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Chapter 12 - CHAPTER 12

"You all did well."

At the promised time, all the students had arrived at the final destination.

Some had made it on their own feet, while others were eliminated and brought in by the instructors.

The one common factor was that, with the exception of a few who arrived late, everyone had either witnessed or experienced the final battle.

"I will now announce the rankings."

Grad, who had finished a brief discussion with Rosalia, unfolded a piece of paper.

"First of all, the 31 pairs—62 students—who didn't make it in at all have been excluded from the rankings."

"Ah…"

"Of all things, I had to run into those guys…"

Groans of disappointment echoed from the eliminated students.

"53rd place: Horn and Bellos pair…"

"31st…"

"10th…"

With each rank announced, sighs and cheers erupted throughout the crowd.

"All the top spots were taken by those who entered with His Highness."

"Damn, I'm jealous."

"Nice! We made the top 20!"

And then, everyone began to realize—something truly unexpected had occurred in this exam.

"Wait… Carlo Deneb and Alia Tortha didn't even rank?"

"Oh, you must've arrived late. They got knocked out early."

"Those two? Eliminated early? Are you serious?"

The student, shocked by the unbelievable story, couldn't help but question it out loud.

"From what I heard, they ran into Luina and Fernian."

"So not only did those two come in first, but they also took down Carlo's pair?"

As whispers spread, Carlo and Alia's faces reddened slightly.

"…2nd place: Rudger Schwaben and Almon Donertz."

"And 1st place: Luina Berchef and Fernan Pellenberg."

So, when the first place was finally announced, no one was surprised. There may have been some controversy in the process, but everyone had seen with their own eyes what they had accomplished.

"Honestly though, wasn't that a bit cowardly? They stayed back while everyone else fought, then locked them in at the end?"

"That's not cowardly. That's smart. Besides, trapping ten people for over five minutes is just pure skill."

No one had expected Fernan to possess such magical power and ability. He had simply hidden it that well.

"Yeah, there's no way he's only 10th-rank material."

"And Rudger and Almon were there too, right?"

Most students had expected Rudger and Almon to win this practical.

"And they even beat Carlo and Alia…"

"I get Luina. Honestly, she's on par with Almon, isn't she? But she couldn't have done it alone…"

"So you're saying Fernan had been hiding his strength?"

"But why? And if he was going to hide it, why reveal it now?"

There may have been several reasons, but few had truly expected Fernan and Luina to take first place.

Not because they were weak, but because their competition was fierce.

In a pair, both members had to be strong. And objectively, Fernan had always been seen as weaker than Luina.

Even so, regardless of how it happened, the victors were Fernan and Luina.

They had defeated Carlo and Alia, confined other students, and proved it wasn't just luck.

"Quiet. I'm not done speaking yet."

At Professor Grad's words, the murmuring students quieted down.

"Lastly, the scores from this practical exam, along with any bonus points, will be added to your final grades for the semester. The top bonus scorers are Luina and Fernan, who captured eight pairs. Second place goes to Almon, who captured six pairs…"

Grad continued announcing the rankings.

That's when the students realized—

Luina hadn't partnered with Fernan just for money.

The Pellenberg name wasn't one to settle for tenth place.

And that this semester's final rankings might undergo a massive shake-up.

Cautious, wary eyes turned toward Fernan and Luina.

"…Ina!"

After the practical ended, Luina headed toward the Lavitus Hall.

Thanks to some wealthy benefactor, she had downed and applied potions like water, so she didn't have any lingering injuries or physical problems. But mentally, she was drained after rolling through the mountains for three days.

I just want to collapse onto a soft bed and sleep.

Before that, though, one sweet piece of chocolate would make her feel like she didn't need any other luxury or indulgence.

Luckily, she still had a bit of the Kraken Ink Chocolate she'd won as a reward for her victory.

Thank goodness I saved some for a moment like this, she thought, smiling to herself as she walked.

"Luina!"

A voice pierced her ears, snapping her out of her thoughts. When she turned, she saw two students rushing over.

"Bella? Aina?"

They were her friends from the Knight Faculty.

"Come with us for a sec."

"What's with the sudden—"

"Just come on."

They suddenly grabbed Luina's hands and dragged her along. Their destination was a small café in town.

Bella first ordered a rich chocolate cake and handed it to Luina.

"Eat this."

"…Out of nowhere?"

"Just eat it."

"Well, since you're giving it to me, I guess I will…"

The sweet flavor of chocolate filled her mouth, and Luina's expression relaxed a little.

Watching closely, Aina's eyes lit up like she'd been waiting for this moment and she fired off a question.

"When did you know?"

"Know what?"

Luina blinked, confused by the sudden question.

"Fernian. I mean Fernian."

"What about Fernian?"

"When did you know he was hiding his strength?"

Without waiting for an answer, Aina continued speaking.

"Honestly, I thought you were crazy at first. All the magic students were dying to partner with you, and you suddenly picked Fernian?"

It wasn't that Fernian lacked anything. But considering Luina's ambition for high scores and her outstanding grades, it had seemed like a strange choice to everyone.

"I didn't say anything, but I honestly wondered if it was about the money. I'm not saying it was, just that… if not, what other reason could there be? Just a little?"

"Yeah, just a tiny bit."

Luina flinched slightly at their words—but thankfully, it didn't show too much.

