The Transfer Exam
Aaron locked the contract with the firm click of a pen and turned to Haren. “Come with me.”
They left the office together. The bones had been pulverized cleanly; no aftershocks would remain. Skadi and Renya were left alone in the room.
Skadi approached with the kindest smile, tilting her head.
“Well? Do you have something to say?”
Before she could answer, Renya’s eyes brimmed with tears. Skadi reached out with a gentle hand to wipe them away. The prideful girl jerked her head aside.
“Stay away! Are you feeling sorry for me? You’re going after that man anyway. Don’t even think about it!”
“Feeling sorry?”
The word ‘sorry’ drew a seductive smile from Skadi. Even among women, the beauty was hypnotic. Renya felt a chill of fear.
“No, Renya. This isn’t sympathy.”
Skadi’s soft, pale hand brushed Renya’s cheek. Renya could not pull away from the alien unease.
“I’m warning you.”
“Warning?”
“Yes. I’m warning you.”
The lively girl who had greeted her that day no longer existed. It was like staring into an abyss that should never be looked into.
“Having a woman around Professor is truly unpleasant… but—”
The murderous intent beneath that tone made Renya’s spine freeze.
“You have no choice. Since only I remember the timeline, I must understand, Renya.”
What in the world was this crazy woman talking about?
“Answer me.”
Coldness seeped into Renya’s cheek and she answered hurriedly.
“H, hic! Y-yeah… yep! That’s about it!”
The tears that had flowed when her brother was hurt had come again. They were perfect.
Satisfied with the answer, Skadi kept smiling and tapped Renya’s cheek with her fingers.
“Mhm, you answered well. Good girl.”
Renya’s instincts screamed a fierce warning: do not touch the woman in front of you.
“Stay good like this. Stay in your place.”
Renya shook her head up and down vigorously.
“And if you ever get too close to Professor—”
Skadi’s hand slid down and cupped Renya’s chest. It was far from sisterly affection. Here stood a fox ready to rip out a heart at any moment.
“Understood?”
Renya, tears streaming, could only nod.
“As long as you keep this promise, we’ll be good friends.”
Skadi smiled sweetly and extended her hand. As if the earlier scene had been a lie, she now acted like a girl of Renya’s age.
Renya had no courage to reject the monster before her.
She must have touched something she should never have touched.
*
After finishing the back-alley work, a full day had passed. Even the Patrick family’s bed was luxurious, fit for servants. The fatigue should have melted away, yet Skadi’s mood remained foul.
Aaron pointed at her from the common area where Renya, Haren, and Skadi all gathered.
“You wanted this job, didn’t you? Show me you’re happy.”
“…Even if I wanted to be happy, I wouldn’t know how.”
Skadi’s pupils shifted sideways. Renya in her maid uniform and Haren in his butler uniform. She jabbed a finger at them in protest.
“I scraped by through hard work just to get here, but why are Renya and Haren here doing nothing! This is blatant discrimination! Blatant!”
Aaron accepted it coolly.
“Correct. From the very beginning I meant to fail you in the interview. I won’t deny it.”
“Is that how you talk to a new maid?”
“The owner is not allowed to speak that way to a servant?”
“Then answer this. Why did you suddenly pass me now? Not just hire me, but make me your exclusive maid. Maybe you felt something for me…?”
She could not say it, because if she stayed out of sight the old disaster might repeat.
“Servant management is Sebastian’s duty. I merely followed his advice as much as possible. Stop with the stupid delusions.”
“You think I look convincing?”
“Nonsense.”
Aaron dismissed the trivial conversation and turned to Haren and Renya.
“You remember yesterday’s events.”
Haren, being taciturn, said nothing, so only Renya spoke.
“We take seven percent of the business income, manage the back-alley security well, handle the business operations ourselves… and this is the last day we work here. I remember perfectly.”
It was no different from a slave contract. Aaron could have flown into a rage over the unfair terms, but he could not. The terror of yesterday was not the kind of fear one could shake off easily.
“Using informal speech is fine in private, but in the estate you will call me Young Master.”
“…Yes, Young Master. Since we’re following the contract, there’s no need to worry.”
“I’m not worried about that. You know what will happen if you break it.”
Despite the will, Renya and Haren’s bodies trembled.
“No need to be afraid. At least I will not treat my own people harshly. More importantly, I have a proposal.”
“A proposal?”
“You know about the Academy here, don’t you?”
Renya and Haren nodded.
