Chapter 14 – Entrance Exam

From the very back of the classroom, I rested my chin on my hand, surveying the other examinees.

Some looked well over twenty, while others seemed about my age.

The minimum age for Academy admission was supposedly 17, but the range seemed higher than I’d expected.

Looks like Yurasia won’t have trouble fitting in after all. I’d worried she might feel out of place, being two years over the minimum age.

Good thing that doesn’t seem to be the case.

Not that Yurasia’s personality would make it hard for her to make friends, anyway.

I chuckled quietly, thinking of Yurasia’s lively reactions and vivid emotions.

It’s been five years since I met her.

These days, her expressions are even more pronounced.

She’s so cheeky.

At first, she was timid, but now she’s always teasing me.

She knows just how far she can push the line, which is pretty annoying.

Still, having a little sister like her makes things fun.

As I pondered how to tease Yurasia in our next sparring session, the door slid open.

A blue-haired woman stepped into the room.

It was the Arkand family magician who had guided us through the Academy before.

“The Karela Academy written entrance exam will begin in one minute. Please clear your desks of everything except writing utensils and place your hands on top of the desk.”

The blue-haired woman spoke.

Her name… What was it again?

Wi…Wisp?

I remember she’s from the Arkand family.

Arkand set the floating test papers gently down on the podium and made eye contact with me, giving a nod.

At the same time, the girl sitting next to me, hidden beneath a dark blue hood, glanced sharply in my direction.

“…Eustetia.”

She whispered, barely audible.

I heard her just fine.

But never mind that.

Why is she staring at me like that?

She’s about to get a smack if she keeps that up.

It’s been a while since I’ve had to deal with this kind of gaze. It feels awkward.

Why’s she looking at me?

Does she know me?

I glanced at her from the corner of my eye without moving my head. The moment I looked at her, she quickly averted her gaze, as if she’d never been staring.

Well, now.

She’s kind of cute in an odd way.

So, I kept staring at her.

Boldly.

I made my lips move as if I were talking, making big gestures with my body.

Each time I did, she flinched.

But until the exam alarm rang, she didn’t look my way again.

“I will now distribute the test papers.”

Shortly after, I heard Arkand’s voice.

Simultaneously, the test papers flew toward the 20 students.

As soon as the paper landed on the desk, with my hands resting on it—

“Begin.”

The exam started.

Rustle, rustle.

The sight of all the students checking their test papers at once was quite the spectacle.

Some were scanning the back pages, eyes wide, while others immediately began answering questions.

I, too, quickly got to work.

The subject was history.

Every question was in essay form.

Even better.

Let’s see.

Question 1 is…

The name of the emperor of the Herman Empire during the Demon War.

Hah. They’re really asking this?

This is too easy.

Grinning, I wrote down the emperor’s name.

[Malphramis Herman]

Malphramis was an absolute scumbag.

A petty, cowardly bastard.

He kept boasting about his power and how unshakable his position was during our meetings to plan the Demon King’s defeat. What a spineless worm.

If the era had been even a little more lenient, I would’ve smacked him on the back of the head several times.

I even swore to myself that I’d hit him at least once after we defeated the Demon King, but I never got the chance.

As for Question 2…

It was about the reason and process behind the alliance between the Herman Empire and the Holy Kingdom of Pranecia.

This happened when the then Pope of Pranecia, Barahilda Saemon, tried to keep Luna from joining the fight, so Paulo, Kaloso, and I, the three of us, stormed the Holy Kingdom and overturned the situation.

Officially, the alliance was to help each other rebuild after the Demon War and the Demon King’s defeat.

But what should I write for the process?

I can’t exactly write that the three of us barged in and slapped the Pope, can I?

What was that speech Malphramis gave at the time?

I’m sure it was…

Scratch, scratch.

Recalling the events of the time, I breezed through Questions 2 and 3.

The remaining history questions followed, and I answered them all easily.

None of it was difficult.

