CHAPTER 16: RACE AGAINST THE RANKINGS 1

The crimson flash of Aegis’s HUD jerked her from sleep like a bucket of ice-cold water to the face.

[EVENT NOTIFICATION: First Monthly Ranking Test - 30 Days Until Potential Expulsion]

"Ah, right," Aegis sighed softly. "That’s a thing."

The message expanded automatically.

[Test Components: Written Exam (40%), Combat Assessment (40%), Faculty Review (20%)]

[Warning: Bottom 10% of students will be expelled]

[YOUR CURRENT STATS: POWER 5, INTELLIGENCE 5, GRACE 1, INSIGHT 1, CHARISMA 100]

The monthly ranking test. Of course. Aegis ran a hand through her tangled white hair, her heart sinking a little as she stared at those... admittedly very pathetic, very not-good numbers.

[Power 5. That’s barely enough to lift a heavy sword, let alone use one effectively.]

The realization hit her like falling bricks.

As much as she could rely on impressing everyone with her charisma and theoretical knowledge, she couldn’t neglect the most critical part of survival at Rosevale: being able to back your words up somehow.

"Fuck," she muttered, swinging her legs over the bed. "Forty percent combat assessment? I’m screwed."

Across the room, Lune stirred slightly but remained asleep, her small form buried under a mountain of blankets. At least someone was getting rest.

[No choice, really. I need to train. And, with my stats this low and having no actual skills or abilities yet, I’ll need to train hard.]

—-

Aegis headed to the dining hall, mulling over the daunting task ahead. The smell of freshly baked bread and sizzling bacon made her mouth water though, momentarily lifting her spirits despite the ominous deadline.

She spotted Scarlett’s flaming red hair immediately. The taller girl was shoveling food into her mouth at an alarming rate, waving enthusiastically when she caught sight of Aegis.

"Hey, Country Mouse!" Scarlett called, mouth still half-full. "You look like someone pissed in your porridge. What’s wrong?"

Aegis slumped onto the bench beside her, slowly melting into a dumb, useless puddle.

"Monthly ranking test. We’ve got one month until potential expulsion."

"Ohhhhh, that." Scarlett nodded sagely, swallowing a massive bite. "Combat portion’s got you worried, huh?"

"Is it that obvious?"

"Well, no offense, but you swing a sword like you’re trying to swat a fly with a wet noodle." Scarlett grinned, poking Aegis’s bicep. "These aren’t exactly warrior’s arms."

"Thanks for the reminder," Aegis grumbled, reaching for a bread roll.

Scarlett’s hand shot out, grabbing Aegis’s wrist.

"You know," she said, grinning. "I could train you."

"What?"

"Train you. You know, make you less terrible at fighting?" Scarlett’s eyes sparkled with mischief. "I’m pretty good at it, in case you hadn’t noticed."

Aegis’s heart skipped. She didn’t remember Scarlett being one of the designated trainers in the game. Usually, a player could only pick up skills from professors and tutors.

"You’d do that for me?"

"Sure! Watching you flail around might be the most entertainment I get all semester." Scarlett stood abruptly, yanking Aegis up with her. "No time like the present!"

"Wait—my breakfast—"

"Food later, training now!" Scarlett declared, already dragging Aegis toward the exit. "Trust me, you’ll need the hunger. Makes you fight meaner."

Before Aegis could protest further, she found herself being pulled through corridors and out into a secluded courtyard. The sun had just started to come out and a few students were waddling on through the halls like hungover penguins. Too much day one excitement, it seemed.

"Alright, Mouse." Scarlett cracked her knuckles, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "Show me your stance."

Aegis awkwardly positioned herself in what she hoped resembled a fighting stance. Feet apart, hands up, trying to remember every movie she’d ever seen.

Scarlett burst out laughing.

"What?" Aegis demanded, heat rising to her cheeks.

"Nothing, nothing. Sorry, that was rude of me." Scarlett wiped a tear from her eye. "Here, let me show you."

She moved behind Aegis, her chest pressing against Aegis’s back as she reached around to position her arms and legs appropriately.

Which instantly made Aegis’s touch-starved mind take rather inappropriate turns.

[Fuck. This is dangerous.]

"Feet wider," Scarlett instructed, kicking Aegis’s legs further apart with her boot. "You need a solid base or you’ll topple over like a drunk noble at a wine festival."

