After Knox claimed first place and Meilyn followed closely in second, Professor Hong Feng shifted his gaze toward the remaining candidates making their way to the flag.
Between Simon and Hector, one of them would take third place.
Meanwhile, Knox—the one already done with everything—watched the spectacle with an expression that suggested he was enjoying a particularly entertaining performance. While Simon and Hector, were practically crawling toward the finish line, dragging their exhausted bodies inch by inch toward the flag.
"Professor Hong Feng!"
An assistant came running up the hill, slightly out of breath.
"There's an injured student! Looks like a minor ankle sprain!"
"I'll take a look," Hong Feng replied.
She cast one last glance at Simon and Hector before following the assistant back down the slope.
"…Hah. Finally."
The moment she disappeared from sight, Hector straightened up.
Simon's eyes widened.
Step. Step.
Hector climbed the remaining distance with renewed strength and reached the summit, securing third place. He accepted a drink from the assistant—then turned toward Meilyn.
"Hey."
Meilyn glanced at him.
"What the hell was that back there?" Hector snapped. "Dispelling the curse and walking up like it was nothing. You think I crawled through hell because I couldn't do that?"
"What are you even talking about?" Meilyn replied flatly.
She snorted, utterly unimpressed.
Hector scoffed.
"Figures. Someone raised in an ivory tower wouldn't understand how things work in the real world."
"…"
Her eyebrow twitched.
"Are you picking a fight?"
"I'm stating facts," Hector said coldly. "During the student protection period, grades don't even matter. What matters is diligence. What you did? If anything, it puts you on Professor Hong Feng's blacklist."
Her gaze sharpened.
"You're seriously twisted," she shot back. "Are you that angry because you got third place?"
"I'm maintaining Class A's standards," Hector snapped. "And I don't care about someone like you."
Meanwhile, Knox watched the exchange with visible interest.
Man… I should've brought popcorn.
Suddenly—
"You there!"
Hector turned sharply. "Knox Aznable! Why are you just standing there silently?"
Knox blinked, clearly confused.
"What's wrong with me?" Knox frowned, clearly annoyed. "Why are you dragging me into your loser bickering?"
Hector's face twisted with rage.
"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!"
Knox sighed.
"Honestly? You couldn't even out-argue Meilyn just now, so you dragged me in, hoping I'd say something that could save your pride. That's… kind of sad."
Hector clenched his teeth.
"And second—who do you think you are?" Knox continued flatly. "Are you the professor? Or is Professor Hong Feng the professor?"
His eyes sharpened slightly.
"Did she ever say dispelling the Exhaust Curse was forbidden? No. She didn't."
Knox let out a short laugh.
"And don't tell me you're doing this for 'Class A's standards.' You're angry because you lost. That's it. You're just venting."
Hector opened his mouth—
Knox didn't let him.
"And lastly," he said calmly, "Do you really think my eyes are just decorations?"
He glanced around, deliberately slow.
"Do you think I didn't see it? Do you think Professor Hong Feng and the assistant professors didn't see it?"
His smile turned sharp.
"You dispelled the curse too, Hector. Not completely like Meilyn—but you still did. That fact doesn't change."
Knox leaned back slightly.
"So now I'll ask you something."
His voice dropped.
"Don't you feel ashamed?"
Silence.
Hector wanted to retort—but he couldn't. His fists trembled, teeth grinding together.
Knox sighed again.
"See? Much better. If you stay quiet like this, people might actually think you're smart."
Veins bulged on Hector's forehead.
"YOU BASTARD!"
Knox merely crossed his arms and glanced around.
Only then did Hector notice the stares.
Whispering. Judgment.
"Wasn't he supposed to be polite?"
"This feels familiar… like during Curse Class."
"So that image was fake?"
Hector froze.
Worse—assistant professors were watching.
And—
Professor Hong Feng had returned.
Their eyes met.
Hector said nothing. He turned away abruptly and stormed off.
Just then, Simon finally reached the summit, collapsing onto his knees.
