Once everything was over, the other students who had reached their destinations in each row were already returning. At least we had managed to get some extra points; that was the good part.
After a while, they finally came back. Each group was already gathered, but there was something strange about Reena—she looked very downcast. Maybe she was blaming herself for not leading us to first place and having to settle for third.
Marie, on the other hand, was right by her side, trying to comfort her. It wasn't her fault, and she had no reason to blame herself.
Valentina, as usual, stood a little apart—not too far, just a couple of meters away.
"Now, the first-place team will receive 1000 points each; second place, 500 points; and third place, 250. That's all."
Well, at least we had earned a decent amount of points, which was what really mattered.
There was no reason to dwell on it anymore, and Reena stopped sobbing, falling silent.
"Look, Reena, we'll each have at least 250 points. Isn't that great?"
"Well… I guess it's fine, but…"
"Stop blaming yourself already, you're making me feel bad too," Marie told her again, trying to calm her down at last. Reena apologized softly and remained quiet.
And so, after the evaluation, we used the magic circle once again to return to the academy.
Once back, we headed toward the classroom where they would announce our final scores.
As we walked, Marie casually came closer to me, though her gaze felt fixed and intense.
"Kael, you really are amazing. I knew you were strong, but not this strong."
Her tone carried a hint of playfulness, but it didn't seem like she was joking. Maybe she wasn't being entirely serious either.
"Well, the truth is I've got much more to show… but I might not," I replied, walking ahead of her. She kept her eyes on me.
"Heeeh, I see. Still, one day you'll have to. Maybe when the Demon King's prophecy comes true, you'll be forced to prove it. Speaking of the Demon King, did you know…?"
"Know what?"
"Wow, I'm surprised you haven't heard. They say the Demon King had a child with a human woman, though the whereabouts of that boy are unknown. Rumor has it he's our age, but who knows…"
What she said sounded so intriguing that it made me overthink. What would happen to the world if that turned out to be true?
"Wait… don't you think that would be dangerous in the future? Maybe he's the one the Demon King was referring to back then."
"Who knows… though, if I recall correctly, they told me it was a possibility. But no one can say for sure if that child even exists. It's a mystery, don't you think?"
Suddenly, in the middle of our conversation, there was a sharp thud against Marie's back. It was Reena, who seemed spooked by what we had just said. A little behind her stood Valentina, her serious gaze fixed forward, paying no attention to our discussion.
Leaving that aside, Marie looked curiously at Reena, who was still clinging to her back.
"Don't tell me you got scared by the story about the Demon King's child? Wait… seriously?"
"…I just… just got a little scared~," she muttered, then finally let go of her back. Either way, we were already standing in front of the classroom.
There were still a couple of hours before lunchtime, so we wouldn't be spending too long in class.
Everyone went to their seats. At last, I could rest a little. Even though I hadn't used much energy, I felt exhausted from all the walking—and even more so from not having eaten anything yet.
The only good thing was that nobody was bothering me anymore. Finally. Valentina knew that too. In fact, I hadn't even thanked either of them yet. I'd tell Marie later; for now, I'd take the chance to thank Valentina.
"Hey… I wanted to thank you. If it weren't for you and Marie, I'm almost certain they'd still be picking on me," I said quietly, leaning closer to her desk.
She nodded, brushing it off as if it were nothing. She didn't make any expression, just turned back to face the front.
"Don't worry, I would've done it even if it hadn't been you. Actually… no, never mind."
Maybe she hadn't finished her sentence, but it left me with way too many questions. What was she trying to say?
Anyway. The moment when the teacher would announce the total scores—both collective and individual—was about to begin. I think I was a little nervous… How many points would I get?
The teacher began by reading the grades from lowest to highest. At the very least, I figured I should be in the A range. Meanwhile, he wrote some references on the board:
C+ [500–700 points]
B- to B+ [701–1000 points]
A- to A+ [1001–3000 points]
S- to SSS+ [3001–10,000 points]
From the looks of it, those were all the categories recorded in human history. Of course, they were also based on my mother—yes, she was the benchmark for the 10,000 points. It still amazes me how iconic she is around the world. Maybe that's why she went off to live in the forest in the first place… though I can't say for sure.
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Several minutes passed as the teacher continued to announce each student's total score. So far, most were at level C+. A few, those who had started with over 100 magic, had managed to reach B or even A. The members of Worder Ronny's team and those in second place reached as high as A+.
Of course, in that range were only Marie, two of Ronny's friends, and Valentina.
As for me, I wasn't in any of those categories, but far above…
"Garieth Kael, level S. Good work."
The room erupted in shock. Not even I had expected something that high. Even Ronny's unsettling gaze toward me now seemed full of doubt. But it wasn't until one of his friends stood up, his face a mix of surprise and indignation, that things turned tense.
"I think giving Kael level S is an exaggeration, don't you think, teacher?"
The classroom fell into an awkward silence. No one else seemed to share his opinion. With a sarcastic smile, the teacher replied:
"I don't know what your complaint is about. You're the only one making it. Or did you not see what he was capable of? It would be a waste not to acknowledge such potential."
The student clicked his tongue at the teacher's words and sat back down to avoid further embarrassment.
"Oh, I almost forgot one thing," the teacher added, adjusting himself with a casual air and a provocative look. "The difference between Worder Ronny and Garieth Kael is only 207 points. There's no reason to get worked up."
"For now, class ends here. See you next week. You may go to lunch; after all, there's barely a minute left before the bell rings."
We all nodded, but from that moment on, I felt that nothing would ever be the same again.