Chapter 9 Exam Results

    After two days had passed since the exams, it finally came time to announce the exam results. There were two ways results were announced here: one was by posting them on a board in front of the main auditorium, and the second was online. But, it's better to check the results on the board since posting the students' results online would take another two or three days. Understandably, this world was in a transitional phase between old and new technology. Even though there was technology, it was still in its early stages, which explained why not everyone was adept at using the internet or computers. But not for Lucy, who had memories of her past life in a highly advanced technological era. Unfortunately, she didn't study how those technologies were created or developed; otherwise, she might have been able to assist her father in his work.

    Even though it was early morning, students had already arrived at the school. From their excited faces, it was clear they were always a mix of anxiety and anticipation to know how well they performed. Lucy smirked slightly, supremely confident she would move up to the King classroom in the second term, assuming her midterm and final scores met the King classroom criteria. So, goodbye to the Pawn classroom. Some students stood in front of the auditorium to quickly see their scores. The board had twelve sections, divided into four boards per school year, with the first three boards for the King, Queen, and Pawn classrooms. The last board displayed the top 100 highest-scoring students in each school year.

    Most people first checked their own class's board before moving on to see who made the top 100. Only those confident enough in their abilities would skip their class board and check the top 100 board directly, which usually included the heroes and heroines defined to excel in everything. Lucy, having to study for weeks for the exams, envied the heroes' and heroines' innate brilliance, but this time, the villainess planned to dethrone them and take her place at the top. If asked which board Lucy would check, she'd confidently say the top 100 board, certain she'd be in the top 5. If speaking cautiously, she might have some doubts about whether she'll rank 3rd or 4th. But if speaking from the heart, she's certain she'll secure the top spot without a doubt. She preferred not to deal with crowds but couldn't resist the urge to know her results. Pushing through to the fourth board, Lucy paused upon seeing a circular space with the main characters standing there, accompanied by their group of friends. It's unsurprising that the top students' friends were also exceptional in their intelligence. Lucy rolled her eyes, expecting to be ridiculed again. But if you were to ask if she was afraid, the answer would be no. There's no room for fear in Lucy’s dictionary. If she were afraid, would she dare boldly confront the good-hearted heroine like Angela? The group's gaze turned to Lucy, but the president only glanced briefly before looking away, as if he didn't see her at all. Only the prince might greet her, along with Angela.

    "Are you lost? The Pawn classroom board is over there," Angela's suggestion made Lucy understand why many villains wanted to slap the heroine. Maybe Angela meant it innocently. Laughter from the heroine's friends followed, leaving Lucy feeling a bit humiliated.

    "There's no need to push through the crowd to see. I'll be on this board anyway," Lucy declared, provoking even more laughter. The men turned away to hide their laughs, while the women laughed openly. Lucy felt increasingly aggravated.

    "I don't want to shatter your dream, but save yourself the trouble and go check your own class's board," the heroine's friend said with a sneering laugh. Lucy frowned slightly, was about to walk away but decided these mouths deserved a retort.

    "Why shouldn't I look at this board if I want to? Is there a sign saying anyone not on this list is banned from looking? From what I see, hmm, there isn't. So, why can't I look? It's funny how the commoners dare to shoo the high-class like me. Know your own place, even if some of your friends are high-class like me. But that doesn't mean you can act that way towards other high-class individuals. And this behavior of laughing at others, didn't anyone teach you it's rude? Is it such an affront for someone with poor scores to look at this board? Do you own this board or what? It's extremely rude to act this way to others. Move if you're not looking; why block the way? Disgusting!" Lucy finished, directing her final words at Angela before shouldering past, pushing even the student council president and the prince out of her way. Of course, Lucy wouldn't look for her score from bottom to top; someone like Lucy only looks from top to bottom. Just a glance at the first rank brought a smirk to her face...