Chapter 47: Entrance Examination
After completing the examination procedures without delay, the morning of the entrance examination arrives.
The usual group of people saw me off outside the inn, but none of them seemed nervous. As an aristocrat, I had already been accepted to the school, so the examination was only to check my academic ability and combat skills.
"Well, I'm off."
At my signal, the carriage started moving.
Markant sent us off with a few curt cheers like, "Just do your best," and "Don't make the other kids cry." I think there's a better way to put it. And I won't make them cry.
The gentleman was a mature man hired only for the day. I thought Pidosios would be fine, but I heard it isn't normal that a noble is an adventurer, not that the halfling was anything to do with it. It's all about appearances and whatnot. Besides, Pidosios is a road warrior, and it was not part of the agreement to take him to and from the examination. Roland had intended to do so from the beginning and had asked the inn to make arrangements.
The carriage goes smoothly and we can see Cartilard Academy of Advanced Studies.
There were three graduate schools in Selene.
The three schools were the Cartilard Academy, the Lappunas Academy, and the Lurgt Academy. All of them accept nobles and commoners without distinction, but the percentage of nobles is decreasing in the same order. I am joining Cartilard, as my father wanted me to be.
There are many other academies and private schools, but people said that the three graduate schools are exceptional. This is not only because of its fame and history but also because the deans of the three graduate schools are councilors. Three of the nine trustees who manage Selene are deans of the three graduate schools, and their influence is enormous.
We parked the carriage next to the school building, and Roland and I headed for the entrance.
The entrance area was full of students, their attendants, and even family members who had come with them.
"Well, I'll be here."
"It's going to take a whole day. If you are not busy, take a nap in the waiting room."
"I will do so. And–"
Roland looks around quietly.
"Please don't get violent, okay?"
"I won't!"
"The Reedwald family are the lowest barons. If you don't like it, please be patient."
"I know that without being reminded. You'll have to worry about that kind of thing after you're accepted."
"I'm having trouble over there too."
What does this guy think I am?
I'm not going to leave any evidence.
I left the anxious Roland behind and headed for the exam room.
◇◇◇◇
The morning was a written exam.
My exam number is 72, and when I went to the designated classroom, most students had already gathered there.
However, nearly half of them were not seated.
As I took my seat, I saw with my "Appraisal" that all of them were children of noble. What on earth are they doing?
I wondered and soon understood.
They were greeting each other as nobles.
If they were to be rude to a superior, there would be a major incident. For those who have already been accepted to the school this greeting is probably more important than their exam.
And what kind of smell did they have, and interestingly enough, they didn't greet the knights or the commoner children. No matter how well dressed they were. There were nobles like me sitting on the floor, but they sniffed them out and greeted them. Do you recognize them by their gestures?
The nobility's bloodline is titled, so if you can use "Appraisal", you can judge it.
Incidentally, it seems that titles are acquired by those in positions of strong influence, those with characteristics that compensate for their abilities, and those who have different backgrounds, whether good or bad. For me, "Second Son of Baron Reedwald" is influential, "Ace of the Homecoming Club" is compensatory, and "The Reincarnated One" is different. I think it's rare for someone to have a complete list. Don't I have any special privileges?
They are nobles who don't have skills such as "Appraisals". And yet they sniff out their kind perfectly.
Perhaps it is an inherent skill of the nobility title? I have no clue what it is, though, do you?
Unfortunately, they caught me by their sense of smell then they made me greet them several times.
There is no victory in this game. My card is the weakest, a draw at best. And the guy who would get a draw had never challenged me to a fight in the first place.
I was on a losing streak.
Fortunately, few fools showed any irreverence when they beat me poorly.
While talking to me, they were always aware of their surroundings. If I showed poor behavior or attitude, and in case I offended someone close to my parents or someone of higher rank, I never knew what kind of impact it would have on my birth family. Even at the age of 10, they are still nobles.
A child claiming to be the son of a viscount walked away with a look that said, "How nice of me to treat a baron with such respect." I don't think I can get along with him. Even more so for an idiot.
The ones who got stuck in the corner of the classroom were the children of commoners.
Some were shrinking away. The others were preparing for the examinations without a care in the world. This is more to my liking, but I still felt it is hard to deepen our friendship. The people here were from wealthy families, usually the sons and daughters of merchants. They know how to deal with the nobility, so there is inevitably some reserve. People like Markant are not here from the beginning.
That's strange. I can only see a future of loneliness.
Despite my anxiety, the examination begins.
The content is the history of the Arsis Empire and basic academic skills such as arithmetic.
In addition, there are questions on magic, alchemy, and even knowledge of demons.
Is this typical of Selene, or should I say typical of this world?
I am pretty good at these things, so I passed the written test without problems. I think it is a very high score even if I don't get a perfect score.
After a short rest, the examinations for combat and magic began in the afternoon.
Those who do not have a background in magic do not have to take the exam, but they are not exempt from it. But their final score will be deducted, so it will be very hard for the commoners if they miss the magic exam.
They hold the combat art test in a schoolyard-like plaza, and the examiner, who appeared to be an instructor, explained the rules.
