261 I've written the merchant guild exams?
(POV: Lumiere)
I'd just finished studying for the test.
Now, I was in the secondary hall of the merchant guild.
This was where the exams were administered.
Anastasia and Ruri were either waiting for me outside the guild or in its main hall.
I was currently seated on a worn wooden bench, my quill and ink bottle at the ready.
Just as I was about to dip my quill into the ink and begin writing, the invigilator approached me.
He swiftly closed my ink bottle, much to my confusion.
"Is there a problem?" I asked, my brows furrowing.
The invigilator, a stern-looking man with graying hair, handed me a small tube-like object.
"Take this," he instructed.
I opened the tube and I realized what it was.
"It's a pen," I muttered under my breath, unimpressed.
No surprise the Viscount?s daughter "created" something new.
The invigilator, clearly proud of this new invention, seemed taken aback by my lack of enthusiasm. "Is that all you have to say?" he asked, for some reason, annoyed.
I met his gaze with a dry smile.
"Well, if you must know, the paper here at the guild is of subpar quality. This pen will easily tear through it, unlike a quill which is lighter and more forgiving on the material."
The invigilator clicked his tongue and snatched the pen from my grasp, muttering something about ungrateful bastards.
He tossed my ink bottle back to me.
"You can have your shitty bottle back..."
"Oh, thanks."
I caught it with ease, popping open the lid with my thumb.
After placing the pen back on his desk, the invigilator approached me once again.
"I'll hold on to your reading items until you've finished the exams," he informed me.
I nodded nonchalantly, handing him the respective items.
The invigilator dropped them carelessly on his table, not giving them a second glance.
He then retrieved the question and answer papers from a drawer and placed them in front of me.
"Remember," he said with a stern tone, "don't make any calculations on the answer sheet. They may use the same questions in the future."
Made sense, they had to manage paper.
Even in a Viscounty as developed as this.
"Makes sense, I guess, considering they'd ship a lot of papers to the Royal Capital seeing as it promised more revenue..."
"Excuse me?" the invigilator said.
I looked at him. "Never mind."
"Tch, whatever."
But I was hoping that wouldn't be the case for too long.
There had to be a way to mass produce paper to the point where even the commoners had access to it.
"Remember what I said about the question paper."
I smirked. "Sure, I'll keep that in mind," I replied.
Then again, very few individuals were concerned about the possibility of recycled questions.
If you prepared well, then you'd pass.
With that, the invigilator retreated to his desk, leaving me to start the exam.
"Your time starts now," said the invigilator and immediately, I started my exams.
The questions? No big deal at all.
The exam? Broken down into three sections.
The first one? Market analysis.
Candidates had to analyze trends, find customers, and evaluate competition.
Second section? Negotiation skills.
Real-life scenarios, baby. Gotta communicate, find common ground, and make those sweet, sweet agreements.
Last section? Financial acumen.
Accounting, planning, and risk management.
Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
Seriously, a 12th grader could ace this with a decent education system.
And they'd finish it way faster than necessary.
Trust me, it's a piece of cake.
I had a two-hour time limit to tackle around forty-five questions.
If anyone actually bothered to read, they'd realize that detailed explanations were only necessary for those who were clueless and desperate to show off their limited knowledge.
Honestly, the way the questions were framed was a godsend for the smart ones and a nightmare for the ignorant and arrogant.
You might be wondering how that's possible, but let me break it down for you.
Something as simple as stock trading could be answered in a few words or a couple of sentences at most.
But for those stuck in the Middle Ages mentally, they had to compensate for their lack of knowledge with unnecessary explanations.
It's just plain ridiculous.
...
It had been about twenty minutes since the invigilator handed me the dreaded pen.
As I focused on drafting my first answer, the man leaned casually against a nearby table and chuckled.
"Finding it difficult, are we?" he taunted with a grin. "I can practically feel the sweat pouring off you from here."
"Cool..." I told him, not even sparing him a glance.
"Nghk!" he was pained by my nonchalant response.
He steeled himself in the end.
The invigilator chuckled again, his voice filled with amusement.
"You know, the Viscount's daughter took these same exams when she was only eleven. And you know what? She scored the highest mark the guild has ever seen – a perfect 100%."
"Oh, good for her... I wonder who she could be..."
"Lucretia Efistes, the genius builder and the pride of Argentia!"
I continued writing, not paying much attention to what he said.
He just kept rambling and rambling like Lucretia was his daughter.
"If she can build a device to keep her ego in check that'd be good..."
