Surviving as the Hidden Mastermind in an Academy Story Chapter 2

Chapter 2

 

‘So this is what an academy setting feels like.’

A red-haired girl with a tense expression was chatting quietly with her parents, and a boy swordsman seemed to be checking the state of his blade, repeatedly sheathing and unsheathing his sword.

And among these students—no, exam-takers—I, a black-haired boy and the leader of the Black Shadow Corps, was sighing as I observed the academy scenery.

Ten years into my reincarnation, I thought I wouldn’t end up in some typical genre trope. But it turns out, I fit the mold all too well.

“We’re closing the gates soon! Exam-takers, please come in quickly!”

“Just do as you’ve practiced, son!”

“Don’t get too nervous!”

“Good luck, miss!”

At the entrance of Crescent Academy, located on the outskirts of the capital city of the Crescent Empire, many parents and attendants were seeing off their children as if they were about to take an entrance exam.

‘… Maybe I should’ve asked Addy to come along and see me off.’

Everyone was being sent into the exam hall by someone, but I walked toward the exam hall alone—confidently, yet a bit lonely.

I had reached the academy’s entrance, but I still couldn’t believe I was here to take an entrance exam, so I tried to hold off entering as long as possible. But now, it was time to go in.

“May I see your ID, please?”

“Here you go.”

A guard in a neatly pressed uniform took my ID, and after a quick check, handed it back to me along with a paper labeled “Registration Slip.”

“Best of luck.”

“Thank you.”

The ID check went more smoothly than expected. That’s the kind of ID Addy prepares.

My new identity was simple. I was listed as Ryu, a commoner, with the ‘Yeong’ from my original name, Ryu Yeong, removed.

As a commoner’s ID, it didn’t need a family crest like the noble ones did, and there was no need for tracking or protective magic to prevent theft, making it look quite plain.

‘She could’ve made me a noble. Maybe I’ve overworked her lately.’

Most countries don’t impose eligibility requirements for the academy entrance exam, but everyone knows that those who enter the academy are almost exclusively nobles.

One reason is that most talented children are born into noble families, but the primary reason is the tuition, which commoners could never afford.

It’s no exaggeration to say that a single year of tuition at the academy costs as much as a four-person commoner family’s livelihood for three years.

“What’s your exam number?”

“Number 176.”

“Take the path to the right.”

“Got it.”

Sigh.

Following the instructions of another staff member in the same uniform as before, I headed down the path to the right, exhaling deeply.

Around me, a variety of examinees were making their way to the exam hall, each preparing in their own way.

One was muttering to himself as he stared at the ground, another walked with eyes closed, and there was even someone reading a book as they went.

‘What am I doing here, mixed in with kids like this?’

A smirk naturally escaped me.

Though we might be around the same age if measured by years, our skill levels would be far from similar.

If I wanted, I could rob the academy’s treasure vault this very instant.

‘The facilities are truly impressive.’

Meanwhile, I was meticulously scanning my surroundings, committing the academy’s interior to memory.

Remembering places I’d visited before was one of the most crucial tasks for me.

To use my special ability, Spatial Movement, which I’d received upon coming to this world, I had to have an exact mental image of the destination.

If even the slightest detail of the location’s memory was incorrect or if memories were jumbled and I recalled the wrong place, unexpected problems could occur.

It was a lesson etched into my bones from past experiences.

‘I did discover some interesting new facts thanks to that, though…’

“Hey.”

“…Huh?”

“Your hair color is really unique!”

As I pressed these mental notes into my memory and approached the exam hall, someone suddenly spoke to me from nearby.

I reflexively touched my hair and looked over to see a short-haired girl walking beside me, easily 20 cm shorter than I was.

She had luxurious-looking clothes, shiny red hair, and a face that looked like she had never known hardship.

Clearly a noble, with her pale skin and spotless hands. She must be a mage.

“I’ve never seen black hair before! You really look like the first emperor himself. What family are you from?”

Seeing a noble girl so oblivious to the world was refreshing and stirred up a bit of mischief in me.

Normally, I would’ve brushed it off, but since we might end up as fellow students or even friends at the academy, I couldn’t hold back the mischievous grin that crept onto my face.

“I’m a commoner.”

“…What?”

“I said, I’m a commoner.”

“A c-commoner? A commoner here…?”

The red-haired girl, flustered by my words, mumbled to herself and quickly scurried away from me.

