The square was already packed with students. Exams at Soul Academy were crucial, determining whether students could advance to the next grade. Every student here had no choice but to keep a sharp eye on the results. Though the scores hadn’t been posted yet, it seemed there were plenty of eager people.

As Arthur pondered this, someone placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Brother, you’ve come to check your results too?"

The voice belonged to Cecil Soladin, Arthur’s older brother, known among palace officials for his warrior-like demeanor.

“Brother,” Arthur acknowledged.

"Good morning, Second Prince," said Joy, who stood beside Arthur. Unlike Arthur, who remained silent, Joy greeted Cecil with a practiced courtesy. Though Cecil told her such formality wasn’t necessary at the academy, the pleased smile on his face showed that he appreciated the gesture.

After some light conversation with Joy, Cecil turned to Arthur, grinning slyly.

"So, how about it, little brother? Think you’ll be the top scorer this time?"

It seemed like a casual question, but it wasn’t. Cecil wasn’t simply asking how Arthur did on his exam. No, he was reminding him of his defeat to Lucy Allen last time and whether he’d be able to surpass her now. His mocking smile made that obvious.

If this had been the Arthur from before his bet with Lucy, he might have taken the bait and responded with emotion. Back then, losing the top spot had been a huge blow to his pride. But now, things were different.

Now, Arthur accepted that Lucy Allen was a rival who stood above him. One day, he would surpass her. With that in mind, he could smile in the face of Cecil’s provocation.

“Well, I did my best, but we’ll see.”

"...Hmm, is that so?" Cecil’s face showed clear disappointment at Arthur’s lukewarm response. Without another word, he left to check his own scores.

What a small-minded man, Arthur thought. Despite his warrior-like appearance, Cecil had such a petty personality. He wasn’t fit to be king.

As Cecil disappeared into the crowd, Arthur’s attention shifted to a professor carrying a large sheet of paper.

It’s here.

What kind of score did Lucy Allen achieve this time? Did her arrogance get the better of her, or did she once again prove her brilliance to the world? I’m eager to find out.

Arthur’s thoughts raced as the professor posted the results on the board in the center of the square. The first list revealed the first-year rankings.

And at the top, the name inscribed was...

‘Lucy Allen.’@@novelbin@@

Of course.

Arthur smiled bitterly. So, this is what it means to be a genius? To be able to surpass everyone without even attending classes, relying solely on raw talent? How could anyone accept that?

She was powerful enough to defeat even Frey Kent, the continent’s greatest swordswoman, and now, without any real study, she had topped the academy in academics too. Was she even human?

Arthur had always prided himself on being a genius, but Lucy Allen made him question everything. There really is always someone better.

"Wow! Unbelievable!" Joy’s voice interrupted his thoughts, her usually calm demeanor breaking in excitement.

Her reaction was strange. She rarely showed such emotion, especially not in public. Did she score well?

Curious, Arthur glanced over the list again. His eyes widened in shock.

‘Joy Partan.’

Her name was right beneath Lucy Allen’s, in second place. Arthur’s own name was listed in third.

How… how could this be?

How did Joy beat me?

Arthur’s mind raced with a thousand thoughts. Did I make a mistake? Was there an error in the grading? But looking at Joy’s overjoyed expression, Arthur found himself unable to voice his confusion. He wasn’t petty enough to question his friend’s achievement.

Instead, he forced a smile.

“Congratulations, Joy.”

“Thank you, Your Highness!” she replied, beaming.

*  

I jolted awake, gasping as I shot up in bed. For a moment, I stared blankly at the wall before collapsing forward.

Ugh, I’m exhausted. I should have gone to bed earlier last night.

My fatigue was entirely due to the fact that, for the first time, I’d actually studied. After the midterms ended, Grandpa wouldn’t stop nagging me about starting my studies. I tried to reason with him, saying that I deserved a little break, but he’d shut me down with, “Did you take the exam? I took it, so you don’t get a say.”

If you delay for a day or two, you’ll end up never doing it at all! Start now!

Unable to withstand Grandpa’s relentless badgering, I had gone to the academy library and grabbed the most basic, child-level textbooks I could find. Given that I didn’t even have a solid grasp on common knowledge, I figured starting from the basics was necessary.

At first, I only cracked open the books because Grandpa had forced me to. But, surprisingly, studying was... fun. At least, at this level. When you’re learning elementary things like addition and subtraction, it’s hard to run into frustrating challenges.

