The Gloomy and Timid Princess Heads to the Academy

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Although I’m not a man anymore, I had no intention of taking back what I’d said.

Moreover, it was a bet I initiated, so I felt even more compelled to stick to it. If the first person who spoke backed out, that would be truly embarrassing.

But… it was something I couldn’t help but dislike.

“Chloe wins. The decision to replicate a sword on the spot to break free from a tight spot was excellent.”

The current score was 7 to 6. I had 6. Since forfeiting without a fight wasn’t counted, there was only one match left.

It was inevitable that my expression darkened. But since the remaining people were Exipri and some unknown female student, it felt too early to give up.

It really was a match where the outcome was uncertain. I even considered creating a tie to declare the bet null.

…If Dokan were to follow my lead and bet on the same player, it would be a bust, but surely he wouldn’t resort to such petty tactics, being a man?

Surely, he would put up a fight… right?

“This time, I might have had the right judgment.”

“…I see.”

I spoke confidently, but I had a feeling Dokan would use that method. Just looking at him, it was clear he was serious about the bet.

“Then I’m one point ahead of you.”

“I know, I know. Just keep quiet; it’s pointless to keep repeating it.”

“Have you thought about where you want to go?”

He asked teasingly where I would go if he won. The pet supplies store was the best I could come up with, but there wasn’t a particular place I wanted to go.

However, losing to Dokan and going along with him felt different than just following along.

“I don’t have anywhere, you brat. Stop teasing me. I just thought we could have a light-hearted bet, but taking it so seriously, isn’t that a bit much?”

I said, filled with disappointment. Dokan seemed a bit taken aback, but soon he replied with confidence.

“Then, you shouldn’t carelessly suggest a bet.”

“You despicable brat… Fine. I guess I won’t bet with you again.”

Just saying sorry would have sufficed, but he kept making snarky remarks, which was really galling. Dokan seemed to realize something was off and hurriedly apologized, but I had no intention of accepting it.

“…”

I maintained my silence, signaling him not to talk to me, and he seemed to understand and quieted down quickly.

He should have done that earlier.

“Lastly, Exipri. And Kora. Step forward.”

In the now-cold atmosphere, the final bet began. Even though I had grasped the Mana Breathing Technique, given Exipri’s unfortunate physical condition, it was obvious I would bet on Kora instead.

Exipri didn’t even seem to reach 150 cm in height, while Kora, purely based on physical attributes, was similar in stature to Anya.

From the lack of any detectable mana, it seemed she couldn’t use magic or the mana breathing technique, but wouldn’t it still be possible to lean on her for support?

Since it was Exipri, who knows?

“I’ll bet on that student named Kora.”

“…I’ll bet on Exipri.”

Dokan, seeming apologetic, laid his bet on Exipri too, which made me slightly more lenient towards him.

People can make mistakes sometimes. The important thing is whether they reflect on it later.

“…Start.”

The fight began, but it was hard to watch. It was ambiguous to call it a fight when Kora chased after Exipri, who was merely running away.

Exipri, dragging a hammer her size along as she fled, was fascinating, yet it proved she, indeed, was a practitioner of the Mana Breathing Technique.

But the problem was that she was using it solely to flee and evade.

“Whoa! Don’t chase me!”

“How can such a tiny creature be so fast!”

Right now, Kora was narrowly avoiding the twin swords’ strikes, and I felt slightly anxious about whether Kora would truly lose.

If Exipri swung her hammer with intent, Kora, with her defenses laid completely bare, would likely be finished in one hit.

…No way. Such a thing wouldn’t happen.

Yet, a feeling of unease lingered in the back of my mind. What if Kora really did lose?

And that anxiety grew with Exipri’s next words.

“Stop chasing me…! I’m going to swing it!”

“Oh yeah, go ahead and swing it! Just don’t keep running away endlessly!”

Exipri was truly claiming she would swing it, and Kora taunted her to do so. Usually, people wouldn’t say that if they really intended to…

But when someone like Exipri said she would, she’d most likely follow through without fail.

I desperately hoped I was wrong this time, but inevitably, that ominous premonition became a reality.

