Academy Entrance Exam (1)

1.

Imperial Academy Headmaster’s Office.

The Academy Headmaster, Croto, looked at the list of entrance exam applicants.

“Oh…”

He admired as he checked each profile one by one.

Many talented individuals had applied this year as well.

The children applying to the Academy were elites called prodigies from the Empire, the five kingdoms, and the Holy Nation.

Among them, he saw several talents who had already made a name for themselves in the world.

Skadi Van Scolhart, the second daughter of the Northern Grand Duke, known as the Wind of the Snowfield.

Hoth Lagtree, the berserker of the Southern Kingdom, who single-handedly defeated a Demon Lord Army platoon.

Yohan, the disciple of the great Hero Louis.

And.

The noble woman who adorned the last page.

Saintess Elia.

All of them were figures who would lead the future era.

Among them, the child who was currently receiving the most attention was, of course, the Saintess.

It had been less than a week since the Papal Authority announced the existence of a new Saintess to the world, along with the death of Saintess Aris.

Because it was such a sudden announcement, the Empire, which had the Celestial God Church as its state religion, was in a state of great chaos.

A wave of mourning for the death of Saintess Aris had continued for three days and nights.

At the same time, attention began to focus on the new Saintess.

Nothing was properly known about her yet.

Elia.

Only her name was known.

Her appearance was also unknown. This was because the succession ceremony, where the new Saintess could be seen for the first time, was held modestly within the Papal Authority, overlapping with the funeral of Saintess Aris.

Some were expressing concerns about the new Saintess.

Although she was a woman chosen by the Celestial God.

Since nothing was known about her yet, some people doubted whether she was talented enough to succeed Saintess Aris.

Just because someone was a Saintess did not necessarily mean they were competent.

Above all, it was only natural that such words came out because Saintess Aris was such an outstanding figure, ranking among the top three Saintesses of all time.

Headmaster Croto also had the same thought.

“I wonder if she will be able to pass…”

He checked the Saintess’s application form.

Only her name was written, and there was no other activity record.

Based on the documents alone, she would fail the first round.

He passed her in the first round solely because of her position as Saintess.

But from now on, it was entirely up to her ability.

The second test of the Divinity Studies Department was a test to verify Divinity.

She had to show a certain level of ability there.

No matter how much of a Saintess she was, the Imperial Academy did not select those with high positions, but those with ability, so they might drop her.

“She may have innate Divinity.”

But he wondered how well she could utilize it.

Usually, Saintesses received education from the Papal Authority before entering the Academy.

There was a clear difference between having Divinity and using Divinity, so teaching was necessary.

The fact that she was appointed as Saintess only a week ago meant… she would be taking the Academy entrance exam without proper education.

The Academy entrance exam was by no means easy.

Only two out of 1,000 applicants passed.

It boasted an extremely difficult level that even those called prodigies could fail.

Nevertheless, tens of thousands of people applied every year.

Because graduating from the Academy guaranteed a smooth life.

The top graduate of the Swordsmanship Department last year entered the Imperial Army as a 1-star Knight Commander.

Considering that a Knight Commander from 3-star Knight Commander and 1-star Knight Captain was in charge of the Knights, it could be seen that he started his knight life at a very high position.

No matter how bad the grades were, at least one position was given upon graduation, so it was natural that tens of thousands of people applied every year.

So, they had no choice but to make the exam difficulty extremely difficult.

He doubted whether a fledgling who was only a Saintess in name could pass that exam.

“I’ll find out soon.”

Half expectation.

Half worry.

Headmaster Croto tapped the desk while looking at the Saintess’s name.

2.

Early morning.

A crowd was gathering at the Imperial Academy.

All of them were children taking the entrance exam.

“Haa…”

Yohan, the disciple of the Hero.

Riding in a carriage, he looked out the window and sighed deeply.

“Am I supposed to face those monsters?”

Each person passing by the window looked strong.

He recognized a few faces he had seen in the newspaper.

Yohan felt intimidated in front of them.

The hero of the Empire.

Sword Saint.

The disciple of Louis, the Hero who was raised by Adrean as his top disciple.

The expectations of those around Yohan were high just because of that.

But unfortunately, Yohan’s skills were not transcendent enough to meet those expectations.

Compared to the skills of the first-year students of the Academy’s Swordsmanship Department, Yohan’s skills were about average.

He could enter the Academy, but he was not good enough to enter with high grades such as top or runner-up.

That was now being revealed to the world.

His teacher told him not to worry.

But he could not relax because of the subtle gazes mixed with expectations from those around him.

