I Was Just Having Fun With The Time Limit – Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Sir Viaton, as always, created sound effects with magic.

Du-gu Du-gu Du-gu Du-gu!

And once again, fireworks exploded and a fanfare sounded.

It was fascinating to see him control magic in such detail.

“100 points!”

“Really?”

I was expecting a perfect score, but it was still a little more joyful to have it confirmed.

Moreover, seeing Sir Viaton rejoicing with me as if it were his own accomplishment made my heart feel as if it was filled with sweet macarons.

Reina hurriedly asked.

“Wait a minute! What’s the perfect score for the 19th Olympiad?”

“It’s 100 points out of 100.”

“You mean 100 points out of 100?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Reina had an incredulous expression.

I didn’t care much about it anyway.

‘Huh?’

But something was strange.

‘What is this? Second place?’

I should clearly be in first place, but it said second place.

“Sir Viaton, am I really in second place?”

“Yes! Your Highness has achieved second place!”

Hmm. I wasn’t mistaken.

Me, in second place.

If there are two perfect scorers, the next criterion is time.

I’m sure I submitted first.

But second place?

It was an unacceptable result.

“I need to file an appeal.”

“An appeal?”

Reina quickly intervened.

“That’s right. For the sake of the Princess’s dignity, you should definitely file an appeal. I’m deeply moved by Princess Isabel’s honesty.”

How can the Princess of Bilotian be in second place in the Olympiad?

There must be something wrong with the results!

Hurry up and file an appeal!

It seemed like she was saying that.

Meanwhile, Sir Viaton’s eyelashes fluttered.

“Your Highness, would you whisper to me what’s wrong?”

Sir Viaton brought his ear close to me.

It seemed like Sir Viaton didn’t want me to file an appeal.

Even if there was a bit of unfairness, he seemed to want me to accept this honor（?）.

“I definitely got a perfect score, and I submitted my answer sheet first.”

“Does that mean perhaps……”

“Yes. I’m not in second place.”

Sir Viaton jumped to his feet.

“If there’s anyone who’s done something unfair, I’ll kill them all……”

He quickly checked my expression.

He’s someone who tries to refrain from using foul language in front of me.

“I’ll boil them alive and make them eat it. A very tasteless and nauseating pig slop.”

✦✦✦✦✦✦

Mirotel Magic Federation.

There was a huge commotion at the ‘First Magic Tower’, the organization in charge of the Olympiad.

“How can we give first place to the Princess of the Swordsmanship Empire? That’s impossible.”

“This time, Marnon, the chief disciple of the Creation Mage Gilgalay, also participated.”

For reference, Marnon also got a perfect score.

However, he was in second place because his submission time was later than Isabel’s.

“If the news that the chief disciple of the Creation Mage was defeated by the Princess of Bilotian gets out……”

The seven professors sitting around the round table shuddered.

It would be a disgrace beyond compare.

Moreover, Isabel was only six years old.

“No. We must stop this at all costs.”

“Let’s think of a good way.”

They, the greatest mathematicians and educators of the time, racked their brains and pondered.

Finally, they found a way.

“This. We can use this. We can take issue with this strange symbol.”

In Isabel’s answer sheet, the symbol 『∴』 was included.

Contextually, it was interpreted as ‘therefore’.

However, it was not an officially used mathematical symbol in the current mathematical system.

“If we find fault with this, we can deduct points.”

“But anyone can see that it means therefore. The Bilotian side probably won’t be convinced.”

The Head Professor of the First Magic Tower smiled.

“That’s right. It would be too harsh to deduct points, so I think it would be good to keep the perfect score as it is. But since it’s also ambiguous to just let it slide, how about giving a penalty to the time?”

“……Oh!”

Although a mistake was made, the perfect score is acknowledged. Instead of deducting points, a penalty is given to the time, resulting in second place instead of first place.

“Wouldn’t the Bilotian side be convinced with this result?”

“Certainly.”

“What a brilliant idea, worthy of the Head Professor!”

“If we just gloss over it like this, they won’t make a big deal out of it.”

Anyway, the Imperial Family of the Swordsmanship Empire doesn’t place much significance on ‘mathematical talent and results’.

All they pursue is ‘swordsmanship’.

“Well, it’s certainly an honorable and surprising event for the Bilotian bloodline to take second place in the 19th Olympiad.”

“In any case, it’s certainly a surprising event. We never knew such a genius would appear.”

“If she had been born in the Mirotel Magic Federation, she would surely have become a great mage. It’s a pity.”

Those from the Bilotian Imperial Family had clear limitations.

