The sound of Momo's whines reached the ears of everyone close by, earning herself judging stares. She just couldn't believe it, the results have been announced and she had ranked lower than Tzuyu. "This has to be some kind of mistake!"
The 2nd placer laughed mockingly at the elf who had ranked 4th in the entrance exam while shooing her off. "Stand behind me, inferior" Tzuyu said jokingly. She was indeed happy being in 2nd place among the hundreds of examinees─ but she couldn't help but feel a bit frustrated for not snatching 1st place.
And that was why she was relieving herself by messing with Momo who was even more frustrated than her. "Calm down, you still ranked higher than most people. You don't have to be so bothered about it"
"I don't want to hear that from you, Ms. 3rd place!" Dahyun was also above Momo.
"Want to hear it from me then?" Chaeyoung, the 5th placer, chimed in while comforting the pointy eared woman.
"Chaeyoung~ you're the only one who understands me!" The elf hugged the shorter girl tightly, wrapping her legs around her waist and was now being carried like a baby.
"You're mad about me ranking higher than you but you're not even going to say anything about Y/n over here?" Tzuyu pointed at the top examinee who easily stole 1st place, the whole exam was basically child's play for her.
"That's only expected of Y/n! After all, she almost broke my arm as if it was a mere stick!" Momo hopped off Chaeyoung and pointed her finger at the taller. "You, on the other hand, are on the same level as me which makes you my rival! And who in the 6 worlds would be happy about losing to their rival?!"
Tzuyu definitely didn't fancy her declaration of rivalry, she had already convinced herself that Momo was weaker than her and to hear the elf saying they were equals made Tzuyu want to throw Momo back to world 2. "Why you little─"
Just before the 2 could start a fist fight that could eventually turn into a bloody mess, Y/n immediately got in between them. "How about we go grab lunch? All 5 of us did pass so let's celebrate!"
Her proposal seemed to have worked after Momo and Tzuyu's stomach rumbled, making the duo look away in embarrassment before nodding in defeat. Although, that didn't stop them from exchanging glares during the time they ate.
"They sure do get along well" Y/n said, genuinely deeming them a good match for each other while Dahyun looked at her as if she was either blind or stupid.
"Your eyesight must be quite bad if you think those two are getting along" Y/n chuckled at her reply before placing her chin on her palm, staring at them with amused eyes.
"Those who fight frequently are often considered to be the ones that are truly close. Arguments aren't always bad, sometimes when different opinions clash they bring two or more individuals closer by knowing their views on certain things" She explained and smiled at the 2 girls who were too busy arguing. "That's why I think they make a great duo. I'm pretty sure this rivalry of theirs won't last long but their friendship definitely will."
"Hm, I suppose you aren't as dumb as I thought you'd be" The pale girl mumbled, impressed with Y/n's words before shifting her attention back to eating.
"Oh, and by the way" Although quite irritated about being disturbed, Dahyun brought her focus to the masked woman once again. "I hope you haven't forgotten our little agreement, since I won you have no other choice but to acknowledge me as Chaeyoung and Momo's friend!"
She froze, she had completely forgotten about that. Momo and Chaeyoung have been praising her all this time but she never believed Y/n would actually exceed her expectations.
This mysterious person was indeed phenomenal, her speed and strength were something not to be taken lightly. Not to mention, she was the great holy knight's niece.
But even with all those facts, Dahyun can't help but feel she was hiding something other than her face─ and that's exactly why she can't trust her. Her suspicions still haven't faded, who knows what secrets she holds and what kind of person she really is behind that mask.
Just because one comes from a pure family, doesn't mean they'll turn out pure as well.
However...
Dahyun sighed. "Do as you wish... A deal is a deal and I don't usually go back on my word so feel free to address yourself as their friend" Y/n couldn't be more pleased with her answer.
