The four of them returned together to the clearing outside the forest. Although it was still quite some time before noon, some of the students had already made it back to the clearing, and Liyakade and the others were among them.
As Liyakade stepped onto the clearing, a secret joy bloomed in her heart.
Despite having encountered powerful monsters that nearly cost her her life, she not only survived but also managed to finish the exam for her group ahead of schedule. By a stroke of luck, she had actually achieved her goal.
Liyakade recalled that she had taken down a large number of monsters herself, while Alice had barely killed a few. Now that the exam was over, Alice’s score would surely be unprecedentedly low!
“Um… Teacher, how will our exam scores be calculated this time?”
Liyakade rubbed her hands nervously, looking up at the Mage Teacher with a flattering smile.
“Liyakade, can’t you at least treat your wounds first or change into clean clothes…”
The Mage Teacher looked at Liyakade, covered in blood and dirt, and helplessly rubbed her forehead.
“I’ll send you back to the Academy first, and once you’ve rested, I’ll tell you your scores.”
“No need, teacher. I’m eager to know the scores of the three of us right now!”
Liyakade’s eyes shone brightly as she stared at the Mage Teacher.
“Alright, alright.”
Unable to withstand such an intense gaze, the Mage Teacher sighed. Then she thought to herself that Liyakade must be a very dedicated student to care so much about the scores even while injured, and she found herself somewhat liking her. “Your group’s score is—full marks.”
“Huh?”
Liyakade froze.
“Our group means… what exactly?”
“That’s right.”
The Mage Teacher thought Liyakade might not believe such a high score and pushed up her black-rimmed glasses, smiling gently.
“All three of you got full marks.”
“Ah? Why?”
Liyakade’s eyes widened in disbelief as she looked at the Mage Teacher.
“Though you finished quickly, you killed a considerable number of monsters, and in the end, you even defeated a high-level Withered Treant. Adding it all up, your total score truly is full marks.”
The Mage Teacher patiently explained why they received full marks, not realizing that Liyakade’s real question was why the scoring was done by group.
“Yay!”
Hearing the result, Alice and Field jumped up excitedly, happily applauding on either side of a stunned Liyakade.
“Teacher…” Liyakade weakly raised her hand, pale and pleading, “I… have internal injuries. Could you please send me back to the Academy…”
“Liyakade! What’s wrong with you?”
“Miss Liyakade! Let me help you treat it!”
Seeing Liyakade suddenly turn pale, Alice thought perhaps her previous healing was insufficient. She quickly supported Liyakade, letting her rest on her lap and used Light Magic to treat her.
“W-why isn’t it working?”
After a round of healing spells, Liyakade’s complexion still hadn’t improved.
“Although… Alice-chan’s lap pillow is soft and comfortable, I really can’t enjoy it right now… ugh…”
“Liyakade!!!”
Liyakade’s eyes rolled back, and she fainted.
“Stop disturbing her. She’s probably just exhausted.”
The Mage Teacher gently placed a hand on Alice’s shoulder to signal her to calm down.
“Your Light Magic can heal external wounds, but it can’t heal mental fatigue. Liyakade just went through a life-and-death battle, so now that she’s suddenly relaxed, just let her sleep it off.”
“I see. Then, teacher, may we send Liyakade back?”
Field asked the Mage Teacher.
“Of course, Princess Field. After all, your exam is already over.”
The Mage Teacher nodded and couldn’t help but praise them, “It’s impressive that the two of you defeated such powerful monsters.”
“…It’s all thanks to Liyakade.” A faint blush tinted Field’s cheeks.
***
“Ah—”
Liyakade suddenly cried out and sat up, finding herself in a lavish room, lying on a soft, large bed. The mattress and quilt were made of velvet, light yet warm.
“Liyakade, you’re awake. Were you having a nightmare to shout so loud?”
Field sat by the bedside, looking at Liyakade with concern.
“What… it’s Field—no, Princess Field.”
Liyakade was sweating coldly all over. She patted her chest, completely oblivious to Field’s changing expression.
“Sigh, I had a terribly scary dream.”
Liyakade let out a long breath and started rambling to herself.
“I dreamt that during tomorrow’s exam, we encountered a super powerful monster. I almost died, but Princess Field saved me. But the worst part was, the three of us all got full marks!”
“Oh?”
Field raised an eyebrow. “Look around you, then think carefully.”
Following Field’s words, Liyakade glanced around the room.
First, Field was here—but Field didn’t even know where Liyakade’s dorm was. How did she get to her bedside?
Second, this wasn’t her dorm at all. So where was she?
“Ah!”
Liyakade shivered, realizing that it wasn’t a dream at all, but something that had really happened.
“So, what did you just call me?”
Field asked as Liyakade snapped back to awareness.
“Field…”
Liyakade really wanted to lie back down and sleep again, hoping she would wake up to find that they hadn’t taken the exam yet.
So why exactly are the scores calculated by the entire group?!
Liyakade painfully grabbed her head.
Speaking of which, in the Original Story, because of the severe injury to that random student, Alice and Field never really mentioned the exam again, nor the scores.
All they knew was that when the final results came out, Alice’s score was very low, near the bottom. So Liyakade herself never knew that the scores were counted by group.
So why did I fight so hard to kill so many?!
Liyakade couldn’t help but recall how enthusiastically she had gone after monster kills that morning. If only she had taken it easier, maybe their scores wouldn’t have been so high.
Come to think of it, since the scores were calculated for groups of three, why did I still assume the scores were based on the number of kills?
If the scores were based on kill count, then what was the point of forming groups of three?
In the end… it’s all because I couldn’t even grasp such simple logic. Am I just a complete idiot?!