Chapter 3: Entrance with Fiancé (1)
Märchen Academy.
The Empire's highest educational institution, and one of the top academies on the continent. It was particularly renowned for producing many Sword Saints, earning it the title of 'Hero Academy'.
There was one academy in the kingdom that rivaled Märchen Academy, but because Märchen had produced so many outstanding individuals—Sword Saints, Heroes, Great Sages, Iron Men—and had a track record of excellence, most people outside the kingdom's academy alumni ranked it above even the kingdom's academy.
Given this atmosphere, Märchen Academy was said to have half of one's life as a success just by entering. And today, the academy was conducting its entrance exam.
Despite its reputation as the continent's best, even after passing the initial document screening, the academy was still bustling with applicants. Despite warnings that those who didn't follow the instructions would be disqualified, the chaos hadn't settled.
The heat of the crowd filled the air. Even though the weather today was relatively cool, it was still sweltering. The only saving grace was that there were women present, making it slightly less suffocating than if only men were there.
But even so, before the heat, women or men were invisible.
As the stress between applicants and the guides controlling them continued to build, a new applicant's appearance suddenly relaxed the tense atmosphere.
The men staring at the woman who had appeared at the academy let out a silent sigh of admiration.
"Wow."
She was dignified, noble, and pure.
If one were to imagine the ideal knight's aura, it would be a blonde woman.
With every step she took, a sharp, intimidating presence radiated from her, as if her sword had been honed to a razor edge. One of the waiting applicants unconsciously gave up his spot due to that intimidation.
The woman stopped abruptly in place. Perhaps she was about to scold the applicant who had stepped aside, but the words that came out from her were the complete opposite.
It was a polite tone, as if the sharpness she had shown moments ago had been a misunderstanding.
"No need to step aside. I too have come here as a fellow applicant like you."
"Yes, yes!"
A man watching the blonde applicant blankly recalled her name.
"Someone said it was the eldest daughter of the famous Reinhardt family."
"Reinhardt? The Reinhardt family has only one, right?"
"It's the ducal family that has produced heroes for generations."
"Ah, then?"
"The name is Liath Reinhardt. The only child and eldest daughter of the Reinhardt family. It's said that her talent is so great that she'll be called one of the top hero candidates this time. And rumor has it that the Sword Saint's recognition is her talent."
"The Sword Saint who is famous for not giving compliments?"
"Yes! Unless something unexpected happens, this year's top scorer in the entrance exam will definitely be her. Wow, if I pass, I'll be classmates with someone like that? No, even if I fail, just meeting her would be enough..."
"Hey! Snap out of it! If you've come this far, you have to take the exam! If you don't take it and get disqualified, what am I supposed to explain to Uncle Hans! James!!"
...There was commotion from the side, but Liath didn't care at all. As they said, unless something unexpected happened, she would definitely take first place, and this kind of attention was something she had experienced since long ago, so she was used to it.
Liath, as a hero candidate, smiled at the applicants she faced and waited for the line to shorten. About 10 minutes later, she doubted her ears at the name called.
"We will proceed as follows, Mr. Patrick Chevalier."
"Understood."
Hearing the name Patrick Chevalier again, Liath reflexively turned her head. There, a man with familiar blue hair was finishing his registration.
'Why?'
Patrick Chevalier, Liath Reinhardt's fiancé, was there. She had no time to feel joy at meeting her fiancé after 5 years.
No, rather, anger welled up.
Of course.
That fool of a fiancé had disappeared 5 years ago after saying the worst words. Instead, she should praise her for not chasing after him and cursing him out. She suppressed the boiling anger and cooled her head.
Soon, she decided to ignore him.
Patrick Chevalier might have been a genius who surpassed her in the past, but now he clearly wasn't. His vessel was too unstable to fully display his talent.
So, he would definitely fail midway without even trying.
That was the only way.
"Minotaur problem, half human half beast. They are actually gentler than you think."
"Why do they go berserk and attack humans?"
"They're harmless if you don't touch them, but if you provoke them during a fight, they'll fight like their parents. You keep provoking them every day thinking they're just meat, so why don't they go berserk and endure?"
"Human error."
"You all think monsters are always aggressive. That prejudice..."
Patrick Chevalier finished note-taking while chatting with Barbatos. He didn't think his score would be bad. There was a blatant cheating paper right next to him, so if he didn't get full marks, that would be worse.
It was technically illegal, but the structure made it impossible to get caught, so was it safe? He thought that.
