Chapter 206: Midterm Exam (1)

“The exam was really ridiculously difficult. Our division is the lowest, but to give us an exam like that. The professor seems like a bit of a psycho… I mean, he seems to lack common sense.”

Saying that, Lucia excitedly spoke to me.

“So, even if your score is strange on this exam, you don’t need to be too discouraged. Count Julian. If the questions are that difficult, the other students’ scores will also be a mess.”

Lucia was misunderstanding. She probably thought that I gave up on the exam because I submitted the answer sheet first.

I thought about correcting her misunderstanding for a moment. But if I did, Lucia, who was now walking side by side with me, would be very embarrassed. So, I decided not to bother her.

Because it was a given that Lucia would be at the bottom of this exam.

‘Well, theory lectures don’t really matter much to Lucia anyway.’

Lucia’s combat style was instinctive. She was a so-called genius.

For her, who had inherited the blood of another swordsmanship master, Orhain, theoretical knowledge about combat would rather be a hindrance when she wielded her sword.

Her breathing, which I could feel as we walked side by side, was also very stable.

The new mana cultivation technique I created, the Fusion Method. This was proof that Lucia was adapting to the Fusion Method without any problems.

It was like athletes having a so-called sports heart. A special heart with an extremely low heart rate.

Lucia’s breathing and the unconsciously moving mana were very stable as she walked beside me.

‘The side effects of the Orhain style have disappeared as I thought.’

I was thinking that it was a good thing that I had gone to the trouble of finding and learning the secret techniques in the special section of the Imperial Library.

Lucia continued.

“By the way, Count. Isn’t it inconvenient for you not to take a carriage? You’re walking because of me…”
“No. I wanted to walk with you, so it’s fine.”
“R-really? You want to walk with me… I, I see…”

At those words, Lucia’s cheeks turned red. Her breathing, which had been stable until now, became very rough.

‘Oh, dear. Lucia misunderstood.’

I decided to walk like this to take a walk and give her some advice, but she seemed to have interpreted it differently.

‘Well, it doesn’t matter.’

Lucia and I had already mixed our bodies. And her feelings for me were preventing her from going down the ruin route, so it wouldn’t hurt to let her feelings for me grow.

‘And in the contract with the Archdemon. Lucia will be of great help.’

Cecilia and Trisha. The sisters were demons who worshiped the Dark God Unir. Lucia was so familiar with darkness that she could befriend those two without hesitation.

‘I’ll have to reveal my identity to Lucia soon.’

In other words, except for Cecilia, who was also a demon, Lucia was the person to whom I could reveal my identity the fastest.

The warp gate, which was another reward from the trial. Not only Cecilia but also Lucia would have to go there with me.

‘Because there’s a quest to solve in the Demon Kingdom. I need her help.’

But for now, I hid my true intentions and arrived at the Roya Hall while chatting about everyday things.

On the way here, I felt many students glancing at the two of us, but Lucia seemed to be unaware of the stares because she was walking with her head down.

‘We’re too noticeable.’

I was one thing, but Lucia was also amazing.

Lucia always wore combat uniform, but she had long pink hair and a slender, well-proportioned body. That outfit made Lucia’s appearance even more noticeable.

So, I heard that many male students in the Combat Order admired her.

But basically, Lucia, who had a distrust of men, seemed to see those students as nothing more than stones on the roadside.

It was all because of Duke Pedro, who abandoned her and her mother. And if you survive the longest in the Lucia route in Demon Survival.

You could find out the true nature of Duke Pedro, who was like the final boss.

The ruler of the South. And the owner and Grand Master of the Sentiac Knights. Also, he was a demon possessed by the will of a magical beast.

‘Of course, because of the difficulty, no one has entered the final battle phase with Duke Pedro.’

But if you put together the circumstances from various playthroughs, you could tell that he was not an ordinary human.

Since it was an unresolved plot point, some of that assumption might be wrong, but it wasn’t a wild guess.

‘So, I have to trace back from the Weitern mercenary group. The Extermination Squad.’

So, what I had to do with Lucia might be bloody rather than romantic, but today wasn’t the time to talk about that.

I sat on a bench with Lucia. Lucia, who had inadvertently sat too close to me, moved away slightly, conscious of the other students in the Combat Order.

‘If someone who didn’t know the situation saw this, they would mistake it for a date.’

And she sat with her legs shyly together, still unable to say anything. I spoke to Lucia.

