“……”

Pushed back?

Me?

Certainly, if score adjustments are made like this, the team that received the most difficult field will have a higher base score than us.

I handled the given field perfectly. And Lucas did the same.

If both are perfect, the one with the higher base score…

“Aigoo, is our prince’s pride hurt~? It was almost perfect, what a shame~”

“Why would Leo’s pride be hurt? Elias, what did you say?”

“……”

Leo spoke lowly.

“…No. My pride isn’t hurt.”

Leo’s eyes turned to the right broadcast screen.

The image of Lucas lightly embracing his teammates was being broadcast. Simultaneously, Yulia’s gaze met the broadcast camera.

“My victory.”

It’s the victory of Bavaria, which preemptively secured him.

Yulia doesn’t know that fact, but it’s better that she doesn’t know. If she knew, she wouldn’t try to slowly seep in like now but would charge forward aggressively.

Though I didn’t have the initial choice, now that we’re friends, things are different.

I won’t let Baden take him.

“……”

Elias, looking at Leo as if finding him absurd, grinned.

“No fun. I was trying to tease you a bit, but you’re not thinking about the exam?”

“Even if pushed back, we’re still in the bonus point zone anyway.”

“Why haven’t you changed since you were six? I should tell your mother~”

What is he talking about…

Anyway, since the Team 1 friends brought up the ranking issue, there was no need to respond to Elias’s words.

*Beep—*

[26 minutes 37 seconds.]

[Exam concluded.]

Three minutes after Team 6 finished, Team 5 also concluded their exam.

The Team 5 students seemed to think they finished early enough, their faces full of smiles.

‘They probably don’t even imagine that Team 6, without a fire user, finished earlier.’

Students sitting nearby let out ambiguous laughs and worried.

“Ah, what are they going to do.”

“I know…”

However, it didn’t take long for them to grasp reality.

The Team 6 students waited in the examination hall until Team 5 finished, then returned here together.

“Bwahahaha! Ah, look at their faces.”

Elias slapped the empty chair, laughing.

The Team 5 students were entering this place with bewildered faces.

It was only natural, as Team 6 had come out first and was waiting for them.

On the other hand, Team 6, despite being a completely mismatched combination of members, had a harmonious atmosphere.

[Good work taking the exam. The successful candidates will be announced shortly, so please remain seated and wait.]

“Ah, what rank are we? My heart is beating so fast.”

“1st place.”

“The karst was too powerful.”

“Ah, so…”

The Team 1 students conversed behind them.

As Elias began to grin from ear to ear again, Leo quickly changed the subject.

“You’re going straight to the Arts Festival after this, right?”

“Ah, to watch the play? I’m going, but I have to see the professor for a bit after this, so to meet…”

“What did you do this time?!”

“Aw~ I’m the victim this time too. If Luca hadn’t warned me, I might not have been able to take the exam today.”

Might not have been able to take the exam?

But since Lucas’s name came up, he couldn’t probe deeply.

“Anyway, that’s not something to worry about today. Listen carefully. Luca told me not to come to the performance venue today, okay?”

“Why did he say not to come?”

“How should I know? But if he says not to come, we absolutely have to go, right~? Let’s drag our whole class along.”

There must be a reason, yet he barges in blindly…

“Ah, come to think of it, why was the Arts Festival moved up? He asked me to ask.”

“Why else? Otherwise, we’d have to play around a week before the 3rd exam, and everyone would be busy preparing for the exam and wouldn’t participate in the Arts Festival, right?”

Actually, there’s a real reason.

Since half the people here are eliminated today, an event was needed to divert the attention of the dropouts.

Those eliminated by documents accepted reality quickly since they were dropped so fast and didn’t say much, but the 1st phase dropouts who had tasted success are still complaining.

Moreover, since they moved in teams during the 2nd phase, inter-team antagonism intensified, so there was a need to quickly change the subject.

‘Threatening letters, or rather, letters that weren’t quite threats, did come from the Drama Club and Orchestra Club… but isn’t about a week okay?’