As if everything was in slow motion from the intense focus, I saw the hammer being swung. And Kora only realized it at the moment it was about to hit.

She squeezed her eyes shut.

With a loud thwack that could be heard from a distance, Georg’s declaration rang out.

“Exipri wins. You should have swung it sooner; you dragged it out too long. Kora, I hope you learned not to become so engrossed in offense that you neglect defense.”

…She actually lost.

“8 to… 6.”

Dokan was still persistently counting the points.

“Who doesn’t know that?”

Sigh. I let out a sigh without even trying to hold it back. Looking at his expression, there was no surprise at winning; it was just a knowing look.

It was clear he expected this outcome all along. He’d purely planned to win.

…What a sly one.

“Then… does that mean I won?”

“You won, you cunning brat. So, where do you want to go?”

With the intention of not letting him get carried away with other words, I snapped back at him. I just had to resign myself to the fact that he was simply that kind of person.

I needed to be careful, after all.

“Uh… the church.”

Huh. So there was a reason he fought so hard to win. It’s a place I’d never visit with a clear head, and that’s likely why he was so determined to make the bet.

My thoughts on the faith of this continent could be summed up in one word: the worst.

I didn’t want to associate with those kinds of people, by any means. It felt just like encountering those weird cults from my previous life.

Just garbage.

“You said the church, huh?”

I hated it that much, but a bet is a bet, and I could only accept the results. Maybe having Dokan right beside me wouldn’t be so bad.

…Still, I didn’t like it, though.

“Yes. I know you dislike it, Hoyeon, but… I have my reasons to go there.”

“Must I go with you?”

If I said the truth, I’d want to back out. At this point, it might be better to wallow in boredom in my room.

Even though there was a green orb nearby, it was still hard to breathe whenever I passed near the church.

“I thought it would be nice if you came along, Hoyeon.”

…What could I do? A friend asked me to go with him; I had to comply. There has to be some give-and-take in friendship.

Even with that annoying friend I used to have, we had our share of exchanges.

“If you insist that much, I have no choice then. Fine… I’ll go with you. Is that enough?”

“…Thank you!”

Dokan said thank you with a grin, far from hiding his joy. Seeing him so happy made it hard for me to be fully discontent.

I decided to think of it as enduring one day of inconvenience. The air around the church was the worst, and I hated the people inside, but at least the building itself was tolerable.

I wouldn’t engage in any praying or anything inside, though.

“Now, I will announce the results.”

As I was talking with Dokan, Georg declared the results.

Cecilia and I, along with Dokan and a few others, were in the advanced class. Exipri, Redmond, Daniel, and others were placed in the intermediate class. Everyone else was in the lower class.

Including those who had forfeited.

As Georg nonchalantly stated that the class was over, the children rushed out of the gymnasium.

And through that crowd, Cecilia and Exipri approached us.

“That was an excellent ambush, Dokan. You completely caught me off guard…”

“It was just luck. I was nervous about being caught, but I got lucky.”

And just like that, we started talking, as if the others beside us didn’t exist.

“Exipri, your attack was good as well. How about showcasing a bit more courage next time? You’re stronger than you think.”

“But it’s scary…”

…No, I guess anyone who’s human could try to strike up a friendly conversation.

The reason I specified ‘human’ was that I was intentionally avoiding them.

“Hoyeon… you managed to beat Remus without using the Mana Breathing Technique… I think that’s amazing.”

Even now, see? The atmosphere was clearly one where they were only trying to be polite.

As if they were on a date, and upon seeing their date’s face, they had to suppress their desire to grimace and put on a forced smile.

“I just simply performed better, so I won. It’s a natural outcome.”

“…I see.”

There was definitely something that left a bad taste in my mouth.

The spirits were one thing, and the elves were another.

Even during the next class, I couldn’t concentrate because of those thoughts. Since it was mostly things I already knew, there wasn’t much thought on it anyway.

I lethargically passed the time until lunch, and as soon as the bell rang, I quickly grabbed Dokan and headed to the cafeteria.

In a place that seemed a bit deserted, I asked Dokan.

“What do you think of that girl, Cecilia?”