Chapter 14: The Entrance Exam

The day had finally arrived.

I’d done everything I could; now it was just a matter of giving it my all. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes to center myself.

The clatter of the carriage, the thumping of my own heart, and... the sound of girls giggling and flirting filled my ears.

"Lady Cynthia, those twin drills look absolutely lovely on you."

"Oh, Lilith. In that case, let’s do yours in an updo. It’ll really highlight your gorgeous hair."

Despite the lack of a single shred of tension between those two, I felt the stiffness in my body and mind begin to thaw. I think.

"You two are acting the same as always. Aren't you even a little bit nervous?"

"Not at all. Actually, after training by your side, Lord Weiss, I've reached a certain sense of resignation."

Resignation? What's that supposed to mean?

"It means that those destined to pass will do so. That's why I feel so at peace right now."

"Lady Cynthia, I understand! I am of the exact same opinion!"

I didn't really get it. It sounded like she was making a deep point, but wasn't it basically nonsense? Whatever...

I was also feeling a bit of a heart-pounding anxiety over how well they had suddenly hit it off. Ever since that "misunderstanding" incident, Lilith had taken to whispering cryptic things to me.

『This is our secret time, isn't it?』

『We can't tell Lady Cynthia about this, can we?』

—Things like that.

The fact that Cynthia was my fiancée hadn't changed. Well, it was my father's decision, so there wasn't much I could do about it. She had a great pedigree and talent to spare. Considering the future of House Fanscent, I had zero room to complain. I’d been bewildered at first, sure, but Cynthia was beautiful, and I never got tired of watching her—in many, many different ways.

If we passed, we probably wouldn't have a wedding ceremony while in school anyway, so I figured I should just think of her as a good friend for now. Altering the scenario was terrifying, but I decided to look on the bright side: I’d gained some very powerful allies.

"I wondered what Teacher Milk’s parting words were supposed to mean. Did you two catch it?"

"Lord Weiss, he meant restraint! Restraint!"

"Weiss, you mustn't kill anyone, all right?"

Kill? I wasn't planning on doing anything like that, but then again...

『Weiss, don't overdo it.』

Those were his final words. Sure, the magic I’d developed was probably powerful, but my sword skills were still unpolished. I could only land about five out of ten clean hits on Teacher Milk. These examinees were bound to be talented, too. There was no way I could afford to hold back.

Besides, I was going up against the protagonist. He had to be insanely strong. Still... I was actually looking forward to it a little.

Shortly after, the carriage came to a halt. As I moved to exit, Zebis, acting as my attendant, swung the door open for me.

"Go and enjoy yourself, Master."

"Haha, thanks."

Very much the kind of thing he would say. Lilith and Cynthia followed me out.

A massive iron gate loomed ahead of us. Bronze statues of dragons or tigers flanked the entrance—I remembered these were modeled after legendary magical beasts.

"Hey, look... isn't that Weiss Fancent?"

"Yeah, the rumored 'Degenerate Noble.'"

"Don't stare. Ice Lady Cynthia is with him. I guess the rumors about their engagement were true."

The whispers immediately reached my ears. I hadn't expected the news of our engagement to have spread already. Not that it mattered. Most of the people here were going to fail anyway. Apparently, just taking the entrance exam adds prestige to your name, so the place was overflowing with people every year.

Alright, time to switch gears.

I was the villainous noble, Weiss Fancent.

"Lilith, Cynthia. We're passing this, no matter what."

"Yes!"

"Understood."

And so, we passed through the gate.

Even inside, the stares were like daggers. It probably didn't help that Lilith and Cynthia were each clinging to one of my arms. I already had a terrible reputation; showing up to an exam with a beauty on each arm probably made me look like an absolute scumbag. Honestly, it was too much effort to tell them to stop.

"Hey, punk! What the hell are you staring at?"

Suddenly, I heard a voice that sounded like a brawl breaking out. A large guy—probably about the same age as me—was accosting a timid-looking boy. Talk about an outdated cliché.

"I wasn't looking... I just thought... wow, you're really big..."

"Hah?! You calling me a giant?!"

He should have stopped at 'I wasn't looking.'

I thought helping him might boost my reputation, but before I could move, a petite girl with pink hair stepped in to block the bully. She was slender with a great figure—a total beauty no matter how you looked at her.

I... recognized her.

"Allen! What are you doing here? Getting picked on by another creep?!"

"S-sorry, Shari... I heard there was a bronze statue of a Sage around here, and I really wanted to see it."

The two of them started flirting right then and there, completely ignoring the delinquent. Instead of calming things down, they were practically pouring gasoline on the fire. Yep, there it was—the bully's face was twitching with pure rage.

"You little—! Do you have any idea who I am?!"

"I'm sorry! I'll apologize! Allen, you stand out too much, so just stay quiet!"

"I'm on the plain side if anything... Sorry, it was my fault for blocking the path, wasn't it?"

There was no way a carefree apology like that was going to work. Unable to contain himself, the big guy swung his fist with everything he had—

"You bastard! ...Wh-what? I can't move?!"

"That’s enough. If you start a brawl before the exam even starts, you’ll be disqualified, won’t you?"

I’d closed the distance in an instant and grabbed the guy’s right arm.

"Ah, who the hell are y—W-Weiss Fancent?! Lord Fancent?! M-my deepest apologies!"

Looks like he knew who I was. I didn't want to cause a scene, so this worked out perfectly. To the onlookers, it probably looked like I was being a hero. Well, technically, I was.

"S-sorry..."

"Just beat it."

Bowing his head repeatedly, the large man scurried away. My bad reputation actually came in handy for once.

"Th-thank you! I’m Allen! You’re... actually a really nice person, aren’t you?"

"My name is Weiss Fancent. That guy was just an eyesore."

Jet-black hair, polite manners, and a flow of mana through his body that was crystal clear. He only had one name because he was a commoner. Allen. This kid... was the protagonist of the story.

And the girl next to him—

"Thank you so much! I’m Shari Elias. You’re here for the exam too, right?"

"Yeah. I am."

"Weiss, what's the matter?"

"Lord Weiss, the exam is starting~!"

Noticing the commotion, my two companions came running over. The protagonist wasn't supposed to have an encounter with a delinquent in the original game, but things were likely changing because of my presence. I didn't help out of the goodness of my heart; I just didn't want the test canceled because of a stupid fight.

"Allen, we have things to do first, so we have to go quickly!"

"Ah, that's right! Thanks, Weiss! See you later!"

"She’s quite the handful," Cynthia murmured.

I fell into thought.

Winning against the protagonist in the entrance exam was essential. If I lost, my reputation would tank, triggering the flag for my eventual ruin. My original plan was to win, then maintain a polite distance. But today, just talking to Allen... it left a bitter taste in my mouth.

My heart was racing. I’d realized it during the practical training, but it felt like a part of the "original" Weiss was still lurking inside me.

There wasn't just one path forward. I could aim for the top and earn the respect of the protagonist and those around me.

Or... I could crush every single one of them. I could aim for the title of the "Greatest Villain" and simply trample them with overwhelming power until no one dared to defy me.

...Yeah. That sounded pretty good, actually.

"You look like you’re having fun, Lord Weiss."

"I suppose I am. Let's get moving."

"That Shari girl... she was actually quite cute, wasn't she?"

"Cynthia, she can't even hold a candle to you."

"Oh! My, what a wonderful thing to say! Teehee."

Hey, Weiss. Which path do you think is better?