Entrance Exam – Magic Department (1)

Two days after Ethan and Karaham took the swordsmanship department entrance exam.

Ethan and I prepared to depart for Luminor Academy once again to take my entrance exam.

Of course, it wasn’t for Ethan’s already completed swordsmanship exam, but for my magic department entrance exam.

By the way, since it rained all day yesterday and we couldn’t leave the inn, we ended up spending most of the day together in the same space.

Resting in the same room, having conversations, going down to the first floor of the inn for meals together… Come to think of it, even if it hadn’t rained, the day wouldn’t have been much different.

We’ve already been living almost like roommates for the past three days.

Lately, we’ve even reached the point of sharing meals at the same table. He said there’s no need to be overly formal outside.

‘Maybe getting used to this daily life isn’t such a bad thing.’

Since Ethan’s admission to the swordsmanship department is practically confirmed, my own admission to Luminor Academy is also pretty much set.

The only difference is whether I enter as a student at the same academy as Ethan or fail and enter solely as his exclusive maid.

Either way, since I’ve already made a prior contract with Harold to maintain my role as an exclusive maid, cohabitation during the academy years is already confirmed.

Of course, the noble dormitories at the academy have separate rooms for exclusive maids, so we won’t be sharing a bed like now.

What changes based on whether I get admitted to the academy or not… is probably just whether Isabelle comes to Luminor Academy with me or not.

If I were to fail the magic department entrance exam, Isabelle, who was supposed to share my exclusive maid duties, naturally wouldn’t be called to the academy either.

…Come to think of it, Isabelle seemed interested in coming to the academy too, so I’d better pass no matter what to avoid being resented later.

“Today’s the magic department exam, right, Maid?”

“Yes, Young Master.”

“I’ll cheer for you to pass. …No, since it’s you, you’ll definitely pass, so you might as well aim for the top spot.”

“Thank you for your encouragement, Young Master.”

“I think walking would be better today. Earlier, I saw a long line of carriages in front of our inn. Waiting in a carriage would waste too much time.”

“I agree, Young Master.”

With Ethan’s encouragement, we left the inn and walked to Luminor Academy, avoiding the long line of carriages.

Despite Ethan’s encouragement to aim for the top spot, I didn’t feel particularly confident about ranking first in the magic department entrance exam.

Because among this year’s magic department freshmen, there was at least one, possibly two, characters with better magical aptitude than me.

One was ‘Agnes the Inferno,’ whom I’d met before.

The other was, of course, the protagonist character. Though this one wasn’t confirmed to join the magic department yet.

Either way, both were characters Lillith couldn’t surpass in magical aptitude. Meaning, no matter how well I performed in the entrance exam, second place after Agnes was my limit.

By the way, the protagonist character could enroll in seven out of the eight departments at the academy, thanks to their absurdly high base stats. Of course, their abilities would specialize based on the department they chose.

In this regard, 『Luminor Academy』 truly excelled as an academy-themed game.

Excluding the theology department, which trained Aurelia Church acolytes, the protagonist could essentially enroll in every department at the academy.

Of course, among those seven departments, some were more helpful for gameplay or easier for pursuing certain heroines, so the choices eventually became somewhat standardized.

‘If I were still my past self, I probably would’ve gone for the swordsmanship route.’

In my previous life, the swordsmanship department was indeed the route I played most often in 『Luminor Academy』.

There were two main reasons. First, joining the same department as my favorite character, ‘Swiftblade Natalie,’ made her route much easier to pursue.

Second, the swordsmanship route allowed me to interact with Lillith a bit sooner.

Now, by sheer luck, I’m preparing to take the magic department entrance exam, but originally, Lillith wasn’t a student at Luminor Academy.

She was just a character who entered as an exclusive maid-more accurately, a virginity-taking maid.

A character treated so poorly it almost felt malicious, subjected to miserable and humiliating scenarios.

The later the first encounter with Lillith, the more irreversible and intense her “training” became, so I often chose routes where I could meet her as early as possible.

Even if her virginity was already taken by that scumbag, I couldn’t bear to see her violated by his lackeys or even a dog.

It was an important aspect for me, as I had tried everything to find Lillith’s virgin route.

