Chapter 201
Chapter 201
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: EP. 45 – The Knight Rides Autumn (6)
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The gates of the Royal Academy swung open.
A massive crowd surged forward, overflowing with people eager to rush inside, but this year had seen one incident after another.
"Please present your identification."
"Please fill out the paperwork."
"No groups of four or more."
Unlike the day before, the conditions for entering the academy were far from lenient.
Some grumbled their dissatisfaction, but the guards' fierce glares made them cower immediately or flee on the spot.
And for those who fled...
"Suspicious individual! Seize them!"
Immediate action was taken.
It was a complete blockade against any potential risks.
A clear sign of just how vigilant the academy... no, the royal family truly was.
Anyone who had come with even the slightest shady intent had no choice but to turn back.
Getting on the wrong side of the royal family or the countless noble houses over some petty nitpicking wasn't worth it.
At that moment.
"-Here, my identification."
"…!!"
"Oh, and here's my exam candidate certificate too. Where do candidates head?"
"Ah, uh, well..."
Gulp...!
The guard swallowed dryly.
'What is this woman?'
She exuded a 'grace' one might expect only from the greatest noble houses.
Her short golden blonde hair and stunning beauty were striking enough, but the extraordinary poise she radiated filled the guard with tension just looking at her.
...It was obvious at first glance.
'She's no ordinary woman.'
Her ID listed her as a commoner, but that was impossible.
'Suspicious...'
Nothing off about the ID itself, but the guard's instincts were screaming.
This required investigation...
"[-Nothing suspicious, right? See?]"
Shaaa!
"...Ah, you're right."
The guard realized he'd simply 'misjudged.'
Yes, she was a commoner, but an exceptional one—that explained the grace.
With that epiphany, the guard stepped aside.
"Good luck on your exam."
"Thank you, soldier."
She flashed a gentle smile and passed through swiftly.
It was a smile full of mercy, leaving the guard even more dazed.
"......Hoo."
Not long after clearing the main gate, her expression turned utterly blank—nothing like the warm smile from moments ago.
It was like a doll's face; anyone witnessing the change would question how it was possible so quickly.
She soon moved to a quieter spot, pulling a cross from her bosom and pressing it to her ear.
"Infiltration successful. But reporting will be tough until the exam ends."
[----.]
"Yes, understood. Disposing of it now."
Sensing a faint [command] that was barely audible, she immediately shattered the red bead embedded in the cross's center.
She ground it to powder. If one knew that single bead cost as much as three years' living expenses for a family of four, more than a few would wear a hollow expression.
Yet she treated it as nothing more than a tool, pulverizing it thoroughly before resuming her steps as if nothing had happened.
Whooo...
The fragments scattered naturally on the autumn breeze.
Like sand.
There were a staggering number of academy entrance exam candidates.
No fewer than 30,000 had gathered—a sight to behold.
But here's something you might not know: even that 30,000 was after ruthless filtering.
Not one among them went uncalled a genius or top scholar back home.
Well, it made sense, didn't it?
There were plenty of other academies, but this was the Pendragon Royal Academy.
An institution bearing the Pendragon name, sponsored by the royal family and great nobles alike.
Just graduate, and a golden path lay ahead.
The gateway to success.
No matter what anyone said, getting into the academy was a point of pride.
...Not that everyone could.
"They say even 1,000 admits would make it a bumper year?"
"Isn't that overkill? We've got 30,000 here—all local geniuses at that?"
"...Country bumpkin."
"You're one too."
"Sure, but you're the clueless kind, so even dumber. Short on brains too."
"You...!"
"You really think topping a village of 50-80 folks is the same as topping a town of 10,000?"
"......"
The riled-up candidate deflated like a punctured balloon, blinking in shock.
"Sure, talent pops up in the sticks sometimes. Lions and eagles born on the plains, ecosystem disruptors and all. But that's rare as hell."
"...Yeah, whatever."
"Plenty of mediocrity in these 30,000 too. Frogs in every well. Guys strutting like kings now? Exam hits, and despair city. Toughen your mind. Don't cock it up and bawl."
"...Kid, you worrying or nagging? Pick one."
As that nameless candidate said, even after all the filtering, mediocrity abounded.
Eldest sons from parvenu families who'd bribed nobles for their shot, spoiled nobles deluded into thinking themselves true geniuses by family sycophants.
