Chapter 23: Entrance Exam (1)

The morning of the entrance exam arrived.

The exam site, which I reached by carriage, was bustling with applicants.

Every year, roughly two thousand prospective students vied for a place in the Academy.

Children of the five great families, the pillars of the nation, nobles, commoners, and even students from abroad.

Each came with their own hopes and ambitions: recognition from their families, future success, a chance to hone their talents, and some with hidden agendas.

This year, the enrollment of the Hero’s party members had drawn even more applicants.

The crowd began to stir.

Speak of the devil.

“Kyaaa! Leon!”

“Look this way!”

“Saint! You’re so beautiful!”

Leon and Lucia stepped out of their carriage, immediately surrounded by a throng of admirers.

The presence of noble sons and daughters made the situation even more chaotic.

“Excuse me, could I get through…?”

Leon suddenly turned towards me.

I thought I was being discreet…

Did he sense my gaze?

Fortunately, he looked away before our eyes met, but I was impressed.

“Leon, are you alright?”

“Yeah, I felt something, but… it’s probably nothing.”

Leon continued to glance in my direction before turning back to the crowd.

I quickly headed towards the exam hall, just in case.

Perhaps due to the commotion surrounding the Hero and Saint, the hall was relatively quiet.

The applicants here were either uninterested in them or had given up on competing with the crowds.

In other words, most of the skilled applicants were gathered here.

It was also the waiting room for the potential heroines.

Except for me, of course.

I approached the reception desk, where a woman in Academy uniform greeted me.

“I’d like to register for the entrance exam.”

“Certainly, please wait a moment.”

She operated a magical device beside her and then handed me a slip of paper with the number 501 written on it.

“Your exam number is 501. Please enter when your number is called.”

“Thank you.”

Number 501…

If I remembered correctly, the first exam was a one-on-one duel.

Ten applicants would be called at a time, and they would be paired up to fight. I shouldn’t encounter the Hero’s party, who would likely be delayed by the crowd.

I found a seat and waited.

After a while, two people approached and stopped in front of me.

“Aria, you came too.”

“Lena?”

It was Lena, the elf I had met three days ago.

Beside her stood a woman who resembled Lena, but with a more mature air.

“The Divine Archer is here as well.”

“Ah, I…”

Elena didn’t respond to my greeting.

She seemed uncomfortable, fidgeting nervously.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes? Ah, yes!”

She seemed startled by my question.

Lena explained.

“It’s because of what happened the other day.”

“The other day?”

“When my sister attacked you.”

“L-Lena!”

Elena tried to stop her, but Lena continued.

Her explanation made me realize why Elena was acting so strangely.

“So you’re saying she’s like this because she attacked Lena’s benefactor?”

“Well, yeah.”

“I-I’m so sorry… I didn’t know…”

Elena was on the verge of tears.

She hung her head, and I spoke.

“It’s okay.”

“Huh?”

“I didn’t take it to heart.”

But I couldn’t resist teasing her a little.

“If the ‘Divine Archer’ attacked me, I’m sure she had a good reason.”

“No, it’s not like that…”

“I should be the one apologizing for causing such a misunderstanding.”

“U-Uh…”

“A-Aria?!”

Tears welled up in her eyes.

She was about to cry.

“I’m kidding.”

“R-Really…?”

“Of course…”

“Applicants 501 to 510, please enter!”

My number was called.

“I’m really fine, so don’t worry about it.”

“Ah…”

“Then I’ll be going.”

“W-Wait!”

Lena called out, but I had already entered the exam hall.

As mentioned before, the first exam was a one-on-one duel.

The instructors would observe the students’ fights, assessing their strength, talent, and potential.

In short, only the strong and talented would advance, regardless of their social status.

It was also a good way to identify the heroines.

The protagonist’s potential party members were naturally stronger than average.

Many of the heroines were considered promising talents.

I walked down the corridor and entered the waiting room.

My opponent was already waiting.

My first impression was…

Delinquent?

He was.

Rough, dark-blond hair, and a fierce expression.

He looked like a stereotypical delinquent from my previous life.

He reminded me of Mammon, the Fourth Legion Commander.

“Hey, how about you forfeit?”

His personality seemed completely different, though.

If it were Mammon, he would be thrilled to fight.

“I’m Aria. I’ll have to decline your offer.”

“Trevor Gold. Too bad. I didn’t expect a commoner.”

What?

“I believe the Academy doesn’t discriminate based on social status.”

“That’s only for certain statuses. It would be beneath me, a son of one of the five great families, to fight a commoner like you.”

“If you fail, come to me. I’ll hire you as a maid.”

The examiner spoke.

He turned and held the door to the dueling arena open for me, like the gentleman he pretended to be.

Slap

“I don’t need your help.”

“You’re feistier than you look.”

He walked to the other side of the arena.

“Duel between applicants 501 and 502.”

“…Refrain from fatal or crippling blows. Give it your all.”

“I intend to.” “Sure.”

We both assumed our stances.

As I slowly raised my sword, Trevor channeled his magic power, sparks crackling around him.

“Begin!”

The examiner announced the start of the duel.

“Come on…!”

Before he could finish, I vanished.

“What?”

“You’re slow.”

Trevor looked around frantically, trying to sense my presence. I reappeared in front of him.

He instinctively tried to defend himself, but my sheathed sword was already swinging towards his chest.

But…

Boom!

“Ugh…!”

“Oh…”

He blocked the attack with his arm.

He actually blocked it?

I was genuinely surprised.

His face contorted in pain, his arm trembling. He hadn’t been able to fully absorb the impact due to the speed of my attack, but he had still managed to block it.

“Die!”

He launched a lightning-fast attack.

The force behind his punch was impressive, worthy of a member of a great family, but it didn’t faze me. I had seen far more powerful attacks on the battlefield.

“Slow.”

I tilted my head slightly, dodging his fist by a hair’s breadth.

Before he could recover, I closed the distance.

A short, precise, and basic movement.

But…

“When?!”

…its speed made it a technique in itself.

I swung my sheathed sword again.

Whoosh

He tried to block, but this time, I stopped the sword just short of his chest.

He looked at me, puzzled. I leaned in and whispered.

“You boasted about your status, and this is all you’ve got?”

“…!”

His face twisted in shame and rage.

A member of a great family had probably never been humiliated like this, especially by a “commoner.”

“You…!”

“Let me know if you fail the exam.”

I’ll buy you a piece of bread.

As if on cue, we both moved simultaneously.

“I’ll kill you!”

“If you can.”

The arena was filled with the crackle of lightning and the thud of impacts.