Chapter 123 : Chapter 123
Volume 2
Chapter 47 : Exam
After leaving the Ancient Potion Club classroom, Muen returned to the dormitory.
He quickly took a shower and changed clothes, then hastily finished breakfast in the cafeteria before running all the way to the classroom for Fundamentals of Magic.
And then he was startled.
Outside the classroom door, a huge crowd had gathered, nearly clogging the entire corridor so tightly that not even water could have flowed through.
The moment they saw Muen, the crowd erupted into a commotion.
“He’s here, he’s here, he’s here!”
“Muen Campbell is here!”
“...”
“Don’t these people have an exam to take?”
Muen swept his gaze across them, then glanced at the time.
There were still about fifteen minutes left before the exam began.
Under normal circumstances, everyone should have been filing into the classroom one after another to wait for the test, or hurriedly flipping through their books for one last look.
Who would turn the place into a scene straight out of a celebrity fan gathering?
“Don’t tell me they’re all here just to watch me make a fool of myself?”
Realization dawned on Muen, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
Thinking back to what Senior Anna had said about the news spreading through the entire academy...
Compared to the exam itself, were these people really more interested in watching the spectacle?
“This feeling of being the center of everyone’s attention... why does it feel like I’m some celebrity walking the red carpet?”
Under the gaze of the crowd, Muen pushed through the sea of people and forced himself toward the classroom.
The noble upbringing ingrained in him over the years as the Duke’s son kept him from losing his nerve under so many stares, but as he passed by them, he still caught the whispered conversations.
“Wow, Muen Campbell actually dares to come take the exam. After talking so big before, isn’t he afraid of embarrassing himself?”
“If he talks that big, then he has to come. Running away at the last moment would only make people look down on him even more.”
“That’s true. But he does look pretty confident.”
“Heh, he’s just putting on an act. At his level, how could he possibly score eighty? More like eight.”
“Wow, that’s a little too much, isn’t it? I heard he’s been working really hard lately...”
“What’s the point of working hard? I work hard too, and I still fail.”
“Hahaha, true enough.”
“...”
Muen walked on silently without arguing, because he knew there was no point in arguing now.
Facts were the best answer to prejudice and rumor.
All he needed to do now was give it everything he had and do well on this exam.
It was just...
“I’m still annoyed.”
Muen lowered his gaze and clenched his fist without realizing it.
But just then—
“Student Muen!”
He heard someone shouting.
It was the cry of a young girl, raised with all her strength, so forceful that her voice nearly cracked.
And yet it rang out clearly even amid the noisy crowd.
Muen looked up in astonishment and turned toward the source of the voice.
“Good luck, Student Muen! We believe in you!”
“You can definitely score eighty!”
“Crush those bastards who look down on you!”
“Good luck! I bet all my allowance for this month on you winning, so you have to do it!”
There, in the most eye-catching spot, stood three adorable little girls who were obviously first-years, shouting at the top of their lungs. Their faces were flushed red as they waved little flags with the words “Good Luck” written on them. White headbands were tied around their heads, and on those headbands, the red characters ♥Muen blazed into his sight with all the unruly force of bandits, making his eyes sting without warning.
“You all—”
Muen’s mind had not quite caught up yet. He could not understand what these three miraculous little creatures were.
Why did it feel as though the world itself had grown a little brighter the moment they appeared?
And standing beside those three tiny girls was Senior Fanny from the Magic Art Club, whom Muen had met once before. She gave a helpless, bitter smile.
“Muen Campbell, under the coercion of these three little troublemakers, I also bet quite a bit of money on you. So you’d better live up to your word.”
“I...”
Muen froze for a moment, then nodded hard.
“I will!”
Then he looked again at the three girls, who seemed so excited from merely meeting his gaze that they were practically about to faint.
“I definitely will.”
That was right.
There was nothing left to be angry about anymore.
No matter how others saw him, no matter how little they believed in him.
He really had given everything he had over the past month.
So no matter what anyone said, all he needed to do now was show everyone the fruits of that effort.
Only effort never lied.
Studying seriously, doing problem sets again and again, sleeping only two hours a day...
