Chapter 10: Avoiding Attention Is Impossible at This Point

The moment the entry results were posted, I knew I was screwed. 

 I had expected to just barely pass, securing a nice middle-to-high rank where I could safely ride out my time in the Academy. 

 That… did not happen. 

 [Academy Entrance Exam Final Rankings] 

 1st Place – Manjil Roy (Unranked House?) 

 2nd Place – Elara Vaelmont (House Vaelmont, High Noble) 

 3rd Place – Rael Astoria (Main Protagonist, Future Hero of the Empire) 

 4th Place – Gareth Velmore (Still upset about our match) 

 I stared at the results. 

 Then I carefully turned around and moved in the opposite direction before anyone could discover me. 

 Unfortunately, fate—and my newfound popularity—had other intentions. 

 "Hey! You!" 

 I didn't recognize the voice, but I recognized the tone. That was the tone of someone who was about to challenge me to a fight. 

 I pondered stopping time and leaving, but that would be suspect. 

 Instead, I turned around. 

 A towering aristocratic heir with entirely too many ornaments on his clothing was walking toward me, flanked by a gang of sycophants. 

 "Manjil Roy, was it?" He crossed his arms. "Never heard of your house." 

 Great. One of these men. 

 I kept my expression neutral. "That's because we don't go around making a scene." 

 His eye twitched. "Are you mocking me?" 

 I literally just answered your question. 

 Before I could react, another voice interrupted in. 

 "Hah. Looks like someone's already trying to assert dominance." 

 Oh no. 

 I turned my head slightly to see Rael Astoria, the protagonist himself, casually approaching. 

 His dark hair was unkempt, and his typical "I'm the main character" smirk was firmly in place. 

 I had one job—to stay beneath the radar. Instead, I had placed first in the tests and gained the attention of the main story's hero. 

 Fantastic. 

 Rael sized me up, then grinned. "That was some impressive swordplay during the exams." 

 The noble heir from earlier—whose name I still didn't know—clicked his tongue. "Tch. It was just luck." 

 Rael lifted an eyebrow. "Luck? He blocked Gareth's final move mid-air and then lasted an hour in the stamina test. If that's luck, then I'd like some." 

 The noble's face twitched, but he faked a smirk. "Whatever. He won't last once the rigorous training starts." 

 I sighed. I was already fatigued, and lessons hadn't even begun. 

 — 

 The first day of courses was a chaos. 

 Since I had ranked first, the Academy had immediately placed me in Class 1-A, which meant I was surrounded by nothing but monsters in human skin. 

 On my right was Elara Vaelmont, noble prodigy, currently staring at her book like she wanted to swallow its information through pure force of will. 

 On my left was Rael Astoria, lazily stretching in his chair, pretending like this was just another usual day. 

 And in the front of the classroom? 

 Instructor Darius. 

 A retired Imperial Knight, responsible for teaching some of the Empire's greatest fighters. 

 He searched the room, pausing slightly when his gaze rested on me. 

 I instantly pretended to be quite interested in my workstation. 

 "Welcome, students," he finally said. "You are the top-ranked class of this year's Academy entrants. As such, you are expected to execute at the greatest level." 

 No pressure. 

 "To ensure your training begins correctly, today's lesson will be simple." His eyes glittered. "Combat evaluations." 

 …Of course. 

 There was a moan from several pupils, but I merely sighed. This was inevitable. 

 "The matches will be randomly assigned," Instructor Darius continued. "They will serve to gauge your combat level so we can tailor future lessons accordingly." 

 I sat back, mentally preparing myself. 

 The matchups began, and I rapidly recognized something— 

 These students were nuts. 

 One student shattered the earth with a casual sword stroke. Another shot out advanced-level magic like it was beginner-tier. 

 Even Rael, who was still in his pre-protagonist-growth phase, was already outpacing the typical knight. 

 I gulped. 

 Then my name was called. 

 "Manjil Roy versus… Elara Vaelmont." 

 I closed my eyes. Oh no. 

 Elara carefully stood, adjusting her gloves. Her mana blazed for a brief instant, and I felt the pressure from across the training hall. 

 I evaluated my alternatives. 

 Fight normally and risk accidentally overpowering her. 

 Hold back and lose, which would be even more suspect considering my entrance exam performance. 

 Pretend I got an unpleasant stomach and run away. 

 …Tempting, but no. 

 I sighed and headed into the sparring field. 

 Elara tilted her head slightly. "I hope you don't disappoint." 

 Lady, I don't even want to be here. 

 The instructor motioned for the match to start. 

 Elara moved instantly. 

 A explosion of blue light raced toward me, swift and precise. 

 I dodged—and quickly understood my mistake. 

 I had reacted too smoothly. 

 Elara's eyes narrowed. 

 Crap. 

 I quickly stumbled like I had barely escaped it by coincidence. "Whoa—hah, that was close!" 

 Her expression didn't change. 

 Then she lifted her palm, and three more blasts came at me, even faster than before. 

 I had two choices: 

 Dodge again and risk making it evident that I was holding back. 

 Get hit. 

 …Option 2 it is. 

 I braced myself and took the strike directly to the chest. 

 BOOM. 

 I was launched flying across the field, sliding spectacularly across the dirt before coming to a rest. 

 The audience gasped. 

 Elara blinked, shocked that I hadn't blocked it. 

 The instructor nodded thoughtfully. "That was a well-placed strike." 

 I sighed and offered a thumbs-up from the ground. "Good… shot…" 

 Was it overly dramatic? Yes. 

 But was it a decent method to escape suspicion? Also yes. 

 The battle was called in Elara's favor, and I was happily allowed to go without drawing any further attention. 

 …Or so I thought. 

 Later that day, when I was eating lunch, I felt someone staring at me. 

 I turned— 

 And spotted Rael Astoria, the protagonist, walking toward my table. 

 He nonchalantly sat down across from me, laying his arms on the table. "That was an interesting match." 

 I kept my face blank. "Was it?" 

 He grinned. "You dodged her first attack perfectly. But then you suddenly couldn't react to the next one?" 

 I felt my soul leave my body. 

 Rael leaned in gently. "Tell me, Manjil… which one was the real you?" 

 I shoved food into my mouth to avoid answering. 

 This was horrible. 

 Very terrible.