Chapter 60 Watch Your Words and Actions

"From now on, I will place a special mark on everyone."

Isolte looked at our shocked and stunned expressions. As she spoke, she tore apart the magic scroll in her arms.

- Whoosh...

A wisp of gray aura surged out from the torn-up scroll, burrowed into everyone's body, and then disappeared without a trace.

"This mark can only be damaged by the special magic formulas and special weapons distributed after the course ends. When it is damaged to a certain extent, the mark will disappear, and I will be notified immediately."

Hearing this, I scanned my whole body with starlight magic power. Sure enough, I felt that a mark had been planted on my body.

"Those whose marks disappear will no longer be able to participate in the exam, and the side whose commander's mark disappears first will be judged as the loser. Is everyone clear?"

The children nodded quietly. Isolte continued in a deep voice.

"Next, I will explain the elimination rules."

Subsequently, the elimination rules that came out of her mouth were rather simple.

Most of the winning team could be exempted from the Class B punishment, while most of the losing team would be demoted to Class B. Moreover, according to Isolte, precisely because of this, the "commander" of each team would have great power.

First of all, the commander of the winning team had the right to select some people for elimination. The selection range included not only the opposing team but also their own team. Therefore, even if a team won the game, those who made no contributions or caused obstacles could still be eliminated.

The commander of the losing team could select the members of their own team who would stay in Class A. In other words, the commander with such great power would hardly encounter any resistance...

"I won't protect you, Lord Frey."

It seemed that I was wrong. Someone had already started to talk back to me.

"Rather than protecting you... I'd rather go to Class B."

I followed the sound and saw Pelosh standing among the commoners, glaring at me with sharp eyes. She could have enrolled as a noble student, but she said that the saintess was just a spokesperson of the gods and not a noble person, so she voluntarily entered the academy as a commoner.

Now, seeing Pelosh staring at me with such loathing, for some reason, a pang of pain welled up in my heart.

"Come on, sit down. If a noble person like you goes to the lower Class B, won't the Solar Church be in chaos?"

"Shut up."

I tried my best to use a flattering tone to ease the atmosphere, but Pelosh looked at me with disgust and coldly replied.

"If you keep this up... I'll have no choice."

"W, what do you mean by having no choice?"

In the end, less than 10 minutes after the practical assessment started, I had to resort to the last resort that I had originally planned to use only when things went wrong.

"I'm going to surrender to Klana right now."

"...What?"

Hearing my words, Pelosh showed a dazed expression.

"W, wait a minute! Lord Frey!"

"Er... Please wait..."

But the commoners understood the meaning of my words and hurriedly grabbed me.

"T, that... What's going on, everyone?"

Seeing this scene, Pelosh still asked with a blank look on her face. I raised the corners of my mouth and replied, "If I surrender to Klana now... Most of the people here will have to go to Class B in silence."

"I, I see..."

"Moreover, as far as I know, most of the commoners in Class A are barely able to maintain their studies with the special scholarship of Class A, right? Isn't that the case?"

After I smiled and said these words, the commoners who were attached to me all lowered their heads and bit their lips tightly.

"P, please wait a minute! But... Then Miss Klana might target you, right? So please calm down first..."

At this time, Pelosh hurriedly warned me.

"I don't care if I'm demoted to Class B."

"Ah, ah?"

"I'm the acting head of the most powerful of the three major duke families in the empire. What's the problem with Class B?"

"S, so you... Really intend to surrender!?"

Watching Pelosh shouting angrily, I smiled slightly, turned towards the door of the classroom that was empty after the strategy meeting, and said, "Don't worry, Pelosh. I won't target you specifically. I have to focus on eliminating more of those despicable guys."

"B, benefits..."

"I'm going to surrender to Klana. Take care."

After saying these words, as soon as I pushed open the door of the classroom, Pelosh hurriedly grabbed my arm.

"I, I'm sorry. Please forgive me."

After Pelosh said this in a trembling voice, she immediately knelt down in front of me. The commoners who witnessed this scene silently turned their heads and clenched their fists tightly.

"...Huh, luckily."

At this time, I secretly sighed, sat down, put my legs on the table, and put on an arrogant look, saying, "So, where should we choose the base?"

According to Isolte, both teams needed to select their respective bases. It was said that this was part of the policy formulated to conduct actual combat training for the academy students in response to the frequent abnormal phenomena recently.

"Er... Since this is an exam that lasts throughout the vacation... Isn't it okay to find a place to hide?"

After a while, a female student raised her hand to speak, and other commoner students also began to echo her.

"...Hmm, that's a good idea. So, where do you plan to hide?"

Hearing my cold question, the female student who initially made the suggestion carefully glanced at me and then cautiously put forward her suggestion.

"Er... How about hiding in the forest..."

"Rejected."

Because I had suffered a lot in the Ashen Forest and the forest near my home before, I really didn't want to get close to the forest anymore. I frowned and said. The female student stepped back in fright.

"Then... How about going to my home..."

"Rejected."

"The inn run by my family..."

"Rejected."

After rejecting suggestions for a while like this, everyone fell silent and began to stare at me coldly.

"...So, how long do you plan to stare at me?"

