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Winley slowly furrowed her brows. She simply couldn’t focus on the exam.

“Ahem.”

She even showed some discomfort on purpose. In the form of a ‘fake cough’. Despite this, the blatant stare did not waver.

‘……What’s his deal?’

At this point, Winley was starting to get irritated.

‘He had a good first impression……’

That boy, Ancelot. He shared the same name with someone she respected. That wasn’t particularly special.

Naming a baby after a famous person was common, especially among commoners. It was clear that the boy’s parents also respected the great hero.

‘Wait. Could he be provoking me intentionally?’

The sudden speculation that took over her mind made Winley’s expression harden. Come to think of it, that boy was her opponent in the last exam.

‘No, it’s just speculation. Let’s not assume the worst.’

Winley tried to focus on the exam again.

‘……Your staring is going to drill a hole in my face, you jerk.’

Of course, she couldn’t process anything she read.

“You there!”

Luckily, the proctor intervened, and the gaze finally disappeared.

‘……Phew. I just need to show what I’ve worked for.’

Anyway, Winley made up her mind again. She had talent acknowledged even by a Master. She wouldn’t lose to anyone. She had a clear goal.

‘For myself alone.’

She would seize this life with her own hands.

* * *

Reaper Scans

[Translator – San]

[Proofreader – Abstract]

Join our discord for updates on releases! https://dsc.gg/reapercomics

* * *

The second day was practical skills, including horsemanship but the most important was, of course, the upcoming mana sensitivity test.

“It’s pretty crowded.”

I quietly scanned the surroundings. Unlike the written test, all the candidates gathered in the open training ground.

In the center was a single crystal ball. There wasn’t much to do. You just had to show them.

Show them that you could handle mana.

‘The most practical difference between mercenaries and knights.’

Those who wanted to be knights but lacked talent in mana usually become mercenaries. That was the case for commoners who had next to nothing.

Of course, not all mercenaries were unable to use mana. They had their own ‘grades’. In fact, mercenaries of grade A or higher were treated almost like minor nobles anywhere they went.

Hummm!

The test was quick and straightforward. All you had to do was inject your mana into the crystal ball.

“Oh!”

Jan was the first among our group. He placed his hand on the crystal ball.

Depending on the nature of one’s innate mana, the color of the crystal ball would change.

What appeared in response to Jan’s touch was a vivid ‘red’.

“Impressive fire mana. Pass.”

“……Thank you.”

Next was Kirian.

Hummm……

Although a bit unstable, there was a definite mana response.

“……Water mana? Pass!”

“Whew.”

Kirian sighed in relief.

Meanwhile, the guy named Winzer passed with a display of clear green mana.

“Next…… Ancelot.”

As soon as my name was called, there was a brief murmur.

“Ancelot? He has the same name as the great hero.”

“He has such a grand name for a commoner.”

I ignored all the chatter. I was quite serious at the moment.

‘Like the king of this country, I must also put new wine in a new bottle.’

I was born a slave. So at first, like other slave soldiers, I used the lowest grade mana cultivation method to first acquire mana.

Even that was fortunate. If it weren’t the Empire, I wouldn’t have even seen such a precious thing.

‘No, is it really luck?’

A bitter smile appeared on my lips.

There were two main reasons why the Empire distributed the precious cultivation methods— even the lowest grade ones— to mere slave soldiers.

First, to ensure a smoother supply of ‘meat shields’.

For instance, ‘If you join the Imperial Army, you can learn cultivation methods!’ was their promotional tactic.

Second, to create meat shields that wouldn’t die easily. Stronger slave soldiers would last longer on the front lines.

‘My body in my previous life had a lot of impurities from learning those cultivation methods. Every time I advanced, it was a bothersome obstacle.’

I crawled up from the bottom. I led countless wars to victory. I absorbed one cultivation method after another, the spoils of war, directly with my body.

I wasn’t called a genius for nothing. I took the strengths of all those methods, and they accumulated to create the ‘Ancelot Heil Edenberg’ of my previous life.

