The Villain is Too Good at Sniping

98. Review and Preview (1)

Late afternoon in the student council room.

Kyle and Serin Anet were still looking at the test papers, but I got up from my seat first.

“What’s up, leaving already?”

“I think we’ve almost finished everything for today, what about you?”

“I’m, um…not sure.”

Kyle glanced at the notes and test papers I had given him. There were more O-marks than I had expected.

It’s not like we’ve reached the level of switching our positions, but this is also a gradual improvement.

“Be careful going in.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

I bid Kyle farewell and was about to leave the classroom when…

“Si-on, I heard you messed up this test. Don’t you need to study more?”

“Uh…”

It was Serin Anet who said that, unexpectedly.

That’s when I remembered something I had forgotten. Serin Anet was, after all, my sponsor.

Serin is a person who mostly relies on luck to make up for their scores. I don’t know how much the special service points will affect, but I do know that they’re not doing well.

“It’s already too late to review the test, so what’s the point? What’s done is done, let’s prepare for the next lesson.”

“The next lesson…by the way?”

Serin Anet seemed to have thought of something and rummaged through her bag.

I had dismissed reviewing the past test as meaningless, but there was another reason.

Esily Silvergarden, sitting in the front row, was giving me a subtle glance. I didn’t know what she wanted to say, but her gaze was not friendly.

“Hmm…”

“……”

Esily herself was trying to act like she didn’t care, but my intuition was connected to my [Sixth Sense]. Even with my eyes closed, my whole body was sensing Esily. It was impossible for her to pretend she wasn’t concerned about me.

It would be no help for me to stay here any longer. This was the stage for the main characters, and I didn’t belong here.

Now, I was just following Isabella’s words and staying here.

-Note: For students who did not reach a certain score on the written test, supplementary lessons are scheduled.

– Sion Illyeonhart, you also need to attend this test without exception.

Isabelle said that, but it’s already too late for that. I’ve been with these guys for two whole hours.

“This is the handout from Professor Isabelle’s last class. You didn’t receive it, so I kept it for you…”

Serin Anett pulled out two handouts and handed one to me. As I received it, Serin Anett’s watch suddenly vibrated.

Uh-oh-

“…!”

It seems she didn’t turn off the alarm.

When I think about the message I received from Arsen’s side after completing the Pelteus mission, it’s obvious what it’s about.

Serin must have failed to do her part until now, so this is the first time she’s receiving a message.

“Ah, anyway, the part to be delivered is unusual.”

Serin Anett hastily wrapped up, but I pretended not to hear and ignored her. I glanced at Serin, who quickly escaped, and then looked at the handout I received.

[Title: First-Half Schedule Notice]

[Hello, students. This is a pre-notice for the upcoming Academy Exchange…]

“‘First-Half Schedule Notice… It’s finally out.'”

The official notice for the Magic Engineering Expo and Academy Exchange has been released. It seems a lot happened at Arsen while I was away.

Time remaining until the event – 14:00:49

***

The next morning.

The students of Class A, including me, gathered at the training grounds.

“Today, as I mentioned earlier, we will conduct a realistic training session to prepare for the upcoming Academy Exchange.”

I don’t know the details since I was absent from class, but I’ve heard about it vaguely from the original story. However, I quietly listened to Isabelle’s explanation.

“First, don’t be too discouraged if you did poorly on the written test. It’s just a test, and not doing well doesn’t mean your life at Arsen is over.”

However, even Isabelle’s words couldn’t lift the mood of the Class A students. There were sighs and murmurs here and there, with some saying that if they did poorly on the written test, they wouldn’t do well in the practical test either.

Of course, there were some calm students.

“A-4, Kyle Ivanstear. What do you mean by realistic training?”

“I’ll explain it from now on.”

Isabelle, who was clearing her throat, conjured up a magic circle in the air. A holographic image appeared, showing the start and end of the last Academy Exchange.

“The Academy Exchange is an annual event where students from Arsen, Yoahim, and Dongfang Academy gather to compete against each other.”

Chaeng—! Ting!

The sudden sound of clashing swords made all of Class A look up at the sky.

A man in Eastern-style armor and a man in Western-style armor were facing off against each other, their swords clashing. The scene was somewhat dramatic, but the message that we would be clashing with students from other academies was clearly conveyed.

The two men exchanged blows, but were soon defeated by another man who appeared. The man’s chest had the emblem of Arsen on it.

