Chapter 118: Announcement of grades (2)

“Pant… Pant…!”

-Kuuk.

She clenched her trembling hands tightly and shouted with all her might.

“Just you watch! Next time, I won’t lose no matter what! Aaaaaahhhhh!!!”

The girl turned and started running at full speed.

She exited so quickly that the air pressure left a faint breeze in her wake.

Her yelling, like the wail of a fading ambulance siren, grew fainter and fainter.

“What… what was that about?”

Isabella, who had been watching everything from the sidelines, murmured with a baffled expression.

“Do you know her, big sister? Why is she suddenly picking a fight? How rude.”

“No, I’ve never met her before…!”

Sion shook her head firmly.

She had seen the girl’s face and even heard her voice, yet still, she couldn’t figure out who she was.

It felt like something was just out of reach in her mind, teasing her memory.

For someone like Sion, who prided herself on her excellent memory, this unfamiliar sense of disconnection was rare and unsettling.

“Oh, I know who she is.”

Meanwhile, Therese, who had been watching the entire scene unfold, crossed her arms behind her head and spoke up.

“If my memory serves me right, she’s Dorothy from the Verdpfolnir class. Probably their top student.”

“Really? She’s from another class, and yet you know about her?”

“Well, you know me—I tend to wander around everywhere. I can recognize pretty much all the first-year students at this school and know a bit about them.”

“Hehh…”

Marianne nodded in admiration, impressed by Therese’s social prowess.

Standing next to her, Lancia tilted her head and asked,
“Dorothy…? I must admit I’ve never heard of that name. Where is she from?”

“Let’s see… if I recall correctly, she’s from Alpensia in the northwest.”

Therese continued, “It’s not surprising if you haven’t heard of her. She’s not a noble, but a commoner.”

“Is that so?”

Hearing this, Lancia’s brow furrowed slightly.

If that were true, it was quite unsettling.

Even though heroes were technically commoners by status, they were treated on par with royalty.

For someone to speak so rudely and informally to Sion was shocking.

Even nobles from potential rival nations like Espera managed to at least feign courtesy on the surface.

Isabella, apparently having similar thoughts, scowled harshly.

“Who does that girl think she is? The nerve of her to point her finger at you so disrespectfully! What an ill-mannered brat.

We should send someone after her later to teach her proper etiquette.”

“Ahaha… calm down, Princess. It’s not something to get that upset about, is it?”

Sion forced an awkward laugh as she tried to soothe Isabella.

That said, even though they had learned the girl’s name and status, Sion still felt puzzled about her identity.

The name “Dorothy” rang no bells for her.

She had no idea why someone she’d never met would harbor such hostility toward her.

Fortunately, Therese soon cleared up at least part of the mystery.

“Well, there’s no denying that she’s pretty rude. The first time I heard her name was in some students’ gossip, actually.

Apparently, she’s got quite the reputation for being disrespectful. She’s equally rude to nobles and commoners alike.”

“Is that so? In a way, it’s quite bold of her to treat nobles that way. She could easily get accused of treason and lose her head.

Does she perhaps have a powerful benefactor backing her?”

“Not that I know of. From what I’ve heard, she’s extremely focused on her grades.

Usually, the only ones who care that much about grades are students hoping for scholarships, right? If she had a powerful sponsor, she wouldn’t need to worry about that.”

“That’s true.”

Lancia nodded in agreement. Therese shrugged and added,

“My guess? She was probably upset because the hero took first place.

She must have been so frustrated that she yelled and ran off.”

“But if that’s the case, her name is ranked 6th, isn’t it? That’s quite a gap from first place. It seems a bit of a stretch to say she was displaced because of the hero.”

“I dunno! Beyond that, I have no idea.”

Therese grinned mischievously.

“Maybe she just sees the hero as her self-proclaimed rival because of how famous Sion’s name is among the first years. Just a theory, though.”

“Hmm…”

Isabella stared at the spot where Dorothy had run off, pondering for a moment.

Then, as if losing interest, she turned and leaned into Sion’s arms.

“Who cares about that annoying brat anyway? Forget her!

More importantly, why don’t we have a celebration tonight?

We should commemorate big sister adding another glorious achievement to Anatolia Academy’s history!”

“……”

“Big sister? Are you listening?”

“Oh, yes.”

Sion, who had been momentarily lost in thought, snapped back to reality and replied.

