Chapter 91: Midterm Exam (2)

Everyone has their own aptitude. Just as there are clothes that suit a person and others that don’t.

Some people might be incredibly bad at something most others do with ease, while on the contrary, they may find things that everyone struggles with as easy as eating cake.

That’s how humans were created.

And Lancia de Granfil, the eldest daughter of the Granfil family, was an extreme example of such aptitude distribution.

She was an undisputed genius when it came to the sword.

Her exceptional reflexes, outstanding agility, and high magical affinity combined to form a unique talent unmatched in this world.

Unless someone like Sion, living a second life, appeared, no one her age could surpass her.

Everyone unanimously acknowledged her greatness.

But was it because the gods are fair?

In return, Lancia’s talent in all fields except for combat was virtually nonexistent.

Her intellect was so poor that she could barely remember her multiplication tables.

Her dexterity was so abysmal she couldn’t even fold paper cranes properly.

She became so nervous in front of others that she stammered, making her conversational skills lackluster.

And she was so oblivious that she was easily deceived by others.

To put it bluntly, she was essentially a useless individual who could do nothing but wield a sword.

That was who Lancia was.

However, this aspect of hers wasn’t much of an issue while she stayed in her territory.

The residents of the Granfil duchy had long revered martial prowess as the ultimate virtue.

In the northern regions, where invasions by foreign tribes and monsters were a daily occurrence, strength was the most important quality.

So, when it became known that Lancia lacked talent outside of swordsmanship, they felt joy rather than sorrow.

It was far better for her to grow into a pure and dedicated warrior rather than getting distracted by pursuits in other fields.

Thus, Lancia had never once felt incompetent in her life.

The people around her had always genuinely praised her without flattery.

At least until today, before she sat in this seat.

“If you factorize x2−1x^2 – 1, uh…”

“Yes?”

“Um… It’s x−1x-1 multiplied by… x−1x-1?”

“……”

Ever so slightly, Sion’s eyebrow twitched. Lancia, recognizing what that signal meant, hiccuped in fear.

“Wrong. Try again.”

“Yes…”

With a dejected face, Lancia looked back down at her worksheet.

It was already the fifth attempt.

She couldn’t even progress past the most basic factorization problems.

Most other elementary math topics could be handled with intuition and guesswork, but factorization was different.

It required rote memorization and direct application of formulas—there were no shortcuts, no room for tricks.

It was Lancia’s weakest area.

“(x+3)2(x+3)^2 is… 3x^2 plus—”

“Wrong. Again.”

“Ah, then x3x^3—!”

“Wrong. Again.”

“x2+3xx^2 + 3x—”

“Wrong. Again.”

“…..”

With each wrong answer, Lancia’s shoulders drooped further and further, her shrinking figure resembling a dejected hamster.

Seeing this, Sion sighed internally.

‘Her stupidity is truly astounding. Among everyone I’ve encountered, she’s in the top tier of hopeless cases.’

Normally, even difficult topics stick after being repeated several times.

But Lancia’s intelligence defied common sense.

No matter how much was taught, the knowledge seemed to spill right out of her head, like a leaky jar.

It was a stark contrast to how she would grasp tenfold in swordsmanship after being taught just one thing.

‘Her attitude is nothing if not diligent…’

The truly heartbreaking thing about Lancia was that she genuinely tried to study hard.

Unlike someone like Therese, who loved to slack off, Lancia recognized her weaknesses and made earnest efforts to overcome them.

The only reason she wasn’t succeeding was her devastating lack of intelligence.

‘What a pitiful girl.’

Sion clicked her tongue quietly in her mind.

If left as is, this child would break.

It was evident that with each failed attempt, Lancia was losing her motivation.

It became clear that at some point, her genuine desire to study had been overtaken by a desperate wish to escape this hellish situation as soon as possible.

This couldn’t continue.

Even if she somehow got through this session, Lancia would never willingly approach studying again.

After all, without any sense of accomplishment and with only her brain tortured, who would voluntarily return to a pit of suffering?

No one but a masochist.

Something drastic was needed.

‘Tsk, there’s no helping it.’

Sion sighed quietly to herself.

Just this once, she’d give Lancia a push.

Like using a flint to light a fire, she would help her this one time.

Whether Lancia managed to sustain the flame afterward would be up to her.

Sion wouldn’t intervene further.

Ultimately, this was a challenge Lancia had to overcome on her own.

Thinking this, Sion reached out behind Lancia’s head and muttered a quiet incantation.

“Haste.”

Tiny particles of mana seeped silently into Lancia’s mind.

There’s an old saying: “Those who are destined to succeed will, and those who aren’t, won’t.”

At that moment, Lancia fully understood the meaning of those words.

“I’m doomed….There’s no hope for me….”

She murmured in despair.

When she first started, she had a glimmer of hope.

She knew better than anyone else how exceptional her teacher was at teaching, and she believed that if she just followed her instructions diligently, she could improve significantly.

That hope shattered in less than five minutes after starting her studies.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t find the answers.

The teacher’s explanations felt like empty words, void of substance.

It seemed like knowledge would settle into her mind momentarily, only to spread its wings and flutter away shortly after.

It was like trying to grasp a mirage with her hands.