“How is the preparation for the Combat Order’s exam going?”
“Huh? Th-the exam for our Order… is physical… so I think it will be okay somehow…”
“It won’t be difficult with your skills, Lucia. However…”

I gave her a hint about the evaluation for this Combat Order exam. Of course, since I already knew the content of the exam through Demon Survival, it was a definite piece of advice.

In a way, it might have been difficult for her, who had been an outsider in the Combat Order. As expected, Lucia’s face didn’t look good after hearing my advice.

“Then I hope to see you in the Golden Wings Squad.”
“Yes! Count!”

But at my words, she nodded her head very obediently.

‘If only Elti were this obedient.’

As expected, Elti, whom I had muted in advance because I was meeting Lucia, grumbled discontentedly.

---

The week of the midterm exams passed quickly. It was already Thursday, the fourth day.

The second-year students of the Combat Order were gathered at the Pantheon’s Colosseum. Usually, most of the training took place at the training grounds of the Roya Hall.

But today, the exam was held at a special evaluation site built here. It was a magical beast dungeon.

“Then, that’s the end of the explanation. All the second-year divisions will enter this dungeon. Other than the precautions I told you, you must all think, judge, and act on your own. Did you understand!”
“Yes! Instructor!”

The students answered Instructor Darren’s words loudly. Soon, all the students of the first division of the Combat Order entered the dungeon.

‘Ugh. I feel nauseous.’

Eric, a student of the Combat Order and a swordsman. He was from Essenmunt. A man from the North, known for being warlike and brave.

He was also a student of the prestigious academy, the Pantheon, so his skills were excellent, but in fact, he always lacked confidence. He was the same way ahead of today’s evaluation.

‘I’m not very lacking, but honestly, I’m not outstanding either.’

In his hometown of Renau, he was called a swordsmanship genius, but that place was a very rural area compared to Rheinheim, the capital of Essenmunt, or nearby Harsen.

It was a rural village where there was really nothing 100 years ago, but it grew considerably after producing the husband of the famous Lion Sword Empress.

Anyway, that was usually the case with really talented swordsmen. Before they could even make a name for themselves in Renau, they were picked up as apprentice knights of the White Night Knights.

Eric also took the test to become an apprentice of the White Night several times but failed.

Still, he couldn’t give up on that dream, so he came all the way to the Imperial Capital, to the Pantheon, which was far from Renau.

There were some achievements. Although he was not as good as Leif, the student representative, or Fabian, who always slacked off but had excellent swordsmanship skills, most students recognized Eric as the next best.

But even in this faraway place, Eric’s confidence didn’t easily grow. It wasn’t because of the outstanding students from the Imperial Capital or other parts of the Empire, but because of his fellow countrymen.

‘Because of Dame Uriel and… the Young Lord.’

Probably Essenmunt. And if you were a swordsman of Eric’s age who hoped to join the White Night Knights, there was no one who didn’t know that name.

Uriel Klein. A genius who joined the White Night Knights at the youngest age. Moreover, she was only one year older than him, but she was already a Rank 5 swordsman who could use aura.

Of course, until last year, she was just quietly serving as the Young Lord’s escort knight at the Pantheon.

So, in the Combat Order, there wasn’t as much talk about her as there was in Essenmunt. Besides, she wasn’t a student.

No, there was talk.

Because of Uriel’s outstanding appearance and her position as the escort knight of the once-delinquent Young Lord. She was often the subject of lewd jokes among the Combat Order students.

‘Such bullshit. What do they take Essenmunt women for.’

Even if it was the order of the Young Lord, the successor of the Margrave, a proud knight of the White Night would never carelessly serve at night.

And if it was the Uriel that the swordsmen of Essenmunt knew, she was a knight who had absolutely no interest in men. There was no way that the bullshit about her having a lewd relationship with the Young Lord was possible.

‘Dame Uriel is not that kind of person. She must be a virgin. She’s not even married.’

Of course, the only person who could have Dame Uriel was the Young Lord, but Uriel’s personality was famous for being upright. There was no way there would be anything lewd with the Young Lord, who had a fiancée.

Anyway, that great person was just escorting the Young Lord last year.

But this year was different. The Young Lord, who was famous for being a delinquent at the Pantheon, had changed a lot since last year.

‘He’s completely normal now.’

So, Uriel also received the opportunity to train personally at the Roya Hall’s training grounds from him.

