Chapter 71

｡･:*:･ﾟ★ Translated by Divine ｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

Here was what happened.

The most basic method I devised to prevent cheating:

It was ‘handwriting verification’.

Perhaps because I had lived in a place where the fate of nineteen-year-old students was determined once a year, for me, handwriting verification was the most natural thing.

But there was no such system here.

Many prestigious academies nobles attended kept meticulous records.

Because of this, professors could accurately identify the faces and names of students and their respective families.

Thus, the concept of cheating via impersonation simply didn’t exist.

‘Even if they got caught, they could just smooth it over with money. After all, they’re nobles.’

But regional academies were different. Due to the lack of students, even commoners could enroll as long as they passed the entrance exam.

This made it difficult to identify who or which family every person came from.

However, if they were caught cheating, they could be formally charged for damaging the academy’s reputation.

‘That’s why commoner students wouldn’t even dream of cheating.’

The level of surveillance was minimal at best.

In other words, the chances of getting caught were low.

Normally, no one would be bold enough to take such a risk, but unfortunately, that was precisely what had happened.

So, I made a request to Luciel.

I asked him to create a pen that could recognize handwriting.

Luciel tilted his head for a moment, then let out an “Ah!” as if realizing.

“Milady, you truly… always come up with the most unexpected ideas.”

“I’m sorry to always burden you with such requests, Your Highness.”

“Not at all. In fact, I’m thrilled. If someone else had received your proposal…”

“What?”

“It’s nothing.”

Despite the sudden request, Luciel didn’t frown for a moment and gladly obliged.

‘On the contrary, he smiled so beautifully it made me wonder if he actually enjoyed receiving these kinds of requests.’

In any case, Luciel quickly crafted a ‘handwriting verification pen’.

However, just because we made the pen didn’t mean I could waltz into the academy and say, “Use this pen, please.”

So, I turned to a more fundamental approach.

[You want to sponsor magic tools to the academy?]

I sought help from my uncle, Lyas, who was not only a professor but also a magic swordsman.

After the incident with Vanier, I reported the entire series of events to him immediately.

Lyas, enraged, quickly sent a magic communication tool to Regarta.

Without writing a letter, you could immediately talk to the other party by simply holding the magic stone.

[…Magic tools, huh.]

Lyas suddenly muttered to himself.

[Now that I think about it, there’s a Magic Tower in Regarta… No, that couldn’t possibly…]

“Uncle?”

[Evans—I sent that guy off, and now there’s another one…]

“Uncle, is something wrong?”

[…It’s nothing.]

After a brief pause, Lyas finally replied that he would bring up the matter with the academy’s headmaster.

Of course, it wasn’t just because of my personal request.

If the pen I created became widely used in the academy, it could root out unseen acts of dishonesty, which was beneficial in many ways.

“Thank you, Uncle. I know this was a sudden request.”

[No, I’m more surprised that you came up with such an idea… By the way, it seems I’ll need to make a trip to Regarta.]

“Huh? For what…?”

[I have some matters to discuss with your grandfather and a few things I need to verify. Don’t worry about it too much.]

Lyas ended the conversation with a grumble about “stubborn old men” and a casual “see you later.”

‘Somehow, I feel like trouble is brewing…’

While I tried to suppress the unease rising in my chest.

“How could this be? Students cheating? Is that even possible?”

I quickly focused when I heard the commotion.

Several professors were muttering with confused faces.

They were holding two answer sheets in their hands.

One belonged to Becky, and the other to Jed.

However, the names written on the name field had been rewritten in opaque red letters.

Becky’s name was on Jed’s answer sheet.

Jed’s name was on Becky’s answer sheet.

The handwriting verification pen had detected the name swapping between the two.

“Ha, but it’s made by the Lord of the Magic Tower himself! It can’t be wrong…”

The professors glanced at me nervously as they spoke.

It was thanks to Luciel that I was able to witness their dilemma from the front seat.

