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

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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Viscount Biatonn, as always, conjured sound effects with magic.
Boom boom boom boom!
Then fireworks burst once more, and a fanfare rang out.
It was truly fascinating how he controlled magic with such precision.
“A perfect score of 100!”
“Really?”
Though I had anticipated a perfect score, confirming it still brought me greater joy.
Moreover, watching Viscount Biatonn celebrate alongside me as if it were his own achievement filled my heart like sweet macarons overflowing in abundance.
Reina asked urgently.
“Wait! What is the perfect score for the 19th Olympiad?”
“It’s out of 100 points.”
“100 out of 100?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Reina’s expression was one of disbelief.
Regardless, I paid it little mind.
‘Hm?’
But something felt odd.
‘What? Second place?’
I should have been first, yet I was second.
“Viscount Biatonn. Am I truly in second place?”
“Yes! The Princess has taken second place!”
Hmm. I hadn’t misread it.
I was in second place.
If two people achieved perfect scores, the tiebreaker is submission time.
I had clearly submitted first.
Yet I was second.
It was a result I couldn’t accept.
“I should file a protest.”
“A protest?”
Reina interjected quickly.
“Of course. The Princess’s dignity is at stake. You must naturally file a complaint. I am truly moved by Princess Isabel’s integrity.”
How could the Princess of Villorian settle for second place at the Olympiad?
The results must be wrong!
File a protest immediately!
That’s what her words seemed to convey.
Meanwhile, Viscount Biatonn’s eyelashes trembled slightly.
“Your Highness. Would you whisper to me alone what troubles you so?”
Viscount Biatonn leaned his ear close to me.
He clearly did not wish for me to file a protest.
It seemed he hoped I would simply accept this honor (?), even if there were minor irregularities.
“I scored a perfect mark and submitted my answer sheet first.”
“That means… surely not…”
“Yes. I’m not in second place.”
Viscount Biatonn shot to his feet.
“If anyone committed fraud, I’ll have them all exe——”
He quickly glanced at me.
He always tried to refrain from using crude language in my presence.
“——executed. I mean, I’ll have them eat the most disgusting, nauseating gruel imaginable.”
* * *
Mirotell Magic Federation.
Chaos erupted at the First Magic Tower, which oversaw the Olympiad.
“How could we possibly award first place to the Princess of the Sword Art Empire? It’s impossible.”
“This time, Marnong, the prized disciple of the legendary mage Gilgarey, also participated.”
Notably, Marnong had also achieved a perfect score.
However, he submitted his answer sheet later than Isabel, placing him in second.
“If word spreads that the legendary mage’s prized disciple lost to a Villorian Princess…”
The seven Professors seated around the table trembled.
There could be no greater humiliation than this.
Moreover, Isabel was merely six years old.
“This won’t do. We must prevent this by any means necessary.”
“Let’s think of a good solution.”
These greatest mathematicians and educators of the age racked their brains.
Eventually, they found a way.
“This. This will work. We can take issue with this strange symbol.”
Isabel’s answer sheet contained the symbol [∴].
In context, it was a symbol interpreted as “therefore.”
However, it was not an officially recognized mathematical symbol in the current mathematical system.
“If we nitpick about this, we could deduct points.”
“But anyone can see it means ‘therefore,’ can’t they? The Villorian side probably won’t accept it.”
The Head Professor of the First Magic Tower smiled faintly.
“Exactly. A deduction would be too harsh, so I think we should keep the perfect score intact. But since it’s awkward to simply overlook it, what if we apply a time penalty instead?”
“…Ah!”
We acknowledge the perfect score despite the error. Instead of deducting points, we apply a time penalty, giving second place rather than first.
“Wouldn’t the Villorian side find this result acceptable?”
“Indeed they would.”
“Truly a brilliant idea worthy of the Head Professor!”
“If we gloss over it like this, they won’t raise any objections either.”
After all, the Sword Art Empire’s royal family placed little significance on “mathematical talent and results.”
All they pursued was “swordsmanship.”
“Besides, it’s already quite honorable and remarkable for Villorian blood to claim second place in the 19th Olympiad.”
“In any case, it’s certainly remarkable. I never expected such a genius to appear in this world.”
“Had she been born in the Mirotell Magic Federation, she would undoubtedly have become an excellent mage. What a pity.”
Being born into the Villorian Royal Family came with clear limitations.
There was no one to guide Isabel as a mage, nor did she have any seniors in the magical community.
