed suit.
"Oliver, you've got some nerve, questioning my word like that."
Under Demian's sharp gaze, Oliver let out a hiccup.
"Don't get any funny ideas—just loosen up. You two can definitely win this."
Demian spoke with utter conviction. But neither of them wore a particularly trusting expression.
"Emilio Borza, Penelope Borza—come on up."
At that moment, the supervising teacher called Penelope.
"I'll be back."
Penelope picked up a training wooden sword and stepped up onto the training ground.
"I never got to see these two even once, since you trained them personally, Sir Demian."
Blanca spoke while watching Penelope's retreating back.
"I'm curious just how you trained these kids."
Blanca Roshe turned his gaze to the training ground, his face full of anticipation.
* * *
Emilio Borza was already standing atop the training ground.
"You're insane. Daring to challenge me of all people."
Emilio spoke with obvious displeasure. He seemed annoyed by the situation itself.
At the academy, a higher-ranked student couldn't refuse a challenge from a lower-ranked one.
It wasn't a formal rule. It was a tradition passed down since ancient times.
A tradition born from the idea that true powerhouses shouldn't refuse challenges.
Conversely, if a higher-ranked student challenged a lower one, they would be branded a coward.
"Didn't I warn you last time? Stick to culture classes and behave."
Emilio's killing intent washed over her plainly. It felt like facing a beast seething with rage.
Penelope couldn't help but swallow.
Amid the surging fear, Penelope recalled Demian Haksen's advice.
-The opponent's a quasi-knight. Normally speaking, you have zero chance of winning.
It was true.
A quasi-knight could manifest aura and unleash physical prowess capable of beating wild beasts to death barehanded.
If they'd met on a battlefield, she'd have lost her life without mounting any proper resistance.
-But this is sparring. Emilio can't use aura. That leaves him as nothing more than a knight with superior physical abilities.
Penelope had trained in a mana circulation method as well. Not to the extent of quasi-knight Emilio, but she could still enhance her body with mana.
-On top of that, he's underestimating you. Overconfidence is the worst ally. You need to exploit it to the max.
The Demian Haksen that Penelope knew was a violent man who seemed half-mad, but his insight into swordsmanship was extraordinary.
-First, provoke him. Get him riled up. Narrow his thought process and field of vision.
Penelope drew in a deep breath. Then she spoke to Emilio.
"Disappointing. Is that what Father taught you? To blabber on before fighting? I've never once received Father's teachings, but if that's the kind of lesson it is, I don't need it."
In that instant, veins bulged on Emilio's face.
"Maid's bastard—you sure have a mouth on you!"
Emilio brought his wooden sword crashing down on Penelope. The diagonal strike targeted her forearm.
It was a speed far beyond what a mere trainee like Penelope could handle. Normally, an unavoidable attack.
But Penelope blocked Emilio's sword on pure reflex. With a dull thud, Emilio's sword bounced away.
"……You blocked it?"
Emilio muttered in disbelief.
Penelope was shocked too. But for a slightly different reason.
It was the same.
Right up until the test began, Penelope had been on the receiving end of beatings from Demian Haksen disguised as sparring.
The motions Demian Haksen had used then were identical to Emilio's attack.
"You got lucky. But how many times can you block!"
Emilio's attacks continued. The swordsmanship of the Borza ducal family unfolded in rapid succession.
Before her head could even process, her body moved first. Penelope parried every one of Emilio's strikes.
"Huh? What am I even watching right now?"
"She blocked them all?"
The students at the sparring ground doubted their own eyes.
Emilio was an overwhelming talent who had claimed the first-year top spot.
Most students couldn't block even a single attack from him before losing.
And Penelope from Class 13 was holding him off?
"Idiot. Same family, so same swordsmanship. That's how she's blocking."
"But even so…… she's blocking way too well?"
Even as the fierce exchange raged on without pause, Emilio's sword never touched Penelope.
Impossible.
All the while she blocked, Penelope inwardly reeled in shock. Emilio's movements were exactly like Demian Haksen's.
Not just the swordsmanship itself—the habits right before a swing, even the movements of his eyes.
The moment she realized it, Penelope felt chills erupt across her entire body.
"Impossible…… what nonsense is this!"
Emilio's face flushed bright red. His excitement created more and more openings in his movements.
Even that was identical to Demian Haksen. In that instant, Penelope's movements changed.
She bent at the waist to evade the wooden sword. At the same time, she slipped into Emilio's guard. She pressed her wooden sword to Emilio's throat.
In that moment, silence blanketed the training ground.
"……"
Even the teacher serving as judge could scarcely believe what had just happened before his eyes.
"……P-Penelope Borza! Victory!"
* * *
Penelope withdrew her wooden sword and turned around.
Even as she did, Emilio remained frozen stiff, not twitching a muscle. It showed just how enormous the shock of defeat was.
Burning Emilio's dumbfounded expression into her memory, Penelope returned to where Demian was.
"Teacher, I won."
Penelope spoke with a look of relief. Demian replied with a dissatisfied expression.
"What did I tell you? That you could win."
"Sorry for doubting you."
"Lesson learned. You did good."
It was brief praise, but Penelope felt an immense sense of satisfaction.
"Penelope! That was incredible! Absolutely amazing!"
Blanca Roshe, standing nearby, praised Penelope as well. Penelope smiled.
"U, uwaaa…… uweee……"
At that moment, a weird noise came from right beside them. Oliver was trembling all over.
Penelope shot him a pitiful look and asked Demian.
"Is that guy still like that?"
"Yeah. Time he calmed down already."
It was then, as the two whispered.
"Oliver Fortina—prepare for your test."
The judge's voice rang out. Oliver's face drained of what little color it had left.
"T-Teacher……! C-Can't I forfeit even now……"
"What? You wanna die by my hand right here? Quit the nonsense and get up there."
Demian booted Oliver toward the training ground. Oliver went flying with a scream.
"Sir Demian, wasn't that a bit much just now?"
Blanca Roshe said with a worried look.
"How's he supposed to fight in that state? His opponent's the first-year runner-up, no less."
"Ah, no need to worry."
Demian brushed it off casually. Blanca Roshe tilted his head.
"How can I not worry when he's that tense?"
"Didn't realize it myself, but turns out the kid's a genius."
"Huh? What're you talking about all of a sudden……"
Right then, a sound like a drum bursting echoed out.
Blanca startled and whipped his gaze around. What met his eyes was an unbelievable sight.
Gulliver Fortina lay collapsed at Oliver Fortina's feet.