Next to her, Marianne tilted her head and asked,

“What’s the matter, Hero? Is something still bothering you?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Sion smiled and shook her head.

But if asked whether something was bothering her, the answer would be yes.

Despite all the information she had received, she still couldn’t shake the sense of unease wrapping around her mind.

It felt like she was close to a breakthrough, yet still far from fully grasping the truth.

‘Where have I seen her before?’

Staring at the spot where Dorothy had been, Sion silently pondered.

The image of a crumpled railing flickered in her mind’s eye…

Meanwhile, far from the crowd and behind the school building…

“Pant, pant…!”

Dorothy, who had dashed across the campus, finally stopped in a secluded, deserted corner, panting heavily.

Her breaths were a mixture of physical exhaustion and mental irritation.

After a moment, Dorothy raised her head, took a deep breath, and shouted loudly.

“PHILIAAAAAAA!!!”

A deafening roar, resounding through the world with incredible volume.

And at that very moment, a maid with chestnut-colored hair leapt down from a nearby tree.

“You called… gulp… for me?”

“Yes! Bring me my test paper right now—wait, what are you eating again?”

“Can’t you tell by looking? Bread and milk. It’s my lunch for today. munch”

The girl, called Philia, replied as she swallowed a large bite of her soboro bread with an air of complete nonchalance.

“Unlike you, nom nom, we humans need to eat three square meals a day to survive. So I have to replenish my nutrition whenever I get the chance, gulp.”

“Ugh, fine… just finish eating first. It’s gross listening to you talk like that.”

Dorothy frowned and turned her head away in distaste.

At her words, Philia stuffed the rest of the bread into her mouth and downed the milk in one go.

A moment later, having finished her meal, Philia took out a handkerchief to wipe her mouth and asked,

“So, what’s the reason you called for me this time?”

“Are you done eating? Then hurry up and bring me my test paper! And the answer sheet too!

No matter how much I think about it, I can’t understand! I’m sure I should’ve gotten a perfect score, so why—”

“I thought you might say that, so I already prepared it.”

Philia swiftly pulled the test paper from her coat.

It was marked with circles and crosses in red pen.

“I graded it myself ten days ago when the correct answers were announced. I also verified that there were no mistakes in the answers, so rest assured.”

“What?! Seriously?!”

Dorothy’s voice rose in disbelief.

So this girl had known all along that Dorothy didn’t get a perfect score?

And she had known for the past ten days, no less.

“Hey!! Why didn’t you tell me if you already knew my score?!”

“Hmm?”

Philia tilted her head slightly, as if puzzled by such an obvious question, her expression infuriatingly blank.

“Well, you didn’t ask, did you?”

“You little—!!”

An enraged Dorothy opened her mouth to shout.

And in the next moment—

Crackle!

“Hi-Hyaaah?!”

Dorothy let out a pained scream as a jolt of electricity escaped from her own lips, shocking her.

She rolled on the ground, groaning in agony, completely unmindful of her dignity.

Beside her, Philia lightly placed a hand over her mouth with a “tsk, tsk.”

“You should be more careful, Master. Your body isn’t very resistant to electricity, is it?

If you’re not careful and accidentally let out a breath attack, your entire palate could burn up.”

“You… it’s because of you…!!”

Furious, Dorothy jumped to her feet and grabbed Philia by the collar with one hand, lifting her off the ground.

The maid’s body dangled midair, but Philia remained unfazed, calmly responding.

“As you wish. But I don’t believe I’ve said anything wrong. Didn’t you confidently declare,

‘I’ll get a perfect score for sure,’ without even checking? What did I do to deserve such treatment?”

“You… you little…!!”

Dorothy seethed, unable to find the words to retort.

It was true that she had been overly confident.

After all, she had ignored her maid’s suggestion to at least double-check her answers.

Philia adjusted her glasses with one hand and remarked,

“Please calm yourself, Master. Your horns and tail are starting to peek out. If anyone sees you like this, your true identity will be exposed.

Wouldn’t it be a shame to be discovered and expelled over something so trivial? I recommend cooling your temper.”

“…..”

Dorothy glared at Philia with a look of utter displeasure but reluctantly released her grip on the maid’s collar.

Philia landed gracefully back on the ground.

“Fine. What’s done is done. Just give me the test paper!”

“As you command, Lady Dorothy.”

Philia bowed respectfully.

Dorothy Gwendolyn, the last dragon, clicked her tongue repeatedly in frustration as she watched her subordinate’s composed demeanor…