"Simon Polentia," the assistant announced kindly. "Fourth place."
"T-Thank you…"
Meanwhile—
Meilyn looked at Knox.
Her expression was complicated. Gratitude… embarrassment… something else.
"…You," she muttered. "Thanks."
"Hm?" Knox blinked. "Did you say something?"
Meilyn instantly crossed her arms and looked away.
"N-Nothing!"
Knox stared at her for a second.
"…Okay."
He decided not to press further.
Time passed, and one by one, the students began reaching the summit.
Even those who had struggled due to a lack of stamina eventually made it up, as the Exhaust Curse gradually weakened.
"I-I think I'm gonna die, Simon… Knox…"
Rick, who had finished with a fairly high rank, staggered over before promptly joining a group of students throwing up not too far away.
Simon walked over and gently patted his back.
Knox, on the other hand, laughed.
Except for a few students who had collapsed from extreme exhaustion and dropped out halfway, everyone in Class A had managed to reach the top. Still, the fatigue left behind by this class was overwhelming.
Students lay scattered across the ground, sprawled out like corpses, unable to lift even a finger.
Simon stared up at the sky, suddenly feeling lost.
How are we supposed to get back to Kizen like this…?
If they had to ride the hippos again, he was fairly certain at least half of Class A would be left behind on the way.
Fortunately, Hong Feng contacted Kizen and received permission to activate a temporary teleportation magic circle.
Cheers erupted instantly.
"We're saved…!"
"No more hippos!"
"Yeahh!"
But amid the celebration—
Knox frowned. "Ehhh? Why not ride the hippos again?" he said, sounding genuinely disappointed. "That's kinda sad. Riding hippos was fun, you know?"
Silence.
Every student present—Simon, Meilyn, Rick, Camibarez, Jamie, Claudia, even Merida—slowly turned to stare at Knox.
Their expressions all said the same thing:
Are you serious right now?
Knox blinked. "…Hm?"
He glanced around, then scratched his cheek.
"Uh… everyone, why are you looking at me like that?" he asked innocently. "Believe me, even I will get embarrassed if you all keep staring like that~"
No one replied. The stares only intensified.
Then, as if the timing had been perfectly calculated—
A magic circle spread across the training grounds. Simply stepping onto it would transport the students straight back to Kizen. The servants who had delivered their meals earlier had apparently used the same method.
A collective sigh of relief escaped the students as they began lining up, one by one stepping into the circle.
Knox, Simon, and Rick stood together, waiting for their turn.
Just before stepping forward, Knox's gaze lingered on the magic circle.
…Hm?
His eyes narrowed slightly.
The structure was familiar—yet not quite right.
"…Interesting," Knox muttered under his breath. "So even when I'm around, Professor Bahil and Professor Hong Feng are still trying to recruit Simon, huh?"
Then he noticed something else.
Oh?
The subtle distortion didn't just target Simon. It was aimed at him too.
"Hoo~," Knox chuckled softly, the corner of his lips curling up. "That's interesting… and somehow not surprising at the same time~"
Before Simon or Rick could ask what he meant, the three of them stepped onto the magic circle together.
Vwoooom!
A dusky glow erupted from beneath their feet, light wrapping around Knox's body as the sensation of weightlessness took hold.
Just as his legs lifted off the ground, signaling the start of teleportation—
Thunk!
A sudden jolt ran through him, like slamming straight into an invisible wall.
Knox dropped back down, boots hitting solid ground with a dull thud.
He straightened up, brushing off his coat like nothing serious had happened.
Then he glanced sideways and smiled.
"Looks like we took a wrong turn," Knox said casually. "Right, Simon?"
"Huh?"
Simon lifted his head—
And froze. The surroundings were completely different. The training ground was gone.
No students. No magic circle. No Rick.
Just the two of them, standing alone in an unfamiliar place.
Simon swallowed. "…Knox?"
Knox's smile widened, eyes gleaming with interest.
"Yep," he said lightly. "Definitely not Kizen~."