Her hands slid down to Aegis’s hips, adjusting their angle. Each touch sent little electric currents through Aegis’s body.

Aegis had gotten sick at age 14 as Emily, in her previous life. After that, she’d spent 3 years in bed, with just the nurses as company.

That is to say, she’d literally never been touched like this, outside of nurses cleaning her up with wipes and such.

"Now, arms up like this." Scarlett’s breath tickled Aegis’s ear as she repositioned her arms. "Protect your pretty face."

Aegis couldn’t help but giggle nervously.

"My face is pretty, huh?"

"Hey, don’t fish for compliments when you should be focusing on not getting your ass kicked," Scarlett replied, but Aegis could hear the smile in her voice.

When Scarlett finally stepped away, Aegis felt both relief and disappointment. She’d managed to push through the brief scene without her Rod of Death waking up, but at the same time she very much enjoyed the moment.

The taller girl circled her, nodding approvingly at the stance she’d helped create.

"Better. Now try to hit me."

Aegis blinked.

"What, just like that?"

"Just like that." Scarlett spread her arms wide, making herself an easy target. "Come on, Mouse. Give it your best shot. We don’t have all day." She yawned for effect.

Aegis lunged forward with what she hoped was a decent punch. Scarlett sidestepped it effortlessly, grinning.

"Slower than my dead grandmother. Try again."

Heat rushed to Aegis’s face. She tried again as instructed, throwing another punch that Scarlett deflected with a lazy flick of her wrist.

"You telegraph your moves so clearly I could read them from the other side of the academy," Scarlett teased. "Again. Faster this time."

For the next fifteen minutes, Aegis attacked while Scarlett dodged, blocked, or redirected every attempt with ease. Each failure only made Aegis try harder, her frustration building until she was panting and sweating in the morning air.

"Had enough?" Scarlett asked, not even breathing hard.

Aegis grinned.

"Never," Aegis growled, charging forward.

This time, Scarlett didn’t dodge. Instead, she caught Aegis’s wrist, twisted, and suddenly the world flipped.

"EEK!" Aegis squeaked gracelessly.

In a blink, Aegis found herself flat on her back, staring up at the sky with Scarlett looming over her.

"Never attack out of anger," Scarlett said. "Makes you way too predictable."

Aegis nodded, but failed to produce any words. Mainly, due to the position she was in.

Scarlett was straddling Aegis, pinning her wrists to the ground with strong hands. Her red hair fell around them like a curtain, tickling Aegis’s cheeks.

The position was... compromising, to say the least.

"Oh, also, always watch your opponent’s hips, not their eyes. Hips don’t lie."

Aegis tried to respond, but her body had other ideas. The pressure of Scarlett’s weight, the intimacy of their position, the adrenaline from the fight...

It all sent blood rushing south with alarming speed.

[Oh no no no no—]

The growing hardness between her legs pressed against Scarlett’s thigh. Aegis froze. Scarlett blinked.

Scarlett’s eyes widened slightly. Then a slow, predatory grin spread across her face.

"Well, well," she purred, shifting her weight slightly in a way that made Aegis bite her lip to suppress a whimper. "Is that a sword in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?"

"I-I’m sorry! I didn’t—" Aegis stammered, face burning hot enough to fry an egg.

Scarlett laughed, a deep, throaty sound that vibrated through Aegis’s entire body. She shifted her weight deliberately, pressing down against Aegis’s hardness on purpose.

"Don’t apologize. It’s only natural." Scarlett’s voice dropped to a husky whisper. "The body wants what it wants."

Aegis squirmed beneath her, still fairly mortified.

"Could you maybe... get off me?" she pleaded, though part of her desperately wanted Scarlett to stay exactly where she was.

"Hmm..." Scarlett pretended to consider it, tilting her head. "I don’t know. This is pretty entertaining." Her grin widened. "Never had a training session get quite this... hard before."

Aegis groaned, closing her eyes in embarrassment.

"I hate you."

Scarlett cackled, hearing that.

"Alright, alright, fine. I’ll stop. But, just so you know..." Scarlett suddenly leaned down, her lips brushing against Aegis’s ear. "Mine’s bigger, by the way."

