Chapter 153

I returned to the dormitory immediately after the exam ended. I looked at the answers that were given to me after the end of the exam and graded it myself. Out of the 29 questions, I answered 17 of them. I guessed the remaining 12 by rolling Baron Samedi's dice. I started by grading the answers that I solved. I wondered how many I had gotten right.

“One, two, three...”

I got four questions wrong. Considering how lax I was in studying, I could say that I did fairly well. Next, I graded the questions that I guessed by rolling the dice. Honestly, I didn't have high expectations. I just thought it would be fortunate if I didn’t get them all wrong.

"..."

The result was shocking. I got a whopping 2 out of the 12 questions right! I might have scored better if I had picked the answers in a column. I thought that Baron Samedi's dice might have some sort of special ability, but it was absolutely useless.

I really hated Baron Samedi right now. I hated him like crazy...

I looked at the exam paper I had finished grading. It was raining heavily—so much so that I wouldn’t have been surprised if a flood warning was issued.

"Dan Wedo, come out."

[This isn’t... my fault...!]

“Then whose fault is it?"

[The stupid... Prophet’s....]

The Loa of Rain, Dan Wedo, disappeared after saying those words. I was a little annoyed, but what he said wasn’t wrong. Sacred dynamics was a subject that I had no confidence in, and it was a subject that I had no interest in doing well in either. However, seeing how the results turned out, I couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret. I kept thinking that if only I had studied a little harder, would the outcome have been different? Such thoughts kept popping up in my head.

[It's too late to regret now. Since you didn't study, it's only natural that you did poorly on the exam.]

"Yes, you're right," I reluctantly replied to Legba's naive advice and closed the answer book.

Tomorrow was the sacred material science exam. Just like sacred dynamics, I couldn’t rely on Legba's help for this one either, and it was a subject that I was very weak in. In order to do even a little better, I should have studied harder. Even though I tried to motivate myself, studying didn't go well. It seemed like I had horrible compatibility with sacred material science. I didn’t even know why I had to learn something like this in the first place.

Wasn’t there something like Voodoo material science? Yeah, there was no way, right?

"Ah, this is driving me crazy."

I kept getting distracted. This was something I figured out while studying, but I was the type of person who could focus on things that I liked. Even when I was accepted into Florence Academy, I didn’t practice any blessings or healing. I practiced only Voodoo spells.

The reason was simple. Dealing with Voodoo magic was more fun and easier than dealing with divine power. Similarly, no matter how hard I studied sacred dynamics or sacred material science, I would forget what I had studied the next day.

On the other hand, even if I just skimmed through Romanican Sacred Science or Understanding the Holy Books, the contents would stay in my memory for days. It was probably because these subjects were more interesting and easier for me.

By the way, this was also just me being distracted. Looking at the clock, I realized that thirty minutes had already passed without me doing anything.

"Ah."

Should I just go to sleep?

[If you want to fail tomorrow’s exam as well, it's okay to just sleep.]

"You have a talent for being harsh with your words."

[You're even more harsh with your words. Look at yourself first before judging others,] Legba said calmly.

What he said just now was also somewhat irritating, but he wasn't wrong. I let go of all distractions and focused on studying again.

***

The sacred material science exam that I took the next day was just as difficult as the sacred dynamics one. After the exam, the students in the same exam room gathered together and started talking. It was a conversation about how difficult the exam was and how low their scores might be. I thought I was the only one who found it difficult, but it seemed like that wasn't the case.

Today, something different happened. I still rolled the dice and guessed when I encountered an unfamiliar problem, but Ha-Yeon just continued solving her problems without even glancing at me. She even came with earplugs plugged into her ears today. It seemed like she really didn't want to hear the sound of the dice rolling.

I received the answer book from the proctor and left the auditorium. Outside the door, Ha-Yeon was waiting for me with a confident expression. I instinctively frowned.

"So, how was the exam? Did you do well?" Ha-Yeon said mockingly.

