When the two arrived at the massive open-air Arena located at the center of the academy, most of the freshmen had already gathered.
Temporary spectator stands had been constructed around the spacious grounds, which were paved with a sturdy off-white stone.
Upperclassmen, several instructors, and even a few noble guests who had heard the news were already seated in small groups, chatting in low voices while scanning the lively, nervous faces of the freshmen in the field.
Victoria and Silvia's arrival caused a slight stir.
It was not a welcome, but a commotion mixed with curiosity, scrutiny, and unvarnished contempt.
“Look, that commoner is here.”
“Tsk tsk. Only arriving now? Commoners really have a terrible sense of time.”
“That's why she's just a commoner. She doesn't understand proper etiquette at all. To think she didn't even show up early to prepare for something as important as the Placement Exam.”
“Even though that guy Greg Sass has terrible character and despicable methods, I actually supported him on a few things he did.”
A male student with slicked-back hair and wearing elaborate attire raised his voice slightly, ensuring everyone around could hear:
“For instance, trying to teach certain arrogant commoners their place. A place like Glory Cael should never have allowed these mud-feet in to begin with—it just lowers the whole academy's prestige for nothing.”
These words pricked at Victoria like needles.
Her gray eyes instantly grew cold, as if coated in a layer of frost.
Halting in her tracks, she snapped her head around, her gaze shooting like a cold blade toward the group of noble students gathered together with mocking sneers on their faces.
She did not care if others talked about her humble origin, nor did she care about their petty ostracization.
However, she would never tolerate such malicious insults, especially in a place where she was about to prove herself.
A wave of anger surged into her chest, her mana faintly fluctuating within her.
She was on the verge of stepping forward to make these guys shut up physically in the most direct way possible.
“V-Victoria!”
Noticing the sudden shift in her friend's mood, Silvia hurriedly reached out to grab her arm tightly, her pink eyes filled with anxiety:
“Calm down! Don't lower yourself to their level! The exam is about to start. If you attack now, you'll be playing right into their hands! They'll use it as an excuse to attack you, and it might even affect your eligibility for the exam!”
Silvia's voice was low, yet filled with undeniable urgency.
She knew Victoria all too well. Beneath her seemingly calm exterior lay an extraordinarily proud and unyielding heart, making it impossible for her to endure malicious slander directed at her background.
Victoria's chest rose and fell several times as she felt the firm grip of Silvia's hand and saw the pleading look in her eyes.
Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, forcibly repressing the anger churning within her.
Silvia was right; now was not the time for impulsiveness.
When she reopened her eyes, the ice in them had not completely melted, but clarity had at least returned.
She gently patted the back of Silvia's hand, signaling for her to let go.
Then, Victoria adjusted the immaculate collar of her academy uniform, turned around, and faced the noble students who were still snickering in hushed tones.
Without raising her voice or taking a provocative stance, she spoke with a clear, steady tone that was loud enough for everyone nearby to hear, saying every word with deliberate precision:
“Heh. Do certain people who gossip behind others' backs know something...?”
She paused, her gray eyes sweeping over the noble students whose expressions shifted slightly.
“That terrible Greg Sass you mentioned... whether he feels dissatisfaction or malice, at least he has the guts to say it to your face.”
Her voice was not loud, yet it possessed a strange penetrating quality that quieted the surrounding noise.
“Unlike some people who only dare to hide in the crowd, whispering like rats in a sewer.”
The noble students' faces immediately flushed red. One of them tried to object, but Victoria's next words cut them off before they could speak.
Victoria raised her chin slightly, her tone carrying a near-cruel bluntness. “At least in my book, he's better than you. Which means—”
Her gaze swept across their angry and embarrassed faces one by one.
“You aren't even as good as Greg Sass.”
Deep in the dungeon, Greg, who had just fallen fast asleep, suddenly sneezed. Nightmare, who had been resting on his chest, immediately trotted to the other side of the campfire with a look of utter disgust.
Silence fell over the area as Victoria's words echoed.
Only from the nearby spectator stands came a few muffled chuckles that could not be held back.
The noble students who had been singled out turned pale and red in turns, looking as if they had just been slapped in public.
“Hey! Commoner, who are you saying isn't even as good as Greg Sass? He isn't even a noble anymore! We all know he was cast out by his family! How could a trash like him ever compare to—”
“She's right.”
A crisp, pleasant, slightly haughty female voice abruptly cut in.
The crowd parted automatically to both sides.
A fiery-red figure stepped unhurriedly into the space between Victoria and the noble students, looking like a burning banner.
Lilith Kahn.
She had clearly dressed up meticulously today. Her long, fiery-red hair was styled into an elegant yet lively arrangement, and her academy uniform fit her impeccably, accentuating her poised figure.
Sunlight bathed her form, as if crowning her with a radiant halo.
Simply by standing there, she naturally became the center of attention. The proud aura belonging to royalty and genius required no words to convey.
She first cast a cool glance at the noble students who were about to burst into anger. Though her gaze was calm and indifferent, it instantly made them drop their heads, not daring to meet her eyes.
As a princess, Lilith was someone they absolutely dared not provoke.
Only after they had quieted down completely did she shift her gaze to Victoria, her ruby eyes glittering with unhidden interest and a spark of eager fighting spirit.
“Greg Sass...”
Lilith spoke, her voice ringing clearly across the quiet field. “...is indeed far more interesting than people who can only talk behind someone's back.”
Coming from the Princess, those words carried an entirely different weight.
The noble students hung their heads even lower, wishing they could dig a hole and hide in it.
Victoria calmly observed Lilith.
She had heard rumors that Her Highness hated Greg Sass.
After all, the former Duke's son was almost her brother-in-law, and his subsequent actions had brought shame upon the royal family.
By all logic, Lilith should have loathed anything and anyone related to Greg.
Yet here she was, speaking up on Victoria's behalf?
Why?
“You're Victoria?”
Ignoring the gazes around them, Lilith walked straight up to Victoria and tilted her face up slightly.
She extended her hand toward Victoria while a brilliant, confident smile bloomed on her face, dazzling like the noon sun.
“I've heard a few things about you. I hope you won't disappoint me in our upcoming battle.”
No formalities, no small talk—just straightforward and sharp.
That was Lilith Kahn's style.
Victoria paused momentarily.
She had not expected the Princess to extend her hand voluntarily, let alone express her desire to fight so directly.
Yet immediately after, a matching flame ignited in her gray eyes—the fighting spirit that could only be kindled when facing a worthy opponent.
She smiled too.
It was not Lilith's flamboyant, brilliant smile, but a more reserved, yet equally confident one.
Without hesitation, she reached out and took Lilith's hand.
The two slender hands clasped in the air.
“Those words...” Victoria met Lilith's gaze without yielding an inch, her voice clear and steadfast. “...should be mine to say.”
Though they could not tell whether they were friends or foes at this moment, there was one thing both sensed with utmost clarity:
The person before them was, without a doubt, an opponent they had to give their all to defeat.
A strong competitive urge, mixed with the subtle excitement of finding a worthy match, crackled in their locked gazes.
Standing to the side, Silvia felt the tension radiating from her friend—almost palpable enough to touch—and tightly clutched her skirt, at a loss for what to do.
This Placement Exam had seemed destined for chaos from the moment the match lineup was posted.
Rate on N.U.
