The assessment was over.
In the combat tournament, first place scored 120 points, second place 100 points, third place 90 points, and fourth and fifth both received 85 points. The remaining students scored anywhere from 70 down to 30 points, depending on their performance in the duels.
"Kemiya's combat score is 65," Yelu read out the results. Many students looked surprised, though they quickly understood.
After all, Kemiya had defeated Suolin. Even if she could only use that ability once or twice a day, it proved her combat prowess was nothing to scoff at.
"Xilutaiya's combat score is 60," Yelu called out the other girl's mark, leaving quite a few students baffled and indignant.
"On what grounds? Tiya didn't even set foot in the ring! How could she get any points?" someone protested.
"Tiya's secret history marks are already sky-high. If combat points get added on top of that..." Someone felt their own ranking had been unfairly snatched away.
"Miss Tiya devoted extra time and effort to studying gardening techniques and has officially mastered the Dew Prayer Method. Therefore, Teacher converted that accomplishment into a combat score," Yelu answered and explained.
"The Dew Prayer Method? What's that?" someone asked, puzzled.
"I think that's an ability all professional gardeners need to know. It can accelerate plant growth or ripen herbs and the like."
"Doesn't sound particularly useful. And that's worth sixty points? Thirty seems more like it," someone muttered in jealousy.
"Quiet," Yelu said. As Scholar Haide's student and the current teaching assistant, he clarified once more. "From her first exposure to the Dew Prayer Method to mastering it, Miss Xilutaiya took less than ten days. Teacher considered this a remarkable achievement, which is why he granted a sixty-point conversion.
"In addition, because Mick broke through to the second stage of the Breathing Method, and Suolin learned Strength Burst, both of them were awarded an extra ten-point bonus.
"If any of you achieve breakthroughs in your abilities during future studies, Teacher will likewise grant bonus points." Thanks to his explanation, the students finally accepted the outcome.
"Looking at it that way, doesn't Suolin's ninety points put him on par with second place?"
"Who knows who'll take second and third once this whole assessment is over." A buzz of discussion broke out across the grounds.
That afternoon, Teacher Haide proctored the secret history exam and graded the papers on the spot.
"The full score is one hundred points. Among them, Iona scored 98 and Tiya scored 100—scarcely any difference. Next is Baron with 91, Kemiya with 87, Suolin with 85..."
"And finally, Lei scored 43, and Mick scored 36." The two of them were brothers in misfortune when it came to secret history, languishing at the bottom of the list.
"The combined total scores are: first place, Iona with 218 points; second place, Suolin with 185 points; third place, Baron with 176 points; fourth place, Tiya with 160 points; fifth place, Tuosi with 157 points; sixth place, Kemiya with 152 points..."
Once the rankings were posted, the students crowded around to look, chattering animatedly.
"Iona took first place after all. That cloak was probably meant for her from the start, earmarked by the viscount."
"She is his niece, after all, and the daughter of Viscount Karen."
"I didn't expect Suolin to beat Baron. Looks like that ten-point bonus was crucial—otherwise, Baron would have been second."
Baron was naturally seething at this result. Unfortunately, he had injuries to nurse and would not be able to attend classes for some time to come.
"Tiya, you almost made the top three!" Kemiya lunged forward and threw her arms around the girl, but Xilutaiya caught her and set her down.
"Nowhere close—seventeen whole points off." She hardly cared about the ranking.
"Let's celebrate tonight! Oh, come over to my house. My mother said she'd prepare a big feast for us this evening. She told me so right after watching the tournament at noon!"
So Kemiya's parents had come by at noon? Xilutaiya gave it some thought and nodded in agreement.
***
Meanwhile, in a private lounge, Iona listened as Walaini reported the exam results.
Her own first-place finish was beyond question, yet she was surprised to learn that someone had achieved a perfect score in secret history—higher even than hers.
"Tiya? That girl who wears glasses and clutches her textbooks every day?" Iona turned around.
"Yes, Lady Iona, that quiet commoner girl," Walaini said with a hint of resentment. "She just relied on rote memorization to grab a high score while your attention was elsewhere."
