I’m the Only Male Knight in a Chastity-Reversed World, and When I Enrolled in a Female Knight Academy, I Somehow Got Treated Like a Hero — Dominating with an Unparalleled Skill That Makes Me Stronger the More Sex I Have - 11

Chapter 11: The Practical Exam: The Final Outcome

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From this year onward, men were also allowed to take the entrance examination for the Knight Academy.  When she heard that, a Knight Academy instructor—Besty Poisonberry—let out a scoffing laugh. There was no way a man could push aside women and pass. Had they been infected with that ridiculous ideology of gender equality that had been bubbling up in certain circles lately?

How foolish. Men and women were never equal. When it came to strength, men could never compete with women. The ones who moved the world were always women, and men could do nothing more than follow behind them. Each had their own proper domain. Men just needed to be protected by women. Could they really not even understand something that simple?

She heard that the one who had proposed the idea to the headmaster was Cassandra. Cassandra was a rival bound by fate to Besty. They had been in the same knight corps generation, and even back when Cassandra was a student at the academy, she had been on an entirely different level.

That woman had been a star shining brilliantly far above her head. No matter how much she reached out, she could never touch it. Besty had yearned for that brilliance and envied it. When Cassandra made her proposal to the headmaster, she initially pushed back. There was no way men could compete with women, she said. She had had no intention of accepting it.

Then Cassandra spoke.

“I’ve been looking after a man for a while now. He’s got plenty of fire in him. If it’s him, he might become the first male knight.”

“I’ll personally vouch for his ability. So just take a look at him once. If you want, you don’t even have to allow the other men to take the exam.”

Since the strongest knight in the kingdom had gone that far for him, the academy decided to allow it.

Kreto Brightblade.

She checked the list of examinees, but aside from him, there were no other men. Which meant the man standing before her was Cassandra’s student. When she realized that, Besty was genuinely surprised that Cassandra would take care of someone.

Even back when Cassandra had been at the academy, she had shown no interest in others. All she had cared about was becoming stronger and climbing ever higher. And yet—of all things, she had gotten attached to a man. Had even the kingdom’s strongest knight been bewitched by a man and clouded her judgment? When it was impossible for a man to become a knight in the first place?

When the practical exam began, Besty completely underestimated the man in front of her—Kreto. In the end, he was just a man. She figured she would toy with him a little and brush him aside. Even after seeing his opening move, she still thought he was nothing special. At best, just a foot soldier who could move a bit.

But once they began exchanging blows, that perception changed.

This boy isn’t falling behind my movements…!

Each strike was precise, sharp, and powerful. He didn’t flinch in the slightest at her attacks, matching her blow for blow. Swordsmanship that could only be acquired through relentless training. At the very least, his skill with the blade surpassed that of an average examinee.

On top of that, he was skillfully using body enhancement magic. With a man’s natural amount of mana, it should have been impossible to even properly cast such magic. She could hear the voices of the examinees watching the match.

“That guy’s actually holding his own, isn’t he?”

“Now that I look closely, his sword skill and movement are pretty impressive, aren’t they?”

“The examiner’s just holding back.”

“That’s probably it. He is a man, after all.”

No! I’m not holding back! And yet I can’t push through! If anything… I’m being pushed back…!?

For a brief moment, the word “defeat” flashed through her mind.

Lose? Me? To a man?

If that happened, her dignity as an examiner would be completely destroyed. It would be a disgrace remembered for generations. Defeat was absolutely unacceptable. She had to bring him down, no matter what it took. Even if it meant acting disgracefully.

“Examiner Besty!?”

The other examiner noticed Besty’s intent first. In practical exams, the examiner normally focused on defense, gauging the examinee’s ability. Actively going on the offensive was rare. Let alone using a lethal sword technique enhanced with magic.

“Fufu… My magic is poison magic. A deadly toxin that melts swords, armor and even the human body just by touching it. You have no way to stop this!”

Besty refined the mana within her body and infused it into her sword. A noxious purple aura began to glow as it wrapped around the blade.

I absolutely cannot lose.

“Poison Snake!”

From the sword she swung, a grotesquely colored serpent was unleashed. Coiling as it advanced, it rushed toward Kreto, aiming to sink its fangs into him. Block it with a sword, and the sword would melt. Let it touch the body even once, and movement would be lost in an instant. Even if dodged, the snake would pursue its prey until it bit down.

You have no means of escape.

“Then all I have to do is defeat it without touching it!”

Kreto raised his sword and entered an attacking stance. Seeing that, Besty snorted.

Has he gone senile? From this distance, there’s no way he can hit—

But the very next moment, Besty’s eyes flew wide open in shock. The blade Kreto held, its entire length was covered in the glow of mana.

=What!? That overwhelming amount of mana…!? Impossible! There’s no way a man could possess that much mana…!

In the next instant, Kreto swung his sword from afar. The mana gathered at the tip was released. A storm of flames roared forth and the serpent Besty had unleashed was blown away. The shockwave surged toward her. She couldn’t evade it.

“Kyaaaaaa!?”

A violent impact tore through her entire body. She was blown away, and when she came to, Besty’s body had been hurled outside the barrier. If one took damage beyond a certain threshold, they were expelled from the arena. That was the rule within the barrier. Which meant…

She had been defeated. She, an examiner, by a male examinee.

“No way! That guy actually did it!”

“A man took down an examiner!”

The onlooking examinees shouted in excitement. Bathed in their cheers, Besty sat there in a daze. Having fallen onto her backside, she looked up at the male examinee who had defeated her inside the barrier.

Swordsmanship beyond that of a man, and mana beyond that of a man. Just who in the world is this boy…!?

Either way, it was over. Having lost to a man, she no longer had a place in the academy. She would surely be scorned by both teachers and students alike.

Tch…! I won’t let this end like this…! Since you’ve humiliated me, I’ll disgrace you so thoroughly that even death will seem merciful…!

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