Around midday on the sixth day of final exams.
By now, I’d gotten used to the occasional glares from others and was sitting in my usual corner in the dining hall, waiting for my food.
When I first started noticing all these blatant stares, I was a bit nervous, honestly.
It’s not like I was a stranger to being disliked, but rarely did people look at so openly. Usually, they avoided , wary of getting on my bad side.
But I realized soon enough that there was nothing to worry about.
In the end, they were just staring. They weren’t confronting , hurling insults, or, like the peasants a while back, trying to pull so nasty prank.
It was like being watched as if I were so animal in a zoo. There wasn’t any reason to care.
So I thought, let them look. Who knows? I’m easy on the eyes, after all. Maybe after staring at long enough, they’d grow fond of .
Kind of like that line from a popular mobile ga: “So what? I’m pretty, aren’t I?”
Thinking about saying sothing so conceited made my stomach churn a bit, but when I recalled similar things I’d said to provoke others…
...Nope, that makes feel even worse.
Let’s think about sothing else. Sothing nice.
Like how today marks the end of my final exams at the Academy.
Academy exams usually last a week, and since each student has different subjects to cover, the end varies for each person.
For , it ended with this morning’s history exam.
My old master was muttering throughout, saying, “This isn’t the history I know,” but I ignored all his comnts and stuck to what was in the log.
After what happened at the last festival, I wasn’t about to trust him.
The exam is based on what’s in history books, not soone’s live recounts, no matter how “authentic” they may be!
Tuning out the old man’s muttering, I noticed the server approaching from afar.
Ah, finally. Here it cos.
My order of the Academy’s special cream pasta.
Even from a distance, it looked delicious.
Mmm, I can practically taste it already. Twirl the noodles around the fork, take a bite, and let that rich, creamy flavor coat my mouth—
“Pardon , Lady Allen, may I have a mont?”
As I was savoring the anticipation of my al, soone stood in front of , blocking my view.
Who is it? Who dares to interrupt my delightful imagination?
I frowned and looked up to see a face I’d never seen before.
Who’s this guy?
Judging by the uniform, he’s a second-year Academy student.
Since I don’t recognize him, he must be one of those extras who didn’t even warrant a ntion in the ga.
I cocked my head, noticing a few other students standing behind him, and rested my chin on my hand.
If people I don’t know are approaching in a group, there’s only one reason.
These idiots are here to pick a fight.
“No, I don’t think so.”
“How about thinking before you speak? Do you think soone as insignificant as you has the right to waste the ti of soone as noble as ?”
Waving my hand dismissively, I watched as the guy’s face turned red.
He’s trembling already, and I haven’t even properly provoked him. Whoever he is, he’s clearly not the most impressive specin if he can’t even keep his emotions in check.
“Please, just give a mont. This is an important matter.”
If we didn’t have an audience, I’d just knock him out and be done with it, but too many people were watching.
Almost everyone in the dining hall had their eyes on us.
My reputation was already rock-bottom thanks to the dungeon exam, and if I acted out now, who knows what kind of twisted rumor might spread.
So I’ll let him create an excuse for —make him throw the first punch.
As I folded my arms and leaned back, he must have taken it as permission to speak. He forced a smile and began.
“Thank you. My na is—”
“Oh, co on. Do I look like I want to hear a lowlife lackey whine like a mangy dog? Look, if you’re gonna act so pathetic, at least show so respect, alright?”
“My apologies.”
“Of course you should apologize! If I weren’t so cute and forgiving, you’d be in big trouble, you know?”
His lips pressed into a hard line as I taunted him, and then, in what must have been a complete misunderstanding, he pulled a chair to sit.
Did he take “look in the eyes” as an invitation to join?
“Did I say you could sit?”
“...Excuse ?”
“You’re more animal than human, aren’t you? So why don’t you sit where animals belong?”
I pointed to the floor, and the extra clenched his fist, his face burning red.
Angry muttering ca from his friends, all of them close to boiling over.
One more little nudge should do it.
“What, too proud to sit on the floor? Shocking, coming from lowlifes who thought it was okay to gang up on a single girl.”
“We didn’t co here for that.”
“Whatever, loser. Co on, let’s hear it. I’m curious what sound a pathetic little creature like you will make.”
“We wanted to ask about this dungeon exam.”
