"I, Vice-principal Gibson, welcome everyone to the Royal Academy's annual entrance examination."
The academy's vice-principal, a middle-aged man with yellowish hair, announced while standing in front of a large amphitheater. He used magic devices to amplify his voice, making everything he spoke loud and clear.
Meanwhile, Ryu was standing at the end of the venue since everyone had already occupied mostly the remaining seats. His main reason was to avoid being near the speaker at the front. After all, he sensed that trouble loves to find him anywhere.
Standing, reminiscing his encounter with Yume earlier, a thought was glued to his mind about how stunning she was, like a superstar idol. People might assume how Ryu described her was from a biased fan, but he couldn't care less.
He leaned on a pillar just when someone talked to him.
"Good day, Sir. First time here?"
'Did this guy just interrupt my sweet thoughts?!'
Ryu looked at him closely; he wore a tight suit and had two daggers on his waist. The other conclusion only meant he was also an examinee because he was not wearing a uniform. He wondered what the guy wanted.
"Yes, you are?"
"Sorry for intruding. My name is Felix, I came from the north, and my father is a mercenary. I am here today to take my third attempt."
'Third attempt?'
Undoubtedly that the Royal Academy entrance examination was not for everyone.
'But why should I care?'
"I'm Ryu."
Giving him a short reply didn't fail Ryu when Felix showed a dumbfounded face.
"Sir, sir Ryu, how about you?"
Unsatisfied with his short answer, he reiterated.
"Me? This is my first. I came from the Xan Kingdom."
Ryu was hesitant to tell him, but he thought it was better to say early so he could leave him alone. Yet, Felix's reply was quite different, catching him off guard.
"Xan Kingdom?!"
Felix said in a loud voice that everyone who heard got startled. They had made another commotion. He noticed and quickly covered his mouth with an apologetic face saying, "Oh!"
Chatter... Chatter... Chatter...
"QUIET DOWN!!!"
The Vice-principal roared. With the help of voice amplifying devices, the whole venue trembled.
'I knew it... trouble wouldn't leave me this easy.'
Meanwhile, the Vice-principal pointed in Ryu's direction.
"You little troublemaker! Come down here, now! And let's see what someone great like you have to disturb my speech!"
"Me?"
Ryu responded while pointing his finger at himself, confirming who the Vice-principal requested. Then he tried to ask the people beside him. However, everyone had already dispersed and left him hanging alone.
The Vice-principal furrowed his eyebrows and replied sarcastically.
"Are you saying I'm calling myself then?"
"No, Sir, I apologize."
"Apologize...?! Why don't you come down here this instant, and let me, the Vice-principal, test you in person?"
The crowd tensed up, wishing Ryu luck.
"Oh no, he's done for."
"There are too many people to piss off, and he deliberately chose the infamous Vice-principal Gibson."
"Sir Gibson is known as the Student Applicant Slasher. You can only count in fingers those who have passed his test."
"He won't pass this time; better if he comes back next year."
For this, Ryu looked to the side. He saw Felix clasping his hands together, gesturing an apology like he was pleading not to involve him. He sighed.
'I'm just a side character.'
In the end, Ryu complied and walked down the stairs. People's attention was now all over him, gossiping as they stared at his hair color.
When Ryu arrived, Gibson said in a clear tone.
"Introduce yourself."
"Ryu, 16 years old, son of a Baron from the Xan Kingdom."
Chatter... Chatter... Chatter...
As Ryu expected, people loved to gossip even in this world, as long as the topic was not about themselves. They ridiculed and dishonored anyone to make themselves feel better.
'It's nothing new to me.'
Now Ryu knew precisely how Yume felt whenever she heard these disgusting people talking behind her back. The author wrote that she was the first noble to have black hair.
Although the color black was uncommon for commoners, but not to the point that it didn't exist. Though, the story differed when it came to a noble aristocrat.
For them, black was a sign of darkness, evil, sin, and wickedness.
'The Princess endured well.'
Gibson proceeded.
"Titles don't matter in here. Even if you are a foreigner, you must abide by the rules or go back home."
"Understood, Sir."
"Then tell us your skill."
"Hmm... A little bit of swordsmanship."
Gibson smiled mischievously as he unsheathed the sword on his waist.
Shing!
"Oh, Aren't you lucky? It seems I also have a little bit of knowledge in swordsmanship."
A random person watching commented.
"Little? Isn't Sir Gibson known to be a 6-Star Sword Saint? Everyone knows he can use sword aura. Isn't that plain bullying?"
"Shh! Don't let him hear you."
Gibson scanned Ryu and started mocking him.
"I can see you have no sword in you, and you dare call yourself a swordsman?"
"Sorry, Sir. I woke up late and forgot to bring it. Hahaha—"
Laughed as Ryu scratched the back of his head.
"—What, you think today is a joke?! I'll teach you a lesson!"
Gibson gritted his teeth and raised an eyebrow while preparing to launch an attack. Even Ryu was dumbfounded.
'This guy will even attack an unarmed person?'
Admiringly, Yume, who was watching from the side, stepped in.
"Pardon my intrusion, Honorable Vice-principal Gibson."
Senior students like Yume and Carlson were here because the academy appointed them to help in today's recruitment.
