The students of the first academy are supposed to be the best of the best, elites among elites, and geniuses who are meant to carry on the dreams of their predecessors to the next generations.

It's safe to say that even in a general context, everyone here is no simple person in terms of personal ability. This becomes evident when the last student in the ranking is only a handful of grades behind the first-ranked student.

This created an atmosphere that would make most people crumble from pressure. The academy adopted a system of grouping the grades of its students together to create what can be considered a criterion of success for each year, meaning that as long as the majority of the students had their grades between certain scores (100 and 98 for example), anyone who scores less than them by a large migraine fails the exam and gets demoted to the Second Royal Academy for good, where they will be judged by its lower standards, and of course graduate with its lesser diploma from there.

And since most students pick different subjects to study even in the same year, the overall ranking depends on the average score in all subjects. As all exams get graded by 100 points, all the grades are added together and then divided by the number of exams taken for each student.

Other than the overall ranking, there is another ranking for every subject on its own but the big overall competition is what attracts most attention either way.

Back to a certain Vivian, she was going back and forth the next day with a textbook in her hand, crossing a score of students who kept following her with their gazes and chattering among themselves.

"Have you heard? She has signed up for all ten exams."

"Crazy!"

"You guys believe that?"

"I never really thought she would come back after what happened with Lady Matilda."

"Well, I guess she is back trying to attract attention."

"Attention? After the engagement that broke? Shouldn't she cower up somewhere?"

"You're just jealous because she did better than you every year."

"But haven't you heard? The Moores killed the guy who was nominated by the Royal Family to marry her."

"I've heard that but you think they have the guts? The Moores need support from the other big six families and crossing the Royal Family puts them at risk."

"In most cases, yes. But I've seen those Hewes family that she was supposed to marry from. They are my uncle's vassals and you wouldn't want anywhere near them."

"That bad, huh?"

"The father is a slaver and his eldest son is a leper. Moreover, the son that got killed was going to be disinherited and sent to be a commoner."

"I would have killed myself before marrying off like that."

"Yeah. That would have been the best outcome, but killing the groom is such a bad move. The Royal Family won't forgive this."

"Well, Vivian survived this one."

"Thankfully."

"Wait! Since when have you two been on her side?"

"What? Her side?"

"What side is that? We are not on her side! It's just crazy to see the high and mighty Vivian down to such a state."

"You two better be careful of what you say."

"Yeah. You wouldn't want to upset His Highness."

"But isn't it suspicious?"

"Shush! Don't say it."

"Say what?"

"No, I didn't…"

"Just say it, man. Nobody will tell."

"Well… Vivian's record is clear through the previous years. She never had more than five subjects and would always specialize in the liberal arts. Signing up for all subjects maybe… you know… someone else's doing."

"So you're not only slandering the honor of the Royal Family but House Morgan as well."

"I'm not slandering anyone."

"Listen. She was cast down for a reason. Whatever comes for her is the result of her actions. You shouldn't question it for your own sake."

"Hey! Shut it! Look!"

Just as the chattering group was about to finish their conversation, one of them pointed towards a nearby corner where the shoulder of someone was visible. What made the group shudder into cold sweat was the fact that this person was within hearing range and could have been listening to what they were saying.

As they all turned in full alertness, Vivian simply walked from behind the corner and past them while holding a book in hand. As she was faintly smiling, they realized she was listening the whole time.

As fear started playing tricks in their minds, Vivian wasn't really thinking much of what they said but rather how they said it.

There are always rumors but people from the High Society are no fools, they are actually very intelligent and can tell facts from fiction. Even though they chose to ignore the truth and cast away justice since they had nothing to gain as they feared the wrath of the royal family, the Royal Family seemed to have relied on fear and strength rather than smearing Vivian's reputation with creative lies.

In other words, they didn't put in the effort.

That was assuring since the opponent was not taking the retaliation of Vivian into consideration and dropped their guard against her.

Now… how can she strike back from where they least expect?

***

Elgard's History, Modern Literature and Linguistics, Religion: Dawn of the Saints, Trade and Economics, and Basics of Domain Management.

These are the exams on the second day. From them, I originally applied for History, Literature, and Economy. Religion and Domain Management were pushed on me.

