In front of the instructor’s office.
Ares, who was about to enter for work, stopped in his tracks as he heard a cacophony of noise coming from inside.
‘What’s going on?’
How could there be such a commotion otherwise?
It was probably the Headmaster’s doing.
The Headmaster would often drop by the office, dump a mountain of work on the instructors, and then disappear.
‘…Another work bomb, I presume.’
Slide-.
Ares opened the door to the office with a stiff face.
And at the sight before him, his face hardened even further.
“One vote for Baltan!”
“I’m going with Diana! She’s stronger than Baltan.”
“What are you all talking about? It’s obvious Student Adel will be first place this time!”
“Ha! How can a first-year beat the senior students? I’m betting on the third-year class president.”
Madness.
It was pure madness.
As Idea spun the roulette wheel, the instructors shook their pouches filled with gold coins.
Among them, he could spot not only first-year instructors but also a few third-year instructors.
What in the world?
Why were they using the office for something like this?
Ares rubbed his forehead, feeling a wave of dizziness.
Idea, oblivious to Ares’ presence, smiled brightly and shouted at the instructors.
“Now, now, everyone, calm down. Take your time and place your bets!”
The atmosphere was like a gambling den.
No…
It was definitely a gambling den.
What were the instructors of Sytan doing?
Ares felt anger surging through his veins.
Bang-!
His fist, filled with rage, slammed against the office door.
Only then did the instructors stop what they were doing and turn around.
Ares’ face was a mask of fury, like a wrathful god.
The instructors scrambled to get away.
“Ahem, I should be going. It’s time for the third-year students’ class.”
“I’ll be on my way as well. I have to prepare for class.”
“L-Let’s go together.”
Whoosh-.
In no time at all, the senior instructors, except for the first-year instructors, had all left.
The only ones left in the office were the first-year instructors.
Stealthily.
As Ares’ gaze followed the departing third-year instructors, Idea cautiously began to inch away.
However,
“Stop right there, or I’ll cut you down.”
“…..”
Idea froze in her tracks as Ares rested his hand on the hilt of his sword.
Eventually, Idea turned her head with an awkward expression.
Stealing a glance at Ares, she asked,
“Senior, you’re not angry, are you…?”
“What do you think?”
“…I’m sorry.”
“Tsk.”
Clicking his tongue in disapproval, Ares tore his gaze away from Idea and glanced around the room.
Flinch-.
As if they felt guilty, the first-year instructors trembled under his gaze.
Ares sighed deeply, realizing that everyone present was complicit.
Gambling on students.
It would have been one thing if money wasn’t involved, but this was clearly a gamble with gold coins at stake.
Therefore.
“You better start thinking about what kind of punishment you’re going to get.”
After threatening Idea, he turned to the other instructors, who were awkwardly avoiding his gaze.
“…And that goes for the rest of you as well.”
“We’re sorry…”
The instructors apologized to Ares one after another.
After calming the situation down, Ares turned to Idea and asked,
“Explain yourself. Why did you do something so reckless?”
“…The Headmaster said it was okay.”
“What?”
Ares couldn’t hide his surprise as an unexpected name left Idea’s mouth.
Headmaster was the mastermind behind this commotion?
Why?
It was completely incomprehensible.
At first, he thought Idea was lying.
Nod. Nod.
But as he saw the other instructors nodding in agreement, he realized it was the truth.
“…”
Ares was dumbfounded.
He couldn’t easily accept this situation.
In the end, unable to contain his curiosity, Ares asked Idea,
“Explain the exact situation.”
Idea hesitated for a moment before opening her mouth.
“Actually…”
Idea began to explain.
Ares’ expression shifted continuously as he listened.
Even for someone who usually maintained an indifferent expression, this situation was too much for him.
After all,
“You’re telling me that the Headmaster added a new evaluation criterion?”
“Yes. She said there might be a tie for first place otherwise. She was curious who would receive the highest evaluation based on this new criterion, so she suggested a vote, and things just… escalated.”
“I understand, but.”
Ares felt uneasy.
The final exam scores consisted of 70% practical and 10% for each of the other subjects.
The problem was the practical exam.
This time, it was a competition between classes, and all participating students received a perfect score.
So, the Headmaster had personally stepped in to add a new criterion.
“…I suppose it couldn’t be helped. There was a ‘precedent,’ after all.”
“I also never expected a student to get a perfect score on the midterm exams.”
Ares and Idea murmured in unison, nodding their heads.
This was because, for the first time in Sytan’s history, a perfect scorer had appeared.
Fron, who had taken first place among the first-years.
She was the only one in Sytan who achieved a perfect score.
Ares’ anger subsided, and he chuckled, turning to Idea.
“You must be pleased. The first perfect scorer emerged from your class.”
“Hehe, I’m still a bit dumbfounded that a student I hadn’t expected got a perfect score.”
Idea scratched her head.
Even as their homeroom instructor, she hadn’t expected Fron to take first place.
And to achieve a perfect score in all subjects, no less.
Ares spoke with a look of newfound respect,
“In the practical exam, all three from your class got perfect scores, didn’t they?”
“Yes. Their performance was amazing!”
Fron might have been overshadowed by Samuel and Adel, but if she hadn’t been there, Class A would have been wiped out before Adel even arrived.
Thanks to Fron’s seduction, Sytan’s students were able to fight against the Human students with their strength amplified.
That’s how they were able to overwhelm them in the early stages of the battle.
If it weren’t for Fron’s seduction ability, there would have been far more casualties.
Moreover, she became a mental pillar of support for the students, and her unwavering care for her peers even in the most desperate situations was admirable.
She had unexpectedly displayed the qualities of a true leader.
Thus, Samuel, Adel, and Fron all received perfect scores on the practical exam.
Then.
The reason why Adel and Samuel’s scores fell behind Fron’s was…
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