Chapter 46
The easiest way to form a pair was to prove Lanze’s grades.
“The prospects look bleak.”
At this rate, she might have to resort to using shallow connections like Simone suggested. But that would count as a special favor, just as Giveline had pointed out at the start of the semester.
Lanze couldn’t help but think a little that maybe it wouldn’t hurt to receive a bit of preferential treatment. After all, it wasn’t like she was forging grades—it was only about getting permission to register.
“Your Highness, please refrain from such blatant sighs. Isn’t the junior a little pitiful?”
Giveline, who had been lazily following behind, inserted herself once again without tiring. She seemed to notice immediately that Renart had briefly turned his attention toward Lanze.
Lanze looked at Giveline with a puzzled expression. When she squinted at Giveline’s ambiguous words, Giveline added a teasing remark.
“If someone scores that poorly even after reviewing past exams, they’ll feel embarrassed themselves. Just leave them be for a few days. They’ll wake up from their dream soon enough.”
“The scores aren’t out yet.”
Erna snapped back on Lanze’s behalf.
Meanwhile, Lanze turned to Renart.
“Do you really get expelled if you duel?”
“Lanze—”
“But senior, getting beaten up a little, is that really considered violence? If someone falls while juggling pumpkins and breaks their neck, we don’t investigate it like a murder case. Shouldn’t self-inflicted consequences be considered in that context too?”
Erna pressed her hand firmly against her younger sister’s hand to restrain her.
Renart and Heine also positioned themselves in case Lanze attempted to throw a gauntlet or punch.
The atmosphere felt tense, as though this wouldn’t end in a joke. The three of them could vividly imagine Lanze either challenging Giveline to a duel or throwing a punch.
Before Giveline could speak again or before Lanze’s patience ran out, a call went out for the first-year students. Erna and Heine both breathed a sigh of relief.
“Finally, we’ll know the test assignment. Let’s go.”
Erna exaggeratedly tried to catch Lanze’s attention with joy.
“I’ll head in now. Rest up.”
Renart also left hastily. If Giveline had said even one more word, it could have been disastrous. Fortunately, Giveline followed him without complaint.
“Yeah, let’s talk about the exam tomorrow.”
Lanze waved to Renart and followed Erna and Heine.
The last three to arrive immediately sensed that the atmosphere inside the auditorium was unusual and exchanged glances.
A posted sheet contained the group assignments and the assignment details.
The distance made Lanze frown, but after reading the content, she relaxed.
“Looks like they plan to use us for marine creature rescue.”
She had worried that Erna might get caught up in some bizarre incident as in the selection exam, but this seemed manageable.
‘I’ve taken tests like this before.’
Due to the steadily growing population, the capital’s spatial range had expanded, and humans began encroaching on nearby forests and mountains.
Over the past decade, this trend had accelerated, increasing encounters between humans and wild animals.
Especially the vicious and clever beasts caused problems due to magical influence. This analysis led to students being assigned for tracking and hunting.
Rather than wasting separate personnel, it was also a good training opportunity. Lanze, having experience, was relieved, while the others looked grim.
“Isn’t it strange? The selection exam suddenly changed last year, and now even the practical exam…”
“I can’t guarantee it’ll be fine,” Erna muttered anxiously, and Heine also revealed his suspicion.
Lanze kept quiet. She realized her memory was incomplete.
‘…There was an accident, wasn’t there?’
About nine years ago, there had been a shooting accident with casualties, though Lanze hadn’t experienced it directly and couldn’t connect it immediately to the exam.
‘When exactly was it?’
It had been hushed up, so Lanze hadn’t heard the details. With the semester ending and winter break approaching, if an accident were to occur, this practical exam was the most likely scenario.
All three were lost in grim thoughts and paid little attention to the group assignment list.
“Baer!”
Even Lanze reacted more sluggishly than usual to the hostility directed at her.
“Lanze Baer!”
Following the furious voice, she turned her head and saw Veronica closing the distance.
“Huh?”
Except for minor quarrels, ignoring her was the usual response, and this was the first time Veronica had directly called her name. Lanze couldn’t predict her actions.
Before long, Veronica grabbed Lanze by the collar.
“If you block my path, I won’t forgive you.”
Lanze stared blankly.
If she had thrown a punch decisively, or provoked Giveline, she would have reacted properly, but Veronica’s attack was half-hearted in every way.
