When Colt left the room, there was only one thought in everyone's mind.
He must have given up—that's what they all assumed.
Everyone but one person: the second prince.
When Colt smirked at him on the way out, Antoine began to wonder—was he bluffing, or was he actually that good?
Even if they ended up with the same score, Colt would win just by finishing first.
No, even if they finished at the same time and got the same score, Colt would still come out ahead.
He was the second prince, while Colt was a commoner.
If they tied, it meant Colt was the better one, since he had reached the same level without any of the advantages Antoine had growing up.
Sure, a tie could be brushed off, but not without consequences. It would stain the royal family's name and stir up unwanted trouble.
And if Colt actually won, Antoine would owe him a royal promise. Those didn't come cheap.
With one, Colt could even claim a treasure from the royal treasury if he wanted to.
If he gave one to a random commoner, he would get an earful.
Antoine realized that the more he thought about it, the worse it got, so he pushed the thoughts aside and focused on finishing the exam.
---
It had been forty-five minutes since Colt left when the next person finished the exam. It was Seila.
"Lady Seila, I've been waiting for you," Colt said, extending his hand.
In it was a cup filled with fried chicken. "You didn't get to eat earlier because of me and the second prince."
Seila frowned. "You shouldn't say that about the second prince," she said, but still took the cup.
To her surprise, it was hot. "How did you know when I'd come out?"
"I just knew," he said, dodging the question. "Anyway, how was your exam?"
In truth, he had no idea when she'd finish. He could've checked from outside, but he didn't. Instead, he went back to the food stall.
The owner was already cleaning up for the day, but Colt had convinced him to make one more serving by offering two extra gold coins.
Afterward, he preserved the food in his inventory with a preservation spell and waited.
"I'm sure now that I'll get the top score," Seila said confidently.
"Haha, even with our bet, I sincerely hope so."
---
After Seila, more people began to exit the exam rooms.
Antoine came out with only five minutes remaining, the twelfth examinee to finish.
He didn't stop to speak with anyone and simply made his way to the waiting area.
The examinees were asked to wait there while the results were being processed, which would take about an hour.
Once Myrin and Hei finished, the four of them also headed to the waiting area together.
"The second prince looked angry," Seila noted. "Do you think his exam didn't go well?"
"Even if it didn't, he's still the second prince. It's probably better than mine," Hei replied.
"Sigh... A lot of people probably scored better than you..." Seila muttered.
Hei wasn't lazy, not at all. But he didn't share Seila's drive when it came to academic achievement.
Most of his energy went into sword training, while he did only the bare minimum required of a noble in other areas.
When they arrived at the waiting area, it was even quieter than before.
But the examinees who had gone hadn't been eliminated—they had simply accepted that they wouldn't pass the written exam and left on their own.
Some of them couldn't even finish it in time.
Before the exam began, the crowd had been more diverse, with people from all kinds of races.
That made sense. Commoners came from every race, and they made up the majority of the applicants.
Now, though, most of those who had left were commoners, and that shift was visible.
Humans now outnumbered all the other races combined.
It wasn't surprising. Every year, around 95% of those who passed the academy entrance exam were nobles.
And among the nobles, each race had only one family representing them, except for humans.
In fact, this year, Myrin was the only non-human noble among the examinees.
As for the remaining 5%, the commoners, they weren't all from other races. Nearly half of them were human as well.
So naturally, humans were still the most common presence in the academy, making scenes like this one all too familiar.
"Colt, where are you staying in the southern district?" Myrin asked.
"I'm not sure of the inn's name, but it's the biggest one in the district. Why?"
"Hmm... We'll have a week before the academy starts. Maybe I'll come visit. Last time, I didn't know where you were, so I couldn't," Myrin replied.
"That's a great idea!" Hei said. "Since Colt can't come to the northern district, we should head to the southern one."
Technically, they could invite Colt to the northern district—but it wasn't that simple.
If something happened while he was there, the responsibility would fall on the person who invited him.
Myrin looked like she wasn't too fond of the idea for a moment, but she didn't say anything.
Instead, all of them turned to Seila, who was still munching on her fried chicken.
"Huh? Yeah, sure. We can go," she said with a bright smile.
I did well by buying the food, Colt thought.
---
An hour passed, and a commotion stirred in one corner of the waiting area.
Everyone turned to look—twenty teachers were approaching.
They were some of the exam proctors who had overseen the various testing areas.
Colt and the others moved toward the center of the waiting area along with the crowd.
A podium appeared out of nowhere, rising from the ground, and one of the teachers stepped onto it.
It was the same teacher who had supervised Colt's physical exam in the 73rd zone.
Colt knew who she was.
Cecilia Rutherford.
The second-strongest teacher in the academy after the headmaster, and the daughter of Baron Rutherford.
She had long, red hair that fell to her back. Regardless of her real age, because of her high level, she looked like she was around 25.
And she had a charming appearance.
She was a level 199 mage, stuck at a bottleneck, but close to breaking through.
If things went the same way as the last timeline, she'd likely succeed within the next fifteen years.
When she raised her hand, the murmuring stopped.
"Most of you here have passed the exam," she said, her voice clear. "But unfortunately, only some of you will be admitted to the great Lofpus Academy.
This doesn't mean the rest of you are weak. It simply means there is always someone stronger. So don't stay where you are. Keep going, and keep growing."
When she finished, the commoners applaused. The nobles didn't—clapping after a speech wasn't considered proper among them.
Cecilia raised her hand again, and the noise died down.
"Now, I will announce the top three students of this year."
A wave of anticipation ran through the crowd.
Most assumed the top two spots would belong to the second prince and Seila—the real question was, who would be first?
And even more importantly, who would take third?