16. Special Entrance Exam
16. Special Entrance Exam
Even after the meal ended, there were still 40 minutes left, so I was going to take a walk to digest. But Eurasia's attention went straight to dessert, and I ended up sitting down too.
"Whoa. My lady, this is so good."
She was eating strawberry pound cake, brownies, madeleines, crepes, macarons, croissants, and more.
I was drinking coffee with milk.
I drink over 1 liter of milk a day, so why am I not getting taller?
Slurp—
Well, at least my bones are getting stronger, right?
Gulp—
"Wow... My lady, look at this. This line next to the macaron. They say this is a really difficult technique, but this one came out as pretty as real lace!"
"That's neat."
I had no idea where or how to look at it to see lace, but if I didn't answer like that, she'd obviously pester me. So I just nodded.
"Plus, the filling inside is just right. It's just sweet enough and just tart enough. It's so good!"
"Sure. Eat up."
"Are you really not going to have any, my lady?"
"Yeah. I don't like things that are too sweet."
Candy, sure—I'll count it as a cigarette substitute. But cake, macarons, and other overly sweet things don't really appeal to me.
Not that I've ever tried them. But since my current palate is similar to my Past Life's, I can tell without even tasting them.
"Mmm."
After that, Eurasia, who had been watching me for a while, split a macaron smaller than her palm in half and held it out to me.
"Here, my lady. Have half too."
"Pass. It's already small, so why split it? If you want more, we can just order extra. You eat the whole thing."
"Aw. But sharing it like this makes it way tastier. Come on."
Seeing Eurasia grinning goofily while dribbling macaron crumbs right in front of me, I couldn't refuse no matter what.
"...Fine. Let's give it a try."
So this is why they say you can't spit on a smiling face?
But back in the day, I had no problem calling a smiling Arisa a chimpanzee. Ah—maybe that didn't bother her because it wasn't an insult. Just a fact.
Looking at the crumpled macaron in my hand, I thought it over again. But it really did seem like Arisa was the one person I could do that to without feeling anything.
Luna and Paulo never smiled in the first place, so there was never a chance. And Kaloso—I cussed out that bastard to his smiling face just fine. I even hit him once.
Tsk. I should've killed him then.
I clicked my tongue inwardly and popped the macaron into my mouth.
...It didn't pop in cleanly. Macaron crumbs smeared all around my lips.
And then I chewed—nom nom.
Oh, this.
Surprisingly.
It's good?
"It's good, right?"
"No?"
"Liar! My lady, your expression totally relaxed!"
At Eurasia's words, I felt around my mouth. Macaron crumbs came off on my fingers, and my lips were still moving as I chewed.
It didn't seem relaxed to me.
"How is it? How is it? It's okay, right? It's tasty, right?"
"...It's passable."
The outside... this crispy-chewy shell is sweet. And the inside—what's it called again. Anyway, the jam-like stuff is tangy.
It's not too much, not too little. Just right. So, like Eurasia said, it's... good.
Maybe it's because I never got to eat stuff like this in my Past Life. I didn't know it would suit my taste.
Well, macarons or whatever—desserts flavored with sugar like this were all luxury goods and rare, so there was no way for me to know.
Still, I don't want to make a habit of eating them. Why would I enjoy eating something that's for girls?
Peppermint candy and scorched-rice-flavored candy are enough for me.
"Here, my lady. This time it's strawberry."
First, I ate the half she'd already split.
Nom nom nom.
Chewing the macaron that resembled my hair color, I looked around.
I saw examinees picking at their food with gloomy faces as if they were holding a memorial service. I also saw examinees happily stuffing themselves with expressions that screamed they were sure they'd passed.
And then there were examinees like us, leisurely eating dessert.
The navy-hooded girl who took the written exam in the same classroom as me—the one who kept glancing between her wallet and the kiosk before finally turning away—...what's with that pitiful sight?
"Eurasia. How much is a meal here?"
"Hmm... It depends on the menu. But on average, I'd say about 5,000 sel."
"What's the cheapest thing?"
"Uh... 500 sel?"
