Chapter 81: The Moth That Cheats
[May 29th, evening.]
[This is the final night before the midterm exam.]
[You and your classmates took the initiative to go to the library to review, organizing a lively group study session. The entire vast library was filled with an atmosphere of enthusiastic discussion.]
[Aside from your usual classmates, even students from the neighboring French class came over to study together.]
[And so, everyone stayed until very late...]
[During the break between study sessions, everyone couldn't help but chat excitedly about all kinds of plans for the upcoming long vacation.]
The final night before the exam,
A tense studying atmosphere filled the entire library.
But that air of seriousness didn't feel suffocating or heavy. On the contrary, it heightened everyone's focus and excitement — everything around seemed to etch itself deeper into memory.
The soft murmurs of people nearby, the sound of pages turning as textbooks were opened, the slightly warm air in the room…
The feeling of the ballpoint pen gliding across paper, the familiar practice problems in the workbook, the fatigue after long concentration, and the satisfaction of solving a difficult question…
During this group study session, Eikou could feel all of that more vividly than ever.
Everyone in the group was sitting around a long table, studying together. On the table lay all sorts of test papers, books, and study tools scattered everywhere.
"Phew…"
He rubbed his slightly sore arm and took out his phone to check the time.
There was still one more hour before the dorm closed — he could stay and study with everyone for a while longer.
"Let's take a ten-minute break. Resting properly can help improve efficiency."
Gawain — the model student — suggested proactively.
"I've been waiting for you to say that, Gawain."
As soon as they heard that, the others immediately dropped their pens like they'd been pardoned, sighing in relief and slumping back in their chairs like exhausted souls — that was the truest way to rest.
Tristan, on the other hand, suddenly perked up — he'd been waiting for this moment to chat for ages.
"...After the exams are over, where's everyone planning to go?"
Tristan asked.
"Didn't we say we'd go camping?" Eikou replied. "Last time during outdoor class, I didn't have enough fun, and we didn't even get to eat any barbecue. This time, we have to make up for it properly!"
Artoria Caster's eyes immediately lit up: "Barbecue sounds great!"
"But next month the school's arranging another outdoor class, right? Why don't we go to the beach first this time? The weather's getting hot anyway, so catching the sea breeze sounds nice — fishing, building sandcastles, collecting seashells, then grilling the fish we catch and eating them on the spot — sounds pretty fun too," Tristan suggested.
Artoria said enthusiastically, "Grilled fish sounds amazing!"
"Let's save the beach for July. This time, how about going to an amusement park, then finding a nice restaurant afterward?" Eikou suggested.
Artoria cheered, "Eating at a restaurant sounds perfect!"
"Wait, how about coming over to my place for a party game night instead?" Gawain grinned. "We could all play together all night in the living room, and if anyone gets hungry, I'll make mashed potatoes for everyone."
The more Artoria listened, the more excited she became: "Indian-style roasted chicken with Burgundy wine sauce sounds great!"
"Where did you even hear that fancy name from? None of us said anything like that."
Eikou couldn't help but complain.
There were so many things they wanted to do during the long vacation — going on trips together, hosting a board game night at home, or finally finishing their still-incomplete motorbike license test.
However…
"..."
After a moment, it seemed like Eikou suddenly remembered something, and he slumped forward onto the table like a deflated balloon.
"Haiz, sorry everyone…"
"What's wrong, Sir Eikou?" Gawain asked.
"Sorry, but I probably won't be able to hang out with everyone this break."
Eikou said, his face full of regret.
"It's hard to explain the details, but Scathach-sensei has set a goal for me — unless I get into the top 10 of the entire grade, I'll have to take a retest. With my current academic ability, there's no way I can make it into the top 10."
No matter how much he tried to study, his current level was, at best, above average — even getting into the top 10 of his class would already be extremely difficult.
"It's not good… If that's an order from Scathach-sensei, then there's definitely no way out."
Gawain frowned seriously.
Tristan beside him looked puzzled: "Sir Eikou, if you can't pass the test, then why don't you just cheat?"
"What— cheat?!"
Eikou was startled, completely shocked that the other party would suggest something so ridiculous.
"Tristan, you're supposed to be a righteous knight, and yet you're tempting me to use immoral means to pass the exam? Get out of the Knights of the Round Table right now!"
"No, that's not what I meant—"
Tristan tried to explain but was stopped by Gawain.
"Let me explain instead."
Gawain turned to Eikou, asking seriously:
"Sir Eikou, have you ever played Cheating Moth?"
"I have. Why?"
Eikou answered immediately without thinking.
It was quite a famous board game — of course he had played it before.
In that game, cheating wasn't forbidden — even though getting caught came with punishment, the rules actually encouraged players to use tricks and cheating tactics to win.
Cheating was still cheating, but it wasn't considered breaking the rules.
"Wait a second…"
A bad premonition suddenly rose in his chest.
"Don't tell me… in the exam rooms of Chaldea Academy, cheating is also part of the rules?!"
"That's right. If you want to, cheating is allowed."
Gawain explained with a meaningful tone:
"After all, everyone here is a Servant. There are always a few people in class who aren't suited for studying but have ridiculous strength. If the school restrained them purely by academic ability, that would be unfair, so they established a special rule — cheating is permitted."
"To put it simply, Chaldea and the proctors have the authority to detect, prevent, and nullify the results of anyone who cheats, but they won't condemn you morally."
In other words — regardless of how high or low your methods are, whether you win or lose depends on your own ability, right?
Sounds just like the Chuunin Exams…
"I didn't even know there was such a rule…"
"Ha ha, that's because you're a transfer student. The exam guidelines don't explicitly say it, but everyone in school knows it as an unspoken rule. We just forgot to tell you."
"Then doesn't that mean all the studying I've been doing until now was for nothing…"
Eikou slumped his shoulders in disappointment.
But Gawain shook his head seriously:
"Not at all. Studying is one of the most important sources of mana. If your learning progress falls behind, the amount of mana you can obtain decreases, and your spellcasting ability will also be limited. If you hadn't been studying, your mana would've already run dry by now.
"For example, Gilgamesh from the other class got his credits reduced because he refused to study, while Karna, who diligently studied, got extra credits. Under those conditions, Karna is far stronger than Gilgamesh. In other words, knowledge is power!"
…How did this suddenly turn into a life philosophy lesson?
"I see…"
Eikou nodded slightly, seemingly understanding the situation now.
Although his academic skills were still lacking, if he could make full use of his versatile skill set to cheat, maybe he really could reach the top 10 in the entire grade.
"The next issue…"
Gawain's expression darkened as he slowly continued:
"Although that rule truly exists, most people still choose to take the exam seriously…"
"Why's that?"
"Because most of the proctors are unbelievably terrifying individuals. Each exam room has at least two Servants of teacher level — for example, Moriarty, King Hassan, Qin Shi Huang… Do you really dare to cheat in front of them?"
"???"