"Alright, everyone, please put down your writing instruments and get ready."

Ugh, this feels so awkward.

I found myself fiddling with the collar of my white coat.

…Hopefully, my voice didn’t tremble.

I glanced around at the students, trying to appear as natural as possible, and thankfully, it seemed they didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary.

Except for Orca and Leo, that is.

I wish they wouldn’t look at me like that… It’s making me feel like I’m about to make a mistake…

To mask my discomfort, I cleared my throat and delivered the lines I had prepared.

"Don’t be too nervous about this being your first exam. It’s just a process to check where you stand. If you score low, work harder, and if you score high, do your best not to be overtaken."

I had agreed to help with the supervision since they were short-staffed during the exam period, but it’s making me much more nervous than I expected.

I was told not to worry too much, as electronic devices were entirely banned with metal detectors, and students' mana could be detected with mana scanners.

Cheating is impossible, and the supervision is mainly to prevent students from getting any ideas.

Even with this assurance, I couldn’t shake the tension. The reason was simple: there was an episode in the game tied to a side quest that involved cheating.

I always completed that quest because the rewards were quite good, so I knew exactly how the cheating was done.

I doubt I could catch it in real-time just by watching… But the thought of such an incident happening in the future made me suspiciously eye the students.

No, I don’t actually think any of these academy students would cheat on their first exam. Their pride is probably sky-high right now.

For a genius praised by everyone to fall to the point of cheating would take more than just a day or two. Even if it did happen, it would be at least half a year from now.

That side quest starts six months later.

But still, the world has already changed so much from the original story. Who knows what could happen?

…Turning my head, I glanced at Orca and Leo.

Were they nervous? Or just not thinking about anything?

I couldn’t really tell what expressions they were wearing.

All I could do was keep watch to make sure there was no cheating.

I hope they do well on the exam.

"I hope you all get good results for the effort you’ve put in. When the time comes, you may begin."

Even though I used hypnosis, Orca and Leo really did study hard.

It wasn’t for a very long time, but… I hope they won’t be disappointed when they see the results.

That way, they’ll be more motivated to prepare for the next exam.

The sound of the bell breaking the silence signaled the start of the test.

"Alright, you may begin. Remember, cheating will be strictly punished, so don’t even think about it."

The sound of students writing on their papers began to fill the room.

They all seemed focused on writing down what they knew. There wasn’t any sign of cheating.

…Was I just worrying too much?

I mean, who would try to cheat on their first exam?

To be honest, even if they did cheat, I wouldn’t have a way to catch them.

At least, not with the methods I’m aware of.

How could I possibly spot someone reading off tiny engravings on their writing tools by touch? That’s insane.

No matter how hard I tried to watch the students, I’m just an ordinary person.

There’s no way I could monitor all of their movements.

The idea of catching potential cheaters quickly crumbled less than five minutes into the exam.

Even if I couldn’t catch the act itself, I thought I might be able to guess from their reactions.

But all I saw were students diligently writing down their answers.

Yeah, what was I even thinking…?

I gave up and stared blankly at the ceiling, then got bored of that and looked at the students again.

And then I repeated that cycle—getting bored of watching the students, staring into space, then back to the students.

…After what felt like dozens of repetitions, I started to feel itchy all over.

My posture was uncomfortable, and though I wanted to get up because my butt hurt, I couldn’t walk around freely without disturbing the students…

Is this some kind of time and space torture chamber? How much time has passed?

…

I glanced up at the clock and felt a wave of despair.

…Only 10 minutes had passed? There are still 50 minutes left of the exam?

I can’t even sleep—I’m supposed to be supervising.

If the supervisor falls asleep right in front of them, the students would clearly think something was wrong.

Besides, this is just the first subject’s exam.

I’m pretty sure I said I’d help with everything without thinking…

I’m so bored I could die.

I should have just volunteered to help with the practical exams.

At least there would have been more to see.

But regretting it now won’t change anything, and time started to crawl even slower.

This is agony…

"The task you were assigned?"

"Perfect. Even if everything else fails, at least the academy will be thrown into chaos."

"…Good."

In a deserted alley of the academy.

A teacher was having a conversation with someone.

"Thank you for your effort, Teacher. It must have been difficult for you to act, given your position."

"…It was something I had to do."

The academy’s security is certainly top-notch.

But compared to the security of the Vatican and the Imperial family, it was, of course, lacking.

The Imperial family, with its unmatched power, and the Vatican, which serves as a counterbalance, are both formidable forces.

No matter how much someone wanted to harm these two factions, a careless attempt could lead not just to failure but to catastrophic consequences, possibly even the disbanding of their organization.

That’s why they decided to target the academy.

The Imperial family only selects the most rigorously vetted individuals to work for them, and while the Vatican’s processes are secretive, their higher ranks undergo strict scrutiny.

But the academy?

Veronica, who runs rampant under the Emperor’s favor, hires teachers based solely on her own judgment.

Compared to the other two factions, security is lax, and the hiring criteria are a mess.

Even if a major incident occurs, there would be enough time to escape compared to the Imperial family or the Vatican.

At the very least, they’d have enough time to cut their losses and flee like a lizard shedding its tail.

…Moreover, when it became known that both the Empire’s princess and an Overseer had enrolled at the academy this year, they were convinced.

This is a godsend opportunity.

"Thank you. Your sacrifice will not be forgotten."

"…Right."

The voice on the other end of the phone expressed condolences, but the teacher could tell there was no real emotion behind it.

It was just a disposable comment, nothing more, nothing less.

"Don’t worry. We’ll keep your relatives hidden well."

"To say something like that when you already know everything. You really are trash."

A loud grinding sound came from his teeth, loud enough to wonder if it could be heard over the phone.

"Apologies. It seems my joke wasn’t very funny."

"A joke? …You call that a joke? You should know that my family is already dead!"

He had realized from the moment they approached him that he was disposable.

And he knew that what he was doing now was nothing more than futile rage.

But even so, he hadn’t reported them to the Imperial family and instead took their hand.

It was all for revenge. To avenge his dead wife and daughter. They must have known that.

Without such a motive, these people wouldn’t have approached him.

They’re careful enough to have remained undetected by the authorities, which suggests they’re very meticulous.

"…Still, I wasn’t entirely wrong."

"What?"

"The moment it’s revealed that you’ve done this, the Imperial family will desecrate your family’s remains without hesitation."

"…"

"They’ll dig up their graves, take out the urns… Maybe they’ll torture their souls out of spite?"

"Th-that kind of…"

"I think it’s possible. Everyone knows the Imperial family collects all sorts of artifacts. Do you really think they don’t have one that could do that?"

He couldn’t deny it.

The ugly face of the Imperial family he had seen was certainly capable of such things.

"So that’s why I’m telling you this. Even if your soul suffers, your family’s shouldn’t, right?"

"…Right. I’ll leave it to you."

"Don’t worry. Consider this a gesture of goodwill. A token of appreciation for helping us for free."

"…"

"I hope everything goes well for you, Mr. Ian."

"Yeah."