Chapter 22: Who Fights in Bed?

Two days of exams had ended, leaving some joyful and others dismayed.

The most frustrated were those relying on family influence to pass. They thought bribing Cecilia would secure their spot, but she was unmoved by their gold.

The chief examiner couldn’t be bought. Of the other two, one was the stubborn city lord, Angus, who rejected all bribes outright; the other, Dorothy, was nowhere to be found outside the exams, impossible to approach.

With two days done, half the results were set. Those who lost both rounds knew, even without seeing scores, they had no chance.

What many didn’t know was that the arena fights weren’t just for points—they also let examiners gauge candidates.

The exams carried real risks, especially the second round’s unpredictability. No examiner wanted candidates harmed.

Angus felt the same.

He was an examiner simply because he was Solus City’s lord.

His influence paled compared to the two from the capital, but he had the most responsibilities, especially with the Princess’s assassination attempt keeping him swamped.

If Cecilia hadn’t insisted on continuing the exam, things would’ve been messier. Angus was grateful she prioritized the bigger picture.

He had a read on most candidates, but one baffled him.

Rita, the girl caught in a whirlwind of trouble from the start.

A suspect in the assassination attempt, yet favored by the Princess, winning two rounds in bizarre ways.

She offered no bribes and had no backing.

Truly odd.

What worried Angus most wasn’t Rita herself, but the ominous feeling she brought, like a storm brewing.

If the exam could end smoothly, that’d be ideal.

But things rarely went as hoped.

“Ron! Ron Granger!”

The referee’s voice echoed over the arena, drowning out the crowd’s whispers.

“What’s this? Rita’s opponent is absent again?”

“This isn’t right! Twice now? There’s definitely something fishy!”

“Such disrespect to the examiners! How are they tolerating this?”

The most confused was Rita, standing alone in the arena.

Last night’s events with Cecilia were forgotten after a night’s sleep. Now, her mind raced with how to handle this hurdle.

Cecilia had said serving her would make Rita a Holy Knight.

But Rita didn’t know her score or if Cecilia had pulled strings.

Given Cecilia’s rejection of bribes, Rita hesitated to bet everything on her.

And now? She’d planned strategies, but her opponent didn’t show.

What’s going on?

She knew why her first opponent was absent, but today?

Was Cecilia really behind it?

As Rita pondered, the referee’s resigned voice rang out.

“Opponent absent. Rita wins this round.”

Rita stiffly saluted the examiners, then trudged out, ignoring the crowd’s murmurs and even Valphis, who approached her.

Something’s off.

A nagging unease, or rather, a bad premonition, lingered in her heart.

By midday break, that premonition came true.

“What? Ron was attacked by a succubus?!”

Rita blurted out, hearing Valphis’s words.

“Yeah, yeah! Sister, why would I lie?” Valphis toyed with her green hair. “I’m an intel master! I don’t spread baseless rumors.”

Rita didn’t respond, frowning, clutching her chest plate and pondering.

Last night, she’d escorted Cecilia back and went to her room, falling asleep thinking of her. She even dreamed of paying a fortune for a concert where the singer forgot lyrics and went off-key. No chance to act.

Could it be, like with Cecilia, she lost her memory again?

“Maybe… Cecilia, I mean, Her Highness, said whoever brings a succubus’s tail passes automatically. So Ron went hunting one…”

“No way.” Valphis wagged a finger. “Who hunts a succubus in their bedroom, half-naked? If a succubus got taken down in bed, it’d be mocked forever—legendary, even. Hey, why’re you turning away? Still listening?”

“I’m listening.” Rita forced a smile. “Go on.”

“That’s it. He was attacked, so he didn’t show. A succubus entering Solus City and attacking someone isn’t something you can hide. Found this morning, spread by noon.” Valphis shrugged.

Hearing this, Rita was sure the attack wasn’t her doing.

She woke in the city lord’s mansion. She couldn’t have slipped out unnoticed. She wouldn’t attack a man, either. Most importantly, she wasn’t some clueless idiot who’d get caught.

But was it really unrelated?

Rita noticed a wide space around her now, and the looks from others carried a strange edge.

A succubus attacking a human was rare, but with Rita’s last two days, no one would call it a coincidence.

“You’re in trouble, sister.” Valphis grinned, glancing around.

“It wasn’t me!” Rita protested, though her slip might’ve hinted at something. Valphis likely wouldn’t guess she wasn’t human.

“I know it wasn’t you.” Valphis shrugged. “People just suspect. You know how serious colluding with demons is—even a Princess can’t withstand that. No one’s slapping that label on you. Relax.”

Rita knew that.

Cheating in the exam only sparked gossip. No one judged her too harshly for backdoor attempts—plenty did it.

But that was human business.

Involving demons changed everything.

Unfortunately, Rita just happened to be a demon.