"Was it really a wise choice not to assign him anyone?" Merlin asked, tilting her head as she watched what was happening inside the ceremonial hall.

Morgana replied, "From what I've seen, giving him guidance would only make this contest dull."

Guinevere frowned. "Here comes another one praising him. Why can't you understand that William isn't invincible? He won because the situation favored him. There are plenty of strong students he hasn't even faced."

A few nodded at her words, but the truth was clear—William already held a psychological advantage after ruthlessly defeating the one everyone believed to be the strongest among the five academies.

If William had been trained by someone like Arthur on top of that, the students' morale would have completely collapsed.

"But there's a downside to this," Galahad muttered. "Now the others might think William is so far above them that he doesn't even need our help."

Her words rang true. Everything had two sides. In trying to keep the contest fair, they chose to leave William without a mentor… but that choice might end up hurting many students.

A heavy silence settled over the conference room before Lancelot let out a snicker. "Why are we worrying about their feelings? They're not fragile dolls. If they think the gap between them and William is too big, let them think that. Let them give up if they want. I don't care if the Great Hall ends up empty this year."

Arthur, who had been quiet until now, nodded. "He's right. Empty seats are better than weak members. Let them think whatever they want."

Nobody argued. If Arthur made a decision, it meant he had already considered every possibility.

With that, all six members—except Arthur, who hadn't taken anyone under his guidance—stood and left to train the students.

.....

"It's kind of unfair, isn't it?" Natalie asked as the five of them sat at the dining table with the Vice-Headmaster and Instructor Russel.

They were inside the cafeteria, which was almost as big as the common hall back at the academy.

Since no academy was given a private room for discussion, everyone had gathered here, taking different corners to talk over the situation.

"It really is! How can they not assign a mentor to a student of Ardentia? I'll write an official complaint to the Council for this biased behavior," David said, full of enthusiasm as he announced his plan to take a "rational" stand against this "prejudice."

Russel let out a tired sigh. "Sir, this isn't prejudice. They simply believe that William doesn't need guidance."

It was… surprising, yet not surprising at the same time.

Someone who had seen William's abilities just two days ago wouldn't be shocked to hear that he dominated the battlefield.

But Russel didn't expect him to follow the rules so strictly, to actually escape the ceremonial hall and secure a spot for the second round.

William Delimore was no mystery to her. She knew his personality far too well, and that's exactly why she found it strange that he took this contest seriously.

Maybe, for the first time, he wanted to do something that would not shame his family.

"But, Instructor," Gizel spoke up, "during this mentorship period, there's a high chance the students will get hints about the second round… William would miss those insights, right?" The green-haired girl muttered, sneaking a glance at William.

By the way, Gizel hadn't spoken a single word to Emma since morning—and even now, three people sat between them. Clearly, she was still upset about what happened last night.

The same could be said for Natalie. After running for her life from two impostors—Lextor and Anna—she had finally felt safe seeing her friend… only for Emma to betray her and earn a point.

So yes, Emma was being glared at by two people she normally got along with. But Emma wasn't bothered. She knew very well they weren't the type to sulk for long, and what she did was something she *had* to do as a student and a warrior.

"Then we can just tell William whatever we learn, right?" Kevin suggested. "It's not like they can bind us with some oath. That'd be ridiculous."

David nodded eagerly. "Exactly! We need to make use of this advantage. We're the only academy with more than two student in the second round! We have to win this at all cost."

There was a brief pause before William finally spoke for the first time since joining them. "If they tell you not to tell me, then don't."

Every pair of eyes snapped toward him.

With his arms crossed and a confident grin tugging at his lips, he added, "If they want to keep the second round a surprise for me, then let them. Maybe that'll make things more interesting."

Russel let out a quiet sigh while David stiffened. "What are you even saying?! This is not the time to play games, Delimore! We have to win this contest—"

"Did I lose the first one?" William cut in, his gaze firm.

David fell silent, eyes opening a little wider.

"I won't lose the second one either," William said, his voice calm but sharp. "So just let me do what I want."

There was no request there—only a command.

David clenched his fist under the table, but before he could say anything, Russel whispered to him, "Don't, sir. There's a team battle coming up, and we'll need William's cooperation. Knowing him, it's better not to trigger something we'll regret later."

David swallowed the words he wanted to throw at William.

Instead, he addressed the others. "Those of you chosen for the second round, pay close attention to everything you're taught. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to learn from the best. Don't waste it."

Then he turned to Gizel and Natalie. "And you two—don't relax just because you didn't make it to the second round. There's still a team battle ahead. I want you to look back and think hard about the mistakes you made during the first test. I don't want to see regret on your faces when the final battle ends… only satisfaction."

Gizel and Natalie nodded firmly. They weren't going to repeat the same mistakes again.

William sighed as he thought what he could do today to pass time.

Emma would be busy so he couldn't spend time with her. There aren't many places inside the compound where he was allowed...

'Wait...I heard there is a room where massive destruction was allowed?' Maybe it was time to put the Drop of Oblivion into a little testing.

°°°°°°°°°°

A/N:- Thanks for reading.

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.