A week flew by in the blink of an eye.
Monday came around again after the final exam period had ended.
Student report cards were posted on the central bulletin board of the First Magic Department.
“Ready for this?”
Rita lightly tapped Jacqueline on the shoulder as she asked.
Jacqueline took a deep breath.
“Not yet.”
“Why are you so nervous?”
“Rita, aren’t you nervous?”
“If you did your best, that’s all that matters. The results will follow.”
“I envy that kind of confidence…”
Since the grades for all students from first to fourth year were posted here, a large crowd had gathered since the morning.
Even though they had come right before lunch on purpose, Jacqueline and Rita had to squeeze between people coming out and going in just to get near the board.
Finally reaching the front.
Jacqueline began scanning the list for her name.
She started from the bottom, as if used to it, but it took longer than expected.
That’s odd. My name should be around here… If it’s not down at the bottom, then could it be…?
Jacqueline’s eyes, sparkling with anticipation, soon found what they were looking for.
She smiled brightly and pointed with her finger.
“There it is!”
As if to reward her for the past month’s efforts, Jacqueline’s exam score was—
Not exactly outstanding, but right in the middle of the pack.
102nd place out of 401 students.
“Too bad, Jacqueline. Just one more correct answer and you’d have made the top 100.”
The top 100 students received a scholarship from the academy, more like a pocket-money reward.
Rita was commenting on how close Jacqueline had come, but Jacqueline shook her head.
“Still, this is a huge improvement. Last time, I barely escaped the bottom. I only got this far thanks to your help. Thank you.”
“Don’t forget Shannon helped you with the practicals too.”
“Of course.”
Next, Jacqueline looked toward the very top of the grade list.
Rita’s name was always easy to find.
“By the way, shouldn’t the real congratulations be for you, Rita?”
“I just got lucky.”
As if she had been waiting for this moment all along, Rita finally managed to take first place in the grade rankings.
Her total score across all subjects edged out Shannon’s by just one point—
A razor-thin margin.
“Well, it’s thanks to Shannon not really caring about the exams. People who don’t know anything keep going on about this and that, though.”
The news that Rita had beaten Shannon to claim first place in the finals had already spread throughout the dormitories.
Those who usually envied Shannon took the opportunity to loudly claim, “Shannon’s skills were overrated,” “I knew it,” and “Rita Ridge is the true top of first year.”
Not a single one of them actually came to congratulate Rita in person.
To Rita, they were nothing but “pathetic people who cause trouble for others.”
“Still, I’m glad the exam period is finally over.”
“A lot happened, huh?”
Jacqueline glanced to the side of the grade board.
There, instead of a typical announcement, a daily newspaper had been posted.
The article covered the incident that had rocked the Academy throughout the past week.
<Lambart Daily>
June 29th Edition.
Massive Embezzlement Uncovered in Royal Academy Student Council
– A major scandal has broken out as it was revealed that the Royal Student Council of Laurentia Royal Academy embezzled large sums from operational support funds and student fees.
– According to the Royal Audit Office’s investigation, Student Council President Patrick Brown of the 47th Council and his executives misappropriated 11,000 Blanc out of a total 13,000 Blanc, comprised of 5,000 Blanc in academy-provided support and 8,000 Blanc in student fees, on activities unrelated to official student council business.
– It was found that council members used the funds for personal luxury entertainment and expensive private purchases.
– When they ran low on money to embezzle, they even enforced extra fees beyond the standard dues set by academy regulations.
– First-year students, who were unfamiliar with school policies, were the main victims. This constitutes a clear illegal act.
– Additional findings revealed that, to make up for the budget shortfall caused by the embezzlement, the Student Council pressured merchants who supplied goods to the Academy into providing “free support.” They even went as far as to threaten them with “future trade disadvantages” if they refused to cooperate.
