Chapter 88: Midterm Exams (5)

The academy had entered the full-fledged exam week.

With nearly 500 students per grade, it was common to divide time slots or classes for the same lecture’s exam.

To prevent cheating, the student composition was randomly mixed, and even those in the same class often had different exam times.

Scratch, scratch.

Carl was currently in the middle of taking the “History of the Empire I” exam.

The total exam time was four hours.

Starting from 8 in the morning and lasting until lunch, it devoured the entire morning in one grand stretch.

“……”

Sighs could be heard here and there.

Since this was the monumental first exam, everyone had intended to give it their best effort—only to find the difficulty far higher than expected.

‘Well, that’s to be expected.’

History of the Empire, naturally, was divided into multiple-choice and essay sections.

The multiple-choice part had fifty questions in total.

If one had attended lectures diligently and studied the exam scope, this part wasn’t much of a problem.

Most students finished the multiple-choice in around thirty minutes, but the moment they saw the essay section, without exception, they let out hollow laughs.

There were only three questions, each with a prompt of merely two to three lines.

Since it was in free-response format, if one believed their answer was sufficient, they didn’t have to fill an entire page. On the other hand, if they had more to say, they could request as much paper as they needed.

Which was exactly why the section was so difficult.

‘History is just history—why are they asking me to put in my personal opinions?’

By now, Maximilian had fully recovered his condition, yet he scratched his head while glaring at his empty answer sheet.

Only about forty minutes had passed since the exam began.

There were still over three hours left, but for some reason, it already felt daunting.

Rustle, rustle.

A sideways glance toward Carl revealed him writing down his answers without hesitation.

Never before had Maximilian envied Carl as much as he did now.

‘The difficulty is quite something. Even for cadets, this won’t be easy.’

In contrast, Carl wrote without any burden.

Maximilian had thought he might use the Archive to compose his essay answers, but since this was an official exam, it seemed Carl insisted on the classic method.

Tap.

About three hours after the exam began, Carl finally set down his pen.

Since it was the first exam, he had taken extra care.

Some problems seemed specifically designed to be difficult for cadets, as if conscious of the perfect score he had achieved on the entrance exam.

It appeared they had no intention of giving away a perfect score so easily—but Carl had seen through all of them and completed a flawless answer sheet.

Even among first-years, no one would have written a more perfect essay section than his.

His experience from joining the Ancient Ruins Exploration Club had been a great help in that regard.

“Hmm, think you did well?”

When Carl stepped up to the podium to submit his exam and answer sheet, Professor Leblik, the exam’s proctor and question-setter, asked.

From the sparkle in the professor’s eyes, it was clear he fully expected Carl to achieve an excellent result once again.

“It was very difficult.”

“I put in a little extra effort this time. After all, a perfect score shouldn’t be easy to get. If Cadet Carlos gets a perfect score this time, I’ll acknowledge you as the next club president.”

“Haha……”

Carl gave a bitter smile.

He hadn’t wanted such a position in the first place, yet here they were trying to force it onto him.

Bowing his head, Carl left the lecture hall.

The moment he stepped outside, he spotted cadets sitting by the window, clearly waiting for him.

“Oh, there he is.”

“Carl, how’d you do?”

“What’s the answer to question 34? We’re arguing between Urakan, Delic, and—”

“It’s Delic.”

“Arrgh!”

“Phew. At least I’m in the safe zone now.”

At Carl’s words, Maximilian and Gale had contrasting reactions.

Such scenes were common during exam periods, so Carl just smirked.

“How did everyone do?”

“Man, it was insanely hard.”

“Even the multiple-choice section made my head spin. If it weren’t for Maxim covering for me, I’d have given up early.”

“Thanks, Maxim.”

“Thanks.”

“Khk.”

Targeted, Maximilian looked frustrated but couldn’t really refute it.

It was true that, among his friends, his written scores were the lowest.

But conversely, his practical scores were the highest, more than enough to offset his weaknesses.

“……Just wait until the grades come out.”

Thus, all he could do was mutter under his breath with frustration, already planning for the future.

“Hey.”

Having finished getting ready to go out, Gallon For peeked his head into the inner part of Six’s room.

Six gave no reply, as if still preparing.

So Gallon casually glanced around, taking in the scenery that had remained unchanged since before.

“……Still as creepy as ever in here.”

The interior was nothing short of immaculate.

Everything was arranged with razor-sharp precision, exuding a cleanliness that tolerated neither a speck of dust nor a single strand of hair.

The monochrome walls and ceiling gave a calm impression, yet also an oddly eerie atmosphere.

Sensing the mood, Gallon tried to take a step inside.

But just then, Six’s voice came from deeper within.

“The moment you step in, I’ll cut off all your toes.”

“Ahem, of course I was joking. You think I’d really try that?”

Gallon chuckled awkwardly and quietly backed off.