Considering that I’d lived through that period and was at the center of most of it, it’s no surprise.

The only thing that took some effort was dressing up my answers in fancy language.

Thankfully, having grown up in a duchy, I wasn’t uncomfortable with the noble style of speech.

The rest of the questions were about the history of the Demon Realm, the origin of demons, and holy relics.

All of it was related to history, but I finished it all quickly.

Who knew that the Pope’s ramblings would actually help me out here?

“Ugh.”

As I stretched after finishing all the questions, the alarm signaling the end of the exam rang.

“The exam has ended. You now have a 10-minute break. Please be back in your seats on time.”

Simultaneously, the test papers scattered across the desks floated up and gathered in front of Arkand.

After collecting the test papers, she gave me another nod before leaving the classroom.

With the exam over, the break began.

In the silence that followed, I rummaged through my pockets.

All this thinking is making my sugar levels drop. I need something sweet.

With a 10-minute break, I had more than enough time to eat a piece of candy.

In my previous life, I would’ve smoked a cigarette, but since I’ve been given a new body in this life, I’ve decided not to touch tobacco.

It’d be a waste to ruin this body, especially with how good I look.

Maybe if I end up in the Demon Realm, I’ll reconsider.

Rustle, rustle.

As I fumbled through the candy wrappers piled in my pocket, the girl in the navy hood glanced at me and my pocket.

Did she notice I didn’t wash my hands?

Whatever.

Ignoring her, I unwrapped a candy and popped it into my mouth.

Then I stuffed the wrapper back into my pocket.

I’ll give it to Yurasia as a gift later.

Slurp, slurp.

Crackle, crackle.

The next exam was on the Demon Realm.

It covered demons and demonic creatures.

I had wondered why black magic wasn’t included, but apparently, the Academy has separate courses on it.

The course description was ridiculous too.

“Know thy enemy, know thyself, and you will win a hundred battles.”

It’s true, but still.

Bringing black magicians into the Academy to teach kids seems like a terrible decision.

There are plenty of people who could teach about black magic without bringing in actual black magicians.

Even I, who was never interested in theory, could explain hundreds of black magic spells and how to counter them.

No matter how peaceful the world has become, bringing black magicians into a school full of children is an awful idea.

They claim that for over 200 years, black magicians have taught without incident, and there are even stories of them stopping students from using black magic out of spite.

I don’t buy it.

400 years is a long time.

Even if the world and black magicians have changed, my opinion remains the same.

Those wretches who sold their souls to the Demon Lords for power should die.

And I’d be more than happy to kill them myself.

Crunch, crunch. I bit down on the now small piece of candy, shattering it into bits.

Right then, clatter, Arkand entered, and the next exam began.

The questions on the Demon Realm were about…

The characteristics of different regions in the Demon Realm, Ge Biennum.

The demonic creatures and demons that live there.

Their strengths, weaknesses, and how to defeat them.

What to be cautious of when fighting demons.

All the questions were exactly what I had expected.

My pen never stopped moving.

For someone who had spent half their life in the Demon Realm, the questions were far too easy.

***

“Miss!!”

“Here’s a gift.”

After finishing the written exams, it was time for lunch.

Yurasia, who had been waving at me from afar, ran up to me, and I held out my clenched fist.

“A gift?!”

“Yep.”

Giggling, I dropped a pile of candy wrappers into Yurasia’s outstretched hands.

There were so many that they almost overflowed.

I still had a few left in my pocket.

“Ew… Miss, if you eat this much, you’ll get cavities.”

“I brush my teeth, so I won’t.”

“You’ll still get cavities.”

“So what? I’ll just get a priest to heal them.”

“You still can’t do that. If the cavity gets too deep, they’ll have to pull the tooth!”

“Then I’ll just pull it and—”

I was about to say I’d just get it healed, but I remembered.

The only miracle capable of regenerating teeth is Luna’s.

No point in bringing that up. I don’t want to see that smug look on Yurasia’s face.

