The academic festival was a grand event where people from various empires gathered, but entry was strictly restricted to related personnel, making the process of verifying identities arduous.

I had to wait in the carriage for quite a while before I could finally enter the venue where the academic festival was held.

As Askan descended from the carriage first to escort me, I naturally took his hand and stepped out of the carriage.

I could feel the commotion in my surroundings due to my arrival.

“Oh my, who is that?”

“That’s, you know. Lady Noxia’s twin sister.”

“Ah, the halfpenny who couldn’t inherit the ability. What brings her here?”

“Don’t know. Perhaps she’s here to support her sister?”

“Ha, isn’t it just because the Viscount Brellof felt sorry for her and gave her a position?”

Among the snippets of conversation I could hear, not a single one held any good words about me.

Given the fame of the Brellof family, there was no one who didn’t know that I had not inherited the ability. But now that I had appeared at the academic festival, all sorts of assumptions and suspicions seemed to be flying around.

Suddenly, I felt a chilling aura, and when I turned to look, I saw Askan glaring around with a hardened expression.

Worried that his mood might sour and he might lose control, I whispered in a quiet voice.

“There’s no need to pay attention to what others are saying. I’m not bothered.”

It wasn’t bluster, it was genuine.

After all, those words were just thoughtlessly spewed. If I let them hurt me, I’d be the one at a loss.

Askan looked at me with darkened eyes and responded.

“I…am bothered.”

“No, don’t be bothered. That’s an order.”

I said in a compelling tone and grabbed Askan’s hand, moving to a different location.

Staying there would only sour Askan’s mood further, and nothing seemed likely to change.

Thankfully, Askan’s mood seemed to improve a little as we distanced ourselves from the murmurs of the crowd. He looked intently at the hand I was holding and spoke in a soft voice.

“This…is cheating.”

“Cheating?”

“You’ve diverted my attention elsewhere.”

Was it his way of saying he had forgotten the unpleasant event because I held his hand?

I wasn’t sure of the exact meaning, but if it made Askan stop paying attention to what others were saying, it was a good thing.

“Don’t respond to every comment or feel bad. My value is not determined by others. I determine it.”

At my words, Askan glanced at me for a moment and then gave a faint smile.

Of course. I had earned my place at the academic festival with pride. It didn’t matter what others said or looked down upon me.

I held my head high and squared my shoulders.

Even if everyone around was an enemy, it didn’t matter. Rather, I looked down upon them with a faint smile of contempt.

“You truly are a lady.”

It sounded like a compliment, but strangely it seemed to hint at a villainess.

As I glanced at Askan, his face was as expressionless as usual.

I was about to ask what he meant, but decided against it. It was better not to be upset by useless words from others.

As all the participants gathered, the academic festival began.

The first order of business was to measure the magic within the body.

Almost all those with abilities participated in the academic festival, so it was no exaggeration to say that all the data gathered so far had been measured.

Bip

As Noxia passed through the machinemade passage, ten stars appeared on the top where everyone could see.

People waiting for their turn murmured as they saw this.

“The highest score in magic measurement is ten stars, right?”

“Truly impressive.”

While this was not the only criterion for assessing potential, Noxia had always been ranked first in potential at the academic festival.

After a short wait, I also saw Leayana being measured for her magic.

With five stars floating above Leayana’s head, it seemed that her magic was at an ordinary level, just as I had seen in the novel .

Everyone participating in the academic festival had to have their magic measured, so I had no choice but to join the line and wait my turn.

As my turn was coming up and I was about to step forward,

“Pfft.”

A clearly derisive laugh came from somewhere.

When I turned my head, I saw Leayana covering her mouth, laughing as if she couldn’t hold it in.

“I don’t know how Lady Tanashia managed to participate in the academic festival, but isn’t the magic measurement a futile effort?”

She said loudly, as if everyone should hear it.

As if on cue from Leyana’s provocation, a low buzz and scattered laughter could be heard around the room.

Feeling that something was amiss due to the reactions of those around her, Noxia spoke with a hardset expression as she looked around.

“My sister isn’t participating because of her powers, it’s only natural. It’s not the first time that geniuses who excel in other fields participate in an academic festival, why are you all reacting like this?”