The Goddess Made A Mistake Again

"Don't count us out just yet."

We turn towards the unknown voices and see that it's Harold and Thomas. The two overseers of the competition that were called out to fight in the defense force.

Everybody stood in attention towards them as Harold waved his hand, telling them to calm down.

"It's okay, don't need to get yourselves worked up so much."

"But what about the competition? Don't tell us it's going to be cancelled." Xavier said his hopes and dreams clinging on to the answer.

"Why would it be?" Thomas spoke, "The competitions already over to begin with and don't worry about who won because this time there isn't just one."

"What do you mean!" said Arthur as everyone except me had looks of shock on their faces.

"Tell me first, do you know who it was that had saved you pups just a moment ago?" Harold asked.

The group took a moment to think, "It was the queen."

Arthur said with dark thoughts hiding beneath him that was too easy for me to tell. He may be fooling the others thinking it was his tired look but no, his disgust and experience in hiding from her is already quite high for people to catch on except those who know him the closest.

"Correct!"

"Her majesty herself has watched you all closely and had evaluated your skills herself. So you could say that the queen had overseered the competition."

"Woah! The queen had overseered herself!"

"That's amazing, to think she actually took time off to look at us in this dangerous moment."

"That's the queen for you, always going beyond from our ways."

The five mobs said as the information went through their minds but us four stayed quiet about it. Not because it was too shocking no, the shocking part was that her attack could have killed all of us if it weren't for Arthur and me.

So to us… she didn't seem like the graceful but just monarch to us. We were smart enough to be quiet about it.

"In her own judgement, the queen herself had decreed that more than one of you will go to the Royal Academy. There's not just one winner of this competition but four!" Harold said showing four fingers."

"Wilson Farrow for never giving up even when the stacks were against him."

Wilson smiled as his clenched hands could only speak so little of his excitement.

"Xavier Redclive for staying up- evenwright while as the situation only dimmed further."

Xavier closed his eyes and took in the moment as a small smile broke on his face.

"Arthur Reginold for showing immense bravery and going forward as to save others in the midst of crisis."

Arthur looked down to the ground. This victory didn't feel like his. It felt like one that his greatest enemy threw upon him like a title in dirt.

"And finally… Henry Van Tax for not only showing the most bravado, fighting Cravic Flameborn closehand, supporting the others but also killing the traitors that had decided to commit treason!"

Arthur immediately looked up at the teachers like 'Seriously!'. He nor any others thought that killing those people would actually reward him so. It only made Arthur's tantrum from before look even more worse than it already was.

I put my right hand on my chest and stand straight as I say clearly, "I thank her majesty for her gracious opinion of me!"

With that, the others also did the same as me, "I thank her majesty for her gracious opinion of me!" X3

'Haha, I know that everything had went out of my equations but… the end results is not bad, not bad at all.'

My smirk on the face only seemed to get bigger and bigger as the moment of being the real champion bloomed on me.

Harold and Thomas nodded, satisfied with our behaviors. Both of them brought two pendants each before giving it to us, "This is the pendant of our Royal Academy."

"Only students of the Royal Academy are negligible to wear it so wear them with pride. Don't think for a second that the fight is over because you all got into the Academy."

Thomas shook his head, "The fights just starting, the moment you wear this pendants you'll get got caught in the vicious cycle of the academy."

"Remember! Only two things matter in the Academy, Power and Ranking."

"Ranking being the foremost. Unfortunately for you pups, you stand at the lowest spectrum of it so be ready to get a harsh lesson in that." Harold smiled, "Believe me, you'll wish that you had died back here than rather won the devils lottery."

Harold stopped his speech as he looked at Xavier who raised his hand, "Yes?"

"How do I raise my rank quickly?"

"Hmm… ambitious are we." Harold said with a spark of arrogance in his eyes before it quickly washed away, "I'll say this for everyone, if you want to raise your rank then be the best."

"Simply going and living out your life won't do it for you guys. You have to want to be the best. Learning, Fighting, Commanding, Supporting… you have to excel in everything the academy will throw at you."

"And to answer your question about how to quickly raise your ranks… you have only one choice then, to win the challenges that the academy will give you and to be even more specific, you'll have to win the Ranking Competitions."

Seeing the look on their faces, Thomas nodded, "I know what you're thinking about, competition again, especially when you barely escaped with your lives out of this one, right?"

His words caused all three of them except me to crack their face.

Thomas's happy look instantly turned downpour, "Well sucks to be you then, if just this is enough to discourage you then you don't deserve to be in the academy!"

!!!

Arthur and the others didn't think the teacher's reaction would change so suddenly. Still they didn't say anything to upset him anymore.

"As Harold over here said, the moment you wear those pendants you'll join our vicious cycle. Ranking and power… the two things that will both strengthen and tear you out if you do not keep hold of it."

"One last advice from us who have survived and lived to be your teachers…" Thomas seriously said as he came closer to us, "Don't try be extraordinary or below average… either bow down to those ranked above you or challenge them."

"Because both choices will eat you away either internally or physically."

Suddenly everyone started to feel the pressure that they didn't think they'll get after getting admitted. Slightly the thought of giving up came to them.

But all of them quickly shook it away and held on their pendants with a heavy look on their faces as they prepared themselves.

Harold and Thomas smiled seeing them like that. They looked at each other and nodded, "I think that'll do it. They might not be the bunch I might bet in but at least they have the guts to not give up."

"I only hope that they'll keep this mindset with them and not forget about it when they face the challenges."

"Alright, the academy's inauguration ceremony will start in three months so go back home and tell your families the good news. But most of all prepare yourselves, because the academy doesn't believe in second chances."

"Yes, Sir!"

With that we turned around and start to leave.

…

"Hello!"

We all stopped and looked back at the five worthless mobs from which one said, "Sir… what about us?"

"What about you guys? Did we call you out?" Harold asked.

"No"

"Then that's it… be grateful that you're still alive and go back home to live out your below average lives and spring some offspring's."

"Yes… sir."