“Forget it. Let’s just eat. I’m hungry.”

“Okay! What do you want to eat?”

“Meat.”

“What kind of meat?”

“Beef, pork, chicken, duck, any of those? Just no fish.”

If I were still in my old body, I’d eat everything.

But with this body, I might die if I overdo it.

“Fish? Why not?”

“Too annoying to pick out the bones.”

“Should I do it for you?”

“What’s the point? I’m fine. I don’t even like fish that much.”

The food at Karela Academy was rumored to be good.

Yurasia had been chattering about it at least once a day since we’d arrived.

Because of that, I was a little excited too.

Meat is just meat, but meat grilled by a skilled chef is always better.

Especially the chef at the Eustetia household.

That guy’s cooking is phenomenal.

He even managed to change my palate after I’d been eating demonic creature meat all my life.

If the Academy food is even half as good, I’ll be satisfied.

I smacked my lips in anticipation.

“Oh, right. Miss, do you remember question 8 from the Demon Realm exam?”

“Hm?”

“The one that asked about the easiest way to take down an ogre?”

“Oh, that one.”

The problem had given a party of three.

Two vanguard fighters of second rank.

One third-circle magician.

They were tasked with taking down an ogre using non-magical weapons and fire-based magic as quickly as possible.

It had excluded martial artists.

Anyway, I remembered the question.

“Why?”

“How did you answer it, Miss?”

Ogres are thick-skinned by nature.

Their tendons are thick too. That makes them strong, and despite their size, they’re fast.

Most weapons can’t even pierce their hide, and they can dodge most spells.

The key to defeating them is to knock them down first.

If you damage their brain and mess up their balance, they’ll fall and struggle to get up, making them easy to kill.

Of course, if you’re strong enough, you could crush their skin like tofu, but that’s not what the question was asking for.

So, I wrote the standard approach.

“I just wrote that you stab them in the eyes and ears with a long sword or spear to mess up their brain, or fire a concentrated spell straight into their mouth.”

Honestly, you wouldn’t even need three people to do it.

I don’t know how skilled today’s 17-year-olds are, but back in my day, if you knew how, anyone could do it.

Yurasia, however, seemed confused and tilted her head.

“…Really?”

“Yeah.”

After hearing my confident response, Yurasia mumbled to herself, still looking puzzled.

“…It does seem fast and efficient, but… can you really do that?”

“Why not?”

Of course, the books I’ve read on demon hunting were full of unnecessarily complicated methods.

But all that’s trash.

In situations where resources and stamina are limited, using those methods would get you killed even if you manage to defeat the ogre.

I don’t know which idiot came up with those ideas, but my method is correct.

Even someone below Yurasia’s level could manage it.

If you can’t, then you deserve to die.

Or stay in your cozy home and never leave.

Real combat is different from theory.

Even the most detailed plan, executed by one of the strongest, can end with death if they take just one wrong hit from a demon.

That’s why you need to kill them quickly and decisively.

Anyone who claims my answer is wrong must lack real combat experience.

And anyone with real experience who still thinks it’s wrong deserves to be tied up and beaten with a stick.

“Oh, what about question 11, Miss?”

Yurasia continued to chatter non-stop until we reached the cafeteria.

When we arrived, I noticed the kiosk.

“What are you getting, Miss? They’re recommending beef today!”

Yurasia placed the order for me.

“Ta-da! I even deboned the fish perfectly for you!”

She also took care of the fish bones.

“Wow, this is the best part! Here, say ‘ahh—’”

It was delicious.

***

Meanwhile.

In the headmaster’s office at Karela Academy, a meeting was in progress among the professors seated around a round table.

“We’ve come to the conclusion that the contents of this answer sheet are too difficult for the general faculty to assess, so we’ve brought it to you.”

It was an answer sheet from the written exams held during the first and second periods.

Scrawled in terrible handwriting, the name in the top corner of the sheet read:

Eliaernes Eustetia.