The words passed through her ears without impact, and her hand was weak enough not to feel threatening.
Her face full of anger elicited no particular reaction. Had this been done to Erna, Renart wouldn’t have been there to intervene, and a duel would likely have ensued. But since it was Lanze’s issue, she just felt absurd.
“What are you doing!”
It wasn’t Lanze but Erna who shouted.
She squeezed between Lanze and Veronica, while Heine supported Erna to separate Veronica.
Later-arriving instructors pulled Veronica away.
Lanze straightened her rumpled clothes and glared at Veronica, who stared back at her until the end.
“It would have been mutually beneficial if you had just thrown a punch.”
“What are you talking about?”
Heine spoke on behalf of the stunned Erna.
Lanze explained with a smiling face.
“Then she’d feel relieved, and I could have rightfully struck back. Since she hit first, she’d get a harsher punishment. With just the collar grabbing like now, it’s only a warning. Look—”
As she said, Veronica had already been released. The instructors were still watching, so she wouldn’t charge again, but she didn’t seem particularly scolded.
“Don’t joke about that!”
Erna’s scolding didn’t make Lanze repent much. She changed the topic before getting more in trouble.
“Why did she act like that? There are plenty of instructors here.”
This wasn’t the first friction with Veronica, but this was the first time she directly attacked. When Veronica had struck her in the library, it could be excused as a mistake.
Veronica Alacus might not be wise, but she wasn’t a fool.
Soon, it became clear why Veronica had lost her composure.
The group assignment sheet and notice finally arrived for Lanze as well. Printed copies were handed out to students in the auditorium.
Erna and Heine were assigned to the same group. Their joy faded when they noticed Lanze’s name was missing.
With so few students, it was easy to find Lanze’s group.
Group 3
Alacus, Veronica
Baer, Lanze
Eze, Doris
Maben, Anna
Linek, Karel
The practical exam was scheduled two days after the announcement, in the forest on the outskirts of the capital.
Fortunately, with a holiday in between, Lanze and the others could meet Renart before the exam.
The library lounge was nearly empty, likely because the practical exam was the next day.
After hearing the story from the juniors, Renart frowned.
“I didn’t expect first-years to get such an assignment… it would have been better to wait for you all.”
He hadn’t been able to discuss the practical exam due to having to separate Giveline and Lanze.
Lanze thought it wouldn’t matter whether she discussed it yesterday or today, but she wasn’t entirely at ease.
“Group assignments are also problematic.”
Lanze rested her chin on her hand. Erna and Heine nodded in agreement.
However, Lanze’s concern differed slightly from theirs.
She had momentarily forgotten because of Veronica’s sudden attack, but the possibility of a shooting accident remained. Moreover, they didn’t know who would be at the center of it.
‘It’d be bad if Erna was in the same group.’
Memory didn’t match reality in several respects, such as increased group size, and she couldn’t be sure the exam would pass without incident.
All of this was hypothetical, but Lanze didn’t relax.
No matter how optimistic she usually was, her concern for Erna’s safety made it difficult to rely on her usual logic.
If only it had been like the selection exam, where problems arose unexpectedly, she could have focused cleanly. Now, with disaster looming, her mind wasn’t at ease.
‘Do seniors usually feel like this?’
Lanze shook her head and straightened her posture.
“We just have to be as careful as possible. Luckily, Erna and Heine are in the same group.”
“And you?”
It was the first time Lanze had been this down, and Erna couldn’t relax.
None of them intended to give up the exam. Having repeatedly heard Lanze’s determination, Renart only offered advice.
“Even if you want good grades, don’t go out of your way. Stay alert. Always prepare defensive spells.”
Since this practical exam had been converted into a real marine creature rescue assignment, it mirrored actual field work.
Students were to perform tasks in their assigned groups, surveying the designated area. The assignment was to complete a forest map and report, essentially preparation for a full-scale hunt.
Catching the actual marine creature would earn the highest evaluation.
Lanze had previously hunted creatures herself to compensate for low written scores.
Seeing a similar exam scheduled, she thought she could use the same method to earn points.
‘But Veronica is in the same group.’
She couldn’t let her guard down, and she had to watch her back.
Although she hadn’t trusted her groupmates completely before, she hadn’t feared being attacked by allies during the exam.
Renart, observing her expression, especially cautioned Lanze.