"....."

I couldn't help but break the silence and asked tentatively, but they still stared at me coldly.

"Fine, there's no other way..."

Thanks to this, I remembered the memory of being surrounded by angry people in the last round. So, I slowly closed my eyes, calmed down, and then said, "...You can all come to my home."

As soon as I finished speaking, there was a sudden silence all around.

"What's your intention?"

A moment later, Pelosh asked me in a cold voice.

"What intention? It really hurts my feelings. I'm just doing it for you..."

" What bad thing are you planning to do this time?"

Although I tried to defend myself, Pelosh still kept pressing me. I had to put on a serious face and mutter in a low voice.

"Really... I clearly want to help you win..."

I made up my mind that I must win this team battle. Because this was an excellent opportunity to clear all the corrupt nobles to Class B. If the commoner team led by me won this exam, Klana would only leave the helpful and upright nobles in Class A. In this way, I could finally get rid of those nobles who had been following me and putting a lot of pressure on me.

Of course, most of the nobles not selected by Klana were high-ranking nobles who could offer bribes and were all calculating people. Therefore, they were likely to regard her as an enemy and hold her back.

That is to say, if the commoner team won, they could drive away those annoying nobles, restore the fairness of the academy, and at the same time, naturally hold Klana back.

However, there was a problem here. If I wholeheartedly helped the commoner team win, there might be rumors among the commoners that I was actually a good noble who helped the commoners. In that case, my life would be in danger.

So, in this exam, I had to make things difficult for and obstruct the commoners as much as possible, while secretly supporting them from behind so that they could win.

"Frey! Answer me! What on earth are you up to!"

"Shut up. All of you pack your bags and come to my home. I will show you my special mercy."

Thinking like this, I ignored Pelosh's shouting and said with a sinister smile.

The commoners showed uneasy expressions and began to hesitate.

"This... I should be able to earn a lot of evil points during the vacation, right?"

Just by showing a sinister expression, I could already see that the commoners were afraid of what might happen at my home during the vacation. It seemed that I could earn a lot of evil points this vacation.

"However... Where will Miss Klana and the nobles live?"

"Could it be the imperial palace?"

"Come on... It's impossible. After all, that's the imperial palace..."

"However, if they really hide in the imperial palace... Is there a chance to visit the imperial palace?"

Just as the commoners who were packing their bags and looked a little excited said, due to the particularity of this exam, the royal family issued a public announcement, specially pardoning the crime of breaking in anywhere.

It can be seen that this matter sure enough...

"Young master, it seems that this matter is a trap set by Miss Klana. So..."

"I know that too."

"Ah?"

Kania, who was quietly packing her bags, secretly spoke to me. I replied in a low voice.

When I saw Klana's bewildered expression just now, to be honest, I was still half in doubt. But with her experience of going through many things, it should be no problem for her to hide her expression.

Moreover, if I order myself to be locked in the room and implement an ironclad defense during the vacation, even if she is the one collaborating with the Moonlight Family, it will be quite difficult for her to assassinate me.

However, including her, the nobles can legally invade the duke's mansion due to the public announcement... If they want to assassinate me, I'm afraid there is no better opportunity than this.

So, with her intelligence, she probably has already calculated that I will stay in the duke's mansion throughout the vacation and then planned this.

"Of course, she may have other ulterior motives."

It is quite rare for a student to decide whether another student is removed from Class A. No, it is not so much rare as rather suspicious.

Therefore, if she planned this... Then there must be some ulterior motive hidden in it. Although her power base is still weak, it is still a mystery how she exerted such influence.

"Kania, when will the position of the commander be announced?"

While thinking about this, I tentatively asked Kania.

"A week later. It is said that a week later, both commanders will receive the notice at the same time."

"...There's still time then."

There were already a lot of things to do and I was really busy. Now, being forced to have my position tracked was really giving me a headache.

But what could I do? Since things had come to this, I could only make the best use of the situation.

"Frey, you."

Just as I was about to walk out, someone suddenly grabbed my arm.

"Who are you...?"

I turned around and saw that Arianna, Irina's childhood friend, was glaring at me fiercely.

"Have a talk with me for a while."

"No, it's annoying."

Of course, I didn't want to get involved with someone as fierce as Irina, like Arianna. So, I firmly refused and was about to quicken my pace and leave.

- Smack!

Gnashing her teeth, Arianna unfolded a barrier, blocking my way and continuing to glare at me.

"Just for a little while, please."

"Sigh..."

In the end, I let out a sigh, turned around, and walked towards the classroom with her.

"...What's going on? What's wrong with Arianna?"

"I don't know. She must be crazy. Go and persuade her."

"Forget it. Who can persuade her?"

Of course, in order to let the commoners outside clearly see me and Arianna, I deliberately left the classroom door wide open.

"So, what do you want to say?"

I walked to the center of the classroom and asked with an arrogant expression. Although I had already pictured in my mind from start to finish what she was going to say to me, pretending not to know at this time would be more effective.

"Please, give Irina back to me."

While I was casually playing dumb, Arianna suddenly closed her eyes tightly, knelt down on the ground, and began to plead.

