Editor : Amethyst00



Ding-dong-dang-dong—

The bell rang, signaling the end of the magical studies class and the conclusion of the exam.

"Good job."

Albi collected the test papers with his characteristically sharp expression.

As soon as the exam ended, Carl collapsed onto his desk.

"Ughhhh…"

Looking like his soul had left his body, Carl was poked by Chelsea's finger.

"You're dying."

Watching Chelsea's blatantly disdainful expression, Carl mumbled.

"What's the point of being a hero if I still have to be torn apart by school exams?"

"If people knew the so-called hero was suffering over some school tests, they'd be sorely disappointed."

Chelsea clicked her tongue.

Abad dragged a chair over and sat beside Carl, looking puzzled.

"But didn't you get a special admission as a hero? Shouldn't grades be less of a concern for you?"

"Brother, that's kind of a problematic statement."

"I think so too."

Chloe, who had just finished grading, approached.

Students swarmed around Chloe.

"Chloe! Let me see your test!"

"I'm first!"

They didn't hesitate to get physical for a glimpse at Chloe's paper.

"As expected, Chloe got a perfect score again!"

"Amazing!"

Exclamations of awe echoed throughout the room.

"You're incredible. Perfect scores on all the written exams again?"

"Well, our school values practical exams more than written ones anyway."

The constant rivals for the top spot in the magical studies department were always Chloe and Abad.

"But this time, we've got a strong new competitor."

Chloe smiled and looked over at Chelsea.

While Chloe and Abad usually fought fiercely for first place, Chelsea had consistently held third place.

However, since entering their third year, Chelsea had joined the race for the top.

In response to Chloe's gaze, Chelsea made a V-sign with her fingers.

"Hey, heavenly ones. Could you take this kind of conversation somewhere else?"

Carl muttered with a gloomy face, and Abad raised an eyebrow.

"You seem particularly stressed about this test. Is there a special reason you're so hung up on grades?"

Carl, being Carl, wasn't about to say something textbook about a student's duties.

With a bitter smile, he replied to Abad's question.

"Professor Harrid said that if I slack off on grades just because I got in through special admission, things would get interesting."

"Oof."

Seeing Abad give him a sympathetic look, Chelsea's eyes sparkled.

"Carl, you should totally bomb the next test. I'm curious to see what happens."

"Chelsea. Don't bully your friend."

"Sorry, Carl."

Chelsea apologized immediately when Abad scolded her.

"By the way…"

Chloe tilted her head.

"Eliana's awfully quiet."

Today's final exam marked the end of the test period.

And yet, the noisiest one of them all—Eliana—was quiet.

Everyone turned their puzzled gazes toward her.

Eliana, sitting right in front of Leo, had her hands clasped in prayer while looking at him.

Leo, with his chin resting on one hand, stared at her with disbelief.

"Leo, what is that idiot doing?"

"Praying."

"Praying?"

Curious, Chelsea approached, and Eliana's murmuring could be heard.

"Lord Kyle… Please grant me your blessing…"

After her whispered prayer, Eliana's eyes snapped open as she confirmed the answer to a multiple-choice question.

"Yes! Another one right!"

Clenching her fist in victory, she cheered. Chelsea crossed her arms and asked:

"What are you doing?"

"Grading."

"I can see that. But why are you praying to Lord Kyle while Leo is sitting right in front of you?"

At that, Eliana made a sorrowful face.

"See, this exam… I spent every night hunting students and putting all my energy into solving exam problems, so I didn't have enough time to study."

"You never study anyway. You always cram a few days before the exam."

It was a harsh truth, but Eliana didn't care.

"Exactly. And this time, I didn't even have time to cram the multiple-choice section, so I had no choice but to focus entirely on the short-answer questions."

"Wouldn't it be smarter to study the multiple-choice section since it's easier?"

"Chelsea, you're so dumb."

"Who are you calling dumb, you idiot?"

"Class rep! Chelsea's going to hit me! Help!"

Seeing Chelsea grab her by the collar with a blank face, Eliana desperately called for Leo.

"Just this once—have mercy!"

"Tch."

Leo smiled, and Chelsea clicked her tongue, letting go.

Escaping Chelsea's grip, Eliana pointed at the tip of her pen.

"Look here. There's a number on it, right?"

"So?"

"I roll the pen, and the number it lands on is the correct answer."

"…You're a real idiot, huh?"

When Chelsea frowned, Eliana replied seriously.

"Don't underestimate Lord Kyle's blessing."

"What?"

"This pen belonged to the class rep—Kyle's heir. And during the test, he was right behind me. With his divine blessing, I'm invincible in multiple choice. Every guess I made with this pen was correct."

"…"

Chelsea was speechless.

Eliana cradled the pen in her hands like a sacred relic and lifted it high.

"Worship Lord Kyle! And be saved in your exams!"

