Two days of examinations had come to an end, and naturally, there were those who rejoiced and those who fretted.
The most worried were the candidates relying on their Family Influence to pass the assessment.
They had thought that bribing Cecilia would guarantee their success, but Cecilia remained completely unmoved by their gold and silver.
The chief examiner was incorruptible.
Of the other two examiners, one was the stubborn city lord, who righteously rejected all bribes; the other was Dorothy, who was nowhere to be found except during the exams—impossible to even deliver gifts to.
The assessment had lasted two days, and half the results were already confirmed.
Those who lost both rounds knew without seeing the scores that they had no chance of being selected.
What many didn’t realize was that this arena wasn’t just a battle among candidates for points; it also served to give the examiners an initial judgment of each candidate.
After all, the assessments carried inherent risks, especially the second round, which was even more unpredictable.
No examiner wanted to see a candidate suffer misfortune.
Angus was no exception.
The reason he was an examiner was simple: he was the city lord of Solus.
Though his influence wasn’t as great as the two dignitaries from the royal capitals, his responsibilities were far greater.
On top of that, the Assassination of the Princess had kept him overwhelmed.
If it weren’t for the princess insisting that the assessments continue, things would have become even more complicated.
Angus was truly grateful that Cecilia put the bigger picture first.
Angus had a good idea of most of the candidates, but there was one person he simply couldn’t understand.
Rita—the girl who had been caught in a whirlwind of troubles from the very beginning.
This prime suspect in the Assassination of the Princess not only earned the princess’s favor but also won both rounds in a strange way.
Yet she never offered any bribes, nor did she have any background.
It was truly strange.
What worried Angus most wasn’t Rita herself, but the uneasy sense of an approaching storm she brought with her.
If the assessments could conclude smoothly, it would be ideal.
However, things didn’t go as hoped.
“Ron! Ron Granger!”
The referee’s voice echoed over the arena, drowning out the whispers from the crowd.
“What’s going on? Rita’s opponent is absent again?”
“This can’t be right! It’s the second time! I don’t buy that there’s nothing fishy going on!”
“This is blatant disrespect toward the examiners! I don’t know how they can tolerate this.”
At that moment, the most confused person was still Rita, standing on the battlefield.
The events from last night with Cecilia had already slipped from Rita’s mind after a night’s sleep.
All she could think about now was how to get through the current challenge.
Although Cecilia had said that following her path would allow Rita to become a Holy Knight,
Rita neither knew the scores nor whether Cecilia had meddled behind the scenes.
Plus, Cecilia’s outright refusal to accept bribes left Rita hesitant to put all her hopes in her.
But now?
She had thought of several strategies—and the opponent hadn’t shown up.
What was going on?
Rita knew the reason her opponent was absent the day before, but what about today?
Had Cecilia truly intervened?
As Rita pondered this, the referee’s somewhat helpless voice rang out.
“The opponent is absent. Rita wins this round.”
Rita blankly bowed to the examiners and then absentmindedly walked out of the arena, ignoring the murmurs from the crowd and even Valfis, who approached her.
Something felt off.
Rita had an inexplicable sense of unease—an ominous premonition she couldn’t shake.
By the time lunch break arrived, that premonition had been confirmed.
“What? That Ron was attacked by a nightmare?!”
Hearing Valfis’s words, Rita couldn’t help but shout.
“Yeah, yeah! Sister, why would I lie to you?” Valfis played with her emerald hair. “I’m an Intelligence Master! I wouldn’t tell you baseless rumors.”
Rita said nothing, frowning deeply as she clutched her massive treasure chest through her chest plate, lost in thought.
After escorting Cecilia back to her room last night, Rita had gone straight to bed.
She had dreamt of a high-priced concert where the lead singer forgot the lyrics and sang off-key.
There was no chance she had made a move on anyone.
Could it be that, like with Cecilia, she had lost her memory of what happened afterward?
“Could it be… Cecilia—the princess—said that as long as you catch a nightmare’s tail, you automatically pass the exam? Maybe that’s why this Ron went to hunt down the nightmare…”
“No way. Have you ever seen anyone hunt a nightmare while half-dressed in their bedroom?” Valfis wagged a finger. “If someone really got counter-killed by a nightmare in bed, they’d be laughed at for life. No, it would become legendary. Hey, why are you turning away? Aren’t you listening?”
“Listening, listening,” Rita forced a smile. “And then?”
“That’s it. Since he was attacked by a nightmare, he couldn’t attend the exam. A nightmare entering Solus City and attacking someone isn’t something you can keep quiet about. It was discovered in the morning and spread by noon,” Valfis shrugged.
Hearing this, Rita was actually more certain that the attack had nothing to do with her.
She had woken up in the city lord’s manor that morning and didn’t believe she could sneak out unnoticed.
Nor would she attack a man.
Most importantly, she wasn’t foolish enough to be assaulted and remain oblivious.
But was she really uninvolved?
Rita vaguely realized that a large space around her had just cleared, and the way people looked at her had changed.
Nightmares attacking humans was a rare, coincidental event, but given Rita’s recent actions, no one would believe this was mere chance.
“You’re in trouble, sister,” Valfis said with a smile, glancing around.
“It’s not me!” Rita hurried to deny, though she had inadvertently slipped some information.
Still, Valfis probably wouldn’t suspect that the person sitting across from her wasn’t human.
“I know it’s not you,” Valfis shrugged. “Everyone’s just suspicious. You know how serious it is to be colluding with demons—even a princess couldn’t escape the consequences. So no one will truly brand you with such a heavy accusation. Don’t worry.”
Rita of course understood what she meant.
Cheating in the exam would only stir some gossip, but no one would really look down on Rita.
After all, many candidates tried to leverage connections to get ahead; Rita was hardly the only one.
But in the end, these were all internal human matters.
Once demons were involved, the situation changed drastically.
Unfortunately for Rita, she happened to be a demon.
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.