All I did was greet her since she’d approached me first, but I guess she was really shocked.

Watching her retreat as if fleeing from me, I soon realized I had arrived near the exam hall.

The other examinees around me, who must’ve overheard my conversation with the red-haired girl, were casting glances my way from all directions.

<Sub Quest Triggered!>

<Sub Quest (1-1) ‘Top Entrance Exam Scorer’>

Objective: Be the top scorer in the entrance exam at Crescent Academy.

Details: Pass the entrance exam for the 158th class of Crescent Academy as the highest scorer.

Reward: 3 Stat Points, Title acquired (Top Entrance Exam Scorer)

Penalty: None

“Huh?”

I stopped in my tracks, staring at the quest text, and quietly read through the details.

So there are subquests, too.

Offering Stat Points and a title, no less.

The moment I saw the words “Stat” and “Title,” the trivial events of just a moment ago, like my interaction with the noble girl, faded from my mind.

“Top entrance scorer, huh?”

That sounds fun.

***

 

Tap, tap, tap.

Amilion, the head of the 158th entrance exam for the academy, was tapping her desk with her pen.

This was a habit of Amilion’s whenever she was deep in thought.

On her desk lay a list containing the names of the students taking this year’s entrance exam.

It wasn’t a list of all examinees; rather, it was a list of notable students handpicked by her assistant, essentially an early admissions list.

Although the exam was still in progress, Amilion already knew that the students listed would pass the exam and be admitted to the academy.

They say everyone gets an equal opportunity, but that’s really just a pretty saying.

While the only requirement for taking the academy’s entrance exam is being at least 17 years old, most academy students have their acceptance secured in advance.

“Donor admissions” by wealthy noble families were common, some families used their influence to obtain advance copies of the exam, and others simply received preferential admission through recommendations from professors.

Even without considering those cases, just looking at the submitted application documents told her how much private education the examinees had and what potential they held.

Unless there was a major unexpected factor, Amilion expected the exam scores would appear in the order of the names on the list in front of her.

“Still, this year’s top spot goes to her, I bet.”

Although many talented students were applying this year, none seemed capable of surpassing this girl.

Elaine Sinclair.

The third daughter of the Sinclair family, she was famous from a young age for her extraordinary talent and was finally old enough to enter the academy this year.

Strictly speaking, she wasn’t a confirmed student yet, as she was technically still taking the exam.

“Only seven spots in Class S, though.”

Wanting to end this bothersome entrance exam matter as soon as possible, Amilion had begun assigning students to classes based on their predicted scores even while the exams were still ongoing.

This was possible for Amilion, who, with her assistant’s help, held the title of “The All-Seeing.”

But it wasn’t easy.

“This one is ranked tenth? Huh? And the Petra family’s candidate is seventeenth?!”

There were just too many talented students, including Elaine Sinclair.

What she had hoped would help her wrap things up sooner was now beginning to feel like a pointless exercise.

Knock, knock.

“Come in.”

Just as her frustration was reaching its peak, Amilion’s assistant entered the room with a disheveled look, hair windblown and face filled with urgency.

Seeing this, Amilion immediately felt uneasy.

That was unmistakably the look of someone who had run in haste because something had happened.

“P-Professor. Whew.”

“What’s wrong? Did something happen in the middle of the exam?”

“N-no, it’s not that.”

Amilion briefly worried that there might’ve been an accident during the exam, which would’ve been a huge issue given the presence of noble students, but thankfully, it seemed that wasn’t the case.

“Then what?”

“It’s… The exam results are in.”

“…You startled me. Well, it’s still urgent news, I guess.”

“But, the results are… a bit different from our predictions…”

Amilion nodded, taking the paper from the assistant’s hand.

While she had the title “The All-Seeing,” it didn’t mean she possessed absolute foresight or insight.

As a professor and researcher, Amilion was open to the idea that predictions could be wrong.

Data from failed predictions was still data, after all.

This would only help her make more precise predictions in the future…

“Huh?”

“It’s true.”

“What?”

Amilion looked at the list sorted by score and was as stunned as the assistant standing before her.

A slight deviation was within expectations, but this wasn’t a slight deviation; it was a “significant” one, well outside his expectations.

Top Scorer: Ryu
Second Place: Elaine Sinclair

Elaine Sinclair, who was supposed to be at the very top, was right there on the second line.

“Who… Who is Ryu?”

Amilion’s voice trembled with genuine surprise.

 

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Chapter 2
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