And every time I got a problem right, Grandpa would praise me, calling me a genius. I got so wrapped up in it that I ended up staying up until the early hours of the morning. It wasn’t until I finished that I realized how late it was.

What time is it now?

I glanced at the clock—7:10 AM.

Crap! I’m late!

Panicking, I scrambled out of bed, quickly getting ready. First, I had to fix my hair, which was a disaster thanks to my restless sleep.

‘Why didn’t you wake me up?!’ I complained.

You looked so peaceful. Besides, it’s not like your training is absolutely essential.

‘That may be true, but still!’

Even if it wasn’t strictly necessary, routines are important! Normally, I started my training at dawn. After joining the academy, I’d gotten into the habit of training with the knights of the Allen family. Before long, Frey had started training with me, and after that incident, Joy had joined too. The three of us never discussed it, but we had formed an unspoken agreement to train together every morning.

They were probably already at the training grounds.

They wouldn’t be waiting for me... right?

As I rushed out of the dormitory and headed toward the training grounds, I noticed a crowd gathering in the square. What’s going on? There shouldn’t be any reason for so many people to be here unless... oh! Today’s the day the test results come out. I was so distracted I completely forgot.

Well, I’m already late. It wouldn’t hurt to be a little later.

They’ll be fine training without me for now.

Slowing my pace, I headed toward the bulletin board where the results were posted. But there was one problem. My height.

At my current size, I was a full head or two shorter than the average student. Even on my tiptoes, I couldn’t see over their shoulders.

Great. I really didn’t want to do this, but I don’t have much choice.

Giving up on peeking over the crowd, I gently tapped the side of the boy in front of me. He turned, his face twisting into an annoyed scowl.

“What the—?”

But the moment he saw my face, his expression changed instantly.

‘Excuse me. Could you move aside?’ I asked sweetly.

"U-uh, yeah! Sure!"

The boy practically yelped as he jumped out of my way, drawing the attention of others nearby. As more people noticed me, they began to step back, clearing a path in the middle of the crowd.

Ah, the miracles I can perform as an apostle of Arma-ji.

They say the god Arma-ji doesn’t have the power to part the seas of people? Well, too bad, I’m the only apostle this "Trash God" has, so whatever I do counts as divine power.

Ignoring the whispers around me, I made my way to the bulletin board. Scanning the top of the list, I saw the names:

‘Lucy Allen’ ‘Joy Partan’ ‘Arthur Soladin’ ‘Jackal Burrow’

I blinked and stared again, thinking I’d misread the names. But nothing changed.

What?

Why is Joy in second place?

Am I still dreaming?

‘Grandpa, is this a dream?’

Do you think it’s a dream? Wake up!

‘Right. Of course.’

But why is dim-witted Joy in second place? There’s no way she could have done this! Who are you, and what have you done with Joy?

There’s no way she managed to avoid making any mistakes and scored second!

Just then, a familiar ding rang in my head.

[Quest Complete!]

[Your reward has been granted.]

[Inventory feature unlocked!]

Amid my confusion, the system notification brought me back to reality. At least the Trash God is good about rewarding me. I could figure out how Joy pulled this off later. First, let’s check my reward.

Opening my inventory, I was greeted by a familiar sight—the same layout I’d seen countless times while playing Soul Academy. The nostalgia was comforting.

This is it. This is what it means to play the game.

As a test, I placed the ring I was wearing into my inventory, watching it vanish before my eyes. I was overwhelmed with joy seeing it appear in the inventory window.

Thank you, Arma-ji. This convenience is greatly appreciated. Please keep adding features like this. And enough with the useless garbage like the log window.

-Ding.

[New quest available!]

Another quest already? What now? Will it be something useful, like the inventory? Or maybe something that boosts favorability with others?

Even if Trash God Arma-ji gives me a pointless, annoying quest, I’ll manage. As long as the reward is decent.

“Lucy Allen of the Allen family.”

I was about to check the new quest when someone called my name.

Who is it? Normally, people at the academy avoid me. Is someone picking a fight? If so, I’ll gladly show them the full might of Mesugaki.

Loading my mind with spicy comebacks, I turned around, only to freeze when I saw who was standing behind me.

‘Oh… crap.’

"Nice to meet you. I am Cecil Soladin, Second Prince of the Soladin Kingdom."

Cecil Soladin—the Second Prince of Soladin Kingdom and Arthur’s rival in the race for the throne. An NPC whose character was nothing but a brutish, petty man unfit to be king.

Wow. That was a close one. If I’d opened my mouth, I would’ve called him by the nickname he had among players—‘the idiot prince.’