Chapter 142: ¹⁴²: Own Identity

Chapter 142: 1?2: Own Identity

Louis raised his brows before looking down toward our hands. "Shouldn’t you take your hand away from mine first?" he asked, pointing toward my lap.

I followed his gaze and froze for a second. Only then did I realize that my other hand was still resting on top of his. I immediately pulled it away as if I had been caught doing something embarrassing, my cheeks warming slightly despite myself.

"There," I whispered, looking back into his eyes. "Leave my hand now too."

A smug smirk appeared on Louis’s face. For some reason, that expression made me even more annoyed. But thankfully, he finally pulled his hand away.

The moment he did, I let out a small breath of relief and quickly pulled my hand away from my lap as well. I rubbed it with my other hand, almost as if Louis had just burned me instead of simply holding it.

I then straightened myself in my seat and turned my entire attention toward the stage, determined to pretend that none of that had happened.

Thankfully, Gamma Derek had already finished his introduction, and the auditorium had settled down. He was now standing behind the microphone, looking across the sea of students as he prepared to explain the reason for today’s assembly.

"Usually, the exams for the dialogue part of the curriculum were something that used to be conducted within the academy premises with the same old questions every year. You would simply sit down, answer the questions, and the examination would be completed."

I realized that I must have missed the beginning of his speech while dealing with Louis. That’s why this seemed like the middle of his speech. I immediately focused on his words now.

"Now that I have been appointed as the education head this time," Gamma Derek continued, his gaze moving slowly across the auditorium, "I thought, why not make this examination a little more in accordance with what this part of the curriculum is actually supposed to teach you?"

He paused for a moment, allowing his words to settle. "Dialogue - the art of negotiation." The auditorium remained unusually quiet as he continued. "An ability that, at times, can play a much bigger role than even having a tremendously powerful army."

My attention sharpened immediately. There was something about the way he said those words that made me reconsider what I had initially expected from this exam.

Until now, I had been fairly confident about the first two parts of our curriculum. I knew they were mostly about using our minds - problem-solving, strategy, analysis, and finding the right approach to difficult situations. Those were things I could still do even without my wolf.

The third part was different; Brute force. That was the part I was most worried about. Without my wolf, I knew I couldn’t perform the way I once could. I had already accepted that I might have to make up for that weakness by performing exceptionally well in the other sections.

That was why acing the first two parts was so important to me. If I couldn’t show my strength during the brute-force examination, then I needed to make sure my scores from the other sections were high enough to give me a decent overall result.

But now, hearing Gamma Derek explain that even the first part of the curriculum was being changed made my curiosity grow.

What exactly had they planned? I leaned forward slightly in my seat, my previous irritation toward Louis momentarily pushed aside.

I only hoped this new examination wouldn’t suddenly become something that required me to use my wolf. Because if it did, then all the preparation I had been relying on would have to change completely.

"This year, instead of conducting the examination here in the academy and asking you to answer questions based on the strategies you have learned in class so far," Gamma Derek continued, "you will be given an assignment."

A quiet murmur passed through the auditorium, at those words. I glanced around briefly, noticing several students exchanging curious looks, even Rose who had been ogling at me and Louis till now with her teasing glances was also focused on Gama Derek’s words. An assignment? That already sounded different from what I had expected.

"You will not simply be asked to recall the strategies you have learned," Gamma Derek explained. "Instead, you will have to apply those strategies and the lessons you have been taught to an actual situation presented in your assignment." ℯ

My brows lifted slightly. So this isn’t going to be a simple written examination. The more he explained it, the more interested I became.

This was definitely something new and definitely not going to be easy. It wasn’t going to be one of those examinations where we could simply memorize everything we had been taught in class and reproduce it on a sheet of paper.

We would actually have to understand those lessons well enough to apply them to an unfamiliar situation, and that alone made the assignment much more challenging.

Still, there was one thing that immediately made me feel relieved. At least it wouldn’t require my wolf. I could work with this, it was definitely better than the alternative I had been dreading.

"This year, the students of our first year will all act as the diplomatic advisors of their assigned countries in their assignments," Gamma Derek announced, turning his head toward the section where we were sitting. "You will have to tell us how you would overcome the numerous problems faced by the empire assigned to you."

A few students immediately began whispering among themselves while I remained focused on Gamma Derek.

The idea of pretending to be a diplomatic advisor was certainly interesting. It meant we weren’t simply going to be given a problem and asked to provide one straightforward answer.

We would have to think like someone who actually had responsibility over an entire empire. That sounded considerably harder than I had expected.

Even though Gamma Derek was standing far away from us on the stage, making it difficult to tell exactly where he was looking, his eyes seemed to settle directly on Louis as he continued.

"This assignment will be judged by your teachers as well as the experts of our empire after you complete it. These assignments will not only determine your grades but will also reflect whether you possess the qualities required to keep a state functioning."

My expression became slightly more serious. The qualities required to keep a state functioning. That sounded much more important than an ordinary academy assignment.

So this wasn’t simply about getting a good score anymore. They were apparently going to judge how we thought, how we handled problems, and whether our solutions could actually work if we were responsible for an entire state.

Gamma Derek turned his head back toward the crowd, but the strange feeling of unease that had settled inside me refused to disappear.

I couldn’t explain it. Perhaps it was simply because everything about this examination was so different from what I had expected. Or perhaps it was the way Gamma Derek had looked toward Louis while explaining the assignment.

I pushed the thought aside. There was no reason to become suspicious over something so insignificant.

"You will have one week to complete the assignment and find ways in which you can help the kingdom mentioned in your assignment resolve its problems," Gamma Derek said, his voice and expression equally stoic. "Your time starts today. All the best to you all."

With those final words, Gamma Derek stepped away from the podium, giving the principal access to it.

Our principal smiled politely at him before turning toward the students. "You will all be called one by one to receive your assignments. The first three students will receive theirs directly from Gamma Derek, while the remaining students will receive theirs from their assigned teachers."

The moment he finished explaining, members of the academy staff began moving around the stage, preparing the papers and organizing them so they could distribute the assignments to everyone.

I watched them for a moment, wondering what kind of problem I would be given. There were countless possibilities. And considering how serious Gamma Derek had made the assignment sound, I had a feeling none of them would be simple.

"They will definitely call you in the first position," Louis said beside me. I turned my head toward him. He was watching the staff prepare the assignments with an amused expression, as if he already knew exactly what was going to happen.

"The first position?" I repeated.

"Obviously." He gave me a small shrug. "You are Miss Dravera, after all."

I rolled my eyes at him. The title had apparently become his favorite new way of teasing me.

"Are you suddenly so supportive of me getting the Dravera?" I asked, giving him a pointed look. "Weren’t you so sour about me getting it?"

His lips twitched as if he was trying not to smile. I folded my arms, enjoying the opportunity to tease him back. "Why don’t you surpass me in this assignment and get your best position back?"