– In response to the scandal, the Academy authorities have dismissed all Student Council executives from their positions and initiated disciplinary procedures. Orlando Chambers, Headmaster of the Royal Academy, described the incident as “a serious corruption case that shakes the foundation of student self-governance” and stated that “a thorough investigation will be conducted along with preventative measures to ensure this does not happen again”.
The Student Council that had harassed Jacqueline to pay student dues completely disbanded within a week of its formation due to the embezzlement scandal.
It was a case that left behind the lesson that the weak are not necessarily virtuous, and it also disappointed many who had placed their hopes in the council led by commoners.
Some even went as far as to say that the previous council had been better.
“The noble-led council never did this kind of thing. Maybe we should just go back to that.”
“Oh, so you’re fine with letting the nobles abuse their power again?”
“The noble council formed private guards to beat people up, and the commoner council just stole money. This academy is a total mess…”
When the embezzlement was exposed, enraged students from the Knight Department gathered in front of the Student Council dorms, where they nearly turned the place into a war zone.
There were even reports of the military police being dispatched, so it wasn’t just a rumor.
Rita had been right.
New changes always brought new problems.
“Still, I guess it’s a relief that it was exposed before there were more victims.”
“Yeah, really.”
With their grades confirmed and business finished, Jacqueline and Rita turned to leave—
Just then, a small commotion began down the hallway.
Someone was making their way through the crowd, parting the students as they approached the bulletin board.
It was Professor Corrigan who taught transformation magic.
“Everyone! Please make way. There’s a new announcement. Some exam grading results have been revised. A few student rankings have changed as well.”
At the mention of rankings being updated, the crowd quickly cleared a path.
Professor Corrigan unrolled a sheet of paper tucked under his arm and pinned it to the board.
<Due to an error in the test questions for the Theory of Mana Flow Control exam, all answers to Question 4 will now be marked correct.>
It was the very question Jacqueline hadn’t been able to solve on the first day of exams—
And it had been a high-point question at that.
The fact that the answer was now considered correct meant, in other words, that Jacqueline’s score had gone up.
Hardly daring to hope, Jacqueline turned her eyes to the next notice Professor Corrigan had posted.
After confirming her rank, Jacqueline let out a joyful scream.
“I’m 99th? What on earth happened?”
Professor Corrigan gave a small smile and explained what had just happened in the faculty meeting.
“There was some discussion among the professors about a few of the exams. Some were saying it’s wrong to include questions on material not covered in the academy-designated textbooks.”
Some professors had even deliberately used their own published books as sources for test questions, trying to push sales.
Students who were favored by those professors or who had gotten tips from upperclassmen could easily answer them,
But for everyone else, it was unfair and unreasonable.
“So, we decided to take this opportunity to root out that kind of practice entirely. One professor pushed hard for it.”
Jacqueline asked,
“Who was that?”
“Professor Colton Haynes. He’s always taken an interest in student affairs, but his family had been ill, so he hadn’t been able to focus on academy matters for the past few years.”
“Oh no…”
“But it seems their health has improved a lot. He’s been showing up at faculty meetings again and is working energetically, just like before.”
“That’s such good news.”
Rita wrapped an arm around Jacqueline’s shoulders.
“That’s great. Congratulations, Jacqueline.”
“I’m in such a good mood; how about we go out for lunch? There’s this cake shop I’ve had my eye on for a while. On a day like today, we need a big slice. Preferably one with strawberries on top of fresh cream.”
“Hmm, didn’t you almost spend your entire allowance this month?”
“Actually, I’ve been saving a little. I wanted to buy you and Shannon something to say thanks.”
“Oh, Jacqueline…”
Rita looked at her with a mix of pride and emotion.
“So, when should we go?”
“Right now.”
“Okay, I’ll just run to the library first. I need to clear out my locker before the break.”
“Great. I’ll go wake up Shannon. Let’s meet in front of the dorm.”
Jacqueline parted ways with Rita and headed toward the dorm.
