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After coming out of the ancient potion classroom, Mu’en returned to the dormitory, quickly showered and changed clothes, and briefly finished breakfast in the cafeteria before jogging to the classroom for the Introduction to Basic Magic course.
Then he was startled.
Outside the classroom door, there was a large crowd, almost blocking the entire hallway.
Upon seeing Mu’en, the crowd suddenly became chaotic.
“He’s here, he’s here!”
“Mu’en Campbell has arrived!”
“…”
“Aren’t these guys supposed to be taking the exam?”
Mu’en scanned the crowd, then looked at the time; there were only about fifteen minutes left until the exam.
Logically, everyone should be entering the classroom to wait for the exam or hurriedly flipping through their books. How could it have turned into a scene like a fan meet-up?
“Could it be that they’re all here to watch me?”
Mu’en realized this and couldn’t help but twitch the corners of his mouth.
Recalling the news that had spread throughout the school as mentioned by his senior earlier…
Were these guys more interested in watching the commotion than the exam?
“This feeling of being the center of attention, why does it feel like walking the red carpet as a star?”
Under the gaze of the crowd, Mu’en crossed through them, steeling himself as he walked to the classroom.
Thanks to the noble upbringing instilled in him as a duke’s son, he wasn’t easily intimidated by so many eyes on him. However, as he passed by, he still caught snippets of whispered conversations.
“Wow, Mu’en Campbell actually dared to come for the exam. After talking so big, is he not afraid of embarrassing himself?”
“Talking big is why he must come, otherwise running away at the last minute would be even more disgraceful.”
“That’s true, but he looks quite confident.”
“Heh, it’s probably just a facade. With his level, how could he score eighty? Eighty is pushing it…”
“Wow, that’s too much. I heard he has been working hard lately…”
“What good is effort? No matter how hard I try, I still can’t pass.”
“Haha, true that.”
“…”
Mu’en walked quietly, not rebutting because he knew that disputing at this moment was pointless.
The facts were the best retaliation against prejudices and rumors.
What he needed to do now was to give everything he had to ace this exam.
But…
“Still feels a bit unpleasant.”
Mu’en lowered his gaze and unconsciously clenched his fists.
Just then—
“Mu’en classmate!”
He heard a shout.
It was a shout like that of a young girl, filled with energy, even cracking a bit.
Amid the noisy crowd, it stood out clearly.
Mu’en looked up in surprise towards the direction of the voice.
“Go for it, Mu’en classmate! We believe in you!”
“You can definitely score eighty!”
“Show those who look down on you!”
“Go for it! I’ve bet my pocket money for the month on you winning; you can do it!”
In the most conspicuous spot, three adorable first-year girls were shouting loudly, their faces flushed. They waved flags emblazoned with the words “Go for it,” and wore white headbands with Mu’en’s name in red, boldly intruding into his line of sight, making his eyes inadvertently water.
“You guys—”
Mu’en was momentarily taken aback, unable to comprehend why these three almost made him want to cry.
Why did their appearance seem to brighten the world around him?
Beside the trio, Fulan, a senior from the Magic Art Society whom he had met before, showed a helpless smile:
“Mu’en Campbell, I’ve been ‘coerced’ by these three to bet a good amount of money on you, so you must deliver.”
“I…”
Mu’en paused for a moment, then nodded vigorously:
“I will!”
Saying this, he turned to the three girls who were so excited they looked like they might faint just from making eye contact with him:
“I will definitely make it.”
Yes.
There was no point in being angry anymore.
No matter how others viewed him, no matter how much they doubted him.
But he had indeed given his all over the past month.
So no matter what others said, what he needed to do now was to present his results before everyone.
Only hard work would not deceive him.
Serious study, constantly practicing questions, sleeping only two hours a day…
These were undeniable.
So Mu’en lifted his head high, walking with the firm steps of a future duke carrying the glory of Campbells, entering the classroom, stepping into… his battlefield.
……
……
After Mu’en left.
The briefly silent crowd buzzed back to life.
“Wow, he seems really confident! What do we do? I bet quite a lot of money on him failing!”
“Don’t panic, it has to be an act. Don’t forget he’s a noble; nobles are masters of pretense.”
“Speaking of which, he’s the duke’s son. What if he finds some way to cheat? Like bribing the exam supervisor?”
“That does seem possible. Otherwise, how could a student who scored only three last semester be so confident this time?”
“What should we do? Our money…”
“Ahem—”
A dry cough silenced the noise.
All the students watching the commotion suddenly felt they were overshadowed by a large shadow.
Like a rolling dark cloud approaching.
“The exam is about to start; what are you all doing here?!”
Then came the thunder.
An imposing old man stood at the entrance of the corridor, clutching a bundle of exam papers under his arm, his fiery gaze swiftly scanning everyone.
“Do you want me to deduct all your credits?”
“It’s Professor Plon!”
“Why is he here?”
“Is he supervising the exam? But how could a professor like him personally do such a thing?”
“Move, move! He seems to be angry!”
After a short period of confusion, the crowd scattered like birds.
Even Fulan hurriedly dragged the three girls, who wanted to wait for Mu’en to finish his exam, to leave.
Professor Plon’s severity and terror were deeply entrenched in the entire academy.
……
……
In the classroom.
Mu’en quietly sat down in his spot.
At this point, flipping through the books was meaningless, so he cleared his mind and silently waited for the exam to begin.
Other students entered one after another. As they passed by Mu’en, they couldn’t help but take a glance at him; perhaps more than the exam itself, whether Mu’en Campbell could live up to his boast from a month ago concerned more hearts.
“Due to Teacher Fulan being unwell, I will personally supervise this exam,” Professor Plon announced from the podium, delivering what was, to many, unfortunate news.
“Eh—”
The floor erupted in wailing. If it had been Teacher Fulan supervising, some might have entertained special thoughts.
But with this stern, uptight Professor Plon…
Cheating in front of a Crowned One? Kid, have you lived long enough?
Even Mu’en was a bit shaken, knowing full well that it was unusual for Professor Plon to personally supervise a second-year exam.
“Is Teacher Fulan really sick?”
Mu’en scratched his head, not thinking too much.
“What do you mean? As long as you’re serious about the exam, what difference does it make who the supervisor is?”
Professor Plon’s stern gaze swept across the room, sneering:
“I hope some of you can cast aside your dirty thoughts; otherwise, if I catch you… hm.”
As he spoke, he deliberately shot Mu’en a meaningful glance.
“…”
Mu’en twitched at the corners of his mouth, thinking, does he see me as the kind of person who would cheat?
But this displeasure was quickly suppressed.
As Professor Plon said, as long as they were serious about the exam, it didn’t matter who the supervisor was.
Thus, the clock struck on time.
The exam began.
Mu’en picked up his pen and started answering the questions.
His eyes quickly scanned the questions, and instinctively, the knowledge etched deep in his mind flowed out as answers from the tip of his pen.
Time felt stretched thin or perhaps very short.
The classroom was silent, only the sound of rustling pens.
Then, the sounds vanished; all Mu’en could feel was the immaculate exam paper gradually filling up with ink.
The clock struck again, and Mu’en snapped back to reality.
A bony hand pressed down on his exam paper.
“Mu’en Campbell, you may leave.”
With an expression of shock and pity that others would hardly notice, Professor Plon quietly said:
“The exam is over.”
