Volume 3 Chapter 9 It Seems Recent Schools Don't Post Rankings Anymore
After a week filled with tests and building a new bathroom—and after Randy had already forgotten about the suspicious person──school life had returned to normal. Around this time of year, as the halfway point of the second semester approached, the school began buzzing with excitement about the upcoming cultural festival.
Before the festival, the final exams loomed, but most students were far too focused on the festivities, which were only two months away.
At Randy's school, traditional classes didn't exist like they did in regular schools. Instead, different clubs──similar to teams──used classrooms and school grounds to organize a variety of activities. The setup resembled a university festival in modern Japan.
During this period, the social ranks seemed to reverse. Commoners and lower nobles shone brightly, while sometimes higher nobles mistakenly hosted elaborate salons that only attracted the upper class. Events meant for a select few students rarely garnered much attention and typically ended up being sparsely attended.
Commoners set up vibrant stalls.
Lower nobles ran elegant tea shops.
Each club showcased displays and performances.
These attractions were always popular, along with the dance performances in the hall. The main highlight was the dance party during the after-festival celebration.
This dance party, which also doubled as a semester-end event, was well known as a time when commoners and nobles without fiancés openly confessed their love.
Those preparing for the festival were busy making arrangements, while students with crushes found ways to get closer to their special someone. The entire school felt a bit giddy during this season.
Even now, students walking down the main street excitedly chatted about the festival.
In the midst of this lively atmosphere, Randy and his friends were also on their way to school...
"Is that a telescope?"
"Yeah. If we're going sailing, I think we should have one."
They were looking for tips on making a camera lens from a telescope.
"If you ask my brother, I think you could get one right away."
"Sir Cedric, huh..."
Randy crossed his arms and thought about Liz's suggestion. He didn't mind asking Cedric, but he wanted to have Liz's photo ready before showing it to him.
"Is there something wrong with asking my brother?"
Randy shook his head and replied,
"Nope. This project is partly to surprise Sir Cedric, so I'd rather not rely on him right away."
Randy smiled wryly, and Liz nodded happily, saying, "I see."
If he asked Cedric, he would definitely have to explain what he was using it for. If Cedric understood the concept of a photo, he would surely think of Liz's picture.
If that happened, it was clear that Cedric would get involved seriously.
With his vast wealth, skills, and connections even across continents, Cedric might end up making the camera himself. No, he could definitely do that. That's why Randy wanted to keep it a secret from Cedric.
He planned to keep it a secret and, at least when the prototype was ready, show Liz's photo with a big smile and say, "Isn't this great?"
Since this project started as a playful idea from Randy, he really didn't want to rely on Cedric.
"At worst, I could try making glasses or maybe work with some glass."
Randy mumbled to himself, and Liz smiled softly, saying,
"Hehe. In that case, how about starting with the light-sensitive material?"
"Light-sensitive material, huh?"
That was true, but he had no idea about that at all. He only vaguely understood how a camera worked. Light gathered by the lens goes through the shutter and gets burned onto the film. Then, that film gets developed. That's about the extent of his knowledge.
After that, it's all about some amazing chemical reactions.
(If I'm going to make one, I'd prefer something like a Polaroid camera instead of a regular film camera.)
It would be better if everything from taking pictures to developing them could be done with one camera. That means the film or light-sensitive paper would be really important, but Randy had no clue about that. He only knew that the film for Polaroid cameras contained an incredible amount of technology.
(Even though I can make various things with Craft, I don't understand chemical reactions at all.)
Randy, who was deep in thought, looked up as Liz tilted her head and spoke.
"It would be great if the color changed when it received light, right? Isn't there a beast like that?"
"That's it!"
Randy clapped his hands loudly, drawing everyone's attention. Liz smiled and lightly nudged him.
"Sorry, sorry, that was a blind spot."
"Get it together."
With perfect noble smiles, Randy and Liz chatted skillfully, and the surrounding gazes returned to their own worlds.
"A beast, huh? There was a beast."
Randy nodded as if he understood. He had completely forgotten about the useful tool called a beast, thinking of cameras as just technology.
"I wonder if Ellie knows something."
"She said she doesn't know."
"What's that? Is she awake?"