"Merely rote memorization?" Iona sounded skeptical. Scholar Haide had only recently begun teaching, and the exam questions were not terribly difficult yet. Missing out on the top score was unexpected, but not unacceptable.
"Rote memorization won't earn anyone high marks for long." Iona had studied at the Royal Academy in White Cliff City, so she knew what profound material lay ahead.
Regardless, the name "Tiya" etched itself into Iona's memory for the first time, sparking her curiosity toward that usually quiet, unassuming figure.
***
That evening, Xilutaiya and Kailun arrived at Kemiya's home.
It was also located in the East City District, though in a much finer neighborhood. The entire house was built of stone bricks coated in white lime, with orange-red ceramic tiles on the roof and wisteria vines creeping delightfully along the side walls.
"Welcome, Tiya, Kailun!" Kemiya's mother appeared gentle and capable, wearing an apron and a cloth kerchief to keep out dust.
After showing her two classmates inside, Kemiya dashed about merrily, bringing them sweet honey water to drink, showing off a basket she had woven not long ago, toys from her childhood, and a newly bought cloth doll.
The three of them chatted away in Kemiya's bedroom until dusk fell, at which point Kemiya's father finally returned home from his job at the merchant association.
"You must be Tiya and Kailun! I've heard Kemiya talk about you non-stop lately, haha!" Kemiya's father had a slight potbelly. He seemed to be a minor supervisor at the merchant association, with no shortage of daily tasks to handle.
Once the guests and family were all gathered, everyone sat around the long dining table to chat, while Kemiya's mother brought out the prepared dishes one by one.
The main course was butter-seared steak specially prepared by Kemiya's mother, sprinkled with pricey spices and flanked by translucent, pale-red gooseberries and a small serving of roasted celery.
A dish like this might cost one silver coin at an outside restaurant. Even buying the raw ingredients would run thirty copper coins per serving. For five people plus all the side dishes, preparing tonight's meal cost around two silver coins in total—a substantial expense even for a well-to-do family like Kemiya's.
At the table, Kemiya's father occasionally brought up Tiya's and Kailun's family backgrounds, though he did not pry too deeply; he seemed far more concerned with how Kemiya was doing in her studies under Scholar Haide.
Kemiya's mother spoke less. According to Kemiya, her mother had grown up in comfortable circumstances and once traveled to Valley City to study and work, only returning to her hometown later to marry her father. Her father had started out as an ordinary rural youth, only making his way up after coming to Burnt Stone City, where he eventually earned the recognition of the merchant association's owner and gained employment there.
"They both love me dearly, but I just feel they get along so plainly—hardly any romance at all," Kemiya shared as she walked Xilutaiya and Kailun out.
"Tiya, do you think they're only staying together because of me?"
"I don't know." The girl shook her head gently. "Even if that were true, you shouldn't feel hurt or guilty over it. That was their choice to make. All you need to do, Kemiya, is grow up healthy and happy. Once you have the strength, you can help them resolve whatever problems arise."
"Is that so..." Kemiya gazed up at the night sky. "I always feel like it's so easy to lean on you, Tiya. Even if you might not be strong in a fight, being around you is so comforting. I can't help sharing the little worries in my heart."
She took a few steps forward, then spun around.
"Thank you for comforting me, Tiya! I'm actually pretty tough, really—I just overthink things sometimes. I'm so happy you and Kailun could come over today. Mother is always worrying that I'm too rowdy at Scholar Haide's and might offend my classmates. I'm actually very smart, but you know how grown-ups are..." She shook her head with a little smile. "Anyway, today was wonderful! Not only did I show off my skills in front of Teacher and the other students, but I had you two by my side.
"See you tomorrow, Kailun, and Tiya!" With that, she waved goodbye at the crossroads and hurried back toward the house, whose open door still spilled warm light into the dark.
*How nice,* Xilutaiya murmured quietly in her heart.
Her past life was beyond reach. If she still had family in this life, where might they be?
The road ahead was long, a journey of searching high and low—the future truly gave one something to look forward to.
Chapter 31