"So, what's the relationship between that blonde woman and you? From the registration desk, she's been glaring at the contractor with eyes that could pierce through. Is she an old girlfriend?"
"Positions are similar."
"Oh? So you know each other, meaning you know her."
"True, she's been staring with such intense emotions, so it's stranger if there's no relationship. Tell me the relationship, contractor."
Barbatos deliberately pressed her voluptuous body against Patrick's and asked. Since she was in spiritual form, no physical sensation was felt, but visual violence was clear.
Patrick slightly turned his gaze and continued.
"She said she's my fiancé. Other than that, I don't know. It's not important right now."
"How can it not be important between a man and a woman. Relationships between the sexes are interesting regardless of species!"
"...Where did the charisma of the ancient demon I saw at the beginning go?"
"Contractor, that's too harsh a word. You should experience being chained in one place for thousands of years. Leaving aside losing power, you start wanting to die from the boring daily life."
"So, you're saying you want to fill that boredom for me."
"You didn't give me 4 years of leeway? Understand this much."
"...Haa."
"Hmm, but is it okay? Notes are definitely full marks, but didn't you get the lowest grade in mana and body? Then the plan to enter as top and reap the emotions would fall apart, right?"
"About the measurement before the written exam."
A reasonable question. As Barbatos said, if they took the practical exam like this, they wouldn't get a good score. But he didn't particularly worry.
"No need to worry. Mana and body aren't that important anyway. I have enough confidence to take first place."
"But even if you take first, the lowest grade will drag you down, right?"
"After all, it's just a numerical value for grades. The main evaluation of the entrance exam is 90% written and practical. The grade values are just for reference."
"Hmm, if you say that much, I won't interfere anymore. But I have one promise."
"What?"
"Make sure the contractor of this seat isn't ignored."
Patrick chuckled.
"Obviously."
Eventually, they moved their feet to the training ground. There, a middle-aged man and several others were present. Judging by their clothing, the middle-aged man was a professor, and the others seemed to be assistants or instructors for the exam.
The man who recognized the middle-aged man among the applicants was in a frenzy.
"Professor Moriart! The professor who trained the Sword Saint! As expected from the Empire's academy! They even hired a top-class professor?!"
"Hey, stop making a fuss and be quiet, James. You're seeing it all."
A voice from somewhere said "Again, James" but ignored.
The professor observed the applicants and spoke.
"I will skip self-introductions. Let's move on to the main topic and explain the content of the practical exam. There will be signs next to the instructors in front of you."
As the professor said, there were signs next to the instructors. The unusual point was that the same pattern as the grade received during the measurement was written.
"Anyone with a sharp eye would have noticed already, but this pattern is the grade received during the measurement today. The instructors will use mana and techniques appropriate for each grade to spar with you. And regardless of win or loss, scores will be given based on the sparring content."
At this moment, a woman raised her hand.
It was Liath Reinhardt.
"Question."
"Will we fight against an instructor with a higher grade than the measured one?"
"There will be bonus points. However, without that handicap, you might not be able to show anything and have a high chance of failing."
In other words, high risk, high return.
"Finally, I have one more question."
"What?"
"Will the professor also be a sparring target?"
"Yes."
With the affirmative answer, the surroundings became noisy.
"Quiet. All explanations are finished, so we will start the exam now. Line up in front of the instructors you will spar with."
Following the professor's words, the applicants approached the instructors suitable for them. Those confident in their skills went to instructors higher than their grade, but their number was few.
After 5 minutes, all but two applicants seemed to have decided.
The professor asked the applicant who hadn't moved yet.
"Are you still thinking?"
"No."
"No."
The answers of the two made the instructors and applicants stare. The professor stroked his stubble and asked.
"Then, are you going to spar with me?"
Both nodded.
"I expected one, but the other is surprising."
The professor really thought so.
Liath Reinhardt had expected it because she had heard many stories. But the blue-haired man had heard nothing, seen nothing. He had only confirmed the measurement results with the instructor.
Based on the results, it was a number that even the lowest grade F couldn't pass.
'Even so, he's going to spar. Is it confidence, or recklessness, or ignorance of the subject?'
The woman also thought the same and glared at the man with suspicious eyes.
"Is there a grade limit for applying?"
"No, there isn't. It's your choice, so there's no need to restrict it."
"Then, there's no problem applying, right."
"Good. Then, will the two of you team up to fight together? Or will you fight one-on-one?"
The two's answers conflicted.
"Together."
"Separately."
Liath's gaze turned to Patrick again.
Patrick said once more.
"I will do one-on-one, professor."