I’m the Slit-Eyed Character at the Academy, but I’m not the Mastermind

“F-First place is…”

“Luna?”

“That mischievous cat?”

The students stared in shock, their faces blank with disbelief.

Even Luna looked as stunned as they did.

Her mouth gaped open as she stared at Caron.

Luna got first place…

Thinking about it, it wasn’t all that surprising.

She had been there when I fought those four lower demons.

There was also that one rabbit… but since the professors didn’t witness the fight, her score was probably judged lower.

The scoring was based on the wounds found on the lower demons’ corpses and the testimonies of witnesses. This naturally minimized Rezé’s contribution.

Few people knew it was Rezé who had launched those powerful attacks, tearing holes through the bodies of the demons.

Some of Rezé’s wounds might’ve been mistaken for Yuridia’s magic too.

In a way, Rezé’s overwhelming firepower was a problem in itself.

Many of the creatures, like the ground beetles and other insects, were vaporized without a trace.

Without bodies left behind, it was impossible to accurately assess the number of monsters Rezé took down.

Plus, she ran off at the end.

Rezé had been so stealthy it was like she’d vanished into thin air.

No verifiable attacks.

No bodies to examine.

And on top of that, she’d fled.

It was no wonder Rezé’s score was lower than Luna’s.

“Luna.”

“Y-Yes?”

“Come up here. I’ll present you with your award.”

“An award… for me?”

“Well… because you’re the top scorer?”

“…?”

Luna seemed genuinely unable to believe she had come out on top.

Caron didn’t rush her. He simply held the award, waiting for Luna to fully process the situation.

Favoritism, plain and simple.

If it had been me, he’d probably have yelled, “No award for idiots who ask stupid questions!” and torn it to shreds.

So that’s why he seemed in a good mood… because Luna got first place.

Perhaps finally coming to terms with it, Luna rose from her seat and started walking toward the podium.

“This can’t be right. She only helped a little with a few lower demons.”

“Yeah, and she was the first to go down against the higher demon.”

“The ones who fought the higher demon to the end were Zero, Yuridia, Victoria, Alex, and Raymon. And she’s the top scorer?”

The closer Luna got to the podium, the louder the students’ whispers became.

Though tinged with envy and jealousy, they weren’t entirely wrong.

High demons are on a completely different level.

If you encounter a high demon, you’re supposed to flee. That’s the basic protocol at Annwood Academy.

High demons are in a class of their own.

In other words, no matter how many lower demons you take down, one high demon outweighs them all.

The students’ points weren’t invalid.

Caron must’ve anticipated this. The other professors too.

No matter how much authority he has, Caron can’t decide the top scorer by himself.

The other professors had also reviewed the scores and debated, ultimately agreeing that Luna deserved the top spot.

There must have been something we didn’t know—something that made Luna’s first place unavoidable.

“Everyone, quiet down.”

Caron’s polite yet firm request echoed through the classroom.

Was it just me, or did he sound like he was saying, ‘If you value your life, shut up.’?

Judging by how quickly the room went silent, it seemed I wasn’t the only one who heard it that way.

“I’ll explain why Luna is the top scorer.”

Caron looked down, focusing on Luna standing in front of the podium.

His eyes softened, just a touch.

I’ll have to tell him later—he doesn’t hide his smile as well as he thinks.

“It’s not just that she fought four lower demons. What’s important is that she kept running without rest to save her friends and comrades.”

Exactly. We had run from Zone 1 through Zone 4, fighting demons without stopping.

While I’d done it for the rewards, the professors probably saw it as the heroic act of someone rescuing their friends.

That’s why Teron’s score was lower too.

Even though he knew other zones were under attack, he didn’t move a muscle.

This lack of action resulted in a bigger penalty than he likely anticipated.

“Wait a moment. This seems a bit unfair.”

“What’s unfair about it?”

“The demons appeared in sequence from Zone 1, didn’t they? If I’d started in Zone 1, I would have kept fighting while moving too.”

“Yeah, same here. You can’t even see Zone 1 from Zone 4.”

“If Lady Yuridia had been in Zone 1, she would’ve fought alongside them till the end. She only couldn’t because she started in Zone 2.”

Several students voiced their grievances.

They weren’t entirely wrong.

Luck played a role in starting in Zone 1 where the demons first appeared. It was understandable for them to feel frustrated if top scores were influenced by sheer chance.

“I understand. The professors raised those points as well. But ultimately, they all agreed on Luna as the top scorer. There was something decisive about her actions that set her apart.”

“Something decisive? What was it?”

“Sacrifice.”

Sacrifice.

An act of selflessness for the sake of an object or person.

“She threw herself in the path of the high demon’s lightning attack, protecting the Principal with her own body. It was a true act of sacrifice.”

“Hold on. We sacrificed ourselves too! We fought hard to protect our friends!”

“Yeah! It’s unfair to get a high score just for saving the Principal!”

The students’ argument was clear.

They’d saved friends, soldiers, the Principal—all lives of equal value. But the Principal’s title skewed the perceived ‘worth’ of the sacrifice.

Receiving higher points just for saving the Principal felt unfair.

“…”

The students fell silent. Caron’s gaze burned with intensity.

It wasn’t because they didn’t acknowledge Luna.

They simply didn’t understand the core of the matter.

“What you did wasn’t sacrifice. It was self-serving behavior.”

Yes. They drew their swords to save friends and soldiers, but none of them had truly made a selfless sacrifice.

They fought simply to survive and to earn higher scores.

“True sacrifice means drawing your sword for someone else. That is what being a knight means.”