"Lady Yume, we are in the middle of a test. Why did you stop me?"
Yume stretched out her hand, holding a sword.
"Sir Ryu is unarmed. To be fair, Please let me lend him my sword."
Ryu once again got astonished because it was not just any sword. The silver sword written in the novel was said Yume inherited from her mother.
"Huh?"
Confused, Ryu wondered if this was a pipe dream.
'Did the Princess just offer me her sword...? But why? If my memory served me right, she cherished this sword so much that she never allowed anyone to touch it, even if her fiance, the crown prince, asked for it.'
Seeing the Vice-principal and other students surprised confirmed Ryu's doubt.
"Thank, thank you, my Lady."
Ryu's mind was clouded with thoughts; he nonchalantly grabbed the sword without delay. That was when the fiance in question suddenly appeared.
"His Royal Highness Shin, Crown Prince of Zen, is now present!"
It was Shin that was engaged to Yume. Green hair and eyes, wearing an elegant school uniform with gold decorations fitting for the royalty of this kingdom.
When seeing Shin wearing something much better than the others, a simple word came to Ryu's mind, 'Inequity.'
"Greetings, Your Highness."
Gibson rubbed his palms with great anticipation, welcoming Shin with all his heart. But her momentum got interrupted when the Lady escorted the Crown Prince clamored.
"Oh~ my! Isn't that Silverlight? The sword that gentleman is holding? In the past, when I simply asked Lady Yume to borrow it, I was pushed to the ground... But look! What do we have here?"
'Lies!'
In just one glance, plus her attitude, Ryu already knew the person with the venomous lying mouth was none other than his most hated character, Rosie.
Golden hair. Golden Eyes. Wearing the uniform filled with green-colored gems paired with Shin showed her undeniably cordial relationship with the Crown Prince.
A vicious woman who always twists her words to make Yume look bad. An actress. A hypocrite. A two-faced snake burrowed under a rock waiting for an ambush.
"...Rosie."
Yume mumbled. Ryu saw the gloominess inside her eyes.
'How much has she suffered in this horrible academy?'
Regret haunted Ryu.
'If only my rehabilitation ended sooner.'
His thoughts stopped when Shin glared at Ryu and voiced out.
"What is the meaning of this, Lady Yume?"
The public was in disarray in the events in front of them.
"Isn't the Crown Prince engaged to Lady Yume? But why is there another Lady beside him?"
"Didn't you know? That person was Lady Rosie, whom the Crown Prince adores."
"So, does it mean that Lady Yume will be the mistress?"
"It... That... I heard that Lady Yume bullied Lady Rosie."
"Really? Lady Yume is such a horrible person!"
"Yes, and they say she was forcing herself to the Crown Prince."
The crowd stopped talking when Yume elegantly greeted Shin.
"Greetings, Your Highness."
Everyone gasped at her perfect and charming pose. There was even a 10 seconds silence in the air.
"Shin!"
Rosie anxiously called.
"Ha—?"
Lost in thought while looking at Yume, Shin snapped out of his delusions.
"—Oh! Lady Yume! You dared to hurt Lady Rosie when she just wanted to borrow your sword?!"
Shin twitched as he further eyed Ryu.
"Vice-principal Gibson, can you tell me what's happening here?"
"Your Highness Shin, this young one dared to disturb my speech. Now I'm testing him myself in a sparring match. Since he doesn't have a sword, Lady Yume voluntarily lent her Silverlight."
Shin widened his eyes and gritted his teeth with his face that looked like he was saying, 'Even I, her fiance, haven't held that sword, and now she... volunteered?'
He then pulled his gold decorated sword with bitterness in the corner of his mouth, shining brightly in the sun's reflection.
"Vice-principal Gibson, please allow me to challenge this person in your stead."
"What are you trying to do, Your Highness?"
Yume questioned, extending her arms in between, covering Ryu from Shin.
"Did you just try to protect someone else against your fiance?!"
With how childish Shin showed, Yume could only release a sigh.
"First, I just met him earlier. Second, aren't you the one with another lover despite having a fiancee?"
The crowd murmured.
"The Crown Prince is too cruel!"
Before the public got out of control, Shin rebuked.
"At least she is different than a power-grabbing person like you!"
"Then why don't you just cancel our engagement?"
Although the Crown Prince loved Rosie, he still needed the support of the Valenz family. Despite falling in love with another person, this thick-skinned human being held onto their engagement like a leech.
The thoughts gave Ryu a headache, feeling like his eyebrows clashed together. He wanted to stitch the mouth of that pathetic excuse of a human being, so Ryu decided without much thought.
"I accept this duel."
"What?!"
Yume looked at Ryu with an unpleasant expression, worrying about what the Crown Prince would do to him. Hence, she wanted to prevent this confrontation.
On the other hand, Ryu had waited for this moment for decades.
Shing!
As Ryu unsheathed the sword, the Silverlight's blade reflected the sunlight and shone white crystals on the surroundings. The audience was amazed by the display.
Shin smirked, grabbing his sword tightly in irritation.
"What a fool. I might not be on par with the Vice-principal, but I'm already an unparalleled 4-Star Sword Master. Hahaha! Don't worry; I'll go easy on you!"