Academy Entrance Exam (1)

Five months had passed since the day I gave my chest to Ethan for the second time.

The year had changed, and February, which could be called the last month of winter, was already just around the corner.

This also meant that the date of my and Ethan’s Luminor Academy entrance was not far off.

Of course, my and Ethan’s admission to the Academy was not yet confirmed.

There was a rule that to enter Luminor Academy, whether noble or commoner, one must always take the entrance exam.

There were no exceptions to the Academy’s admission rules, to the extent that even Lizzie of the House of August, the Border Count, had a record of failing.

…Of course, the difference in difficulty of the entrance exam between nobles and commoners was unavoidable.

‘The Academy has to operate, after all.’

It was already well-known that Luminor Academy’s tuition was expensive, but in reality, it was ridiculously cheap compared to the Academy’s operating costs.

An abundant facility infrastructure, to the point where one could learn almost any knowledge they desired.

Proper curricula from veteran professors with 10 to nearly 20 years of teaching experience.

Even the current principal’s insane connections allowed them to invite retired Sages of the Magic Tower, Captains of the Emperor’s Blade Knights, or even former Hero Party members as guest lecturers.

Considering these aspects, it was the reality of Luminor Academy that it inevitably ran a deficit every year, even with the expensive tuition of 1 Gold Coin per semester.

In fact, the parts not covered by tuition were facilities subsidized by the Empire’s national budget.

What helped supplement Luminor Academy’s operating costs, even if only a little, was the relatively easier Academy entrance exam for nobles.

It was a kind of custom for high-ranking nobles entering Luminor Academy to pay enormous donations to the Academy in addition to tuition fees.

So, while outwardly claiming to provide equal educational opportunities to commoners and nobles, the truth of Luminor Academy was that the proportion of noble students was overwhelmingly high when you looked closer.

Nobles, who had received private tutoring and education from a young age, were already superior to commoners on average, and with the difference in entrance exam difficulty, it was a natural phenomenon.

Of course, that was also scheduled to slowly change starting this year.

As I mentioned once before, starting from next year’s incoming students, the Academy’s enrollment capacity would triple.

The main story itself was already flowing as it did in the original game.

Among the measures announced by the Emperor to strengthen national defense, feeling a sense of crisis from the Imperial Palace Assault Incident, was the increase in Academy enrollment.

No matter how easy the noble entrance exam was, the absolute number of nobles was ultimately fixed.

‘Even during this period, there were so many open spots that even a bad ending type of character from the game could enter.’

In the end, even after admitting all available nobles, the empty spots inevitably had to be filled by commoner students.

Starting this year, the Academy’s atmosphere would gradually shift from aristocracy to egalitarianism.

Of course, even if the admission standards were relaxed, the entrance exam itself still had to be taken, so both Ethan and I had to visit Luminor Academy on the exam date.

Therefore, today, to take that entrance exam, I planned to travel to the Island of Knowledge by carriage with Ethan.

“Have a safe trip, Ethan Young Master.”

“Yes, I will.”

“If you make a mistake and fail the entrance exam, be prepared for the consequences.”

“…I will keep that in mind.”

Ethan nodded with a slightly nervous voice at Harold’s words.

Well, at Ethan’s level, he would easily pass the exam not only by noble standards but also by commoner standards, so there was no particular concern.

Rather, if there was a problem… it was more about the magic exam I had to take.

“Li, Lilith! You have to do well on the entrance exam!”

“Yes, I’ll do well, so you don’t have to worry.”

“Li, Lady Lilith, good luck…!”

“Thank you for your support, Katarina senior.”

One of the most convenient things after gaining noble status was that no one found it strange when Katarina called me ‘Lady’.

Of course, after entering the Academy, I wouldn’t hear Katarina call me ‘Lady’ very often.

With a slight worry about the Academy entrance exam in my heart, I also prepared to depart for the Island of Knowledge, receiving encouragement from Isabel and Katarina.

Carrying a travel bag with three days’ worth of clothes and towels, and various other necessities, in both hands.

The reason for bringing three days’ worth of clothes and towels was that I had to stay in accommodation near the Academy for three days.

