âFrom now on, I will put a special mark on everyone.â
Isolet, who was looking at us while we were still trying to recover from the earlier shock, tore a magic scroll in half.
â WhooshâŠ
The ashen mana emanating from the torn scroll penetrated everyoneâs body and vanished.
âThis mark can only be damaged by special weapons that will be distributed after class. If you take more than a certain amount of damage, the mark will disappear and immediately be reported to me.â
When I heard her words, I examined my body with stellar mana, and really could feel a mark on my body.
âThose whose mark disappears can no longer continue the exam, and the team will lose when their respective commanderâs mark disappears. Does everyone understand up to this point?â
When everyone quietly nodded, Isolet continued speaking in a serious tone.
âThen Iâll explain the rules for elimination.â
The rules she explained were quite simple.
Most of the winning teamâs members would be exempted from being demoted to class B, while most of the losing teamâs members would be relegated to class B.
However, according to Isoletâs rules, the commander of each team had virtually unlimited powers.
First, the commander of the winning team was given the right to select some of the people who would be removed from Class A.
Because the people who could be chosen included members of both the opposing and their own teams, those who failed to contribute or those who interfered could be forcefully demoted to Class B.
And the commander of the defeated team could choose one member from their team to remain in Class A.
In other words, in theory, one should never defy a commander with such enormous authorityâŠ
âIâm not going to protect you, Frey.â
But I guess I was wrong. Someone had already stepped forth and was trying to challenge my authority.
âInstead of protecting you⊠Iâd rather get demoted to Class B.â
Ferloche was glaring daggers at me in the midst of the crowd of commoners.
She could have entered the academy as an aristocrat at any time, but she stated that a Saintess is merely an agent of God, not a noble. It hurt my heart to see her glare at me with that kind of expression.
âPipe down, will you? If you get demoted to Class B, wonât the Sun God Church be in chaos?â
âShut up.â
I tried to continue speaking with a smirk, but Ferloche spoke to me coldly, with a resentful look on her face.
âIf you keep acting like this⊠it canât be helped.â
âWhat canât be helped?â
In the end, I had no choice but to use the last resort I had planned in case things went wrong within the first 10 minutes of the special exam.
âIâm going to surrender to Clana now.â
ââŠHuh?â
Ferloche became dumbfounded when she heard my words.
âWait, hold on! Lord Frey!â
âUhhh⊠please waitâŠâ
The commoners, however, who realized the meaning of my words, began clinging to me desperately.
âU-Uh⊠Why is everyone doing that?â
Seeing this, Ferloche asked with a bewildered expression, and I replied with a wink.
âIf I surrender to Clana now⊠a good portion of the people here will be forcefully demoted to Class B.â
âTh-ThatâŠâ
âAnd, as far as I know, most of the commoners in Class A are barely attending the academy through a special scholarship, arenât they?â
When I said that with a sly smile on my face, the commoners who had been clinging to me bowed their heads and tightly bit their lips.
âHold on a second! But⊠if that happens, Her Highness Clana will ensure you also get demoted to Class B? So calm down andââ
Ferloche hastily warned me.
âSo what if I get demoted to Class B. Do you think I care about that stuff?â
âHuh?â
âIâm the Provisional Lord of the Starlight Ducal Family that wields the most power among the Three Ducal Households in the Empire. Do you think anything will change even if I get demoted to Class B?â
âWell then⊠Are you really going to surrender!?â
I smiled as I looked at the screaming Ferloche, then started walking towards the exit of the classroom.
âItâs alright, Ferloche. Iâm not interested in demoting you to Class B. I need to focus on kicking as many of these lowlifes out of here as possible.â
âHey, uhâŠâ
âThen Iâll surrender to Clana. See ya.â
As soon as I said that and opened the door to the exit, Ferloche hastily grabbed my arm.
âI was wrong. Please forgive me.â
Ferloche immediately knelt in front of me, her voice quivering, and the commoners who were watching the scene quietly turned their heads away and clenched their fists.
