Crystalline screens, glowing brightly, filled the view.

Each screen displayed Zestiria's own bounty.

Zestiria stared at her pictures, mouth slightly agape, unable to speak for a long moment.

"Teacher… these past few days…"

She looked up at Lan Qi beside her, swallowed hard, and finally grasped the gravity of the situation.

"I was helping Vice Professor Xiduo manage classroom discipline. I thought they had reformed, but I guess they're just going through a rebellious phase," Lan Qi said with a shake of his head and a sigh.

The Protos Royal Magic Academy's system was far inferior to the Purgatory Corridor Academy. To solve the students' naughtiness at its root, one had to start with the students themselves.

"…?"

Zestiria felt like the end was near.

*How* did you manage to torment the upperclassmen so much that they put a combined bounty of over 130,000 credits on you?

She couldn't understand it!

However…

"Let's go, Zestiria. There's a decent classroom I saw on the way here."

Lan Qi's expression showed no panic whatsoever. He even seemed energized, almost eager to jump into action.

His vitality and relaxed aura reawakened the crashed Zestiria.

The coach was about to warm up and enter the field, giving her a sliver of a sense of security.

But it also left Zestiria completely bewildered.

She couldn't put her finger on it, whether it was his mental state or his aura, but she felt like Loqi had undergone some strange change since earlier…

…

The northern side of the Protos Royal Magic Academy.

A tranquil street was lined with residences, the entirety of one area given over to a detached house. The gardens were decorated with lush vegetation and a fountain pool, and white moonstone pillars and towering lacquered wooden archways exuded grandeur.

Second and third-year students wouldn't be penalized with credit deductions for skipping the monthly evaluation day, and they could still earn credits if they chose to participate.

However, for many upperclassmen, the credits from the monthly evaluation day were no longer necessary.

The highest-ranking upperclassmen preferred to use their privileges to watch the evaluation live in the background and interfere.

*That* was their game.

The credit rewards from casually betting on the champion far exceeded those earned by other students participating themselves.

This residence belonged to Gloria, the tenth-ranked third-year student. The interior was lavishly decorated with dark brown wood-paneled walls, and intricate ceiling and wall lamps cast a soft glow. A grand piano stood quietly in one corner, next to floor-to-ceiling windows opening onto the garden, now covered by curtains.

At this moment, Gloria stood quietly beside a sofa, like a servant.

As a direct soldier of the Overlord faction, she would only adopt such a sincerely submissive posture for one person.

Xide sat on the sofa, wearing a white shirt and black skirt. She rested her chin on one hand, casually watching the large screen on the wall, appearing capable and stern.

"Lord Xide, should I bet the credit points on Zestiria, whom the Saint Child is helping?" Gloria asked respectfully, her expression unchanged.

In the academy, even when Gloria was alone with the Overlord religion, she would refer to her by her alias, Xide.

"You can bet if you want," Xigrid said.

The identity Sigrid played in school was that of a poor student who barely passed and often got points deducted for absenteeism, unlike Gloria, who had the authority and credit points to bet on lower-year students.

"You're not sure he can win the championship?" Gloria asked hesitantly, daring to voice her thoughts.

She harbored doubts and resentment towards this Saint Child from beginning to end.

"I can only say that if I could bet credits, I would bet all my credits on him, but it's up to you how you use your credits," Xigrid said calmly.

Gloria fell silent upon hearing this.

The Overlord religion leader's meaning was clear: she wasn't guaranteeing a win or analyzing the odds; she simply had faith in her Saint Child.

Gloria was certain that if the previous Overlord Saintess were here, she would have chosen to bet all her credit points on the Saintess, even without Xigrid's suggestion.

And if someone like the Silent Extinction Saint Child became a follower, the outcome of this evaluation would be even more obvious.

The more Gloria thought about it, the more indignant she became. Besides catering to the current imperial situation, what qualifications did that green tea have to be the closest person to the Overlord religion?

"I told him to bring me some surprises. I wonder if he listened," Xigrid said to Gloria as if talking to herself.

Although it was just a casual remark back then, she liked people who listened to her and pleased her.

These days at school had been very boring, and she had finally waited for the monthly evaluation day to see the Saint Child. The waiting time before the evaluation officially started was too long, making Xide feel slightly tired.

"Hopefully, the Saint Child will perform well in the evaluation," Gloria said, watching Xigrid. She didn't plan to bet credits on the Saint Child.

Bringing the Overlord religion a performance worthy of being called "interesting" was probably more than just winning the championship.

Gloria didn't think the Saint Child, who was adapting to the Protos Royal Magic Academy's tricky monthly evaluation mode for the first time, had much hope of accomplishing that.

"For example, look."

Something seemed to have changed on the screen. Xide raised her finger with satisfaction, signaling Gloria to look over.

Gloria tilted her head in confusion and looked at the screen.

She saw that a bounty order and the name of the top person were displayed in every corner of the evaluation area.

The numbers at the top were constantly jumping, showing no signs of stopping.

"?"

Gloria tilted her head in confusion, staring at the screen in front of her, her mouth widening.

In the blink of an eye, the number had exceeded ten thousand.

She had hardly ever seen anyone with a bounty of this magnitude.

Whenever she thought the number should stop, it would jump even faster!

By the time the number stopped, she almost couldn't hold back when she saw that the total bounty was over 130,000.

Since the academy was founded, even the most heaven-defying students had rarely managed to accumulate six figures in credits upon graduation!

And without exception, those who reached the 100,000-credit threshold had become great figures in the history of the Protos Empire and even the Northern Continent.

For all the students participating in the monthly evaluation at this moment, an opportunity to create a legend in one step was right before their eyes.

Gloria couldn't imagine how crazy this evaluation would be!

The nature of it had changed!

"Lord Xide, the Saint Child, he…"

As a direct soldier, Gloria stood aside, her eyes wide, wanting to say something but hesitant.

She had come to realize the talent of this Overlord Saint Child.

At least in terms of mockery, he had an incomprehensible talent!

"Very interesting. This kind of worth is worthy of being my Saint Child."

Xide leaned back in her chair, her expression seeming even more satisfied with her Saint Child.

"Aren't you worried something will happen to him?" Gloria asked.

The Saint Child might have gone too far this time!

There's still one chapter to write, estimated to be finished around 11 PM. I haven't been able to sleep these days, and I can't tell if I'm dreaming or awake.

(End of Chapter)