"That's what you were going to eat, isn't it?"
"...Yes. Hehe."
"What do you get for that?"
Glancing back and forth between my face and the half-eaten cake, Eurasia cautiously opened her mouth.
"Wh-Whole wheat bread and... milk."
"You—no. Haa... From now on, I'll buy your meals, so don't even look at that stuff."
"But that whole wheat bread is actually—"
"I won't say it twice. If you don't want to eat whole wheat bread through your nose, listen to me."
"Yees..."
Anyway.
When I looked around the market, partly to gauge the state of the Imperial Capital, an ordinary meal usually cost around 9,000 sel.
The Academy was cheaper at 5,000 sel.
And the whole wheat bread I'd eaten until I was sick of it 400 years ago was 500 sel.
Judging by how she was checking her wallet, she didn't seem broke. It looked more like she passed on it because she thought it was a waste of money.
From the material of her hood and that distinctly sharp glare, she's obviously noble-born.
Does she not even have 5,000 sel? How is she going to handle tuition here? A scholarship?
As I watched the girl trudge pitifully out of the dining hall, mulling over this and that, Eurasia set down her fork and spoke carefully.
"Um... I picked something too expensive, didn't I...? F-From now on—"
"I know it's not that. Stop worrying and eat."
"Mmm..."
Eurasia didn't say anything, but the little sound leaking through her teeth said everything.
She couldn't eat because she felt too self-conscious.
Left with no choice, I picked up my fork too.
"Hehe..."
Only then did Eurasia start eating her frappe with the same expression as before.
I wondered what to eat, then popped a brownie into my mouth—nom.
At the same time, my eyes met the navy-hooded girl's.
She looked back and forth between my eyes and the many desserts on the table, gulped, and then quickly walked away.
When she looked at me, she was completely rude. But when she looked at the desserts, she was more tender than anyone.
The more she acts like that, the more I want to mess with her.
*****
"...My lady, did you get into some kind of trouble?"
While I was eating dessert with Eurasia,
Professor Arkand came looking for me.
Then she said the Dean was looking for me and asked me to go to the dean's office.
So now Eurasia and I packed up the desserts we hadn't touched and headed for the dean's office.
"What are you talking about? Why would I get into trouble?"
"But... why would the Dean want to see you, my lady...?"
"I don't know either."
Maybe they suspect me of copying someone because my written exam answers were too perfect?
Tch... That would be a pain.
Well, it's a reasonable suspicion.
After all, answers like that could never come from the level of some brat applying to the Academy.
Still, they've got some nerve suspecting me.
"Heh."
Grinning, I bit into the macaron in my hand with a chomp.
How are they going to ask me to prove it?
They'll probably ask me on the spot.
How to subjugate Monsters. Demon weaknesses. Stuff like that.
Doesn't matter.
Because I know how to take them down by weapon, by magic, and even with my bare hands.
Thinking about this and that, I chewed the macaron.
Arkand watched me with a very worried expression.
So did Eurasia.
Just like that, we arrived in front of the dean's office.
Professor Arkand and Eurasia said they would wait outside, so I shoved the macaron in my hand into my mouth in one bite and went in alone.
Inside, there was an old man with neatly grayed white hair.
Just from his eyes and face, he looked like he had a sign stuck on him that read, "I'm a good person."
He didn't seem like someone who chased money and power.
Seems like a decent man.
"Ah, you've come. It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Sedil Mershdoff, Dean of Karelai Academy."
Anyway.
I need to deal with this macaron first.
I can't talk.
Munch munch munch—
I chewed and swallowed as fast as I could, shifted what was left to one cheek, and bowed my head.
"A pleashure to meet you."
Munch munch. Gulp.
"I am Eliarnes Eustetia."
"Ah, ahaha... Yes. It is a great honor to meet Lady Eliarnes, the Spring of the Empire and the cherry blossom of Eustetia."
"Ah, yes. I also— Se, Se... I'm sorry, but what did you say your name was again?"
"Haha... My name is a bit difficult. It is Sedil Mershdoff."