But they'd all wash out.
The current academy might lag behind its past glory, but it had never accepted the untalented.
Amid all this.
[Ah, can you hear my voice?]
A magic item—the megaphone recently favored even by the dean—boomed out to the 30,000-strong crowd.
When had she appeared up there?
A beautiful girl with purple hair that suited her perfectly stood on the podium.
[Pleased to meet you, candidates. I'm Karin Alesia de Guinevere, current Pendragon Royal Academy Student Council President. I'm one year your senior. If you enroll, I'll be your senior starting next year.]
"━."
Murmurs rippled through the crowd.
Guinevere.
Half the candidates overwhelmed by the name alone, half entranced by her beauty, the rest feeling awe or curiosity.
One thing clear: all eyes were on the girl.
[If you're wondering how a first-year got president: second- and third-years are busy building records, so first-years take over from second semester. Not much real power, but joining lets you network with professors, instructors, and promising cadets across departments. I recommend it if you get in.]
The girl seemed utterly at ease despite the 30,000 gazes.
Blessed with innate talent for speeches and politics, attention was child's play for her.
Thanks to that, she easily held their focus, steadily explaining and announcing key details.
[-The entrance exam begins at 9 a.m.]
[-Keep your ID and candidate certificate on you at all times. We'll check periodically to prevent proxies.]
[-Countless VIPs will visit to observe you juniors. Can't show embarrassing sides, right?]
[-Excel, and great territorial houses might scout you on the spot. Give it your all.]
Words brimming with dreams and hope.
Everyone knew it was flattery, but undeniable in stoking motivation.
And so.
[Finally, let me introduce the student council members assisting with the exam. Give them a big round of applause!]
With that, the Lady of Guinevere stepped down.
Explanations done; now introductions, then wrap-up.
The candidates weren't overly invested but planned to clap anyway.
They'd be helping out, after all. Naturally...-.
"------."
...But in the next instant, not a single candidate clapped.
Men and women alike simply gawked wide-eyed, staring blankly at the girl who appeared.
Tap, tap.
Wavy golden blonde hair and blue eyes like emeralds set into an emerald floor.
Skin smoother and purer than fine porcelain.
A mysterious aura and mana that defied description.
All of it left viewers utterly dazed.
"H-hello, I'm Irene Windler. E-everyone, exam, fi, fight hard."
─A fairy had appeared.
She was a being too beautiful for words; blank stares were inevitable.
'Must pass, no matter what!'
'Time to stake my life...!'
Over ninety percent of the candidates hardened their resolve in that instant.
A testament to the staggering power of beauty.
That determination became kindling, setting their wills ablaze.
They would enter this academy, come hell or high water!
If only to exchange a word with that senior!!
...Even as they steeled themselves.
[Oh, and the professor advising the student council has just arrived. Everyone, applaud...?]
For the first time, the poised Lady Guinevere faltered.
Her voice trembled noticeably.
Why? Then—
Boom!
The moment 'he' took the podium, her stunned reaction made perfect sense.
"-Professor Alfredo called in sick. So I'll fill in 'just for today'."
"......"
"Answer."
"Y-yes!"
Lady Karin Guinevere jumped like a fresh recruit, responding in a fluster.
Megaphone dropped and all...
And the man who reduced Lady Guinevere to trembling.
"What're you staring at-?"
[……….]
The instant his gaze swept over them, every last candidate averted their eyes.
His mere presence instilled terror in all: an overwhelming 'presence' and 'ferocity' beyond human, eyes 'glaring murderously'.
Why was a that could snap an orc or troll's spine prowling the academy!?
To the quaking crowd...
"By the way, fair warning: hope no candidates are the type to litter like trash. Especially 'glass'—self-report now. If I catch you later without confessing, it's spine... no, severe penalty that day."
[…….]
"Answer."
[Yes sir!!]
......The candidates' response was utterly sincere.
No one wanted a snapped spine, after all.
And then,
Drip, drip...
"......"
At the mention of 'glass', one woman broke into cold sweat, her pupils dilating in shock.
But as she cautiously glanced up, hoping it was coincidence...
"I'm watching."
...His gaze fixed on her seemed anything but mistaken.
Thus began the most orderly entrance exam in academy history—praised for the candidates' impeccable discipline and litter-free paths.