Chapter 6: Exam

༺ Exam(?) ༻ “Aiiyaaa~.” Iliya brushed the dust off her clothes. She had been trying to befriend Dowd Campbell until just a moment ago when she was eventually kicked out by the dorm supervisor. “Could you be any more uptight? How narrow-minded.” However, despite grumbling so much, Iliya’s head was still filled with Dowd Campbell. It had been a while since she’d met such an interesting person. Although there were rumors that the sparring was fraudulent and rigged, Iliya’s intuition tingled. The talent of the man who defeated her in one punch was real. Although she had no idea how he did it. ‘There was definitely something about him.’ She could tell that he was more than what he seemed on the surface. She was also the kind of person who remained restless about something if it was left unanswered. Thus, to draw a reasonable conclusion, she thought… What would be the best position to learn that talent, watch from the side, and gradually find out what kind of person he was? That was by befriending him! There was no harm in getting close. ‘…But I don’t know how to be friends with a man.’ She grew up in an all-girls monastery, so men were practically an unknown species to her. She hadn’t had many opportunities to even strike up a conversation, let alone make friends. However, she had no intention of giving up. ‘But that attitude…’ No matter how hard she tried to approach him, his attitude was like an impenetrable wall that kept pushing her away. It even made her embarrassed despite her thick skin. Perhaps it was better to just give up on building a relationship… “Ouch.” Lost in thought, Iliya turned a corner in the hallway and collided with someone coming from the opposite direction. “Sorry, I wasn’t careful.” “No, I…” Iliya tried to reflexively respond. However, her voice trailed off upon seeing who the other person was. “Are you hurt?” The Student Council President, Eleanor, asked while Iliya unconsciously grabbed her sword. However, she immediately despaired. ‘…I can’t win. Never.’ She inwardly groaned as she instantly gauged the gap between their strength. Although she currently had skills that were comparable to a regular knight, the other person was just built different. No matter where or how she attacked, all she saw was her own death. ‘This is the Tristan Dukedom…’ Eleanor was worthy of being the esteemed daughter of a family of master swordsmen, regarded as the peak of the continent. Achieving this level when she was only a few years older than Iliya was a great feat. Iliya let go of her sword and replied. “…I’m all right.” Biting her lip, she held down her anger while Eleanor only slightly nodded. Such a response was another thing that added to Iliya’s emotions. Eleanor should’ve seen Iliya hold her sword, yet she didn’t even budge. As if it wasn’t something noteworthy. “…” To this person, Iliya simply meant just that. An irrelevant existence. And this was from Eleanor, a member of the family that had turned Iliya’s whole life upside down. Hot rage surged through Iliya at that moment, but she forcefully suppressed it from overflowing. There was no point in revealing that right now. She couldn’t win even if she attacked with a sword. “Here.” Iliya managed to put on a fake smile as she picked up what Eleanor had dropped when bumping into her. It was an envelope. Looking at it, the words ‘Dear Dowd Campbell’ were cutely written on the front. ‘Why would this person pop up here?’ Iliya kindly continued. “Are you going to where this person is?” “I am.” “If you turn right here, you will find the place you’re looking for.” After saying those words, Iliya passed the envelope to Eleanor and hurriedly left. She didn’t want to be around this person any longer; it made her feel uncomfortable. “Wait a moment.” Eleanor suddenly called her. “How do you know where Dowd Campbell’s room is?” “…?” Why was Eleanor asking that? She didn’t know, but she had to answer first. “We were just together a moment ago.” As soon as she heard those words, Eleanor’s hostility suddenly soared. It was to the point where one would think that Eleanor was mistaking her for an enemy to be killed. ‘…Enemy? Kill?’ Why? No, like really, why? Eleanor’s expression didn’t change even when someone attempted to draw a sword at her. So why was she so angry just because Iliya was with that guy? As Iliya was in a state of confusion, Eleanor asked her another question. “For what purpose?” The temperature of her voice had significantly gotten colder than before. It really feels like she would get attacked if she did anything sudden. “Uh, just to make friends as fellow freshmen…?” Eleanor’s eyes narrowed. It was evident that she did not like that. “Dating between freshmen is prohibited.” “…Pardon?” What the hell was she talking about all of a sudden? “Anyway, it’s forbidden.” “Was there such a school rule…?” “I just made it.” “…” Technically, the Student Council President did have the authority for such rules. However, it wasn’t meant to be abused in this way. “So, from now on, you cannot visit Dowd Campbell’s room.” “Um, what relationship does the Student Council President have with that person?” Eleanor fell silent at her words. The silence was so long it made Iliya feel awkward despite being the one asking the question. “…There’s nothing between us.” It was a very strained response. There seemed to be a lot of dissatisfaction mixed in, as if she hated having that kind of relationship status. “Alright then. Please keep in mind what I just told you.” Iliya’s