đ Chapter 62:
All the students began heading to their respective rooms for their final exams, while Haizen and I accompanied Prince Elithius to the hall where he would take his exam.
The exams were scheduled to start at 8:00 a.m. and end at 3:30 p.m. Each exam lasted an hour and a half, with a half-hour lunch break. Elithius would take a total of four exams.
Everyone was staring at us with curiosity, especially me, with a cast on my arm. The students whispered among themselves:
"Look, Prince Elithius has two bodyguards⌠but one of them is injured."
I couldn't believe they were paying more attention to me than to Elithius himself. Speaking of him, he appeared calm and indifferent. I wondered what was going on in his head.
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đ§ Elithius' POV:
I can't believe this. I'm extremely nervous and can barely remember anything useful. Not long ago, I saw a huge number of students go to meet Nivan, the Director of the Examination Bureau. He had given them leaks about this exam.
I had gotten the leaks earlier when I was at the palace, but because I had spent so long in the bathroom, I hadn't noticed them, and they fell through the cracks. Most students would pass by cheating â except me, who would fail. I tried to find Nivan again, but my father didn't allow it.
This was truly catastrophic. Although I pretended to be calm, I was internally collapsing. To make matters worse, these two fools were guarding me. They wouldn't allow me a single move. The guards began placing the exam papers around us.
I gathered myself and tried to remember even the tiniest thing. The first question: What are the ethics of a prince?
Ethics⌠well, that's easy. He should treat people well, and they would treat him the same â just as I treated these two idiots. But they treated me rudely. Wait â stop thinking about them.
I wrote down my answer for the first question, even though I wasn't sure it was correct. The second question: List five duties of a citizen.
Alright⌠don't be lazy like Takeru, don't be overly greedy with food, and don't be rude to the king like Haizen. Wait! Stop, you fool, stop thinking about them.
I looked at them. Takeru was looking at my paper mockingly, while Haizen⌠was wiping his nose.
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Hours passed quickly as we took the exams. I filled in all the papers with answers, some even I wouldn't understand. Honestly, this exam should be retaken â not because of me, but because of the state of the country⌠okay, maybe it is because of me.
I looked out the window to see what was happening outside. Everything was quiet. Could the army really deal with the gang? Even though I was one of them, I couldn't judge who was stronger. I could only hope everything would end well.
Ryo supported me last night, and later my father and brother came too. Orfin's shock was still affecting me, but my family being there allowed me to stand again. Without them, I would have completely collapsed.
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đ§ Takeru's POV:
Wow⌠I didn't realize guarding someone could be so boring. I've been here guarding this fool for over seven hours, and nothing remotely interesting has happened.
The highlight was the lunch break. They gave us plenty of water, and I watched Haizen fill his stomach with it. Other than that, all we did was stand in front of this prince and guard him. Guard him from what?
I couldn't believe it. Our duty should have ended yesterday after the prime minister was exposed. There was no need to guard this prince anymore â he was useless to the gang.
Outside, the academy was festive. There was no sign of the gang, as if no fight had occurred between them and the palace.
After all the exams ended, students began leaving their classrooms, perhaps for the last time⌠or maybe not. There was no guarantee they would pass. Well, let's not be negative.
As we walked through the corridors, I asked Elithius how he thought he did:
"So, Elithius⌠how was it? Will you pass, orâŚ"
"I won't answer. You've been looking at me mockingly the whole time."
He must have been extremely nervous about his results. Well, he had completed all his papers. I had a feeling the results of these exams would end in disaster.
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While we were continuing down the corridor, a girl with long, dark purple hair approached us. She was wearing the academy uniform, meaning she was a student. She looked at me angrily:
"Finally, I found you â the one who destroyed my project."
I glanced at Elithius â she wasn't referring to him. I looked at Haizen â same thing. Then she pointed at me:
"I mean you."
Huh? Me? The destroyer of her project? What is she talking about? Had she mistaken me for someone else? I asked her:
"Excuse me, maybe you confused me with someone else."
"No, it's definitely you. The one who fell from the sky onto my project two days ago."
Fell onto her project two days ago? When did I ever fall on someone's project? Wait⌠this must have been when we were chasing Number Five. Oh⌠I started to remember. She was the same girl whose box got destroyed two days ago. Oh⌠she was right.
I didn't expect to see her here. Haizen grabbed my shoulder to tell me something:
"I've seen this girl before. She's the same crazy one who bought oranges with gold coins."
What? Same girl again? She's just an NPC. How does she keep showing up in this chapter? Anyway, I tried to look at her and apologize:
"Look, I'm sorry about what happened. It was just a box."
"Not just a box, you idiot! It was a product I wanted to present at the exhibition to make my name as a merchant known."
"Okay, not just a box⌠but destroying it was an accident. There's nothing I can do about it."
"Oh yes, you can! You will compensate me for that box. You have no idea how expensive it is."
Ugh⌠what an annoying girl. How am I supposed to deal with her now? The foolish prince was looking at me with a mischievous smile, then whispered:
"This girl is called Mirai. She's the most dangerous person in the academy. No one dares to mess with her. Looks like you got yourself in trouble."
The most dangerous person? This? She can't be serious. She didn't look dangerous at all.
Suddenly, she grabbed me by the collar and slammed me against the wall. I tried to move, but I couldn't. Could she really be this strong?
She looked at me with threatening eyes and said:
"So, how are you going to compensate me â money or make another box for me?"
"I won't compensate you for anything. You're extravagant! And what's in your silly box anyway?"
"It's a decorative box with a handle. When you move it, it opens and lights up in bright colors. It's meant for children at bedtime."
"Well⌠that's actually a nice box."
"In fact, someone unknown sold it to me, and I decided to display it at the exhibition. If it succeeds, I'll make more like it."
She had nothing to do with commerce⌠she clenched her fist tightly and said:
"The exhibition is over and won't happen again until next year, so you'll pay me in return."
"Ha! With my partner who'll save me from you."
I looked for Haizen to ask for help, but he wasn't there. Elithius told me he had gone to the bathroom.
"He drank too much water, so he couldn't hold it and went to the bathroom."
Great⌠of all times, now?
Suddenly, we noticed something coming at us from outside the window. The glass shattered, and someone appeared on the broken window. Someone I never expected⌠one of the gang members â Number Three.