Moreover, over the past several centuries, the ‘blood of Villorian’ had maintained a subtle competitive relationship with mages.
Therefore, it was certain that Isabel could never achieve greatness as a mage.
And several days passed.
“Princess Isabel’s side has filed an objection!”
“An objection? But we gave her second place?”
The seven professors gathered once more.
“Tsk, her ambitions are excessive.”
“Indeed.”
“We yielded second place to her, yet she cannot be satisfied with that. It’s incomprehensible.”
“Who raised the objection? Could it be Empress Serna?”
Within the Villorian Royal Family, only the Empress could recognize the issue and file an objection.
“That’s quite likely. The Emperor has no interest in the Olympiad whatsoever.”
“Then have Professor Sebira contact the Empress and discuss this. She must have other desires.”
They judged that dissatisfaction with Isabel’s second place was not the real issue—rather, political considerations were at play.
“We can accommodate most reasonable demands. What matters to us is giving first place to Marnong.”
But an unexpected situation unfolded.
The person who filed the objection was not Serna.
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 toward the blackboard.
She picked up an infinite chalk created through magical engineering.
It was chalk that could be used non-permanently.
“These are the problems I solved.”
The problems were logically connected.
In other words, because the problems had a ‘narrative,’ Isabel remembered the content precisely.
Mathematicians cannot lie before numbers.
So she reproduced the problems exactly.
Everyone’s jaws dropped.
‘Is… is that the logic of a six-year-old?’
‘The way she explains it is so remarkably clear.’
It was astonishing that she remembered the problems, and the solutions themselves were accurate.
But what was even more shocking was the manner in which she conveyed those solutions.
‘How… how can she present the content so clearly and systematically!’
Isabel herself did not know it, but this was the power of the Korean College Entrance Examination.
South Korea was a battleground of private education.
Naturally, it was also a battleground for the instructors conducting such education.
Only those who survived that battleground could become elite instructors, and the teaching prowess of South Korea’s elite instructors was unparalleled.
Isabel was part of the college entrance exam generation who had been exposed to countless online lectures from such instructors.
For Isabel, this was an utterly mundane routine.
‘Their understanding of the fundamental nature of the problem far exceeds our expectations.’
One must know one hundred to teach ten.
Those who had never experienced South Korea’s private education system, and these professors who had never competed through lectures due to their monopoly on magic in this world, experienced a new realm entirely.
“…And so, I arrived at this answer. My solving time was also the fastest.”
“…”
“…”
Silence hung heavy in the air.
Biatone, who accompanied Isabel, observed from behind with his arms crossed.
‘Let’s see just how much nonsense they try to pull.’
In truth, Biatone had been uncertain until now.
However, watching the professors as they looked at Isabel, Biatone could discern the truth with certainty.
‘They wanted to give the top rank to Marnong. Or perhaps they couldn’t give it to the Villorian Princess. Either way, if you try any funny business, I’ll make you regret it.’
Isabel spoke.
“But I couldn’t accept why I’m ranked second, so I came here directly.”
The professors exchanged glances.
Finally, the Head Professor stepped forward.
What he took issue with was indeed the [∴] symbol.
Isabel’s body flinched.
‘Oh no.’
Because the problem was so familiar, she seemed to have used a solution method that was far too familiar.
“However, given the context, the symbol was interpreted so precisely as ‘therefore’ that we judged it too harsh to deduct points. We determined it most appropriate to impose a time penalty and grant the honor of second rank. Does that satisfy your understanding?”
Isabel found herself at a loss for words in that moment.
Now that she heard it, their side also had its own justification.
However, Biatone’s fist clenched tightly in that instant.
Yeah, I said I’d make you regret it if you pulled any funny business.
Just as the eyes of the former Sword Master were about to roll back, a knock sounded—tap, tap.
“May I come in?”
Isabel’s head reflexively turned.
It was a far too familiar voice.
It was Karin, the final mastermind of “When the Doomed Villainess Dies.”
‘Why is Karin here…?’
Having received permission, Karin entered the room and glanced at Isabel once.
In an instant, she took in everything written on the blackboard.
With eyes befitting the final mastermind, she read through exactly what had transpired here.
“Professors, you should take a look at this.”
She had a habit—whenever she was on the verge of declaring war, before orchestrating a massacre, before facing someone with genuine intent—her left lip would twitch. And now, her left lip was twitching.
In her hand, she clutched a stack of documents.
Something Isabel had not anticipated was beginning to unfold.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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