"Oho, that's actually a good idea. Maybe I should sell that?"

When Carl approached with interest, Eliana hugged the pen to her chest and waved him off.

"Get lost, you vendor! Shoo! Shoo! If you touch this pen with impure thoughts, you'll taint Lord Kyle's sacred blessing!"

"But isn't it technically Leo's blessing?"

"Like I said, the class rep is Kyle's heir. That makes him practically the same!"

'…That's oddly close to the truth.'

Carl snorted internally.

"Okay! Time to grade my short-answer section! Hehe! I bet I did better than I thought!"

Feeling good after nailing the multiple choice, Eliana eagerly graded the rest.

A few moments later—

Thud—

"I got them all wrong…"

Watching Eliana collapse to the floor in despair, hands and knees planted, Chelsea looked at her with pity.

bl

The dormitory war had also come to an end.

The overall winner was the Summoning Department.

By a narrow margin, they outpaced the Knight and Magic Departments, who had tied for second place.

At the center of that victory was none other than the dorm leader, Lyl.

And unsurprisingly, Lyl was named MVP.

"Tch, Lyl… That monster."

Elena, sprawled out on Leo's room sofa, wore a rare sulky expression.

Seeing her like that, Leo spoke.

"You seem pretty upset."

"Oh? You don't even call me 'sunbae' when we're alone anymore?"

Elena half-lidded her eyes, and Leo gave a small smirk.

Crossing her legs, Elena irritably loosened her tie and unbuttoned a few buttons.

It was a rather provocative pose, though not intentionally—she was just irritated and felt suffocated in her uniform.

After glaring at Leo, she scoffed and turned her attention to the documents.

The reason she lost the MVP to Lyl, even though she had aimed for it, was simple.

During the exam period, she hadn't been able to fully focus on the dorm war.

Now that it was clear the divine power called the "Unmelting Ice" truly existed, Leo had poured all his resources into tracking it down.

He narrowed down the places where suspicious events had occurred and asked Elena for help investigating.

Elena was someone who easily surpassed the average student.

In skill, in power—especially as a secondary head of the Zeron family.

And since she knew Leo's true identity, asking her for help was easy.

While Lysinas handled the Empire and the Shadow matters, and with news of Erebos fragments reviving, Elena couldn't focus solely on school either.

Still, she was annoyed.

Especially since the MVP reward was significant.

Leo said, noticing her mood:

"When this is all over, I'll grant you one wish—so cheer up."

At that, Elena glanced at him and then smiled, sitting up straight.

Leo, staring at her suddenly cheerful face, muttered:

"You really are a kid."

Elena scowled and glared at him.

Ignoring her, Leo turned back to the papers—when the door suddenly burst open.

Bang—

Someone entered.

Elena's eyes widened slightly upon seeing the visitor.

'The Wise Queen …'

She'd already heard about her.

And since Elena knew who Leo truly was, she had expected this meeting.

'Actually, I've already seen her once.'

She'd seen Lysinas once before—when she possessed Chloe.

She hadn't known who it was at the time, but now, facing her in person, Elena felt the tension.

'She's beautiful.'

Elena stood and offered a respectful greeting.

"Honored to meet the great Wise Queen. I'm Elena Zeron."

"Oh yes, I've heard a lot about you."

"Please feel free to speak casually."

"Hmm? Alright then."

Lysinas smiled and sat on Leo's sofa.

"You've got impressive power for someone so young. I look forward to your future."

"You flatter me."

Elena returned a smile.

Seeing Elena remain completely composed, Lysinas smiled as well.

"But… you're a little different from what I heard."

"…What exactly did Leo—or rather, Lord Kyle—say about me…?"

"He called you a hopeless troublemaker."

At that, Elena glared at Leo.

"It's true," Leo replied with a straight face.

Lysinas clicked her tongue and said:

"Anyway, we've found the most suspicious place."

"Where?"

"The Kingdom of Davienne."

"…I see."

"Just as we thought."

Leo and Elena both nodded at Lysinas' words.

bl

The Land of Death ruled by the Lich King.

Tartaros's Supreme Commander.

And now the only surviving Legion Commander from the Erebos era.

With the Queen of Monsters and King of Giants defeated, the Lich King's will now essentially defined Tartaros's will.

At this moment, the Lich King had left his domain to welcome someone.

Crrrrrck—

The lifeless ground froze over.

The Lich King lifted the corners of his mouth and gazed at the figure before him.

"Greetings, Great Ancient God."

A respectful bow.

But a chilling aura of death still flowed from the Lich King's body.

Fwoooosh—

Black flames flared around him.

"There is no place for you in this age."

The Lich King spoke to the silent, forgotten evil god.

"Return to ruinous flame."

At those words, a wave of frost surged.

CRACK-KRKRKRKRK!

Ice clashed with fire.

Flames of destruction collided with eternal ice, reducing the surrounding area to ash.