"But please do keep in mind that I still have my guard up around you so don't even think of doing anything weird"
The masked girl chuckled and patted her head. "Yes, yes. Feel free to keep your suspicions of me"
Her hand was immediately swatted away by the flustered Dahyun. "I'm not your friend so don't get all touchy, damn it!"
"You're not?"
"Of course I'm not!"
-
Jieun was in distress...
She had just received a report about how her niece apparently destroyed one of the examination rooms by accident when she casted a spell during the second exam.
"Lady Lee, please calm down" Mina, who had finished hiding all of Jieun's weapons in a random closet for Y/n and Tzuyu's safety, returned to the angry woman's side. "I'm sure the captain didn't mean to cause any trouble"
"I know that, Mina! It says it was an accident right here!" She handed Mina the piece of paper to which the fairy quickly read.
"Then why are you so upset?"
"Because I have to pay for the room she destroyed!" Jieun got on her feet and stood in front of the window. "Those cranky old geezers and their cranky headmaster take forever to end a damn meeting, every time I meet them by coincidence they invite me for some tea and only talk about business for several hours. I know what you're saying is important but geez, I got stuff to do! Leave me alone!"
"So that's what you're worried about?"
"I hate conversing with people who only talk about work and you know that..."
"We're home!" Two voices said at the same time from downstairs as Jieun unconsciously reached her hand out for her sword but realized it was nowhere to be found.
"Mina, give me back my weapons. I promise I won't hurt them"
"I trust you but I also don't trust you so please don't expect me to even return a dagger until your head cools off, Lady Lee..." The fairy walked out the room and welcomed the cousins home, taking their swords and other belongings.
"So, how did it go?"
"It went pretty well, a bit disappointing but it was nice" Y/n was the first to reply as Tzuyu followed her to the living room and sat comfortably on the couch.
"We both passed, Y/n ranked 1st and I ranked 2nd" The tall girl added and heard her aunt walking out of her office before taking a seat in front of them.
"Well, that's nice" Mina was slightly surprised to see how fast their boss had calmed down─ which was something that rarely happens. "I'm pretty sure you already know this but your first day at the academy starts 2 weeks from now, I had Mina place your uniforms inside your rooms so you better not get it dirty"
The two quickly nodded as Mina came back to the room and served them tea. All of them had a quick yet serious chat about their future plans before Y/n mentioned how they reunited with Momo. The fairy, upon hearing the news, couldn't be more relieved to know that the elf was doing fine and asked them to give her regards once they meet again at the academy.
Bringing up another topic, they continued to share their opinions and thoughts before eventually parting ways─ with two of them going back to sleep while the other half went to work once more.
-
"Y/n... Granbell" A man with an ice cold expression on his face, caught the attention of his sister after he suddenly muttered a name both familiar and unfamiliar to them.
"And who might that be?"
"The top examinee of this year's entrance exam for Honor Academy" Facing his sister, he showed her Y/n Granbell's profile and she immediately examined it. "Lady Lee's niece?" She muttered, checking it again to see if she wasn't hallucinating. "But doesn't she only have one niece? Not to mention that niece is currently missing"
"That's the interesting part" He smirked slightly before handing her another profile that left his sister in shock.
"Chou Tzuyu is back?!" She got up from her chair, holding the two sheets of paper tightly and averted her gaze back to her older brother. "If Tzuyu participated in the exam then that means Lady Lee is already aware of her return" She paused then walked over to the pile of papers that contained information of everyone who was in the exam.
Every year, they ask for copies of them and skim through all of it to see if anyone had the potential to be a legendary knight one day─ Just like how a certain female knight became the strongest existence in the 6 worlds.
"Then what about Mina? She disappeared along with Tzuyu on the exact same day 3 years ago"
"She's still nowhere to be found so don't bother checking that ridiculously large amount of paper" He said as a hopeful glint shone in his eyes. "Tzuyu and Mina went missing a few days after our Y/n died... And Tzuyu came back with a masked girl named Y/n Granbell"
She froze for a moment before sighing deeply, looking at the older with sadness visible on her features. "You still haven't given up on her?..."