Without any hesitation, I nodded. "I did well."

"Really? How many questions do you think you got wrong? No, how many do you think you got right?"

Ha-Yeon crossed her arms and smirked. It was a blatant provocation that clearly showed her intentions. I had the urge to slap her forehead, which was exposed due to the wind, but I managed to hold myself back. I smiled at her and pretended to be relaxed.

"Perfect score," I said.

"What?"

"I think I got a perfect score. Honestly, it was easy."

It was a lie. Today, I rolled Baron Samedi's dice more times than I did yesterday. That was how difficult this exam was. I desperately hoped to get at least half the questions right, but I couldn't honestly tell Ha-Yeon that.

Ha-Yeon rolled her eyes around as if taken aback by my words. She chuckled as if she were composed.

"Ha, don't say ridiculous things. What was the answer to question 19?"

"I don't remember. It was so easy that I quickly solved it and moved on."

"Wasn't question 19 the most difficult? Did we take the same exam?"

"Maybe it was difficult because you're stupid? How about you look at yourself first before judging others?" I quoted Legba's words from yesterday.

Ha-Yeon's face, which was previously pale, started turning red. She seemed quite angry at my words. I hoped she would get even angrier. I couldn't help but wish that she would end up punching me in the face due to failing to control her anger. Then, I could sue her and get some settlement money.

However, contrary to my wishes, Ha-Yeon didn't hit me. Instead, she smiled as if trying to appear relaxed and said, "Well, the results will tell. Anyway, I'll definitely win."

"As the wise sages of the past once said, the empty vessels make the most noise. It looks like that saying is true...”

"What...! Just how am I empty?"

Ha-Yeon had a fit at the mention of being empty.

"Ain’t it obvious? It’s your brain that’s empty. Anyway, I’m leaving. I don’t have time to waste.”

"Wait a minute, hey...!"

I heard Ha-Yeon shouting something at me from behind, but I ignored her and quickened my pace. I think I successfully dealt with Ha-Yeon’s provocations and even succeeded in reversing them. It was truly a satisfying feeling.

***

I returned to the dormitory and tried grading the exam. I hoped to get half of the answers at least right, but when I actually graded the exam, I realized I only got half of them right.

Baron Samedi's dice were useless again today. Well, to be precise, it was somewhat helpful.

"I got all of them right...."

When I rolled the dice and the number 0 came up, I answered solely based on my intuition, and I always got the question right. On the other hand, when I answered according to the dice, I always got the question wrong. It seemed like Baron Samedi's dice wasn’t just an ordinary dice. It could purely be a coincidence, but it didn’t seem like it.

Even so, I got more questions wrong than right. I couldn't say I did well on the sacred material science exam either. I had completed a grand total of two exams so far, and I failed both. If I failed the two remaining subjects, I would end up becoming Ha-Yeon’s slave.

However, it was too early to give up. If I managed to get a perfect score in the two remaining subjects, Understanding the Holy Books and Romanican Sacred Science, there was a chance of victory.

The problem was that I needed to get a perfect score.

[It looks like I can help you tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. Do you need help?] Legba asked.

Understanding the Holy Books and Romanican Sacred Science were subjects that I was already good at. With Legba's help, I could easily get a perfect score. Even if it wasn’t a perfect score, I could easily achieve first place in these subjects. It was certainly an attractive offer, but I shook my head.

"It's alright."

[From what I can tell, the upcoming exam is quite important to you. Wouldn’t it be better to ensure you get a good grade?]

Unlike ordinary exams that would determine the grade for a term, this exam would determine the grade for a semester. With a simple calculation, the weight of this exam was obviously twice that of a usual exam. Moreover, since I also had the bet with Ha-Yeon at stake, this exam could be considered very important to me in many ways.

"You don't have to help me."

