Chapter 201: The Knight Rides the Autumn (7)

“This is the first time we’re seeing each other face to face.”

“…Yes, that’s right.”

“Don’t be nervous. Even if Timid isn’t here, I still won’t harm you.”

“T-Timid? Are you talking about Derrick?”

“Who else?”

“Hehehe, that nickname suits him so well. I should call him that from now on.”

“…”

“…Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Nothing. I just thought that he really had met his soulmate. You’re good at teasing people, don’t you?”

“!!”

“Anyway, you can do that in front of me, but don’t do that in front of others. Honestly, it’s annoying to look at or hear.”

“U-Understood…”

The pretty young girl reacted that way.

She was someone who could stand proudly even in front of a crowd of 30,000 people, but when the topic of her lover came up, she acted in a way that befitted her age.

Here I thought that little fuck blackmailed her into liking him, now I know it’s the other way around.

Seeing the way she blushed, Lee Han could tell that she was the one who fell over heels for him. At the same time, he thought that it was fortunate that the guy wasn’t in front of him right now.

After all, if he was…

…I might have busted a nut or two.

They said that a man that was blinded by jealousy was ugly, but Lee Han didn’t care. He decided to express his free will and be jealous. That way, he’d be less stressed.

At that moment…

“Now I know why Miss Irene, Miss Levy, and the three from the Swordsmanship Department suddenly joined the student council. Did you ask them to, Instructor?”

The girl nodded as she said that, as if she finally found out the full extent of the situation that happened for the past few days. Her eyes, reminiscent of amethyst, glinted mysteriously.

Then, as if she had finished digesting her own thoughts about the situation, she muttered to herself, sorting out the situation out loud.

“Miss Irene’s personality is not one that enjoys the attention of others. The same goes for Miss Levy and the trio. I thought it was strange that they suddenly knocked on the door of the student council, but if it was because of your influence, Instructor, it makes sense. Hmm… So, is something big going to happen in this exam?”

Prediction.

“Is it like the Monster Terror Attack that happened in the midterm? …No, that can’t be it. Some suspicious people are after something from the Academy maybe? Since you sent the trio—the strong soldiers—to the student council, you probably want them to act as an escort of some sorts!”

Understanding.

“Then, the suspicious people’s target is probably… Miss Irene? Miss Levy? Or maybe me? It’s a bit embarrassing to say it myself, but there’s no one with more value or worth than us within the Academy. Phew, I don’t have much information, so I can’t be sure of anything.”

Judgment.

“So, what can I help you with?”

“…”

…Those words just poured out from her mouth in an instant, and Lee Han didn’t even have time to explain anything. He just listened to her speculation, and after she was done, he was left speechless.

“You already know everything, I don’t even need to explain it to you. What are you, Holmes’ descendant or what?”

“…Who is that?”

“He’s a famous detective who solves unsolved cases in a single sitting.”

“Oh my! If there is such a person, I would really like to meet him! Ah, could you let me hear the plan first? How will you proceed from now on?”

“…Don’t you have any other questions for me?”

“Isn’t it better to solve the problem quickly than to ask questions? For efficiency’s sake.”

“…”

“Why are you looking at me like that, Instructor?”

“Nothing. I just thought that there’s so many geniuses here.”

“?”

…That status window guy is going to be devoured by her.

Lee Han had no doubt in his mind that it’d happen.

In order to enter the Academy, one had to pass a total of 5 tests.

First, the written test.

Second, the special ability test.

Third, the practical test.

Fourth, the first interview.

And fifth, the second interview.

Most of the incompetent kids failed the written test, but that didn’t mean they’d lose all hope. In the special ability test, if the Academy confirmed that they were worthy of being nurtured, then even if they didn’t get good scores in the written test, they’d have a chance to make up for it in the practical test and the interviews.

Although, throughout the Academy’s long history, the number of people who entered through that special ability test was less than fifty. So, realistically speaking, the moment they failed the written test, the kids wouldn’t be able to enter the Academy.

And now, 30 minutes after the written test…

“T-This…! This can’t be happening! There’s no way I could fail!”

“Do you know how much money my father gave the Academy?! How dare you fail me!”

“You damned bastards…!”

About half of the candidates failed.

Those who failed caused ruckus here and there, and the examiners and the guards quickly stepped in and subdued them. Since this kind of scene occurred every year, the examiners only stared at those kids with a sick and tired expression on their faces.

“Kunta head is spinning. Can people pass this test?”

“Well, anyone who studied properly should know how to answer the questions. After all, the Academy gave each student specific questions that matched their desired departments. If they can’t solve it, it means they didn’t study hard enough. In other words, it’s their own fault that they fail.”

“You’re lucky that you got in through the special admission process, Kunta.”

“Kunta happy to be Barbarian!”

The boy of the mystic race that was known for putting all their stats into fighting ability looked happy that he didn’t have to take the test. Still, he had gotten full marks in both the practical and the interviews.

Barely anyone knew about this, but he was someone who got high grades in his admission tests—only bested by Roen and Irene, who were the top and second place, respectively.

…He didn’t care about the fact that he got high grades, though.

“Is the practical test for the Swordsmanship Department a duel like last year?”

“No. It’s said the content of the test changes every year.”

“Hmm, what test did the instructor prepare, I wonder?”

“Kunta thinks Instructor didn’t prepare anything. The assistant did.”