‘After that, the guys who talked nonsense about Dame Uriel disappeared.’

The Lionheart Swordsmanship that Dame Uriel displayed. Everyone was silent after seeing that. They couldn’t help but be intimidated by that genius skill.

Eric also lost more confidence after confirming the reality of the Lionheart Swordsmanship.

Of course, the pervert Fabian tried to hit on Uriel, but he failed and was scolded.

‘That’s not important. I already knew that Dame Uriel was such a great person, but what really surprised me was the Young Lord and Lucia.’

That’s right. Uriel, who had already returned to the White Night Knights. She was no longer in front of him, so there was no reason for her to stimulate Eric’s inferiority complex.

The problem was those two. Julian and Lucia.

Until the first year, those two were never mentioned in terms of swordsmanship, but now they had shown great prominence in swordsmanship, to the point where even the student representative, Leif, couldn’t keep up.

‘Anyway, leaving Lucia aside, how did the Young Lord… I guess you can’t fool the blood of Reinhardt.’

Lucia, who was always talked about for her appearance rather than her swordsmanship skills, like Uriel. But in any case, she participated in all the training of the Combat Order in the first year.

It meant that she was good enough to meet the strict standards of the Pantheon.

But the Young Lord in the first year was different. After being greatly humiliated by Instructor Darren, he never entered the Combat Order.

‘And if you were from near Harsen, you already knew that the Young Lord’s swordsmanship skills were terrible.’

His hometown, Renau, was also a small town belonging to Count Julian’s territory, Harsen. There was no way that rumors about the Young Lord wouldn’t spread.

Of course, Julian was now proving that those rumors were all nonsense.

‘Everything Brother Hans said was true.’

In fact, the men of Renau were unique among Essenmunters.

Because of the legendary groom who became the husband of the Lion Sword Empress 100 years ago, many men even now try to become closer to horses than to swords.

And Eric’s older brother, Hans, was once again a successful groom in Renau. He became the exclusive groom of the Young Lord, the next Margrave.

‘There are no young ladies in the Reinhardt family now… so my brother was very disappointed.’

It meant that he couldn’t become like the legendary groom. Anyway, Eric shook his head vigorously.

Now he was in a dungeon where he felt nauseous due to the influence of demonic power.

And in front of his eyes was the person who made Eric lose his confidence.

“I look forward to working with you. Eric.”

Julian held out his hand to Eric.

---

“Th-thank you! Young Lord!”

The Combat Order student standing in front of me, Eric, was startled. He didn’t know what to do with the hand I offered and bowed deeply.

‘Awkward.’

I casually lowered my hand. I hadn’t had much interaction with Eric, but we had a connection.

Eric was from a small town called Renau near my territory, Harsen. It was the same town where Elti and I spent time during Roya’s trial.

‘It has grown into a city now, not a rural village.’

The hometown of the groom who became Atlin’s husband. And it was also the hometown of my exclusive groom, Hans.

Eric was Hans’s younger brother.

‘Hans always complained about Eric.’

Hans often cursed that he couldn’t even get into the White Night Knights. Moreover, since the tuition fee for the Pantheon was quite expensive, Hans had been paying for Eric’s tuition, who was a commoner.

Unfortunately, the pre-possessed Julian had once whipped Hans, so I gave Eric a scholarship from Harsen’s budget for the sake of my exclusive groom.

I said to Eric.

“There’s no need to be so stiff. We’re just fellow students here.”
“I… I can’t do that. You’re the Young Lord of my hometown… and you gave me a scholarship to attend the Pantheon… so…”
“If you know that, then calm down. We’re in the middle of an evaluation. And other students are watching.”

And another female student was watching this with interest. Her name was probably Maria. Of course, she was also a swordswoman of the Combat Order.

So, Eric, me, and Maria were in the same group for this midterm evaluation. This was all randomly assigned, so it was unexpected to be in the same group as Eric.

And Maria, although not as much as Eric, gave me a polite greeting.

“I look forward to working with you, Count Julian.”

I nodded in return.

Anyway, I had to take the exam with these two.

‘And to prevent Cardinal Klaus from raising any objections, I must get first place in this evaluation.’

It was a difficult evaluation that Instructor Darren had put a lot of thought into. But I already knew the hidden evaluation criteria for this exam.

And at this moment, I came up with the most ideal strategy that I could accomplish with these two people.