ISTV 94

After much deliberation, I ultimately made a small-minded choice.

“I’ll choose the 1.01x Convergence.”

Unlike the 1.2x Divergence, this is an attunement card that applies only to me.

If I score 100 points, I would receive 101 points.

Some might scoff at that, but in reality, even a one-point difference can shift ranks by several places.

“Alright… come… and take it.”

It was a ceremonial gesture, but I took the card.

Looking at the back, I saw detailed information written there. After checking it, I handed the card to Professor Number.

“Can I leave the card with you, Professor?”

“Leave… the card… with me?”

“Yes. Since the benefits are attuned to me anyway, the physical card itself doesn’t really matter.”

It wasn’t as valuable as the 1.2x Divergence, but still, it wasn’t great to hold onto it personally.

“Someone would definitely try to steal this, too.”

Even if someone stole it, their score wouldn’t increase, but my score would relatively decrease. This place evaluates strictly by comparison.

“Heh, heh, heh.”

Professor Number chuckled as if amused. He seemed to understand why I was leaving the card with him.

“Not bad… Seira. Indeed… an excellent student… Very well… I’ll keep the card.”

Surely, no crazy person would dare to break into the professor’s office to steal it.

After Professor Number’s lecture ended, Fnelldi approached Hamun with a few students from her magic class.

“Prince Hamun, can I speak with you for a moment?”

Hamun glanced at Fnelldi briefly.

In the meantime, Seira rose from her seat.

Hamun didn’t respond to Fnelldi and instead followed Seira as she stood.

“Prince Hamun. Can we talk for a moment?”

Still, Hamun didn’t answer and asked Seira instead.

“To the shop?”

“Yes. I’m tired. I want to rest a bit in the dorm.”

“Then come with me.”

Seira shook her head.

“I’ll go ahead. Talk with Fnelldi first.”

This world is extremely unfair to supporting characters.

“Even in a situation like just now, I’d be the only one blamed and hated.”

Even in movies, the protagonist rarely gets hit by bullets. Or if they do, they fly around like an immortal.

“Hamun ignored Fnelldi, not me. But I’ll be the one taking the blame.”

There was no need to take unnecessary criticism. Even if she tried not to care, Seira was human. Being criticized a lot would upset her.

Seira started walking, and only then did Hamun give his attention to Fnelldi.

Fnelldi flinched, startled to be facing him.

“He feels like a completely different person.”

The Hamun beside Seira had been kind. His gentle eyes were full of warmth.

But this was not that Hamun. He was still beautiful, but somehow his beauty felt cold.

Now she could understand why he was called a sword prodigy from the Quayback family.

“I’m supposed to be the student representative of the magic class. I won’t be intimidated.”

Fnelldi steadied herself and asked her question.

“Why did you commit cheating?”

The world knew Hamun as righteous; he would answer honestly.

If not, he would at least provide a satisfactory explanation she could accept.

She expected this.

But the answer was nothing like she expected.

“Get lost. Before I hit you.”

“….”

The harsh words froze the students around them.

Hamun had been famous for being just and kind. This was unlike him at all.

Fnelldi flinched but continued without fear.

“Prince Hamun, you must have known the answer. So why did you deliberately not give it? Wasn’t it a scheme to give Seira extra points?”

Hamun frowned.

Would he actually hit her? she wondered.

“What am I even thinking?”

Even Hamun, who had uttered the harsh words, was surprised at his own feelings.

He had never felt such a thing toward someone weaker than him.

Strangely, he would lose his rationality when it came to matters concerning Seira.

“Calm down. Seira hates violent people.”

Hamun relaxed his expression and smiled lightly.

“You’re right. It was to give extra points.”

“….”

Fnelldi smiled lightly as Hamun admitted it. She felt a sense of victory.

“So, that means you admit it was cheating?”

“Yes. That’s correct.”

“Prince Hamun has admitted it.”

“And?”

Hamun restrained his hand from going to the scabbard repeatedly.

“The other person is weak.”

The other person is weak. The strong must not oppress the weak. That was the belief Hamun had been taught and practiced.

“So what now?”