The invigilator laughed heartily.
"Oh, I like your spirit! But let me remind you— she's earned the right to be proud, no one has come close to toppling that record. It's practically untouchable!"
To take the exam you had to be a lot older than 11.
But I guess Lucretia could take it seeing as her father was the Viscount of the land the guild was on.
I should've taken these exams sooner honestly.
"I'm done..." I said.
"Eh?" the invigilator exclaimed, rushing towards me in alarm. "Are you giving up already? It's barely been twenty minutes!"
I handed over my answer sheet with a sly smile.
"Oh, I'm done. Completely finished."
He quickly glanced over my scanty answers, his eyes widening in shock.
"What is this? You barely wrote anything!"
I shrugged casually.
"I answered all the questions, just concisely. Quality over quantity, my friend."
The invigilator couldn't believe his eyes as he saw that I had actually given myself a score – 101%. "Are you so arrogant that you would mark your own script?" he stammered.
I scratched my head, feigning innocence.
"What the hell are you talking about? Why would I give myself anything less than I deserve?"
"B... Bu... But..." he stuttered, his frustration evident.
I interrupted him with a smug grin.
My quill pointed at a certain question I corrected on the question sheet.
Sure, he said not to write on it, but...
"You see, in the fourth stage of the product life cycle, decline should be managed by developing exit 10:48
or diversification strategies, liquidating remaining inventory. It's not just about minimizing losses... "You see, in the fourth stage of the product life cycle, decline should be managed by developing exit or diversification strategies, liquidating remaining inventory. It's not just about minimizing losses... Then again, you guys apparently know little about hedging but hey."
I chuckled as I watched the invigilator's frustration grow.
Folding his fists, he slammed them on the table, his face flushed with anger.
"You can't just give yourself an extra 1%! That's not how it works!" he shouted.
Taking the pen from his hand, I leaned in close and flashed him a grin.
"Well, Lucretia?s dick rider, I believe in going above and beyond, yunno plus ultra stuff. If I think I deserve that extra 1%, then who am I to deny myself?"
The man sputtered, his words caught in his throat as he struggled to find a response.
Finally, he managed to speak.
"You can't just take the pen and leave! The exam isn't over yet!"
Stepping back from the table, I confidently declared, "Oh, but it is, Rider-san. I've answered all the questions and now it's time for me to collect my well-deserved certification."
Exiting the room, I found Anastasia and Ruri waiting anxiously for me in the main hall.
Their eyes held curiosity as they eagerly awaited my results.
"Did you pass?" Ruri asked.
Before I could respond, Anastasia chimed in, trying to offer comfort.
"Don't worry, if you didn't pass, you can always retake the exams next year."
"Guys, don't worry I..."
Eager to share my success, I was interrupted by Anastasia's tight embrace. Her delicate-sized breasts pressed against me, filling the air with a rosy fragrance that intoxicated my senses. "You really did fail," she murmured, completely sympathetic for me.
Suddenly, Ruri reached out and grabbed my hand, her touch affectionate and reassuring. "I'll help you study for the next exam, Sensei. Together, we'll make sure you pass," she promised, her grip firm and warm.
As I tried to respond, Mary, seated at her desk, piped up with confusion.
"Wait a minute! You were just in there, how're you already out so early?"
Anastasia quickly released her embrace. "Yeah, how?"
For some reason, I missed her breasts on my face and her fragrance.
"Actually, I didn't fail. I just finished the exam early."
I sighed right after, scratching my head with my left hand as my right was still occupied by Ruri?s soft palm.
"Ah! No way!" Ruri and Mary exclaimed.
Mary shot first.
"Hold on a minute! The exam is supposed to take two whole hours and it hasn't even been half an hour yet!"
"Eh, it was easy."
Anastasia placed one hand on her waist and raised an eyebrow.
"Oh really? And what was your score then?"
"A hundred percent," I said.
Just as the guild hall was buzzing with excitement, the invigilator burst into the room, his face flushed with astonishment. "Wait! I must correct myself!" he exclaimed, his voice echoing across the hall.
All eyes turned towards him, the anticipation palpable.
"He actually scored a 101%!" he declared.
"Eh?" I said.
He really did give it to me?
Eh? The guild members erupted in a collective gasp.
"How's that even possible?" someone shouted amidst the chaos.
Regaining her composure after a few moments, Mary stepped forward.
"Well, in that case, I'll make sure your guild card is ready in just a few minutes," she said.
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