I Need the True Ending to Graduate - Chapter 42

【 Weakness 】

Ruad Rochef stood silently, holding the report card he had just received from the academy before the upcoming vacation.

The report card listed the grades and scores for every subject he’d taken that semester, and of course, it also showed his class rank as well as his overall rank in the academy.

Every grade on the dazzling report card was an A+ without exception. There wasn’t a single mistake or error, and it was purely the result of his own ability.

In other words, his grades were neither overestimated nor underestimated. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the report card perfectly reflected the extent of Ruad Rochef’s magical skill.

Yet there was one single blemish on what should have been his flawless record.

‘Why is my overall academy rank listed as second place?’

Ruad couldn’t believe it.

But no matter how many times he looked, the number next to the total student body wasn’t a ‘1,’ but a ‘2.’

‘There’s a wizard better than me in this academy?’

Ruad’s expression hardened with irritation.

Born as the eldest son of House Rochef, he had been gifted with extraordinary talent as a wizard. Thanks to that, he’d studied abroad multiple times since childhood, and everywhere he went, he had always achieved the highest grades.

He had never once been denied recognition for his ability, nor had he ever failed to receive the highest evaluation.

But now, after entering Calypse Magic Academy at the end of years of study abroad, the greatest stain of his life had appeared right before him, etched in numbers on paper.

‘If all my grades are the highest, then the only explanation for being ranked lower is….’

It meant someone else had received the same grades as him, but with a higher score.

There was no other way to explain this situation.

‘How the hell is that even possible?’

Ruad couldn’t accept the conclusion he’d reached. His grades were nearly perfect. And yet someone had scored higher? It didn’t make sense.

‘A wizard superior to me among my peers? And in this Calypse Academy of all places?’

“Ha…!”

Ruad let out a hollow laugh in disbelief. Still, his bloodshot eyes didn’t smile at all but only boiled over with rage. The report card he was holding crumpled into a ball in his hand.

“The idea that someone’s better than me is ridiculous. Do you know who I am? Do you know who I am….”

Ruad couldn’t accept the grades he’d received. Something was definitely wrong.

Whoever had overtaken him and taken first place must have used some underhanded trick to snatch that position.

‘I’ll expose that dirty scheme myself. And once I formally request a correction of grades….’

Then the unforgivable blemish that would stain his life forever would naturally disappear.

‘But who the hell took first place overall?’

As that question crossed his mind, he suddenly heard the voices of students behind him who had also just received their report cards.

“Ah…. As expected, the top rank this time must be that commoner again, right?”

“Of course. No need to even check. Ever since she entered the academy, my rank has never gone higher than eighth place. Sometimes I barely made seventh.”

“They say she’s never once lost the top spot since admission. Isn’t that insane?”

“That bastard’s crazy. She’s not normal.”

“Hey.”

Ruad, quietly listening to their conversation, stopped them as they were about to leave the classroom. The report card he held was balled up in his hand.

They stopped mid-step and turned around.

At first, their faces were filled with irritation and hostility, as if ready to curse out whatever lunatic had dared to call out to them so rudely. But the moment they recognized Ruad’s face, the venom drained away, replaced with wide, meek eyes like lambs.

“Yes?”

“Did you call us?”

“Yeah. I’ve got a question….”

As soon as Ruad spoke, they swallowed hard with stiff expressions.

There wasn’t a single person at the academy who didn’t know that his foul temper came from starting two years late due to studying abroad.

Not only was his manner and attitude insolent, but he also picked fights whenever he felt like it, challenging others to magical duels and beating them bloody.

On top of that, he was the eldest son of House Rochef. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that both Calypse Magic Academy and the entire academic world of the Calypse Empire were under his family’s grip.

There was no one who could casually stand against him.

All anyone could do was either carefully avoid his notice, accept his provocations with trembling, or get beaten to a pulp by his magic.

This time, bracing themselves for whatever quarrel he might pick, they anxiously waited for his next words. But what came out of Ruad’s mouth was something completely unexpected.

“That crazy commoner you mentioned who took the top spot in the academy. Who is it?”

They exchanged bewildered glances with one another for a moment, then obediently replied.

“…Lucia Even.”

***

“Lucia, Even. Lucia Even.”

Ruad sang her name like a chant as he headed toward the library.

Spending the worst vacation of his life after receiving the most garbage grades he’d ever gotten, Ruad gathered every bit of information he could about Lucia Even.

Her name, age, background, advisor, academic record, relationships—everything.

He collected all the information about Lucia Even that he could get his hands on.

Lucia Even was twenty-one, the same age as him, and she had entered the academy a year later than others.

This was fairly common. To enter Calypse Academy, one had to pass the entrance exam, which wasn’t easy.

On top of that, there was a clear difference in both quality and quantity between the education nobles received and the education commoners received, and making up for the shortcomings required a massive amount of study.

The fact that Lucia Even had managed to pass the entrance exam after only one year of studying was surprising in itself.

But what was even more surprising was her grades.

Lucia Even had received nearly perfect scores in every subject she’d taken.

Considering that she was a commoner, her results were nothing short of astonishing.

Calypse Magic Academy allowed commoners to enroll, but fundamentally, it was an educational institution that catered to nobles.

Some professors might be lenient toward commoners, but there were far more professors who glared daggers just to point out their flaws, their deficiencies, their incompetence.

That Lucia Even had managed to score that highly meant that there wasn’t a single flaw to be found in her work or her ability. At most, professors could only nitpick at minor spelling mistakes on the test sheets—the same trivial errors everyone made.

At first, Ruad had thought Lucia Even had stolen his spot through some dirty trick, but at this point, he was intrigued.

He wanted to go up against Lucia Even himself.

Ruad was aggressive by nature, and he was someone who would stop at nothing to win.

No matter how exceptional Lucia Even’s skill might be, there was no way she could be his equal. And even if she could be, he planned to dig into her weaknesses, crush her completely, and secure his victory.

To do that, the best way was to get close to Lucia Even. Betrayal always cut deepest when it came from someone close.

Fortunately, her social relationships weren’t good. Not only did she not interact with noble students, but she also had no real exchanges with other commoners either.

She was always alone, and no one had ever seen her with friends. She rarely ate, and when she didn’t have class, she usually spent her time in the library.

‘There’s nothing easier than luring a woman who’s lonely and isolated.’

Women opened their hearts easily if someone treated them kindly and smiled warmly at them.

If a noble like him showed interest, she’d be astonished and start wasting her emotions on foolish hopes like maybe marrying him and rising in status.

Women’s hearts were simple. They were things he could twist and manipulate however he liked.

‘Since she doesn’t have any friends, if I first approach her as a friend, then later act like a lover and pretend to fall in love, she’ll quickly expose her weaknesses and fall right into my hands.’

Then he could exploit those weaknesses to his heart’s content and discard her afterward.

With a wicked smile on his lips, Ruad walked briskly forward.

The library, where Lucia Even would be, drew closer, but strangely, there was noise.

When he raised his head and looked around, he saw several people clustered like bugs around the entrance to the library.

‘Damn it. Of all places, why block the entrance?’

Suppressing his irritation at the group getting in his way as he went to meet Lucia Even, he walked closer.

Looking more carefully, he saw that they weren’t blocking the way but rather three men surrounding a woman and picking a fight.

And that woman had long, calm brown hair and large eyes of the same color.

Long brown hair and brown eyes.

It was Lucia Even.

‘Ah. This is going smoothly, isn’t it?’

He’d been wondering how to strike up a conversation with her, but thanks to the three hulking figures blocking her path, it looked like their meeting would come about naturally.

Smiling broadly, Ruad strode toward them.