The World After the Bad Ending - Chapter 42



41 – Seron’s Allowance

The group battle exam at Jerion Academy is a test to defeat the apostles created by magic.

The exam scores are divided into three categories.

Efficiency.

Time.

Cooperation.

How efficiently can you defeat the apostles in a short time?

And in the process, how well did the team members cooperate?

This is the indicator for scoring.

And one more thing.

There exists a grading system that evaluates in a separate way.

The group test is structured so that apostles appear consecutively.

So, how many apostles can you defeat? This is included as a separate score.

‘And the evaluation of cooperation points has already begun.’

If you fail to properly form a team, the cooperation points are deducted in real-time.

Thus, properly forming a team was also part of the evaluation.

It’s the academy’s intention to encourage students to communicate well with each other.

‘Those without friends cannot survive in this ruthless academy.’

For someone like me with few connections, it’s an extremely violent scoring system.

Do you think it’s easy to gather people every day to form a team?

Bringing people in through deals only works a few times.

“Cruel professors.”

“It’s just because Princess Sweet Potato has no friends.”

This is.

“What’s a guy with fewer acquaintances than me saying?”

“What, what? At least I originally knew everyone!”

“Yeah, you knew them and then got abandoned, so now you’re alone.”

“They didn’t abandon me, I abandoned them!”

Seron huffed, his forehead turning red.

Steam rising from his exposed forehead looked like it could cook an egg.

Then Seron’s eyes fell on my hand.

“A ring I haven’t seen before. What’s that?”

“A gift.”

Seron’s eyebrows slightly furrowed.

As if to say, you?

It was a joke, but that face is angry.

“Who on earth would give you something like that?”

“You don’t know, but I’m more popular than you think.”

“Poor thing. Princess Sweet Potato, you’ve never even seen a mirror, have you…?”

Seron sent a pitiful look my way.

This girl.

“And you.”

I shot Seron a sharp look.

“Have you ever been popular with anyone?”

Seron blinked.

Then she shook her tied-up red hair.

“Can’t you tell just by looking?”

“I can’t tell at all.”

“Hmph, look, I’m pretty.”

I didn’t say anything more.

“Hey, why aren’t you saying anything? Answer me.”

Looking out the window, I saw the carriage crossing the bridge and heading towards Jerion Academy.

“Answer me! Even my dad says I’m the prettiest in the world!”

Today is the day of the group competition.

As such, the empire’s distinguished guests visited the academy to observe the exam.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that those visiting this time are the most important figures in the empire.

In the meantime, I noticed an exceptionally white carriage.

A carriage with white horses.

Inside it is an important figure who will help solve the upcoming events.

To have a private audience with the person in the carriage, I must perform well in this group competition.

“Seron.”

Seron had already let her hair down and was posing with her hands under her chin.

I looked at her with disgust.

“What kind of pose is that? Aren’t you embarrassed?”

Seron’s face turned bright red.

“Hey, because of who!”

“I’m going to the group competition. If you’re late, I’ll kick you out of the team.”

“Ah, let’s go together!”

Seron tied her hair again and followed behind me.

As we walked, I saw a familiar face in the distance.

The silver hair that fluttered with each step still held a beautiful color.

However, the face beneath the silver hair had lost its former vitality and was very dark.

“Nikita senior.”

When I called that name, Nikita slowly raised her head.

Then she met my eyes and gave a faint smile.

“Ah, junior.”

Unlike before, her smile lacked strength.

She had been in that state ever since Nia’s death.

“Are you going to the team match?”

Nikita seemed to have guessed where we were going.

Nikita’s face was even thinner than before.

It was clear she wasn’t eating properly.

“Senior.”

I rummaged through my bag.

Then I handed Nikita the sandwich I was going to eat for lunch today.

“It’s a tuna sandwich.”

Nikita looked at the sandwich in her hand and shook her head.

“Junior, it’s okay. I don’t have much of an appetite.”

“You’re also participating in the team match today, aren’t you?”

I firmly placed the sandwich in Nikita’s hand as she tried to refuse.

“Please eat it. Otherwise, I won’t feel at ease.”

Nikita was getting thinner by the day.

At least have a meal, I pleaded, and Nikita looked at me quietly.

Nikita’s eyes smiled weakly.

Then she finally accepted the sandwich carefully.

“Okay, I got it. I’ll eat it. I have to think about the junior who takes care of me.”

Nikita said that and started walking.

Watching her back as she walked away, I felt a pang in my heart.

Despite knowing everything.

It’s the guilt of keeping silent to advance the scenario.

After today’s team match, Nikita will learn one piece of information.

The information that Nia Cynthia was not a victim of an accident but was assassinated.

Through this information, Nikita will inevitably resort to ancient dragon magic for revenge.

And I.

I have to watch it happen.

My fist clenched tightly.

‘…It’s okay.’

I have already decided to save Nikita.

I must not stop Nikita from becoming the Dragon Maiden of Disaster.

But how she will be treated is in my hands.

To achieve a happy ending for everyone, not a bad ending.

