My Past Life is Riddled With Many Sins - Chapter 59
The announcement of the 5 myna prize had Regina’s eyebrows twitching. It was a substantial sum for a school event targeting students.
The application fee for the academy was one stater. One stater is two drachmas, and one drachma is six obolos.
For context, Regina had spent a total of five obolos to stay in an inn for a day, including two meals and a bath. And one myna equals 100 drachmas.
Thus, 5 myna is 500 drachmas or 3,000 obols, enough to stay in an inn for 600 days. But that wasn’t all; there was an additional prize.
“What’s the prize?”
A curious student had asked just in time. Professor Gunter paused for a moment before responding.
“It’s a commemorative coin from one of the great emperors.”
“Wow, if it’s from the first one, that’d be amazing.”
“Well, anything over a thousand years old is invaluable.”
“I’d be happy with the fourth. Emperor Henexis was the coolest, wasn’t he?”
“Are you kidding? Emperor Povelheim who defeated the Seven Nations Alliance is the best.”
“As long as it’s not Empress Yekarna. Her coins aren’t worth much since they’re only 200 years old.”
“Commemorative coins of Great Empress Yekarna are common. We even have one at my house.”
“Your house too? We have one at ours.”
She felt sorry because it was common and worthless.
Regina grumbled internally at their brutally honest assessments.
As she was silently fuming, another shock came her way.
“Student Regina Heather has already registered to participate by my recommendation.”
“…What?”
Caught off guard, Regina reacted a beat too late.
“Me?”
Who decided that?
“Regina Heather has the best swordsmanship skills among the freshmen I teach. That’s why I recommended her.”
The classroom erupted into murmurs.
“She has the best skills? No way.”
“That commoner peddler? She couldn’t have learned proper swordsmanship, could she? Did the professor get something wrong?”
“I heard she practically lives in the training hall these days. Was she preparing for this tournament all along?”
“Professor Gunter teaches half the first-year students, right? So she’s in the top half of the freshmen?”
Suddenly thrust into the spotlight, Regina was extremely embarrassed.
She had diligently practiced only the basic moves to avoid drawing attention, yet now she faced this unexpected disaster.
Moreover, why had the professor registered her for the swordsmanship competition without even consulting her first?
After the lecture, Regina approached Professor Gunter privately.
“Um, Professor, I apologize, but I’m not interested in participating in the swordsmanship competition, so please cancel my registration.”
“Why? There’s a prize and reward, and you’ve got nothing to lose by participating.”
“Well, it’s just… I find the attention from others burdensome.”
Regina had unintentionally become the top student in the entrance exams. Now, being pushed to participate in a competition could make her stand out even more. Unless she intentionally lost to get eliminated. That would be akin to unpaid labor.
Why should she waste her time participating in a children’s event, swinging swords around without any gain? She absolutely refused.
“But it seems you are already in the spotlight. I’ve already announced that you possess the finest skills among the freshmen I teach.”
“If I don’t participate in the competition, I’ll soon be forgotten.”
Professor Gunter looked at her intently.
“Student Heather, you’re already quite noticeable. I recognized your talent.”
“That’s…”
“I have no intention of withdrawing my recommendation. If you decide to forfeit, that’s beyond my control.”
It seemed Regina had no choice but to back down since the professor would not cancel her registration. She would just have to forfeit at the event.
“The prize money is tempting, though.”
With a prize of 5 myna and a commemorative coin, that should cover the cost of the information she requested from the information guild… Maybe she should just win the competition? If she could manage without using her Mana Blade, perhaps she could make it work discreetly.
‘No, adding a swordsmanship competition victory on top of being a top student might be overdoing it.’
She was already planning to leave the academy, Regina couldn’t risk increasing the number of people who knew her true identity. With three people already suspicious, increasing that number to four or five was unthinkable.
Attracting more attention and possibly being spotted by other people related from her past was something she desperately wanted to avoid. It was hard enough to evade three people, let alone more.
‘Just kill me now.’
She resolved that feigning illness on the day of the competition to withdraw would be the safest thing to do.
With determination, Regina let go of any lingering attachment to the prize money. The amount was unusually large for a school event, but her safety was first above all else.
‘…And I thought that just the other day.’
Yet, here she was, caught up in what felt like a children’s competition, engaging in a sword fight.
“Regina Heather wins!”
She swung her sword listlessly, barely registering the judge’s announcement before halting mid-motion. Her opponent had dropped his sword and stood dazed.
* * *
“The remarkable aspects of the Great Empress Yekarna are too numerous to count. There’s no need for me to embellish her many accomplishments, as I’m sure you’re all well aware.”
The elder professor said, standing at the lectern.
“As this is a lecture on swordsmanship, let’s focus solely on that aspect. As you may know, the Great Empress Yekarna was the youngest swordmaster in the continent’s history. She achieved this title at twenty-one, a record that remains unbroken to this day.”
The professor leaned casually against the lectern, scanning the classroom. The students showed little interest, unsurprisingly.
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