"I did, Jennie! But after seeing this, the chances are high! What if this is really our Y/n and is working together with Lady Lee for a reason we don't know of."
"So Y/n L/n who died before our very eyes suddenly got resurrected from the dead and is now walking on this world as if nothing ever happened? Is that the bullshit you're trying to say, Taehyung?" Jennie spat.
"Her body disappeared when we were still at the battlefield! She might have been transported somewhere and got healed!"
"She was squished to death by that gigantic S Class danger beast, you fool! She was literally swimming in her own blood with her neck barely keeping itself attached to her shoulders!!" Jennie had enough of him. Just when she thought he had finally accepted Y/n's death, he suddenly comes barging inside her office with a shit ton of profiles and starts coming up with utterly ridiculous theories.
"No amount of healing magic could have saved her, Taehyung! Give up and accept reality" She grabbed her things before walking out the room, completely enraged and disappointed. "The gods aren't that generous..."
-
Daybreak... It was an early morning for Y/n and the other occupants of Jieun's house. Just like the rest of the events they've experienced so far, this one arrived just as quick.
Two weeks had already passed. It overwhelmed Y/n how time seems to move faster for her these days and when she had told Mina about it, the fairy's reply actually made sense. "Well, you know what they say─ time moves faster when you're having fun"
She was right, Y/n was indeed having fun. The 5th world was a lot more interesting than she had imagined and the people were much more amusing compared to the humans of world 1 who either work too much or do too little.
"You sure are up early" Tzuyu yawned, stretching her limbs before taking the seat next to her aunt in the dining room.
"That's my line," Y/n snorted, deciding to tease her a bit. "You usually sleep till noon, are you that excited for your first day of school, little chewy?"
She immediately dodged the sword thrown at her then casually made her way to sit beside Mina as if her life wasn't in danger a few seconds ago. "It's a good thing you both didn't oversleep since it's proof you actually slept early last night just like I told you to"
"Who would even sleep late knowing tomorrow is their first day at Honor Academy, the teachers there are stricter than you. If we got caught dozing off we'll definitely go deaf from all their yelling" Tzuyu stated, shivering at the thought of possibly meeting a teacher whose anger management issues are worse than her aunt's.
"A wise guy, ey?" Jieun retorted just as Mina served them breakfast. "Oh, and before I forget," She closed her newspaper and gestured Y/n to come closer.
Jieun gently pressed her index and middle finger against Y/n's throat before casting a spell on it. "What was that for?" The younger asked while rubbing the spot her boss held.
"A spell that hides your voice from everyone you had a close relationship with before you died. Meaning, your voice will sound different in their ears whenever you speak to them" She explained in a way that was sure to make all 3 of them understand.
"It's a good thing it was only Nayeon who had heard you speak, though I'm pretty sure she already told Jeongyeon about it─ that girl loves sharing every little encounter she has in her life, but I'm sure it will all work out"
"If you say so" Y/n replied shortly and thanked her. She trusted her boss too much to ever doubt her, so if she says it will be fine then it will be.
"The only exceptions are me, Tzuyu, Mina and everyone you met as Y/n Granbell" She answered just before her real niece could raise her hand and ask, she knew her too well to not know what's going on inside her head. "Now quit wasting time and eat, you got a busy day ahead of you"
-
"Ah! There you are!!" A familiar voice reached their ears and there came Momo dashing to them at full speed, the bright grin on her face not going unnoticed.
The academy's uniform looked amazing on Momo, with her slim figure and good looks you could easily mistaken her for a super model. The same goes for Dahyun and Chaeyoung who followed after her, greeting us with 'good morning' and 'how have you been?'.
