chapter_0167

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
167

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
167

They’re first-year students at
the same Academy as me?

I (Arthur), was watching the
sparring match between Lucy and Frey, let out a laugh of disbelief.

No one present who had seen
the sparring match between the two could help but be amazed.

The battle, which moved so
fast it was hard to follow with one’s eyes, held a power that
captivated everyone.

However, not everyone arrived
at the same conclusion by watching it.

Most of the students present
were simply in awe of their talent, but I saw things a little
differently.

I wasn’t at the same level as
those two yet. But that didn’t mean I was so far below them that I
couldn’t discern the level they had reached.

With my mouth hanging agape,
unbefitting of how a prince should act, I watched the sparring match,
and my eyes caught on to more detailed aspects.

At some point, a blue trail
had started to follow Frey’s sword.

It was clearly Aura, or
something very close to Aura. At such a young age, to have Aura…

There are countless people
honing their martial skills who, even nearing thirty, can’t grasp the
sense of Aura and end up in despair.

Had Frey managed to grab hold
of it purely through her own talent?

How remarkable. How did she
manage to grow so much already?

When she first entered the
Academy, Frey Kent was a genius. But she wasn’t such a phenomenal
genius back then.

At that time, she was someone
with a level of martial strength that seemed surmountable with
effort.

But what about now? How on
earth did she become so strong so quickly?

But it wasn’t just Frey who
was astonishing.

Lucy was just as remarkable.

She was parrying sword strikes
imbued with Aura as if it was nothing.

No, simply saying she parried
them wouldn’t be accurate.

Lucy was actually pushing back
against Frey, who was wielding Aura. Frey’s desperate sword strikes
were powerless before Lucy’s shield.

How could such a thing be
possible?

The gap between someone who
can wield Aura and someone who can’t is immense.

Aura is the main reason why a
single knight can face a hundred soldiers.

No matter how skilled Lucy
was, it would be normal for her to be powerless against Aura.

But Lucy was different. Even
without knowing how to use Aura, she was overpowering someone who
did.

Since she usually used divine
magic, she must have been closing the gap with something related to
divine energy. But even with that, it still didn’t make sense.

What seemed like a fierce
battle quickly came to an end.

Lucy blocked Frey’s sword with
her shield and closed the distance, grabbing Frey by the collar and
throwing her to the ground.

To be exact, she stopped just
before throwing her to the ground, but it was clear what would have
happened had she not held back.

The victor of the sparring
match where both had given their all was Lucy.

Ha ha. Is that monster what I
have to defeat if I want to win?

Do I really have to surpass
that genius who reached such a level in just over a year?

I had never thought there was
anything I couldn’t do.

Until now, I had always
achieved whatever I set my mind to, whether it was physical or
intellectual.

But this time, I felt that it
might be impossible.

The wall named Lucy Allen was
so high that I couldn’t even imagine catching up.

It’s difficult. Incredibly
difficult.

To surpass that monster, who
looks indifferent as if what she achieved is nothing,

And then to find the answer to
that question that makes her pity me—

Is it really possible?

A few minutes after the
sparring match between the two was over, Anton called out the names
of the next pair.

“Jack Burrow and Meryl
Baines.”

Both were regarded as future
leaders of the kingdom.

The sparring bout between the
two was undoubtedly high-level, but I, as well as the spectators,
even the participants themselves, seemed less than satisfied.

Compared to the earlier match
between Lucy and Frey, their sparring looked lacklustre.

“Lady Allen. Your final exam
grades are out.”

Already?!

It was a weekend morning. As I
was warming up before starting my usual training, I froze at Joy’s
words.

No way.

Doesn’t it usually take longer
for the grades to come out?

Why are the Academy professors
working so hard on this? I’d appreciate it if they took their time
and were a bit more leisurely about it.

Why are they so eager to hand
out grade reports early, causing despair to most of the students?
Seriously, why!

“Shall we go check it
out?”

I couldn’t respond immediately
to Joy’s suggestion.

To be honest, I didn’t want to
see the report card.

It must have been a disaster.

Not that I slacked off during
the exam. I prepared for the final exam in my own way and did my best
during it.

Honestly! If I had put in this
much effort during my school days, I might have gotten into Seoul
University!

But just because you put in
effort doesn’t mean the grades will be good.

From what I guess, my grades
this time will be average or slightly above average.

Hardly the kind of scores
you’d expect from someone who topped the midterms.

I have no desire to look at
those disappointing scores.

I also don’t want to hear
people murmuring about it.

And most of all, if I go to
check the scores, Joy and Arthur will definitely tease me about it!

I don’t want to willingly
become their prey!

‘…Can’t I go later?’

Since Grandpa’s nagging was
almost a threat, I had no choice but to accept Joy’s suggestion.

Ugh. I really don’t want to
see my name way down on the list.

“Isn’t Lady Kent going to
check?”

Frey, who was stretching with
me, tilted her head at that suggestion.

What she would say was
obvious. She didn’t care a bit about Academy grades. Surely…

“Yes, I’ll go.”

Huh? I thought for sure Frey
would refuse, but she didn’t.

