"Alex?!" "Is the projection broken?" "There's no way!"
The aristocratic students were more shocked than they were angry. It fundamentally broke their worldview.
"This doesn't make any sense!" Martin blurted out, his face turning red with indignation. "How can the 'Trash' be the Champion? He has a defective circuit! He probably just got carried by his fiancée's money, just like he got carried during the forest expedition!"
Martin's remark was a spark dangerously close to a powder keg. Emma's grip on my arm tightened like a vice, her mana instantly flaring with murderous intent. I had to press my thumb hard into her thigh to stop her from decapitating the boy on the spot.
Before I could verbally put Martin in his place, Sophie stepped forward.
"Let me stop you right there, kid," Sophie said, her voice dropping to a low, commanding timber that instantly dominated the room. "I personally oversaw the telemetry. This evaluation was absolutely fair."
