Chapter 140.1: Part 1

What did that mean?

There was no criteria for bonus points?

Did this mean that the Headmistress lied to the students?

No.

That seemed unlikely.

There was no reason for the Headmistress to deceive us about bonus points.

Then, was the concept of bonus points itself not applicable to this exam?

'That can't be right either.'

It was a fact that bonus points existed.

As the Headmistress had said, if there were no rules for bonus points, there could be a tie for first place.

Therefore,

Rather than assuming there were no bonus points, I had to think about what it meant that there were no criteria for them.

Stroke—

I calmly stroked my chin, lost in thought.

First, I needed to recall the hints given about how to figure out the criteria for bonus points.

The first was,

'Only one student per grade level is selected.'

There couldn't be multiple students receiving bonus points.

Otherwise, there could be another tie for first place.

Furthermore, only the top candidates were eligible.

And the second hint was that it wasn't related to winning.

As Samuel said, if it were related to winning, all I had to do was win this exam.

If that were the case, the Headmistress wouldn't have added the 'walkover' rule, which could be seen as unfair.

And lastly, the third.

What Samuel and Baltan both mentioned.

It was about 'fairness.'

Samuel and Baltan both said that this exam might not be fair.

When all this information was put together, the answer was clear:

"You're saying that the student who receives the bonus points has already been decided."

[That's highly likely. I didn't say it in front of them because it's such a ridiculous story.]

Samuel didn't deny it but agreed with me.

I knew something was fishy about the Headmistress, but I didn't think she'd stoop to this level.

But there were still questions.

"What good would it do to pre-select a bonus point recipient?"

[I agree. I can't fathom what the Headmistress is aiming for.]

"Hmm..."

Samuel and I, exchanging opinions, couldn't help but face this unexpected obstacle.

Why did the Headmistress decide on the bonus point recipient beforehand?

Did it benefit her in some way?

...No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't find an answer.

My desire to use the Information Paper grew stronger.

'I have no choice.'

I had to use it.

It was necessary for me, someone who needed to receive the bonus points.

At the very least, I had to figure out who the pre-selected student was.

That way, even if it wasn't me, I could increase my chances of receiving the points.

All I had to do was figure out why the Headmistress had chosen that student.

Still.

'It's too early to decide to use it.'

The practical exam was still three days away.

I had nothing else to do until then, so it wouldn't be too late to find the answer slowly.

"Let's go for now."

Organizing my thoughts, I got up from my seat.

It seemed like I wouldn't be able to sleep tonight anyway.

* * *

The next day.

Back in Class A, I had no choice but to tell Luna, who was persistently questioning me, about what had happened.

I hadn't slept well last night, thinking about the pre-selected student for the bonus points, so I had dark circles under my eyes.

I had no choice but to open my mouth due to her overly worried gaze.

Luna must have already been exhausted since the exam had just ended.

It warmed my heart that she was worried about me in her condition.

She must have been tired from learning from the medical instructor anyway.

"...Something like that happened."

So,

I told Luna about my encounter with the second-year seniors and the bonus points.

Then, Luna reacted.

"You're saying there was a really strong person among the second-year seniors?"

"That's right."

"I think I know who it is..."

Oh.

It seemed Luna knew about the large man.

My eyes sparkled as I asked Luna.

"He seemed to be connected to Guwar, do you know who he is?"

"Ah, I think I do."

As soon as Guwar's name left my mouth, Luna nodded confidently.

Could it be that she really knew?

"Who is he? He seemed like the strongest among the second-year seniors."

"It's probably Senior Gurk."

"Gurk..."

A name I didn't recall.

That meant it was either a character that didn't appear in the original or one that was part of a setting I had discarded.

If my guess was correct, Gurk was a master of Fighting Spirit.

There was no way someone that strong wouldn't be mentioned in the original.

Well, he could have been a hidden master, but it was more likely that he died for some reason before the main story of the original unfolded.

Anyway,

"What's his relationship with Guwar?"

"They're brothers. I heard Gurk is a year older."

"Ah."

No wonder their names sounded similar.

So they were brothers.

"I heard they're not on good terms. Rumor has it that it's because of the competition to be the successor..."

"Hmm."

Luna's explanation made things a bit clearer.

Gurk was far stronger than his younger brother, Guwar.

Perhaps Guwar felt inferior.

It didn't seem like Gurk thought highly of Guwar either.

As expected of the Children of Sloth, even brothers were cold to each other.

Not that it was any of my business.

But,

"How do you know so much about these things, Luna?"

"Huh?"

[I agree. How do you know so much about the Children of the Seven Deadly Sins?]

Samuel, also seemingly curious, asked Luna a question.

He wasn't trying to ignore her; he was genuinely curious.

Thinking back, Luna had explained many things I didn't know in detail.

It wasn't normal for Luna, an ordinary half-demon student, to have such information.

Luna, as if it were nothing special, opened her mouth.

"Hehe, it's nothing special. It's the power of our group..."

Group?

Come to think of it, Luna was part of a group.

The Half-Demon Alliance.

A group with a very curious and concerning name.

"You're saying they told you this information?"

"Yeah, they share things like how not to provoke the high-ranking children, and what to watch out for so you don't get bullied. Ah, I've never given them any information...! I just listen and leave."

"..."

Hearing her, I felt sorry for Luna.

It was a story that couldn't be heard without tears.

The half-demons in this world were living such a harsh life.

Feeling strangely complicated, I asked another question.

"You don't happen to know anything about the bonus points, do you?"

"...Sorry, I can't help you there."

However, it seemed that even Luna, a member of the Half-Demon Alliance, had no information about it.

In the end, I had no choice but to use the Information Paper.

Ding-dong—

Just as I was dryly washing my face, the bell signaling the start of class rang.

Luna returned to her seat for class, and I waited for all the classes to end.

And when all the classes were over.

Hurry—

I rushed back to the dormitory to use the Information Paper.

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