Alves didn't seem very happy after he heard where Nunnaly was going. I'm guessing that as a Royal Guard he won't be able to visit her at all due to how far Haare probably is from the capital. Maybe he thought that, with her determination in being the best, she was planning on the same as him or at least to work as a court wizard or something. Anything within the capital so he could see her during his time off or if his work happens to coincide with hers. Despite how much of a jerk he has been, their little rivalry was kinda cute and it seemed like he mellowed out a bit as he got older, if that last time skip is anything to go by that is. I kinda feel for him, especially after seeing his dejected face on that last page. Seems like the only one that could have noticed how heartbroken he seemed was the Prince, but since we didn't see the Prince's face we don't know if he noticed it either. Knowing that the one person that you felt equal to, especially someone you fell for, is going to live a life you won't be able to follow probably hurts a lot. :(

@tgb089 I think the requirement for offensive magic is in case of an emergency situation, like if the receptionist in question needs to protect themselves from an unruly guest or if they get attacked by monsters while out and about. I'm not entirely sure why it's necessary other than for those two possible reasons, but maybe it'll be better explained later. I mean, even if you're not going to be a receptionist for adventurers/quest hunters in a settlement that isn't surrounded by walls, it doesn't hurt to be able to protect yourself. It just so happens that Nunnaly went above and beyond what was necessary by aiming for first place(and technically succeeding) and thus becoming one of the most skilled magic practitioners of her age, if not the most skilled one there.

@Serverclosed I kinda want the two of them to end up together, so I wouldn't mind such a cheesy line from him. If nothing else, she makes a great foil for Alves, and the two of them consider each others equals if their rivalry is anything to go by. I'm a sucker for romance in general, and the rivals/enemies-turned-lovers trope is one of my old favorites thanks to Kaichou Wa Maid-Sama and, more specifically, Special A. Skip Beat also helped, as did Shugo Chara. Now that I think about it, a lot of my first romance series I got into were basically that trope it seems. Explains a lot...

I can forgive the team battles making no sense but why did we only see half of them? Only the female team competition and the male individual. Also was there a ladder or a points system for the shirt thing?

gachiGASM

Thank you for the update!! 🌸

Hoping the next story arc would take it slow.
These first chapters just went too quick.

@etherealsonata

In a prev chapter she asked the teacher what did she get wrong on the exam and how could she improve, and the teacher said she always gets full points and laughed or something like that, implying that they both scored perfect, but the guy placed 1. and she 2.

@Guspaz Yeah I agree with @ariared26 on this one. And top guess for why the male competition was easier was b/c the author prob wanted to add some fan service.

Both of those competitions were stupid. Imagine being the teammate that wasn't saved but your partners got across so you're thinking everything is ok lol nope you all fail

@Guspaz rather than because of gender, it's because of the difference in their status. He is the son of a duke, while she's a commoner. Please don't make anything and everything an issue about gender and sexism.

Thank you for the translation!

Story is refreshing. MC doesn't need somebody to go save her. She is strong. She doesn't think of romance and just focus on her career goal.

However the pacing of this 'school' arc was too fast. And doesn't make much sense too (i.e. the competition)

This "competition" was a joke. And I can't tell if the mens side was worse than the females, or not. I mean, it is decidedly more silly, but at least it didn't actively endanger students for no reason, pass 3 students based on only ones performance, and specifically reward the teams who decided to endanger the "hostages" due to either hesitation, or in mc's case, poor idealism.

I really would love to know what the author thought, when they "designed" this competition... Well, at least the school part should be over now.

@Guspaz
If it wasn't a manga, yes
As it's a manga, IDGAF

EDIT: Also likely because of the nobility thing as others have mentioned

Thanks for the chapter. =)

Thank youuuu.

Ugh. Tbh, i want to see nunally kick the ass of alves.. T.T

Wait am I missing something? Where did they get the same grade but the Duke placed above her?

@Guspaz Cool your jets, you're about to break orbit. Based on the first chapter, it's far more likely to do with him being a duke's son and her being a commoner.

I just hope this isn't end in "You win me, you win first place in my heart," and stuff like that.

@Xross24 Lockman isn't the prince, he's a duke's son. The black hair dude is the prince.

@guspaz

the grade thing is because she s a commoner and he s not tbh

5 years of magical academy just to be a receptionist? I know that's her goal but I felt the requirement to learn offensive magic is a little forced.