"…No, that's not it."

In truth, she hadn't had any other reason, but now they were handing her a great excuse.

"Just like you said—I saw Fernian's potential. That's all."

"Knew it! I knew you wouldn't do it for money!"

"Exactly. No way someone like you would care about that. Sorry we misunderstood."

"It was easy to see it that way, so we get it."

It was the truth, after all.

Even as Luina felt a pang of guilt for lying, she forced herself to keep a straight face.

"But still, it's kind of surprising. It's not like you didn't have better options. I mean, we're talking about Pellenberg. Weren't they the ones who pulled that crap on your family?"

"…That was a matter between our families. There's no reason to take it personally."

That wasn't true. She hadn't had a good opinion of the Pellenbergs or Fernian either.

But she was being honest when she said it was a family matter. No amount of bickering between her and Fernian was going to resolve that issue.

…Or at least, that's what she'd believed until recently.

"…You're way too nice, Luina."

"If it were me, no matter what, I never would've paired with Fernan."

"Same, same."

"But even if he was hiding his power, isn't Fernan still a little lacking compared to Carlo?"

Bella brought up the question again.

Luina didn't have much to say—she'd thought the same herself. But there was no need to make excuses.

"I think the reason became clear this time."

History is always written by the victors.

"That's true."

"Well, I trust you know what you're doing, Luina."

The girls nodded, accepting her explanation.

Their conversation drifted into casual chatter.

"I didn't even make the rankings this time. Got knocked out right after running into His Highness and Almon."

"Talk about bad luck. I made it in at least. I ran into Harold midway and nearly had a heart attack, but I think it was so close to the end that he just passed me by."

"Lucky you."

Luina listened quietly, until Bella's question pulled her back into the conversation.

"What about you, Luina?"

"…What about me?"

"Those three days with Fernan. I mean, we didn't actually see you fighting, so we're really curious what it was like."

Aina chimed in too. "Yeah, tell us!"

"There's nothing that amazing to tell."

"Come on, you don't just get first place without doing something amazing."

"Yeah! You even took down Carlo and Alia!"

"Hm."

Luina paused, thinking back.

It wouldn't be wrong to say they'd won thanks to Fernan.

The problem was, it was all thanks to an artifact. She thought it was a bit cheap, and Fernan didn't want that fact getting out.

"We just had good synergy."

"That's it?"

"Not much else to say…"

The vague response left the table quiet for a moment.

"…But Luina," Bella said, breaking the silence, "It really wasn't about the money, right?"

"I already said it wasn't. Why bring it up again?"

"No, it's just…"

Her gaze shifted toward Luina's body.

"Your armor looks different…"

"And now that you mention it, so does your weapon…"

Cough. Luina had to use aura just to suppress the tea trying to shoot out of her nose. Her throat and nose burned, but she kept her face as neutral as possible.

"…I changed them using the scholarship money. My father's in a comfortable position, so he told me not to ask for anything this time. And my gear was a bit worn down."

"Really?"

"Good for you, Luina. Honestly, your equipment was getting pretty worn—like, seriously. I even thought about getting you a new set myself."

Thank goodness. That seemed to work.

I'm so glad I thought of that in advance.

Luina breathed a silent sigh of relief.

It was a secret that she came up with excuses like this daily to hide the fact that she was receiving support from Fernan.

"Thank you for your hard work."

As Fernan left the lecture hall, his attendant was waiting for him. He threw himself onto the bed inside the carriage with practiced ease.

"…I feel like I'm going to die."

"I heard you placed first."

"Yeah. I bought first place with money."

Fernan chuckled dryly.

"This is why I love money."

"Did you end up using everything you brought?"

"Thankfully, not everything."

Though not everything was used, the amount spent was far from small.

"At least I managed to recover some of it."

Fernan pulled out five glass bottles filled with troll's blood and handed them over.

"Troll blood, I see."

"There wasn't time to grab everything. I just picked what was most efficient."

"Well done. And… how was Luina Berchef?"

"More cooperative than expected."

For someone he'd basically bought into partnership, she wasn't bad.

She'd pushed back now and then, but when the choices were reasonable, she didn't object.

Not to mention her skill. There was a reason she ranked second overall. Whether she'd really become a Royal Knight was still up in the air, though.

"…I'm exhausted."

A lot had happened.

Winning the practical, sudden glimpses of future possibilities—it was all draining, both physically and mentally.

"You should get some rest. I'll wake you once we arrive at Lavitus Hall."

"Thanks. Oh, by the way, anything unusual happen while I was gone?"

"Nothing within the academy."

Which meant there was something outside of it.

"What is it?"

"A letter arrived."

"A letter?"

The attendant handed it over. The golden turtle emblem stamped into the wax seal made it obvious who it was from at a glance.

"My father?"

"Yes. A letter from the Duke himself."

Fernan tore open the envelope and unfolded the letter.

On the pristine white stationery—

As if to emphasize the beauty of empty space, only one sentence was written.

[I will accept your audacious offer.]

And yet, that single line was powerful. It was exactly what Fernan had hoped for.

"…Perfect."

"Your bluff succeeded?"

"It was the pufferfish tactic."

A smirk crept up Fernan's lips.

A troubling future may have started to take shape…

But for now, everything was going according to plan.

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