Page 352 of The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

Malik, with a smile tugging at his lips, leaned in to share some additional details with Yuria.

"But first... we’ll have to wrap up the Ranking Match." "...!" "This time, even the students from the Healing Department will be participating."

Malik's fist brushed past Yuria’s cheek, her swift dodge causing him to smile wryly. He had made the right choice, after all, not to become a swordsman.

Not that he was without talent.

Swish...

...

Whoosh!!!

Being surrounded by so many budding talents made him keenly aware of the multitude of formidable monsters in the world.

He looked forward to it. The events that would unfold in this Ranking Match.

A sharpened blade from a prestigious family, Mikhail chosen by the Holy Sword, and the rebellious healer—all of these promised plenty of spectacle in the upcoming match.

"Not bad."

Dodging Yuria’s punch, Malik nodded in approval, thinking he might need to tighten security this time to keep any heretics from disrupting the match.

Come to think of it, there was that guy.

-Are you sure? During break? -Yes. He’ll be acknowledged for his contributions and come to the capital. -Is he meeting the Emperor? -Will he? -No thanks. I’m not interested in seeing an old man—maybe if it were a young lady. -That sounds like grounds for treason. -Kidding, of course.

Might as well put him in charge of security during the Ranking Match. With him around, Malik could actually relax for once.

Malik chuckled at the thought of writing a letter once he returned to his office.

"For now, let’s finish this."

"Yes?"

Malik's fist shot into Yuria’s abdomen. Judging people differently in a spar based on gender would be disrespectful, so he hit her with a reasonable amount of force.

With a dull thud, Yuria lost her footing, and Malik turned away with a faint smile—only to immediately refocus as a fist brushed past his hair.

"Impressive."

A laugh escaped him.

"Seems I’ve got a solid punching bag now."

Yuria, wincing but still standing, managed a slight smile.

"I... hit you once." "...Hah." "Don’t forget the scholarship... and meal vouchers..."

Clutching the spot where Malik had struck, Yuria finally collapsed to the floor, marking the end of their sparring.

Malik clicked his tongue, muttering to himself.

"Guess I can’t just sit back."

Although he was currently focused on his business endeavors, he couldn’t let his disciple surpass him.

With a satisfied smile, Malik muttered softly.

"Looks like I’ll have to join the special training, too."

Later, on the first day of the special training, Malik would deeply regret that decision.

The day of the Ranking Match dawned.

Tension was evident on the faces of the students, especially those from the Healing Department.

Originally, their skills had been ranked through tests focused on healing, but the Senior Director had decided they would participate in the Ranking Match this time.

It wouldn’t determine their ranking entirely, as the department was still in its infancy; the traditional grading system would remain, with a 30% weight assigned to the match results.

Of course, as a dropout, this had nothing to do with me.

Standing at the edge of the grand circular arena, I fiddled with Caliburn at my waist, letting out a small sigh.

"It's been a while."

When I had come to the Academy to set up a convenience store, I’d stayed ◆ Nоvеl?g?t ◆ (Only on Nоvеl?g?t) indoors, so I hadn’t seen this place... Now, revisiting it brought back memories.

Memories of my fight with Mikhail.

You coward...! You threw sand in my eyes! The world of victory is a harsh one.

This place held memories of toppling those Academy students who were like saplings—nostalgia, mixed with the thrill of those encounters.

As I soaked in the memories, I heard footsteps behind me. The steps were both refined and graceful, instantly revealing the person’s identity without me needing to turn.

Only one person I knew could convey such wealth through mere footsteps.

"Boss." "...How’d you know without looking?" "There are ways." "...Fascinating."

Malik, who had approached to lean on the railing, smiled slightly and asked about recent events.

He asked how things had been since the Holy Sword contest. Whether the new business was going well. If I had any promising business ideas.

As we caught up, Malik eventually inquired about the young lady.

"By the way, where is Lady Olivia?" "She couldn’t come to the Academy, so she’s currently with her family at the Duke’s estate." "Hmm..." "At this hour, she’s probably playing ‘airplane’ with the Head of House." "Airplane...?"

I looked up at the clear sky, smiling faintly. The concept of an airplane didn’t exist in this world.

"He uses Fly magic to soar through the air." "..." "She loves it, so he often does it for her." "The Desmont head does that?" "Is there a problem?"

Malik let out a dry laugh, shaking his head and muttering that it was nothing.

We will now commence the final decision battle for the first semester!

Hearing the announcer’s voice, I turned to Malik with a puzzled expression. This Ranking Match seemed to be running differently from the one I remembered.

In the past, the match was divided between first- and second-year students and third- and fourth-year students, but this time all years were participating together, making it quite different from the usual format.

"It seems this Ranking Match is being handled differently, holding it right before break... including the Healing Department and mixing all years—it’s quite a change." "This time, it’s more a competition than a ranking." "Hmm... the students might protest, though." "That’s not my problem." "Fair enough."

"And... people do go crazy for money."

Before Malik could continue, the announcer’s voice rang out louder.

For this Ranking Match, the top three students will receive full tuition scholarships while attending the Academy and a chance to choose one of the Academy’s treasured relics! In addition!!! A personal scholarship from the Senior Director!

I couldn’t help but chuckle.

"Boss, is this your doing?" "I did put some pressure on the student council." "Ahaha!"

He certainly was resourceful, knowing how to take a gamble and set big prizes.

I playfully mentioned to Malik that even I felt tempted to enter with such rewards.

Malik shook his head, chuckling dryly.

"Don’t. The kids would all drop out."

The first match is between First-Year Healing Department student ‘San’ and Third-Year Swordsmanship Department student ‘Bella.’

Leaning against the railing, I asked Malik if he’d be interested in adding one essential element to an event like this.

"Boss." "What is it?" "Would you care for a little wager?"

Malik turned to me, intrigued, with a smile.

"Sounds interesting." "How about 100 gold for guessing the top winner?" "100 gold, huh... Hmm..."

Shaking his head, Malik suggested that 100 gold seemed too low and proposed raising the stakes.

"Money doesn’t mean much to either of us, so how about this?" "Without money, I’m practically a corpse." "The loser has to introduce a valuable contact to the winner." "A contact?"

"Yes. Expanding a business requires a solid network. No unreasonable demands, just an introduction."

"Though I don’t exactly have many connections."

"Surely that’s not true."

Malik chuckled, dismissing my modesty. According to him, no one else he knew had connections as unusual as mine.

"Apostles, heretics, even the Desmont family—don’t tell me you lack contacts? Besides... there’s you, most importantly."

"I’m flattered, but that kind of praise is embarrassing." "Endure it. It’s well-deserved." "You’re surprisingly good at making people uncomfortable with your words, Boss." "Thank you."

I laughed, setting some boundaries on the wager since I liked to keep things clear.

"My lady is off-limits." "I have no interest in pursuing Lady Olivia." "I won’t set you up with her, either. I’m too possessive for that." "...I’m married to my dream." "You eunuch." "Shut up." "Pfft!"

After our lighthearted exchange, I agreed to the wager, finding the prospect fun.

"Alright. Let’s do it." "Good." "So, who’s your pick? I’ll give you the first choice."

Malik gazed down at the duel grounds, his expression thoughtful. He glanced at Mikhail, Hanna, and Yuria, weighing his decision before finally picking the rising star.

"I’ll go with Mikhail." "That’s a bit harsh." "I can’t help it." "Sigh... in that case, I’ll go with..."

I looked down at the duel arena and called out my choice.

"I’ll go with □□□." "Planning to lose, are you?"

I offered Malik a cryptic smile.

"Perhaps." "..." "I don’t bet on a losing game."