But that was all the more reason why I had to reject Legba’s help. If possible, I wanted to beat Ha-Yeon with my own strength. It might seem like I was being unnecessarily stubborn, but this was how confident I was in Understanding the Holy Books and Romanican Sacred Science.

[Hmm. Well, if that's your opinion... Then I suppose it can’t be helped.]

"Are you upset?"

[Whether I'm upset or not is irrelevant. Helping those in need is a good deed, but interfering with those who don't need help is meddling.]

"You know that, and yet..."

Legba didn’t help people who didn’t need help, but he didn’t necessarily help people who needed help, either. Back when I was trying to identify the Satanist, Legba had hidden the truth as a way of testing me. After thinking about it again, I couldn’t help but feel angry about what happened back then.

[Back then, you needed help, and I provided it. Sometimes, even indifference can be helpful.]

"You sure know how to talk nonsense."

[It's not nonsense. It's the truth. You'll realize one day that I was right.]

"Don't talk to me. You're distracting me from studying."

[As you wish.]

If I started arguing with Legba, I might end up arguing all night. I stopped arguing and resumed my studies. Perhaps it was a subject that I was relatively good at, but I could concentrate easily. To ensure that I was in optimal condition, I studied only until the evening and then went straight to bed as soon as it got dark.

I fell asleep after tossing and turning a few times, and I woke up early in the morning. Since I woke up early, I decided to read the Romanican Holy Book one more time.

While changing my clothes and getting ready to go out, purple cigarette smoke flowed out and covered the mirror. When I turned my head, Baron Samedi was behind me.

"Please put out your cigarette. This is a non-smoking dormitory.”

[Who cares? It's not my dormitory.]

"Ha..."

I let out a hollow laugh and continued, "Why have you been coming here so often lately?"

[I’m just bored. I’m also curious about what you've been up to.]

"Please just come occasionally. You come so frequently that I don’t feel particularly happy to see you.”

Without responding to my words, Baron Samedi continued to silently smoke with a sly smile on his face. The smoke was thick and heavy, and the smell was extremely strong. The wind blew in through the window, and the smoke spread throughout the room. Not only would the smoke spread throughout the room, but the smell would also permeate my clothes.

If this continued, it could end up causing unnecessary misunderstandings with In-Ah, like what happened last time.

At that moment, I suddenly remembered something that Baron Samedi had said before.

~

[Those who are not close to death cannot smell the scent of the cigar that I smoke.]

~

If that was the case, how exactly did In-Ah manage to smell the scent of Baron Samedi's cigar on my body back then? Suddenly, an eerie sense of uneasiness strong enough to make my head spin rushed over me.

"Baron Samedi, let me ask you something. Last time, I think my friend could smell the scent of your cigarette.”

[Oh really? I don't know who it is, but that's unfortunate.]

"...What do you mean?"

Baron Samedi ignored my question and continued to smoke while chuckling. His red gaze was the only thing that I could clearly see through the thick smoke that had spread throughout the room. I waved my hands to disperse the smoke. The more I waved my hand, the thicker, heavier, and stickier the smoke became as it completely enveloped the room.

[It means that the time has come for that friend to leave.]

His voice was calm and dry. Within the smoke that filled the room and Baron Samedi’s gaze that pierced through the smoke, I felt a sense of dread.

***

Ha-Yeon arrived early, so she went to the exam room to study before everyone else. Today was the day for the Understanding the Holy Books exam. Understanding the Holy Books required good memorization skills and considerable analytical thinking, as indicated by the word

understanding

in the subject's name.

Due to the mistake she made on the sacred dynamics exam that she took on the first day, Ha-Yeon didn't know how her score would turn out. In order to have confidence in victory, Ha-Yeon had to do better than Sun-Woo in either Understanding the Holy Books or Romanican Sacred Science. These were her weakest subjects, so she needed to study harder for them.

It was then that a voice came from behind her. The tone was mocking and condescending.

“It’s always those who can’t study that cram right before the exam.”

