When Luca called out ’Father’ to the man by the bleachers, the instructors immediately realized that the Duke, who hadn’t gone out into the public, had come in person.
Instructor Falco just wanted a peaceful exam and didn’t expect to encounter such a scene.
He already had to deal with the questionable looks he had been getting from the people in the stands, but now he also had to deal with the sudden arrival of such a big shot.
Of course, the people would eventually know, and the principal would likely come out to hound his ass.
So, the poor instructor decided to rush the license issuance before anyone exclaimed recognition.
This worked well for as long as he continued rapping the initial instructions.
Around 1,500 students from different levels took the combat pilot exam this year, and only 573 passed this month’s exam. Surprisingly, 29 were freshmen students who had only been in school for a month.
The school ran monthly tests, but that was usually just a reinstatement exam for those who needed discipline.
However, for those who were just applying as new members, the only test that mattered would be the first one, as guilds rarely accepted members in the middle of the school year.
Of course, this didn’t apply to the pharmacists, especially the mechanics. But for the pilots, this exam was everything.
For Instructor Falco, this exam will probably be discussed in the years to come. He had 29 students pass, and six of them placed in the top 10.
And the Top 1?
His student. A freshman.
If anything, he needed to prepare an answer for these other instructors, who had been eyeing him like he fed the students steroids.
But he didn’t.
He was innocent.
And see? In exchange for these raging bulls, he’s likely the only Instructor who has to deal with school drama and an Orc Princess.
The overworked instructor felt like he needed a break.
A year-long one would do.
But to get there, he must successfully diffuse this crowd by sending them off with reminders to watch out for further instructions, as well as to start looking at the recruiting guilds.
Some regular audience members wondered why the closing remarks were so fast. Usually, they explain the rewards given to the top students, but this time, they skipped that.
However, they also couldn’t ignore the fact that the test took far longer than usual. Even the students who lost three matches kept fighting as if they could still pass.
It was just a matter of principle.
And this unusual style would continue to affect the succeeding monthly exams.
The dispersal of students and the audience was a welcome reprieve for the people of the duchy, who seriously considered bolting the Duke to the ground in case the flight risk decided to nab his son while the closing remarks were being given.
It wasn’t impossible. He had already done it before, and even the Duchess couldn’t understand how the Duke had devised such a plan.
So, to pacify the Duke’s agitation, Butler Gary immediately invited their Young Lord and his friends, who seemed incredibly attached to him, back to the Battleship.
They needed a bit of privacy, scratch that, a lot of privacy, for what would be discussed would likely affect more than just the duchy.
Now, when the Duke’s soul returned to land, he realized how they hadn’t prepared anything back at the Battleship and ordered everyone to race back and come up with something!
See?! They really needed a new one!
But Luca didn’t judge the innocent Battleship to be anything less than magnificent.
*CRASH!*
It happened fast, and since Luca was too deep into his thoughts, he didn’t get to dodge fast enough and could only wait for the burn that was about to come.
Only, it never did.
Luca saw it happen and was so surprised to see someone getting injured for him!
The small animal was suddenly scared out of his wits. Was it like before when someone who showed him care would suddenly die of something—?
"Son, are you alright?" The Duke interrupted Luca’s destructive thoughts as he smooshed his cheeks and asked about his well-being.
But the anxious son, who only saw an embarrassed Duke who was grinning at him, couldn’t respond and was stuck with a lump in his throat and trembling eyes.
Duke Leander noticed his son’s expression and was suddenly alarmed!
"!!!"
"Did it hit you anywhere?! I swear even this cloak must be replaced!" The Duke was going crazy, even accusing the specialized garment of failing to protect his son!
"Fa—father, are you hurt? Did you get a burn?" Luca asked, his voice dripping with anxiousness as he remembered his past experiences.
"Oh, me? HAHAHA! My son, if your Papa could be hurt with this much, then maybe I should resign!" The Duke pounded on his chest as he seriously thought about that possibility.
Meanwhile, Luca swore up and down that he would definitely treat the Duke’s health problems.
Luca wasn’t thrown out.
And no one got hurt, or worse—died.
Even D-29, who was preparing comebacks that the Host could use, had to scrap it all because it seemed like they wouldn’t end up homeless.
Phew!
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