He trained hard in swordsmanship, but it was far from enough.

He still could not use Sword Aura properly.

The young lady of the Scolhart family, who was taking the exam with him this time, was said to have used Sword Aura since she was 14 years old.

He only felt inferior.

…Come to think of it.

There was another person who would be feeling this inferiority.

“…Saintess.”

She was the center of attention in the world.

She, who succeeded Saintess Aris, called ‘the most brilliantly shining woman,’ was at the center of attention.

No matter what she showed in this exam, she would hear voices of discomfort.

Because the previous Saintess was too great.

She was on par with the first Saintess who ended the Hundred Years’ War in the past.

To succeed such a Saintess right after her… how pitiful.

Yohan smiled with pity.

She would be compared and compared again.

It would be the same no matter how well she did.

She would be compared to a great figure who came out once every few hundred years for the rest of her life.

How much pressure was she feeling right now?

Her stomach might be hurting so much that she was clutching her stomach.

“That’s right. My teacher told me to get along with her, right?”

Yohan heard from Louis, who had returned from finishing his work in the Holy Nation, that the Saintess was also applying to the Academy this time, so he told him to get along with her.

She was also a person who would be entering when he became a Hero and formed a Hero Party.

“Let’s meet her next time.”

Yohan sighed repeatedly again.

3.

“Yaaawn…”

At the same time.

A white carriage heading to the Academy.

Elia, who was riding inside, yawned and stretched.

“Ugh… umnya…”

She rubbed her sleepy eyes and looked out the window.

“Is it still far to arrive?”

“Not much left.”

The man sitting opposite Elia.

He was Rael, the Holy Knight of the Saintess.

“Did anything happen while I was sleeping?”

“No, it was peaceful.”

“Is that so?”

Elia looked somewhat disappointed.

Her lips were pouting as if she wished something had happened.

Elia stared at Rael.

Rael slightly avoided her gaze.

He was a little embarrassed by the beautiful girl staring at him.

“You said you were a Holy Knight, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Then which department are you taking the exam for this time?”

“Swordsmanship Department. Because Holy Knights are mainly knights, not priests.”

Rael, the youngest Holy Knight among the five Holy Knights of the Holy Nation.

He was also taking the Academy entrance exam this time.

He said he would only protect the Saintess, but the Papal Authority specially provided him with an opportunity to learn.

It was said to be Elia’s intention.

She gave him the opportunity to enter the Academy, telling him not to waste time guarding her and to experience a new world.

Was that really okay?

Could a bodyguard enter as an Academy student?

They had to be separated during class, and they could not immediately respond to emergencies.

He told this story to the Papal Authority.

But the Papal Authority reacted by saying that he should not worry about that.

The Saintess herself was the same.

‘No matter what… what if something happens to the Saintess?’

‘What could happen at the Academy?’

‘The Saintess doesn’t know!’

She said she was from a rural convent.

Then she would not know much about the world.

How cunning and vicious people were.

And because there were students from other kingdoms who did not believe in the Celestial God Church at the Academy, there was a possibility that a daring guy would pick a fight.

But no matter how much he persuaded her, Elia would only say calmly.

‘I can protect myself.’

She looked weak no matter how he looked at her.

“Wow… I’m jealous.”

“Yes?”

“No. I misspoke.”

Elia put her hands on her knees.

As her shoulders narrowed, her full breasts were naturally emphasized.

The presence that was already enormous became even greater.

Rael cleared his throat and turned his head.

She was a fascinating woman in many ways.

“Are you good with swords?”

“Well… I’m in the top five in the Holy Nation.”

“That’s right. You were one of the five Holy Knights. The entrance exam must be easy, right?”

“No. That’s not true. All the talented people from the Empire and the five kingdoms gather, so I can’t take it lightly.”

“You’re being humble.”

Elia smiled brightly.

“The second test was a sparring match, right? Probably?”

Elia tilted her head.

“Yes. It’s a test where you designate one opponent and compete.”

Victory or defeat did not matter.

The content of the sparring was evaluated.

So, both could pass, or both could fail.

“That sounds fun.”

“Yes? Fun?”

“No, I misspoke. It wasn’t fun, it was worrying. It’s a big deal if the children get hurt by fighting with real swords.”

Elia frowned and worried sincerely.

Seeing the Saintess like that, Rael was slightly moved.

She was worrying about others before her own entrance exam, as expected of the Saintess.

‘Haa… being a Saintess is hard.’

Behind the Saintess’s smiling face was a tired face sweating profusely.