Chapter 142 - 140
I was currently lying comfortably on a thick tree branch directly above them.
One leg dangled lazily off the side while my red flag was draped over my shoulder like some kind of blanket.
For once, I wanted to enjoy a few moments of peace before the exam officially descended into chaos.
Unfortunately, the noise below refused to stop.
My ears kept twitching and forcefully cracked open one eye.
The conversation beneath me continued without mercy.
"Imagine trying to guard Blanca."
"No thanks."
"I value my sanity."
"She would probably escape by herself and not need our help."
"Or help the enemy."
I finally sat up. "Let me join the conversation too."
The group immediately froze and looked up.
I smiled. "Continue."
Nobody spoke.
"Go on."
A few of them suddenly found the dirt extremely interesting.
"You were discussing how nobody wants me."
"That’s not what we meant," Ravian said immediately.
"Then what did you mean?"
"We—"
Before anyone could answer, a deafening explosion echoed through the forest.
BOOM!
The ground shook, birds scattered from the trees, and several students even screamed.
The pile of supplies in the center instantly became everyone’s priority.
"We should gather supplies!"
"NOW!"
"MOVE!"
"GO GO GO!"
The entire group scattered like frightened rabbits.
"Bye Blanca!"
"Next time, Blanca!"
"We’ll continue this later!"
"Wait—"
Within seconds, I was left alone on this spot.
A sigh escaped me as I glanced towards the center of the forest where absolute chaos had already begun.
Students were sprinting, some were already fighting while others were trying to drag entire crates of supplies away.
The exam had officially started.
"I should probably get going too—"
I pushed myself up but my foot got caught on one of the smaller branches.
The next few seconds happened so quickly that my brain couldn’t keep up.
One moment I was standing. The next, I was slipping, my arms flailing wildly, tail puffed up like an offended pillow, and then I was falling.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"
I braced myself for the inevitable face-first collision with the ground.
Instead, strong arms caught me before I could feel the solid ground.
The sudden stop nearly gave me a heart attack and acting entirely on instinct, I immediately wrapped both arms around the person’s neck.
When I opened my eyes, a pair of familiar blue eyes stared back at me.
"I thought cats could land perfectly from great heights."
"I... can...."
His eyebrow rose.
"..."
"..."
"Usually."
His smile widened.
I immediately let go but the moment I pulled my hands away, my balance disappeared.
Panic returned as I immediately wrapped my arms around his neck again.
Ravian laughed.
"Not a word."
"I didn’t say anything."
"You were thinking it."
"I was."
"Ravian."
"Yes?"
"I’ll throw you into a tree."
His shoulders started shaking.
"Let me go already."
"Not even a thank you?"
"Thank you," I quickly said as I wriggled my legs.
"Hm?"
I narrowed my eyes. "You heard me."
"I don’t think I did."
"You absolutely did."
He smiled innocently.
"Thank you for catching me."
Ravian tilted his head. "Who are you thanking?"
I pointed directly at his face. "You."
"Hm."
His smile widened.
"Seems a little impersonal."
My eye twitched. "Thank you for catching me, Ravian."
"Hm."
He was still smiling.
"I thought we were close."
I immediately knew where this was going and I hated it with every fiber of my being.
I clenched my teeth.
"Thank you for catching me..." I paused, feeling years leave my life. "...Ian."
His smile instantly became blinding. "You’re welcome... Blanca."
I immediately tried to get down again.
This time Ravian finally let me go.
The moment my feet touched the ground, I took five large steps back.
Ravian looked disappointed. "Why are you backing away from me?"
"Do I look like I’m backing away from you?" I asked.
"Yes."
"No."
"You’re literally moving backward."
I ignored that.
"I’m going to find our territory."
Ravian looked completely unconvinced. "Sure."
I turned around, already walking away when his voice stopped me.
"Well, you forgot our flag."
I turned around again to see him walking towards me carrying it.
I immediately snatched it away before he could do anything else.
Unfortunately, I had underestimated him.
Before I could escape, he reached over and patted my head.
My entire body froze.
"Look for the trees marked with red ribbons."
I narrowed my eyes at him while enduring the head pat.
"You’ll know that’s Altaire’s territory."
Another pat.
"And don’t do anything crazy at least until one of arrives."
I immediately moved my head away. "I wasn’t planning to."