Unexpectedly, she cheerfully
joined me.

What’s this? Why is she
suddenly acting like this?

I didn’t know the reason, but
the three of us headed to the Academy plaza together anyway.

There were already a lot of
people gathered there.

Wow. Look at the crowd. It’s
so early in the morning, but everyone is so diligent.

Normally, I’d have to worry
about how to get through that crowd, but I didn’t need to worry about
that. Our mere presence is a free pass.

‘Everyone.’

“Hey, you sloppy people.”

As soon as I spoke, the eyes
of people nearby instantly darted towards me.

Standing in front was Lucy
Allen. A madwoman who’d insult anyone, including royalty, if they
even slightly provoked her.

Next to her was Joy Partan.
Lady of the Duke’s Family of Partan and a central figure among
numerous noble ladies. At first glance, she looked like a Villainous
Lady to the core.

As for Frey… well, let’s
just skip that part.

Given our line-up, a path
naturally opened up through the crowd.

Initially, I used to get hurt
seeing people freak out, but I got used to it.

These days, I even find it
convenient. No matter where I go, just showing my face gets things
done immediately.

As we reached the grade board,
I started looking for my name from the middle.

If I’m right, it should be
around here somewhere.

I carefully scanned the area
but tilted my head in confusion.

Huh? Why isn’t my name here?
Did I see it wrong?

Puzzled, I checked again, but
it was the same.

My name wasn’t in the middle.

What?! Could it be that I did
worse on the written exam than I thought?! So bad that I can’t make
up for it with other practical exams?!

Wow. I’m screwed. Seriously.

No matter what, being at the
bottom is problematic.

If I end up failing, it would
be a disaster. A disaster.

As I continued to look further
down, I saw Frey’s name before mine.

Are my grades lower than
Frey’s?! Was I an even bigger idiot than her?!

“Ah, this time I failed
to surpass the Third Prince. How strange. According to the
preliminary scores, I was higher.”

Joy failed to surpass Arthur?

Then Arthur must be first this
time. Just like it was in the game.

So, when there’s no other
interventions, things go back to their original state, huh.

“At least it’s
fortunate that Lady Allen managed to keep the top spot.”

…Huh? What? I’m first?

What kind of nonsense is that?
There were so many questions I just guessed this time.

Joy, are you messing with me?
Did you say I’m first so that when I look up, you can go; You
believed that? Hahaha.

Are you trying to relieve all
your frustrations like that?!

Ha. Seriously. That idea is so
cute, I might just go along with it.

With a dry laugh, I lifted my
head.

Lucy Allen.

Arthur Soladin.

Joy Partan.

Jack Burrow.

…

Seeing my name at the top, I
was baffled.

Wait, why is my name up there?

Is this some kind of hidden
camera prank? Are the Academy professors in on it, trying to mess
with me?

No. That can’t be it.

Then what could it be? A
dream? Yeah.It must be a dream…

No, it can’t be. Lately, every
time I sleep, I get beat up by Grandpa. There’s no way this is a
dream.

‘Grandpa. What on earth is
going on?!’

‘How?!’

How am I really first place?!
This makes no sense!

I admit, I scored almost
perfectly in the practical exam!

And I know I got high scores
in subjects like Dungeon Studies where my gaming knowledge is useful!

But how am I first place when
I probably failed the other subjects miserably?

I guessed at least half the
questions on the exams for subjects I’m not familiar with!

Huh. So you’re saying that
every time I guessed by throwing a pencil, I hit the correct answer?

…Oh my! Dice God!

Even though I didn’t pray to
you separately this time, you still granted me such a blessing! Thank
you! Thank you so much!

As I was offering thanks to
the Dice God, who is far more competent than the Sloppy Lord, a
thought suddenly came to mind.

‘Grandpa. So, you knew my
grades from the beginning?’

‘…Then why didn’t you say
anything?’

So, he kept it a secret just
to see me go from being downcast to overjoyed when I found out the
truth?

Grandpa, are you some kind of
pervert? You were watching me worry and grinning mischievously the
whole time, weren’t you?

I seriously feel the urge to
retaliate.

Is there anything better than
a garbage tour? Something that could humiliate Grandpa.

“Lucy Allen.”

As I was pondering ways to
make Grandpa scream, I snapped back to reality at the sound of my
name being called.

Before I knew it, Arthur was
standing in front of me.

He didn’t look very pleased.

And for good reason.

Even Joy, whose practical
skills improved rapidly thanks to my training tips, hadn’t scored as
high as I did. Arthur must have put in a tremendous amount of effort.

Nonetheless, having lost to me
again, he must be feeling down.

Hmm. How should I console him?

Wait. Can I even comfort
someone else?

Maybe keeping my mouth shut is
the best option?

“I have something to
say.”

‘What is it?’

“What is it this time?
Did the Pitiful Prince who got trampled by me again want to say
something?”

“Ugh.”

Yeah, keeping my mouth shut
would be the best option. What do I know about consoling someone?

Arthur, provoked by my
[Mesugaki] skill, coughed a few times before he finally managed to
speak.

“Teach me how to become
stronger.”

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