He had helped directly deliver the magic tool under the name of the Magic Tower Lord as his representative.

Appearing as the representative of the Magic Tower Lord rather than as the Peregrine family’s daughter was much more convenient for me.

As expected, the headmaster welcomed me with a broad smile.

‘Of course, even he couldn’t have imagined that things would turn into a mess as soon as the tool was used.’

The professors flinched when I gave a subtle smile and asked if there was a problem.

It was then.

“This is ridiculous!”

A professor shouted loudly.

“How could a brilliant student like Jed be cheating?”

The speaker was a professor with a weasel-like face and unkempt hair, his expression twisted in anger. I narrowed my eyes.

‘If I recall correctly… his name is Avik.’

I knew him well.

‘He was introduced in the original story as Jed’s mentor.’

Jed had mentioned he had a professor who had been supportive of him even before he enrolled in the academy. That professor was Avik.

‘Thanks to that, Avik later gained recognition as the “mentor of a genius” and secured a position at the capital’s academy.’

Considering this, Avik probably knew Jed would be of help to him in the future.

‘That must be why he’s reacting so strongly.’

“The headmaster also has high expectations for the student Jed. For all of this to fall apart because of a single magic tool…”

Avik cast a scornful glance at the other professors before shifting his gaze to me.

“Frankly, the very idea that cheating could occur during the exam is preposterous. It makes it seem as if we’re incapable of detecting such acts ourselves, doesn’t it?”

His tone was curt and accusatory.

Given that I was here as the Magic Tower Lord’s representative, he likely regarded me as just another lowly magician.

That only made me even more intolerable in his eyes. After all, people tend to underestimate subordinates rather than their superiors.

‘But what can you do?’

The trust in the Magic Tower was tied to my future, so I couldn’t just let his remarks slide.

“If you doubt the magic tool, I’ll verify it for you personally.”

I stood up and strode towards Avik.

“Professor Avik, would you please use this pen?”

I handed him the handwriting verification pen.

“Why are you giving this to me? If you’re just trying to cover for yourself, you should—”

“While at the capital’s academy, you suddenly relocated to Regarta in the middle of writing your thesis, didn’t you?”

“…!”

Avik’s eyes widened in shock.

I gave a sly smirk.

After recalling the events of the original story, I immediately checked the academy’s faculty roster.

There, I found Avik’s name and made a mental note to ask Lyas about him.

‘And that’s how I found out.’

While in the capital, Avik had been caught exploiting a student to ghostwrite a thesis for him.

This was a disgraceful scandal for the academy as well, so they chose to quietly handle the matter.

As a result, Avik was sent here, to Regarta.

‘A shameful demotion, essentially.’

However, in the original story, Avik leveraged his role as Jed’s mentor to eventually return to the capital.

‘No wonder why he isn’t thrilled about handwriting verification.’

But that wasn’t any of my business.

I spoke in a casual tone as if I knew nothing.

“I heard you were involved in a controversy about ghostwriting a thesis.”

“G-Ghostwriting?! That was just, just… a-a request for help!”

“Yes, I thought so too.”

I smiled brightly.

“That’s why this pen would be particularly useful for you. It’s unfair, isn’t it?”

“…!”

When I offered the pen again, Avik pressed his lips tightly together. Clearly, he had something to hide.

‘If someone had a ghostwriter once, who’s to say they didn’t do it twice?’

The moment he touched the pen, his thesis would reveal numerous passages glowing in red.

‘That’s why he’s glaring at me like he wants to kill me, but still can’t bring himself to grab the pen.’

With a lighthearted smile, I retracted the pen.

“That’s too bad. I hope you’ll try it out later.”

I straightened up and looked around.

The professors, and even the assistants lurking at the back, were all staring at me in astonishment.

“It seems that there are no objections.”

I spoke with a smile.

“In that case, could you bring them in now? Becky Ivern and Jed Ivern, please.”

Having once been part of a culture that valued getting things done quickly, I needed this resolved immediately to feel satisfied.