On this early morning, Tiran groggily climbed out of bed and was surprised to find someone sitting in front of his desk.

"Aya? What are you doing?" Tiran put on a thin jacket and curiously walked over to Aya, leaning his head closer. "Knight's oath, knight etiquette introduction, assessment procedures? Are you planning to participate in the knight rank assessment?"

"That's right!" Aya turned around suddenly, and her heavy dark circles startled Tiran. "Didn't you sleep last night? Is it really necessary?"

"It's a matter of dignity! I will eventually earn back the knight emblem and show those guys!" Aya spoke with conviction. But, why are you so concerned about dignity now? You didn't react this strongly when I wore the collar.

The incident yesterday had shaken the Dragon Shaker. It was mainly because, on the way to accompany Tiran to class, they encountered several Cross Knights who had just returned to the palace after completing a mission to defeat monsters. When they saw Aya in the uniform of the Cross Knights, they became interested.

Although he was Tiran's guardian knight, in arranging Aya's position, he was effectively considered a reserve member of the Cross Knights. So, he could be considered a colleague of the Cross Knights.

Thus, the following conversation took place:

"Oh, oh, it turns out to be the Guardian Knight of the White Knight, you must also be a powerful knight at the Great Knight rank, right? You're so young, impressive. What is Aya's knight rank? Is it level eight or nine?"

"..."

Facing the enthusiastic inquiry of a young knight, Aya fell into silence. Knight rank? How could that even exist? And even if it did... after having Chi and Magic sealed, Aya's true strength was not even at level eight. Are you deliberately mocking me with these two options, you bastard?

"So, how is your preparation going?" Tiran walked to the wardrobe to change clothes. "There are only a few days left until the assessment of the Knight Association. Are you sure you can catch up? Although strength is the primary judging criterion, the weight of assessment items such as tactical planning, knight etiquette, and adaptability is not light."

"In the end, it mainly depends on fighting, right? Didn't I defeat a Great Knight before?" Even though the written exam might be a disaster, after defeating Iom in battle, Aya still had some confidence in fighting.

"Oh, yeah, but do you know what my knight rank is now?"

"Level eight."

"... Ha?!" Aya's face was filled with disbelief. What kind of joke is this? The title of a knight who has one foot into the legendary White Knight only has the rank of eight. Is the Knight Association blind?

"Yes." Tiran spread his hands helplessly. "At the time of the assessment, I defeated three chief examiners at the Great Knight level, and received an SSS evaluation for combat. But, I completely didn't prepare for other subjects, so after averaging everything, I received an eighth ranking."

Seeking a cheating plan for the Knight Association's assessment, waiting online, urgent.

"Uh, if you really want to take the exam, I can consider helping you." Tiran tied up his hair and turned back to Aya.

...

"So, you came running to me for help?"

In the room that belonged to the maid chief, Mimi sat on the bed, dangling her long, slender legs, and stared at Aya, who was standing before her in a standard ninety-degree bow.

"Yes! Mimi, please help me! If you don't, I really can't find anyone else who can help!"

"Is this knight rank really important? Why are you so concerned?" The maid chief was puzzled. As the embodiment of the Flame Demon, Demons like her always had a disdain for so-called rankings of strength. Strength was earned through one's own efforts, not through the evaluation of others. So she didn't understand why Aya, also a "non-human" like herself, suddenly became so obsessed with the knight rank.

"There are many complicated reasons behind this, but in short, Tiran told me to come to you." Aya's expression was somewhat disappointed. How is it that this guy seems even more unreliable? Besides, Mimi was only the maid chief. Even if she had strong abilities, it didn't necessarily mean she could help him with passing the knight assessment.

"I see. Then take this." Mimi opened the drawer of the bedside table and took out an item, tossing it to Aya.

Aya caught it in her hand and found that it looked familiar. Wait a minute, isn't this the design of the eighth-level knight emblem from the assessment process book I stayed up late last night reading?!

"Well, I took that test out of boredom. You can have it if you want." Mimi showed indifference. After all, this thing made no difference to her, whether she had it or not.

"No... that's not what I meant! What's the point of someone else taking the exam for me?" Aya started to get frustrated. "I want to earn it myself."

"Hmph, is that so? You should've said that earlier." Mimi frowned with disdain.

"I did say it earlier! Normal people would understand that I meant asking for your help with tutoring, not asking you to give me your own badge!" Aya was tired of it all.

"Just a maid, just do your job properly. And yet here you are, bothering others." Mimi said without mercy, her face full of "I don't want to deal with this trouble."

"Hey..." Aya suddenly felt heartbroken, not even wanting to argue back. But...

"If you're willing to help, I can try to get Juju to befriend you. What do you think?" Aya suggested, extending a finger.

"If that's what His Highness wishes, then of course, I must oblige. Let's start now, then." The head maid stood up from the bed in an instant, grabbing Aya's hand and leading her towards the door.

...

Five minutes later, in a study room of the princess' residence.

"So, " Mimi pushed a blank exam paper towards Aya on the table. "Start by solving this set of questions. It's last year's written exam for knights' assessment. Let me see your proficiency level."

"Okay! Miss Mimi, watch me!" Aya confidently raised her thumb, then clapped her hands together, cracking her joints with a pop sound. She then picked up a feather pen from the side with a professional pose, dipped it in ink, and started writing.

One hour later.

"..." Mimi's hands trembled as she looked at the exam paper in her hand. "Hey, you, did you even look at those books?"

Aya's face still had a forced smile, but there was a drop of cold sweat running down the edge of her cheek. "Ahaha... How, how did I do? Is there hope?"

"What do you think?" Mimi showed Aya the graded paper. "Absolutely unacceptable. If it were His Highness, it might be forgivable since the combat assessment can compensate for the overall evaluation. But for you, you need to start from scratch."

"Is it that bad? I thought I did pretty well..." Aya felt aggrieved.

"Not bad? That's probably the requirement for idiots."

"Considering how bad it is, can't you let me comfort my wounded pride?"

"Instead of worrying about your wounded pride, focus on how to improve your grades to a passing level in the next two weeks."

Two weeks... is it really possible? Aya swallowed her saliva nervously.

"And, the Knights Association's assessment doesn't rigidly stick to a fixed format. There are new question types in every assessment. So even if you memorize all the previous exam questions, it won't be of any use if you don't fully grasp the knowledge points." The head maid casually stabbed another knife into Aya's heart.

"So, maybe it's better to find someone to take the test for me... ow!"

Aya had a sudden idea, but was instantly struck down on the desk by the head maid's iron fist.