About two hours earlier, before the evaluation test officially began.
Deep inside the northern side of the monster forest, where the trees grew thicker and the air a bit colder, two figures walked quietly side by side.
Snow and Rose.
"Aren't you going to announce the start yourself, Miss Student Council President?" Rose asked casually as she spun her wand between her fingers.
Snow shook her head lightly. "No. One of the assisting professors will handle it today. I'm still a participant, remember? Besides… you know what our role is in this exam, right?"
Rose gave a small nod. "Yeah, I get it. The academy's trying to give the juniors more chances to shine. Still… what's the point of a joint evaluation if we're going to get re-evaluated separately anyway?"
Snow smiled faintly. "It seems the academy decided to mix things up. They'll still be evaluating us, but only if our performance really stands out. Otherwise, the main focus will stay on the freshmen."
"I see…"
