40 – Entrance exam (1)

I was just lying on the bed.

I couldn’t sleep. Regardless of my will, my thoughts would bite their tails here and there, and I could not rest at all.

The kid named Shion seemed to have the personality to attack anyone who might be his opponent.

It is highly likely that this was the reason why they briefly met eyes at Filin’s forge. They must have looked at me as a prey.

The mansion is still silent. The silence rather bothered me.

Eventually, I gave up falling asleep and got up and left the room. A small light leaked from the living room at the end of the dark hallway.

who is there

On one wall of the living room, in front of the fireplace where the embers were dying, was Lyria.

Even though there was an armchair right next to her, she was dozing off in an uncomfortable-looking position.

Why are you so pitiful?

“What are you doing here?”

Lilia was startled and turned to me. Then, in surprise, he tidied up his scattered hair.

“Oh, yes? it’s nothing.”

“What is it?”

“No, so this is convenient for me.”

“… ?”

There seems to be something wrong.

I asked Lyria why.

After talking to her several times, she gave in to my request and finally confessed everything.

“That… the room is small.”

The two rooms assigned to the servants were divided into male and female, but there were many female servants, so the room was full.

When I see Lyria, I feel something salty and pitiful. I don’t know if it’s because I’ve lived in a similar environment to me.

I sighed and said.

“I’ll be here, so go to my room and sleep.”

“Yes? No, no.”

She waved her hand and refused.

“I can’t sleep. The room will be empty until morning anyway.”

I half forcibly pushed the hesitant Lyria into my room. Back in the living room, I sat down in an armchair in front of the fireplace and threw wood to light the fire.

After a few dozen minutes of quiet listening to the crackling sound, I began to nod my head and doze off.

Then, after falling asleep for a while, about a few hours later, I heard the voice of a strange woman somewhere.

“What are you?”

Confirming that it was not a dream, I woke up and turned my head to the place where I heard the voice.

In the dark corner of the living room entrance, someone was looking at me with a wary face.

In the fireplace light, I can see her long blonde hair.

I remember who you are. It was Luna.

Did I take her place?

“Oh, sorry. Stop because you look comfortable.”

I got up straight away from my seat.

Then, as if surprised by my actions, she took two steps back.

Luna was very wary of me, as if she had encountered an unknown creature.

she opened her mouth slowly. Perhaps he had encountered something bad, his voice was a little furious.

“the kids are… It gets quiet when I go around you. I’m scared.”

“…?”

“At first I thought it was because of the professor… But it wasn’t.”

“Yes?”

“I thought it was weird, but it’s because of you.”

“… What are you talking about?”

“You, what the hell did you do?”

I couldn’t understand at all what he was talking about. To say that the children are quiet, there is nothing to be called a child, and the mansion has been quiet throughout.

Could this woman even see a ghost?

I took one step forward and she took another two steps back.

I spoke calmly to calm her down.

“There seems to be a misunderstanding. I didn’t do anything.”

She didn’t seem to believe me at all.

“… .”

As my eyesight adjusted to the darkness, Luna’s face gradually came into my eyes.

She glared at me for a moment, biting her lip, then suddenly turned around and disappeared into the dark hallway.

I stood there blankly. What’s the matter?

He was so wary of me that I couldn’t even have a proper conversation.

Whatever it is, it seems like I’m not good enough to be friends with that girl.

***

The wagon was coming out of the rig bed at high speed.

I didn’t see Luna once until morning and until I boarded the wagon to leave for Eternia.

After hearing my story, Silverin said.

“It’s because he’s a Elementalist.”

“Are all Elemental Consuls like that?”

“No, Luna is a little special. The spirits couldn’t be twisted, and even strange things were woven together, so I had a hard time at one time.”

All those noisy kids were talking about spirits. I never imagined that there would be so many spirits in that mansion.

“I think she’s a bit of an eccentric girl.”

“Yes, there are many stories.”

Looking at his personality, it seems like he has more stories than me.

she continued.

“You look so hateful, but don’t. Strictly speaking, your nemesis is the Elementalist. Think about it. How would you deal with an invisible opponent?”

That’s right. I really can’t do anything in front of the spirit sage and just have to be beaten.

Come to think of it, Luna said as if the spirits didn’t like me, but I don’t know if they already hated me.

“Is there no way to deal with the former spirits?”

“I have to increase my affinity with the spirits step by step. Hurry up and get a spirit-type artifact.”

“The homework never ends.”

Don’t be fooled by the Elemental Sage. I have to remember.

***

Along the foot of the mountain, the river spreads wide like a lake. And on the sandy beach by the river, five or six men and women were playing.

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Judging from their age group, they seemed like students from Eternia. There were no ordinary villages or homes around here.

As I get closer to Eternia, my nerves are focused every time I face each person. It was because of the strange feeling that we could meet again as seniors or classmates in the future.

Silverine looked out the window and twisted her hair with one hand.

She seemed lost in thought for a moment. You seem to have something in mind.

After a while, he finally opened his mouth.

“But I mean… .”

“Yes?”

“Why did the alchemy kid come out of your room in the morning?”

“… ?”

Silverine only rolled her eyes, took a peek at my expression, and said.

“Well, if it’s not a big deal… .”

Silverin hurriedly changed the subject.

“It’s nice here. Sometimes griffons, pegasus, and unicorns come to this riverside and take a short rest.”

what. Didn’t you want to hear the story of Lyria?

