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With that, she wouldn't be criticized by anyone when she entered the Imperial Palace later.
It was then, as she was trying to comfort herself,
that Kadin approached, seemingly out of nowhere, and spoke with a subtle sneer.
"Freya, looks like you're going to miss out on the top spot this time?"
He had been dragged out by Freya early in the morning to check the scores, unable to resist her nagging.
The elders of his house had been pushing him to build a friendship with Rosia.
So, although he had been forced to come out, he wasn't in a good mood.
He was just anxious that Ayla might witness this scene.
Freya glared at Kadin, annoyed, and retorted,
"Aren't you about to have the top spot stolen by that commoner too? I don't think you're in a position to worry about others."
Her tone was quite aggressive.
Kadin frowned but couldn't really argue.
As she said, Kadin was highly likely to lose the top spot to Felix.
Kadin twisted his lips and said,
"I'll at least take second place. But I doubt you'll even manage that."
"...What are you talking about?"
Freya furrowed her brow.
Kadin shrugged nonchalantly and replied,
"You know, the news that Ayla has cured her Mana insensitivity."
Freya scoffed as soon as she heard those words. At the same time, Rosia's brow furrowed slightly.
Both of them had already heard the news that Ayla had overcome her Mana insensitivity.
As soon as Freya heard the news, she thought Ayla was incredibly lucky.
"Oh, right. If she can feel Mana, she must have done well on the written exam as always, so she's avoided failing now."
Kadin said sarcastically.
"Not just avoiding failing, but apparently she has quite excellent skills?"
Freya sighed at the continued taunts and asked,
"Do you really think she did better on the exam than me?"
Of course not. Kadin was simply trying to provoke Freya.
It was then.
"The professor is coming!"
Just then, Arina walked over with the paper listing the rankings in her arms.
All the students' eyes turned to the white scroll in her hand.
Soon after, the professor posted the grades on the bulletin board in front of everyone.
At that moment, the voices of everyone gathered there stopped abruptly.
Silence swallowed everything as if time had stopped. No one dared to open their mouth.
"...What, what is this?"
After a long while, a flustered Freya asked Arina,
"Isn't something wrong?"
"What do you mean, student Freya?"
"It seems like the name of the top student is written incorrectly."
A murmur arose among the students.
If Rosia or Freya had taken first place, they wouldn't have been so surprised.
But the one who proudly placed her name at the top of the Faculty of Magic was someone they had never expected.
Freya stared intently at the grades, wearing an expression of disbelief.
"There's no way Ayla's name would be there. Isn't something wrong?"
Arina frowned at her words.
She was displeased that someone was questioning the grades, which the professors had carefully reviewed and assigned over several days.
But it was a reality that all the academy students would soon have to accept.
Arina replied with a calm expression,
"Ayla earned the top spot with her legitimate skills."
"No, even so, how could she be at the top right away..."
Freya still muttered to herself as if it made no sense.
If Ayla was still a member of the Blanche Noble house, people would have sincerely suspected grade manipulation.
But now she was a commoner. That meant she didn't have the power to manipulate the academy's grades.
The professor sighed briefly and then said in a firm voice,
"Student Freya. Have you ever seen Ayla take the practical exam?"
"Yes? Not really, but..."
"If you had seen it with your own eyes, you wouldn't be able to say that. Ask the students who were in the same group as her. Her Magic is truly..."
Arina couldn't finish her sentence.
She wore an expression of genuine admiration, as if deeply captivated.
"To have that level of skill after only recently being able to feel Mana, I wonder how outstanding she will become if she hones it further."
As Professor Arina continued to speak, she suddenly noticed that the surroundings had become quiet again.
He cleared his throat softly to ease the awkwardness.
She was embarrassed to have praised only one student so much in front of everyone.
But even so, she couldn't hide her proud feelings.
When she talked to the other professors, they also said that they had unanimously given Ayla full marks.
They all recognized the value of her sweat and effort.
While Professor Arina wore a pleased smile, Rosia trembled at the realization that her anxiety had come true.
But the name written on the grades in front of her did not change.
The shocked students began to murmur loudly.
"What, shouldn't Rosia have taken the top spot?"
"Hasn't the daughter of the Blanche Noble house always taken the top spot, unless she suffered from Mana insensitivity?"
"Ah, now that I think about it, Rosia took second place. Is this really possible?"
The gaze of distrust that had always followed Ayla in the past was now directed at Rosia.
Unable to bear the unfamiliar atmosphere, Rosia staggered without realizing it.
It was when she lost her balance and eventually fell towards Kadin.
Kadin inadvertently supported Rosia. But he soon frowned and carefully pushed her away.
Rosia's shoulders trembled slightly as she broke free from his touch.
It was a sign of complete rejection.
After the end-of-semester exams, the students had a short week-long break.
It was fortunate for Rosia in many ways.
Various rumors had been circulating in the academy since Ayla took the top spot.
Among them, what Rosia found most unbearable was the people who were saying, 'Wasn't the Paternity Test Magic wrong?'
It was even more unpleasant because the words hit the nail on the head.
"To take the top spot as soon as she cured her Mana insensitivity, could Ayla be the real daughter of the Blanche Noble house?"
"But they used a Paternity test magic tool, right? Can the results be wrong? Anyway, it's strange."
Thinking of the students whispering about her as they looked at her in the academy, she would rather just stay cooped up at home.
"Miss, you've arrived."
The maid greeted her happily, but Rosia went straight into her room without even replying.
She wasn't in the mood to even greet her family. Her stomach was twisted with anger and frustration.
Although she wasn't the best Mage in the Magic Tower, Rosia was a sufficiently skilled Mage.
For her to fail to surpass Ayla in the academy exam.
Above all, it was difficult to accept the fact that Ayla, who had only recently awakened to Mana, had defeated her in one fell swoop.
'The world is so unfair.'
Ayla was lucky enough to be born into nobility, and she was also born with talent.
On the other hand, Rosia had to desperately work hard to achieve everything.
The more she thought about that difference, the more resentful she became.
Now, not only Kadin, but she also wanted to drag Ayla down to the bottom even more.
What Rosia feared most was what lay ahead.
If she showed this much skill as soon as she recovered from Mana insensitivity, Ayla would continue to achieve outstanding results.
And she would continue to lose to Ayla.
If that happened, people would definitely start to question.
"Is Rosia really the daughter of the Blanche Noble house?"
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