Ch.105Final Exams (2)

“Do whatever you want.”

She never said she couldn’t go through with it.

It was a bluff that had melted into habit.

Even this seemed to reveal her personality, which made me burst into soft laughter.

I felt both sympathy and admiration for her.

“Pfft… Then I won’t hold back.”

I gently reach out my hand.

Perhaps unable to stand there calmly, her slender shoulders trembled back and forth, revealing her tension.

A faint tremor was visible on her closed eyelids.

Amelia was waiting for the touch that would soon follow, fidgeting with her sleeve.

The presence drew closer.

‘Where will it be?’

The girl wondered.

Where would those greedy fingertips touch?

Her chest full of soft cushioning, her waist drawing a slender curve, or perhaps her beautifully finished hips.

The frost that had beautifully formed had endured many winters.

The villainess was surely focusing all her senses on her entire body.

“My lady.”

Of course.

None of those were correct.

I passed by all the aforementioned places and gently placed my hand on top of her head.

Then I began to stroke her deep blue hair.

Swoosh-

“…?”

Was it because of the unexpected contact?

The girl carefully opened her eyes.

Only my face was reflected in the blue surface.

I met her deep gaze, then whispered into her heated ear with a kind smile.

It was a word of encouragement.

“You worked hard.”

“What…?”

Amelia raised a question mark.

I said:

“I heard you prepared really hard for this exam… Regardless of the outcome, I wanted to tell you that you did well.”

Although.

She didn’t show it because she was usually busy putting on airs, but she was someone who always worked harder than other students.

She was struggling in many ways.

Recognition from others is the driving force that leads one’s life.

For vanity to be filled with others’ recognition, one must first put in enough effort to deserve applause.

The girl was living that repetition every day.

“You’re always working so hard.”

I wanted to tell her.

That even without obsessing over rankings, there were people who supported her.

And that I was among them.

I slowly pronounced the words I had carefully prepared, leaving the warmth of our contact behind.

It was a kindly resonating sound.

“…You really.”

Would such sincerity reach her?

The villainess muttered.

Perhaps it was the shame of having been caught in a strange delusion.

At the same time, there was satisfaction from being recognized by someone close, and fulfillment from filling the empty time that no one had acknowledged.

Her cheeks flushed at the end of these complex emotions.

A faint breath added snowflakes to the season within.

“Going back and forth, I don’t know what tune to dance to… it’s annoying.”

“I apologize if my words were presumptuous.”

“That’s not what I meant. You’re really too soft-hearted.”

She pouted her lips sulkily.

Even that awkwardness was transparent.

The villainess hesitated over how to respond, then eventually muttered while avoiding our overlapping gazes.

It was faint but completely colored the world.

“Thank you.”

Her rosy lips pronounced.

“…Judas.”

Two syllables unfamiliar to the ear.

Sometimes that unfamiliarity makes people laugh.

“Hmm? Is this the first time you’ve called me by my name?”

“Shut up!”

“I feel honored to be acknowledged. I would appreciate it if you continued to call me by my name instead of formal titles.”

“I have no intention of doing that, so don’t get any strange expectations!”

Amelia flatly refused.

Yet the fact that she didn’t avoid my stroking hand showed that the distance we had closed in our relationship wasn’t so far after all.

We walked side by side, exchanging banter.

***

A few days later.

The written exam results had been finally announced, and now we were facing the practical exam.

I was spending time in the library as usual.

“The practical exam starts tomorrow.”

“That’s right.”

Children engaging in everyday conversation.

The snake, the handler, and the vain one.

They were now treated as a set.

The rose and the little prince should have been there too, but today they had gone out to spend time adjusting to the academy.

They seemed to be exploring the shopping district located on the outskirts of the academy.

Of course.

We weren’t doing anything special either.

Since it was the day before the practical exam, we even took a break from training.

It was for condition management.

However, having gathered out of habit after lectures ended, we simply occupied a corner and exchanged casual conversation.

Of course, given the timing, much of it was about the exam.

“About the practical exam… do head assistants take separate exams too?”

Amelia asked.

I answered.

“Of course. Even head assistants are still students after all. However, I understand that it’s conducted in a different format from the exam regular students take.”

That was true.

The practical exam for head assistants felt somewhat different.

While the regular students’ practical exam was solely for ‘evaluation,’ the head assistants’ practical was closer to an ‘event match.’

In fact, the practical exam that only head assistants took had no failing threshold.

Since their skills were already proven, there was no point in meaningless score distribution.

Instead, they had an exam they were obligated to participate in.

“That would be the Faculty Competition.”

The Faculty Competition.

An exam in which not only the head assistants participated, but also the professors who commanded them.

It was a tradition that had been passed down since Gallimar was first established.

Head assistants, professors, and others… the highest-ranking people in the academy competed.

The purpose of the competition was for students to gain insight by watching such exams, simultaneously accumulating understanding of the pinnacle, and ultimately seeking development.

Hidden within was also the political intention of showcasing the professors’ abilities to highlight the academy’s prestige.

Of course, there was no need to know all these details.

“You can just think of it as an event where faculty members have duels with each other. Head assistants are just included as extras.”

“Will that be okay…? There’s no way assistants can match professors.”

“As I said, it’s closer to an event. There’s probably also an intention to show the vast gap between students and professors. Head assistants, considered the most skilled, are perfect for fulfilling such a role. I hear that those who participate in the competition receive practical scores close to perfect regardless of ranking, so you needn’t worry about grades either.”

I finished the explanation as concisely as possible.

There were also details about rules and matchups, but I decided to leave it at that for now.

After all, the event wouldn’t start for another week.

On the other hand, the regular students’ practical exam was tomorrow, so it was wiser to focus on that instead.

The villainess had been listening with an indifferent face and then asked:

“Then… you don’t have a practical exam tomorrow?”

“That’s right.”

“Hmm.”

“I’m directly under Professor Selena. I’ll probably participate in the competition with her.”

“Being a head assistant isn’t all that enviable after all.”

“With position comes responsibility.”

For me it was a schedule I could enjoy lightly, but from the students’ perspective, it seemed like nothing could be more frightening.

Well, the professors were beings who transcended levels.

Heroes from the Great Purge era, former royal knights commander, elders of magic towers, cardinals of the church, and more.

Each one had a lofty name, which in a way explained why Gallimar was called the continent’s finest educational institution.

I pushed aside such reflections.

“Well… until then, there are practical exams scheduled, so I’ll at least watch other students’ matches.”

“For your information, mine is tomorrow.”

“Of course I plan to come cheer you on.”

It seemed I wouldn’t be bored.

As the conversation shifted back to the regular practical exam, the girl sitting across from me suddenly spoke up.

It was Lezia, who had been absentmindedly listening to the conversation until now.

“Um… Young Master.”

“Yes, Lezia?”

As always, a timid voice.

However, for some reason, it seemed more severe than usual.

She hesitated as if wanting to say something.

When I told her to speak comfortably, she clenched her fists as if resolved and parted her lips.

Her stammering sentences gradually formed meaning.

“About the practical exam, I, I have a favor to ask.”

“A favor?”

I became interested.

In the nearly half-year we had spent together, the times she had asked something of me could be counted on one hand.

That’s how much she disliked relying on others.

For such a Lezia to openly mention a favor, this was content that couldn’t help but pique my interest.

I listened attentively to her following words.

“If possible, during tomorrow’s practical exam…”

After hesitating, the girl finally spoke.

With eyes that were almost tearful.

After hearing Lezia’s story, I couldn’t help but raise my eyebrows in a hook.

It was because the content of the favor was so unexpected.

“What…?”

What kind of request is this?