episode_0102

Edan and Relis arrived at Luminoir Academy about an hour ago.

Karham Jae-Myul Auguste, the son of Regent Bruce Auguste and a noble swordsman who inherited the Auguste-style swordsmanship, was also heading towards the academy to take the entrance exam for the Swordsmanship Department.

Sitting in a carriage adorned with the crest of the Auguste family, he nervously tapped his foot, unable to sit still.

“Dal dal dal, dal dal dal.”

“….”

“Dal dal dal, dal dal dal.”

“….”

“Dal dal dal, dal dal….”

“Karham! Can you please stop tapping your foot?! The carriage is shaking because of your constant fidgeting!”

“I-I’m sorry, sister!”

Karham bowed his head in apology to his only sister, Lizzie Lynn Auguste.

Thanks to her attention, he managed to calm his nerves and compose himself for a moment.

Although he seemed to stop his trembling legs and regain his composure for a moment, the temporary calmness did not last for more than five minutes before the gentle waves of anxiety began to ripple again.

“Dal dal dal, dal dal dal.”

“….”

“Dal dal dal, dal dal….”

“Kar~ham~!”

“I-I’m sorry, sister! I-I was just feeling anxious about the procession that hasn’t moved at all!”

“….sigh.”

Watching her younger brother fidget as if he could jump out of the carriage at any moment, Lizzie let out a sigh and asked him, wondering what could make him so anxious.

“Why are you acting like this? It’s just the entrance exam for the academy, isn’t it? You’ve always had a confident attitude, especially since Father passed down the Auguste-style swordsmanship to you, so why are you so nervous now?”

“N-No, sister! I’m not anxious about the swordsmanship duel in the entrance exam, it’s for a different reason….”

“What other reason?”

“Uh, I’ve been feeling anxious about this procession that hasn’t moved at all! We’ve been standing still for an hour, of course I would feel anxious!”

“Ugh, Karham….”

Lizzie had thought about cheering him on, even if he was nervous for the entrance exam, but seeing her brother scared for a reason far beyond her imagination, she couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.

In the end, instead of cheering him on, she started advising him to maintain the noble demeanor she always preached.

“Why are you so anxious about the carriage being still for an hour? If you’re a noble, you should have the patience to endure sitting quietly in the carriage for five hours or even ten.”

“I can patiently wait in the carriage when traveling long distances! B-But if we stay still like this, how will we ever reach Luminoir Academy?!”

“It’s common for carriages to get stuck on the day of the academy exam. By now, the carriages at the front should start finishing the exam and leaving one by one, so this procession should clear up in a few hours.”

“A-A few hours?! What if the exam ends before we even arrive! If I, the eldest son of the Auguste family, can’t take the exam and enter the academy, it will be a laughingstock….”

“The academy entrance exam lasts from morning to evening, so don’t worry! Just sit quietly like a noble and read a book or something! Go on!”

“A-Alright, sister….”

Handing her brother the swordsmanship history book she had brought just in case, Lizzie watched as Karham reluctantly opened the book in an attempt to calm his anxious mind. But with his state of mind, the dense text and lack of illustrations only added to his confusion.

“If you can’t stand it, lean against the carriage wall and take a nap. I’ll wake you up when we arrive at the academy….”

“…I-I can’t do it, sister.”

“Huh?”

“I’ll head to the academy first. It would be much faster for me to run there myself than to wait for this carriage to move!”

With those words, Karham grabbed his sword and leaped out of the carriage, leaning against the carriage wall.

Lizzie hurriedly called out to her brother, who suddenly acted out of character, but Karham’s footsteps were already racing towards Luminoir Academy.

“Hey, Karham! Hey!!”

“Please come slowly, sister!”

“I didn’t have an exam today in the first place! But leaving me alone in the carriage without taking the exam and going ahead of me? Hurry back?!”

“I’ll be back after taking the entrance exam!”

“Hey, hey!!!”

Without paying any attention to his sister’s call, Karaham had already set his steps towards the academy.

Inside the aimless August carriage, only Lijiman was left sitting alone.

“Argh! You followed me worriedly, and now you’re leaving me behind!!”

