I led my team toward the western section, acutely aware of the growing scepticism among my classmates. Their doubt was clear, whispered conversations and sideways glances that they thought I couldn't notice.
The uncertainty was eating at them: had I lied about obtaining information from the Commander, or had I told the truth?
If I had lied, they would undoubtedly hate me when the examination ended. I could already imagine the boycott that would follow, the complete loss of trust and respect that would make future cooperation impossible. But if I had told the truth... then they had underestimated me completely, and everything they thought they knew about how the academy operated would need to be reconsidered.
I could understand their confusion. From their perspective, the idea that a student could simply get hidden information from academy officials seemed absurd. The whole concept challenged their understanding of how these examinations were supposed to work.