The History exam focused on the relationships between Elgard and the other nations during the last hundred years especially with the fall of the previous dynasty in Velleux at the hands of the revolutionaries until the purge of the royal family of Velleux twelve years ago. As for literature, it was focused on ancient tales and interpretations of archaic languages. Religion was kinda the fun subject today and I quite enjoyed the nonsense I wrote since from the rumor I gathered, the more zealously you write, the better the grades become.

As for Economy, it was basically right at Vivian's alley and I didn't struggle one bit. The problem came with the Domain Management exam since it was all about ruling subjects and going through hard choices but I think I fared well.

That concluded the first day and I went to bed like a walking dead.

The next day started with a hasty rumor hunt since I was utterly desperate for information and lo and behold, the Heroine also woke up early. She seemed anxious about her quests getting done for her but I was already finished by the time she arrived and dodged her entirely.

With all the hints and rumors, I had to face the Geography, Nature, Mathematics, Engineering, and Anatomy exams, fully knowing that I only knew Geography and the rest were stuff that was pushed on me by the League of Bastards.

As the easiest subject in the academy, most students took the Geography exam and I met many familiar faces. On the other hand, Nature wasn't a popular class since one had to memorize many types of herbs and grasses but I managed to cheat in this exam using the System Shop as some items carried the description of their recipes and I took notice of their names and effects. As for Mathematics and Engineering, let's say Oscar and Jane shouldn't be worried about it because, after all, I used to specialize in long-range weapons so doing things like calculating bullet drop rates against wind and gravity with a scope, a paper, and a pencil was just another Tuesday for me. Finally, the Anatomy class was the thing I dreaded the most but one wouldn't believe how popular that class was especially among the Martial Arts students, but I had enough hints from the rumor hunt to have a good feeling about how I did on that exam.

All in all, I did really well on the third day and I can say I am proud of myself. Even if I was demoted to the second academy, my pride wouldn't be hurt at all.

At 8 PM, I walked out of the examination hall while being avoided by people I —or rather Vivian— once called friends.

It was lonely. I heard more whispers about me, felt more gazes, and sensed mockery and disdain all over. Part of me hoped that a friend would come to me and ask how I did so that I could complain my heart out but I am sure that the exhaustion in me is feeling that.

But let's face it, who would come…

"Senior Vivian. I was looking for you."

… I stand corrected.

"Lady Edith. Nice to meet you." I said as I faced the tomboy Villainess, "Are you eager to continue our interrogation?"

"I am sure that you have heard I dropped all suspicion against your person in my report." She said with a serious face.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

"It felt more like you were baiting me to drop my guard." I said with a tired smile… cause I was actually tired, not trying to look cool or anything.

"Will you drop your guard then?" Edith, however, asked a very strange question with all honesty.

"Innocent or guilty, I am not one to drop my guard." I gave an honest answer to her honest and straightforward question.

"Good." She said before continuing to say something more surprising, "You can't drop your guard since the more I look into the path you have walked, the more treacherous it appears to me."

I was taken, to be honest, but I was aware of her personality.

"Thank you for the warning." That's all I could say in this time and place.

"I know you don't need a warning from me. I only wanted to see how resolute you are. I feel satisfied now." She said and walked past me, "I hope we see each other more often from now on."

Seeing her go, I felt that my headache was going to split my head in two. I needed to get away from all the noise so I started walking until I found myself in a garden outside the main building and not too far from the dorms.

Under the moonlight, I hid from anyone who could be watching me and rested my aching body on a stone bench, unwilling to use my head for anything other than feeling sorry for myself.

Two weeks have passed since I've become both Vivian and Nadia and I feel like I need a break from all this stress.

Maybe I should escape and start a new life somewhere. Well, let's keep that as the last resort in case nothing else works.

"I…"

As I was about to sigh and complain to myself, I started hearing a voice from somewhere. Not really a conversation but the sound of someone breathing hard and the sound of movement and big steps.

I didn't want to get involved but that was the way I should take to return to the dorm, so I guessed one peek wouldn't hurt. Maybe I'll hear something interesting again.

