Ch.13Mock Exam (1)

I received 2 weeks of interview coaching from Edward.

During that time, we grew surprisingly close.

We became informal with each other, and Edward no longer cared about what Eidel had done in the past.

That’s natural. People only fixate on things they’ve experienced firsthand. Why would he dislike me when I hadn’t done anything to him?

It’s also impolite to pry into someone else’s past. Edward wasn’t foolish enough not to know that.

Our relationship continued smoothly.

We mainly discussed academic topics. Though we started with entrance exams, our conversations naturally evolved that way over time.

Edward and I were the same type of person.

“Thanks, Eidel. Thanks to you, I know what I need to do now.”

After today’s interview coaching session.

Our conversation had drifted to future career paths. When the atmosphere was at its peak, Edward awkwardly expressed his gratitude.

“Have you decided?”

I asked carefully.

“Yeah. I was originally planning to just graduate from college and get a job in finance, but after hearing what you said, I’m changing my mind. I’m going to graduate school.”

[“Crazy bastard, crazy bastard, crazy bastard…”]

[— The God of Wisdom and Curiosity is utterly shocked by your malicious actions over the past two weeks.]

I smiled contentedly, feeling satisfied.

“Good decision.”

Edward is a character who appears in the latter part of ‘Foreign God Slayer.’

He enters the path of mathematics later in life and researches the ‘Aether Unified Field Theory.’ And he succeeds. He discovers that Aether and gravity can be unified.

This is an incredibly important discovery. This theory is essential for defeating the foreign gods.

However, Edward soon catches the eye of a foreign god. He ends up being torn apart by monsters and dies.

It was a tragic event.

If Edward hadn’t faced financial difficulties, he would have entered graduate school earlier. Then the unified field theory would have been completed sooner, and the graviton bomb development schedule would have been accelerated.

Therefore.

Hiring this person as my tutor was necessary. That way, Edward would be able to pay his tuition for the next semester.

Of course, I didn’t just give him money blindly. I also received good information about the entrance exam.

He was right. The interview would be a free pass.

Anyway, Edward was someone I needed to mark. Meeting him for 50 million credits was a bargain.

“Eidel, someone of your caliber won’t mess up in the interview. Just work on your pronunciation and focus on the practical and written tests.”

“Thank you.”

“Oh, and by the way…”

Edward pulled a piece of paper from his pocket.

The words ‘Ergos General Academy’ were the first thing I read.

“What’s this?”

“It’s a notice from the academy where I work as a teaching assistant. They’re holding a final mock exam this week. You can take it without registering, just by paying the fee. Give it a try.”

The paper was filled with details about the mock exam application process and test dates. This was also information I had missed.

“Thank you, senior.”

“Save that for after you get accepted. Well, I’m off.”

Edward waved and boarded his spaceship.

Hmm.

I should save up and get him a better spaceship later.

I turned around after seeing Edward off.

Just then, Seti came running up, fuming.

“You crazy bastard-!!”

Here we go.

I had just deposited the tutoring fee through our shared account. Apparently, Seti had noticed.

What I’d done this time wouldn’t be easily forgiven. I clenched my jaw. I steeled myself.

She stopped in front of me.

“Where did the 50 million credits from our family account go?”

“Ah, that…”

“Where did it go?!”

I told her the truth.

“I used it to prepare for the interview.”

“In-interview preparation…?”

Seti’s pupils trembled. Her expression twisted with shock. She looked like she might cry.

“Th-that money I earned from over a month of business…”

Seti approached with large strides and grabbed my collar. Perhaps due to our difference in build, her grip wasn’t very strong.

However, Seti’s expression was unprecedentedly gloomy.

“Interview or whatever! Why are you using money from the family account? Are you even part of our family? Do you really want to die?!”

“……”

“It’s already ridiculous enough that our family’s accumulated wealth was lost to gambling, and now you’ve wastefully blown away money that I earned myself.”

Seti raised her voice, breathing heavily.

“Are you listening? Not just a few pennies of bank interest, but money I saved by cutting back on sleep is gone with one click from you. You, you fucking crazy bastard. You’ve always been a hindrance to our family. Do you think sharing a surname makes us family? Sonia! Sonia-!!”

“Did you call for me?”

“I clearly told you not to let this bastard use any more money! Why didn’t you stop him, why─!!”

“Yes, because the head of the family gave permission for the young master to use money from the family account for entrance exam purposes.”

“The money this bastard used was what I earned!!”

Seti gritted her teeth and pulled on my collar.

Blazing golden eyes.

Just looking at them made me feel like I might faint.

“Is my 50 million credits that much of a joke to you?”

I took a deep breath and organized my thoughts.

50 million credits a month from business.

Certainly, it’s not money that just anyone could earn. It was possible because of Seti’s abilities.

And she was studying for entrance exams at the same time. She’s living diligently.

In comparison, I had been studying only for my own benefit without doing anything to help the family. Perhaps I acted this way because I thought I’d be kicked out of the family if I didn’t get into Stellarium.

Either way, it’s clear that I hurt Seti. This isn’t Eidel’s fault but mine. Come to think of it, even when I was on Earth, I was probably obsessed with my own studies.

I was selfish, it seems.

I didn’t say anything. Or rather, I couldn’t.

“Hey.”

Seti pointed at me and said.

“Are you that good at studying? Do you think you can get into Stellarium? No, have you ever lived diligently enough to even make it to the interview stage?”

