Chapter 144

While Sivar was enjoying his days at home, each team focused on the Final Exam.

First off, Luna’s team, where she served as the leader. Although Luna was the team captain, the overall planning was handled by Grace.

Luna herself admitted she didn’t really know much about strategies and tactics, but she was always open to good plans.

“We have two options. Should we capture the castle first, or collect weapons piece by piece?”

Grace gathered the team members to share the overall plan.

The revival base and main forces resembled a command center, including a bit of supply.

A huge table was laid out with a map, making it easy to share plans, along with various tools.

“But the most urgent matter is to understand the terrain and check the next target for capture. Supplies are said to be coming, but we have no idea what form they will take.”

“Then we should form reconnaissance teams to assess the surroundings first.”

“Yes. We need to figure out what’s in each area.”

This Final Exam was notably lacking in pre-information compared to the midterms.

During the midterms, the professors shared plenty of info, but this time they mostly gave vague explanations.

They had no concrete ideas about the supply points, how supplies would come, or whether defensive facilities were well-equipped, etc.

Everything needed to be checked personally, making it a headache for those in charge of planning.

Therefore, the emphasis naturally fell more on strategy than tactics. Grace was keenly aware of this.

“Lastly, Sivar is expected to be found tomorrow or the day after. We don’t know where he is, and if we charge in blindly, we could get ambushed.”

Surprisingly, Grace hadn’t gone looking for Sivar right from the start.

Setting personal ambitions aside, she was keeping a cool head about the overall situation.

After exchanging various opinions with the team members, they organized the groups.

They divided the total of 15 members into formats of 4/4/4/3, with the group of 3 being the command team.

The command team consisted of Grace, Luna, and Lee Yeon-joo, while the rest were reconnaissance and combat teams.

‘Fortunately, no one seems to have complaints.’

The teams had no dissatisfaction with the grouping and plans that Grace devised.

And why would they? Grace was a duke’s daughter. Along with her authority, she possessed a natural charisma.

Moreover, Luna naturally ended up in the same group as Grace, so it was hard for anyone to complain.

“Are you really okay with this? If they find Sivar first, that could be a problem.”

While going outside to assess the terrain, Luna asked, her voice tinged with concern.

Grace was unaware, but Sivar was more than just a weapon of mass destruction. He could single-handedly turn the tide of the exam.

Though she had no commanding skills, she was well-versed in matters related to Sivar, which allowed her to voice such opinions.

“Don’t worry about that. Even if they find him first, Sivar won’t immediately agree to a contract with them.”

“On what basis do you say that?”

Grace’s confident reply piqued Luna’s curiosity further. Lee Yeon-joo, her beloved stuffed toy, shared the same intrigue.

In response, Grace hastily sketched the surrounding landscape on a small piece of paper before answering.

“We haven’t arrived yet. Sivar probably knows we’re coming. Therefore, there’s a chance that the opposing team may hold off on their contract. In this exam, Sivar is the absolute kingpin.”

“Oh. I see what you mean. So our team needs to show up before a proper contract is made.”

“Exactly.”

Grace nodded at Lee Yeon-joo’s comment. Luna also seemed to understand the gist of it.

As she said, Sivar held an absolute position in this exam. To put it bluntly, it was a case of “you have to be there to be there.”

Of course, given Sivar’s personality, he wouldn’t issue such commands, so ultimately they’d have to coax him gently.

“So, what’s our proposed contract? That’s really the key point here.”

At Luna’s question, Grace momentarily faltered. Simultaneously, her neck began to redden gradually.

Fortunately, thanks to some forced restraint, her face didn’t turn completely red. However, her pale skin made it slightly noticeable.

Grace then closed her notebook, which she had been roughly documenting the terrain in, and cleared her throat. Her neck was still hot.

“Um… um. I’ll tell you about that later. First, we’ll confirm where Sivar is, and I will personally go and present the contract. However, I can only say that it’ll be a contract he would like.”

“Can’t you give us just a hint? I did help you out before, after all.”

But her curiosity was too much to hold back. Kara already knew what Sivar liked, making the situation even more intense.