But as I approached the sound, all I found was a familiar face who was almost as exhausted as I am.

"Logan." I called my knight who seemed to be in the middle of his training.

"Vi- Princess!" Logan completely froze the moment he saw me.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"I am training with…" Logan was about to reply but his rebellious attitude got back to him, "I am supposed to be the one asking. What are you doing here?"

"Taking a detour before returning to the dorm. I needed air." I said and then pointed at him, "And you need a shirt."

Seeing as he was out of his upper garment, it seemed that he found comfort in the secluded place to focus on personal training.

"I'll escort you back then." He said as he picked his shirt up.

"Well, I haven't finished my detour yet. You can keep on with your training." I said.

"I prefer to shadow you if you are without any escort." He said with a stubborn face as he wore his shirt.

"Then I'll just sit here. I need rest after this crazy day and I'd hate to interrupt your training." I said.

Honestly, I wished to see how a proper Graduate Knight trains since it may become a valuable experience for me and maybe insightful to determining my path in the future.

Logan stood there blankly without knowing what to do before speaking.

"Well… it was more as an experiment rather than regular training." He said.

"How so?"

"I was trying to mix two styles together in order to become better at doing my job in the future." My knight said something so endearing before dropping a bomb on my head, "The style of Moore family aura and your style."

"My style?" I asked with my eyes wide open.

"Yes. You know… firearms." He said and drew a flintlock from a holster behind his waist.

"Logan, you…" My eyes lit up for a moment, "That's unlike you."

"Not really. I've always been trying to incorporate long-range attacks in my style, your performance the other day at the gun range happened to be eye-opening."

"I'm glad you like it that much." I helplessly smiled since it felt a bit sweet of him to say such a thing, "But aren't you worried about what your peers would say?"

"That's another thing I am copying from your style." He said with a cheeky smile.

"My attitude?" I asked.

"Your shameless attitude, yes." He replied with a cheeky smile.

I was instantly shocked by him saying those words since even though I am…

"I… I am sorry. I shouldn't have said that." Logan, however, seemed to have found himself getting too comfortable with me.

I couldn't help but let out a slight chuckle.

"You're still tense about the auction night." I said.

"No… Ye… Yes." He said and averted his eyes, "It is my fault you got hurt."

"No, it's not. In normal circumstances, the security…"

"There are no more normal circumstances for you, Princess. Not anymore. I should have been the one to realize that first." He said.

How complicated! If he's feeling guilty, I guess trying to comfort him would make him feel worse. Men have that weird tendency sometimes where words don't affect their stubborn sense of pride.

"You are right." I said and looked at him straight in the face, "But there is something that you did damn well that night."

"There was?" Logan frowned.

"Richard Marshall! We still haven't talked about that one yet." I said and a smile formed widely on my face, "You handled that idiot like a fiddle."

"Ye…ah!" Logan replied faintly with a dispirited expression.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Richard Marshall is the son of the Knight's Commander. The moment I did what I did, I guess I crossed off my membership in the Knights Hall."

"Aren't you our house's knight? Why were you with the Knights Hall?"

"It is true my liege lord is Count Julian but the Knights Hall is more like a social club of knights instead of being a military organization. It provides benefits such as free health services, sponsored smithing shops, and all that a knight needs."

"A guild in a way."

"It's exactly a guild. And it has a pretty tight code of camaraderie. Since Richard is the future heir of House Marshall, I'm in trouble with most knights now."

"You regret defending me against him?" I asked.

"Are you kidding me?" Logan asked them to give out a proud smile, "I enjoyed every bit of it."

I see… Logan didn't like Richard as it seemed. It's nice to have such a friend with mutual interests in bashing the people I hate to a wall.

"Still… I am sure he'll come and find me some other day." Logan said as his smile disappeared slowly.

"You beat him once, you can do it again." I said.

"Not for long." Logan said and let out a long sigh, "I am trained on the Moore Aura technique while that boy Richard is trained on the Marshalls' technique. I may be a Graduate Knight now but soon, he'll grow and narrow the gap."

"What's wrong with our family's technique?" I asked.

