I Broke Off My Engagement and Got a Job at the Academy

40 – 40. Hidden Figures

Vanessa Delphius looked around.

She couldn’t sense any presence nearby, but that made it all the more important to be cautious.

“You never know when and where an unexpected situation might arise.”

With that in mind, she continued to maintain her heightened vigilance.

Of course, she was confident she could defeat test-takers even if they ambushed her, but the problem was not being eliminated in battle but losing her protective shield.

In other words, it meant that the actual combat could unfold quite differently.

As long as her protective shield was strong, it wouldn’t matter. After all, she was a sword expert, and with her skill alone, she could overpower others.

But what if, on the contrary, her protective shield was too weak? What if she accidentally brushed against a blind arrow, and that alone shattered her protective shield?

“Terrifying.”

So, she had to remain vigilant around her at all times.

While surveying her surroundings, Vanessa sensed someone within her range.

“…About 100 meters away. Judging by the situation, it seems they don’t know I’m here.”

The area was densely packed with trees. Even though it was 100 meters away, if someone wasn’t skilled at controlling their senses, there was a chance they wouldn’t detect her.

She swiftly moved towards that presence.

“Now is the time.”

She channeled her sword with energy and stabbed the man’s back, who was fidgeting in her vicinity.

“What…!”

He turned around at the sound of the wind, but it was too late. In an instant, his protective shield shattered, and he teleported away.

“Oh, is this the level?”

Worried, Vanessa thought her shield was strong enough in its own way. It seemed unlikely to easily break against the attacks of those who couldn’t handle their spirits properly.

With that in mind, Vanessa once again unfolded her sensory perception.

About 200 meters away, there was a figure.

“…Not human.”

However, that figure was not human. It walked on all fours, and its movements were too agile to be considered human.

“Probably a monster.”

In fact, facing monsters was easier for her than facing humans. Naturally, as she had practically made a living fighting monsters in the North.

…Of course, the other people here were unlikely to be her opponents, but still.

Oh, now that she thought about it, there was a noticeable presence among the academy examinees.

“Jezel Ircalli, was it?”

That could be considered somewhat impressive. Given the opportunity, they might reach an expert level anytime.

However, it was different from her, already an expert. The gap was significant, even if they were at a level where they could “soon become an expert.”

Moreover, even if she was categorized as an expert, her skills were lacking compared to other experts, having recently achieved that status.

However, people were entangling themselves with the girl named Jezel solely based on the name as the successor of one of the five major noble families.

Even if she achieved the expert level, the current situation did not warrant a smirk.

“Capital people are quite flashy.”

Well, even in the novels she had read, there was a certain atmosphere around the people from the capital.

Thinking like that, she quickly closed the distance with the monster.

What stood before her, ready to fight the monster, was a quadrupedal monster – the Crimson Wolf.

The monster had a large collar around its neck, on which the number 20 was written.

“Oh, does catching that thing give 20 points?”

Somehow, there was no specific explanation about the points given for defeating monsters.

Anyway, Vanessa charged towards the Crimson Wolf with her sword in hand.

The Crimson Wolf also rushed forward, jaws wide open.

However, she held the sword’s blade with one hand and lightly slid it across the Crimson Wolf’s head with the broad side of the blade.

The theme of monsters with their attack means concentrated in the front revealed itself; it was now the end.

Vanessa lightly stabbed the Crimson Wolf’s side with her sword.

“Meow!”

With a short whimper, the Crimson Wolf met its end.

“Uh, looks like monsters don’t bother with shields.”

Well, it’s kind of funny to go through the trouble of putting shields on monsters to protect them. Anyway, they won’t say anything even if they die; after all, they were probably created to be killed.

In any case, Vanessa’s score was now 40 points. That meant, just 10 more points, and…

“I can meet the wizard.”

The fact that the ‘wizard’ turned out to be the successor of a fallen duke was shocking. However, while understanding that, it made sense why he tried to hide his name until the end.

He probably didn’t want to reveal his past because it was a source of pain.

After finding out he was an academy professor, Vanessa was shocked, but upon hearing his name, she could understand his actions.

The downfall of Duke Kainus was a topic discussed by many even in the North. In other words, Vanessa was afraid that just by hearing his name, she might uncover his past.

…If she were to meet him again, what should she say?

When Vanessa first saw him at the academy, she was secretly amazed by the aura that was incomparable to the past, despite having left the North for less than a month.

Maybe he had crossed the wall and stepped into a higher realm. And she was the only one who knew how that realm was achieved.

Was that why? Looking at him, who was looking down below, spreading a powerful aura, Vanessa felt her heart pound, an unfamiliar feeling as if her heart was sinking.

“Is there something wrong with my heart?”

The sensation of her heart beating so fast was something she had never felt before.

Thinking of his face, Vanessa shook her head vigorously.

“No, no, no, I need to snap out of it. Vanessa, what are you doing?”

Saying that, Vanessa slapped her cheeks.

Having regained her composure, Vanessa decided to head towards the outskirts of the central mountain, opposite to where she needed to go. They probably placed a lot of monsters on the outskirts.

After all, directly dropping someone was not really her style.

Monsters… well, you just have to kill them.

With that thought, Vanessa moved her feet.

How far had she walked, something in her senses detected.

However, contrary to her thoughts… the identity of that something was human.

Not just one or two, but several.

The strange thing was, they weren’t fighting, nor were they moving toward the center; they simply gathered in one place.

The exam progressed on a first-come, first-served basis. Therefore, most students would have headed around the mountain to collect points as quickly as possible to climb the mountain.

But not doing so…

‘There’s a different purpose than the exam.’

And Vanessa’s intuition concluded that the purpose was definitely not a good one.

Why?

‘Just like the villains in novels!’

It was because they were similar to the villains who used tricks to interfere with the protagonists in romance novels.

Of course, in ordinary circumstances, it would likely be nonsensical talk, but now it was different.

Is there a human who prioritizes something over entering the Imperial Academy and is still in good shape?

Vanessa kicked her leg. As she did, she saw people gathered in one place, doing something like consciousness.

“What are you doing!”

When Vanessa shouted, the people there opened their eyes wide and said,

“…How did you find this place? We thought we wouldn’t be caught because it’s on the outskirts.”

Perhaps they hadn’t thought that someone would come out to the outskirts for the sake of catching monsters rather than humans.

“Is that important? Even if we don’t know what you’re doing… you won’t get away with a good excuse, right?”

Then, a woman looked around and said,

“It can’t be helped. What we see before us is Vanessa Delphias… an existence that had to be eliminated anyway. Attack her.”

With that statement, others, excluding that woman, instantly rushed toward her.

She easily brushed off the attack and swung her sword.

And, clang!

‘Did she block it?’

Of course, it was an attack without a blade, but their opponents deftly parried the blows.

The figures before her were evidence that they were not just ordinary sixteen-year-olds.

As if meticulously trained…

“Enough!”

The woman, who had been manipulating something without rushing towards her, shouted.

Vanessa heard that voice and deftly evaded the opponent’s blade coming towards her without rushing at her.

And… the blade grazed her cheek.

To emphasize once again, it wasn’t blocked by her defense…

Clearly, it grazed her.

Realizing this, Vanessa widened her eyes.

On her cheek, droplets of red blood formed.