The hectic week filled with tests and a bathhouse expansion—which made Randy and team forgot about those suspicious individuals—finally came to an end, and their regular academy life resumed.
With the second semester already halfway through, the season was heat up with anticipation for the academy's cultural festival which was set to happen at the end of term.
But before that, there were final exams. Yet, such minor details were of little concern to the students, whose minds were entirely occupied with the festival, which is less than two months away.
At this academy, which lacks traditional class structures, events and exhibitions are organized by individual circles (similar to clubs), the student council, or close friend groups.
Each group uses classrooms or other parts of the academy to showcase their creativity. This setup is reminiscent of university festivals in modern school.
During the festival, the usual social hierarchies are often reversed, with commoners and lower-ranking nobles taking center stage.
Occasionally, upper-class nobles misjudge the event and attempt to run high-end salons, but such venues typically only attract other elites. These exclusive spaces rarely become popular, often ending up complete failure.
The crowd favorites include lively food stalls run by commoners, high end cafes by lower-ranking nobles, and exhibitions or demonstrations by various clubs.
Popular events also include performances in the main hall and the dance party held the night after the festival
The dance party, which also serves as an end-of-term celebration, is famously known as the time when commoners and nobles without fiancés boldly confess their love.
Those preparing events are busy to finish their setups, while those with romantic aspirations strive to grow closer to their crushes before the big day.
This atmosphere gives the entire academy a lively spirit during this season.
Even now, as students walked along the main avenue to the academy, they excitedly discussed plans for this year's festival.
Amidst this festive chatter, Randy and his companions, on their way to academy, were preoccupied with a completely different topic.
"A telescope?"
"Yeah. If you're going on a sail, you'd usually have one, right?"
They were seeking inspiration for creating a camera lens from telescopes.
"If we ask my brother, we could probably get one right away," Liz suggested.
"Lord Cedric, huh…"
Randy folded his arms, pondering Liz's suggestion.
He had no problem asking Cedric, but he wanted to surprise him—ideally by presenting a completed or nearly completed camera along with a photo of Liz.
"Is there something inconvenient about my brother?" Liz asked anxiously.
"No, not at all," Randy quickly reassured her with a shake of his head, continuing with a grin.
"One of the goals of this project is to surprise Cedric. Asking him something would spoil the fun."
Liz's worried expression turned into a pleased smile as she nodded happily, "Is that so?"
If he asked Cedric, he'd undoubtedly need to explain what he was working on, including the concept of photography. Once Cedric understood this, it was inevitable that he'd deduce the intention and asked Liz's photo ahead of time.
If that happened, Cedric would surely involve himself in the project with all his resources—vast wealth, unparalleled skills, and an extensive network spanning even into distant continents.
There was even a risk that Cedric might build a camera himself.
This was why Randy wanted to keep Cedric in the dark until at least a prototype was ready.
He already imagined presenting Liz's photograph to Cedric with a mischievous smile, saying, "What do you think of this?"
Since this project was born out of Randy's prank, relying on Cedric would defeat the purpose.
"At worst, I could experiment with glasses or shaping glass myself."
As Randy muttered to himself, Liz chuckled softly.
"In that case, shouldn't we focus on the photosensitive materials first?"
"Photosensitive materials, huh…"
She had a point, but Randy had no ideas about that either.
His understanding of cameras was vague at best: light gathered by a lens passes through a shutter and imprints an image onto film, which is then printed.
That was the extent of his knowledge, aside from knowing it all relied on precise chemical reactions.
(If I could make one, I'd want something like a Polaroid camera that prints out the photo instantly…)
A camera that could handle everything from capturing to printing would be ideal. That meant photosensitive paper or film was key, but Randy had no clue where to start.
The only thing he knew was that Polaroid film born from an incredible amount of technology.
(I can craft all sorts of things, but chemical reactions are beyond me.)
As Randy groaned in frustration, Liz tilted her head and suggested, "Wouldn't it work if something reacts to light and changes color? Maybe there's a monster like that?"
"That's it!"
Randy clapped his hands loudly, drawing the attention of everyone around them.
Liz smiled at the curious onlookers, lightly poking Randy's side to snap him out of it.
"Sorry, my bad. I didn't even think of that."
"Please stay focused," Liz replied with a perfect young lady's smile, managing to deflect the stares.
"A monster… Yeah, there's definitely one like that," Randy said, nodding with newfound confidence.
He had been so caught up in associating cameras with science and technology that he'd completely overlooked the possibility of using this world's unique: magic beasts.
"Maybe Ellie knows something."
"She says, 'I don't know.'"
"Oh, so she is awake."
Liz responded with wry smile to Randy.