"The Moore Aura technique isn't bad in all honesty. It's just that the Marshalls' technique is too good. His father, Lord Henry Marshall is a Master. This means that their house's technique can produce Masters, whereas the best in House Moore is an Expert Knight."

"That seems grim."

In conclusion, when Richard Marshall gets stronger, he'll come looking for Logan. It also means that even with our money, the Moores may suffer a crushing defeat if the war hounds of the Kingdom were to be released against us.

A Knight Master is no joke. It is known that these people are crazy powerful to the point where they are considered the pinnacle of warfare in any country. It's something like a nuclear warhead except that it has a will and a lifetime of its own.

Just like my system, there are 5 ranks to everything in this world. Novice, Apprentice, Adept, Expert, and finally Master. As for knights, there is no such thing as a Novice Knight, and they call the Adept rank Graduate. So in conclusion, it's four ranks as far as everyone is concerned. A Novice Knight or even a Novice Sorcerer is just an initiate who just began learning like a Page or an Acolyte… or me in that regard.

I know it was wishful thinking but if the Royal Family wants to get rid of me, I can be crushed without a trace. Even worse, I am already planning to survive no matter what, so a clash with the interests of the big figures is definitely bound to happen.

I need to prepare a lot. I need to learn a lot as well.

"Tell me, Logan. What's it like to be a Master?"

Logan became silent for a while before putting together an answer. He raised his fist and closed his eyes and then…

"That…" I saw Logan manifest his aura and my entire body remembered how I was beaten mercilessly by the Knight I killed after the auction day.

It was Light!

A brilliant silver light that manifested from Logan's first. It came from within, as if he was holding a strong flashlight in his first and it started to outline the bones under his flesh.

"Good God!" I exclaimed as he finally decided to stop his aura from radiating.

"I am surprised that it is your first time to see an Aura getting ignited."

"I never came across a guilt-ridden knight willing to display it before."

"Hah! Good one."

"Thank you. So, what did I just see?"

Logan took a deep breath and explained.

"What you saw was me igniting two points of Aura on my body. I ignited them too much to make them visible to your untrained eyes but their regular size is rather that of a fingertip. What you saw just now were my Aura Stars."

"Stars?"

"Because they radiate, hence the name."

"Why three?"

"It is the best I can do. As you know, we start from the rank of an Apprentice where the Aura takes a Bronze color and can form up to three stars, the Graduate where the Aura takes a Silver color and can form up to four stars, then the Expert where the Aura takes a Gold color and can form up to five stars. After that, Masters can manifest their uniquely colored Aura Stars outside their bodies and of course…"

"They have up to six stars."

"Right. But they are also known as Manifestations since the stars outside their body can form spirit aberrations based on the Aura. The damage of these manifestations is… beyond immense."

"You've seen it?"

"I was with my father three years ago in the campaign against the Adnanis at the Isle of Sedus. The two Aura Masters on both sides have absolutely decimated the battlefield and all Knights and Sipahis were called back as the Masters dueled to a draw. No one had the spirit to fight after seeing the Masters do what they did that day."

"Was it traumatic?"

"Not the slightest. You see… Knights are drawn to become stronger and everyone wishes to be a Master someday. But we also possess a sense of estimating each other's strength and knowing the gap we need to cross in order to be at the level of our opponent."

"And what did you sense that day?"

"Richard Marshall is a 3-Star Apprentice Knight. I am a 2-Star Graduate Knight. If the difference between me and him is like me standing here and him standing five feet away from me, then the difference between me and the Aura Masters I saw that day is like…"

Logan paused and tried to think of something far away but he didn't find anything and so he looked up at the sky.

"Ah! It is like between where I stand and the moon over there."

I looked up to the sky and saw the full moon illuminating the cloudy sky above.

"You can see it but you have no way of reaching it."

It is depressing to hear, let alone witness.

How am I supposed to survive if I meet a Master then?

I guess I don't… so I'll leave that for a Knight to worry about and head back to my dorm. My exams are over and I should do my best tomorrow.

Logan saw me off at the dorm's entrance and I had to rest like a corpse because tomorrow is the day everyone is looking forward to.

The final day of the main route for the Heroine and the day of ruin for the main Villainess, the Spring Festival day.