“….”

“I will formally raise an objection.”

“Do it. Don’t be annoying.”

It wasn’t easy to calm her mind despite her attempts.

“You should take a course in Imperial Law.”

She had learned in Imperial Law class: to speak of law or justice, one must first have strength.

He had been a good student.

Having absorbed Professor Jonteal’s lectures thoroughly, Hamun turned his back coldly, walking away, and then said as if remembering something:

“I’ll accept a duel anytime. Ambushes welcome.”

“….”

The students avoided Hamun’s gaze.

No one wanted to fight Hamun, the sword prodigy of the Sword Cradle, one-on-one.

“Oh, by the way. Why do you speak informally to Seira but formally to me?”

“Seira is a traitor.”

“….”

“If it bothers you, I’ll address Lady Seira formally too.”

Hamun had to exercise patience.

“If she were even a little stronger, I would’ve hit her.”

She was too weak to hit.

“Tch, why so weak?”

“Prince!”

Hamun, who was walking away, spun around and threw something.

It skimmed past Fnelldi and hit the chalkboard.

Thwack!

It was a quill pen used for writing.

“T-the board…”

“It… pierced… huh?”

One student collapsed from their legs giving out.

If that quill hit someone on the forehead? It was terrifying to even imagine.

Hamun grinned and said:

“Mess with Seira, and next time it won’t just be a warning.”

About ten years ago.

Fnelldi Lupiano had stayed for a few days at the Dvernon estate with her father and met a girl.

She was very kind and beautiful.

“Like a princess from a fairy tale. Like sunlight.”

Later, she learned:

“Seira is the princess of the Dvernon family!”

Fnelldi was thrilled.

At five years old, she dreamed of one day summoning a princess’s castle with magic alongside Seira.

“Be careful. There are puddles, you might get hurt.”

Although the same age, Seira pronounced things clearly and behaved maturely.

“Yes. Thank you.”

Seira had even held Fnelldi’s hand before.

She had always been kind and warm.

One day, Fnelldi asked her:

“Lady Seira. Udi is… a friend, right?”

Seira put her finger to her lips and said, “Shh! Friends don’t use formal speech with each other.”

“….”

Fnelldi was delighted.

The days spent at the Dvernon estate felt like a dream.

To her, Seira was an object of admiration, and she was overjoyed to be friends with her.

Over time, she realized that Seira had no magical talent at all.

“That’s why, when I spent time with Seira, the servants weren’t visible.”

She had been practically treated like abandoned baggage.

The servants had no reason to attend to Seira.

“Still… she’s Seira.”

Even as time passed, she never forgot the sunlight she met at five.

She had hoped for a letter from Seira, but none came.

She hadn’t sent one either, knowing Seira’s circumstances.

She didn’t want to burden her.

Seira was someone to be served, and Fnelldi herself was someone who must serve.

“If I contact her, it would be uncomfortable.”

So she deliberately did not interact with Seira.

Time passed, and she turned sixteen.

That same year, Fnelldi and Seira enrolled in Somarphi Academy.

“They said rank and status don’t matter at the academy.”

All students were equal, or so they said.

So perhaps here, at least, they could cast aside social hierarchy and become friends on equal footing.

“Dvernon, and the Lupiano family. None of that matters anymore! We can be friends as equals!”

But on the day of the entrance ceremony…

Seira brushed past Fnelldi.

As if she were meeting a complete stranger.

“She didn’t recognize me.”

It had been a long time.

It was a bit disappointing but understandable.

“We’re friends. She must remember me.”

So she greeted first: “Seira, nice to see you.”

Until then, she had been trembling.

Excitement and fear coexisted.

She thought, She will recognize me. What if she doesn’t?

But she would recognize her.

“Me…”

Seira did not remember Fnelldi.

It couldn’t be.

The days at the Dvernon estate had been the brightest days of Fnelldi’s life.

She had never forgotten them.

With fear and hope, she asked again, barely managing:

“What’s my name?”

And finally, an answer came:

“Sorry. I can’t remember your name all of a sudden.”

It felt as if the past ten years had been completely denied.