‘But now, I don’t need to go through those trials and errors.’

I clenched my fist tightly. Let’s not be impatient. Even if the progress is slow. No one in this world possesses purer mana than I do.

‘I am nature, and nature is me.’

Hummm!

There was no need for a flashy performance like shattering the crystal ball with overwhelming mana.

Just show them.

The nature of the mana I possess.

After a while.

“……Huh?”

Perhaps because the usual response didn’t happen right away? Unconsciously, the proctor swallowed dryly and let out a strange sound.

“……Hmm……”

Even I didn’t expect this situation.

The crystal ball was emitting light. It was a response that only occurred when reacting to mana. But the crystal ball was still transparent.

It didn’t show any color.

“What the? Is it broken?”

The proctor belatedly tapped the crystal ball.

No.

It was not broken.

‘Because I can see it clearly.’

Purer than anything else, pure white mana.

‘……Oh, well.’

I intentionally imagined ‘fire’ in my mind.

At that moment.

Fwoosh!

A fist-sized fireball appeared in the crystal ball.

“Oh. S-So, it was fire mana. And quite pure at that……”

“Do I pass?”

“O-Of course. Pass!”

At the same time, I shrugged my shoulders lightly. It was the moment I passed all the tests, both theoretical (?) and practical, with excellent grades.

‘At this rate, I might really be the top student?’

There’s still one final test left, but that was the area I’m most confident in.

***

The last day of the knight exam.

‘……That kid……’

Winley, who had just stepped onto the training ground, looked nervously at her opponent.

A commoner by birth. He had a slouchy gait and a body full of vulnerabilities.

But she couldn’t afford to be careless.

She knew now.

‘His mana is definitely at a high level. He’s no ordinary kid.’

Winley tightened her grip. It was her first real battle, that wasn’t just training.

‘Don’t let your guard down. A predator always gives its best, even when catching a rabbit.’

Maybe because it was the first match.

“I believe in you, honored guest!”

“Let’s see what you’ve got.”

Voices cheering for the kid came from the examinee stands.

That’s right. Today, here, she would show all the effort she had put in until now and she would become a knight with dignity……

“Begin!”

Flash! Bam, bam, bam!

“……Huh?”

It happened as soon as the examiner shouted. Suddenly, something swished by, and the sky started to spin.

‘Wh-What just happened?’

No.

It wasn’t the world that was spinning.

Winley’s entire body was spinning around.

‘W-Wait……’

Boom!

“……Ugh.”

Her slender back slammed hard into the solid marble floor. Winley barely held back a scream but the pain was still there. It was so painful she could barely breathe.

“What are you doing? Get up.”

“Wh-When did you……?”

Winley looked up blankly.

The situation was simple.

The opponent had closed the distance in the blink of an eye.

The opponent tripped her lower body.

Her body floated in the air.

“Get up!”

“Gasp!”

Winley sprang to her feet, belatedly coming to her senses.

“Ugh……”

It wasn’t just her back. Her whole body screamed in pain. It was a pain Winley couldn’t understand.

Come to think of it, while she was spinning in the air, she heard ‘bam, bam, bam!’ sounds of impact.

‘Did he hit me with a wooden sword in that brief moment?’

Winley mentally added two more points.

He hit her with a stick while she was airborne.

The impact made her body spin.

Sweat soaked Winley’s back.

‘……He’s strong. Much stronger than I thought.’

But this time, she wouldn’t just take it. She opened her eyes wide. She would follow his movements with her eyes.

Flash! Bam, bam, bam! Spiiiin!

“……Huh?”

“You’re trying to use your eyes again. That’s why you can’t do it.”

Bang!

A stronger impact than before hit her back.

“Cough!”

A dry cough escaped through her lips.

“Your hands are faster than your eyes. You have to feel it with your senses, not your eyes.”

“……Ah……”

A sense of helplessness engulfed her.

Winley finally realized.

‘He’s not my match.’

She could never win. No matter what she did.

‘What have I been doing all this time?’

Belated self-loathing took over her mind. Her efforts crumbled into pieces.

