My heart pounded as I walked through the marble archway. Several guards stood beside the gate to the Hero Academy, checking everyone as they entered. I wore a metal badge shaped like a silk hat—the symbol for a member of a baronet’s family. The colors and shapes varied depending on your social class, so you could tell who you were dealing with at a glance.
I may have been on the bottom rung, but I was still a member of the aristocracy, so I was allowed to enter without comment. Academy students didn’t get privileges based on their social class, but you had to become a student for that to apply.
Today was the final exam, the preliminary one having been held a few days prior. Commoners had to take that first and could only sit the final exam if they passed. As a noble, I had a free pass to the finals.
Once I’d registered, I headed onto the campus. I was shocked at how many people were already there—around three hundred total, nobles and commoners alike. The school only took 120 people in four classes per year, so over half of the people present wouldn’t make it.
“I’m so grateful you’ve all taken the time to come out here today. I know you have bright futures ahead of you.”
The president of the school greeted us from a podium. He was an older man, but his eyes were sharp and his build sturdy, giving him an air of majesty. I’d heard he used to be a top-class dungeon seeker. He quickly moved on from greetings to explain what was to come.
“The final exam is split into two sections, and your combined score will determine whether you pass. I’ll get right to the first section.”
Now this was the part I didn’t expect—apparently the first section was a team battle! We could pick our own teammates, but that put me in a bit of a pickle—how was I supposed to pick?
“Noooir! I’m here!”
“What?!”
Emma skipped over, outfitted with a dagger and everything.
“What are you doing here?!” I exclaimed.
“I thought I’d take the exam too. Being unemployed isn’t the best look, you know?”
“I guess,” I agreed. “I mean, people really hate it when aristocratic kids don’t work.”
“Anyway! Let’s team up! I’m as strong as a hundred men! Ah ha ha!”
Honestly? I was glad she showed up. Unlike me, Emma was proficient in combat. Just as I was considering who our third should be, a beautiful girl with long black hair came up to us.
“Wanna team up?”
Her voice was smooth and confident. The thought of rejecting her didn’t even cross my mind. I noticed the badge on her chest—she was an earl’s daughter! No wonder a bottom-rung noble like me was bowled over by her presence.
“S-sure! We would love to, your ladyship,” Emma answered before I had a chance.
We really had to watch ourselves with someone of such high status.
“Oh, you don’t need to be so formal. After all, if we pass, we’ll all be equals. You can just call me Shirley. Shirley Nordoir.”
“I’m Noir Stardia.”
“Emma Brightness, at your service, your la… I mean, Shirley.”
“Oh, you’re from the Brightness family? I’ve heard the name. But I’m afraid Stardia is wholly unfamiliar to me.”
Of course it was, we were nobodies, but would it have killed her to pretend?
“Well,” she said. “No matter. This is just a temporary arrangement, after all.”
Her contempt was plain as day. She probably thought she was doing me a favor by teaming up. I felt my chest tighten.
“The first section of the exam starts now!” the president declared. “You have until 6 p.m. to harvest raw materials. Your scores will be determined by what you manage to collect. You may use any method you see fit. Begin!”
When the president gave the signal, everyone sprang into action. Some people even broke into a run.
“We should split up and collect things on our own. Do me a favor and try not to screw this up, okay?” The earl’s daughter may have been a real beauty—she was slender, her skin as white as snow, and she had the most delicate facial features—but she was haughty.
I forced a smile. “I’ll do my best. I hope you will too, Lenore.”
“Noir, what are you saying? Her name is Shirley.” Emma looked at me, baffled. She hadn’t realized the girl was lying to us. I couldn’t blame her. I was the one who’d used Discerning Eye.
Meanwhile, Lenore’s eyes went wide, and I flashed another smile.
“Not sure what you were thinking, giving your teammates a fake name, but do me a favor and try not to screw this up, okay?” I turned around and walked off while she stood there, still dumbfounded. I paused for one last snipe. “By the way, I know you’re trying real hard to look cool, but you’ve got spinach in your teeth.”
“What?!”
“Hey! Noir! I mean, yeah, I noticed that too, but there are some things you just don’t say!”
But Emma, it’s only polite to respond to a poison tongue in kind!