face grew blank as she watched Eleanor leave. “What the hell?” How can you do this when you’re not in any relationship with that person? Iliya couldn’t understand why someone as lofty as the Duke’s daughter would write a man’s name in large fonts on the outside of a letter envelope and deliver it. I heard that Dowd Campbell came from an unremarkable baron family. What businesses does she have from someone like that? — I quite like her. — A facade. I know. In fact, I have a rough idea of her actions. Then, Iliya suddenly remembered these words. These were what Dowd Campbell had said the other day. He spoke as if he already knew the Student Council President. “Hmm.” It was like a eureka moment. The puzzle pieces seemed to fit together. The Student Council President claimed that she had nothing to do with the man but seemed to have, and the same man whose identity was still shrouded in mystery… ‘There is something here…!’ These two were clearly hiding something. Digging deeper into this might lead to some complicated backstory. There could be a big secret about the Tristan Dukedom! Iliya’s intuition was screaming. “Great. Let’s continue trying to befriend him and gather some info.” If Dowd himself heard all this, he might have screamed. ● Elfante Academy’s admissions and class assignments were done in two phases. The first was a group assignment that was weeded out through 1:1 sparring. After that, there was the class placement exam that evaluated the student’s overall ability in detail. Students would be grouped according to their performance in the 1:1 sparring. I was assigned to the top group thanks to beating the next Hero candidate. Looking around, this group was riddled with confident faces who were proud to belong to this group. “…” And I was the only odd one out, sticking out like a sore thumb. There were many reasons for that, but this woman was the biggest one. I glanced at Iliya, who was in the same group. She made eye contact with me and waved. Her smile was almost appalling. “…” Didn’t I just beat the shit out of her yesterday? When I think about it, there was really nothing good about being involved with the main character. The more I interacted with important people in the story, the more my life was put at risk. In that regard, just having Eleanor was already overwhelming. That’s why I had to avoid her as best as I can. < Gift-related Character Notification > ▼ Iliya Krisanax [ Curiosity Level 4 ] >>> [ Curiosity Level 5 ] [ Rewards Currently Unavailable! ] [ Close to favorability status change! ] [ She is an important character. A special event will trigger after a successful status change! ] But why was her favorability soaring? Seriously, what is this? Why are there so many inexplicable things happening? Come to think of it, an envelope with my name written on it was delivered to the front of my room out of the blue yesterday. It contained a cute piece of paper that said, ‘Do your best for tomorrow’s exam’. Obviously, there was literally no one that could have sent me that. The thought of a stalker gave me goosebumps. ‘…I don’t know anymore.’ I let out a sigh. On a positive note, it says Rewards Currently Unavailable, which meant that there was a reward. But why was I not being rewarded yet? Is it because she wasn’t a villain? “Group 1! It’s your turn!” I heard the teaching assistant’s command and stood up. Well, that’s that. For now, I should focus on what was in front of me. The entrance exam was the first stem that kicked off Sera’s main scenario. It was about evaluating students’ abilities through tests in various events held inside the stadium. This was where the main character showcased her abilities, gained recognition and rewards, etc. It was a smooth development. No matter how you look at it, there was no way this could go wrong. That’s right. That was how it was supposed to go. < Gift-related Character Notification > ▼ Eleanor Elinalise La Tristan [ Trust Level 2 ] [ Related event is about to occur!] But this… I read through the system prompts as I looked in front. “Nice to meet you, I am Eleanor. I will be leading the examination.” I don’t think this is a good sign. The Student Council President was personally leading the exam because it’s the top group? “…” The timing was too perfect for it to be a coincidence. She would be having an event today, and she was also somehow the one leading my group in the entrance exam. At this point, it would be more strange if nothing happened during the exam. “Alright, let’s move into the exam venue first. I will entertain your questions there.” I looked around nervously as I followed Eleanor into the stadium. I have no idea what’s going to happen. However, it was all for naught. There was no need for it to begin with because the situation was presented in the easiest way possible. As soon as we entered the stadium, the entrance suddenly closed shut with a bang. At the same time, all the lights inside the building went out as if there was a sudden power outage. “…” “…” Silence lingered in the dark room. Finally, one guy asked in a bewildered voice. “Hey, you said you’re going to entertain our questions, right? Is this also part of the exam?” Well, I guess I can answer that for you. [ Eleanor Related Event Occurs! ] 【Event: Subsequent Assassination Attempt】 – Assassins are still out to target her! – Protect her from getting hurt! This was not part of the exam. It’s a trap! “…” Dowd Campbell. Day 3 of Admission to the Academy. My life is already in danger. Fuck.