Chapter 83 - An Unexpected Encounter

Time flowed again, and before I knew it, it was the dawn of Friday.

That also meant that the Joint Grade Mock Battle was scheduled to take place today.

It was an exam entangled with various things, but getting a good grade itself was also important.

“Shall I do a final check?”

I had grown quite a bit through the many things I had experienced.

[ Rain Enlight ]

[ Male, 17 years old ]

《 Stats 》

[ Strength : D ]

[ Agility : C+ ]

[ Stamina : D+ ]

[ Intelligence : B ]

[ Magic : D ]

[ Dexterity : A ]

What was noteworthy in terms of stats was that Stamina had increased from D to D+, and Dexterity had risen from B+ to A.

Both had increased after finishing 『Star in the Shadows』.

It seemed my stamina was heavily consumed both when I faced Gabriel last time and this time, and I was also able to further develop my combat sense.

As I had poor stamina, the increase in the stamina stat was good, but what was particularly significant was that Dexterity had finally reached A.

It meant that my dexterity was now on par with the top 10% of knights, the Senior Knights.

Of course, my other specs were hitting rock bottom, so overall, I was still far from enough… but well, I could compensate for that with 『Combat Sense』 and regression.

And next.

Abjuration Magic Proficiency [E-]

: The degree to which abjuration magic is mastered.

: Currently, it is at the [Lower-ranking student] level of abjuration magic.

Arcane Magic Proficiency [E]

: The degree to which arcane magic is mastered.

: Currently, it is at the [Lower-ranking student] level of arcane magic.

The magic I had learned through the strange study sessions with Arien had also now reached a level where I could somehow barely use them in actual combat.

Of course, the grades were disastrous, but what was important was that, except for Arien, no one knew that I could use magic.

The beauty of a fight comes from the hidden cards. I had no doubt that this would play a big role in today's exam.

Well, besides that…….

Dagger Arts Proficiency [D]

: The degree to which dagger arts are mastered.

: Currently, it is at the [Student] level of dagger arts.

Marksmanship Proficiency [C]

: The degree to which marksmanship is mastered.

: Currently, it is at the [Junior Knight] level of marksmanship.

The proficiency in the two weapon groups I had been taught by Acaite was also quite decent.

In the case of marksmanship, it must have grown when I repeatedly fought in the previous 『Star in the Shadows』.

I must have been too preoccupied to notice.

Well, anyway.

“The preparations are all done…”

I muttered so and turned my gaze toward the entrance of my private room.

And in that direction, a document envelope was sticking out from under the gap of the door.

It was probably a gift sent to me by Regina.

“Let's see here.”

Rustle.

I opened the unnecessarily luxurious document envelope and checked its contents.

‘The contents are thorough.’

All the requested information was inside. The profiles of the students in my Team A. And even the profiles of the students in Team B.

With this, I would be able to formulate some strategy before entering the exam.

However, this wasn't actually the most important thing. The main dish was separate.

Whether Milo Gloss had really used a dirty trick.

Or whether it was just a breathtaking coincidence.

Just by looking at who the supervising professor was, I would be able to get a good estimate.

‘There are two exam proctors. And if even one of them is there…’

I thought to myself and turned the page of the document.

Rustle.

Next, my eyes took in the content on the page after the student profiles…….

And reading its contents, I honestly couldn't help but be surprised.

“Why is she here…?”

My guess wasn't wrong.

But, the reason I was surprised was… because there was also a name I hadn't expected at all.

***

Flash-!

“Monster suppression mock battle concluded. Good work, everyone. To all the students.”

I heard the old professor's stiff voice, speaking without any soul, telling us we did a good job.

It was a voice announcing the successful completion of the first gateway of the Joint Grade Mock Battle, the monster suppression mock battle.

Flash-!

The device that allowed us to travel to and from the stage of this exam, the Otherworld Transmission Gate, operated normally, and all team members returned to the examination hall without any problems.

“Everyone worked hard.”

“It was great~”

The atmosphere among the team members was generally harmonious. The reason?

Of course, it was because we had completed the exam perfectly.

Under my lead, of course. In worldly terms, you could say I carried them.

I did everything on my own, from planning the strategy and fighting to giving instructions.

“Ahem, ahem.”

Some of the thick-skinned ones, perhaps finding it awkward to even thank me, broke away as soon as the exam was over…….

“Um… Mr. Rain. Thank you. Thanks to you, I took the exam comfortably. Thank you very much.”

“Don’t mention it.”

There were also those who expressed their gratitude honestly like that.

Well, this was a good outcome. Compared to the beginning of the semester, it was something that some people were expressing gratitude.

Anyway, after finishing the greetings appropriately, I left the examination hall. Receiving thanks right now wasn't the important thing.

The Joint Grade Mock Battle was composed of a monster battle in the morning and an interpersonal battle in the afternoon.

And before proceeding with the afternoon interpersonal battle, there was something I absolutely had to do.

Snap, snap, snap.

Having moved to a deserted place, I lightly snapped my fingers three times. Then, as expected…….

“You called.”

Just like yesterday, Regina's attendant appeared as if from nowhere, like the wind.

Anyway, that wasn't what's important.

