"Yay! Lea! You made it too!"

Ariel suddenly let out an excited cry, pulling Lea out of a brief daze. The strange ripples of emotion from a moment ago dissipated, replaced by genuine joy deep in her heart.

She really made it!

This was just the first step.

But thankfully, she had successfully taken that step.

Although Ariel had comforted her earlier, saying there were other ways, if she had failed at this stage, she wouldn't have known how to face returning to Holy City with any semblance of dignity.

Close call.

Lea exhaled a long sigh of relief, unable to resist patting her ample chest, sending waves rippling in the process. At the same time, she couldn't help but sneak another glance to the side.

The blond man still wore his clean, composed smile, gently clapping his hands in congratulations.

Moen Campbell, you...

"Well, look at you! Just got selected and you're already showing off, you big cow!"

Ariel, oblivious to Lea's stealthy actions, swung her mischievous claws with an evil grin, habitually preparing to pounce on Lea to roughhouse while taking the opportunity to grope what she had refrained from earlier that morning.

But just as her claws were about to succeed...

"Wait, wait a minute."

Lea's face turned slightly red as she crossed her arms over her chest, taking a small step back.

"There are so many people watching here."

Ariel froze for a second.

Only then did she shake off her excitement and notice the gazes being cast in their direction.

Of course. Having the two chosen individuals gathered in the same spot naturally drew the attention of almost half the auditorium.

"Uh... sorry. I got a little too excited."

Ariel scratched her head awkwardly, but then she suddenly pulled Lea into her arms, raised her head, and glared fiercely at the onlookers.

"What are you staring at? Nothing to see here! Never seen a pair of geniuses before?"

Lea belonged to her. How could she tolerate these filthy, disgusting men gawking?

Disappointed murmurs of sighs rippled through the crowd, but the prying eyes soon turned away.

Ariel, previously scorned by many as the illegitimate daughter of a count, was now a renowned figure across the Academy. Adding to her fame was her recent feat of skipping several grades and defeating a senior from her fifth year, a significant slap to the faces of those who had sought to humiliate her. Naturally, by now, fewer dared to provoke her.

Seeing those unwelcome stares disperse, Ariel puffed up like a victorious rooster, proudly surveying the room. Then, as if sensing something, her gaze suddenly landed nearby.

"And you, Moen Campbell, what are you staring at?"

Ariel's brows furrowed sharply.

"Take your filthy gaze elsewhere!"

"Huh... filthy gaze?"

Moen's clapping hands froze mid-motion as he blinked his innocent eyes.

"I was just offering congratulations. Didn't mean anything else."

"We don't need your congratulations. Since when were you close to Lea?" Ariel snorted indignantly.

In her memory, Moen Campbell had little to no interaction with Lea. Yet recently, he kept finding excuses to approach her. If he wasn't up to something scheming, who'd believe it?

"Alright, alright. Ariel, you're overreacting," Lea said gently, giving Ariel a small nudge. "It's not big deal. Being merely looked at won't hurt."

*Sigh.* "Lea, you're just too kind."

Ariel let out a few displeased grumbles while reluctantly shaking her head.

Kindness, charm, innocence—these were the qualities that made Lea so irresistibly dazzling.

Those qualities, like gems, were bound to attract covetous eyes.

Precisely because of that, Ariel vowed to protect Lea, who belonged solely to her, from others' hands!

Especially from the likes of Moen Campbell!

While others might be tricked, as someone who knew his true colors from before, Ariel was all too aware of what kind of vile person he truly was!

But... thankfully, Lea would soon accompany her to Holy City.

As for Moen Campbell, a good-for-nothing duke’s son who had nothing but family connections and dirty money...

He could just rot away in Belland, playing the perpetual playboy...

"The final candidate..."

Professor Pulan's deep, solemn voice suddenly reached Ariel's ears.

"From the second year: Moen... Campbell!"

"What—"

Ariel froze, letting out an involuntary gasp of disbelief.

Not just her—the entire auditorium fell into brief silence before erupting into a cacophony of restless murmurs.

Who?

Moen Campbell?

Which Moen Campbell?

After a brief moment of mental inertia, everyone came to their senses.

Of course, there was only one Moen Campbell in the Academy.

But why...

The earlier chosen candidates were all well-known paragons of excellence throughout the Academy. When their names were announced, most merely sighed in admiration but weren’t particularly surprised.

Yet Moen Campbell...

Though his reputation and behavior had visibly improved this semester—earning an 80 in the Magic Fundamentals class alone was a widely discussed miracle—

Still, wasn’t this a selection based on overall capability?

Even if Moen Campbell had changed from the loathed spoiled brat of before, what ability did he have to back himself up?

This semester's track record? He defeated one student in the second-year combat course, and...

Oh, right—that streaking incident.

Sure, his streaking while facing a monster *had* been bold, and his body was commendable. But considering how last semester he was the poster child for bottom-tier academics—it had only been a few months. How much stronger could he have possibly gotten?

Besides, there were rumors about him mysteriously disappearing for a time...

Yet he had been picked for the list. Could it mean...

"Moen Campbell! Did you pull strings for this?"

Ariel suddenly pointed her finger accusatorily toward the infuriating man in front of her, her voice teeming with outrage.

"Shameless! Absolutely shameless!"

What qualifications did Moen Campbell have to be a candidate?

Just to be sure, she had even asked her master about him:

"Second-tier martial artist, barely at the peak."

"Magical power? Still woefully low."

See? No magical talent and not even close to a third-level martial artist. Just in terms of ranking, he lagged far behind anyone else!

By any measure, he shouldn’t have been chosen!

Otherwise, what did all her effort mean?

She had worked so hard, put in so much painstaking training, spent so much money...

Meanwhile, every time she caught Moen Campbell, all he seemed to be doing was napping and slacking off!

"Unforgivable..."

The thought of having to traverse to Holy City alongside this joker made her stomach churn.

"They *actually* put me on the official list? I thought they'd come up with some pretense to let me tag along."

Moen, hearing his name announced by Professor Pulan, blinked, momentarily stunned.

But soon enough, he gave Ariel a nonchalant shrug.

"Believe it or not, I was kinda hoping I *could* leverage some strings—on the *not going* side of things, that is."

He had noticed those piercing stares from around the room. But he didn’t pay them much attention.

After all, what could they really do besides glare at him?

The only regret was watching his hard-won reputation likely plunge again...

"Oh, one more thing."

Professor Pulan's voice chimed in again, perfectly timed as always.

Moen’s brows furrowed, sensing a growing unease as he locked eyes with Pulan's unusually sharp smile.

Wait a second—Professor Pulan, you wouldn't...

"So, because the selection criteria for the candidates were not disclosed, and some individuals’ qualifications have been questioned, as per the Academy’s commitment to fairness and transparency..."

Huh?

Moen suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

"To address doubts, over the next seven days leading up to final dismissal, any student meeting the standards may challenge these candidates..."

"...And." Professor Pulan paused meaningfully, sparing Moen the faintest glance of something akin to mischief.

"By the Academy’s solemn decree, during these seven days of trials, no identity or social status will come into play. Nor will retribution follow."

"...Crap."

Hearing this announcement, Moen's face stiffened hilariously.

He immediately felt those previously unsatisfied stares turn predatory—like a pride of lions spotting a de-clawed prey.

Meanwhile, someone—unabashed and unapologetic—broke into raucous laughter:

"Haha! Moen Campbell, you're totally screwed!"