Entrance Exam (1)

The capital.

The first thought that hit me the moment I laid eyes on it was simple.

It's huge! Insanely huge!!

Crazy enormous!!!

By the standards of someone who'd spent the last year in a rural village, everything was overwhelming. The sheer number of people was different. The kinds of carriages rolling past were different. Unlike a village that had nothing but a small market and fields, this place was packed tight with shops and buildings as far as the eye could see.

I never even saw anything like this back in the Tower!

But something else seized my gaze more ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠thoroughly than the capital's scenery itself.

Astel Imperial Academy.

The absolute best educational institution in the empire. A place that had appeared countless times in the original novel — and yet reading about it and seeing it with my own eyes were two completely different things.

Buildings ringed by walls like a fortress. Towers thrusting high into the sky. And…

Wait. Why is there a tower over there?

For a second I nearly had a PTSD flashback.

Anyway.

I'd expected something roughly like this from the original, but this was less a school and more a small city in its own right.

"…Whoa."

Of course, that was as far as the sightseeing went.

I let out a light breath and walked alone toward the academy entrance. Geukwang had business in the capital, after all. Our traveling together had only lasted until yesterday. Right — time to go get registered.

A ten-year-old kid heading off alone to register… still funny no matter how many times I think about it. Nothing'll go wrong, right?

And then, just as expected, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠trouble started at the very first gate.

"Hold it."

A knight guarding the entrance raised a hand and blocked my path.

"Are you a student?"

"Yes."

I answered without flinching. The knight looked me up and down, then fell silent for a moment.

"…How old are you?"

"Fifteen."

No hesitation. The knight's eyebrows ticked upward.

"I'll ask again. How old did you say you were?"

"Fifteen."

Same answer. The knight stared at me for a long while. He was probably running through a dozen theories in his head.

Well, I get it. Anyone looking at me right now would see a ten-year-old brat. Which is exactly why Geukwang prepared something for me in advance.

"I'm here for the entrance exam."

I pulled the application form from my coat and held it out. The perfect forgery Geukwang had made for me!

The knight took it with a suspicious look and checked it over. Then his expression shifted into mild surprise.

"…It's real."

The documents clearly stated it. Lee Rowoon. Age fifteen. Not my real age, of course — but on paper, it was flawless.

"You're clear."

The knight let out a small sigh.

"These days young nobles pull all kinds of strange tricks."

"I'm a commoner, actually."

At that, the knight's mouth shut. His face twisted into something even harder to process.

"…That's even more surprising."

I just smiled like it was nothing. Done. First gate cleared.

I walked straight into the academy. The interior was vastly larger than it had looked from outside. Crowds of students streamed back and forth along the paths.

"What, you're taking the academy exam this year too?"

"Yeah, if I don't pass this time our family's finished. Father says he'll kill me for real…"

Some students strode past with swords in hand; others raced by clutching grimoires to their chests. Others laughed and chatted as they walked.

All of them. People gathered toward this place called the academy. I watched them for a moment and smiled faintly. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad. Honestly, I was a little excited.

Following the signboards, the entrance exam registration desk was easy enough to find. A long line of people stretched out in front of it. Most of them looked far older than me. Well, that was only natural.

The registration process itself was simpler than expected.

Name confirmation. Faculty application check. Exam hall directions.

Finally, the clerk reviewing the papers spoke up.

"Student Lee Rowoon."

"Yes."

"You're applying to the Combat Faculty, correct?"

"Yes."

The clerk looked at the documents one more time.

"Age… fifteen?"

"Is there a problem?"

"You look much younger, that's all."

And then the clerk scrutinized my face with open skepticism.

"Ah."

The receptionist nodded as if something had clicked.

"You're from a commoner background."

"Excuse me?"

"Sometimes growth runs a bit slow in those cases."

Ah. So that's the direction they went with. If they want to misunderstand it that way, I'll take it with thanks.

Either way, registration was done. I took the guide slip and stepped back outside.

At last. The academy entrance exam.

The first stage was about to begin.

The written test… eh, it'll work itself out somehow, right? My original age was twenty-three, after all. It's just a fifteen-year-old academy exam.

As for the practical, I'll just do decently enough.

The announcement rang out across the grounds. I slipped the application form into my pocket and stood.

"All right. Let's go."

The Astel Imperial Academy entrance exam. First gate. The written test was about to begin.

"…So, did you do well on the written exam, you know?"

"Did you do well, you knooow~"

"Don't copy me, you know!!"

Smack!

