You weren't even as good as Greg Sass

By the time the two arrived at the enormous open-air Martial Arena in the center of the Academy, most of the new students were already there.

Temporary spectator stands had been erected around the broad grounds, which were paved with some kind of sturdy gray-white stone.

Upperclassmen, a few instructors, and even some noble guests who had come after hearing the news were already seated in small groups, talking quietly as their gazes swept over the lively, nervous faces of the new students on the grounds.

Victoria and Sylvia's arrival caused a small stir.

It was not a welcoming stir, but one mingled with curiosity, scrutiny, and undisguised contempt.

"Look, the commoner's here."

"Tsk, tsk. Only arriving now? Commoners really have no sense of time."

"That's why she's a commoner. She doesn't know the first thing about proper conduct. The class placement assessment is such an important event, and she couldn't even come early to prepare."

"Greg Sass might have a rotten character and use despicable methods, but I actually support a few of the things he's done."

A smartly dressed male student with slicked-back hair deliberately raised his voice a little, making sure everyone around him could hear.

"For instance, trying to teach certain commoners who don't know their place where they belong. These peasants should never have been allowed into a place like Glory Kail. All they do is lower its standards."

Those words stabbed at Victoria with the precision of needles.

Her gray eyes instantly turned cold, as though coated in frost.

She stopped short and snapped her head around, her gaze shooting like an icy blade toward the noble students gathered together with mocking smiles on their faces.

She did not care if others called her lowborn, nor did she care about their petty attempts to exclude her.

But she would never tolerate such malicious insults, especially on an occasion when she was about to prove herself.

Anger surged within her, and mana began to stir faintly in her body.

She nearly stepped toward them, ready to shut their mouths by the most direct, physical means possible.

"V-Victoria!"

Sensing the change in her friend's mood, Sylvia hurriedly reached out and gripped her arm, her pink eyes full of anxiety.

"Calm down! Don't stoop to their level! The assessment is about to begin. If you lash out now, you'll be playing right into their hands! They'll use it as an excuse to attack you. It could even affect your eligibility!"

Sylvia spoke quietly, but with unmistakable urgency.

She knew Victoria all too well. Beneath that seemingly composed exterior lay a fiercely proud heart that refused to concede defeat, one that especially could not endure malicious slander aimed at her birth.

Victoria's chest rose and fell a few times as she felt Sylvia's grip and saw the pleading look in her eyes.

She closed her eyes, drew a deep breath, and forced down her churning anger.

Sylvia was right. This was no time to act rashly.

When she opened her eyes again, the ice in them had not entirely melted, but at least her gaze was clear again.

She gently patted the back of Sylvia's hand, signaling for her to let go.

Then Victoria straightened the already unwrinkled collar of her Academy uniform and turned to face the noble students who were still snickering quietly.

She did not raise her voice or make any provocative gesture. She simply spoke each word clearly and evenly, loud enough for everyone nearby to hear.

"Heh. Do those of you who hide behind others and gossip realize..."

She paused, her gray eyes sweeping over the noble students whose expressions had shifted slightly.

"That awful Greg Sass you keep talking about, whatever his grievances or malice, at least has the courage to say what he thinks to someone's face."

Her voice was not loud, yet it carried with a peculiar force that silenced the surrounding chatter.

"Unlike certain people, who only dare hide in a crowd and mutter like rats in a sewer."

The noble students' faces flushed red. One tried to argue, only to be silenced by Victoria's next words.

Victoria lifted her chin slightly, her tone almost brutally blunt. "As far as I'm concerned, at least he's better than you. In other words-"

Her gaze passed over their faces, some angry, some embarrassed.

"You aren't even as good as Greg Sass."

In the Dungeon, Greg, who had only just fallen asleep, suddenly sneezed. Nightmare, who had been lying on his chest, immediately ran to the other side of the campfire in disgust.

An almost complete silence followed Victoria's words.

Only a few barely stifled chuckles seemed to come from the nearby spectator stands.

The noble students she had singled out turned livid, then pale, as though they had been slapped in public.

"Hey! Commoner, who are you saying isn't even as good as Greg Sass? He isn't even a noble anymore! We all know he was expelled from his family! How could a worthless loser like him possibly compare to-"

"She's right."

A clear, lovely female voice, tinged with pride, abruptly cut in.

The crowd parted of its own accord.

A fiery-red figure walked unhurriedly between Victoria and the noble students, like a blazing banner.

Lilith Kahn.

She had clearly taken care with her appearance today. Her long, fiery-red hair was arranged in a style both elegant and lively, and her neatly pressed Academy uniform fitted her perfectly, making her posture look even more commanding.

Sunlight fell upon her, as though gilding her with a halo.

Simply by standing there, she naturally became the focus of everyone's attention. That proud aura belonging to royalty and genius needed no words.

First, she gave the noble students who had been about to erupt an indifferent glance. Her gaze was calm and unreadable, yet they instantly lowered their heads, not daring to meet her eyes.

As a princess, Lilith was someone they absolutely dared not provoke.

Only after they had fallen completely silent did she turn her gaze toward Victoria, undisguised interest and... a flicker of eager fire shining in her ruby-red eyes.

"Greg Sass..."

Lilith spoke, her voice ringing clearly across the quiet grounds. "Really is far more interesting than these people who can only talk about others behind their backs."

Coming from Her Highness the Princess, those words carried an entirely different weight.

The noble students lowered their heads even further, wishing they could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

Victoria, meanwhile, observed Lilith calmly.

She had heard rumors that this princess deeply disliked Greg Sass.

After all, the former duke's son had once nearly become her brother-in-law, and his later actions had brought shame upon the royal family.

By all rights, Lilith ought to loathe anyone or anything connected to Greg.

Yet now she was speaking up for her?

Why?

"You're Victoria?"

Ignoring the gazes around them, Lilith walked straight up to Victoria and tilted her face slightly upward.

She held out her hand to Victoria, a brilliant, confident smile blooming on her face, as dazzling as the midday sun.

"I've heard about some of your exploits. I hope you won't disappoint me in our match later."

No pleasantries, no small talk. Straight to the point, with her competitive edge on full display.

That was Lilith Kahn's style.

Victoria froze for a moment.

She had not expected the princess to offer her a hand, much less express her desire to fight so bluntly.

But then the same fire kindled in her gray eyes-the fighting spirit that only ignited when she encountered an opponent worth facing.

She smiled too.

It was not Lilith's flamboyant, dazzling smile, but a more restrained one, equally full of confidence.

Without hesitation, she reached out and clasped Lilith's hand.

Two equally slender hands met in the air.

"That's my line." Victoria met Lilith's gaze without yielding, her voice clear and firm.

Though neither could yet be certain whether the other was friend or foe, at that moment, both sensed one thing with absolute clarity:

The person before her would undoubtedly be an opponent she had to give her all to defeat.

A fierce competitive spirit, mingled with the faint excitement of meeting an equal, crackled between their locked gazes.

Standing beside them, Sylvia felt the almost tangible tension radiating from her friend and nervously clenched the hem of her skirt, at a loss for what to do.

It seemed this class placement assessment had been destined to be anything but peaceful from the moment the match list was announced.