ââŠPhew, thatâs a relief.â
IÂ sat down, heaving a sigh of relief on the inside and spoke with a condescending look on my face.
âSo, where are we going to set up our base?â
As Isolet mentioned, both teams had to decide on a base to live in during the special exam.
Due to the frequent incidents nowadays, students were only permitted to leave the academy in order to gain real world experience.
âUh⊠Since itâs a test that will continue throughout vacation⊠Why donât we just hide Lord Frey somewhere?â
Eventually, a female student raised her hand and voiced her opinion, and following her lead, other commoner students also began to chime in.
ââŠYes, thatâs a good idea. So, where should I hide?â
When I asked them nonchalantly, I noticed that the girl who had initially suggested that idea was staring at me as she cautiously put forth another suggestion.
âUh⊠how about hiding in the woodsâŠâ
âRejected.â
My brows furrowed because I didnât want to go near the woods for a while due to the recent adversities I had to face back in the Ashen Forest and the woods near my home. Meanwhile, the female student took a step back with a frightened expression on her face.
âOur houseâŠâ
âRejected.â
âThe inn we runâŠâ
âRejected.â
As I kept refusing their opinions for a long time, everyone eventually stopped talking and instead began staring at me coldly.
ââŠSo, how long are you all just going to keep staring at me?â
âââŠâŠ..ââ
I couldnât stand the long silence anymore, so I provoked them to speak. However, they only kept staring at me.
âWell, then thereâs nothing else I can doâŠâ
Their expressions made me recall the scene from my past life when I was surrounded by an angry mob. As such, I closed my eyes and spoke calmly.
ââŠAll of you, come to my mansion.â
Then there was a long period of silence.
âWhat do you mean?â
Ferloche inquired in an icy tone after a while.
âIt makes me feel bad that you guys are looking at me like that. This is for the teamâŠâ
âAre you planning on doing something bad again this time?â
As Ferloche continued to question me despite my excuses, I muttered with a sullen expression on my face.
âNo⊠even when I try my hardest to win, nobody believes meâŠâ
I was determined to win this special exam.
The special exam was a golden opportunity to get rid of all the rotten nobles.
If my team wins this test, Iâll remove everyone except the nobles who are useful to Clana.
If that happens, I will finally be freed of the nobles who have always followed me around and caused my blood pressure to skyrocket.
Of course, the majority of nobles who could avoid demotion are high-ranking aristocrats with the means to pay bribes. They would almost certainly regard Clana as an enemy and attempt to suppress her influence in the future.
However, there was one problem with this.
If I helped the commoners team win with all my might, rumors that Iâm actually a good person who tries to help the commoners may spread.
If that happens, my life will be doomed.
So, in this test, I must bully and irritate the commoners as much as possible while secretly supporting them in order for them to win.
âFrey! Answer me! What are you trying to do!?â
âShut up, pack up, and come to my mansion. You lot should be honored.â
After I had decided as such, I ignored Ferlocheâs grumbling and spoke with a sly smile as the commoners began to hesitate with a reluctant look on their faces.
âThis is⊠Iâm definitely going to earn a lot of false evil points during the vacation.â
Seeing the commonersâ reactions, who were already afraid of what would happen at my house during the vacation, I could already predict that this vacation will offer countless opportunities to reap a lot of points.
âBy the way⊠Where will Clana set her base up?â
âWonât she be at the Imperial Palace?â
âUh⊠thatâs insane. Itâs the Imperial PalaceâŠâ
âStill, if she is hiding in the Imperial Palace⊠Wouldnât it be possible for us to see the Imperial Palace?â
A commoner said so with a slightly excited expression while packing his belongings. Because of the special nature of this exam, the Imperial Family issued a decree that everyone would be spared punishment even if one broke into a restricted area.