“…”

When the other two heard Kunta’s words, they could only nod silently. When it came to other areas, their instructor’s sincerity was second to none, but when it came to paperwork, it was a different story. In particular, he had a hobby to harass the assistant, Damien Paulet, by passing on all the work he could pass on to him.

“Poor Assistant.”

“The worst thing about it is that he has to do this for another two years.”

“I’ve passed through the rookie hazing of the mercenary corps, but I don’t think I can ever be an assistant…”

Thinking about Damien Paulet—who had pretty much turned into an undead due to exhaustion—the trio let out another sigh.

“Stop playing around and get to work, Mr. Arno, Mr. Kunta, Mr. Galand.”

If only they didn’t hear the girl’s stern, yet gentle voice, they’d be continuing their train of thoughts.

“You are here, Female Bear?”

“Yes, I have finished supervising most of the first test. It’s harder than I thought.”

Levy Jeanne d’Arc.

After going around acting as a substitute supervisor, her fatigue was apparent on her face. She had some physical strength left still, but mentally, she was extremely exhausted.

Then again, it was only natural that she’d be tired, after all, she had to go around supervising 30,000 people at once. However, considering her physical and mental strength alone stood among the top cadets of the Swordsmanship Department, it still didn’t make much sense how she could be so exhausted just because of this.

The real reason why she was so exhausted was because she had to do additional ‘chores’.

“Did you find any suspicious people?”

“I found about twenty?”

“That’s a lot, I found twelve.”

“Honestly, it’s amazing that you managed to find that many people while doing your job as a supervisor.”

“I agree. You are amazing, Young Miss.”

“Y-You guys are praising me too much…”

The neverending compliment made her face turn bright red. She wasn’t used to receiving such praises, but she was happy about it.

“Still, the temple is just awful. How could they try to pull this kind of stunt towards the Academy? Unforgivable.”

Levy showed a quiet, yet deep anger, as if she had never been angry before. She rarely cursed at someone, and yet she seemed to be unable to bear her anger at this moment. Considering that there were a series of incidents and accidents occuring in the kingdom lately though, her feelings were completely justified.

Even if everyone joined forces, it still wouldn’t be enough to suppress the bad things that happened in the kingdom, and yet the temple just committed such crimes to try and solidify their power amidst all this. It was a given that Levy was furious.

“It seems that Miss Levy doesn’t have a very good feeling about the temple?”

“That’s unexpected.”

From her appearance, she looked like she’d be a devout believer of the temple, but it turned out that she had such a negative view of the temple.

“When I was young, no matter how much I searched for God, He refused to help me. Since then, I stopped looking for Him. These days, I look for the instructor instead of Him.”

“…”

The trio felt like they had touched a landmine. They felt guilty for needlessly digging up her dark past, but Levy didn’t care at all.

Instead…

“Let’s forget about that and drive out the bad guys! At least, let’s prevent them from harming the innocent exam takers.”

She tried to do her ‘best’.

“T-True, let’s do that…”

“Kunta will do his best.”

“Oh my, it seems like there will be no quiet days ahead.”

[The Seed of the Saint.]

An aura that would make people’s trust its wielder. Even those with the talent to be heroes had no choice but to follow that extraordinary talent; the talent that was bestowed by the heavens.

On top of that, they’d follow the person naturally.

Meanwhile, while Levy and the trio were busy identifying those suspicious people that they suspected to be spies of the temple, Irene Windler…

“Ah! Found it.”

Managed to find her target.

“So… That’s the duke’s real daughter?”

“Yes!”

“…”

“How is it? You can tell just by looking at her, right?”

“…Yes, they look alike.”

“Exactly!”

The young girl claimed excitedly. Lee Han could understand her feelings to some extent, though.

They really do look alike.

Because that girl really looked like the duke.

Irene Windler handed him a telescope, but he could see the girl’s appearance even without it from this distance.

Unlike Irene, the girl had short hair, and just like Irene, she had rare blond hair and was proud of it. The nobles of Pendragon had colorful hairs, but silver and blond were particularly rare. In the latter’s case, only the Mage Chick had that hair color in the whole Academy.

But now, that girl also had blonde hair.

Perhaps because it was such a rare color.

There were quite a few people who stared at her from time to time, even among the exam takers and supervisors. When Lee Han tried to read their lips…

‘Wow, she’s really pretty.’

‘She’s beautiful…’

‘Still, she’s lacking compared to that senior from before…’

‘My thoughts exactly.’

…Those guys, seriously…

“Instructor?”

“…It’s nothing.”

“??”

Lee Han kept his mouth shut and observed the woman for a moment as if glaring at her.

…She looks like that old man, and her atmosphere is also similar to him.

If someone put her next to a sunflower, they wouldn’t be able to think of anything other than the fact that she looked more like a sunflower than an actual sunflower.

However, according to Lee Han’s senses that he trusted with all his life…

Why does it feel so artificial?

Their appearance was definitely similar; their atmosphere and wavelength were similar, even their body odor was similar.

But… How could I put it into words…?

It feels…awkward…?

Indeed. Though she looked similar to him, Lee Han couldn’t think of her as the duke’s daughter at all.

Was he acting like this because he didn’t like her?

No, that’s not it.

If he had to give an example, it was because he felt like he was looking at an incredibly well-made ‘unpleasant doll’.

In other words, the girl felt like a doll; artificial.

When his thoughts arrived at that point…

She’s a fake.

I see it now, it’s…

─The power of the Dream Demon.

That was the moment when Lee Han finally figured out how the Magic Tower and the cultist bastards were planning to get their hands on Galahad’s evil sword.