“Haren, Renya. You both have rock-solid foundations, even if your talent varies. In plain words, you have potential.”
She added, “but—”
“Your foundation is solid, yet nothing has been built on top of it. The foundation is good, but there is a limit to how much you can stack.”
“So you mean you can build something on top of the Academy?”
“Not if I don’t make it happen.”
Skadi, who had been quietly watching, asked.
“It’s been a while since the entrance exam. What are you planning?”
Aaron handed them a form written with an application as if he had been waiting.
“This is the Transfer Exam. With a recommendation letter, a student who missed the entrance exam can enter the Academy by proving their ability.”
In other words, it was not impossible.
“It is neither forced nor a command. This is merely a proposal; you may refuse.”
“What if we refuse?”
“Nothing will happen. My interest will simply fade.”
“Young Master will get nothing from raising us.”
“Strength will increase. Isn’t that enough?”
Aaron examined her as if testing sincerity, but she had no way of knowing his thoughts. She sighed.
“There’s nothing wrong with getting stronger… I’ll do it. I always dreamed of Academy life, after all.”
When Renya accepted, Haren naturally nodded too.
“Then I will prepare a training program for the Transfer Exam. Today is…”
Just as training was about to begin, Sebastian approached.
“A guest has arrived.”
“A guest?”
“A Professor Millard Alfriend has introduced himself.”
Only then did Aaron remember the bet for the Trial Lecture Evaluation.
“Go to the reception room. Renya, Haren. Take a moment to walk around the estate and rest.”
Aaron was about to head to the reception room when he noticed Skadi standing blankly and called her.
“What are you doing?”
“Huh? Weren’t you resting too?”
“If my exclusive maid doesn’t follow me, who will?”
Skadi followed with a pout. When they reached the reception room, the mustache professor was already seated.
“It’s the first time since the Trial Lecture Evaluation, Professor Aaron Patrick.”
Aaron sat opposite him, arms crossed. The arrogant posture irritated Alfriend, but what could he do?
“What brings you here?”
“The bet.”
Alfriend removed his cloak and laid it on the desk. Aaron thought it was still too much for that little bastard. He reached for the cloak as payment.
“What’s this?”
“I’m not refusing. Don’t look so grim. I was thinking, why not bet again?”
“Go ahead.”
“…Do you have a student you plan to put in the Transfer Exam?”
Aaron nodded.
“Actually, two.”
“I have one too.”
“I wonder what you’re trying to do.”
“I’d like to bet on the Transfer Exam. Who will finish in first place with their student?”
“Oh my, what an interesting offer.”
Aaron did not know how great this mustache professor’s student was, but he himself felt no doubt. Renya and Haren were raw, untouched stones waiting to be carved. A light touch would make them easy.
“How will the reward be paid?”
“Generous gold coins and the right to use the Main Lecture Hall. You know there has been no precedent of a new professor teaching there. Doesn’t that interest you?”
Aaron’s interest grew. He imagined not just the hall itself but the reputation it would bring.
“What will you offer?”
“The cloak. That will do.”
No loss. Aaron accepted the proposal cheerfully.
“I’ll take it. Right, Professor Alfriend?”
“…Agreed.”
Alfriend’s face twisted in disgust, but Aaron paid it no mind.
“Anything else?”
“Nothing.”
“Then you may leave at once.”
“…You always bring the same unpleasant air with you. Not even a drop of humor.”
“Meeting an unpleasant person face to face without reason is not to my taste. Sebastian, see our guest out.”
In the end, Aaron’s order of dismissal sent him away under Sebastian’s guidance.
“How much time is left until the Transfer Exam? Why are you so confident?”
“Seven days.”
“Seven days is too short! I heard the Transfer Exam is harder than the regular entrance exam for special cases. The minimum passing line is already extreme!”
“For them it’s simple. If they reach three times the training I planned, first place is guaranteed.”
Renya and Haren, who were not even present, suddenly felt a chill.
After a while Sebastian returned. Aaron noticed his troubled expression. Sebastian almost never looked troubled.
“What happened?”
“That…”
“There’s no need to hesitate with us.”
“Adeleheit Duchess has arrived.”
Aaron’s pupils trembled for a moment. It had been an eternity since he last heard that name.
Skadi cut in without noticing.
“You look close. What’s your relationship with her?”
“With Sebastian?”
“No, with the Duchess.”
Aaron hesitated before answering.
“My fiancée.”
Skadi’s smile faltered.