After all, thisâŠ
âYoung Master, this is Princess Clanaâs trap. Soââ
âI know.â
âPardon?â
Kania, who was quietly packing her luggage, came to me with a concerned look on her face. I then answered in a low voice.
When I saw Clanaâs confused expression earlier, I was puzzled as well.
Because after everything she had gone through, she could easily hide her expression.
But if I locked myself in my room during the vacation and ordered the commoners to defend me, no matter how much she schemed with the elders of the Moonlight Family, it would be very difficult to assassinate me.
But because the Imperial Decree allowed people to legally break into the Dukeâs residence⊠If she had any chance of assassinating me, this exam was it.
She probably went to great lengths to ensure that decree was passed, believing that I would lock myself in my room.
âOf course, there might other motives as well.â
Not to mention how unusual it was to let a student decide whether or not another student would be demoted from Class A to Class B. No, it was suspicious rather than unusual.
So, considering Clana was behind this⊠there must be some hidden motive.
I didnât know how she managed to pass such a decree with her weak influence.
âKania, when did you say the commanderâs location would be announced?â
With that thought in mind, I nonchalantly asked Kania a question.
âIt will be a week from now. After a week, the commanders of both sides will be notified at once.â
â⊠Thereâs still time then.â
I still had a lot of work to do, and being forcibly tracked down on top of that made my head ache.
But what else could I possibly do? I had no choice but to make the best of the situation now that it had occurred.
âFrey⊠youâŠâ
As I was about to go outside, someone grabbed my arm.
âYouâ?â
I turned around and saw Arianne, Irinaâs childhood friend, glaring at me.
âLetâs talk for a moment.â
âNo, itâs annoying.â
Of course, I didnât want to associate with Arianne, who was as dangerous as Irina, so I answered firmly and tried to leave.
â ClangâŠ!
Arianne, who was grinding her teeth, put up a barrier, trapping me inside as she continued to glare at me.
âIt wonât take very long, please.â
âSighâŠâ
Eventually I sighed and turned around, then began heading to the classroom alongside her.
ââŠWhat is it? Why is Arianne acting like that?â
âI donât know. She must be crazy. Someone stop her.â
âLeave her alone, who can stop her anyways?â
The classroom door was wide open, so even the commoners on the outside could see us as they squinted in our direction. We then began talking.
âSo, what do you want?â
Arriving at the center of the classroom, I asked a question with an arrogant look on my face.
Of course, I could already picture what she was going to say, but in situations like this, it was better to pretend to be ignorant.
âPlease⊠please return Irina.â
Arianne closed her eyes tightly as she knelt down on the floor and began pleading.
âIâll do anything you ask. If you tell me to bark like a dog, Iâll bark. If you tell me to crawl on the floor, Iâll crawl.â
Saying that, Arianne began to weep.
âIrina, come here for a moment.â
I looked down at Arianne calmly and beckoned Irina to come, who was standing quietly in the distance amidst the murmuring crowd.
âDo you know her?â
Then, as Irina quietly entered the classroom, I smirked and asked her a question.
âI⊠donât.â
Irina lowered her head and responded with a crestfallen expression, as if she had lost a piece of her soul.
âHey, Irina! What the hell happened to you!?â
ââŠâŠ..â
Arianne, upon seeing her, grabbed her and began shaking her violently, but Irina avoided Arianneâs gaze and pretended to be confused.
âIâm sorry butâŠâ
After watching the scene for a moment, I grabbed Irina from Arianne and wrapped my arms around her waist.
â⊠Now that I have Irina, I have no intention of adding more slaves to my collection.â
Having said that, I left the classroom with Irina, leaving Arianne behind in a daze.
âWhat are you all looking at? Why arenât you all leaving?â
Eventually, I chased away the commoners who had been watching us and started walking down the hallway with Irina.
ââŠI think you can take your hands off of her now, Young Master.â
âAh.â
Then, as Kania spoke to me with a cold expression on her face, I got startled and let Irina go while opening my mouth, feeling slightly embarrassed.