Ugh. What a waste of my ti. So they’re here about the dungeon?
What, are they here to whine about it being too hard?
Then just look at the hints. The phrasing might be a bit unconventional, but the information is sound.
“That dungeon… is it even possible to clear?”
…What?
“Even the top students have been stuck on the fifth floor all day. You didn’t design it to be cleared, did you? Maybe you just didn’t want to give out the reward, so—”
“Pfft! Hahaha!”
So that’s what he’s suggesting?
That I made an impossible dungeon just so I wouldn’t have to give out any rewards?
That it’s all just so twisted exercise in hopelessness?
Hah. Ridiculous.
I’d planned to scare them off, but these idiots aren’t worth the effort.
They’ve insulted a hardcore gar’s pride.
“Lady Allen? Are you listening?”
“Shut up. Your voice is making nauseous.”
Rising slowly, I took a step toward the trash.
Being short is such a hassle. No matter who I stand in front of, I always have to look up.
If I want to et their gaze, I have to force them to their knees.
“…Lady Allen?”
With a sweet smile, I responded by kicking the extra’s ankle, sending him to the ground where he belonged.
Ah, yes. Garbage belongs on the floor.
“What are you doing?!”
“We were just—!”
“Shut up. Didn’t I say I didn’t want to hear pigs squealing?”
I’d spoken clearly, so why couldn’t they understand?
Should I ask that lovesick fox to teach them how animals sound?
While I cocked my head in genuine wonder, the trash on the floor staggered to his feet, clutching his injured leg.
“If you’re going to act this way, we—”
“Go on.”
“…Excuse ?”
“I said, go ahead.”
Co on. Show what makes you think you’re qualified to call my dungeon a troll dungeon.
Staring down at the leader, I waited for him to make a move, but all they did was glance at each other nervously.
These second-years—too scared to go up against a first-year girl barely taller than their waists.
And the worst part? That these idiots dared to question my dungeon.
If it had been the top contenders, at least they’d have the right to ask. I’d have happily answered them.
But for these nobodies, who probably haven’t even reached the rankings, to bla my dungeon for their incompetence?!
“Scared little cowards trembling before a tiny girl. Puny losers afraid of a fight, who ran to their mama when they were scared of their professors and ca to bother soone they thought was weaker.”
“…”
“Oh? You mad? So what are you going to do about it? Can you hit ? No? You’re just taking it, huh? Pathetic.”
“Enough.”
“Ah, I get it now. You actually wanted to insult you, right? You sick freaks are getting off on this? Please, do us all a favor and get lost before I catch whatever’s wrong with you.”
Finally, one of the idiots clenched his teeth and raised his fist, veins bulging as he put everything he had into that punch.
But what good is all that effort if you’re this slow?
I caught his wrist and twisted his arm.
The trash tried to resist, but the difference in strength was so great his struggle was pointless.
“Aaargh!”
I didn’t even twist that hard, yet he’s whining this much?
Calling him weak feels generous.
Tired of his shrieking, I gave his nose a quick jab to shut him up and knocked down the next one in line before turning to the third.
This one was charging at , hoping to wrestle down with his weight.
Not the worst idea, I guess.
But who’d fall for sothing that obvious?
I silenced him with a kick to the chin and glanced around.
Pathetic cowards.
What made them think they had a chance against ?
Didn’t they know I’d been practically raised by monsters, constantly battling to survive?
And here they were, a bunch of nobodies who hadn’t even ranked, thinking they could intimidate .
Taking a deep breath to calm myself, I glanced around the dining hall. Everyone was staring, but no one made a move to help.
Not that I’d expected anyone to.
This was the Academy, after all. If you couldn’t fend for yourself, you were just a stepping stone for others.
I brushed the dust off my uniform and took one last look at the idiots sprawled on the floor.
“If you can’t handle the dungeon, just admit you’re weak and drop out quietly. Don’t go whining and dragging down others because you can’t asure up.”
Leaving them to stew in their embarrassnt, I turned back to my table.
The cream pasta had finally arrived, and I wasn’t about to let anything else ruin it.
I settled into my seat, lifted my fork, and, without a second thought, dug in, savoring the rich, creamy taste that spread through my mouth with each bite.
They could glare all they wanted. Today was the end of my exams, and I was going to enjoy this al in peace.
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