…Now, though, I fervently hope the protagonist doesn’t choose the swordsmanship department.

At this point, I absolutely don’t want to get entangled with the protagonist in the main story, and if Ethan gets involved with them, things could turn ugly.

‘If Ethan and the protagonist clash in the swordsmanship department and the story goes down the same dark path as the original game…’

If Ethan were the same scumbag as in the original game, it might be different, but the current Ethan is someone I need.

In that sense, I don’t want him facing off against the protagonist either.

For now, Ethan is the heir to the Blackwood family, maintaining my noble status.

He also protects me, a mere baronet’s daughter with a shaky social standing.

Personally, I don’t want to see Ethan-who hasn’t done anything wrong-or the Blackwood family meet a tragic end. If the protagonist and Ethan end up in a life-or-death duel in the swordsmanship department, it would be the worst-case scenario for me.

Lost in these thoughts as we walked to the academy for my magic department exam, Ethan gave me a concerned look and asked:

“Something on your mind, Maid?”

“Huh?”

“You look serious. Are you worried about the entrance exam?”

“…A little.”

Technically, it wasn’t my exam I was worried about, but the protagonist’s.

“Don’t worry, Maid. You’ll definitely pass.”

“Thank you, Young Master.”

“…And if you do well on the exam, I’ll grant you one wish.”

“…Huh?”

“You granted one of my wishes the day before yesterday. It’s only fair.”

…He really doesn’t have to be this conscientious.

Still, refusing his kindness outright would be rude, so I gladly accepted his offer.

“Understood, Young Master. Then I shall gladly accept your kindness.”

“Yeah, do your best on the exam.”

“No need to worry. You already know how skilled I am at magic, don’t you?”

“…I do, but I can’t help worrying you might cause another accident.”

“Huh?”

“…Never mind.”

I decided to ignore Ethan’s sudden, contextless remark and focused on completing the registration process for the magic department entrance exam.

…Well, the magic department exam should be a piece of cake for Lillith.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

Unlike the swordsmanship department’s exam, which involved mock sparring matches with three other examinees, the magic department’s exam was much simpler.

Hit targets from a certain distance using magic, and your score determines whether you pass or fail based on a set cutoff.

It’s not an absolute evaluation but a relative one, and since Luminor Academy’s magic department has limited spots, hitting as many targets as possible is crucial.

If you hold back too much to appear average, you might fail.

Especially since the magic department attracts all sorts of nobles, the average skill level is higher than other departments.

“Your task is to destroy as many of the ten dummies in front of you as possible. You may cast spells up to five times. If you destroy all targets within five attempts, fewer attempts will yield higher scores.”

After hearing additional rules-like farther targets being worth more points, moving or tougher targets having higher values-I sized up the ten targets and planned my approach.

Ten targets, five attempts.

Clearly, this was designed to separate examinees who could use multi-casting or area magic from those who couldn’t.

The farthest target being 300 meters away suggests maximum range is also factored into scoring.

Moving targets likely test how quickly you can cast offensive spells or time them accurately.

Sturdy targets probably assess raw spell power.

Though it’s just a simple test of destroying ten targets, it’s quite effective at distinguishing skill levels.

‘If I use triple casting well, I should be able to hit all of them.’

Three shots at once. The farthest one requires focus, so I’ll take it separately.

After roughly planning in my head, I quickly chanted the incantation for Mana Arrow with triple casting on my right hand.

“Hoh…”

The exam supervisor watched with interest as three mana arrows materialized above my hand from a single incantation.

A natural reaction. While double casting might be common, few examinees could manage triple casting.

Time for the magic skills I honed while peeling potatoes in the kitchen at dawn to shine.

“Pierce through, arrows of magic!”

-Whoosh!

As I finished the chant and swung my right hand forward, the three mana arrows shot forth.

For warm-up, I aimed at the three closest targets first.

If I repeat this twice more, I should easily destroy nine targets…

-Thud!

“…Huh?”

“…Wha-what?”

But contrary to my expectations, all three mana arrows veered off course and crashed into the ground.

As I stood there dumbfounded, one of Lillith’s abysmal stats flashed through my mind.

『Luck: 2』

Ah, right.

This godforsaken accuracy stat.