I resolved to do anything.

So I will do it.

“Princess Sweet Potato, are you okay?”

Perhaps because my expression was too stiff.

Seron asked cautiously.

“I’m fine. Let’s go.”

Hoping she would endure well.

I moved my steps for the team match.

* * *

The place where the team match would take place was reminiscent of a grand arena.

As high-level magic like illusion magic was applied to summon apostles through magic.

A large space was needed.

Several distinguished guests were already seated in the arena.

They were very interested in this team match.

“This year’s second years are the famous generation of the Golden Flame.”

“I’ve only heard rumors and haven’t seen them until now. I’m looking forward to it this time.”

“I heard the first years are also formidable? There’s a child from the famous Visbel family of the border.”

“I heard there’s even someone who made a contract with the Spirit Lord. Well, the future of the Empire looks bright!”

They all showed great interest in this generation and chatted away.

But none of them showed any interest in the third years.

The third years were the weakest generation.

So, no one paid attention to them.

Perhaps that’s why the third years, who were to compete in the group match first, were utterly discouraged.

It would have been fine if they had taken the test without any spectators.

But being ignored in front of the prominent figures of the Empire, they couldn’t help but feel down.

Normally, Nikita would have encouraged them in her own way.

But even Nikita was silently quiet.

“The atmosphere among the third years is a mess.”

Then, Card, who was watching this beside me, spoke.

“Tsk, if they get discouraged from the start, they won’t be able to do anything properly.”

“Hey, Potato, is this the time to worry about others? Worry about us.”

Unlike the relaxed Card, Seron was on edge, looking tense.

Watching her, I realized why.

“Seron, your father came today, didn’t he?”

“Ugh.”

Seron swallowed hard, feeling pricked.

From noble mtl dot com

The reason she was tense wasn’t because her father was strict.

“If you don’t perform well here, your allowance will be cut again.”

She was just worried about her allowance being cut if she made a mistake.

What a carefree girl.

“Don’t worry.”

As a teammate, I decided to cheer Seron up.

“Even if your allowance gets cut, we won’t lose in the group match.”

“My allowance getting cut is the most important thing!”

That’s up to Seron, not me.

“Ugh, I’m sleepy.”

At that moment, a voice came from behind me.

The reason I’ve been sitting here without moving until now.

It’s because Sharin was sleeping, leaning against my back.

As always, she stretched lazily and tilted her head back.

“When do we start?”

“It’s the third-year students’ turn now.”

“Then I can sleep a bit more.”

Sharin mumbled and leaned against my back again, falling asleep.

If she’s going to sleep, she should do it somewhere else.

I don’t know why she insists on leaning against my back.

At that moment, I felt a gaze and lifted my head.

Then, I made eye contact with Isabel, who was staring at us from afar.

She was startled when our eyes met and quickly turned her head away.

It seems she’s quite bothered by the fact that Sharin chose to join our team.

Ever since Sharin declared she would join our team,

I can still recall the dumbfounded look on Isabel’s face.

‘Is Isabel’s team the same as the one I saw in the labyrinth back then?’

Given that it’s a well-balanced team, Isabel’s side should perform well without any issues.

‘As for the others.’

I shifted my gaze to another team.

There stood a woman with long, flowing black hair.

Perhaps the strongest team across all grades.

Team Iris.

The vanguard, Iris, the top student in martial arts, and the second-ranked student.

The rear guard, the second-ranked student in magical studies, and the top student in special studies.

The second-ranked student in healing sacred studies.

‘Even now.’

It’s a crazy team balance.

As expected of the third princess.

She filled her team with her connections.

It’s practically safe to say they’re the elite force and the favorite to win the group competition.

And it was also the team we had to defeat.

Otherwise, we wouldn’t catch the eye of the distinguished guests who came to watch the group match.

The problem was that there were quite a few formidable teams besides Iris.

‘This is going to be tough.’

As I was thinking that, Seron tugged at my collar.

“Princess Sweet Potato, by the way, who is our healer this time?”

There was a subtle expectation in Seron’s eyes.

No doubt, he was hoping it would be the Saint again.

“I looked for a healer in the Divine Studies, but couldn’t find one.”

“What?”

Seron’s eyes widened.

That meant we were already losing points in team balance.

There was no choice.

It was because we had teamed up with the Saint once before.

All the students of Divine Studies said, ‘I cannot take the place in the team where the Saint was,’ and backed out.

They were cunning believers who quickly withdrew to avoid comparison.

“What were you thinking!”

“So I found one in the Special Studies.”

As Seron groaned, I looked back.

Just in time, someone was walking over.

When Seron saw who it was, his face gradually stiffened.

On the other hand, Card lightly whistled as he saw him.

That meant he was quite an unexpected person.

The white skull head glistened in the sunlight.

“Let me introduce you. This is Grantoni from the Special Studies.”

“Hehehe, hello hello?”

A small ossuary and the academy’s famous troublemaker.

Grantoni.

Our team’s healer, the spirit shaman.

ooouuu

And then Seron screamed desperately.