The Author's Playground
Chapter 40: Trust Issues (2)

Chapter 40: Trust Issues (2)

Headmaster’s Office

Headmaster Percival tapped her pen against the polished wooden desk, eyes scanning the long list of students before her.

The academy had received a promising influx of talent this year—perhaps even a golden era—if not for the troubling incidents plaguing the school as of late.

She sighed, rubbing her temple.

"I must hurry and find a way to fix the ’Aegis’..."

Her muttered words barely faded before a sharp knock sounded on the door.

"Come in."

The heavy door creaked open.

A figure stepped inside, clad entirely in black, face hidden beneath layers of shadows.

"We received intel about Elijah Shahrazad."

Immediately, Percival straightened her posture sitting in her chair, fingers tightened around the pen.

"Give it."

A document was placed in front of her. She hesitated for only a second before flipping it open.

Then she froze.

The grip on the paper faltered. For a long moment, she simply stared, her eyes locked onto the contents.

Silence filled the room.

Percival slowly closed the document, but a slight tremor in her hands betrayed her thoughts.

"...Is this information verified?" she finally asked, voice quieter than before.

The figure gave a small nod.

"...Understood," she whispered.

"Please uncover more truth about him. I’m giving you permission to do whatever you need to do."

******

Back to Examination Class.

Now, it all dawned on Elijah—he was screwed.

He couldn’t do anything.

So, what would a normal person do?

Give up?

Of course not.

Obviously, the only logical solution was... to cheat.

Cheating was only illegal if you got caught.

Fuck no- of course no... Elijah wouldn’t recommend that philosophy to anyone, he simply wanted to say that to justify his actions.

But survival was survival. If it meant making it through this nightmare of a test, he’d do what needed to be done.

He glanced to his left.

A student with an ID tag labeled "Class C."

’Tsk. Not worth it. There’s a 90% chance his answers are wrong. I’m not gambling on that.’

He shifted his gaze to the right.

"Class D."

That student was scratching his head furiously, its expression is one of the purest suffering.

Yeah, no. Definitely not worth it.

Elijah’s eyes finally settled on the person sitting in front of him.

A girl with short pink hair, calmly answering her test. A holographic display hovered above her head.

[ Circe Phordes || The Hypocrite Nun ]

’Wait... isn’t she an S-Class student?’

Elijah stiffened.

In the original story, Circe was one of the female lead candidates. He had written her as greedy, manipulative, and incredibly resourceful—someone who saw everyone as her plaything. Despite her nun status, she was actually an atheist who loathed religion.

Over time, though, her personality softened, and she took on an overprotective sisterly role toward the MC, Dae-hyun.

But unlike Victoria, Lucian, or Sean... Circe if not the most, is at least one of the troublesome beings to get along with.

Still... she was S-Class. Obviously, she’s knowledgeable enough to remain S class student in the entire story.

This only means, there was at least a 90% chance her answers were correct.

If he failed this test, the whole structure of the story would crumble anyway, so what did he have to lose?

But there was a problem.

Circe was sharp. Too sharp.

If she caught onto his intentions—which she definitely would—she might rat him out just for fun.

So... should he risk it?

Or play it safe?

As Elijah wrestled with the decision, Circe suddenly turned around, her sharp eyes locking onto his.

Elijah froze.

Then, to his horror, she smiled knowingly.

’Did she catch me?!’

His breath hitched, sweat forming at his temples. He couldn’t look away.

But before he could say anything—

Circe shifted slightly, tilting her test paper just enough for him to see.

’What?’

’What the hell is she doing?’

Elijah blinked. Once. Twice. Three times. Yet Circe didn’t move an inch.

That could only mean one thing.

’She’s letting me copy... on purpose?’

’But why?’

Circe wasn’t the type to do things out of kindness. If anything, she was the last person who’d ever help someone for free.

The clock kept ticking.

Elijah stared at the answers laid out before him like a banquet, yet hesitation gripped him.

And then—

"You have ten minutes remaining," the professor announced.

That snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Ah, goddammit—here goes nothing!"

With lightning speed, he began scribbling down the answers.

*****

A low murmur spread through the crowd, swelling into a chaotic hum of gasps, whispers, and someone in the back dramatically fainting.

Students gathered in clusters, some looking anxious, others excited, and a few already mourning their academic careers.

The results were out.

As expected by one of the famous academies, the professors graded the exams in just an hour.

Either they were speed-reading legends, or the school had a very advanced magic technology for checking. Regardless, only one thought consumed Elijah’s mind:

He was about to face judgment.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward, fingers crossed, silently praying to any deity that specialized in last-minute miracles.

"Well... even if I fail, I’ll figure something out... right?"

Doubt immediately gnawed at him.

"Ugh, I can’t trust her... What if she gave me fake answers just to screw me over?"

His eyes darted to the bottom of the rankings first.

Nothing.

"Okay, not here... That’s... concerning."

He checked the middle ranks.

Still nothing.

His stomach did an Olympic-level gymnastics routine.

"What... not here either? Don’t tell me—"

Panic clawed at his throat as he hesitantly glanced toward the higher rankings, prepared for the worst.

And then—

Rank 87: Elijah Noe Shahrazad – 72/100

Elijah blinked. Then blinked again. Then slapped his own face to make sure he was awake.

"Crap! I actually did way better than I expected!" he whispered, disbelief washing over him. "And all I did was copy her front page answers..."

A terrible realization hit him.

"Wait... Don’t tell me she actually gave me the correct ones?"

"But why? For what reason?"

Before he could fully process this, a voice purred behind him.

"You really don’t trust me, huh?"

...

"Don’t worry, I just needed you to do a simple favor. Pretty please?"

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