Day 70, Year 3000.
"One, Two."
Brace. The shield absorbed the impact.
Pushback. Using his strength, he was able to push the sword away in the opposite direction. Celia recovered almost instantly.
"Good response. The only problem is your error in judgment and lack of anticipation."
Celia looked at the sword in her hand.
'That is...'
She had her thoughts on his growth. To give it a word, she would have to say,
'Unreal.'
2 weeks, and he was already stronger than most of the second-year students.
"I went through your physical report yesterday. You have done well. As a reward, we will begin the sword training ahead of schedule."
"Yes, master!"
Gawain was enthusiastic.
"No room for comfort. I will have to talk to the administration and get permission to exempt you from your current classes. You will be living here from now on."
'Is that allowed?'
"Exempt from classes?"
Joan was serious. She was only doing what was necessary.
"Yes, Thanks to your display in the examinations, I am allowed to ask for a temporary exemption to prepare for the trials."
He was skeptical of her proposal. His mind went to the issues that this exemption could create.
"Will I be exempted from the assignments as well? And is this a special case or a common occurrence?"
"You don't have to worry about that."
She took a seat behind her desk and said,
"No extra assignments and all the other houses are doing this."
'Phew.'
A sigh of relief.
"Go and get your stuff from the dorm."
"Yes, master."
He placed the shield on the table and sat down on the floor.
"Here."
Celia took a seat beside him and handed him a towel. He flashed a smile and said,
"Thank you."
While he was busy drying himself up, Celia asked him a question.
"What are your plans for the trials?"
He wiped his face and said,
"Go with the flow. I am aware that the houses would never reveal the names of their geniuses before the trial. It would be better to do my best with what I know."
This has been on his mind for a while now. Because of the implied target set up by the second year, he was unable to get much information on his peers.
"Looks like you already know."
Joan was standing up for him. No one would dare bully or mess up his life directly. If he was treated like a target, she would know. Therefore, he was being posed as a target to restrict his interaction with others and make him an outcast all over the academy.
The funny thing about this was that the 'victim' didn't give a shit. He wasn't here to make friends.
"I know. Getting more time to focus on the competition will always be a good thing."
'He handles it well.'
She praised him in her thoughts.
"There is one more thing. I am sorry for what happened before. I shouldn't have lost my cool like that."
Back to her usual cool persona, Celia apologized.
"No need for that."
He stood up from his spot with the towel in his hand.
"I'll go get my stuff."
He looked towards Joan, who closed her eyes and nodded. With his master's approval, he took his leave.
"Celia?"
Joan called out to her sister.
She stood up and paid attention to her call.
"Yes, master."
"You make this decision. Should I hand him the information on his rivals?"
If given a choice, he would want to know their names and houses.
After a moment of thinking it over, she answered,
"Don't hand it to him."
Joan took out some papers from her desk.
"Fine. Then burn these papers by the fireplace."
She handed her the reports.
"And keep an eye out for spies. Gwen might have already talked to the other house leaders."
"Roger."
-x-x-x-x-x-x-
At the Hephaestus residence
"Four diamonds. More or less, what I was expecting."
The charming red-haired man looked at Gwen and said.
"Don't act like a soothsayer. Henry, you are just as surprised as everyone else. "
She was not a fan of his haughty attitude.
"Your work here is done. What are you waiting for?"
He equally hated her straightforward nature. A beautiful face, but a venomous mouth.
"I guess you don't want the extra information on the other competitors."
"You would be right."
He displayed a flaunting smile.
"Even if there are seven of them?"
She knew exactly where to hit him.
His smile vanished.
"Seven?"'
The entire point of the competition was for the houses to display their strength. All he wanted this year was a whiteout of the other houses to show his dominance in this academy. Seven more proper rivals become a hindrance to that thought.
"Did I revive your interest?"
He furrowed his brows and said,
"Sit."