Y/n completely forgot to ask where they lived and as a result, they haven't seen each other since the exam so it was no surprise to see the elf clinging to her like a baby. Chaeyoung also seemed to want to tackle her in a bear hug but was too shy to do so.
"There were only a few who passed the exam this year so the academy decided to just put everyone in the same class" Dahyun said as they walked through the hallways. Due to having so many beauties in one group, all eyes fell to them within seconds.
"That means we're classmates!" Chae added, glad about the fact she was stuck with the people she knew.
The amount of years a trainee attends the academy solely depends on their performance. If one is already capable enough, graduating within a year isn't impossible─ And if a trainee exceeds the expectations the higher-ups have for them, becoming an elite knight immediately after graduating is also possible.
"I'll be taking the main character seat" At the very back of the class near the window was where Y/n sat, next to her was Dahyun and seated in front of them were Tzuyu and Chaeyoung. Together they formed a square.
Momo on the other hand, was sitting at the front row alone. There were no more chairs available at the back so she was forced to sit somewhere else by Tzuyu who shooed her away while saying, "In a world full of greedy people, slowpokes always get the short end of the stick"
The elf sulked the whole morning... She wanted to squeeze Tzuyu's cheeks as punishment during lunch but because of the surprisingly good food the cafeteria served, she couldn't. She was left with no other choice but to wait till their real training starts─
And now here they are, pinching each other's faces as hard as they could like little kids. "You bastard! Let go of me, that hurts!!" Tzuyu's cheeks were already redder than a tomato while Momo's reminded Y/n of Jieun's red lipstick.
While the two continued arguing, their other friends watched them with pure interest, waiting for who would let go first and admit defeat. "Doesn't seem like they'll be stopping soon"
"Indeed" Dahyun agreed with Chae's statement and nudged Y/n's side, gesturing her to stop them. Although she was enjoying the show, she was worried they'd eventually get into a fist fight if no one stops them soon.
"Eh? You want me to do it?"
"They only listen to you, don't they?"
She was right, but Y/n really didn't wanna get involved and potentially have to smack the both of them in order to end their petty competition.
And luck was on her side at the moment when their instructor arrived. They were currently at the academy's training grounds and everyone's hearts were pounding in sheer thrill.
"Listen up, runts! I'm the one in charge of your class for the time being, so I better not see any of you messing around" A tall and buff man stood at the small stage in front of them. "I don't like wasting time so I'll get straight to the point! I don't want slackers in my class so if you even try to skip just so you can relax, I'll have you expelled immediately. Today we'll focus on improving your physical abilities so prepare yourselves for the worst"
"Yes, sir!!"
-
"Uwaaah~ I'm gonna die..." Momo said while crawling to where the others were. They were told to run 50 laps around the gigantic campus and everyone was practically about to faint from exhaustion.
It was only their first day yet it was already this brutal─ so brutal that even Y/n was panting heavily. "Ahh... I haven't been this tired from running in a while!" The masked woman fell on her bottom next to the dying Tzuyu, who was laid face first on the ground while complaining about how her legs feel like they're gonna fall off.
"Running is already enough of a nuisance, don't let me suffer any more than thi─"
"HEEEY, CHEWYYY~!!" An energetic voice caught their attention as the mentioned girl let out a sob. She spoke too soon...
The almighty knight that leads one of the greatest knight orders in history, was seen running to her favorite brat before mercilessly jumping on top of her as if she was a sack of potatoes.
"GET OFF ME, YOU DONKEY─"
"Chewy~!! I missed you so much!!" And here came another almighty knight, crouching down to the younger girl's level and peppered her face with kisses, leaving kiss marks all over it.
"AAAAAHH!" Tzuyu screamed in terror. The devastated Chou was close to bawling her eyes out as she let out another sob, trying to get out of Jeongyeon's tight hold and then punch Nayeon's nose for making a mess of her face.
Everyone in their class had sucked in a shocked breath and went wild. Their fatigue had vanished into thin air after seeing 2 of the most popular and loved knights standing right in front of them.