"Ahem. Not at all. I, too, am honored to meet Dean Sedil Mershdoff."
Mershdoff.
I know that name.
Four hundred years ago, that was a knight family. But this old man is a Wizard?
Well, sure. That could happen.
The world has changed this much.
"First, please have a seat."
Sedil, who had already laughed awkwardly at my words, put on another awkward smile and pointed to the sofa.
Without hesitation, I threw myself onto the sofa with a whump.
The expensive leather wrapped around my backside, and air escaped with a soft puff under my weight.
"I would like to chat, but with the Practical Exam not far off, I will get straight to the point."
"Yes."
Gulp— Sedil swallowed dryly and handed me several sheets of paper.
My written exam answer sheet.
"The reason I asked you here..."
As expected, it's because my answers were too perfect.
"I had you come because it was determined that the answers you submitted on the written exam cannot be scored."
"You can't score them?"
Maybe because they're over 100—
"Yes. Because two opinions came out: failing grade or perfect score."
"...F-Failing?"
What crazy nonsense is this old man spouting?
"What exactly do you mean by failing?"
"Huh, hehe... First, regarding the history answers... No, before that."
Sedil's sharp eyes fixed on me.
"How did you come to know these history answers?"
"...What makes you ask?"
"I cannot speak carelessly because I do not know how much you already know, Lady Eliarnes. But the contents written here... are things you could only see in the Academy's or the Imperial Palace's Forbidden Archive."
...Fuck.
That trivial shit is the kind of stuff they lock up in the Forbidden Archive?
"Of course, I am not suggesting that you unlawfully entered the Forbidden Archive, Lady Eliarnes. Similar contents may be preserved within House Eustetia, as descendants of a Hero. So I ask: Are these things you learned within House Eustetia?"
"...Yes."
Sorry, Father.
"My father—no, the head of the house used to tell me these things. And my uncle... Sir Kerion also often spoke of them."
"Ah... Is that so? I understand. Then I will give you only the conclusion. The contents written in these answers are things that must not be known in this day and age. In fact... it is even content that the younger faculty do not know."
"So... it's a failing grade?"
"For now, I would have to say so."
"Ha, haha..."
My head is throbbing.
Yeah. I can accept that.
Considering the Empire's prestige, it's right to shake off the messy parts and show only the clean ones.
It was the same 400 years ago.
But.
"As for the combat side... what's the problem?"
I can't understand why even the combat portions are considered ambiguous.
"That is... because there were many faculty members who thought those methods were nonsense. Of course, I and a few others consider these answers to be excellent. However, on the other hand... it is also true that I wonder if such methods are truly possible."
"So, right now... are you saying that the methods I wrote down are nothing more than... delusions?"
The Dean did not answer.
I ground my teeth.
But what made me angrier was that I couldn't deny it.
Fuck, if this were 400 years ago, my answers would have been correct. No, never mind correct—as long as you could beat a Monster to death, every method was correct.
Back then, grinding your body down to kill Monsters was natural. It was everyday life.
But now, this shitty era of peace pursues safety over methods like that.
"...Can the professors subjugate it using the methods I wrote down?"
"...The Combat Department professors can."
"What about adventurers?"
"It would be difficult unless they are at least a Gold Plaque One-Star adventurer."
"...Is that the average?"
"Yes."
So on average, only Gold Plaque adventurers can face a Mid-grade Monster alone.
Gold Plaque One-Star. In other words, Tier 5.
An ordinary person could reach Tier 5 in twenty to thirty years.
It was also about the upper limit an ordinary person could reach.
Of course, that was the average 400 years ago.
Now? In this goddamn era of peace, the average is pathetic.
Back in my day, even the village idiot—a Tier 2 swordsman—used to finish off an Ogre that came charging into a farm all by himself.
Of course, his arm broke and his leg got wrecked.
Anyway, the point is he still took it down.
Did the Monsters get stronger? Or did the humans get weaker?
No, even if the Monsters got stronger, shouldn't humanity's average have risen to match them?
No matter how smoothly supplies flow and how much the world now values human life, I can't understand why the standard has fallen compared to 400 years ago.