If it were simply taking one exam and returning, I would only need to stay one night, so such a large amount of luggage wouldn’t be necessary. However, unfortunately, Ethan and I had to take two exams: the Swordsmanship Department exam and the Magic Department exam.

To take the Swordsmanship Department exam on the first day of the entrance exams and the Magic Department exam on the third day, we had to secure accommodation for that period.

Considering the number and types of students entering the Academy, it would be impossible to hold all entrance exams in a single day.

Furthermore, for some departments, the exam dates for nobles and commoners were entirely different, so it was an unavoidable phenomenon for the exam week to be extended.

If it were the Imperial Capital, it would be a distance that could be traveled back and forth in half a day by carriage, so there would be no need to secure accommodation. However, the Island of Knowledge, where the Academy was located, required nearly a full day’s travel by carriage from Blackwood.

Therefore, it was safer in many ways to plan for a generous three days in case of any unforeseen circumstances.

The time it took to travel from Blackwood Territory to the Island of Knowledge was one to two days.

The period of staying in accommodation on the Island of Knowledge, washing laundry accumulated during travel, taking exams, and staying there was about three more days.

And another one to two days to return to Blackwood Territory.

My mind felt a bit hazy with the long schedule, ranging from a minimum of five days to a maximum of a week, but it was still a level I could fully endure.

To enter the Academy, I could endure this hardship no matter what.

As I loaded the luggage prepared for the maximum one-week journey into the carriage’s luggage compartment and was about to follow Ethan into the passenger compartment, Harold, who had suddenly stopped me as I was about to board the carriage, began to speak to me with a serious expression.

“Lilith, you.”

“Yes?”

“Do not forget that even if you fail the Academy entrance exam, the contract remains valid.”

“…….”

“The contract to continue as Ethan’s exclusive maid for the four years he attends the Academy, I mean.”

…Ah.

So that’s what he was talking about.

Indeed, whether I entered the Academy or not was not a crucial part of Harold’s original demand for me to be Ethan’s exclusive maid.

Rather, from Harold’s perspective, there was a possibility that he would wish for me to fail the Academy.

After all, to serve as his son’s exclusive maid, not having the title of an Academy student would be much more trustworthy.

Well, naturally, I had no intention whatsoever of failing the entrance exam.

And even if I did fail, I had no intention of giving up a sweet job worth 40 Gold Coins a year.

Therefore, I merely bowed my head to Harold and gave a formal reply.

“You need not worry, Master. My admission to the Academy will not be a reason to abandon my duties as your exclusive maid.”

“Yes, of course. Then, have a good trip.”

“I will safely accompany the Young Master and return.”

After bidding my final farewell to Harold, I boarded the carriage. With the sound of the coachman’s whip, the two-person carriage began to move towards the Island of Knowledge.

It was the moment we finally departed for the main stage of 『Luminor Academy』.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

Approximately two hours had passed since the carriage carrying Ethan and me passed the walls of Blackwood Territory.

Inside the carriage, where only the occasional sound of the coachman’s reins could be heard, silence had been maintained for quite some time since we departed from Blackwood Mansion.

“…….”

“…….”

It wasn’t because there was nothing to talk about. On the contrary, there was an overflowing amount of things to discuss.

There was plenty to talk about, whether it was about Luminor Academy and the Island of Knowledge we were heading to, or about life after entering the Academy.

Or even just encouraging each other not to make mistakes in the entrance exam a few days later would have been enough.

It was just that making eye contact with Ethan now felt subtly awkward, so I didn’t want to talk.

That’s because if I made eye contact with Ethan now, I felt like what happened in his room last night would resurface.

Five months had already passed since Ethan seriously began learning the dual sword technique.

Ethan, who had begun to seriously dedicate himself to the dual sword technique as per my advice, had recently shown incredible talent in the newly learned swordsmanship over the past few months.

Lately, I was clearly feeling with my whole body that he had grown even more than in the past, when he used a single sword in sparring with Harold.

…Truly, I was feeling it ‘with my whole body’.

‘Haa… You stupid bitch….’

Thinking of Ethan, who recently won a round against Harold in a Swordsmanship Duel almost every two weeks, I repeatedly chastised my past, hasty self in my mind.

Seriously, how did it end up like this…?