Entrance Exam – Swordsmanship Department (2)

One hour before Ethan and Lillith arrived at Luminor Academy.

Karaham Samuel August, the eldest son of Margrave Samuel Bruce August and a noble swordsman who inherited the August-style swordsmanship, was also heading toward the academy to take the Swordsmanship Department’s entrance exam.

Inside the August family’s carriage, fidgeting nervously with restless legs.

-Tap tap tap, tap tap tap.

“……”

-Tap tap tap, tap tap tap.

“……”

-Tap tap tap, tap tap…

“Karaham! Can’t you stop shaking your legs?! With your size, the whole carriage is rattling!”

“M-My apologies, Sister!”

Karaham bowed his head at the scolding from his only sister, Lizzie Lynn August.

Thanks to her warning, he managed to compose himself momentarily and calm his nerves.

For a brief moment, it seemed he had stopped his restless leg shaking and gathered his thoughts.

But that temporary calm lasted less than five minutes before the ripples of anxiety began disturbing his mind again like waves on still water.

-Tap tap tap, tap tap tap.

“……”

-Tap tap tap, tap tap…

“Ka~ra~ha~am!”

“S-Sorry, Sister! I-I couldn’t help it because I’m anxious…!”

“……Sigh, seriously.”

Lizzie sighed as she watched her younger brother fidget like he was about to bolt from the August carriage at any moment.

Wondering what could be making him so uneasy, she asked.

“What’s wrong with you? It’s just the academy entrance exam, isn’t it? Where’s all that confidence you always had, saying Father taught you the August-style swordsmanship so you’d never lose?”

“N-No, Sister! I’m not nervous about the swordsmanship duel in the entrance exam-it’s something else…”

“Then what is it?”

“I-I’m just anxious because this carriage procession hasn’t moved an inch for the past hour! We’ve been standing still without moving at all-of course I’d feel restless!”

“Haa, Karaham…”

Lizzie had considered cheering him up, thinking he might just be nervous about the entrance exam, but seeing her younger brother worked up over such a ridiculous reason made her feel nothing but pity.

In the end, instead of encouragement, she gave him the same advice she always did-to maintain a noble’s composure.

“What’s so unsettling about the carriage stopping for just an hour? A noble should be able to endure sitting in a carriage for five, even ten hours if needed.”

“I can endure long-distance travel in a carriage just fine! B-But staying completely still like this makes me feel like we’re not making any progress! When are we even going to reach Luminor Academy?!”

“It’s only natural for carriages to get backed up on exam day. By now, the carriages at the front should be finishing their exams and leaving one by one, so this traffic jam should clear up in about three or four hours.”

“T-Three or four hours?! What if the entrance exam ends before we get there?! If the eldest son of House August can’t even take the exam and fails to enroll, I’ll become a laughingstock-“

“The academy’s entrance exam runs from morning till evening, so stop worrying! Just sit still like a proper noble and read a book or something! Here!”

“O-Okay, Sister…”

Lizzie handed her brother a book on swordsmanship history she had brought just in case, and Karaham absentmindedly took it.

He forced himself to open the book to calm his nerves, but in his anxious state, none of the words registered in his mind.

Worse yet, the dense text with barely any illustrations only made his head spin even more.

“If you really can’t take it, just lean against the carriage wall and take a nap. I’ll wake you when we arrive at the academy…”

“…I can’t do this, Sister.”

“Huh?”

“I’m going ahead to the academy. Running there myself will be much faster than waiting here for this carriage to move.”

With those words, Karaham grabbed his sword leaning against the carriage wall and dashed outside.

Lizzie hurriedly called out to her suddenly erratic younger brother, but Karaham was already sprinting toward Luminor Academy.

“Hey, Karaham! Hey!!”

“Take your time, Sister!”

“I wasn’t even taking the exam today! And you’re leaving me alone in the carriage while you run off?! Get back here right now!”

“I’ll come back after taking the entrance exam!”

“Hey, heeeey!!!”

Ignoring his sister’s calls, Karaham had already set off for the academy.