Without much thought, I tuned in to Silverin’s rhythm.

“Aren’t those magic beasts dangerous?”

“They are gentle and don’t attack people. I’ll show you around later.”

I don’t really like witches. I’m making a potion by squeezing Griffin’s blood. Seeing how the beasts like people, I think it would be very uncomfortable when making potions.

“I’ll decline only Griffin. Other beasts are fine.”

“yes.”

I fell asleep admiring the scenery. It was because of a lack of sleep the night before.

And meanwhile the carriage continued on its way.

When I opened my eyes, the carriage stopped in front of Silverin’s mansion.

The carriage finally arrived at a small castle in the woods.

According to Silverin, it was located not too far from Eternia’s Professor Building.

Compared to the mansion in Wiesel, the dark side of this place suited the vampires much better.

We hurriedly packed our things and cleaned the castle, which had been empty for a while. The inside of the castle was full of spider webs and rat droppings.

Silverin walked around the corridors and rooms and drew magic circles with chalk. Then he uttered a spell, and hundreds of rats with their tails on fire ran out of the gate in fear.

Silverin said to me, who was astonished at the sight.

“It’s an annual event, so get used to it.”

After cleaning and room assignment, the schedule was roughly finished.

When I entered Eternia, I was going to alternate between here and the dormitory for training for a while.

However, there were only three days left until the entrance exam, so I decided to take a break without training.

It wasn’t just for fun, I took a class from Silverin on the geography of Mount Grace, the stage for the entrance exam. In addition, I was told how the entrance exam is conducted and what is evaluated.

I wondered if it would be okay for the academy staff to directly inform me of this information. If I knew this, it wouldn’t be a fair competition.

“Most of the kids who come to take the exam already know this. Moreover, since you don’t want your face to be known, you have to plan your route in advance.”

what can i do The professor says so, but I have no choice but to follow.

***

The three days passed in the blink of an eye, and the day of the entrance exam arrived.

Silverin and I rode a wagon and moved to Eternia.

There were already dozens of wagons on the hill leading there, and the road was almost blocked.

Because I was distracted by the distant view of Eternia, I didn’t feel much stuffiness even when the wagon moved like a slug.

Eternia was more like a huge palace than an academy. Just looking at the exterior, the reputation of being the best academy on the continent touched the skin.

As we continued on and reached the main gate, the Planteras welcomed us.

They were lined up on either side of the front door, carrying steel swords the size of a man. Because of the shadow of the giant Plantera, it felt like passing through a tunnel.

The site is so large and the structure is so complicated that I had to go a little further to enter the main gate.

You can also see many applicants through the window.

Not a single one is alone. Children my age are warming up and chatting, each with dozens of soldiers, retainers, and private tutors.

No matter where they came from, the seals on their shoulders or chests are all antique.

Silverin’s toe wiggles and touches my shin.

Across from me, Silverin is also looking in the same direction as me, legs crossed and chin resting.

I was a little nervous to see the spirited appearance of the other applicants, but she has a carefree face.

Yeah, what should I be worried about? I have no family, status, or wealth, but I am not inferior to them.

A group of men gathered at the place where the carriage passed.

There was quite a commotion about what had happened there.

A fight was going on.

A man with his hair shaved short to the length of his fingernails was laying someone down and grabbing them like a dog.

Pok-puk, the sound of flesh being slapped echoed, and the face of the child being beaten was swollen. The surroundings are covered in blood.

Getting into a fight at the place where the entrance exam is held? It is clear that he is not insane.

What appeared to be his teammates were clapping and giggling excitedly. Judging by their appearance, they look like bandits or mercenaries.

And what Silverin said after that was even more shocking.

She reacted as if she was glad to see this bloody mess.

“Oh, he, he. The one I was talking about before.”

“Who are you?”

“Gail Varianne. The boy who came in with a letter of recommendation.”

“Which one?”

“That’s right, it’s the one who hits. What’s the matter? Say hello later, not now.”

Why was Silverin so calm after seeing that figure? Are you beating people randomly?

Looking at the first impression, I don’t want to say hello at all.

“It doesn’t look very attractive.”

“I’m from the north, so although a bit rough, I’m not a bad kid. Does he already know about you?”

“… .”

Honestly, I wish I didn’t know anything about me. It’s beyond rough, it’s crazy. There are so many eyes here, what are you thinking?

Like Luna, the kids who said they came in through a letter of recommendation are somewhat reluctant.

The rest I haven’t met yet, I just hope things are normal.

The carriage arrived at Eternia’s post station and finally stopped. I can’t go around with Silverin, so I have to go alone from now on.

Because of Gale’s attention, I was able to get off the wagon with the seal of Eternia on it without even noticing it.

Silverin stares at me blankly.

“Are you nervous?”

It’s tense, but not scary. It’s just the right level of tension.

If I say that I am somehow nervous, I think I will be even more nervous.

I quietly finished preparing to get off. As he finally fixed the mask on his face, Silverin said.

“I haven’t seen you for a week now… . Shall I give you a hug?”

The entrance exam is held for one week.

Have you ever been apart for more than a week since you met Silverine? I don’t remember.

How is the teacher, do you feel a little empty?

Without any reaction, I opened the carriage door and got out.

“I’ll be back.”

Seeing my reaction, Silverin’s lips pouted out in disappointment.