But just before she stepped out of the Magic Department Building—
She froze in place at the sound of voices from just outside the door.
Someone was talking about her.
“Did you hear about the grade changes?”
“Ugh, yeah, I’m so pissed about it. I was ranked exactly 100th, and now I’ve dropped to 101st.”
“Apparently, that Jacqueline Dogwood girl got into the top 100 in your place.”
“Isn’t she the one who complained to Professor Martin about the exam being flawed? Don’t tell me this all happened because of her.”
“Seriously unlucky. Wasn’t she practically at the bottom of the class up until midterms? I don’t get why she couldn’t just stay in her place instead of stealing someone else’s spot.”
“Honestly, how does someone’s grades jump that much all of a sudden? That’s not normal.”
“She’s always clinging to the top two students in the class like a leech. She probably picked something up from them.”
“This world is seriously unfair.”
Jacqueline considered stepping outside and snapping back with a sharp retort, but someone else’s voice cut in first.
“Who’s out here spewing garbage in the middle of the day?”
“Uh… upperclassman?”
“If you’ve got that much time to badmouth people, maybe go hit the books instead. Saying filthy things won’t improve your sorry lives.”
“Wh-Why are you suddenly coming at us? Are you friends with Jacqueline or something?”
“She’s in one of my classes. One of the students I keep an eye on. So let me make this clear…if I hear you talking trash about her anywhere again, I’ll make sure your life here gets very difficult.”
The classmates who had been gossiping about Jacqueline turned pale at the threat and quickly scattered.
Unable to resist, Jacqueline peeked out the door to see who had come to her defense.
A third-year girl from Professor Winslet’s class stood there, arms crossed, watching the others flee.
“No wonder they’ll be losers forever, thinking like that. Maybe it’s because they’re commoners…never learned any manners.”
“Stephanie…?”
At Jacqueline’s voice, Stephanie whipped her head around.
She looked surprised at first, then quickly frowned.
“What the—how long have you been standing there?”
“Did you… stand up for me just now?”
“W-Who said I was standing up for you? I just told those nobodies to get lost because they were blocking the hallway, okay? Don’t get the wrong idea.”
Despite her sharp tone, the way she quietly looked out for others reminded Jacqueline of someone.
With a shy smile, Jacqueline said,
“Thank you, senior.”
“I told you, I wasn’t defending you! Unbelievable…”
Stephanie turned on her heel and strode back into the Magic Department Building as if she were running away.
Watching her retreating back, Jacqueline felt a sting at the tip of her nose.
She couldn’t help but think how foolish she’d been, wanting to quit the academy just last week.
Jacqueline had come to realize something. While there were cruel people at the academy, there were just as many kind ones.
Yeah. I’ve got so many people around me who support me….why would I even think of quitting?
No matter what challenges came her way, all she needed to do was hold her head high and carry out her duties with pride.
Just like Professor Winslet said…
Feeling the warm courage that had taken root in her chest, Jacqueline quietly recalled the words Professor Winslet had once told her.
Then, while she was at a charming tearoom with a beautiful garden, enjoying cake with her friends, she suddenly clapped her hands as if remembering something important.
“Oh, right. Everyone, I wanted to ask you something. What does it mean when someone says I’m clean?”
“Who said that?”
“Professor Winslet.”
“What?!”
“Well, I ended up having a counseling session with him…”
Rita tilted her head in confusion, not quite getting it, while Shannon’s expression turned serious as she asked,
“Jacqueline, what kind of shampoo bar do you use?”
“Shampoo bar? Where’s that coming from?”
“Just tell me.”
“I just use whatever’s in the dorm shower.”
“Maybe I should try changing mine…”
The next day, Shannon showed up in the lounge wearing a look of utter despair.
Her fine, sensitive hair was so tangled it looked like a bird’s nest.
“Something definitely went wrong.”
At Shannon’s words, Jacqueline and Rita burst into laughter.
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