"Ow."

The written exam had just ended, and there was still a little time left before the practical. I was currently sitting on one side of the cafeteria, eating with Geukwang, who had an awareness-dampening artifact on. Apparently too many people here would recognize her otherwise.

For the record: I had spectacularly bombed the written test.

I'd known the original novel's content. It was only a fifteen-year-old-level academy exam. And then the moment I got the test paper, I realized something.

I'd completely forgotten that in my original world, I only finished elementary school. I awakened while I was still in middle school, so… yeah.

But it was fine. The academy wasn't a place that only looked at brains. Especially in the Combat Faculty, the practical carried far more weight than the written. And when it came to practicals, I was confident.

More importantly—

"Nom nom… so good, you know."

Why is this person even here?

I stared at Geukwang across the table, stuffing food into her mouth until her cheeks puffed out like balloons.

"But why are you here?"

Coming to the capital together because she had business made sense. Following me all the way to the exam grounds? ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I hadn't seen that coming. Didn't she say she was busy? Weren't we supposed to split up in the capital?

Geukwang chewed with her mouth full, then declared proudly,

"Heh heh! I've been appointed as the martial arts professor at the academy this time, you know!"

"…What?"

"I was worried you'd cause trouble, and I figured I'd keep an eye on those demon scum while I was at it, you know!"

She paused just long enough to take another huge bite of bread.

"And I wanted to try being a professor once, you know!"

"…That's the real reason, isn't it."

"Caught me, you know!"

This woman. She'd been a pure force of nature the whole time.

Wait — but if that was the case…

A Four Sovereign. Meaning Geukwang, one of the strongest beings in the world, was treated on roughly the same level as the emperor himself.

A Four Sovereign as a professor? Then what did that make the headmaster? The job of managing the world's strongest person?

Oh, damn. That means the headmaster is her boss.

What a train wreck of a title that sounds like. Hang in there, Headmaster!

Anyway, the practical exam content was simple. Fight a combat golem prepared by the academy. Keep going until either the golem went down or the examinee was no longer able to fight.

Even if someone got badly hurt, there was nothing to worry about. The empire's finest priests and healers were all standing by.

In short, this practical was designed to evaluate an examinee's real combat ability, precise mana control, and split-second judgment under pressure — all at once.

— or so the description claimed.

Not that I really cared.

The combat golems used by the academy were different from ordinary magic dolls. Special alloy frames inscribed with countless magic formulas. And even an AI-type spell that changed fighting style based on the opponent's movements!

In other words: dedicated weapons built specifically to evaluate first-years.

"They built these better than I expected."

I read through the practical exam guide with genuine admiration. At this level, they were smarter than most of the golems I'd run into in the Tower.

Anyway. The written was a wash. That meant I had to make it up on the practical. Overwhelmingly.

A middling high score? Not good enough.

There was only one goal.

Top rank. Absolutely top of the class.

Because I wanted to see it!! The exact moment Isabelle's face locked up when she saw me!!

'Rowoon… why are you here?'

She'd definitely make that face.

Just imagining it made me grin. Standing there boldly in front of hundreds of new students, with the professors watching. And right up front — my frozen older sister.

Perfect. I couldn't pass this up.

"Heh heh…"

A laugh slipped out before I could stop it. I never thought I'd actually get to use this one day.

That "dead-serious ultimate technique" series I'd seen in some manga. Was the moment finally here…?

And then—

As the announcement rolled through the entire academy, the atmosphere inside the cafeteria shifted.

The lively space from moments ago filled instantly with tension.

Examinees began rising from their seats one by one. Some checked magic formulas one last time. Some rested a hand on a sword hilt and quietly steadied their breathing. Some exchanged short, nervous words with friends.

It was a critical moment for all of them.

I watched them for a beat, then slowly stood. And lightly clenched my fist.

All right. Just wait, golem. Starting today, you're pancake batter.

"Nom nom… ah, right, you know!"

At that moment, Geukwang hurriedly called me from behind.

"Rowoon!"

"Yes?"

I turned my head.

Geukwang had stuffed the last piece of bread into her mouth and was wearing a deadly serious expression.

"Keep it moderate, you know!"

"Really moderate!"

But with her cheeks ballooned out like that, there was absolutely no ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠dignity to it. I snorted and gave her a thumbs-up.

"Don't worry."

"…"

Geukwang looked at my face and sighed.

"…That expression is the most worrying part, you know."

Well. Either way.

Astel Imperial Academy practical exam.

Lee Rowoon, deploying.