Matian stared at Rukna’s retreating figure, then looked down intently at the palm of his hand that had touched Rukna.

Even though they hadn’t collided hard, his palm felt hot as if it was tingling.

‘Was it always like this when touching a man?’

Why did the warm, soft touch of that palm leave such a striking impression?

If he said that warmth spread to his heart, making him feel momentarily at peace, he must truly be going mad.

Matian stared fixedly at his palm before clenching it into a fist.

These feelings must all be due to Rukna having holy power.

Just like how he himself used to find peace in the holy sword in the past.

Perhaps that’s why Matian suddenly thought Rukna seemed like a living holy sword, but he quickly shook his head.

It was nonsense.

Of course, since Rukna’s own latent divine power was said to be exceptional, he was similar to a holy sword in the sense of feeling holy power.

“Why are you staring at your palm like that, Matian?”

Bolton’s gruff voice called out to him as he was lost in thought.

“Do you know what happened in this holy studies evaluation? That fool…”

“I know.”

“Oh, right. How clever of you.”

Bolton grumbled as he looked around, then spotted Chad lying on the hallway windowsill with his face hidden behind a textbook.

Bolton grinned as he snatched away Chad’s textbook.

“Ugh, sunlight… Someone took my book.”

Chad rubbed his eyes as he got up. Bolton glanced at Chad’s drowsy face while flipping through the textbook.

He couldn’t understand the girls who praised that haggard, exhausted face as decadent.

“Yawn, like looking at it now will improve your score.”

Chad yawned widely as he looked at Bolton.

“Yeah, I won’t take advice from second place.”

Chad’s shoulders twitched at the words “second place.”

His stiffly set lips stretched into a long line before he muttered nonchalantly that he didn’t care about rankings.

“By the way Chad, where did you go during the holy studies evaluation?”

“The classroom next door. I also substituted the exam with a test like Matian.”

“Why? Matian has his condition, but you’re not an exception.”

“I’m right after our esteemed student council president in rank. It’s a matter of fairness. The professor suggested it.”

He followed up by bragging that he finished the problems with time to spare, so he left the classroom to nap on the windowsill.

Watching this, Bolton thought Chad was like a sly fox, quietly taking care of his own interests while outwardly acting lazy.

Making excuses that falling behind Matian was due to laziness seemed unmanly.

“What are you looking at? Cursing me in your mind, Bolton?”

“Huh? What? No?”

“Stop denying it. Anyway, I heard Rukna was amazing?”

Chad slowly got down from the windowsill, rotating his stiff neck from side to side.

“Maybe I should have signed up for the same level applied magic class as Rukna instead of advanced magic. That would have been really fun.”

“Why? Do you want to roast that fool during class?”

There was a somewhat sharp edge to Bolton’s tone as he said this.

In fact, that Chad had a record of tricking students with magic under the guise of accidents.

Chad laughed weakly, finding something amusing.

“Come on, as if. I don’t beat people up with a smile like Matian.”

“Right, you’d burn your opponent with a sleepy expression. If you’re in charge of managing students of concern, do it properly for that fool. Don’t think about playing tricks.”

Anyway, all these guys with good grades have terrible personalities.

Why did a guy like that get put in charge of managing students of concern?

Bolton shook his head with a disgusted expression and strode past Chad.

Then he spotted Zvai’s group bustling about, snorting angrily.

“Didn’t you hear me? Find that bastard Rukna Golden right now!”

Zvai was searching for Rukna with a face as red as a sweet potato.

“Wow, our fool has become a celebrity. Everyone’s looking for the fool everywhere.”

Bolton clicked his tongue and recalled Rukna’s face.

A small, white thing like a hamster that seemed utterly useless.

A guy with a pretty face becomes this popular when his grades improve too.

Two hours later, in a secluded open space behind Golden College.

“Master, Bisby feels hurt.”

Having finished the remaining two subject exams, Rukna opened the hidden black bag while listening to the holy sword’s nagging.

Inside was an injured griffin.

Normally, evaluation monsters were supposed to be disposed of.

But the moment she saw the griffin’s teary eyes, Rukna couldn’t bring herself to abandon it.

Rukna disinfected the griffin’s injured leg and carefully wrapped it in bandages.