With a near-maniacal case of obsessive cleanliness, Six loathed anyone intruding on his room or territory.

‘I almost got beaten up once before, too.’

Before they came to the capital—back when they were still in Leipzig—he had once entered Six’s room as a prank, only to nearly lose an ear.

Since then, Gallon had kept to a delicate tightrope, skirting the line without crossing it.

Unfortunately, today was another failure.

“Come on, we’ve known each other for years. Shouldn’t you at least let me into your home?”

“The only one who can enter here is Master. I must refuse anyone else, I’m afraid.”

“What did your poor Master do to deserve having to enter this gloomy room?”

“Which is precisely why you are not allowed in. Conversation, after all, should be between those who share the same sense of aesthetics. Your crude taste will never understand it in your lifetime.”

Even with Six firing off sharp criticism, Gallon didn’t back down and countered.

“Then are you saying Queen or Second can’t come in either?”

“I owe both of them a great deal. I personally respect them as well. Since they understand me, they wouldn’t do something I dislike. They wouldn’t try to force their way in like a certain someone.”

“Tch, so stiff.”

Gallon For let out a short laugh and turned around.

“All right, all right, let’s just go. It’s about time.”

“……I’m more than enough on my own.”

“I think so too. No need for me to go out of my way and get involved.”

“……”

“But you never know what might happen, right? That guy from last time could attack again. I’ll just watch from the side, so I’ll leave handling it to you.”

“Hmph.”

Six gave a reluctant nod.

Not long ago, he had been attacked without warning and put in quite a dangerous situation.

If not for Second’s support, he wouldn’t be here now, chatting with Gallon.

Clatter, clatter.

Six and For left the NOX base for their mission, riding a carriage through the city.

With neither of them lacking in looks, they didn’t draw any trouble.

The streets were just entering evening.

Resting his arm on the window frame as he gazed outside, Gallon looked toward Bayern and asked,

“Master’s probably having dinner with his friends by now, right?”

“……”

“Every time I think about it, it’s strange. That someone who’s been through so much is only twenty years old.”

“……”

“Six, aren’t you curious about Master’s true identity? Want me to tell you?”

“What do you mean by that?”

Having ignored Gallon until now, Six frowned at the remark.

After all, this was about Master’s personal affairs.

“Think about it. Master is only twenty. He’s not lying about his age or origin—he’s of the noble Leipzig bloodline. I, along with the other executives, have been with NOX since its founding and saw him from childhood.”

“Yes, same for me.”

“But does that make sense to you?”

“……”

NOX had only begun to truly take shape when Carl was about ten years old.

What ten-year-old in the world creates an organization that sweeps through the back alleys of a territory?

“Aren’t you curious?”

“……I’m sure every Black Label executive wonders the same thing.”

“Right? It’s not just me. When I asked Queen, she scowled and told me not to dig into pointless things. Second just brushed it off, saying, ‘What does it matter?’ But come on—being curious is natural.”

Gallon shivered his shoulders as if the thought was chilling, gripping his arm.

Now somewhat intrigued, Six turned his gaze toward Gallon.

“So, do you know?”

“I can’t say for sure, but I’ve got one possibility that’s pretty likely.”

“What is it?”

At Six’s question, Gallon glanced around.

With soundproofing magic in place, there was no risk of the conversation leaking out.

Nodding briefly, Gallon cautiously moved his lips.

“Dragon.”

“……”

Six kept silent.

He too had entertained a similar thought.

“Judging by your face, you thought the same.”

“……If that’s true, then it would explain everything.”

“Right? Where did that vast knowledge come from, that skill, resourcefulness, and experience? If this isn’t his first life, everything falls into place.”

Long-lived species like dragons were said to sometimes hide among humans to alleviate centuries of boredom, enjoying their lives.

That was what people called ‘play.’

“For all we know, he might already be reading my thoughts. If he’s a real dragon, he should be able to see through something like this.”

“And if Master really is a dragon, what will you do?”

“What else? I’d be thrilled.”

“……Excuse me?”

Six’s expression stiffened at the unexpected reply.

“Think about it. No matter how amazing a human is, they can’t match a dragon that lives for thousands of years. Right now is just the preparation stage—once he truly steps forward, Master will devour everything. All we have to do is work hard behind the scenes and ride the wave. Master will take care of the big things.”

“That’s a rather irresponsible statement.”

“Let’s just say I’m returning the fun to Master. He’d enjoy it much more that way.”

Six snorted.

What could this lazy, indulgent man possibly know about Master?

For the first time in his life, Six had met another artist in a completely different field whose sensibilities aligned with his own.

He and Master had connected through the art of killing.

That was why he chose to remain in NOX and accept the name Six.

Now, with nowhere else to belong, he intended to devote himself fully to the role he’d taken on.

‘……A dragon, huh.’

Even so, why did Gallon’s words linger in his ears?

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