The Day of the Final Exam
The day of the final exam during winter break. The moment I stepped into the exam hall, I was hit with such shock that I let out a groan.
The exam hall had actual written test papers prepared. I had been completely convinced that this test, just like the midterms, would be one hundred percent practical. Now I felt like a betrayed Roman emperor as I glared at the examiner.
The examiner tilted his head with an expression that said he had no idea what was going on and met my eyes. Only after I belatedly realized he had done nothing wrong did I look down at the test paper, choking back a laugh.
I'm screwed.
The test paper was filled with basic liberal arts questions, theoretical questions about tactical strategy, and a few problems asking about literary knowledge. Naturally, I didn't know any of the answers. Because I hadn't studied.
Master said you don't need to study.
Even in this situation, there was a perfectly reasonable explanation for why I hadn't studied. It was because the professors and instructors had given me advice while watching me doze off in class.
I had simply believed their words that a Master didn't need to study and hadn't bothered. To think I'd get stabbed in the back like this…
I felt so unfairly treated that I answered the test questions exactly as I had been taught. I used perfectly legitimate fabrications like "I was never taught this," "I don't know," and "They didn't teach me." I really finished every single question in the blink of an eye. Then, with the thought of making up for it by scoring more than perfect on the practical exam, I immediately flopped down on my desk.
It wasn't particularly difficult for Kyle the Master to get a perfect score on the practical exam. However, even without being a Master, getting a perfect score wasn't all that difficult.
What is this?
Kyle was stunned as he looked at the absolute evaluation system that gave points unconditionally if you succeeded in a specific mission within predetermined standards. If they graded like this, how on earth were they supposed to determine rankings?
Naturally, the person with the higher written score would receive the higher rank. Kyle had succeeded in getting an A by scoring perfectly on the practical, but when he thought about the written test that was probably either a failing score or barely above it, he headed straight to the headmaster's office to protest.
Bang—! With a violent knock, Kyle threw the door open and stepped inside. He froze at the sight of the startled headmaster looking at him and the secretary rising from beneath the desk.
The secretary, who had received Kyle's gaze, cleared his throat awkwardly and carefully slipped out of the headmaster's office. After watching the secretary's retreating back, Kyle turned his head back to the headmaster. The headmaster was wiping cold sweat from his brow with a rather uncomfortable expression as he glared at Kyle.
It seemed he already knew that the exam format had changed. Kyle protested, asking why he hadn't been informed in advance. The headmaster glared back at him, asking why he should have told him.
When he heard Kyle grumbling, the headmaster slowly formed a smile and began correcting Kyle's thinking as he looked at him.
At those words, Kyle closed his mouth. He felt that the headmaster's words weren't wrong. That also meant he wouldn't be taking first place in this final exam.
Kyle, who had been confident that he would take first place again this time, couldn't hide his disappointment as he carefully left the headmaster's office. As he was leaving, the headmaster's voice followed him from behind.
That's right. The final exams were over. Now winter break had arrived. The time that every academy cadet had been waiting for.
The first day of winter break. A truly enormous number of carriages were coming and going from the academy. It was the first time since the entrance ceremony that he'd seen so many carriages moving about.
Kyle watched the long procession of carriages passing by, then let out a sigh and headed toward his own mansion. He figured it would be better to spend one night at the mansion and then head home rather than joining that line to leave the academy territory.
But Yuri was different.
Kyle had a gut feeling that something was off about the excessively cold Yuri, but he didn't try to stop her. However, he couldn't stand the uneasy feeling, so he immediately asked Sera why she was acting like that.
Kyle began explaining to Sera the behavior Yuri had shown. How she had suddenly left her seat and how coldly she had treated him. After hearing the whole story, Sera looked at Kyle with an expression of utter disbelief.
Only after hearing Sera's outburst could Kyle finally reconfirm Yuri's feelings. But there was a very good reason why he couldn't go on a date with her.
Kyle's expression hardened as he looked at Sera.
He knew how cruel this world was. It wasn't a world where you could strut around just because you'd become a Master. Of course, he'd later learned that the reason Masters were dropping like flies was because he'd been cutting down every single one he saw, but put another way, it meant there were dangers in this world that could easily kill even a Master.
He had to become stronger. Only then could he prepare for the threats. Even if I have to turn the entire world against me.
He needed to cultivate the power to survive. This world wasn't a game. Once you died, that was the end. If he died? He wouldn't be able to save Yuri, Sera, or Arthur.
Sera nodded after hearing Kyle's answer. As he said, no one would choose the latter if given those options. Though that would change once they learned the conditions.
She smiled brightly as she said it. The easy and fast path. The stake was their lives.
Clatter— The carriage shook violently. The coachman who had been driving the carriage called out to Kyle and Sera in a trembling voice right after arriving at their destination.
Creak— Kyle opened the door and stepped down from the carriage. He tilted his head in confusion as he looked at the coachman, realizing they had only just reached the entrance of the forest.
At Kyle's words, Sera jumped down from the carriage carrying a bag full of luggage. She let out a long sigh, then held out a money pouch to the coachman as she spoke.
The coachman didn't answer. He simply whipped the horses and quickly left the area. Watching the coachman hurry away in a panic, Kyle let out a hollow laugh.
Sera said as she patted her chest, which was as firm as a cliff.
With those words, she began walking deeper into the forest. Kyle quietly followed behind her, gazing at the forest. An ominous mana surged and welcomed them.