Chapter 149: Final Exams (1)

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After the Walpurgis Night Festival and the temporary gathering of the first-year representative team, the Bayern Academy fully entered its exam period.

Day by day, the cadets’ faces grew more haggard, and the atmosphere on campus darkened.

Those who had received low scores in the midterms devoted themselves to studying day and night, desperate to recover in this exam.

Not only the first-years but also students from other grades were struggling, while only Carl leisurely flipped through papers with ease.

Rustle.

The Bayern Library, now firmly established as the meeting place with Luna.

A pair of red eyes looked at the papers and moved slowly as they read.

“We have taken control of and absorbed most of Lahan’s forces without major resistance. It’s no exaggeration to say we have secured the entire Western Third Commercial District.”

“The key is to put Lahan at the forefront. Package it well so that those entering the subordinate alliance perceive Lahan as the core.”

“Yes, understood.”

NOX could exert the greatest influence while remaining as a hidden mastermind in the shadows.

Now that they had acquired Lahan as a useful figurehead, it was only right to exploit it to the fullest.

Lucas, whom the leader of the Demon Humans, Besha, had called a Heretic, had not appeared again since suffering a major defeat at Carl’s hands.

For now, since the initial objective of seizing the Western Third Commercial District was achieved, the plan was to focus on consolidating the foundation.

‘There are two main objectives.’

The first was the expansion of NOX’s power.

The second was the investigation of the Ancient Heroes.

For the time being, expanding NOX’s power had to take priority.

Only with such influence could they investigate ruins or traditions related to the heroes.

“For now, set aside the Ancient Heroes and prioritize collecting information on the Demigod Kylos. Since this one is relatively unknown to the public, it should be easier to gather information unnoticed.”

Of course, the lack of recognition made it harder to find information, but Carl believed NOX had enough capability to dig it up.

“Yes.”

Luna gave a short reply and subtly turned her gaze aside.

She had sensed someone approaching from behind.

Soon after, Laysis peeked her head out from between the thick bookshelves.

“Ah, Carl. I heard you were here. …Oh? Luna, you too, senior.”

“Laysis junior. You’re still trailing after Carl as always.”

Luna instantly shifted the mood, teasing her with a mischievous expression.

“N-no. It’s just, today we agreed to do a study session together.”

“A study session, huh. Must be nice.”

“Aren’t you two doing one?”

“We tend to avoid that since we don’t want to risk leaking information.”

“Ah, I see. Then what were you doing?”

“Ah.”

The one who answered was Carl.

He set down the papers in his hand on the table and shrugged his shoulders.

“I was receiving a report from the organization I manage.”

“…Organization?”

Laysis’ eyes widened.

It was a completely unexpected answer.

In fact, this was the first time she even heard Carl was managing an organization.

Wondering if Luna was involved as well, she turned her eyes toward her.

“I hope we’ll be working together soon.”

Luna winked with one eye as she answered, then gave Carl a light glance of farewell before leaving the library with the documents in hand.

Plans to recruit Laysis into NOX were already in place.

It was a perfect moment to drop some bait, so Carl had taken the opportunity.

“Carl, did you perhaps form some kind of private group inside Bayern?”

“No, not quite. This is an organization I’ve built since long ago. Luna was one of the first I assigned here. Aside from her, there are several others already operating in Bayern.”

“That’s…”

Why?

Laysis swallowed her words instinctively.

She wasn’t foolish enough to ask about something that sensitive.

After a moment of hesitation, she suddenly realized something, her eyes opening slightly wider.

“Ah, could it be that those people who appeared during the external field trip to the Territory of Tohochu were…”

“Correct. They weren’t retainers of Leipzig, but my own subordinates.”

“Ah.”

Laysis let out an exclamation of awe but also wore a puzzled expression.

Just who exactly was Carl?

His individual strength alone was astonishing, and now she learned he commanded a force like this.

Even during the aftermath of escaping Kylos’ Temple and retrieving the treasures, more than a dozen had moved under his orders.

For nobles with some influence, it wasn’t uncommon to secretly maintain private organizations, but Carl was merely the son of a noble family without even a title.

‘But Carl, just how…’

How had he managed to build such an organization on his own?

And why was he revealing such secrets to her?

“……”

Laysis closed her mouth tightly.

She knew Carl had no intent to harm her.

If he had, he would have long since taken advantage of her.

But he never once demanded or took anything from her—he had only ever helped.

In truth, she often felt guilty instead.

Seeing her troubled expression, Carl reached out and gently took her hand.

“This is something only you know, Laysis. Not even Yuria, nor my siblings or parents, are aware of it.”

“…Only me?”

“Yes. Remember when we resonated during the test of Divinity? I caught a glimpse of some of the memories of your life then.”

“That’s true.”

Laysis nodded.

In truth, it was an embarrassing memory.

Showing someone the painful parts of one’s past required great courage.