Isabelle dispelled the holographic image at an appropriate time.

“As you saw, Arsen won last time, but there’s no guarantee it will be the same this time. You will be representing Arsen and facing students from other academies.”

The students looked at each other with puzzled faces, while Serin Anett and Kyle focused on Isabelle’s words.

Especially Serin seemed to be deep in thought, probably thinking back to the entrance exam.

“Of course, not only Arsen but also students from other academies are preparing for this exchange and sharpening their swords. Therefore, this training session is designed to cultivate your practical skills and help you achieve excellent results in the upcoming exchange.”

Let me repeat once more—

Isabelle’s voice became more serious, with a slightly more solemn tone than before.

“Your victory is Arsen’s victory, and your defeat is Arsen’s defeat.”

Yeah, I remembered.

One of the episodes that flowed by like a passing scene was the “Team Training Tournament”.

There was a depiction of Arsene’s side training the students in advance to prepare for the tournament during the academy exchange, but it was actually just a rough outline.

The overall process was to form teams and make them fight each other.

“You will now form teams. Each team will consist of three members, and the team members will be determined by lottery.”

At Isabella’s signal, several instructors walked forward, each holding a box.

“Let’s start with the first student.”

One of the instructors stepped forward.

“Please draw your lot.”

“Uh, um…”

Kyle, who was at the front, hesitantly put his hand in. The color he drew was red, and he was on team 1.

“You’re on team 1. Please head to the area under the red flag.”

Kyle walked away, and the instructor moved on to the next student. This time, a different color was drawn. The student walked towards the navy-blue flag they had drawn.

In reality, I knew the outcome of this lottery.

In the original story, Kyle Ivanstere and Ailee De Sugamond were on the same team. I didn’t remember the other students, but team 2 had Serin Anett and Esili Silvergarden.

Kyle Ivanstere and Serin Anett, who had faced each other during the entrance exam, would clash again in this team training tournament.

The story was supposed to be about them resolving their unfinished business from the previous fight, becoming closer, and then preparing for the academy exchange tournament together…

“…Please draw your lot.”

“Ah, yes!”

Anyway, that’s how the original story went.

“Huh? It’s orange?”

“You’re on team 2. Please head to the area under the flag.”

“Yes! Got it!”

Ailee De Sugamond drew a bright orange color.

Ailee, who was supposed to be on team 1 with Kyle, ended up on team 2. She awkwardly stood next to Serin Anett, who was already there.

From that moment on, I had a feeling that something was off.

“Please draw your lot.”

“Orange…”

“Please head to that area.”

Esili Silvergarden was assigned to team 2, completing the team’s roster.

“…Then.”

“If it’s yellow, um…”

“It’s team 3.”

Kazha, Kai Almar, and Gardener Meridian were on team 3. The original team composition had already gone awry.

“Green… or is it pale green?”

“It’s team 4.”

Elin Beonard, who was supposed to be on team 2, ended up on team 4 with two unknown extras.

“Blue…?”

“It’s team 5.”

“Look, pink came out.”

“Team 9.”

“Over there, if it’s black…”

“Team 13. Just head to the very end.”

After that, the lottery continued.

I gave up thinking from that point on. Even without sudden events, this world had already become a reality with countless variables.

Of course, luck was included in that.

There was no guarantee that someone who was supposed to win the lottery would definitely win. Even a small change could make the prize go to someone else.

Such variables existed in this world. I had already seen countless minor changes derived from them.

“Please draw the lot.”

“Yes.”

So, I just decided to accept it.

Even if small incidents brought about changes, they were still just minor changes.

The Magic Engineering Exhibition was held, and the Academy Exchange Tournament took place, but the great underlying framework of this world didn’t change.

No matter how much I knew about the original story, I couldn’t control every event.

Sometimes, you couldn’t go against the flow, but had to surrender to it.

Even if I couldn’t stop the wind blowing from behind, I could still choose where to settle.

With that thought, I drew the lot. The color I drew was red.

“You’re on Team 1.”

“……”

“Just head towards the red flag on the far left.”

I followed the direction the instructor pointed to.

Under the red flag, Kyle Ivanstear and an unknown extra were standing. Among them, Kyle greeted me with a friendly smile.

“Oh, what’s up? You’re on the same team as us, Sion?”

“Welcome! We’re glad to have you!”

“……”

Originally, I was only going to go halfway, but it seemed this world didn’t want me to rest.

Time remaining until the event – 03:12:05