âUh⊠Kania. I think the Dukeâs mansion will be a little noisy for a while. Is that alright?â
âSighâŠâ
After hearing that, Kania sighed for a moment, then answered impassively.
âIâll do my best.â
Kania looked a little pitiful, so considered buying her a fatigue recovery potion, but suddenly Ferloche appeared behind me.
I was scared she had overheard our conversation, but her annoyed expression made me sigh inwardly in relief.
âWhat?â
âWhat did you do to Irina?â
Upon hearing her words, I sighed, realizing that it would be a long conversation.
I guess I should stock up on fatigue recovery potions as well.
.
.
.
.
.
âYoung Master, how are you going to complete the âMain Questâ if you bring so many students to the mansion?â
âMain Quest?â
As I was heading to the Dukeâs mansion, which had suddenly become our base, Kania asked me a question.
âYes, because itâs such a big event⊠I think youâll have to prepare in advance, but if you have to complete the quest by the end of the vacationâŠâ
âItâs fine. If everything goes according to my plan, Iâll launch a raid when Iâm almost done with the exam, so I still have some time to spare.â
After answering her with a relaxed expression, I leaned back on the seat of the carriage and muttered.
âAlright⊠everything is perfect. Everything is going well for once.â
Up until now, everything has been a series of new variables and accidents.
On the first day of my regression, the Main Heroines suddenly regained their memories⊠A new system⊠and memories that I myself didnât even know existed in the first place.
But for now, everything was within the range of my calculations.
I had already thought of a way to lead the commoners to victory while earning false evil points, and I had already meticulously planned for the next Main Quest, ăLiberation of the Slave Marketă since the previous regression.
Of course, as always, I couldnât rule out the possibility that a new variable or unexpected situation would arise, but at least, this time around, I was confident that I could adapt to any unexpected situationsâŠ
ââŠFrey, are you really alright?â
âWhat?â
While I was immersed in such thoughts, Irina asked about my well-being with a worried expression on her face.
âCan you really handle Arianne?â
Hearing that, I heaved a deep sigh and answered.
ââŠWell.â
Arianne was obviously a good person, but I didnât know what she would do when she goes crazy.
If she was proficient in offensive magic instead of defensive magic, I probably wouldnât have the means to deal with her.
When I left the room with Irina earlier, I sensed an immense killing intent.
âSigh⊠Well, thereâs nothing I can do about it. As long as itâs still withinââ
â Rumble!
ââŠWhat?â
I sighed upon hearing a ruckus outside. A roar echoed from the front of the carriage as it began to slow down.
ââŠWhatâs going on?â
As a result, I frowned and carefully looked out the window, where I noticed a man blocking our carriageâs path.
âGet the hell out of the way! Do you know who the person traveling inside is!?â
When the coachman began to swear at the man, the man in front replied in a serious tone.
âIâm here to see Duke Frey Raon Starlight. Please forgive my rudeness, but it was urgent.â
âââŠâŠ.!!!ââ
Upon hearing that voice, Kania, Irina, and I, all of us, froze at the same time.
Because the owner of that voice⊠was the closest aide of the Demon King in the previous timeline.
ââŠStay here, Iâll go.â
âY-Young Master!â
âFrey!â
In fear that Kania or Irina would try to follow me, I hurriedly exited the carriage and approached the man in a suit standing in front of the carriage with a composed expression on his face. I then asked him a question.
âSo, what business do you have?â
âThatâsâŠâ
He then answered with a smile.
ââŠI think Lord Frey should follow me right now.â
âWhy?â
Upon hearing his answer, I quietly grabbed the hilt of my sword and firmed my grip.
âBecause if Lord Frey doesnât come, we canât start the Executive meeting.â
âWhat?â
I started to doubt my ears upon hearing the words that came out of his mouth.
ââŠCongratulations on becoming the Chief Executive of the Demon Kingâs Army, Lord Frey.â
I guess for the time being, I would have to watch what came out of my mouth.