Then, just as suddenly as she’d pinned Aegis down, Scarlett released her wrists and rolled to her feet in one fluid motion. She brushed off her uniform pants, looking entirely too pleased with herself.

"Same time tomorrow, Mouse?" Scarlett called over her shoulder, already walking away. "See you in class!"

Aegis remained flat on her back, staring at the sky, her body still tingling.

Her HUD chimed helpfully:

[RELATIONSHIP UPDATE: Scarlett Lionheart]

[Affection +10 (❤️❤️❤️🤍🤍)]

[Status: Flirtatious Training Partner]

[Note: Subject is attracted to you.]

"Bigger?" Aegis muttered to herself, finally sitting up. "That’s an understatement."

If her memory served correctly, Aegis recalled the specific length was...

[... Around 25 cm.]

Aegis gulped.

She took several deep breaths, willing her body to calm down. The cool morning air helped, though her uniform pants remained uncomfortably tight. With shaking legs, she finally stood, dusting off grass and dirt.

Aegis glanced at the time on her HUD. Twenty minutes until her first class, Advanced Magical Theory with Professor Nazraya. After their encounter in the crypt last night, she wasn’t sure if she should be excited or terrified.

Probably both.

She made her way back toward the academy building, trying to walk normally despite her persistent... situation. A few students gave her odd looks as she passed, making her wonder if her discomfort was as obvious as it felt.

[I need a cold shower. Now.]

And that need only intensified as "25 cm" echoed in her horny little skull.

---

Walking through the academy’s ornate halls, Aegis took a deep breath, still trying to recover from the morning’s embarrassment. She rounded a corner toward Nazraya’s classroom when her ear tingled, her Maid’s Earring activating on its own.

"—those test scores can’t possibly be legitimate," Varyn’s voice drifted clearly to her, though he stood halfway down another corridor, speaking in hushed tones to a prefect with silver trim on his uniform. "A commoner with perfect marks? There has to be something suspicious going on."

"What do you need from me?" the prefect asked, looking important with his puffed-up chest and shiny badge.

"Just access to the examination records," Varyn replied smoothly. "I have connections who can analyze her answers, find inconsistencies..."

Aegis pressed her back against the wall, her heart pounding.

[Shit. This is where he starts building his little army of sycophants to take me down.]

She glanced through the open door of Nazraya’s classroom. Several scholarship students had already arrived, sitting together in a nervous cluster. Safety in numbers against the noble majority.

Aegis squared her shoulders and marched into the classroom, trying to project as much badass energy as she could.

If Varyn was gathering allies, she needed her own. And who better than those who shared her commoner background?

"Morning, everyone!" she called cheerfully to the scholarship students, sliding into a seat beside a nervous-looking girl with copper braids. "I’m Aegis. Those exams were something else, weren’t they?"

The girl blinked in surprise.

"You’re... talking to us?"

She was right to be surprised. The literal top scorer on the exams chatting with her? Aegis could charge money for this.

"Of course." Aegis leaned in conspiratorially. "Look, I’ve been thinking, we scholarship kids need to stick together, don’t we? The nobles are already forming their little cliques."

A boy with spectacles perked up.

"Like Varyn Duskbane. He’s been talking to the prefects all morning."

"Exactly," Aegis nodded. "Which is why I thought, what if we formed a study group? Share notes, practice together."

"With you?" Another scholarship student looked dubious. "The top-ranked student?"

Aegis gave her most winning smile.

"Especially with me. Knowledge is meant to be shared, isn’t it? Besides," she lowered her voice, "have you seen how many nobles are trying to burn holes through my head with their stares? I need all the help I can get."

That drew nervous laughter from the group. One by one, they introduced themselves: Miheyra with the copper braids, Ellis with the spectacles, Tam who barely spoke above a whisper, and Jona whose hands were currently ink-stained.

"First meeting tonight?" Aegis suggested. "The library has those private study rooms."

They agreed just as Professor Nazraya swept into the room, her dark robes billowing dramatically. Aegis caught the professor’s eye for a split second and nodded. She nodded back, smirking.

[Good, good... I won’t let any third-rate villain get the better of me. These are the first steps I’ll need. Though... The true progress starts with Nazraya, of course.]

She couldn’t tell if she was looking forward to those personal lessons, though.

[... I kinda want her to choke me again though-NO! Bad Aegis, bad!]