Surely students don’t cram for things like this too? It was something Leo couldn’t comprehend.

Just then, the professor’s voice came through the amplification magic again.

[The announcement of successful candidates will now begin. First, before the individual announcement, we will announce the teams receiving bonus points.]

The professor paused once, then called out the teams.

[4th place, Team 5. 3rd place, Team 8.]

“Waaaaaaah!”

“Ah, we’re 3rd? See, knew we’d drop one rank.”

Elias said that, yet wore a satisfied smile.

[2nd place, Team 1.]

“…Huh?!”

Unlike before, the gymnasium was quiet.

Only belatedly did applause and cheers erupt.

The stunned Team 1 students shot up from their seats.

“What, we’re 2nd?!”

“No…! No matter how you look at it, weren’t we the ones who did everything by the book from beginning to end?!”

“……”

While the students couldn’t accept reality, Leo remained seated in silence.

2nd place.

Truly pushed back.

One could think luck favored Team 6 since they received a field requiring more effort, but if I had faced two victims at once on Zugspitze…

I too, like Team 5 and Yulia, would have ordered them to split into two.

‘It’s an acceptable result.’

It’s right that I was pushed back.

Of course, just as much as I am lacking, Bavaria needs talented individuals even more.

***

‘What’s with him.’

Scary?

I avoided looking at the Team 1 waiting area on the opposite side. I don’t know if he’s looking at Tsheringen or me, but Leo has been glaring this way constantly since earlier.

Still, there was someone trembling behind me, so I didn’t have the mental energy to spare for other teams.

“W-W-We haven’t been called yet… could it be…!”

“Ah, just stay still…! I hear sounds twice as loud!”

“……”

Melvin and Philip both whispered, their faces pale.

‘What are these guys thinking.’

“Team 1 is 2nd, huh.”

Tsheringen, beside me, muttered with a faint smile.

‘At least this one grasps the situation quickly.’

Just then, the professor looked towards where we were and opened his mouth.

[1st place, Team 6.]

“…!”

“Waaaaaaah—!”

Cheers pierced my eardrums.

I stood up from my seat and once again briefly embraced the students.

‘They evaluated it better than expected.’

We beat the likely 1st place team.

If we fought individually, beating Leo would have been difficult.

To beat my teacher, even if just as a team, feels novel.

“It’s thanks to you, Lucas.”

Tsheringen said to me with a smile.

“Nah.”

“Guys, you really went through a lot…. Seriously thought we’d freeze to death but came down alive… and even got bonus points…”

Philip sounded almost like he was crying.

His textbook scores were disastrous, so I thought he didn’t have much ambition, but that didn’t seem to be the case.

[1st through 4th place will uniformly receive 10 bonus points. From now on, the individual announcement of successful candidates will begin.]

“…W-Wait. This isn’t the end?”

“Ah, receiving bonus points doesn’t mean all team members passed. I wonder how our team did.”

At Tsheringen’s relaxed words, Philip let out a groan.

[The highest score among successful candidates is 100 points, the lowest is 63 points. Successful candidates, please come down to the 1st floor. 24th place, 63 points. Victoria Biermann.]

A Team 8 student ran down to the center of the arena.

Soon, the rankings of 19 people were called.

Meanwhile, the only person left beside me now was Tsheringen.

Tsheringen, not trembling at all, still smiled with a calm face.

“All our teammates made it to the 3rd phase. Hope we meet in the next team too.”

“Same here.”

First off, almost no one was chosen from the teams that didn’t receive bonus points.

Only one or two students with useful Unique Abilities from each team were called down.

As expected, the bonus points were a major factor determining pass or fail.

‘Now it’s 5th place.’

[5th place, 90 points. Elias Hohenzollern.]

“What! Why am I 90 points?! Should be higher!”

“Because you protected the ruins first…”

“Aha~”

Elias and Leo’s conversation could be heard from the 1st floor.

Still, no reason to be disappointed.

Missing half the practice period and still getting 90 points is considerable.

