Chapter 117: Announcement of grades (1)

After a scheduled week-long break, Anatolia resumed its normal operations.

Meanwhile, the event that drew the most attention from returning students was none other than the announcement of grades.

Specifically, the publication of total scores along with class rankings.

For the first time, the academy officially established a hierarchy among students.

While academic performance wasn’t particularly critical among the nobility, it still held significance as a matter of pride.

When one side among rival families or heirs to nations achieved higher scores while the other lagged behind, the contrast in emotions was striking.

The winners felt elation, while the losers harbored frustration.

Moreover, the victors gained the privilege of teasing the defeated, with a shelf life for such mockery lasting until the final exams about two months later.

Given such circumstances, this term at Anatolia was particularly rife with rivalries worthy of attention.

Among the seniors, the two titans who had been in competition for the past two years were Martin, the crown prince of Salem, and Elias, the imperial prince of Espera.

Conversely, among the freshmen were Isabella de Salem and Emilia von Krimbalz, both heralded as magical prodigies in their respective nations.

Lastly, there was the eternal rivalry between the heirs of bordering families: Lancia de Granfil, a first-year, and Isma von Ulmenwald, a second-year.

With not one but three major points of contention to fuel gossip, students naturally focused their attention on the new rankings.

Who emerged victorious this time?

Between Salem and Espera, which side claimed a narrow win? Or was it a landslide victory?

Questions like these even spurred significant betting among the students, showcasing the intensity of interest in the results.

However, on the actual day of the grade announcement, what caught the attention of the students gathered around the bulletin board was neither of the six individuals mentioned earlier, but someone entirely unexpected.

“What the—are you kidding me?”

“600 points? Is that even possible?”

“How can someone who isn’t even a mage score a perfect 100 in Magical Studies? Is this a printing error? It defies logic!”

The students grouped around the board murmured in shock, their expressions of disbelief palpable.

Their gaze fixated on the top name on the freshman rankings, a name no one had anticipated to shine so brightly.

[Freshman Overall Rankings]

[1st Place – Sion of Ashtaria (600 points)][2nd Place – Isabella de Salem (574 points)…]

Six hundred points.

With six subjects in total, that meant a perfect score across the board.

Such an extraordinary feat was rare, not just for a term, but even for a century.

To understand the significance of this score, one must consider Anatolia’s traditional exam format.

The overall difficulty of the exams wasn’t particularly high, but the last three questions on the test papers were in a league of their own.

The first and second questions could only be solved by diligent students who attended every class and memorized their textbooks.

The third and final question, however, was a hellishly challenging problem that even such model students struggled with.

These three high-difficulty questions served as the academy’s traditional means of differentiating top-tier students.

On top of this foundation, two additional hurdles made the exams even more formidable: Magical Studies and Swordsmanship.

These two subjects required fundamentally different aptitudes.

Magical Studies demanded unwavering intellect and precise calculation, while Swordsmanship required exceptional physical ability and sharp instincts.

As such, students were usually specialized in one or the other, and it was rare for anyone to excel in both. Such a feat would require talent on par with Sien, the legendary magic swordsman of the distant past.

Because of these challenges, perfect scores of 600 points were exceptionally rare in Anatolia’s 500-year history, with only four individuals ever achieving it.

Yet today, for the fifth time, a new superhuman emerged.

And for the first time, this individual was a Holy Power user incapable of magic.

It was an unprecedented event in Anatolia’s long history.

“Wow, being a hero isn’t something just anyone can do… What a massive display of talent.”

“I mean, other things aside, how does someone using divine power even manage to score a perfect 100 in Magical Studies?

Is that even possible? That’s like a mage scoring full marks in Ethics!”

“What did you just say, punk? You want to die? Repeat that, I dare you!”

The area buzzed with chatter, as students voiced their amazement at Sion’s name occupying the top spot.

Yet beneath all their reactions lay a shared sentiment: shock and awe.

“Wow… Master, you’re incredible…”

At the back of the crowd, Lancia murmured in an awestruck tone, staring at the rankings.

“To achieve the forbidden 600-point perfect score in your first semester… It’s hard to even find words. It feels like you exist in a completely different realm from the rest of us.”

“Haha, see? I’ve always said my sister is absolutely amazing!”