Even when she thought she could feel its texture, opening her hand revealed it was all an illusion.

What truly crushed her spirit, though, was seeing other students completing such difficult tasks with ease, as if it was second nature.

“How is that even possible? I can barely manage to memorize the basic formulas without feeling like I’m going to collapse.”

She began to wonder if she was inherently flawed, unfit to navigate the challenges of the world.

Tears started welling up in her eyes.

“Alright, Lady Lancia. Let’s start again from the beginning.”

“Yes…”

Lancia nodded weakly.

Whatever enthusiasm she had initially was already long gone.

Now, all she could do was desperately wish for this torment to end as soon as possible.

With that thought, she picked up her pen, her expression sullen.

But then—

“…Huh?”

Suddenly, her mind became unnaturally clear.

It felt as if the blockages in her head had been blown away, leaving her thoughts entirely unobstructed.

It was like a sudden jolt, akin to downing a shot of bitter espresso, waking her senses and sharpening her vision.

It was a dramatic, intense transformation, like an old processor being replaced with a brand-new, state-of-the-art one.

Rather than joy, Lancia felt confusion at this sudden surge in cognitive ability.

‘W-What’s going on? Why is my mind suddenly like this?’

It was strange.

Though she didn’t know why, she felt as though she could solve even the hardest problems now.

There was no evidence to back it up, but an overwhelming confidence began surging through her mind.

‘Could it be…? Should I try?’

Hesitant but with a growing sense of anticipation, Lancia began writing various formulas on her test sheet.

A short while later—

“!!! I did it! I solved it! I solved it, Teacher!”

For the first time, Lancia exclaimed in joy as she celebrated her success.

It was the first time she had ever solved a three-star difficulty problem.

Until now, she had immediately given up even on two-star ones.

Could her teacher have been right?

That if she just worked hard in the right direction, her efforts would eventually pay off?

With her heart full of emotion, Lancia turned to look at Sion, eager to share this joy.

And then—

“Congratulations. See? You can do it if you try, Lady Lancia,” Sion said with a gentle smile.

In that instant, Lancia felt as though she was floating in mid-air.

 It was a sensation of being wrapped in warm, soft air and drifting through the sky.

The sweet warmth in those simple words flowed through her ears and spread throughout her body.

Sion’s voice was so tender and kind, it felt like a goddess herself was whispering directly to her.

Her smile, so compassionate and warm, was in stark contrast to her earlier stern and cold demeanor.

The unexpected impact of her kindness left Lancia momentarily stunned.

“? Is something wrong? Do I have something on my face?”

“N-No, it’s nothing…! I just… I was a little surprised…”

When Sion tilted her head and asked, Lancia quickly averted her gaze and lowered her head.

Why was this happening? Her face burned, and her heart raced uncontrollably.

‘W-What’s happening to me? I need to focus on studying… B-But my heartbeat is so loud I can’t even concentrate!’

Lancia placed a trembling hand over her chest, trying to calm her pounding heart.

Yet, once her emotions had been stirred, they refused to settle, ballooning like an inflating balloon.

Meanwhile, as Lancia struggled to regain her composure, Sion couldn’t help but wonder.

‘What’s going on? She was solving problems so well, and now she’s acting like this?’

She was puzzled as she observed her student’s strange behavior.

What she had cast on Lancia was a famous buff spell that even a five-year-old child would know—Haste.

A spell that accelerated time within the body, enhancing movement to its extreme.

Its mechanics were relatively simple, and its effect so potent that it was the most beloved spell among warriors.

However, the Haste Sion had used was a little different.

She had modified it so that it didn’t accelerate physical movement but solely boosted mental functions.

By enhancing her brain’s information processing speed, she drastically elevated her intelligence.

It was to the point where she could solve even the most challenging math problems within five seconds.

It had been a desperate measure to instill confidence in Lancia, who was being crushed under the weight of continuous failure.

Judging by her performance, the spell seemed to have worked, but…

‘Her face is so red… Could this be a side effect?’

Sion glanced at Lancia with concern.

Speeding up only the mind might sound simple, but it was anything but.

In the worst-case scenario, the brain could overheat and suffer irreparable damage.

It was a dangerous technique that could leave someone a shell of their former self.

Only someone like Sion, who had mastered mana control to an extraordinary degree, could even attempt it.

However, even she wasn’t perfect, and unintended side effects could still occur.

For instance, if she had accidentally accelerated her blood flow, it would result in elevated blood pressure and a flushed face—just like what was happening now.

Fortunately, since Lancia seemed to be moving fine, it appeared there were no severe aftereffects.

‘I shouldn’t overuse this technique. This will be the first and last time.’

After all, it was just a small trick to help Lancia experience success. There was no need to repeat it.

More importantly, relying on temporary enhancements like this wouldn’t help her grow her true abilities.

Haste was merely a spark.

Whether it turned into a lasting flame or fizzled out depended entirely on Lancia’s efforts moving forward.

‘Still, it seems it wasn’t entirely useless.’

Seeing Lancia, head lowered, diligently scribbling with her pencil, Sion smiled contentedly.

Students who tried their best deserved support in any time or place.

Sion sincerely hoped that Lancia would avoid failing her studies.

A week later, the first-year midterm exams began.