Chapter 39

The bustling school life of spring passed in the blink of an eye, and the entire school was abuzz with talk of the end-of-term exams. The results of the final exams are out today. This test, combined with the one before the winter break, will determine the class placements for the next year. Of course, everyone is working hard to finish strong. Some are even red-eyed from the effort.

As soon as the exam results are posted, summer break will begin. Students can stay at school, but most will return home. After all, it's a two-month break.

The exams cover eight subjects, with a total of 800 points possible. They say they try to balance the difficulty of the elective subjects, but there will always be some complaints. That's just how it is.

The results were posted by mid-morning. Most of the results were as expected.

1st: Ark Kudan - 800 points

1st: Iris Parara - 800 points

3rd: Eliza Doville - 799 points

4th: Ryle Rain - 797 points

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7th: Kururi Heran - 777 points

Iris is as impressive as ever. Despite focusing so much on the fields, she still managed a perfect score. The prince is also impressive. Eliza seems to have stumbled again. That one point feels so far away. But what I regret the most is how far behind Ryle I fell. This time, there were a lot of distractions, and I couldn't focus on my studies. But the subject that really held me back was medicine! Out of 23 points lost, 15 were in medicine. It's all because he keeps pestering me!

Yet, he managed to score a perfect 100. Unforgivable!! But, it's better to say it out loud. Ultimately, it's the result of my own lack of preparation. I have to accept it.

I've seen the results, so I'll start getting ready to go home. But there are a few things I need to take care of first.

First, I received 30 potted plants from Toto, who had transplanted the face pack plants. I sent them off on a carriage for delivery. Toto is returning to his own territory and won't be coming to the Heran territory. I told him I'd sell them safely and said goodbye for a while. Since then, there's been no harassment from Maury. He says he'll be fine, but we'll see. I hope so.

Eliza, as usual, was frustrated with the test results, but when I talked to her, she didn't seem too angry. The Four Kings' attention on her has become even more intense, but our relationship is good. She's also returning to her home in the capital. I told her to take care of her health and returned the book "The Flower Prince" she lent me. It was a touching story that made me cry.

I don't want to think about Ryle, but I did hear an interesting story. After a brief greeting, he kept trying to hug me, so I gave him a good punch. I hope he learns not to get too close. "Hey, I have an interesting story. Do you want to hear it?" I went along with it because his information network can be useful. "Our prince asked Iris, 'Would you like to come to the capital? I'll let you live a luxurious life for two months.' She turned him down, and it was hilarious." He was laughing so much. What a jerk. Still, I agree it was a bad way to ask. By the way, Ryle and Ark are also returning to the capital. The capital, huh? They say the commercial areas are thriving. I'd like to visit someday.

So, to get back at the prince, I came to Iris. In the original story, Iris was left alone at the school during the break. She has no trouble with food, clothing, or shelter, and there's a library. But two months alone is too lonely. It's too pitiful. So, I decided to offer her a hand.

"Iris."

I found Iris watering vegetables in the field.

"Kururi, look, the vegetables are already sprouting. They're growing fast."

"Really?"

There were green sprouts coming up. I was looking forward to their growth too.

"Iris, what are you planning to do during the summer break?"

"I'll stay at the school. I have to take care of these vegetables, and I can study without distractions. But mostly, I can't go home, so I'll just stay here."

She laughed.

"I thought so. Would you like to come to the Heran territory?"

"No, no, I won't go. The Heran territory is great, but I don't want to be a burden. Besides, my dream is to go to the hot springs there with money I earn myself."

"With your family?"

"Yes."

"Then it's safe to go alone first."

"Is it? But I won't go."

"Then how about this? Come as a part-time worker. You think you'll be a burden, but our territory is actually short on manpower. It would be great to hire someone temporarily."

I could hear Iris swallow. Yeah, she's easy to convince.

"Wouldn't you be happy to earn some money? You could send it to your family or use it yourself. The vegetables and herbs can be taken care of by the herbology teacher. You said you wanted to study, but summer is hot, and it's hard to focus. How about it? Do you want to come to the Heran territory?"

"Maybe a little. But wait! Let me think!"

She held her head and thought for a while, then turned to me.

"I'll stay for two months. I promise I won't be a burden and will work hard. Please take care of me!"

"Don't worry about being a burden. Let's go after saying goodbye to Vain and Cross."

"I'll never forget this. I've said it many times, but I won't forget!"

I smiled and we said goodbye to the field together.

We returned to the dorm and visited Vain's room.

"Vain, we're going back to the Heran territory. Do you want to come?"

"Is that okay? I was actually thinking of going into the mountains. I'll work hard, so let me come."

I only mentioned it casually, but he really wants to come. We do need more workers. He works so hard; he's worth a hundred men.

Hey, wait! No going into the mountains!

"Alright, let's go together. I was thinking of inviting Cross too, but where is his room?"

"I don't know either."

We were surprised. We're always together, but we don't know each other's rooms. I hope he hasn't already left.

"Is Cross a boy? I thought she was a girl," Iris said innocently.

"That's rude. Don't say that in front of her."

"Right, Iris," Vain agreed.

Iris didn't show any sign of regret and muttered, "Is that so?" She can be surprisingly dense.

Just then, Cross came to Vain's room.

"I thought you might be here since you weren't in the teacher's room."

"Good, I was looking for you."

"Me?"

"Yeah. We're going to the Heran territory with Vain and Iris. Do you want to come?"

"I'm sorry. I came to say goodbye to the teacher. I want to go, but I have to return for the summer break." Cross looked disappointed.

It feels off without Cross when Vain is there. I really wanted her to come, but if she can't, there's nothing we can do.

"Alright, see you after the break. Take care of yourself."

"Yes, teacher! Thank you for everything. Take care of yourself too. And you too!!"

Vain pointed at Vain.

"Hmph," was Vain's only response as we said goodbye to Cross. Neither of them is very honest.

We prepared our luggage and loaded it onto the carriage. I and Iris had quite a bit of luggage, but Vain had only a small amount he could carry in one hand. Who is he? Does he have a fourth-dimensional pocket?

So, the three of us—me, Vain, and Iris—set off for the Heran territory. In the small carriage, we enjoyed a leisurely journey. When we came, we were unsure about what school life would be like and were anxious. I remember those feelings.

Many things will happen in the future, but for now, we had a good time. I closed my eyes, remembering everything. The memories were vivid and clear.

It was a fun time. I almost got killed by Eliza. Wait, was it fun?

Outside, the sun was shining brightly. The carriage rattled along, heading for the Heran territory.