Only the cries of the still sluggish carriage procession echoed quietly around, with August Young Master Ogwyst’s lament remaining.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

“Lastly, test-taker number 16, Karaham Remuel Ogwyst!”

“…Karaham?”

Karaham Remuel Ogwyst.

At the sudden appearance of the named name, I too began to feel a strange tension for a moment.

At first, I thought I might have misheard.

Of course, eventually, I could understand that I hadn’t misheard, thanks to the loud and foolish voice that followed.

“Yes! The eldest son of Remuel Bruce Ogwyst! The successor of the Ogwyst martial arts, Karaham Remuel Ogwyst!”

“….”

“….”

“….”

Everyone’s attention, including mine, the usher, and the other test-takers, was momentarily drawn to Karaham’s loud voice and ridiculous self-introduction.

However, the eldest son of Ogwyst continued to walk confidently towards the usher, just as he did in the original work.

“Is the exam room inside here?”

“Oh, yes! Please enter and participate in the evaluation match with the other test-takers.”

“Haha, understood! Thank you for your hard work!”

With the loud voice, Karaham entered the exam room with me and Edan.

Feeling a sense of waste of time if we were to meet, I hurried Edan’s steps towards the inside of the exam room.

“Let’s go in quickly, Your Grace. If the Ogwyst family recognizes you, it might cause trouble.”

“…Yes, maid. I’m not particularly familiar with that type of person…”

“Oh, isn’t that Edan Gongja over there! It’s been a long time!”

“….”

“….”

In the dim hallway, Karaham, who recognized Edan at a glance from behind, was pretending to know him in such a bothersome place.

Why is he pretending to know me here?

Last time, when there was a gathering of the Imperial Palace defense personnel excluding me, he had turned his face away. Although Edan didn’t seem to want to get close, as a fellow nobleman, it would be impolite to ignore Karaham’s question and ultimately, Edan had to respond.

“It’s been a while, Karaham Gongja.”

“The last time we met was when His Majesty received your commendation. It’s refreshing to see you here again.”

“…I didn’t expect to see you here again.”

“I didn’t expect you to take the entrance exam for the academy this year! I thought you were much younger to take the academy’s entrance exam.”

“…Thank you for the compliment.”

At Karaham’s clueless greeting, Edan’s expression momentarily tightened.

It was a well-known fact among the nobility that Edan hadn’t aged for five years due to a curse, but to casually mention that was quite audacious.

Whether it was at the last party or now, he still seemed clueless.

“By the way, it seems your sister didn’t come with you. A man like you, full of muscles even in your head, should stick to your sister like glue.”

“Oh, if you’re talking about my sister, she’s in the carriage right now! She insisted on accompanying me out of concern!”

“Hmm. You say you’re concerned, but you’re not even participating in the exam? It seems like your affection for her isn’t that deep.”

“Haha, you have a good sense of humor, Edan Gongja! It would take at least an hour for my sister to walk from the Ogwyst carriage to the academy, so I can’t burden her with such effort!”

“…?”

“…?”

Edan’s head was already confused by Karaham’s incomprehensible words.

Even after Edan, who felt insulted by Karaham’s mention of his Achilles’ heel, blatantly referred to himself and his sister as muscle-brains and glue, Karaham’s foolish head couldn’t understand the insult and simply let it slide.

In a simple conversation, there was no way Ethan could win an argument with that stubborn head. After all, Caraham probably didn’t even consider himself to be engaging in an argument.

As the two of them faced off, another guide inside the exam hall called out to Ethan and Caraham.

Amidst the unexpected encounter, the hesitant steps of the two momentarily paused and moved into the exam hall.

“Examinees! You must now enter!”

“…Let’s save the rest for later, let’s split it with swords.”

“Haha! I’ll leave it to you, Master Ethan!”

The two prospective freshmen, caught in a strange tension, moved together towards the exam hall.

I stood next to Ethan among the two, silently following them into the exam hall, quietly wishing for the exam to end without any major injuries.

“Come to think of it, the person next to you seems familiar from somewhere…”

“…Nice to meet you for the first time, Master Caraham.”

“Oh, is that so? My apologies.”

…Unaware of the situation, unnecessarily sharp-eyed just like in the game.