Ravian gave me a look.
The same look someone gives when hearing an obviously false statement.
"I mean it."
Another look.
"I do!"
"Blanca."
"What?"
"Don’t. Do. Anything."
"I promise not do anything while you’re gone!" I huffed in annoyance.
His smile returned instantly.
I hated that smile.
"Good."
The moment he finished speaking, I turned around and bolted.
I don’t know why, but every instinct in my body was telling me to get away from him as quickly as possible.
The feeling made no sense. He hadn’t done anything wrong even the moment we first met.
He was so friendly, caring, and a bit sweet whenever he’s with me so why did I suddenly feel the overwhelming urge to run?
In the end, I chose not to think about it.
Thinking about it would only make things more complicated.
Instead, I tightened my grip on the red flag and headed deeper into the forest.
Find the territory.
Stay hidden.
Do nothing crazy.
Sounds like vacation to me.
~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~
I was beginning to think that being a flag was actually a wonderful job.
While everyone else was running around the forest committing acts of violence in the name of education, I was currently stretched out comfortably on a tree branch, taking a nap.
Again.
The breeze was nice.
The shade was nice.
The fact that I wasn’t being chased, punched, tackled, or buried under paperwork was especially nice.
Honestly, this might have been the best exam I’d ever participated in.
Scrrch
Skkch
Crssh
I lazily opened one eye when I heard movements below.
’Looks like Altaire Class was finally returning.’
I pushed myself upright and looked down.
My mouth hang open when I saw their state.
’What in the world happened?’
The students stumbling into the territory looked like survivors of a natural disaster.
Some were covered in dirt.
Others had torn uniforms.
There was even blood smeared everywhere, and frankly I wasn’t interested in finding out whose blood it was.
A few students looked like they had crawled out of a battlefield.
One student was openly crying.
Another was dragging a classmate across the ground.
Most importantly, not a single one of them was carrying supplies.
Not one medical kit, nor a bottle, not even a spoon.
I frowned.
’What really happened back there?’
A sudden presence appeared beside me.
I didn’t even react.
Only one person could casually appear next to me without immediately trying to kidnap, recruit, marry, or interrogate me.
"My Lady."
I turned my head.
Gawain was sitting beside me and offering a water bottle in hand.
"My favorite aide," I accepted it immediately.
"That’s because I’m your only aide."
"Details."
I opened the bottle and took a drink as I pointed toward the approaching disaster victims below.
"So... what happened?"
Gawain followed my gaze. "All the classes teamed up against them."
I nearly spat out my water. "They did WHAT?"
Several students below collapsed dramatically onto the ground.
One of them started sobbing.
Another was trying to use a bush as emotional support.
I looked back at Gawain. "What do you mean ALL the classes?"
"Exactly what I said."
He sounded far too relaxed.
"I thought everyone was afraid of us."
"They were."
"Then how did they suddenly find the guts to attack Altaire?"
Gawain leaned back against the trunk. "The moment they realized you weren’t with them."
I stared at him. "...What?"
He shrugged. "They suddenly turned into cavemen."
"What?" I repeated again.
"They collectively shared a single thought."
I was afraid to ask.
"What thought?"
Gawain pointed toward the students below. "’The crazy red-eyed woman is finally gone."
I nearly choked again.
"They attacked on sight."
"All of them?"
"All of them."
"At the same time?"
"At the same time."
I looked down at my classmates.
Suddenly their appearance made much more sense.
Sebastian was missing half a sleeve, Silvano looked like he fought a bear, Vivienne looked emotionally exhausted, Ravian was carrying three unconscious students over his shoulder, and Stephano was threatening someone while applying first aid to himself.
I looked back at Gawain. "And you didn’t help them?"
"Not in the mood," he said without a shred of guilt.
"You do know this is still a group exam, right?"
"I do."
"And?"
He shrugged. "I’ll lose a few points. That’s all."
’The audacity of this guy.’
I looked down at our classmates again and the contrast was honestly incredible.
Altaire Class looked like they survived a war. Meanwhile, Gawain and I looked like we had spent the morning enjoying a relaxing picnic.
One student collapsed face-first into the dirt. "We lost everything..."
Another pointed dramatically at the sky. "They jumped us..."
"They came out of nowhere..."
"There were so many..."
"It was horrifying..."