"Heh."
Crazy bastards soaked in peace.
Just over the mountain range to the north, the Demon King is sealed and yet still alive and breathing. And they've been this complacent.
Even if not the Demon King, just the Legion Commanders could invade at any time, couldn't they?
Maybe they're even active right now.
What the hell are they thinking, living like this?
I thought the Eustetia Knight Order was fairly decent. But the rest of them...
I can't understand it.
I don't even want to understand it.
I rubbed my throbbing brow and looked at Sedil.
He probably didn't call me here just to tell me this much. The Dean himself requested this meeting, after all.
I smoothed my crumpled brow and straightened my posture.
Suppressing the anger surging up, I waited for Sedil's next words.
But should I be waiting?
Is there any reason to stay at an Academy that tells me this kind of shit?
There is, though.
Better to rot here for three years than to become an ungrateful brat.
And.
Eurasia is looking forward to attending the Academy.
Lastly.
Here, I can pick out the promising ones and raise them myself. Not into talents suited for this goddamn era of peace, but into talents suited to my taste.
Those three things are reason enough to endure.
I let out a deep sigh and held my expression in place.
"I got a bit heated. So, how should I prove those answers? Do I just need to go right now, wring an Ogre's neck, and bring back its head?"
Sedil looked startled for a moment, but as if he'd been waiting to say something, he immediately opened his mouth.
"There is still a way for you to enroll."
"If it's a method involving bribes or family influence, I'll respectfully decline."
He doesn't seem the type, but if he spouts that kind of nonsense, I'll plant my fist in that face.
On the other hand, when Sedil heard my fierce refusal, he opened his eyes wide in surprise and laughed.
"Hahaha! That's not it. Karelai Academy has a special admission system."
Special admission?
What's that?
There wasn't anything like that in the guide.
"This matter is explained right before the Practical Exam, so you could not have known."
Aha.
"Then what do I have to do for this special admission?"
"In all past Practical Exams, there is a Monster that has been subjugated only six times in the 348 years since the Academy was founded."
I understood the gist of what he meant.
"And that Monster also exists in the Labyrinth, which is the setting for this Practical Exam. Originally, seizing the Labyrinth Core is the goal of the Practical Exam. But the condition for special admission is to subjugate that Monster."
"If I kill it, does that serve as proof?"
"Correct."
"And I can enter the special class too?"
"There is no way a student who subjugates that Monster would not enter Signia."
"Then, even if the applicants in my group give up on subjugating that Monster, I can challenge it alone, right?"
"Yes. That is possible."
"Lastly, even if a group that starts before me defeats that Monster, it will be made again by my turn, right?"
"Ha, hahaha! You need not worry about that. It will of course be newly created. And besides... there is almost no one who can defeat that Monster. It is a Monster that even two people who have reached Tier 2—no, Tier 3—would have difficulty subjugating."
Sedil's expression when he said "almost no one" seemed to say there would be none in this cohort.
There should be one more besides me.
"Understood."
Anyway, as long as a means of admission remains, that's enough.
"I'll catch it."
"For your information, the special admission condition appearing in this Practical Exam is—"
"No. You don't have to tell me."
"Heh... You would be more comfortable if you heard in advance and thought about how to subjugate it."
"That's true. But I want to take the exam on equal footing with everyone else. So it's fine."
Rather than hearing later that I got in because I'm a noble or because the Dean gave me special treatment, I'd rather do it fairly.
And.
Whether I hear it or not, nothing changes.
Whatever it is, I'll catch it.
"Ha, hahahaha! If that is what you wish, understood. I will look forward to the results."
"Yes. You may look forward to it."
I bowed my head and walked out of the dean's office.
"Oh! My lady, are you all right? What did they say it was about...?"
"Ah, they said I failed the exam."
"...Nnyeh?"
Eurasia's face went pale.
At the same time, a cold silence fell, and the other examinees' gazes gathered on us.
"Ah, ahahaha!! My lady, what a joker!! Kyahahaha!!"
Eurasia's complexion went from pale to completely white.