Exam Results

Beni, a member of the Phara Kingdom’s 1st Knightly Order.

He was a skilled knight who had risen to the rank of senior knight at the age of 26 and was one of the few knights who had a friendly relationship with Arin.

Although Arin was only 15 years old and didn’t have many opportunities to see her face due to attending the academy, whenever Beni saw her face, he felt respect for Arin, who was much younger than him.

After all, she’s only 15 years old. Despite still being at an age where she was growing towards her prime, Arin had cultivated formidable skills while attending the academy and had been promoted to the position of vice captain at an incredibly fast pace, as if to show that she had inherited the bloodline of Haran, the knight captain.

In just one month, Arin had been promoted from a mid-rank knight to the position of vice captain.

Who wouldn’t feel respect for Arin’s progress?

In fact, not only Beni but many knights envied or respected Arin, and when occasionally chosen as her sparring partner, they learned many things from sparring with her.

Of course, due to the abnormally fast promotion speed, knights from the 2nd and 3rd Knightly Orders who hadn’t seen her promotion duels doubted Arin’s skills and belittled or envied her, but all the knights of the 1st Knightly Order knew.

Arin’s skills were real, and it wasn’t strange at all for her to have risen to the position of vice captain.

And Arin’s appearance as she rose to the position of vice captain was more charismatic than anyone else’s.

Although there were some awkward aspects since not much time had passed since she had risen to the vice captain position, at least Arin’s appearance as she gave orders in a cold voice with her eyes sharply raised was the very image of an ideal vice captain.

Perhaps she had inherited her leadership skills from Haran as much as her abilities, whenever Arin reported to the knightly order after finishing at the academy, she guarded the vice captain position with a more intense and firm appearance than anyone else, and many knights, regardless of gender, were captivated by that appearance.

Words like “a knight who never wavers” and “a scary and cold knight despite her young age” described Arin.

Perhaps it was natural, as she was such a perfect ideal knight.

However, today, in the training grounds where Prince Tin and Prince Pelian’s entrance exam was taking place.

At the sight of Arin that they had never seen before, Beni… no, not just Beni, but all the knights gathered in the training grounds were wearing dumbfounded expressions.

“Arin, your foot is slightly off. Your sword is askew too. Aim properly.”

“Pro-Professor, we’re in the middle of an exam right now, so maybe a little later…”

“Ah, that’s right, this is the royal palace. I should maintain your face as vice captain.”

“Uuugh…”

Arin’s face reddened every time the red-haired woman, Aria, picked at every single one of Arin’s movements.

The usually expressionless and coldest girl vice captain was no longer there in front of Aria.

What was standing there now was only Arin, who was fidgeting at her master’s words and had her reddened face deeply lowered.

It was comedic that she was still steadily pushing back the two princes in the meantime, but the princes who were pathetically falling over were no longer visible in the knights’ eyes.

What entered the knights’ eyes was only the sight of Arin showing “embarrassment” that could never be seen normally.

And Arin’s face grew redder and redder every time Aria, standing beside her with a sly expression, opened her mouth.

“I should be grateful that our cute student is administering the exam in my place as vice captain. Yes, that’s right.”

“Ple-Please, Professor…”

“What’s wrong? Are you embarrassed by the praise? I’ve said it before, but I’m not a professor who’s stingy with praise.”

“It’s not that I’m embarrassed by the praise, but the way you’re emphasizing that I’m the vice captain…”

“Heh, if I called Shati, Kana, and Riana here right now, they’d be so happy.”

“Aaah! Professor!!”

Beni couldn’t hear their conversation properly as they were almost whispering, but at least he could see that in that conversation, Arin was being one-sidedly teased by Aria and was embarrassed without being able to resist.

If the entire conversation had been heard, Arin might have died of shame, but Beni, who didn’t know this, perked up his ears at the barely audible conversation and nodded at the question from the knight beside him.

“Today’s vice captain is extremely cute. Isn’t it completely opposite from usual…?”

“I agree.”

It was a question that probably all knights who knew the usual Arin would have to agree with.

Seeing someone who was always cold showing such an appearance was so different and cute that they couldn’t take their eyes off her.

It was like seeing a young lady who was usually so cold and calm that you couldn’t even speak to her properly being poked in the side by her mother.

Arin’s expression, which looked like she might sit down and bury her face between her knees at any moment, was being stored as an unforgettable memory for the knights gathered in the training grounds right now.

“Even if we called Knight Captain Haran, he’d probably throw a party if he saw this sight.”

“Definitely.”

“Should we call him over?”

“Stop it. We’d be killed by the vice captain if we did that.”

Haran was even more difficult to approach and scarier than Arin, but surprisingly, he was a doting father when it came to his daughter Arin, so if we showed him this sight, he’d probably faint with a nosebleed right away.

Then we might even get a feast to fill our bellies, but afterwards we’d all be killed by Arin.

So Beni, who stopped his comrade from throwing away his life needlessly, looked around at his comrades who were watching Arin with relaxed faces like his own, then looked back at Arin himself.

At least he should never forget this sight.

And thinking that he should use it well as a hostage on days when he might offend Arin, Beni once again sank into appreciation.

Clang───!

“Argh!”

“Kuugh!!”

The sound of swords clashing together and Tin and Pelian’s swords flying through the air.

Eventually, the two swords pushed up high into the sky by Arin’s strength fell and stuck into the ground with a dry sound.

“Damn it…”

“Ugh… my wrist…”

Looking at the two who had dropped their swords, they were lying face down on the ground, rubbing their wrists as if they could no longer hold a sword.