And she had shown it unfiltered to the very person she relied on most, Carl.

Even now, she sometimes kicked off her blanket in bed at night when the memory surfaced.

“Laysis, you desire freedom. Even your efforts to earn money and build achievements stem from that wish.”

Carl intentionally kept his words vague.

Royalty and high-ranking officials were often bound by oaths and contracts.

He wanted to avoid bringing harm to Laysis, so he spoke indirectly, and she obediently nodded in acknowledgment.

“Perhaps I can help you with that matter.”

“…Help me?”

“For someone of your standing—a princess of Alforam—it’s nearly impossible to escape the bindings of your homeland.”

Marriage into the nobility of another country, or exile.

The most realistic option was marriage.

If she married a powerful noble, it wouldn’t be difficult to push away Alforam’s interference.

Exile, on the other hand, required undeniable ability and achievements, making it far more difficult.

And so, the method Carl could offer was…

“……”

Laysis took a sharp breath.

Her fingertips trembled slightly, her eyes darting aimlessly, busy suppressing the thoughts blooming in her mind.

‘Isn’t this practically a proposal?’

The Count Leipzig Household.

The lord that guarded the empire’s borders.

That place had more than enough power to accept her.

‘And on top of that, Carl and I are…’

They were bound by a certain connection.

Not an abstract or conceptual one, but a truly tangible, physical link.

The connection formed when the power of Divinity obtained from Kylos manifested was said to be a materialization of faith.

If one of them betrayed the other, that bond would break.

At the very least, both Carl and herself felt so.

In other words, when it came to trust, neither could betray the other, and even if one did, the other would notice immediately.

“……”

Laysis fidgeted with the hand Carl was holding, at a loss for what to do.

It was such a sudden suggestion that her mind was a mess, unsure how to respond.

Clatter.

Carl stood up, releasing Laysis’ hand, and gave a small smile.

“We’ll discuss the details later. For now, it would be better to focus on enjoying the present.”

“…All right.”

Laysis obediently nodded.

Ever since entering Bayern, she had been able to enjoy life without burdening herself with the complicated affairs of the world.

There was no need to worry about Alforam’s romantic intrigues, power struggles, or the subtle checks among heirs.

“……”

Seeing Laysis’ expression gradually calm, Carl gave a faint smile.

He had dropped the bait as planned but did not push further.

In truth, with the trust he had earned, persuading Laysis would not have been difficult.

But a hastily stacked tower would not last long.

He needed to slowly seep into her life, until she could not do without him, taking up an essential place in her existence.

That was the surest yet hardest way to win someone’s heart.

“……”

Maximilian was moving his pen with half-dead eyes.

No, it wasn’t only Maximilian.

Gale, Amy, and Rien were all recording exam notes on parchment with exhausted faces.

“…Why are there so many papers to reference just for one exam?”

“They said the midterms were just a taste, and they weren’t lying.”

“We have to do this for the next four years?”

A mountain of papers piled high on the desk had to be studied just for a single exam.

It seemed like it would take an entire day just to read them, and the most discouraging part was that the exams did not end with only one.

“……”

Maximilian scratched his pen across the page with a weary expression, then glanced aside.

Unlike their worn-out faces, some students who had already finished a study session were energetically discussing theories.

“If you use this formula, you can shorten the spell by about threefold.”

“The professor said in lecture that this formula lacks objectivity. He probably wouldn’t be pleased if you used it.”

“Ah, really? Thanks for the tip.”

“That’s what happens when you sleep all the time—you fall for traps like this.”

“Haha.”

Carl, Laysis, Yuria, and even the traitor Pozers.

Carl and Laysis had always excelled in theory, while Yuria and Pozers were sharp-minded as mages.

Unlike them, who were still struggling with the basics, these four had already mastered the fundamentals and reached a level of predicting how professors would set their exam questions.

Honestly, it was hard to understand even half of what they were saying.

“Carl.”

“Yes.”

“Are you aiming for top theory honors again this time?”

At Yuria’s question, delivered with a playful jab to his side, Carl calmly nodded.

“I plan to challenge for it if possible. It carries symbolic weight, after all.”

The honor of top theory was greater than he had imagined.

It meant there was no doubt about his intellect, earning him respect not only from the faculty but also from the cadets.

His goal was to graduate having maintained flawless top theory honors throughout.

‘Hmm.’

On the other hand, Yuria pressed her lips with a finger, lost in thought.

‘Honestly, I think I could surpass him in this exam.’

The first semester’s final exam for the first-years.

One of its questions contained a critical error.

If she pointed it out, she could receive bonus points and score higher than Carl.

That would also unlock a related quest as a reward.

‘But…’

Seeing how Carl was so intent on securing the top theory spot, there had to be some kind of achievement or linked quest he was pursuing.

Would it really be right to interfere with that?

‘I need to think this over.’

Yuria was still afraid of Carl.

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