On the notice board, Fian's name still sat firmly at the very top. He hadn't dropped once, leading by a wide margin over the second-ranked participant.
"That Fian must have cheated. He's bound to get caught and dragged out any minute now."
"Yeah, what an idiot, trying to cheat on the Gyakarta Academy entrance test of all things."
"Him and everyone involved are going to be blacklisted for life."
The crowd spoke as though it were already fact, spouting their accusations with confidence.
Gara and Madha's expressions darkened.
The fishfolk woman sitting beside them noticed it. She quietly stood and slipped away without a word.
Gara didn't even realize she was gone. His blood boiled at the shameless accusations around him. Just because they didn't come from some famous family, everyone immediately assumed cheating?