In summary: they'll call examinees then examinees engage in a mock battle with each other.
They measure the test's time limit by an hourglass. And from the size, it seemed to be about ten minutes.
In addition, excessive attacks would result in point deductions and, at worst, disqualification. The pairings were to be decided by the academy, with no distinction made between men and women.
There are three test rooms for the mock test, and chairs are lined up on one side of the room for the students to wait.
After the explanation, the students took their seats as they pleased.
Again, the aristocrats began to play troublesome games over who would sit next to whom.
Not wanting to get involved, I joined the commoners and quickly took my seat.
After settling down, I looked at the examinees again.
I was unsure of the number of examinees since they are separated among several classrooms during the written examinations. But there seemed to be about a hundred students taking the exam.
It would be about two or three hours before all the mock exams were over.
I'm number 72, so if my number is correct, I would be in a pretty late exam.
It was hard to watch until then.
I guess there are only a few.
For this large academy, the number of examinees was too small. Even ten times this number would be more than enough. It was a waste of money, even though there were national circumstances. I would have thought that they should have accepted more commoners anyway, but since Cartilard is the representative of Selen, it might be a choice they could not make.
In the meantime, the first mock battle began.
The first match was between nobles and commoners in all three groups.
After that, the smiling mock battles continued.
Watching them, I thought that my brother had been a reasonably strong person when he was a child.
Regardless of their status, most of the candidates have not mastered the skill of combat techniques. Even if they have, they are only level 1.
Even my brother in the past could compete well at this level, and I don't think they could grow up to beat my brother today. My father was beaten to a pulp by the Marquis of Brasrud when he was a newborn. But after all, Reedwald is a martial artist.
The students are happy or sad about their victory or defeat.
The students, especially the nobles, who were watching the games, were amused.
The mock battle went on without any problems, but a question came to my mind.
It's strange. Since a few minutes ago, there have been a lot of combinations of nobles vs. commoners and otherwise nobles vs. knights. Even in Cartilard, nobles make up less than half of the candidates. It's not strange when you think about it that way, but it would be strange to have too few.
Is this … that kind of thing?
Nobles are creatures of pride. Even a mere mock battle could become a catalyst for friction and conflict. If that were to happen, there is no telling how it might spark off at the academy.
They must have been thinking hard while looking at the birth and family status of the candidates, that sort of combination.
I'm suddenly losing interest. I wonder if we can learn anything from a place like this. Other than the ecology of the nobility.
I was disillusioned and removed my gaze from the mock battle.
Is that why?
Suddenly, I felt a gaze on me.
It's not just my imagination. Someone is watching me.
Since when?
I was so focused on the mock battle that I hadn't noticed until now. With so many people crowded together, "Presence Detection" is useless. I'm sure it was one of the candidates, though.
I'm not proud of it, but our Reedwald family doesn't have good aristocratic relations. I had no idea if it was a noble who knew me, much less a commoner who would be taking the exam.
I'm going to try to … invite them a little bit.
Because of the long exam, bathrooms and short breaks are allowed.
If there is any movement, I will know who they are. If not, I can narrow down the purpose.
I moved away from the group of students and then move to the side of the fence surrounding the institute. I move into the shadows of the planted trees and begin to relax my body, pretending that his body is stiff.
Not much time passed before a single presence headed this way.
Is it coming on? Does that mean it has no malicious intent?
As I pretended not to notice, the owner of the gaze called out to me.
"You…"
It was a woman's voice.
I made a surprised face and turned around.
But there was no need to make a face. I'm surprised.
An elf.
Not as rare as halflings, but rare enough. Even in Reedwald, I have seen them only a few times. I had no idea that I would encounter them at the entrance exam.
Perhaps accustomed to my reaction, the elf girl continues to speak without changing color.
"Are you strong?"
I'm surprised. How did you come up with that?
"That's a blunt question. What makes you think that?"
"It's ……."
I replied directly, and the girl clammed up.
Who is this girl?
Have we met? Or was she seen fighting?
I traced my memory, but nothing stuck.
I've never shown off my powers in the city. If it was in the forest, Ose or Nerio was always by my side, except for Hunter Fitch. Even then the "Sword of the Deep Silence" is with me. It is impossible for someone to secretly sees me – no, it is not.
This guy asked me if I was strong.
You don't know my strength, but you doubted me?
No way…
I use "Appraisal". I take one look at the skill and discover.
Does this girl have a "Basic Appraisal"?
And it's a strength that goes beyond that of a student. If she's an adventurer, she would be ranked C. She has the Ice attribute and can use the wide-area magic "Ice Storm" and the Holy attribute "Sanctuary". "Ice Storm" and "Sanctuary" are intermediate-level magic. She has also mastered Water and Fire attributes, as well as recovery magic at the beginner level, and has a wide variety of non-attribute magic. My status is pretty good, but this girl's pretty good, too. After using "Appraisal", I got a flood of information.
It seems that elves are even more powerful than I had imagined. Why is this girl taking the exam?