Even in this situation, the holy sword continued its nagging.

“You had two more exams left, yet you went out alone leaving me in the room!”

‘It’s called self-directed learning. This master also needs to survive on her own.’

“So only the master survived while all the master’s grades died?”

‘Yes, I’m really sorry for being a zero-point master, sorry.’

Rukna brushed off the holy sword’s nagging and looked down at the griffin lying quietly on her lap.

The monster, as large as a hunting dog, was docilely accepting her touch.

Its round eyes resembling an eagle’s twinkled particularly kindly, as if it had been tamed along with being purified by holy power.

“I’ll call you Zero-point Master from now on.”

‘Sure. That’s what I wanted.’

Having succeeded in getting the lowest score in two subjects, her average score should have dropped quite a bit.

So her overall school ranking should not stand out.

“Zero-point Master, what’s the reason for breaking school rules to treat the griffin? Are you still deliberately looking for wrong answers?”

‘In the world I used to live in, there was a story about fixing a swallow’s broken leg and getting a gourd seed. That came to mind.’

Who knows? Maybe if she planted the seed the griffin brought, a gourd full of treasures would grow.

Rukna treated the griffin’s injured leg with a beaming face.

“Yes, you’re talking about Heungbu and Nolbu, right?”

‘Wow, you know that too?’

“It’s one of the pieces of information I updated during the very brief time I went to your world, Master Nolbu.”

‘I see. But why am I Nolbu? I’m Heungbu.’

Rukna corrected the error while petting the injured griffin.

“Even after reviewing, Nolbu is correct, Master.”

‘How come?’

“Heungbu fixed the leg of a swallow that fell from a tree and got hurt, while Nolbu broke a swallow’s leg and then fixed it.”

‘…You’re right.’

As the holy sword said, it was Rukna herself who had injured the griffin. From the griffin’s perspective, it was no different from giving the disease and then the medicine.

Damn it. Rukna stroked the griffin’s head with drooping eyebrows.

“Mongsil, don’t bring your sister any strange gourd seeds, okay?”

The griffin seemed to like the name Mongsil, given for its fluffy fur, as it rubbed its head against Rukna’s leg where it had been resting and made a purring sound.

So cute! Rukna let out a squeal.

Then, the holy sword’s voice, grumpier than usual, was heard.

“Nolbu Master’s naming skills are truly unsophisticated and naive.”

‘Just say it’s unsophisticated. Don’t pick a fight by stretching out your words.’

That ill-tempered holy sword. She couldn’t understand why it was so upset over a name that wasn’t even its own.

Right, Mongsil? You like your name, don’t you?

Rukna cooed while scratching under the griffin’s neck with her finger.

“The great holy sword Bisby has just learned a proverb.”

‘…?’

“A rolling stone gathers no moss.”

‘Are you jealous now, Bisby?’

“Of course not. God’s mercy and the great holy sword know no such petty emotions. Strangers are currently approaching. 9 seconds remaining.”

With those final words, the holy sword went silent.

‘9 seconds? How am I supposed to react when you tell me now!’

Rukna, who had been leaning her upper body against the outer wall of the building, quickly peeked around the corner to survey the surroundings.

As the holy sword had said, dark figures were approaching this way, murmuring amongst themselves. She was on the verge of being discovered.

‘This damn holy sword, you deliberately told me late because you’re sulking!’

Rukna released the treated griffin into the sky.

But the griffin hesitated to leave Rukna’s side, circling around unable to depart easily.

“You must go quickly, Mongsil!”

When Rukna urged it, the griffin reluctantly flapped its eagle wings.

Soon, a whirlwind arose around them, and the griffin soared high, riding the wind.

Although the griffin was a monster, thanks to being purified by holy power, it could easily pass through the magic barrier surrounding the military academy.

After circling a few times above Rukna’s head, the griffin soon disappeared high into the sky.

‘4, 3, 2, 1…’

0. Rukna counted down in her mind and then turned around.

Zvai, who had been glaring at Rukna during the holy studies class, had arrived behind her, leading his gang.

“How cowardly, hiding here, Rukna Golden.”

As Zvai signaled to his gang, they threw what they had been dragging in front of Rukna.

It was Hans and the potatoes, who had been thoroughly beaten by them.