“……I need to see Her Highness the Princess, where is she now?”

Yes. There was something I needed to discuss urgently with the princess right now.

I had found out that my guess was true.

It didn't take long to meet the princess. In the first place, the department the princess belonged to, the Administration Department, didn't even participate in this Joint Grade Mock Battle due to its special nature, so there was no chance of missing each other.

Anyway, we were able to meet quickly in the corridor of the lecture hall, which was deserted because of the exam being held today.

“Did you receive the gift I sent you well?”

Regina started the conversation with her usual relaxed smile on her face.

“Yes, and thanks to that gift, I was able to be certain.”

“Hmm?”

“That Milo Gloss manipulated the match-up by using the exam proctor.”

According to the information Regina sent, the supervising professor was Hugo Sosa.

I knew this person well. He had a not-so-small role in the academy part of . Of course, in a bad way.

The person named Hugo was a hotbed of corruption itself.

He had not a smidgen of ability, but he had formed connections through all sorts of bribes and flattery to serve as an instructor at the academy, and he became a professor after filling his years of service.

“Our interpretations matched. From my side as well, it seems almost a foregone conclusion that the match-up was manipulated. Seeing as Milo Gloss has also been frequenting the student council room recently… there's also a justification for him to take such a drastic measure.”

Regina calmly nodded her head.

But.

“But, isn't this just a case of suspicion rising from 90% to 99%?”

Regina said so with a shrug of her shoulders.

She was certainly right. I couldn't report Milo and Hugo with just this.

Even if I found physical evidence and reported them, the moment the source of the information was illegal, it was out.

“It’s fine even without physical evidence. We’re not trying to report them.”

However, I had no intention of reporting them in the first place.

“Your Highness the Princess, this might sound crazy, but may I say one thing?”

“Is this the first or second time?”

Haha. At Regina's words, I gave a bitter smile and continued.

“Professor Hugo and Milo Gloss will commit cheating even during the exam. Please keep a watchful eye on Professor Hugo.”

Yes. This was the part I was aiming for.

As I mentioned before, Professor Hugo also appears in the original .

I said he had a significant role, and this was mostly about him taking the side of the Crown Prince's faction members and harassing the protagonist's party.

Of course, since the main characters of mostly had solid families and backgrounds, the relatively easy targets were Khan and Yuna.

Milo Gloss was no exception. I had mentioned it once before, but this guy had the role of being knocked out in the early stages.

And Professor Hugo and Milo Gloss retire at the same point.

For what reason?

There were two reasons.

First, for manipulating the match-up to be artificially advantageous to one side.

Second, for cheating.

And that too, during an exam held in the Otherworld.

Do you get the picture?

It was a complete match with the current situation.

And, the motive was the anxiety and paranoia about a person inferior to oneself getting ahead.

It was highly likely that it would be the same as well.

***

After roughly finishing our conversation, I headed back to the examination hall with satisfied steps.

It was, of course, to take today's main event, the interpersonal combat exam of the Joint Grade Mock Battle.

Creak.

I entered the large examination hall set up in the middle of the school grounds and opened the door of the room I was assigned to.

And there…….

“Hah.”

Milo Gloss, who clicked his tongue almost reflexively as soon as he saw me come in.

“……”

And the red-haired person next to him was… the previously mentioned Theodore Dietrich.

A user of fire-based magic, a skilled person ranked at the top of the Magic Department.

Well. Unlike Milo, he was a guy who pursued fair play, so I had a somewhat favorable impression of him…….

‘His gaze is somehow strange.’

As if he were somewhat cold.

He was certainly positioned in the Crown Prince's faction, but wasn't he a rather polite character?

Is it just my imagination?

Whenever I had a monologue like this, it was never just my imagination, but anyway.

Thud.

I cleanly ignored Milo's reaction, walked into the examination hall, and sat on a chair.

There was still time left until the exam started, so I had to wait for a while.

‘Our team is…’

I subtly turned my head toward where our team was waiting.

And there, the faces I had seen in the profiles earlier were seated.

Among them was a face I had seen once before.

“……”

It was about that face I had seen before. Yuna's friend, Shasha Cristy.

“Eek.”

But as soon as our eyes met, she hurriedly avoided them.

Last time too, she seemed to be extremely wary of me. From the point when that wei-rd rumor started to spread.

‘Does she think I’m playing with Yuna or something…?’

In the original , she did have a tendency to be overprotective due to such misunderstandings… hmm.

She’s overdoing it a bit. She's a noble, after all. She should maintain her dignity.

As such miscellaneous thoughts passed through my head.

Creak-

The sound of a door opening came from the entrance, and I unconsciously turned my gaze toward the entrance.

And there.

“Ah, everyone’s already here? I look forward to working with you on today's exam, my dear juniors.”

There was a woman with brown hair tied back, greeting with an amiable smile.

Click.

She also didn't forget to adjust her glasses, a characteristic habit of hers.

My impression upon seeing her was… well, it was hard to express in words, but it was deeply moving.

She was a person I never expected to meet so early.

‘I can’t believe this person came as the supervisor.’

One of the seven main characters of , the ‘Pilgrim of the Lowest Place’.

Pleta Templeton. I had encountered her in an unexpected situation.

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