Being ranked 5th after worrying about failing just days ago is a success in itself.

[4th place, 97 points. Yulia Tsheringen.]

“Waaaaah—!”

“Ah, I’m 4th. Need to prepare, Lucas.”

Tsheringen said that, smiled, and stood up from his seat.

‘Thought he’d be higher, unexpected.’

[3rd place, 98 points. Narce Farnese.]

From the other side of the spectator seats, Narce smiled and went down to the arena.

It’s nice that friends’ names are being called as the rank gets higher.

I could see the friends who went down to the arena secretly gesturing towards me behind the professor’s back.

[2nd place.]

‘Now I’ll be called too.’

[None.]

“…?!”

“Eh?”

Instantly, the eyes of all students in the spectator seats turned towards me.

Even though the noise from the students grew louder, the professor paid no attention and called the 1st place.

[1st place, 100 points. Leonard Wittelsbach.]

“What?”

“What about Lucas…?”

My eyes met Leo’s as he stood up.

Though he was feigning impassivity, I could feel his momentary surprise at me not being called.

The successful candidates started looking back and forth between the professor and me, looking bewildered.

[That makes 23 people, correct?]

There should be 24 successful candidates.

So that they can be grouped into four teams of six for the 3rd phase, right?

The professor looked over the 23 successful candidates, then lifted his head.

[We have a tie for 1st place. 100 points, Lucas Askanian.]

“……”

“…Waaaaaaah—!”

I unknowingly let out the breath I had been holding.

‘…Are you kidding me…’

My heart almost stopped.

Why not just call them at the same time?

More importantly, 100 points.

Never expected it.

Getting 100 points in practical skills at this school is not common.

‘Received a better evaluation than expected.’

“Lucaaaa~!”

“Quiet down, Elias.”

Another student beside Leo hushed him.

Going down to the arena, I felt the lights shining hotly overhead.

Acknowledging Tsheringen’s nod, I stood next to Leo.

Seeing I had arrived at my spot, the professor opened his mouth.

[While the principle is generally not to have ties for the same rank, by unanimous decision of the 1st and 2nd Academy faculty, an exception has been made for this 2nd year, 2nd phase selection.]

The professor looked towards Leo and said.

[Student Leonard Wittelsbach of Team 1 was awarded the highest score for accurately knowing what should be prioritized in a complex field and efficiently leading his teammates.]

“Thank you.”

[And student Lucas Askanian of Team 6 was awarded the highest score for swiftly utilizing existing knowledge and information in a crisis situation. It was the most difficult exam among the four tests, and correspondingly, no team in the 3rd and 1st year exams held at the same time answered this field correctly.]

The professor looked back and forth between Leo and me and continued.

[Both students showed the best skills in their respective fields. Congratulations on 1st place.]

As I managed my expression and smiled, someone next to me extended a hand.

“…Eh?”

Elias’s surprised voice came from the end.

No, it wasn’t just Elias. All the friends standing in the front row looked this way with bewildered eyes.

Leo was extending his hand expressionlessly.

“……”

He couldn’t possibly not know that acknowledging me in front of other students is forbidden.

Seeing no emotion in his expression, it seems he too is acting.

‘…This bastard, dangerously…’

Does he mean, since we dared to get the same rank, let’s compete properly?

Probably not.

Because this guy raised the training intensity like he had a vendetta, my thoughts keep jumping like this whenever I deal with him.

Of course, there must be a definite reason for him suddenly doing something he never did before.

‘Need to skip training for a while.’

Who knows what kind of trouble might fly my way again.

I shook his hand simply and finished the greeting.

[Now, the 24 people here will be divided into 4 teams of 6 and advance to the 3rd phase. Only six among these will be eliminated, so your hearts should be much lighter, right?]

“……”

Lighter?

Can’t say that.

Everyone here will be aiming for Team 1.

Isn’t this exam effectively about ranking within the top 6 out of 24?

As expected, nobody answered.

The professor smiled understandingly and opened his mouth.

[Alright, then, we will now announce the 3rd phase teams.]

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep