Entrance Exam -Swordsmanship Department- (1)

It was the third day since Ethan and I arrived on the Island of Knowledge.

Having busily prepared to go out from early morning, we immediately set off a little early for the Academy.

Because today was finally the day Ethan would take the ‘Swordsmanship Department Entrance Exam’ to enroll in Luminor Academy.

“Are you feeling alright, Young Master?”

“Yes. I slept enough, and I’m fully prepared.”

“That’s a relief. I was worried you might be nervous about the entrance exam, as you seemed to have trouble sleeping yesterday.”

“…That was because of the Maid.”

“Pardon?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

How dull.

Well, it was a relief that he was in perfect condition on the day of the exam. Yesterday, he looked tired all day as if he really hadn’t slept well.

He was the one who suggested we go sightseeing on the first day if we arrived without delay, so what would we do if he ended up sleeping until evening due to fatigue?

Thanks to that, we had to stay mostly at the inn on the second day of our arrival on the Island of Knowledge. All three meals were eaten at the pub and restaurant on the first floor of the inn.

‘Still, well.’

It’s fortunate that his condition seems to have improved on the day of the exam.

He probably felt tired from the long, unfamiliar carriage journey. It was a stroke of luck that we started a day early.

At least it’s much better than being exhausted and sickly on the day of the exam.

Of course, this year’s noble entrance exam, excluding the Magic Department, was expected to have such a low passing cut-off that it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it wide open, but at least the evaluation reflected in the entrance exam itself would be helpful in making connections during the first semester.

It’s a natural principle that more people would flock to the top student of a department than to the last-place student.

‘With Ethan’s current skill, he can definitely aim for the top of the department.’

Even though it was a mock sparring match fought with a wooden sword, his skill was enough to occasionally win against a Sword Master.

If he could display even half of his usual skill, he would be able to achieve a score that would overwhelm most other students.

The only variable would be how strong the protagonist character was…

Well, at least there was no chance of running into Ethan today. Today was the day for the ‘noble’ entrance exam for the Academy Swordsmanship Department.

If the protagonist character were to enroll in the Swordsmanship Department, they would participate in tomorrow’s ‘commoner’ entrance exam.

They might compete for the top spot, but actually clashing swords directly would be much later.

“It’s quite a distance from the inn to Luminor Academy, should I call a coachman to bring a carriage?”

“I think it’s better to just walk slowly. There will be quite a few nobles arriving at the exam venue on the morning of the exam, so pulling a carriage might actually make us later.”

“I agree, Young Master.”

“…If the exam ends a little early, let’s explore the island this afternoon, as we couldn’t yesterday.”

“That’s a good idea, Young Master.”

Thanks to Ethan’s wise decision, we fortunately didn’t have to experience traffic jams in this world like in my previous life.

After walking for a while, we avoided the long line of carriages that appeared and entered Luminor Academy.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

The Swordsmanship Department Entrance Exam at Luminor Academy takes place from morning until evening.

Fortunately, not all applicants take the exam from morning to evening; the exam itself proceeds in order, starting with the students who arrive first.

First, students entering the Academy would form groups of four in order of arrival to take the entrance exam.

These groups of four prospective students would then engage in one-on-one sparring matches.

Since the rule was to spar with every opponent once, a total of six matches would be held. Each person would have three matches against different opponents.

Including the six sparring times and the breaks in between, a sparring session usually concluded within one to two hours.

After all, new students who hadn’t even entered the Academy yet wouldn’t exchange dozens of blows, nor would they typically maintain a standoff for tens of minutes just to find an opening in their opponent.

After finishing the one to two-hour sparring session, the results of the pass would be posted on the Academy bulletin board the next morning or the morning after.

In Ethan’s case, since he was taking the noble Swordsmanship Department exam, it would be the morning after the commoner Swordsmanship Department entrance exam concluded.

For reference, coming in first in a group of four did not guarantee a pass, nor did coming in fourth necessarily mean failure.

The four-person sparring method was merely a way to save time and prevent variables; it wasn’t meant to be a relative evaluation among those four prospective students.

Imagine how unfair it would be if, in a group where the future 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place students of the Swordsmanship Department were gathered, the 4th place student failed just because they were 4th in that group.

What truly influenced the score was the evaluation given by the supervisors who observed the sparring matches. In that sense, it could be considered somewhat fair.

Of course, since it was an evaluation made by people, it couldn’t be considered perfect, but that’s how all exams are, to begin with.

With Ethan’s skill level, I wasn’t worried that he would lose disgracefully anywhere. Besides, he was long past the age where I had to take care of him every step of the way.

“Did you properly bring both swords, Young Master?”

“Yes, I have them right here.”

“You haven’t forgotten to wear the long sword on your right, have you? Since your swordsmanship involves holding the short sword in your right hand, to draw it quickly when unsheathing…”

“I know, I know. I have to manage my own swords anyway, you don’t need to fuss over them, Maid.”

“I will double-check if the belt for your swords is properly secured. It could be dangerous if it were to slip down during combat.”

“I already checked, Maid…”

I wasn’t worried at all. Because I had seen Ethan’s skill up close all this time.

Although today’s sparring would be conducted with real swords instead of wooden ones, which made me a little uneasy, the Academy’s sparring grounds were guaranteed to be safe, so there was no danger.

In most cases, the judges would intervene and stop the match before a complete conclusion was reached, and even if a fatal injury occurred, the person wouldn’t die but would simply be teleported to the Aurelia Church within Luminor Academy.

A ‘Death Prevention Magic’ was cast over the exam venue to prevent casualties during Academy student sparring matches.

In that regard, it was even safer than the mock sparring grounds where he sparred with Harold. In the sense that there was absolutely no possibility of death.

If the Death Prevention Magic were truly activated and someone returned to the church, it would be the opponent who was cut by Ethan’s sword, not Ethan himself. That was certainly how it would be.

“Since this is a sparring match with real swords, you must be even more careful in assessing your opponent’s movements. Although there is no risk of losing your life, the pain of a momentary injury will be etched into your memory.”

“Thank you for the advice, but I’ve already heard about practical sparring from Father, so you don’t need to worry, Lillith.”

“There might be opponents who make unpredictable attacks, completely unlike the Young Master. Not all swordsmen always make precise and efficient attacks. It would be better to prioritize safety in combat rather than attempting attacks that risk injury…”

“I said you don’t need to worry, Maid…”

I trusted Ethan, so I wasn’t worried at all.

No matter how he fought, I truly wasn’t worried in the slightest.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

After Ethan registered his name at the Academy Swordsmanship Department reception desk and returned.

Ethan and I, with a moment of leisure, waited somewhat leisurely on a bench near the reception desk for his sparring opponents to be decided.

“It’s still early morning, but surprisingly, there aren’t few people.”

“If they miss the opportunity this year, they’ll have to wait until next year. Even nobles will move diligently today.”

“But you’re a noble now too, Maid.”

“But I didn’t come as a noble; I came today as the Young Master’s Maid.”

And strictly speaking, my authority as a noble was practically non-existent anyway.

I considered it merely a nominal title to safely graduate from the Academy, so thinking of myself as not a noble at all was much more comfortable.

It was a useless title unless I was going to be affiliated with the Blackwood Ducal Family for the rest of my life.

…Speaking of which, who would Ethan be sparring against today?

“Young Master Ethan, may I ask what your registration number is?”

“It’s 15.”

“Then numbers 13, 14, and 16 will be your sparring opponents.”

“That’s right.”

For reference, nobles taking the exam at such an early hour were more likely to be lower-ranking nobles rather than high-ranking ones.

Most high-ranking noble applicants would probably be stuck in traffic somewhere on the road in their carriages right now.

It was a common characteristic of nobles, especially high-ranking ones, that they would rather wait for hours on the road than walk directly on it themselves.

In other words, the sparring opponents encountered at this time were likely to be relatively weaker.

Generally, high-ranking nobles had more maximum mana than lower-ranking nobles, and their swordsmanship was also more developed, so this was a natural outcome.

Well, no matter who the opponent was, Ethan would probably win easily.

As I thought that and waited for Ethan’s turn to spar, someone who looked like an attendant began calling out the names of the next applicants at the sparring grounds.

“Preparing for the next exam! Applicant No. 13, Louis Finn Agonis-nim!”

Number 13, so one of Ethan’s sparring opponents.

Given the unfamiliar-sounding name, he probably wasn’t a major character.

Since I hadn’t heard of the family name Agonis either, they were probably a provincial baron or baronet family.

As I thought that and waited for the next name to be called, the name of applicant No. 14 immediately reached my ears.

“Applicant No. 14, Benjamin Huckleberry Belvin-nim!”

This was also a name I had never heard before. Neither the name Benjamin nor the surname Belvin.

Indeed, there were many from provincial families among the morning applicants.

Ethan was probably the only high-ranking noble who would walk to the exam at this hour.

If these were his opponents, Ethan would probably have an easy victory.

“Applicant No. 15, Ethan Richard Blackwood-nim!”

“Let’s go, Young Master.”

“Okay.”

The moment I confirmed Ethan, applicant No. 15, had his name called and was about to walk with him towards the sparring grounds.

The name of the next applicant, spoken by the attendant, made me instantly doubt my ears.

“Finally, Applicant No. 16, Karham Samuel August-nim!”

“…Karaham?”

…Why is his name coming up here?