The Final Exam is Over
“Huuu…”
Lavrenti bathed with the utmost solemnity, buttoning each shirt button one by one with a resolute will.
“…”
She glanced at the desk. The traces of the fierce battle that had raged until yesterday, no, until this very morning, remained intact.
The despairing time she had spent sitting there returned vividly, as if it had happened yesterday. She had done her absolute best to somehow overcome it, but the midterm exam had mercilessly crushed her.
After that, she had lain in bed for a long time in shock. With such a pathetic result, how was she supposed to stand before Master? Self-reproach welled up inside her.
If she were to be expelled for failing to meet the required grades, what then? How could she face Master with such a face? Only a miserable future stretched out in Lavrenti’s mind.
‘But this time will be different. It will be different. No, it has to be different!’
She clenched both fists and stared at the notebook lying beside the desk. This was the decisive reason Lavrenti had been able to keep her courage.
This was the thing Karl, her eternal master and the man she admired, had given up for Lavrenti herself. The key to victory, the aiming line for hitting the target.
If she lost the battle even after receiving this, it would be a stain on the Empire’s army. Someone who had fought in the war with Karl and received medals for it! It was unthinkable!
Bang bang!—
“Ah, when are you coming out?! If this drags on, the test time will be up! Hurry up, Lav!”
“Um, Eloise. Aren’t you being too noisy?”
“Noisy? It’s more than ten minutes late compared to usual!”
Eloise, who had been unable to bear Lavrenti’s bath, knocked on the door. Lepia, who had been standing beside her, could not hide her impatience as time slipped away.
It was a pity. They had to accept the aesthetics of waiting as the Empire’s sharpshooter. Since neither of them had that experience, even a moment of waiting felt like waiting to them.
Lavrenti muttered this only in her mind (if she had spoken it aloud, Eloise would have reacted), opened the door wide, and joined the comrades waiting outside.
“What are you doing that’s making you so late?”
“There was something like that. Stop being noisy, Eloise.”
“It’s because it’s the day of the exam! Do you want me to be noisy too!”
“Um, you two. Shouldn’t you go quickly? You’ll really be late.”
The reason Eloise and Lavrenti had been with Lepia was, of course, surveillance and guarding.
But now, though I didn’t know the exact reason, they had truly become friends. As soon as they submitted their opinions like this, the other two women accepted it with “maybe.”
“So. How are you feeling about this exam?”
“Yes. I’m confident this time.”
“Oh, what? Where did that confidence come from that looks like you got some connection?”
It wasn’t connection, it was being loved. Eloise, you can’t even dream of such a great love.
A thought popped up that she wanted to brag, but Lavrenti, as a sharpshooter, held it back again.
If she mentioned that here, this elf would likely make Karl tired. And Lepia, pretending not to, might use some trick to get into Karl’s arms.
There is no eternal enemy. However, there is no eternal ally either. If there is something eternal, it is simply repeating between the two. Lavrenti engraved this deeply in her heart.
“Um, Eloise. Are you confident about this exam? I heard that this exam is said to be more difficult than the midterm.”
“What? Lepia. Are you scared? Aigoo, our princess has surrendered to the final exam! It’s truly pitiful!”
“I’m not scared! And don’t use the title of princess!”
“I apologize, Your Highness!”
If Karl had seen this scene, what would he have said? Would he have laughed saying they were close? Or would he have worried that Eloise was being too playful?
“Junior.”
The three women turned their heads at the familiar voice. There, Selena was standing, unlike usual, in quite neat attire, holding something beautiful in her arms.
“It’s the final exam season, isn’t it? You all seem really excited.”
“Ah, yes! That’s right, Senior Selena!”
“…You don’t have to be so pumped up, Lepia junior.”
This was the first meeting. Or perhaps because she had asked too directly about how Karl’s arms were. Or, perhaps instinctively, she realized ‘Ah, this woman is the main wife.’
Since the first meeting, Lepia had bowed her head to Selena thoroughly.
“Hello. Senior Selena. Are you going to supervise the exam?”
“Yes. Lav. The professor asked me to come, so today and tomorrow are like that.”
“Is it okay? Senior Selena. If the professor keeps bothering you, tell Karl! Yeah!”
“I’ll just endure it. Eloise. The professor didn’t do anything weird.”
I wonder if even if the professor treats grad students like slaves, he wouldn’t do that to her.
Even if he did, Selena didn’t want to tell Karl about it. If a Medal of Honor recipient moves for such a reason, it might damage Karl’s honor unnecessarily.
“Still, just tell me. Yeah. Senior Selena. If you keep bothering, I’ll do a quick sweep!”
Is it really a quick sweep? It’s scary. Not just an elf, but someone with experience as a special forces commander.
