7. Wrongdoing

“I can’t believe I’m seeing ‘Sacred Blade’ for the first time—that’s seriously incredible!”

“Are you serious?! But why is a Holy Knight taking the exam?”

“Rogan’s the heir to a prestigious noble family, right? He’s insanely strong, but Reet took him down in a single strike.”

The crowd erupted when they saw Reet overwhelmingly defeat Rogan.

In stark contrast to the commotion around him, Reet let out a breath of relief.

He had confirmed beforehand how powerful Sacred Blade was, but this was his first time actually using it in real combat.

In truth, he hadn’t been confident it would work in practice, so he was relieved the match had gone his way.

Then, in the next moment, he heard the goddess’s voice in his head once more.

[—“Fire Lance” acquired]

[—“Fire Lance Rain” acquired]

[—“Dragon’s Breath” acquired]

[—“Fire Wall” acquired]

Thanks to that finishing blow, he had copied Rogan’s Skills.

Apparently, it really was true that he could acquire Skills by striking his opponent. Since he hadn’t had a single ranged magic Skill before, this was a lucky break. Yes! he thought, pumping his fist inwardly.

With Holy Knight close-range abilities combined with magic, his combat tactics would expand considerably.

When the voice in his head finally stopped, Reet suddenly felt worried about Rogan’s condition and looked over at him.

He had held back, but he still struck the man. However, looking at him now, Reet felt relieved—there didn’t appear to be any serious injury.

Rogan couldn’t move for a while, but after some time he managed to pull himself up on his own.

Then, the moment he stood, Rogan glared directly at Reet.

The next instant, he rushed toward the knight who had been watching the match.

“Hey, referee!! That guy cheated! This match doesn’t count!”

At the sudden outburst, Reet opened his mouth in shock.

“What do you mean?”

The examiner knight, having heard the accusation, asked Rogan for an explanation.

“He falsified his Class! He fooled us into letting our guard down by saying he was Classless. He hid his power. That’s a violation of the code of chivalry!”

Reet was stunned by the absurd logic.

“Falsified his Class?”

The knight asked, maintaining a neutral stance.

Rogan rushed to elaborate.

“He said his Class was nonexistent. But that guy used Holy Knight Skills. He must be a real Holy Knight—he hid it to participate in the match. Wait—hold on. That’s it! I figured it out! If he were a Holy Knight, he wouldn’t need to take the exam in the first place. That means he cheated! Someone secretly helped him—a Holy Knight hiding somewhere must’ve been assisting him!”

Reet’s mouth fell open at the wild leap of logic. The examiner knight, in fact, looked thoroughly confused as well.

But Rogan pressed on.

“It’s one of two things. Either he lied about being ‘Classless,’ or he really is Classless but borrowed someone else’s power! Either way, it’s cheating! Disqualify him! If you don’t, I’m telling my father! My father is the commander of the knight order! I can have your head rolling in a heartbeat!!”

Rogan bore down on the knight with menacing intensity.

At those words, the knight visibly paled. Rogan’s father clearly held a high position in the knight order’s administrative hierarchy, and if this went wrong, the examiner’s own job would be on the line.

This changed everything.

A bead of cold sweat formed on Reet’s forehead.

“Indeed, if he is not a Holy Knight, we must investigate how he can use Holy Knight Skills. Investigation would be necessary.”

The examiner knight turned to Reet and spoke.

But at that moment.

“That will not be necessary!”

A dignified voice rang out across the examination grounds.

The owner of that voice—

Her long golden hair flowed freely, and her blue eyes gazed straight at Reet and the others. A beautiful girl—but it wasn’t merely that her features were refined.

Her status was conveyed without words, simply by the air around her.

“Your Highness Iris!!”

Your Highness Iris.

There was only one person in this entire nation who was called by that name.

Iris Lorence.

The first princess of this nation.

“This person does not possess a Class. However, the Skills of Sacred Blade and Sacred Fortification are his own.”

“Is that so, Your Highness.”

The examiner knight inquired.

“Yes. With my appraisal Skill, it is self-evident.”

At the princess’s testimony, Rogan fell silent.

“I… “

Apparently, he hadn’t expected someone with the rare appraisal Skill to be present at this location.

“What’s more, it was you, Rogan Bentley, who violated the code of chivalry—not him.”

With the princess’s words, the situation was completely reversed.