Chapter 14: There will always be a sense of inferiority.
“Hey, Professor Violet!”
On her way to buy coffee the next day, Violet was stopped by several students since morning.
One, two, three... There were more than she thought. So she replied curtly.
“What?”
"Well, um..."
The female student, who met Violet's gaze head-on, hesitated and was unable to answer her. Eventually, a male student next to her spoke up boldly.
"We checked the ranking result notice posted on the bulletin board. But there seems to be something strange about it."
"What part is strange?"
“The student who cheated received an A rank. Is this a typo error?”
“A student who committed cheating….”
As Violet repeated those words, she seemed to have a hunch about who they were referring to as a 'cheating student'.
“Are you talking about student Flan?”
All the gathered students nodded in unison. Violet checked the name tag of the male student and said.
“Lauren.”
“Yes?”
Violet let out a deep sigh.
"Lauren and everyone else, listen carefully. All the ranks were calculated without any misconduct or cheating."
"Was there... no use of magic scrolls?"
"No, there wasn't. Did any professor say such a thing?"
"No no, it's just a rumor..."
"If it's just a rumor, then why did you come looking for me? Are you playing around?"
"..."
The students made embarrassed expressions and exchanged glances, observing each other's faces.
Then, this time, the same female student from earlier opened her mouth.
"Wasn't the distance Flan covered barely half of what was required? I don't think that distance deserves an A rank."
'That's because you guys don't understand the concept of 'Purification Assistance' at all.'
Violet thought and barely swallowed her frustration.
"We suspected the use of scrolls and took a retest. In the retest, the distance corresponding to an A rank was achieved without any issues."
"We couldn't see it ourselves!"
"And we can also do even better if we take the retest!"
Another female student chimed in from the side. Violet sighed deeply and rested her hand on her waist.
"It's hard to believe that Flan demonstrated A-level proficiency in the retest, and you all want to take the retest too?"
Violet said while nodding her head and raising one of her delicate hands into the air.
"Isn't that right? Don't pretend otherwise at this point. Those of you who think that way, raise your hands."
Though there was some difference in speed, every student raised their hand. In the end, all the gathered students raised their hands.
"Very well."
Looking at their faces, it was clear that they were all students who received B or C ranks.
"Okay. All of you will take the retest too."
“…… !”
The corners of the students' mouths slightly lifted. However, Violet's words were not yet finished.
"But the method will be a bit different."
Violet continued speaking with a calm expression.
"In the expedition that will take place in a week, if your records are better than Flan's, you will be promoted to Class A without exception."
The students' eyes widened. However, there was no student who could retort to Violet's proposal.
Her suggestion was highly reasonable. It was a proposal that would not only assess Flan's abilities but also evaluate the effectiveness of the retest.
"Why are you just standing there dumbfounded? Go and practice magic."
Facing the students who were mouthing with puzzled expressions on their faces, Violet snorted and turned around.
◈◈◈
During lunchtime, the cafeteria food at Merhen Academy was decent enough to eat.
In the past, there was a saying that magic is a knowledge-hungry subject to learn. So a magician should also eat enough food for working hard.
I moved the fork while recalling that in my mind.
"I can't believe such a thing actually happened!"
Becky, with food smeared around her mouth, emphasized once again.
She had been talking about Professor Violet non-stop ever since we started eating together, even though I didn't plan on having a meal together in the first place. However, she ended up sitting right across from me.
“Yes, it happened. I know.”
"...Aren't you annoyed? Don't you find it suspicious that other students are doubting? And isn't it amazing that Professor Violet set those conditions?"
There was no reason for me to be concerned about what other students doubted and thought. Because it was a matter that had to be proven through magic, not words.
Furthermore, I had long anticipated Violet's extraordinary treatment toward me. She had been keeping an eye on me since orientation.
It was not difficult to guess why Violet seemed to be defending me.
‘She probably wants to keep her enemies close’
It would have been more convenient for her to monitor me if we were closer. But were my actions really deserving of being labeled as an "enemy"? She was quite persistent.
Becky, who kept chirping like a sparrow, mentioned something about being grateful for being in the same A rank as her and Violet this and that. And I was getting really annoyed with that.
The food smeared around her mouth bothered me so much that I neatly folded a napkin and handed it to Becky.
"Don't get too caught up with your rank. What's important is how much you explore magic for yourself."
"Hey! There's no way not to get caught up with the ranks!"