Left behind in the August carriage was only Lizzie, abandoned in the middle of the snail-paced procession.

“Aaargh! I came all this way because I was worried about you!!”

Only the lone cry of the August noble lady echoed quietly around the still-immobile carriage line.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

“Finally, examinee number 16, Karaham Samuel August!”

“…Karaham?”

Karaham Samuel August.

The sudden appearance of a notable name made me tense up momentarily.

At first, I even wondered if I had misheard-but the loud, foolish voice that followed immediately confirmed it.

“Yes! The eldest son of Samuel Bruce August! Inheritor of the August-style swordsmanship, Karaham Samuel August!”

“……”

“……”

“……”

The boisterous voice and ridiculous self-introduction drew the gazes of Ethan, the staff, and the other examinees all at once.

But the August heir, as oblivious as he was in the original story, shamelessly strode toward the staff member.

“Is the exam hall inside here?”

“Ah, yes! Please enter and proceed with the evaluation duels with the other examinees.”

“Haha, understood! Thank you for your hard work!”

With his loud voice, Karaham followed Ethan and me into the exam hall.

A gut feeling told me that engaging with him would be a waste of time, so I urged Ethan to hurry inside.

“Let’s head inside quickly, Young Master. If the August heir recognizes you, it might lead to unnecessary trouble.”

“…Right, maid. I’m not exactly used to dealing with that type of person either…”

“Oh, isn’t that Prince Ethan over there! What a pleasant surprise to see you again!”

“……”

“……”

True to his reputation as the Empire’s muscle-headed elite, Karaham recognized Ethan just from the back of his head in the dimly lit duel hall corridor.

Of all the times to play the acquaintance card-why here?

Apparently, they had met once before when Ethan visited the capital for a gathering of palace guards (excluding me). Though Ethan didn’t seem keen on getting close to him.

Still, it would be impolite to ignore a fellow noble prince who greeted him first, so Ethan reluctantly responded.

“…Long time no see, Prince Karaham.”

“The last time we met was when His Majesty the Emperor commended your achievements. Seeing you here brings back memories.”

“…Indeed. I didn’t expect to meet you here either.”

“I never imagined Prince Ethan would be taking the Swordsmanship Department’s entrance exam this year! I thought you were far too young to be taking the academy’s entrance exams.”

“…Right. Thanks for the compliment.”

Ethan’s expression twisted momentarily at Karaham’s tactless remark.

It was common knowledge among nobles that Ethan hadn’t aged for five years due to a curse-yet here Karaham was, casually bringing it up.

Just like at the last party, his lack of awareness was as consistent as ever.

“By the way, I don’t see your sister with you, Karaham. A muscle-brained man like you needs someone like her sticking to you like glue.”

“Ah, Sister is still in the carriage! She insisted on seeing me off because she was worried!”

“…Hmm. She was worried, yet she’s not even attending the exam? Doesn’t seem like she cares that much about you.”

“Haha, you’re quite the joker, Prince Ethan! It’d take at least an hour for Sister to walk from the August carriage to the academy-I couldn’t possibly trouble her like that!”

“……?”

“……?”

Karaham’s nonsensical words left everyone utterly baffled.

Even after Ethan openly insulted him and his sister as a “muscle-brain” and “glue,” Karaham’s thick skull didn’t register the insult.

There was no way Ethan could win a war of words with that blockhead-especially since Karaham probably didn’t even realize they were arguing.

As the two stood at an impasse, another staff member called them into the exam hall.

The unexpected encounter had briefly halted their steps, but now they moved inside.

“Examinees! Please enter now!”

“…Let’s settle the rest with our swords.”

“Haha! I look forward to it, Prince Ethan!”

The two prospective students moved toward the exam hall amidst the strange tension.

I silently followed Ethan, praying inwardly that the exam would end without any serious injuries.

“Now that I think about it, the person beside you seems familiar…”

“…Pleased to meet you, Prince Karaham.”

“Hmm, is that so? My apologies.”

…As dense as ever, yet oddly perceptive at the worst times-just like in the game.