Isabella puffed out her chest with pride and hugged Sion tightly, rubbing her cheek against her affectionately.

“Sister~~♥ You did so well! You’re truly the pride and treasure of Salem!”

“Fufu, not at all. It was just good luck, so there’s no need to overestimate me,”

Sion replied with a gentle smile.

Her humility only made Isabella’s eyes sparkle with admiration, as she clung even more fervently, exclaiming, “You’re so modest! So cool!”

Meanwhile, Terese and Marianne, standing beside them, also looked surprised as they stared at the rankings.

“Wow, I thought she looked so serious leaving the house the other day that she might’ve bombed the exams, but it turns out she aced them?”

“That’s not deception—it’s her way of humbling herself for us mere mortals.”

“Your sister failed her math exam and was crying, and you’re over there boasting about your perfect scores in every subject.

How do you think she feels hearing that? Obviously, the atmosphere would get awkward, so they left to give her some space.”

“Well, I guess you have a point…”

Therese nodded and, along with her sister, gazed at Sion with admiration in their eyes.

In fact, everyone in the room was showing some form of amazement toward Sion.

The only exception was the holy sword strapped to her back, which harbored entirely different emotions.

-“Feeling proud, are we? Getting a perfect score by cheating?”

Exia sneered telepathically.

Remembering the ridiculous antics Sion had pulled to secure that 600-point score, Exia couldn’t help but think it was a comedy beyond belief.

Of course, Sion wasn’t one to back down. She responded with a sly grin.

-“‘Proud’ is an understatement. I achieved that score through effort—grueling, bone-crushing effort—so I have every right to be proud.”

-“Effort? These days, does switching out the test papers count as effort?”

-“Hmph. Don’t you know the saying? It’s not a crime if you don’t get caught. You should try cultivating some demonic sensibilities.”

-“Why don’t you work on installing a conscience first, you crook?”

As always, the two bickered, exchanging jabs.

This much was expected.

Students marveling, a princess clinging to her, and the holy sword throwing snide remarks—this was all part of the predictable reactions to the announcement of her perfect score.

Since Sion already knew her score in advance, there was no reason for her to be surprised.

However, what happened next was entirely beyond her expectations.

CRACK!

Suddenly, a harsh, shattering sound came from her right.

Startled, Sion instinctively turned to look.

What she saw shocked her: a section of the iron railing near the stairs had been horribly crushed by someone’s bare hand.

“I-I can’t believe this…!!”

The perpetrator of the incredible feat of strength was a girl with light blue hair, her teeth clenched in frustration.

She had a wild, feline quality to her—similar to Isabella, but more akin to a feral cat than Isabella’s domestic one.

Yet paradoxically, there was an air of dignity or gravitas about her, though it was hard to pin down exactly why.

“….?”

Sion tilted her head, puzzled as she looked at the girl.

She evoked an unfamiliar yet oddly familiar feeling—like they had met before, though he couldn’t remember when.

It wasn’t simply her raw strength that caught her attention.

No, it was something deeper.

A strange déjà vu wrapped around her thoughts like a sticky web.

But how? If they had met before, she should remember.

And she was certain they hadn’t crossed paths since she enrolled in the academy.

So that left only one possibility—before then…

Just as the thought crossed her mind, the girl turned her head and locked eyes with Sion, her face still brimming with frustration.

Sion noticed a faint shimmer of tears at the corners of her eyes.

“You there!”

The girl growled and pointed directly at Sion.

Caught off guard by the sudden finger-pointing, Sion tilted her head in confusion.

“Me? Are you talking to me?”

“Yeah, you! Who else would I be talking to?”

Well, there were quite a few other people nearby. In fact, there were three others right beside Sion.

Those three, curious about the commotion, also turned their attention to the girl.

Being under the gaze of four people at once caused her face to flush deep red.

“N-no! I mean you, Hero! The one who got first place!”

It seemed she was indeed addressing her.

Sion nodded in acknowledgment.

“Yes, that’s me. What do you need?”

“……”

A silence followed.

Perhaps she had called out impulsively because her words seemed to falter.

Her lips trembled awkwardly, as if they couldn’t find their proper place.

After a moment of hesitation, she finally managed to speak, her voice escaping with a tremor.