"I will do whatever you ask me to do. If you want me to bark like a dog, I will bark; if you want me to crawl on the ground, I will crawl; if you want me to offer my body, I will offer my body... Just please give my friend back to me."

As she said this, Arianna began to shed tears.

"Irina, come here for a moment."

I calmly looked down at her and waved to Irina, who was standing quietly in the crowd in the distance, saying, "Do you know her?"

When Irina silently walked into the classroom, I raised the corners of my mouth and threw the question at her.

"No... I don't."

Irina lowered her head and answered in a trance.

"A, Arianna! What on earth have you been through!"

"..."

Seeing this scene, Arianna couldn't help but grab her and shake her vigorously, but Irina just avoided her gaze and pretended to be okay.

"Sorry..."

I quietly watched this scene, then pulled Irina away from beside Arianna, put my arm around her waist, and said, "...I'm already having a hard time dealing with Irina. I have no intention of increasing the number of slaves."

After saying these words, I left Arianna, who was still looking dazed, and left the classroom with Irina.

"What are you looking at? Hurry up and leave."

After that, I drove away the commoners who had been silently watching us and walked quietly in the corridor with Irina.

"...Young master, you can let go of your hand now, right?"

"Ah."

Just then, Kania coldly spoke to me from behind. I was startled, quickly let go of my hand, and said awkwardly.

"Er... Kania. The duke's mansion might be a bit noisy during this period. Are you okay with that?"

"Haa..."

Hearing this, Kania first let out a sigh, and then answered with a blank expression.

"I will try my best to figure something out."

Seeing her like this, I felt a bit sorry for her. Just as I was thinking about whether to buy her a fatigue recovery potion, Pelosh suddenly appeared from behind.

I was startled for a moment, worried that she might have heard our conversation. But seeing her glaring at me with an unhappy look, I breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "What's wrong again?"

"What did you do to Miss Irina?"

Hearing this, I let out a sigh, expecting the conversation to be long-winded. It seemed that I also needed to prepare a fatigue recovery potion for myself.

.....

"Young master, but if we take in so many students at home, what about the 'Main Quest'?"

"The Main Quest?"

Sitting in the carriage, as we were heading towards the duke's mansion that had suddenly become a forward base, Kania suddenly threw this question at me.

"Yeah, after all, it's a big deal... We need to make preparations in advance. If we have to deal with the exam until the end of the vacation..."

"It's okay. According to my plan, we should launch a surprise attack when the event is coming to an end. There's still some leeway."

I answered her casually, then leaned against the carriage seat and murmured to myself.

"Great... Everything is perfect. It's been a long time since things have gone so smoothly."

Before this, everything was full of variables and surprises. On the first day of my return, wouldn't the heroines' memories emerge? ...Wouldn't those scenes that had never been remembered emerge? ...Wouldn't that unknown system appear? ...

But now everything is within my calculations. I have already figured out how to lead the commoners to victory while steadily earning infamy points. As for the next Main Quest, "Liberate the Slave Market", I have already formulated a thorough plan since the last timeline.

Of course, as usual, we can't rule out the possibility of variables or unexpected situations. But at least this time, I am confident that I can deal with any situation...

"...Frey, are you really okay?"

"What?" Just as I was thinking this, Irina looked at me with a worried expression and threw this question at me.

"Can you handle Arianna completely?"

Hearing that sentence, I let out a soft sigh and answered, "...Who knows?"

Although Arianna is obviously a kind person, once she loses her mind, there's no telling what she will do. If she is good at offensive magic rather than defensive magic, there may be no way to stop her.

Just take the moment when I left the room with Irina just now. That strong murderous intent already explained everything.

"Sigh... Forget it. Since things have come to this..."

- Bang!

"...Huh?"

Just as my mood, which I had with great difficulty calmed down, started to get irritable again and I couldn't help but sigh, there was a loud noise from the carriage, and the speed began to slow down.

"...What's going on?"

I frowned and carefully leaned out of the window to take a look. I saw a man blocking the carriage we were riding in.

"Hey! Get out! Do you know who's in the carriage now..."

The coachman driving the carriage lost his temper with the man, and the man blocking the way answered in a steady voice, "I'm here to see Lord Frey Rahn Starlight. I'm sorry for the offense as I have something urgent."

"....!!!"

Hearing this voice, Kania, Irina, and I froze at the same time. Because the owner of this voice was exactly the most trusted deputy of the Demon King in the previous timeline.

"...You stay here. I'll go out and take a look."

"Y, young master!"

"Frey!"

Afraid that Kania or Irina might suddenly follow, I quickly got out of the carriage and stood calmly in front of him, who was dressed in formal attire, and threw a question at him.

"So, what's the matter?"

"Well..."

The second-in-command smiled and replied.

"...You'll probably have to come with me right away."

"Why?"

As I responded, I quietly placed my hand on the hilt of the sword at my waist.

"Because the cadre meeting can't start without your presence, Mr. Frey."

"What?"

Upon hearing these words from his mouth, I suddenly doubted my ears.

"...Congratulations on your promotion to the highest cadre, Lord Frey."

It seemed that I would have to be very careful with my words and actions in the coming days.