I must not tell anyone about this, especially not this woman. Selena nodded and said ‘Okay. Let’s go quickly. We’ll be late.’ and led the three female students.
“So. Lav. You should be able to do well this time, right?”
“Don’t worry about me. Elf.”
“Hah. Only when it’s exam time do you get so sensitive. What to do?! Last time and this time too, I should be in the top ranks of the exam results!?”
“This time it will be different. It will be different!”
Lepia interrupted in between ‘Yes. It will be different. So, let’s stop that!’ and Selena had realistic worries ‘I wonder if Lav really does well in the exam.’
The four women were noisy but anyway, they were doing well.
*
Suddenly, this thought comes to me. What kind of human will I be recorded as in the future? What kind of explanation will ‘Karl Adelheit’ receive in the Empire’s history.
The first thing that comes to mind is, of course, ‘a crazy guy who received the Medal of Honor twice, something that is hard to receive even once.’
The Medal of Honor from the previous life memory or this world’s Medal of Honor. In the end, stepping over the threshold of the afterlife, one has to meet the King of Hell and barely return to receive the item.
With ordinary achievements, you can’t even get on the candidate list. Even if you do, in the war category, there’s a very high probability of cutting it with ‘Ah, this can be covered with the Military Merit Medal.’
I received such a medal not once but twice. Honestly, both the first and the second, I wonder if this is something worthy of receiving the Medal of Honor, but what can I do.
In the war category and in the imperial court, ‘receive it.’ If I don’t receive it quickly, it feels like committing a great sin.
Next, … well, there are various things. Or the first Empire person who gave the medal to the arrogant elves themselves. Or the one who carried the sword that the 12 knights of Lasker had.
Ah. It turns out that when I split the rock, I retrieved the lost divine object of the church. Add this too.
‘Up to here, and then… um. As expected, it was that.’
The guy who kept coming in and out of the Crown Prince’s palace since he was a young noble family member. Yes, it seems like it will be recorded that way.
Actually, today too, the Crown Prince is asking for a meeting and stamping his attendance at the Crown Prince’s palace.
I am grateful anew that I didn’t get the TS beam. If I had, the news that the Crown Prince secretly loves a noble daughter would have spread throughout the Empire.
“Are you here, brother-in-law?”
Polite, the Crown Prince invites me to sit.
Although now it’s family, I’m worried that we treat each other too casually.
The imperial court should remain a place where everyone respects and looks at you without bowing their heads. If it becomes like this, probably—
“The final exam. Did you do well?”
“…It’s suddenly about the exam, it’s abrupt.”
“But the final exam has just ended, hasn’t it.”
Cruel brother-in-law. Asking ‘did you do well in the exam?’ in front of someone who just finished the exam. Isn’t this prohibited by the Geneva Convention! …No. Correct. No.
“The world is covered with snow-white eyes, and everyone gathered to send the New Year greeting ceremony was just like yesterday. Spring is almost over and summer has come.”
“The weather has gotten quite warm. The wind is hot too.”
“Time passes so fast. Brother-in-law.”
Haha. The Crown Prince laughs so much, what is so good about it. Actually, I roughly know what’s good. Actually, I heard the news from Father yesterday.
“I apologize.”
“Um?”
“The Crown Princess has held an audience.”
“It seems the father-in-law told you. It was supposed to be officially announced tomorrow.”
Audience. Yes. My sister finally got pregnant. Although it’s small and fragile, not even worthy of calling it life, but it’s definitely my nephew. A nephew has just been born into the world!
“I mean, brother-in-law. I hope it’s a daughter who looks like the Crown Princess.”
“If it’s a princess who inherits the Crown Prince’s insight and the Crown Princess’s beauty, I would be happy too.”
“As expected? Yes. So, please take care of it well.”
“Your Highness?”
What am I supposed to take care of? Blinking, the Crown Prince looks at me with eyes that say ‘asking the obvious.’
“You’re going to the Holy See soon, aren’t you. You.”
“…Ah.”
“If there’s time there, please offer a prayer to the Light. I offer it every day too, but still, your prayer would be a bit clearer.”
I realize anew that the Crown Prince. My brother-in-law must be waiting for his daughter a lot.
More than that… I see. I forgot about the final exam because it was so hard.
Soon, I will receive the official invitation from the church and visit the Holy Land for the Great Feast of All Saints.
‘Please. This time, please don’t let anything happen. Please!’
Since Schlippen said ‘I heard your name will come out as a medal!’ I have had nightmares several times.
Everyone! The recipient of Karl Adelheit’s medal is, right! Karl Adelheit!! Ooooh! I must have had about nine dreams of roughly this content.
Damn. My name as a medal, I receive it myself. Where else is there a stronger eternal shackle than that!