‘No, no. It’s not that I’m weak……’

That kid is amazing. There are heavens above heavens in this world. Not just his name but his talent was real.

‘……Amazing.’

Was it because the difference in their level was too overwhelming? She didn’t even feel angry anymore. Only pure admiration for her opponent remained……

“How longer are you going to stay on the ground?”

“……!”

Winley finally came to her senses and stumbled to her feet.

Right.

Even if she lost, this behavior was against the knightly code. She had to show that she accepted her defeat gracefully.

“I…… lost.”

“……?”

Her opponent tilted his head.

Yes, that was enough.

“Congratulations. You won.”

Now she would hear those words, right?

‘Yeah, that was a good match,’ or something like that……

“Hey, what kind of bullshit is that?”

“……Huh?”

“I think you’ve misunderstood something. Do you think this is some sort of duel?”

“What do you mean……?”

“Hey, this is an exam. A type of evaluation to prove yourself.”

Winley stood there, mouth agape, not understanding her opponent’s words.

“This isn’t a meaningless brawl where winning or losing matters. It’s a place to show everyone here how much effort you’ve put in and what you’ve achieved so far.”

“……Ah!”

Winley let out a belated exclamation.

“In an exam like this, there’s no such thing as surrender. If you don’t know the answer during a written test, do you shout, ‘I surrender!’?”

“N-No.”

“Right? You don’t. You either guess or write something down using all your brainpower. That’s the least respect you can show for the effort you’ve put in until this point.”

“……!”

Winley’s eyes widened.

He was right. Giving up just because the exam was tough? That was the mindset of a loser.

‘Even if I can’t do it, giving my best is my duty as a knight.’

Winley’s ears turned red.

She was engulfed with shame.

She felt so embarrassed.

“Pick up your sword, knight-in-training Winley.”

“……”

Winley bit her lip and picked up her wooden sword again.

“……Thank you.”

“Oh, please. I should be thanking you.”

Huh?

‘Did he just smile?’

No.

She must be seeing things. In this situation, how could he smile at her? Even though she must seem so pathetic to him.

“It would have been a shame if you hadn’t gotten up when we hadn’t even started properly.”

……Had she not been seeing things?

At that moment, Winley felt killing intent.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

From then on, the ‘one-sided’ and ‘merciless’ beating began.

Her vision spun. Her waist bent at right angles repeatedly. The excruciating pain made her mind go blank, and she drooled.

Her limbs and entire body convulsed.

“W-Wait……”

When even the terrified examiner was about to intervene and stop the exam.

“S-Stttoooppppp!”

Winley shouted, watching her opponent walk towards her like a demon. It was an instinct for survival.

No.

This was wrong.

She might really die like this.

“I-I surrender!”

Of course, this didn’t work either.

“I told you, there’s no surrender in an exam.”

Shiver!

Winley realized an uncomfortable truth. That demon was enjoying this situation. Once again, the natural instinct for survival as a living being surged within her.

“P-Princess!”

“Huh?”

“I’m the princess of this kingdom, you bastard!”

At her voice, which was quieter than an ant’s, the demon smirked.

“Then I’m a prince.”

“Wh-What?”

“Did you think I wouldn’t hit you because you said you were a princess?”

“……Ah……”

It was clear.

This guy was a lunatic.

“Wh-Why are you doing this to me?”

“A certain parent, out of twisted love, requested an unfair exam for their child. Can you really say you have no blame in this?”

“What are you saying all of a sudden!?”

“Answer.”

Seeing him lift his wooden sword, Winley flinched and stiffened. Then, she shook her head vigorously.

“Right? You can’t.”

“Y-Yeah.”

“It’s a crime, right? So, your royal family shouldn’t talk about ‘exterminating three generations’ for personal crimes all the time.”

“Y-Yeah, it’s a crime.”

“Then you need to be beat.”

Whaaaaam!

At the same time as the word ‘right?’, Winley felt another pang of immense pain in her back.

“Cra…… zy fucker.”

Thud!

For the first time in her life, the princess passed out from being beaten.