I, the Villain, Want to Save Myself, But the Yandere Heroines Disagree-Chapter 38 - Humblebragging

An hour later, Orson stood at the entrance of the main lecture hall, waiting for Litte to come out.

Standing there, he couldn’t help but feel like a parent waiting to pick up their child after school.

When the bell rang, signaling the end of the exam, a flood of examinees poured out of the lecture hall.

Many of the “sightseeing” candidates who weren’t serious about the exam would treat themselves to a meal at the academy’s dining hall after finishing the written test, then casually leave the academy, skipping the afternoon’s practical exam entirely.

After waiting for about ten minutes, Orson finally spotted Litte emerging with the crowd.

Litte immediately noticed Orson and ran toward him.

“How was it? Did the exam go well?”

“Mm!” Litte nodded enthusiastically. “Everything you helped me review yesterday was on the test today!”

“Really?” Orson was surprised. He hadn’t expected his predictions to be so accurate.

If that’s the case, maybe I should open a tutoring center for nobles struggling in academics. Charge ten gold coins per session, and I’d have people fighting to enroll.

“Mm-hmm.”

“Alright, since the written test is over, let’s take a break at noon and prepare for the practical exam this afternoon. And don’t forget tomorrow’s ranking matches. With your strength, you should be able to place in the upper-middle tier.”

“Okay~” Litte replied obediently, following closely behind Orson.

Seeing this, Orson smiled in satisfaction.

This is the Litte I know. That yandere Litte from my dream, with the creepy possessiveness? That was nothing but a nightmare.

Afterward, Orson took Litte on a brief tour of the academy. At noon, they had a simple meal at a restaurant in the academy’s commercial district before heading to the training grounds.

The afternoon’s practical exam involved fighting against a puppet dummy in the training grounds. There were two types of dummies: a Tier 2 warrior and a Tier 2 mage. Examinees could choose one, and defeating it would qualify them for admission. The examiners would then assign a score based on performance.

By now, the results of the written test were also available. Upon entering the training grounds, each candidate learned their score.

Orson couldn’t help marveling at how fast the grading process was.

The graders had managed to sort through 20,000 exam papers during their lunch break. Of course, magic assistance must have been involved—otherwise, such efficiency would’ve been impossible.

The written test had a maximum score of 100, and Litte had scored 99.

The number of people gathered at the training grounds was noticeably smaller than earlier in the day. Many of those who gave up after the written test naturally didn’t show up for the practical portion.

“Not bad, Litte. Just one point away from a perfect score.” Orson looked at Litte’s test paper and nodded approvingly.

The majority of the questions had been covered in the study guide Orson had prepared for Litte. This high score was undeniably tied to Orson’s help.

“Looks like my predictions were pretty spot on.”

“Hehe, Orson is amazing.”

As the central examiner announced the start of the practical test, the crowd surged forward, rushing to claim spots in the training grounds.

The enormous training area had been divided into 100 sections, allowing 100 people to be tested simultaneously.

The duration of the tests varied. Some candidates finished their fights in seconds and received high scores, while others took nearly ten minutes, much to the examiners’ frustration.

“Alright, Litte, it’s your turn. Go and aim for a high score.”

“Got it.” Litte nodded and stepped onto the training grounds.

—

Meanwhile, Lianca and Olivia had also arrived at the training grounds. Coming from the opposite direction, they didn’t run into Orson and Litte.

“Lianca, your score is already quite high,” Olivia said, glancing at Lianca’s test paper. “98 points... In the past few decades, only Orson in the previous year managed a perfect score on the written test. With this result, you’re a strong contender for first place this year. Even I only scored 96 last year.”

“It’s all thanks to you for helping me review these past few days. Still, I shouldn’t have missed that one question. If I hadn’t, I could’ve gotten a perfect score.” Lianca’s tone was filled with regret.

After all, her goal was to surpass Orson. Who would’ve thought she’d fail to beat him even in this first challenge?

The more Lianca thought about it, the angrier she became. When it was her turn in the practical, she directed all her frustration at the puppet dummy, unleashing her full Tier 4 strength in a single blow.

The examiner had barely started the timer when the dummy shattered into pieces, its remnants scattered across the ground.

“Uh... impressive performance. I’ll give you 90 points,” the examiner said.

“Huh? Teacher, did I hear you right? Why only 90 points when I defeated it in one strike?”

“In battle, you need to learn how to conserve your energy. I don’t know what’s gotten into you to make you go all out like that from the start, but if you keep wasting energy like this against small fry in real combat, you won’t last long,” the examiner said calmly as he adjusted his glasses. “Fighting isn’t about destruction for destruction’s sake.”

“You’re strong, and the outcome was impressive. But this is a lesson for you—remember, battles are not child’s play. If you have no further questions, you can step down and make way for the next candidate.”

“...” Lianca said nothing, clenching her fists before silently stepping off the stage.

“How did it go, Lianca?” Olivia, confident in her sister’s abilities, hadn’t paid attention to the fight itself.

She was surprised to see Lianca walking away with a dark expression, ignoring her completely and heading straight for the exit.

“Hm?” Olivia was puzzled. Lianca had finished her fight quickly, so her score should’ve been high. Why was she so upset?

She decided to follow her.

—

On another stage, Litte took about a minute to finish her fight.

“90 points,” the nearby examiner announced. “Your speed in defeating the dummy wasn’t particularly fast, but I noticed you spent time assessing its strength and waited until you identified its weak point before making your move.”

“You’re a Tier 3, right? For someone with Tier 3 strength, staying calm and composed against a Tier 2 opponent is truly impressive.”

“This composure and rationality are your greatest weapons. In future battles, make sure you never lose them.”

The examiner offered his advice before assigning the score.

“Thank you, Teacher.” Litte nodded politely and stepped off the stage.

“How’d it go, Litte?”

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“Uh... just 90 points...” Litte replied, her expression somewhat disappointed. “I thought it’d be higher.”

Indeed, before the practical test, Orson had shared some tips on scoring high. Rather than brute-forcing the dummy, examiners preferred to see creativity and intelligence.

Most candidates, being at Tier 2 or 3, found defeating the dummies to be relatively straightforward. What truly impressed the examiners were flashes of brilliance during the fight.

Last year, Orson had scored a perfect 100 by identifying the dummy’s weak point immediately, defeating it in a single, perfectly calculated strike.

Seeing Litte’s sad expression, Orson couldn’t help but laugh.

This kid—he’s already learned how to humblebrag.

Few people realized that the examiners were notoriously picky in their scoring, making 90 points an excellent result.

Meanwhile, Orson remained completely unaware that his own double perfect scores last year made him the ultimate embodiment of humblebragging.