Randy smiled wryly, and Liz returned the same smile. It was rare for Ellie to be awake at this hour, which made them both chuckle.
"Then, maybe the Adventurer's Guild..."
"That's good, but I think there's a 'Beast Research Club' at the academy too."
"Oh, since we're here, we might as well check it out."
"Then let's stop by after class."
Just as they decided on a plan, they noticed the school's main gate and a crowd of people beyond it.
Having attended this academy for a year and a half, Randy couldn't help but sigh, "Oh, right, I remember that."
The crowd of students was gathered because of the results of the recent midterm exams. The rankings and scores for everyone, regardless of grade, were posted prominently in front of the school building.
(If this were another time, it would be totally unacceptable.)
While it was a measure that stirred up competition, it seemed that both current students and parents strongly supported it as an opportunity to show off their abilities at a school attended by nobles and top students.
As a symbol of that competitive spirit, even the other students, who had been cheerful just moments ago, rushed into the crowd to see the exam results.
"It's like a sardine can."
As Randy frowned, he noticed students of all emotions gathered around the posted results.
For Randy, as long as there was no news of a retest, the ranking didn't matter. So far, he hadn't cared about it, but this time he had studied closely with Liz.
Even though he said he wouldn't look back at the past, he couldn't help but feel a little curious.
(Being tall is useful at times like this.)
Thanks to being a head taller than most, he could see the results over the crowd. For a moment, Randy moved his gaze across the paper to find his name.
Of course, he started from the bottom.
"Oh!"
Randy couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, and Liz smiled, asking, "Did you do well?"
"Yeah. My score went up from last time."
Randy looked at the posted ranking and smiled happily. It was a low rank, but for him, it was an improvement.
"By the way, what about you..."
As he said this, Randy searched for Liz's name. At this academy, Liz was his servant, but she was also treated as a student because she was attached to Randy's study abroad program. It wasn't unusual for students of the same age to have a master-servant relationship.
For example, Crown Prince Edgar had Arthur, the son of the Knight Captain, as his servant. Arthur was both Edgar's servant and a student.
So, even as a servant, Liz took the exam as a student, and Randy quickly found her name.
"...You got first place."
Her name proudly sat at the top of the second-year results. That wasn't all. Next to Liz's name was the score of 500, indicating a perfect score.
"It was relatively easy this time."
Liz smiled, but her score was higher than the princes and Catherine. Even the top students, Dario and Catherine, scored 490. By the way, Cecilia also scored over 450, placing her among the top students.
"There's a master who's worse than their servant."
Ellie whispered with a giggle, causing Randy to stumble over his words while Liz tried to hold it together. After all, the two of them were the center of attention right now.
The top student and a servant with the lowest grades.
Feeling so out of place, they decided to step away for a moment. If Cecilia were here, she would probably say something like, "Just be confident!" but unfortunately, she wasn't around.
She had to go back home last weekend for some family reasons.
To escape the group of students still gathering at the entrance, Randy and Liz naturally moved closer to the main gate. Soon, the Central Nobility's carriage would come and scatter the crowd... they just had to wait a little longer.
"By the way, what was the deal with Cecilia calling us?"
"I don't know. It seems like it was something urgent."
"Hmm. I thought it was because of a bad test score."
"That can't be it... Randy──."
Liz suddenly fell silent, and Randy leaned in with a big smile, asking, "Me?" As Liz looked away, Randy got even closer, saying, "Ms. Liz?"
"I'm not an idiot like you."
...Around the time he received a counter punch from Ellie──
"I can finally see it. Luke, is this your first time in the capital?"
"Yes. It is."
Cecilia had returned to the capital in a carriage with a man. She had taken a quick trip down the Rail River and back. The man smiled kindly at Cecilia.
"I can only thank Randy's foolishness for bringing me here with Lady Cecilia."
"Hehe. Were you two friends?"
"Yes, we go way back──."
Luke smiled as if recalling good memories, looking genuinely happy.
In history, Luke had a huge influence on Randy, and in this timeline, he was influenced by Randy.
Luke, who was recognized as Randy's bad friend by Alan and Harrison, would appear before Catherine as Cecilia von Hartfield's bodyguard, no longer resembling the original game at all.
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