None of that ever lied.
So Muen lifted his head and straightened his back, carrying himself like the true future Duke who bore the glory of the Campbell family upon his shoulders, and stepped into the classroom with firm resolve.
Into... his battlefield.
...
...
After Muen had gone in,
The briefly silent crowd became noisy once more.
“Wow, he actually looked really confident. What should I do? I bet a lot of money that he’d fail!”
“Don’t panic. That confidence was definitely fake. Don’t forget, he’s a noble. Aren’t nobles all good at putting on airs?”
“Come to think of it, he is the Duke’s son. What if he found some way to cheat? Like bribing the proctor or something?”
“Now that you mention it, that does sound possible. Otherwise, how could a terrible student who got three points last semester be this confident now?”
“Then what about our money...”
“Ahem—”
A dry cough sounded, once again crushing the surrounding noise.
Every student gathered there to watch the excitement suddenly felt as though they had been engulfed by an enormous shadow.
Like rolling storm clouds spreading overhead.
“The exam is about to start. What are all of you doing here?!”
Then came thunder.
An elderly man with a stern face stood at the entrance to the corridor, a stack of exam papers tucked under one arm, his furious gaze sweeping swiftly across everyone present.
“Do you want me to deduct all of your credits?”
“It’s Professor Prang!”
“Why is he here?”
“Is he the proctor? But he’s a professor—would he really do something like this himself?”
“Run, run! He looks furious!”
After a moment of confusion, the crowd scattered like startled birds and beasts.
Even Senior Fanny hurried off, dragging away the three little girls who had wanted to stay and wait until Muen finished his exam.
Professor Prang’s strictness and terrifying reputation were deeply rooted throughout the entire academy.
...
...
Inside the classroom,
Muen sat quietly in his seat.
At this point, there was no point in looking through his book again.
So he emptied his mind, adjusted his state, and silently waited for the exam to begin.
The other students gradually entered as well.
Whenever they passed by Muen, they could not help glancing at him.
Compared to the exam itself, whether or not Muen Campbell could fulfill the wild boast he had made a month ago seemed to be what truly tugged at everyone’s heart.
“Since Teacher Flan is unwell, I will personally proctor this exam.” Professor Prang appeared at the podium and announced this unfortunate news to quite a few students.
“Ehhh—”
A chorus of groans immediately rose from below.
If the proctor had been Teacher Flan, some of them might still have entertained certain ideas.
But if it was Professor Prang, famous for his severity and rigidness...
Cheating in front of a Crowned One? Little brat, are you tired of living?
Even Muen was shocked.
With Professor Prang’s status, it was obvious that under normal circumstances he would never personally proctor a second-year exam.
“Is Teacher Flan really sick?”
Muen scratched his head, but did not think too much about it.
“What do you mean ‘eh’? As long as you take the exam seriously, what difference does a change of proctor make to you?”
Professor Prang’s imposing gaze swept across the crowd as he sneered.
“I hope certain people will abandon any dirty thoughts they may be harboring. Otherwise, if I catch them... hmph.”
As he said that, he cast Muen a pointed glance.
“...”
The corner of Muen’s mouth twitched.
Do I really look like the kind of person who would cheat in your eyes?
But that small note of displeasure was quickly suppressed.
Just as Professor Prang had said, as long as one took the exam seriously, it made no difference who the proctor was.
Then, right on time, the bell rang.
The exam began.
Muen picked up his pen and started answering.
His eyes moved rapidly over the questions.
As if by instinct, the knowledge carved deep into his mind turned into one answer after another, flowing from the tip of his pen.
Time seemed to stretch on forever—
or perhaps to pass in an instant.
The classroom was very quiet, with only the faint scratching of pens against paper.
Then even those sounds disappeared, and all Muen could feel was the once-pristine exam sheet gradually filling with ink.
The bell rang again, and Muen suddenly came back to himself.
A thin, withered hand pressed down upon his paper.
“Muen Campbell, you may go now.”
In Professor Prang’s eyes, there was a shock and pity so faint that no one else could have noticed it. In a quiet voice, he said:
“The exam is over.”