For Ellie to be awake at this hour was rare, and both Randy and Liz couldn't help but keep smiling.
"In that case, maybe the Adventurers' Guild…?"
"That's a good idea, but I believe there's also a 'Magical Beast Research Club' here at the academy."
"Oh, really? Might be worth checking out."
"Then, let's stop by after classes today."
As they planned the details, they found themselves arriving at the academy's front gate. Beyond it was a crowd of students gathered in front of the main building.
Having been at this academy for a year and a half now, Randy recognized the scene immediately.
With a sigh, he slumped his shoulders and muttered, "Oh yeah, it's that time again."
The reason of the gathering was none other than the recently posted results of the midterm exams.
The rankings and scores for all students, regardless of year, were displayed prominently in front of the building for everyone to see.
(If this were modern times, this would definitely be a problem.)
Such public postings stirred up competition, the academy which was attended by nobles and talented students—taking it as an opportunity for individuals to showcase their abilities.
Both the students and their parents were strongly in favor of this practice.
Drawn by curiosity, the previously nervous students surged into the crowd to catch a glimpse of the rankings.
"It's like a feeding frenzy," Randy muttered with a furrowed brow, observing the chaotic mix of joy and despair among the students near the results board.
For Randy, as long as he wasn't facing a retake exam, his ranking didn't matter. He'd rarely paid attention before, but this time, he'd spent a lot of time studying with Liz.
Despite saying he wouldn't dwell on the past, he couldn't help being a little curious.
(It's times like these that being tall is handy.)
Thanks to being a head taller than most student, Randy could scan the results from above the crowd. He searched the list for his name, starting, of course, from the bottom.
"Oh!"
He let out an involuntary exclamation, prompting Liz to ask with a smile, "Did you go up?"
"Yeah. My scores are better than last time."
Though his rank was still closer to the bottom, Randy looked genuinely pleased.
Improvement was improvement, after all.
"By the way, you are…"
Curious, Randy began looking for Liz's name.
Despite being his attendant, Liz was considered a student due to her involvement with Randy's study program. Liz wasn't particularly special, and it wasn't uncommon for other students as well.
Many noble students had attendants who also studied alongside them.
For example, Crown Prince Edgar's attendant, Arthur—son of the Knight Commander—was also a fellow student.
Randy quickly spotted Liz's name on the list.
"…First place?!"
Her name stood proudly at the very top of the second-year rankings, and next to it, her perfect score—500 out of 500.
"It was relatively easy this time," Liz said modestly with a smile.
Still, she had outscored even the crown prince and Catherine. The top performers, Dario and Catherine, had both scored 490, while Cecilia had achieved a good 450, securing a spot in the upper ranks.
"There's a master here who are inferior to their attendant," Ellie teased with a cackle.
Randy was at a loss for words, while Liz tried to calm Ellie down. Their exchange drew even more attention from the crowd.
A servant with a perfect score and a master whose rank was near the bottom—it was a striking contrast, drewing murmur from their surroundings.
With this rather conspicuous result, the two decided to leave the place for the time being,
If Cecilia had been present, she likely would have urged them to hold their heads high, but she was absent, having returned home last week due to urgent family matters.
Randy and Liz retreated toward the front gate, avoiding the lively crowd.
Soon enough, a carriage from one of the central noble families would arrive, dispersing the mass of students.
Until then, they had to be patient.
"By the way, what was Cecilia called home for?"
"I'm not sure. It sounded like it was something urgent."
"Hmm. I thought maybe it was because her test scores were bad."
"That's not possible… Randy—"
Liz stopped herself mid-sentence, realizing what she was about to say. Randy grinned mischievously and leaned in. "Are you implying it's more likely for me?"
Liz averted her gaze, prompting Randy to press further with a teasing, "Liz? Liz?"
Before the exchange could go any further, Ellie intervened with a counter, "Unlike you, Cecilia is not stupid!"
Meanwhile…
"It's finally in sight. Luke, this must be your first time in the royal capital, yes?"
"Yes, it is."
Cecilia was in a carriage heading back to the royal capital, accompanied by a young man. She had returned by ship, traveling down and then back up the Rail River for a brief visit home. The man beside her smiled warmly.
"I must thank that idiot Randy for this opportunity to come to the capital with you, Lady Cecilia."
"Oh my, were the two of you friends?"
"Yes, we've been close for ages—a bond that just hard to break."
Luke chuckled fondly as he reminisced.
Luke, a man who had huge influence on Randy in the original story, was now someone influenced by Randy instead in this timeline.
Once a troublemaker, now he had gained the respect of even Alan and Harrison.
Now, as Cecilia's bodyguard, Luke was on his way to stand before Catherine in a scenario far different from the original game's storyline.