The midterm exam results were finally posted.

I'd expected nothing more than an unremarkable, safely average score—something that would let me fade into the background without drawing attention.

Instead…

I was ranked first in Class C.

And not by a small margin, either. The gap between me and second place was painfully obvious.

"This… isn't right."

This was the exact opposite of what I wanted. I had aimed for mediocrity—bland, forgettable, perfectly ordinary. Now, instead of blending in, I'd painted a giant target on my back.

"Hahaha! You said you were confident, but you must've studied like crazy!"

Lycan laughed loudly, slapping my shoulder with enough force to make me stumble.

"Ah—y-yes. I suppose you could say that," I replied, forcing a stiff smile.

"At this rate, you might even take first place for the entire year."

Ah… please don't say things like that.

I kept smiling, but inside, I was quietly panicking.

The reason this had happened was obvious. The practical exam had been a disaster for most of the class. Nearly everyone failed to meet the minimum standard.

Meanwhile, the three of us who had found the treasure during the exam ended up earning absurdly high marks.

On top of that, I'd already scored far better than expected on the written test.

The result?

Me—suddenly labeled an honor student.

Standing at the center of everyone's attention, I felt dizzy, unsettled, and deeply uncomfortable.

If I'd earned these results through pure talent, maybe I wouldn't feel this way. I could accept it as fair and square.

But that wasn't the case.

The written exam… I'd used underhanded methods.

And now, every gaze directed at me felt less like admiration—and more like a ticking time bomb.

Of course, there's a saying that even cheating takes skill—but that doesn't make the guilt any easier to swallow.

If my real abilities were exposed later, things would get complicated fast. Fame always comes with jealousy, and jealousy never stays quiet for long.

"Did you hear? That Louis guy got second place overall. He looks kind of stupid, though."

"Seriously. He's annoying. I heard he was bullying some weaker student."

"Oh? Really? I knew there was something off about him."

…I can hear everything, you know.

They weren't even trying to hide it. The timing was too perfect, the voices just loud enough to reach my ears as I passed by. It was obvious they wanted me to hear.

For a brief moment, a violent impulse crossed my mind.

'Should I just smash my head into theirs and be done with it?'

As tempting as it was, I forced myself to breathe and let the thought go. Causing a scene here would only make things worse. The aftermath alone would be a nightmare.

"Did you really go around bullying other students, Louis?"

I shot her a flat look. "As if."

"Hehe. I know."

Lisa, who had clearly overheard the gossip as well, gave me a playful grin, her tone light as if she were teasing on purpose.

Still, Elena didn't look amused at all.

"But… is it really okay to leave it like this?" she asked quietly. "If things keep going, the rumors will only get worse."

She wasn't wrong.

What started as petty jealousy was already twisting into outright slander, and judging by the looks some students were giving me, it was beginning to sink in.

I let out a slow breath.

What exactly is happening to my reputation?

I thought I'd been attending the academy quietly—studying properly, keeping my head down, and avoiding unnecessary trouble. And yet, for some reason, there were far too many people who seemed to dislike me.

"Should I just erase them all with my Evil Eye?"

Lisa's whisper slipped into my thoughts like a devil's temptation—soft, persuasive, and dangerously appealing.

I shook my head.

"No. It's fine. If we ignore them, they'll disappear on their own soon enough."

There was no reason to risk using the Evil Eye over something so trivial. Most of them were just venting their frustrations—poor grades, wounded pride, directionless anger. Given time, that bitterness would fade on its own.

Jealousy like that was small and fleeting.

What actually mattered wasn't the shallow resentment of inferior students.

It was something far more troublesome.

'What if the princess takes an interest again?'

Anna had already shown interest in me once. Just thinking about how she might react when word of my grades spread made my stomach tighten.

If she extended another recruitment offer, I would refuse again—but how many times could I keep doing that?

And more importantly…

How long before refusing stopped being an option at all?

"What happened with your supplementary exam? Did you pass?"

Now that I thought about it, Lisa had been on the verge of expulsion. I was pretty sure today was the day she was supposed to take that exam.

"Of course I passed! …Barely, though. Hehe."

I let out a quiet sigh of relief. At least she hadn't been expelled. Knowing Lisa, she probably scraped through with just under thirty points.

The real problem would be the final exams. Those were on a completely different level.

"Well, that's a relief," I said. "Try not to cut it so close next time."

"Oh—right! Did you hear?" Lisa suddenly leaned closer, her eyes sparkling. "There's a festival coming up!"

"A festival?" I tilted my head. "The one on National Foundation Day? Is it already that time of year?"

"Yep! In three days!" she said excitedly. "I heard even the capital is already getting ready. It's going to be huge!"

Ah. Right.

The timing lined up perfectly.

Right after the midterms, the Empire always held a grand festival to celebrate its founding. A massive, week-long event that drew people from all over the country.

And during that time, the academy declared a temporary closure.

As memories from the comic surfaced in my mind, I couldn't help but feel a strange sense of anticipation.

The festival arc was about to begin.

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