There was no one to guide Isabel as a mage, and she had no seniors in the magic community.

Moreover, for the past hundreds of years, the ‘Bilotian bloodline’ had been subtly competing with mages.

Therefore, it was clear that Isabel would not be able to achieve great things as a mage.

And a few days passed.

“Princess Isabel’s side has filed an appeal!”

“They filed an appeal? We gave her second place?”

The seven professors gathered again.

“Oh, they’re too greedy.”

“I agree.”

“We gave her second place, and she’s not satisfied with that? It’s an incomprehensible situation.”

“Who raised the issue? Is it perhaps Empress Serna?”

Within the Bilotian Imperial Family, the only person who could recognize the problem and file an appeal was the Empress.

“That’s highly likely. The Emperor wouldn’t be interested in the Olympiad at all.”

“Then, Professor Sevira, go and talk to the Empress. She must have something else she wants.”

They judged that it wasn’t really dissatisfaction with ‘Isabel’s second place’ but rather political opinions that were involved.

“Tell her we can accommodate most requests. It’s important for us to give first place to Marnon.”

But an unexpected situation occurred.

It wasn’t Serna who filed the appeal directly.

It was Isabel herself.

And Isabel came directly to the First Magic Tower.

“I submitted my answer sheet first.”

“Princess Isabel, that is……”

Isabel walked to the blackboard.

She picked up an infinite chalk made with magic engineering.

It was a chalk that could be used non-permanently.

“These are the problems I solved.”

They were logically connected problems.

In other words, because they were problems with a ‘story’, Isabel remembered the content accurately.

Mathematicians cannot lie in front of numbers.

So she reproduced the problems accurately.

Everyone’s mouths dropped open.

‘Is, is that the logic of a six-year-old?’

‘Her way of explaining is so clear.’

It was surprising that she remembered the problems, and the solutions themselves were accurate.

But what was even more shocking was the way she conveyed the solutions.

‘Ho, how can she convey the content so systematically!’

Isabel didn’t know it herself, but this was the power of the K-CSAT (College Scholastic Ability Test).

South Korea was a battlefield of private education.

Naturally, it was also a battlefield for instructors who conducted private education.

Only those who survived that battlefield could become top instructors, and the delivery skills of Korean top instructors were unmatched.

And Isabel was a CSAT generation who had been exposed to countless online lectures by such instructors.

It was a very ordinary everyday life for Isabel.

‘Her understanding of the essence of the problem is far beyond our expectations.’

You need to know 100 to convey 10.

They, who had never experienced private education in South Korea, and the professors who had never competed through lectures because they monopolized magic in this world, experienced a whole new world.

“……So, this is how I arrived at the answer. And my time was the fastest.”

“……”

“……”

Silence fell.

Viaton, who was accompanying Isabel, watched with his arms crossed from behind.

‘Let’s see how much you’re going to try to pull a fast one.’

Actually, Viaton was unsure.

But looking at the ‘professors looking at Isabel’, Viaton could clearly see.

‘They wanted to give first place to Marnon. Or they couldn’t give first place to the Bilotian Princess. Anyway, just try to pull a fast one. I’ll boil all of you alive.’

Isabel spoke.

“But I came here directly because I couldn’t understand why I was in second place.”

The professors exchanged glances.

Eventually, the Head Professor stepped forward.

What he took issue with was, as expected, the 『∴』 symbol.

Isabel flinched.

‘Oh no.’

It seemed like she had used a too familiar solution method because it was a familiar problem.

“However, because the symbol was contextually interpreted as ‘therefore’ so accurately, we judged that it would be too harsh to deduct points. We decided that it would be right to give a time penalty and at least award second place. Are you satisfied?”

Isabel was momentarily speechless.

Now that she heard it, their side also had its own justification.

But Viaton clenched his fists.

Hey, I told you I’d boil you alive if you tried to pull a fast one.

Just as his eyes, which belonged to a former Sword Demon, were about to turn, knock, knock – a knock was heard.

“May I come in?”

Isabel’s head turned reflexively.

It was a too familiar voice.

It was Karin, the final villain of .

‘Why is Karin here……?’

Karin, who entered the room after receiving permission, looked at Isabel once.

And she instantly grasped the contents written on the blackboard.

As expected of the final villain, with her eyes, she read everything that had happened in here.

“You should take a look at this, professors.”

She had a habit of twitching the left corner of her mouth right before declaring war, right before committing a massacre, right before truly confronting someone, and right now, the left corner of her mouth was twitching.

She was holding a stack of documents in her hand.

Something Isabel hadn’t expected began to unfold.