Since it could be clearly seen as the end of the exam, I stepped between Arin and the two princes, tapping my shoulder lightly with the wooden sword I was holding.

“We will end the entrance exam here. It seems both of you are unable to continue further, and there’s no meaning in continuing any longer.”

I said that much and then closed my mouth for a moment, recalling the contents of the exam that had just taken place.

Unlike me, Arin, who still lacked skill, had perfectly led the exam matching their level.

And for the princes who were pushed back without being able to do anything in a 2-on-1 fight against such an Arin, there was naturally only one result that could be given.

It might have been different if there had been signs of talent blooming midway, but there was not even a hint of growth seen in the two.

Therefore, I finished my brief contemplation and calmly delivered the result that was already on my lips to the two.

“I’m sorry, Prince Tin, Prince Pelian. You two have failed the academy’s entrance exam. Please aim for the second year’s exam next year.”

“What…”

“Failed… you say?”

Failed. It was an obvious result.

It was such an obvious result that I, Arin who supervised the exam in my place, and even the knights watching from around nodded their heads, but apparently it was not included in the words of the two princes lying face down on the ground.

Tin and Pelian made expressions as if it was ridiculous hearing my words.

When I tilted my head at their expressions, the words that came back were quite a spectacle.

“I am…! No, we are princes of the Phara royal family!! How dare you prevent us from entering the academy with such an unfair entrance exam!!!”

“Just as my brother says!! We even went through the unnecessary process of an exam to enter an academy where even commoners are mixed in!! You should be grateful that we’re entering, let alone failing us!!!”

Tin and Pelian claiming that they were royalty and therefore should enter the academy regardless of the entrance exam.

Meanwhile, seeing them curse the fair entrance exam as unfair and speak as if they were doing a favor by entering, I couldn’t help but laugh hollowly.

It wasn’t just me, as Arin standing beside me was also making an expression of disbelief that she couldn’t hide, and the knights visible when I turned my eyes were the same.

“I’m sorry, but the exam just now was a fair exam tailored to the princes’ abilities, and since you failed the exam, the princes cannot enter Lua Academy.”

“Such insolence…!”

I said so while slightly bowing my head to the princes, trying to clearly imprint that there was no use in making any more unreasonable demands, but the answer that came back was not very pleasant.

Unable to contain his anger, Tin suddenly stood up and swung the sword stuck in the ground towards my body.

But even though the entrance exam was over and Tin was a much higher-ranking person than me, I had no intention of being hit obediently.

After all, it was a sword flying without even drawing a proper trajectory or sharpening its edge.

Without particularly retreating, I just slightly twisted the wooden sword I was holding upwards and inserted it into the cross-guard of the sword Tin was swinging.

With a click, the wooden sword wedged between the cross-guard and Tin’s hand.

Without even applying much force, I pushed the wooden sword to remove the sword from Tin’s hand and sent it flying into the sky.

“What?!”

“I find it difficult to overlook any further one-sided attacks.”

“Grrr! Shut your mouth!!!”

As the sword escaped from his hand like a slippery eel, Tin seemed surprised for a moment, but soon after hearing my words, he drew even Pelian’s sword that remained on the ground and swung it towards me again.

“I’ll cut you down here and punish you severely later!!”

“…Sigh.”

An attitude as if he wasn’t listening to my words at all.

At this rate, if I just subdued him like before, he seemed ready to bring all the weapons in the training grounds to swing at me.

And this would undoubtedly happen. Therefore, looking at Tin’s appearance, I had no choice but to take a hard-line approach.

‘It’s a bit rough, but.’

Although it’s not without a sense of roughness when dealing with a prince, there’s no choice but to knock him out decisively here.

After a moment’s deliberation, I came to a conclusion and then raised the handle part of the wooden sword while staring at Tin running towards me.

If possible, I want to neutralize him safely including himself, so I’ll strike his chin to knock him out when he comes within range of the wooden sword handle.

“Please forgive my rudeness.”

“I told you to shut up!! Haaaaaah!!!”

I apologized with a slightly apologetic feeling and swung the wooden sword at a rapid speed towards Tin, who was rushing at me while spewing curses.

No, to be precise, I was about to swing it.

“Stop! That’s enough!!”

If it weren’t for the voice that was heard just one step before Tin entered the range, I would have swung the wooden sword right then.

“Look at this, not only disgracing the face of the royal family but also shaming the hero of the country, Tin Phara!!”

An old man coming out parting the knights while shouting with a roar like a lion.

Despite his age, he was an old man who exuded a sturdy feel and experience from his physique.

And naturally, everyone’s attention was focused on the old man who had shouted as much as the sudden commotion, and.

“Heuk…!”

“Hreup…!”

“Kkeok…”

The knights in the training grounds and Arin, who belatedly realized who he was, swallowed empty breaths.

But that was only for a moment. Arin, who regained her senses the fastest among the dazed knights, shouted loudly enough to shake the training grounds.

“Everyone──!! Salute to the Sun of Phara───!!!”

“””May eternal glory be to Phara!!!”””

Clank clank───

With the sound of armor folding, all the knights in the training grounds kneel.

Of course, I also knelt along with the knights after immediately recognizing who he was after seeing the old man’s face once, and in the suddenly heavy atmosphere, the voice heard was only from one person.

The boy who had received the old man’s scolding looking like a drowned rat.

Only Tin’s voice cautiously echoed through the training grounds.

“Fa-Father…?”

The old man raised his stern face at Tin’s voice.

The king of the Phara Kingdom had personally come to the training grounds.