The Day Before the Entrance Exam (2)

I walked along the mountain path with Artina Academy in sight. There was no need to worry about getting lost. The mountain I was traversing was none other than Masa, famous among mages. It had the perfect mana density, grew all sorts of medicinal herbs and experimental plants, spawned practice dungeons on its own, and was teeming with fluid spirits. It possessed every condition imaginable to win the hearts of mages. That's why the Magic Tower affiliated with Artina Academy had invested no small budget into paving these roads. Even among the common folk, rumors about Masa were well-known: "All paths in Masa lead to Artina Academy."

Right now, the hundreds of forks in the road must be filling up with people heading to take the entrance exam. "Already night?" I gazed up at the darkening sky. The sun was dipping low, and the moon was rising. With the march dragging on, I didn't have much to do. I just walked while observing the natural surroundings and sky, rested while listening to the chirping of grasshoppers, and precisely gauged the distance to Artina Academy.

My trait, Clairvoyance. It fed me all sorts of miscellaneous info. It seemed to float whatever I was curious about in the air. But I didn't even need it to tell me the distance—the glowing Artina Academy buildings were right in front of my nose. The paths were starting to converge into one, too.

"Not much farther now."

1km was a distance I could cover without stopping. I pressed on steadily. Clatter-clatter. A few carriages passed by my side, and the area grew bustling. And the little guy I'd given a ride on my shoulder still hadn't left.

Chirp! Chirp!

"You can come this far, huh?"

The bird cried out. I'd shared a bit of food with it, and it'd followed me ever since. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Even when I said I had no more... Ignoring its pitiful peeps, I looked ahead. Before I knew it, I'd reached the academy entrance.

The nameplate blazed brilliantly. Carriages stamped with family crests were parked, and people strolled the streets laughing ha-ha-ho-ho. This was the place where the world's talents gathered—the main stage of the game.

<Artina Academy>

Seeing it in person left quite the lingering impression. I scanned around just in case any main characters were nearby, but none were.

"I know where to go."

My stomach was growling, but registration came first. The nobles had probably sent letters ahead and skipped the first exam, but I had no such luxury. Having fallen from a count's family, I was no different from a commoner now.

"Entrance exam registrants, this way~!"

Helpfully, there was a sign and a line of people. I hurried over and finished registering. With that, my primary plan was cleared.

I mentally scratched out the "Participate in Artina entrance exam" item with white chalk. Yay, exciting.

"My ass."

Once the urgent task was done, the fog in my head cleared, and my predicament hit home. I was left standing alone in the middle of the roadside. After paying the exam fee, I had no silver left, and I'd scarfed down my bread on the way. The surrounding shops glowed with warm light, and people chattered away like they owned the world. It was a different ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠universe from mine. Poor little chirpy.

"......"

I quietly slipped out the main gate. As the saying goes, victors walk differently from the start.

"Time to find that hidden piece."

A spot only I knew about. My future home. I headed into the darkening Masa.

Suddenly, my shoulder felt empty. I glanced aside—no bird. It must've flown off to find a nest. It was too far from here, but I hoped it was doing well. I was planning to head that way anyway.

"If I'm lucky, we'll meet again."

Here's to our reunion.

Late evening. In front of Artina's main gate.

The coachman and escorts bowed deeply to a girl. She waved them off, but it didn't work.

"We're truly sorry."

"Nooo~! It's fiiiine~!"

"No, we insist. For this incident, our Adventurer's Guild won't take the fee."

They'd arrived later than promised and even put her life in danger. The escorts recited the protocol for mission failure and offered a marked token.

"Here's your proof. As the client, you have the right to compensation from the Adventurer's Guild. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Head to the Artina Academy branch, and you'll receive fair recompense."

"Yes, thank you! Take care!"

The guild folks seemed intent on groveling on the ground. Lumina, finding the situation burdensome, fled into Artina Academy.

"Whew, I said it's really okay. Right, guys?"

She'd wandered into the garden. Sitting on a nearby bench, Lumina set down her wooden carrier as big as herself. The area was filled with colorful spirits.

"Haha, even if you say that..."

The fluid spirits peeped indignantly on her behalf. To the embarrassed Lumina, the upper wind spirit Gail finally spoke up.

"Really...?"

Gail stated it definitively. The wind in tiger form rippled largely, as if nodding. At the rank of upper spirit, he was a scholar who'd spent centuries in the human world, and among the humans he'd seen, "nobles" were exactly that sort. Except for Lumina.

She was humble and approachable despite her nobility, and she loved humans. That was why she earned the spirits' affection.

Blushing, Lumina twirled her hair and played it cool. "Whatevs. They have their ways, and I have mine, right? Let's think positive! And Gail, didn't you say we don't need to repay that guy?"

He'd opposed it because it wasn't clear if that man had helped, and using it as an excuse might lead to excessive demands. Ideal mutual aid was rare in this world. Best to treat it like a fated encounter—but this positive girl wanted to repay him personally.

So he brought out the facts. "That demon definitely had light element left, right? If that guy wields light element, doesn't it fit?"

Easily seen through. Lumina made a clever face and wagged her finger. Gail sighed in defeat.

"Right? Good boy, Gail. You know when to lose."

"Uh-huh, sure~"

"But there's a chance~"

A gust ruffled Lumina's hair grumpily. The breezes that had been swirling around quieted down.

"Huh? Where'd the wind go all of a sudden?"

"Yeah, it got chilly—nice."

"Straight to round two like this?"

"Sounds good!"

Passersby huddling against the chill wondered aloud. Lumina stood up, brushed off her skirt, and muttered, "Did it leave? Guys, shall we go register now?"

Upper spirits influenced nature just by existing. Gail was one such, and she knew he'd carved out busy time to accompany her. Though he sulked too often...

Lumina headed straight to registration and quickly confirmed her participation in the Artina Academy entrance exam. They informed her of the time and place for round two. Bowing politely, she stepped outside.

"Prune Inn, was it?"

Her reserved lodging was pretty far. As she walked there, she thought about the man she'd discussed with Gail earlier.

"He seemed like a fun guy."

She'd never met him, but Lumina knew. While heading to Artina Academy, she'd synced vision with Prine. It was only brief—hard to maintain manifestation long—but he was definitely unique. Sitting despondently on a rock one moment, recovered the next. Sharing his last bread thinking Prine was an animal, chatting away, even answering himself. Benefactor or not, she wanted to befriend him.

"He was probably here for the entrance exam too, right?"

His destination was Artina Academy. Gathering here at this time meant that much. If he enrolled, she'd make friends. Benefactor or just a good pal, either way.

"Let's see how far he's gotten...?"

He was still in the mountains. Crossing lofty Masa on foot was reckless. Most took carriages via the fastest route.

"Huh...?"

Lumina synced with Prine. But the surroundings looked familiar. Artina Academy. Right in front of the registration desk she'd just left. He'd arrived already.

Standing on the registration street meant he was a participant. Lumina got excited.

"Shall I go say hi~?"

She hurried over, planning a greeting. But the distance didn't close easily. Checking via Prine, he was heading somewhere.

"What? To an inn? Nah..."

Judging by direction, outside Artina Academy. No inns out there, as far as she knew—hard to get protection from the academy police outpost. So, camping or some other reason.

Watching him enter Masa, Lumina's eyes sparkled.