Anyway, it's a good thing I was careful. I'm using "Status Disguise" now. I'm strong for my age, but not enough to make a big deal out of it – that's weird. How can that be "That Strong"?
Come to think of it, I've heard that "Basic Appraisal" has a high failure rate. So the appraisal failed and the notation is wrong. But is that all there is to it…..?
"Magic Eye: Magic Vision."
She … has the skill to see magic power?
I desperately endure the fact as shock seems to appear on my face.
That's what it means. This girl can't get through "Status Disguise". No matter how much I deceive "Basic Appraisal", it doesn't mean that my current MP will decrease. Moreover, my MP has increased as I've grown, and my MP far surpasses that of a poor wizard.
That answer my question.
Sensing my unusual amount of MP, she immediately appraised it. But the "Basic Appraisal' failed. Otherwise, she would have seen the faked status and noticed the discrepancy between the "Magic Vision" and the "Basic Appraisal". It should be a different question. And since the total amount of MP depends on our level, there is no doubt that I have a lot of combat experience. It would also have appeared to be more than my actual level due to the unusual amount of MP. Then that brings us back to the first question.
There are people like her, aren't there? The world is a big place.
While I was thinking about it, the girl kept her mouth shut.
She was probably thinking about how to convince me to get information for her.
Even if you're an elf, you're still a kid. That kind of thing, I should hang the sickle and shake it. The other party is upset and confused. I'm worried about being serious, that's why your story breaks.
"Number 68, 72! Forward!"
As I'm playing such a silent game, I hear the examiner's voice.
"I'm sorry, but it's my turn. If you're wondering if I'm strong, this will tell you."
"I hope so."
The elf girl smiled as she looked at my opponent.
Well, I agree with you.
Number 68 is a commoner. Moreover, he had worn-out clothes and dirty skin. He was a poor boy. Even so, he seemed to have plenty of motivation, waving his wooden sword as he waited for his opponent to come out.
From the way he was waving the wooden sword, it looked like he was an amateur.
I showed my examination ticket to the examiner, who confirmed that I'm number 72.
As soon as we faced each other, number 68 glared at me.
You've got a lot of spirits, don't you? Or do you have something to hide?
Movements such as swinging are the domain of combat technology skills, but there are also skills such as "High-Speed Movement" that nullifies the superiority or inferiority of skills irrelevant. We can't deny the possibility that this guy, like the elf I mentioned earlier, is a unique skill holder.
Let's not go with "Appraisal".
I don't care if it's a fight for your life. This is a mock battle. In a real battle, there may be situations where there is no time for "Appraisal". I'm sorry for him, but it's good for practice.
The referee steps forward and explains the precautions again, then confirms both sides' intentions and moves away from them.
"Start!"
The boy rushes in at the same time as the order.
He raised his wooden sword and swung it down with force. I knew he had no skill.
I ducked, bending my upper body to avoid him.
I was wary that he might try something in pursuit, but the boy just fell and rolled away.
Isn't he just a kid?
The examiners burst into laughter at his unfortunate appearance.
The boy stood up, his face bright red, and jumped at me again.
I pass it off.
Since nothing comes at me, this seems to be my ability.
But, my goodness, that's hard to do.
This was my first experience fighting a non-combatant. The warier I was, the more I felt sorry that there was such a difference. If my enemy is a little more competent. I'd at least be in shape.
I looked at the hourglass.
The time limit is about ten minutes. This mock fight is not only for me but also for the boy.
Well then. I'll stick around for a few minutes.
For a while, I ducked and sometimes parried the onslaught.
After five minutes, the boy's strength ran out.
He has reached his limit.
I hit him with my torso, which was full of gaps.
The boy cowered on the spot, unable to raise his voice due to the intense pain.
"This is the end."
I thrust the sword at his neck.
But the boy shakes it off and stands up, biting his lip.
That's admirable guts. If your enemy isn't at my level, we might have had a fair fight.
"That's it!"
The examiner declared.
The boy was stunned, but he quickly changed his point of view, "I can still do it!" he said to the examiner.
I quickly bowed and left, not wanting to get caught in the middle.
As I'm putting away the wooden sword with the protests behind me, the elf girl is coming for me.
"Was there any point in doing it? Now."
"I don't know, it's not for me to judge. I'd rather ask you something."
I cut in, and the elf girl gave me a dubious look.
She didn't lose her head, but she backed away a little, a sign of caution.
But don't be naive, elf girl. There's no way I'd ask a question I already know the answer to. It's about the important information that isn't shown in the status. Confirming it is my top priority.
Avoiding her sharp gaze, the elf girl retreats further.
Then, as if to catch up with her.
"You're a woman, right?"
"What about ……?"
The elf girl's face goes blank.
"Gender. You're not a man, are you?"
"I'm a woman no matter how you look at me! Can't you tell by looking at me?
"I can't tell by looking at you. I'm so relieved.
I'm not going to be fooled again.
I discard the elf girl who's glaring at me with angry eyes and return to the crowd of examinees feeling refreshed.
Don't worry, my eyes aren't rotten.
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