Exactly. Luna had earned that right.

The fastest path to becoming a hero.

The right to become a knight.

“Does anyone still have objections? If so, speak now. I’ll be sure to remember you as the kind soul who volunteered to take the next high demon’s attack.”

The students shrank back.

Frankly, just the thought of taking a high demon’s attack was terrifying.

Most of them had run when the high demon appeared, and none of them were bold enough to volunteer now.

Caron began reading the certificate.

“For great contributions to the defense of Carpathia.”

“For selfless sacrifice, risking one’s life.”

“For saving many lives.”

“Thus, I award this certificate, as a testament to a heroic spirit.”

Luna accepted the certificate from Caron, and just then, a hologram popped up in front of me.

[Party member Luna has claimed the top spot in the midterm exams.]

[Title ‘Little Knight of Carpathia’ acquired.]

[Little Knight of Carpathia]

All Stats +7

All Attribute Resistances +5

“This time, I’ve lost. Congratulations, Miss Luna.”

“Sob… it’s so moving. The power of love truly is amazing.”

“She’s incredible!”

Thunderous applause erupted.

Especially from Rezé, who was cheering more fervently than anyone else. Not that anyone could hear her tiny voice.

“Ahem, achieving first place is indeed impressive. And as you already know, Luna saved the Principal’s life. Because of that, they were able to defeat the high demon.”

Why is he embellishing it so much?

The longer Caron spoke, the more uneasy I felt.

“The Empire is strict about rewards. They couldn’t let such a contribution go unrecognized. So, they’ve decided to give her a small artifact as an additional reward. I happened to come across it on a mission, so there’s no need to be jealous.”

I quickly used my [Information Window] skill on the ring falling into Luna’s hands.

[Ring of the Swordmaster Frederick: S-Rank]

–A ring used by Swordmaster Frederick 200 years ago. Greatly enhances swordsmanship training.

Increases the rank of [Swordsmanship] skills by one.

Increases the rank of all sword-related skills by +1.

Increases damage of all sword-related skills by +10%.

…Why is that here?

It’s an endgame item on par with Luna’s [Breath of the Spirit].

That’s right. A pinnacle-tier item.

You’re only supposed to obtain it near the end of the game, and yet here it is, in Chapter 2, no less—now two in Luna’s possession.

That damn lolicon Caron…

It was obvious what was going on.

Normally, the only reward for ranking first in the midterms is a title.

This level of reward? Unprecedented.

Maybe the reward changed because we took down a high demon after Marbelga, but…

That’s unlikely. And on top of that, the item is perfect for Luna?

There’s only one explanation.

Caron prepared this gift especially for Luna.

A private present, wrapped under the guise of a top scorer’s reward.

And he even had the nerve to claim he “picked it up on a mission.”

Lowlife lolicons—knights should be doing something about people like him.

“It looks really old. Not even my grandfather would wear this.”

“It’s all scratched up, and there’s no gem in it.”

“Repaying a life-saving debt to the Principal with something like that? Typical Empire scum! Maybe they’re just worried about their own finances!”

Luckily, the ring’s appearance was rather shabby.

No one seemed to suspect it was a top-tier artifact, so Luna probably wouldn’t get pestered over it.

Looking dazed, Luna returned to her seat with her certificate and artifact.

“I’m sorry… I ended up taking first place. That spot should’ve been yours.”

“Keke, it’s only because I made mistakes that I lost the top spot. There’s no need to apologize.”

“But still…”

“It’s fine. You deserve it, Luna. As Caron said, sacrifice isn’t easy. Even if it hadn’t been about scores, the competition would’ve been fierce.”

“Y-Yeah! And even if we went head-to-head, Miss Luna would still be… f-first!”

Oh, little rabbit, didn’t you hear what Caron said earlier?

I was the rightful top scorer. I only lost out because of penalties.

Well, it doesn’t really matter.

Losing the title is disappointing, but if I’d been top scorer, I wouldn’t have gotten [Frederick’s Ring].

Is it possible I could have? No, definitely not.

Caron would never hand me an endgame item like that.

In a way, it’s a relief that Luna got first place instead.

Luna’s growth benefits the entire party. And later, when we’re split into smaller teams, it’ll be crucial that everyone is well-rounded.

With Luna growing stronger, this was probably better than me taking the top spot.

“The runner-up is Yuridia.”

A loud cheer erupted from the Yuridia faction.

For the first time, they’d managed to surpass the Teron faction’s dominance, so of course they were thrilled.

“Second place… It’s a shame, but there’s no helping it. At least we proved that love conquers all.”

Yuridia’s lips twitched with satisfaction.

She was struggling to hide her glee.

“Yuridia got second? Then third place must be…”

“You idiot! Of course it’s Lord Teron!”

“We heard the scoring criteria! It’s heavily biased against Teron’s faction!”

“Anyone else is fine, but being placed below Victoria would be a disaster!”

“Everyone, quiet! We can’t hear Caron!”

Third place would be problematic, but dropping lower would be an even bigger blow.

I admit I’m curious too.

Teron had mentioned he expected to place sixth, but he was a consistent contender for second or third place in the midterms.

With the penalty system affecting the ranks now, he might still have a shot at the top three.

If Yuridia’s second, then Teron will probably be third, right?

Landing in third would at least save face.

Just then, as everyone held their breath, Caron pinned a piece of paper to the board.

“If you’re interested in the rankings beyond this, check the board yourselves.”

So he wasn’t concerned about anyone other than Luna.

After posting the rankings, Caron vanished like the wind.

Damn lolicon bastard.

–TL Notes–

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