After wiping her mouth with the napkin, Becky busily continued her story.
“Thanks to the A rank, I can finally eat this cafeteria food for free, and in three days, I'll be able to move into the dormitory..."
My ears were hurting to the point that my eyebrows furrowed. Since there wasn't any cafeteria food that I particularly wanted to eat, I slowly got up from my seat.
"Oh no, my mistake."
But then, someone deliberately pushed me. I easily twisted my body to avoid the collision.
"Oh, you managed to dodge?"
A big male student muttered. I stared at him intently, wondering what his intention was, and he ended up getting angry.
"Why are you looking at me like that? It was a mistake, got a problem? Want to use a scroll on me?"
Becky, who had belatedly stood up, tapped my shoulder and whispered.
"Hey, Flan, ignore him. The atmosphere..."
I followed Becky’s gaze and looked around.
Freshmen preparing for their meal, freshmen eating, freshmen who had finished their meal—all their gazes were directed at me.
Of course, those gazes were far from kind. Becky also urged me.
“Let’s get out of here. Their inferiority complex is not a joke… “
…… To me, this whole situation was ridiculous.
Not much different from usual, I left the cafeteria with the corner of my mouth upward.
Afterward, I separated from Becky because I wanted to be alone. Everyone probably had moments when they want to be alone, but I tend to have more of those moments compared to others.
‘In any world, there will always be a sense of inferiority in everyone.’
I was used to negative feelings toward myself. Rather, they would serve as a great fuel to fuel my determination.
I had two days of leisure before the lectures assigned to my rank began.
'How should I spend these two days?'
The worry was not long. There were always fun things to look for.
'Did the losing side decide to bow down and apologize?' I smiled and opened the page where Trivia’s memos were available.
'Today, I'm going to think about what kind of problems I will create on the Agora board…'
◈◈◈
The knights' meals were simple yet hearty.
At Judith’s table, where even the sound of utensils moving was barely audible, Ivan Judith, the head of household, opened his mouth.
“I heard from Katarina. Flan hasn't returned to the mansion for two days."
Scarlett, who was slicing the meat at a steady pace, came to a halt. She replied in a casual tone.
"I suppose he has finally come to feel ashamed of himself. He realizes there is no face left for him to return to the mansion."
“Scarlett.”
Ivan placed the utensils on the table with a thud sound and continued.
“Do you still resent Flan for what happened then?”
"...."
For a moment, Scarlett’s forehead twitched. She quietly rolled her eyes to the side.
"Not resenting would be abnormal."
Ivan pondered for a moment, as if carefully picking out his words, then he opened his mouth again as he took up his fork and knife.
"But still, he is your younger brother. Make sure to find out about his whereabouts."
“I will.”
After finishing her meal, Scarlett sat down at the desk in her own room and pondered for a while.
On the subject of garbage, why has he been missing for two days? Which of the servants will she assign to find him?
...There was no need for her to ponder for long. This time, the Academy would fulfill the role of a servant.
Judith had made significant contributions to the Academy's Department of Swordsmanship. Such a request would be fulfilled without hesitation.
She unfolded a piece of paper and picked up a highlighter.
Anything in Scarlett’s hand was like a sword to her. The quill drew straight lines along her hand.
She was a knight. She didn't bother with trivial matters like writing letters.
The letter was filled with brief contents inquiring about Flan's attendance, attitude, ranks, and so on. The act of selecting sentences and transferring them into typeset was done simultaneously by her hands.
In the last line, she clearly added a request for a response by the end of the day. And this should be sufficient.
As the bell placed in one corner of the desk rang, Katarina, the maid, quickly found her way to Scarlett’s room.
“Yes. Lady Scarlett. Did you call for me?”
"Send it to Merhen Academy in my name."
Katarina received the letter with both hands and left the room.
Scarlett stood there with her arms crossed, recalling what she and Flan had promised during their meal together.
'If you don’t get the highest rank by the midterm evaluation, you would be expelled from the Judith family. And I won't show any mercy towards you.'
"..."
- Tap, Tap, Tap...
She tapped the desk with her fingertips.
Suddenly, memories of the past flooded her mind.
Young Flan, holding a sword, was smiling brightly at Scarlett. With short legs fidgeting and swinging hands like ferns, he was full of enthusiasm.
She then shook her head.
“…Trash.”
She tightly gripped the handle of her sword. She was too busy even to train, so she couldn't waste her time thinking about it.
--- End of The Chapter --