Even Dahyun was about to faint from excitement along with the instructor. "Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! We're actually breathing the same air as Lady Yoo and Lady Im!!" Chaeyoung was completely ignoring the fact that Tzuyu was being assaulted and kept squealing as if 2 goddesses had came to bless everyone's eyes.
Upon hearing the ruckus, other trainees also rushed to scene and gasped so loudly to the point they choked. The teachers weren't an exception either, they were screaming at the same volume as Tzuyu─ The only difference was how they felt, one was in agony while the other was in absolute bliss.
"Isn't that the elite knight we met before?" Due to her limited knowledge about popular knights, Momo was the only one within Y/n's friend group that wasn't about to bust a lung with all their yelling.
Y/n nodded and mentioned how the elite knight next to her was also quite powerful. "Is that so?" Momo was beginning to get curious.
As Y/n started to get her hands full with the elf, she suddenly felt like someone was staring very intensely at her and when she looked around, she immediately met eyes with Nayeon who instantly got up. "Is that you, Y/n?!"
The masked girl was slightly taken aback, wondering how in the world Nayeon managed to recognize her─ But immediately waved at the bunny after seeing the hopeful expression on her face that she was always so proud of.
"It is youuu!!" Nayeon didn't hesitate to pull her in for a bone crushing hug that she quickly returned.
"Yo, Nayeon! How have you been?"
"Great now that I finally got to see you again!! We only came here to see Tzuyu but it seems as if fate was desperate for us to reunite! After all, we are destined soulmates~!"
"... Eh? Sou- Soulmates?..." She was just as shock as the rest of them before multiple glares were pinned to her. The pressure was unbearable...
"Lucky bastard..." Dahyun voiced out what everyone was thinking, biting her thumb in envy. Y/n almost shrank at the intensity of their stares until Jeongyeon pulled Nayeon away from her to get a better look.
"Hmmm, so you're Y/n?" She grinned and swung her arm over the trainee's shoulders. "Thanks for helping this clumsy granny find her bunny the other day! Who knows what would've happen if we let that thing loose, we really owe ya one!"
For a moment, Y/n zipped her mouth shut to avoid getting her voice heard─ But remembered Jieun already fixed that problem by casting that spell on her this morning. "A- Ah, no need to thank me! It was nice taking care of such an adorable creature"
"There's an even cuter creature than Pluffy" Nayeon confidently pointed at herself before clinging on to Y/n's arm that caused the burning glares on her to grow even hotter that it could probably set her on fire if Nayeon doesn't let go now. "Would you mind taking care of that adorable creature as well?"
Y/n's breath hitched at the bunny's bold remark as Jeongyeon got in between them just before Tzuyu could tackle Nayeon to the ground out of Jealousy. "All right, granny. Stop that before you make her uncomfortable with your annoying flirting"
"As if I'd ever make anyone uncomfortable with my glorious presence" Tzuyu and Jeongyeon immediately waited for her to say she was joking.
"Uh-huh, sure... Anyways!" Jeong placed her attention back to the trainee. "I heard you're the top ranker of this year's entrance exam! I expect great things from you so work hard, 'kay? I have a feeling we'll be working together at some point, if you don't wanna slow us down then do your best!"
"Hmph! As if you guys could actually keep up with her..." Tzuyu mumbled but Momo's sensitive ears heard it perfectly clear.
The elf looked at her with eyes full of perplexity, curious as to what she meant by that. She always wondered why Tzuyu and Mina think so highly of Y/n, she was indeed strong but they make it seem like she was some kind of undefeated hero. She also noticed how Y/n seems to be getting more and more stronger every time they meet, it's like there's no limit to her power.
Her head was full of questions─ but out of all of them, there was one she really wanted answered.
Who is the person behind that mask?...
-
"The gods aren't that generous..."
Dandi was offended.