Ha-Yeon turned around with a grimace on her face. Sun-Woo was looking down at Ha-Yeon with a smirk on his lips.

“The content that you review right before the exam is what sticks in your memory the most—”

Sun-Woo interrupted Ha-Yeon. "Yeah, you're right."

He then plugged in earplugs in both his ears, sat at his desk, and took out the Holy Book to start studying. It was ironic of him to say that those who can't study cram before the exam, and yet he himself was cramming.

He was truly a hypocrite. She understood that he had the tendency to bully the people he liked, but doing it like that only had the opposite effect. She only let it slide because she was a benevolent person...

Ha-Yeon was so caught up in such thoughts that she was unable to properly read the Holy Book. Meanwhile, students continued entering the auditorium, and soon, the proctor’s announcement began.

—The following cases are those that the proctor determines as misconduct. Looking at another student's test paper, not following the proctor's instructions, continuing to write after the bell rings...

The proctor distributed the exam papers.

Ring.

The bell rang, and the exam started. Ha-Yeon's eyes widened as she looked at the first page of the exam.

"..."

There were certain words that the teacher for the Understanding the Holy Books subject would habitually say at the start of every class. They would state things such as, “This time around, it will not be possible to solve the exam through memorization alone,” and “The difficulty of the exam will be considerably harder than in previous years.”

The students assumed he was just saying such things to scare the students as usual. However, after looking at the exam, she realized that those words had not been empty words. The time allocated to them was 60 minutes, but there were 30 questions. Moreover, each question was difficult enough to be considered a killer question. Even she wasn’t sure if she could solve all the questions within the given time frame.

It was at that moment...

“I would like to submit and leave.”

One student stood up from his seat while holding his answer sheet. No one was surprised. It was because the person who stood up was Dae-Man.

"Did you shade all the answers in a column again?"

"As soon as I saw the first question, I had a strong feeling that this is beyond my abilities!"

"Alright..."

The proctor seemed tired of lecturing him, so he sighed deeply and quickly ushered Dae-Man out of the auditorium. The other students in the same exam room didn't pay any attention to Dae-Man either. After spending three days of exams with Dae-Man, they had become accustomed to it.

Ha-Yeon also steadfastly solved the problems. The questions and the given options were unnecessarily long and verbose, so even solving one question was difficult. With concentration, it was somewhat manageable but still challenging. There were questions that asked to select the option that was true, and yet all the options seemed wrong, and there were questions that asked to select the option that was false, and yet all the options seemed correct.

This exam would most likely have the highest curve. It was so challenging that she believed that it would be difficult to make an exam that was any harder than this.

Sun-Woo wouldn’t be able to receive a perfect score on this exam. The difficulty level of this exam was on a different dimension compared to the one in the diagnostic assessment. When not even half of the allocated time had passed, something unexpected occurred.

"I would like to submit and leave."

A student submitted their answer sheet to the proctor. This time, it wasn’t Dae-Man. It was Sun-Woo.

The proctor tilted his head in confusion.

"Did you solve all the questions?"

𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Ha-Yeon was also puzzled at first. Although Sun-Woo might not excel in other subjects, he was quite knowledgeable in Understanding the Holy Books. That was why he was able to achieve first place in the diagnostic assessment. However, Sun-Woo had given up on this exam.

Why did he do such a thing? Honestly speaking, without Understanding the Holy Books, Sun-Woo didn’t have much left. With this, Ha-Yeon became confident of her victory, but somehow she couldn't relax. This exam was certainly difficult, but it wasn’t difficult enough that Sun-Woo would give up. Ha-Yeon couldn't concentrate on her problems and instead looked at Sun-Woo.

In response to the proctor’s questioning, Sun-Woo furrowed his eyebrows and questioned the proctor instead. “Wouldn’t I be submitting because I’ve solved all the questions?”

“...”

Ha-Yeon and the proctor’s expression stiffened at Sun-Woo's sarcastic remark. Their expressions stiffened for different reasons.