“……”

“You haven’t. If you get accepted, that would be the universe collapsing. There couldn’t be anything more unfair in the world. Know your place already!”

I’ve been cursed at before, but today it was especially severe. Yet I listened quietly without getting angry.

I suppressed the anger that arose from being cursed at.

Instead, I felt sorry.

It’s true that I, who possessed this body, used Seti’s earnings without asking. Currently, the only account I could withdraw from was restricted to the family account, and I knew asking Seti for permission would only result in a negative answer.

So I had no other option.

…but that would just be a cowardly excuse.

The best course of action here is to ask for forgiveness.

“I’m sorry.”

“…You think saying sorry fixes everything?”

“I’ll pay you back double later.”

“Stop talking nonsense.”

Her tone became as cold as frost.

Seti wiped her eyes and boarded the spaceship. In her right hand was the bag she takes to the academy.

“I, I don’t care anymore. From now on, I won’t put money I earn into the family account. I won’t let Father or Mother use it either, I’ll keep it all to myself. Know that it’s because of you.”

Seti left home with those words.

Sonia approached and said.

“Don’t worry about it. I heard from Dona that the young lady has been experiencing unpleasant things at the academy lately.”

“What?”

This wasn’t something that appeared in the novel.

I was surprised and asked about the details.

Sonia adjusted her hairband and continued.

“I heard there’s a new student, and that student is causing her considerable stress.”

***

By the time she arrived at the academy, Seti’s head had cooled down.

As her anger subsided, reason gradually returned. Seti replayed the conversation she had with Eidel several times.

No, it would be inappropriate to call it a conversation. It was merely her one-sidedly hurling insults.

‘But he was the one who did wrong.’

She had been busy studying while working hard to earn money and put it in the family account. It was pocket money she had set aside for her father and mother who were struggling to treat patients in the field hospital.

‘And that trash spent it all. I can’t forgive him. I absolutely cannot forgive him.’

But.

At the same time.

‘…he did say he was sorry.’

At that point, Seti couldn’t help but feel confused.

Until now, Eidel had never said sorry or apologized to anyone.

Even if it’s just lip service, hearing an apology tends to soften one’s mood.

Seti shook her head.

What was important now wasn’t Eidel.

‘What’s the point of not seeing his face? There’s a crazy girl who’s entered the academy…’

She sighed and attempted to dock with the large cylindrical spaceship.

Ergos General Academy.

The largest entrance exam academy in the southern region.

Until recently, Seti had believed this academy was her only sanctuary. Not only was Eidel, who tormented her, absent, but Rustila, who was healing just to look at, was also there.

Seti reigned here under the names of Rheinland and Adelbein. It’s safe to say that no other student had a higher social status than her. Even among the rougher students, there was a prevailing notion that ‘Seti shouldn’t be messed with.’

No one upset Seti.

It had been a comfortable place.

However, everything changed a month ago.

– I don’t think I can continue attending the academy.

It was shortly after studying with Rustila at home. Rustila said those words and canceled her academy registration for the next month.

Seti felt like the sky was falling.

The pillar that had helped her endure the grueling exam preparation was about to disappear.

– W-why?

– I’m sorry. There are family circumstances.

At first glance, one might think she couldn’t attend the academy due to lack of funds, but that didn’t seem to be the case. The Kersil family was sufficiently wealthy for that.

Moreover, Rustila’s expression on her last day at the academy was incredibly haggard.

– See you at Stellarium.

With that, Rustila left.

Ergos General Academy had a fixed number of students it could accept. If an existing student left the academy, other students who had been waiting would enter sequentially according to their test results.

And the child who filled Rustila’s place…

‘Just my rotten luck.’

Seti sighed for what felt like the umpteenth time and sat down.

“Oh my, you’re later than yesterday?”

A voice that seemed to grate on one’s nerves.

‘I hate hearing it.’

Seti put on her earphones and buried her head. She gritted her teeth and focused solely on solving problems in her workbook.

“I was waiting for you, my neck almost fell off.”

“……”

“Hmm, I wonder if you can’t hear me.”

The girl chuckled and brought her head right up to Seti’s face. Snow-white hair flowed down from two heads. The two girls’ hair gently overlapped.

Seti pulled her head back, holding back the curses that were about to come out.

“I can’t see the answer choices. What are you doing?”

“What am I doing? I’m trying to build friendship. Between prospective acceptees, that is.”

Seti reflexively turned her head. However, the girl moved in that direction to maintain eye contact.

Thus, Seti’s golden eyes and the girl’s purple eyes met in a straight line.

Seti growled and said.

“There are only 2 weeks left until the entrance exam.”

“I know.”

“The final mock exam is in just two days.”

“Only the riffraff solve those.”

The girl sitting across from her smiled while brushing her glossy hair. It was an unpleasantly creepy smile.

“I need to study, so don’t bother me.”

“Dun buhther muh.”

“…Should I call the teacher?”

“I don’t particularly mind if you do?”

The girl chuckled and tilted her head.

‘This is really…’

Seti barely contained the anger rising to her head.

Humans are social animals. Even when angry, one should know when and where to express it. Raising her voice here would only disadvantage herself.

“Ah, Seti. My poor friend. You know well, don’t you? Being excellent in all aspects means being that much lonelier. Even when I try to talk to others like this, I’m always rejected.”

“……”

Such bad luck indeed. She wanted to give her a good smack.

But she couldn’t.

“Let’s get along well, fellow Adelbein.”

Social status…

The social status was too vastly different.