Grace seemed uncomfortable with keeping her secret until the end, showing signs of hesitation.

“Uh… I’m sorry, but could I just put it in metaphorical terms? It’s a bit embarrassing for me to say outright…”

“Is it more embarrassing than hugging Sivar?”

“…Hugging him? Sivar?”

At that, Chaos’s mouth opened again. Lee Yeon-joo’s eyes widened rapidly, confusion painted across her face.

However, Luna, oblivious to the strange tension, said calmly with her signature serene expression, “Yes. As both you and Yeon-joo know, Sivar seems to enjoy hugging since he’s lived in the wilderness.”

“Oh… I get that. I’ve heard that hugging is an age-old remedy for loneliness.”

Fortunately, she quickly understood the following explanation. It was no big deal for her.

“And maternal love…”

“Alright. That’s enough. If we keep discussing this, we’ll just waste time, so let’s stop.”

Just as Luna’s mouth was about to start spinning again, Grace hurriedly cut her off.

If they discussed it any further, the misunderstandings they’d just managed to clear up could likely grow larger.

“If you’re so curious, I guess there’s no helping it. But it’s still embarrassing, so I’ll use metaphorical expressions. Is that okay?”

“I’m fine with it.”

“Me too.”

“Alright, then what I mean is…”

Grace started to speak but paused for a moment. Meanwhile, the blush that had barely faded began to rise again.

She tried her best to suppress it, but it seemed futile. Nevertheless, she somehow pushed the words out.

“I’ll offer something sweeter than candy and softer than cake! That’s what I plan to present!”

“Something sweeter than candy and softer than cake? Does such a thing even exist?”

“Is it something that will come from supplies?”

Both Luna and Lee Yeon-joo displayed reactions of confusion over Grace’s metaphorical expression.

Meanwhile, Grace was gently rubbing her heated face, doing her best to calm herself down.

“Hmph… It’s not something coming from supplies. I saw it in a book, actually…”

“What book?”

“…”

Unlike Luna, Lee Yeon-joo closed her mouth. She had a rough idea of what kind of book it might be.

Having lived as her beloved stuffed toy and close friend, she already knew Grace’s tastes quite well.

Wasn’t she the one who had handed her the storybook during that attempted assault incident? So it was likely from a fairy tale as well.

“Sorry, I can’t tell you that part.”

“Um… So it’s definitely food, right?”

“…”

Luna could be sharp at times. What she had carelessly tossed out turned out to be a valid question.

Grace struggled to respond and then quickly replied.

“Uh, it’s not food! But it’s something anyone can give! Not just me, but everyone can!”

“Aha! In that case, I’ll help out too. The more, the merrier!”

Luna genuinely wanted to help, saying that with nothing but goodwill.

But Grace’s reaction was a bit strange. The moment she had just been embarrassed flipped to a serious expression.

With her already charismatic presence, Luna found herself slightly taken aback. Had her curiosity crossed a line?

“Luna.”

“…Yes.”

“This is something I can handle alone. I don’t need your help.”

“…If that’s the case, then.”

What in the world was this contract that made her act so stiff? It seemed she would need to confirm it for herself later.

Just when Luna couldn’t grasp the nature of the contract, Lee Yeon-joo, who had been deep in thought, cautiously asked, “…Grace?”

“Speak up.”

“Don’t tell me it’s something like… what I’m thinking of? Commonly found in fairy tales…”

The book Yeon-joo mentioned was undoubtedly a fairy tale. And there was always a particular scene found in them.

Grace’s face reddened slightly as the memory came to her. However, she feigned indifference to hide it.

“I think it’s worth enough to consider. They probably wouldn’t have thought of this.”

“And if some weird rumors start spreading…”

“It’s okay. As long as we can handle this exam well, anything goes.”

Outwardly, it seemed like she was saying this for the exam. But her true intentions were different.

‘Once the exam ends, rumors will spread, and it’ll influence the freshmen’s banquet. At the banquet, high-level officials will visit, so I can proudly introduce Sivar. That’s when I can say it loud and clear.’

Grace’s ‘strategy’ stretched far beyond the Final Exam.