episode_0022

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“Thank you so much. You are my lifesaver! I don’t know how to repay this favor….”

“My lifesaver. Anyone would have helped me in that situation. I just happened to be there.”

“How can you speak so beautifully…..!”

I left the store with Elsie. She kept thanking me.

When I told him that it was a given that he would be so grateful that it felt burdensome, he covered his mouth with both hands and seemed so moved that he even shed tears.

‘….Ugh, this is so burdensome.’

It was my first time seeing that type.

Although the villainesses are still young, they are constantly trained to suppress their emotions, so they tend to be cold and bleak rather than bright and lively.

The servants who worked were also all quiet, in keeping with the family atmosphere.

In the case of Rasiya, she seemed the most talkative and cheerful, but that was all an act, so she was an exception.

It felt strangely strange to see a child with 100% pure, honest emotions for the first time in a long time.

Every single reaction was so honest that I didn’t know where to look.

I just wanted to erase a single light, but seeing you sincerely thanking me made the little bit of conscience that was left prickle.

“Oh, I’m late in introducing myself to my benefactor. My name is Elsie! I’m 15 years old!”

“….I’m Jodelle. I’m 15 years old too.”

“Looking at your outfit, I guess you came to take the Academy exam. What a coincidence! I’m so happy to see you!”

“Ah, I….”

“Oh! By the way, I saved the seat for my friend and just came. I’ve wasted too much time here and it’s probably not going to be my turn anymore. Follow me! Take the test with me! If you’re in my group, you can take the test right away without waiting.”

“Uh, sleep, just a moment….!”

“There’s nothing to complain about. Come on. Come on!”

Elsie, at age 15, had a rather hasty and slightly self-centered personality, perhaps because she had not yet fully developed the mature consideration shown in the webtoon.

But it seems like he has always been good at taking care of others since he was little. He grabbed my arm, which he had never seen before, and started running towards me without even listening to my story.

Elsie stopped about two rows from the front gate.

“Elsie, where have you been! It’s almost our turn, and I almost left you behind!”

“Sorry, sorry… I just stopped by the store for a bit… I got my money pickpocketed and now I’m late.”

“What? Then what about the money?”

“Fortunately, this person helped me. Thanks to him, I was barely able to buy it and get out.”

“..Hello. My name is Jodelle.”

“Yes. Hello. I’m Lara.”

I quickly cut off Elsie’s words as she tried to praise me again and exchanged brief statements with the girl who seemed to be in the group.

It’s the first time I’ve seen this girl.

That girl was a character I had never seen before in a webtoon.

The girl with plain brown hair and brown eyes seemed to be an extra just like me.

The two of them, who were close friends with Elsie, were seen chatting away.

I waited for them to finish talking.

If the fire came back to me, I planned to tell them I didn’t come to take the test and go back.

As I was quietly waiting for their conversation to end, the closed front door opened.

As the door opened, those who had failed the exam began to come out one by one.

I saw people frowning as if they were upset, people with tears in their eyes, and people frowning as if they were angry.

As all those who failed the test came out, a middle-aged man shouted in a loud voice.

“Students who will take the Academy exam, please come in within 10 minutes.”

“Huh? I guess it’s our turn. Let’s go Jodell!”

“….Huh?”

This time too, I was dragged into the academy by Elsie without realizing it.

‘Wow… This is amazing. This is the Academy…!’

I thought it was amazing when I saw it from the carriage earlier, but it was even more amazing when I came in through the main gate.

As soon as you open the door and enter, a wide plaza catches your eye.

I looked around in admiration.

The square was decorated with gold statues of famous people and was filled with stylish, well-decorated buildings.

Oh, there’s a garden too? The colorful flowers and trees are in full bloom here and there, blending in with the buildings, making it a feast for the eyes.

‘…those people….’

At the very top of the square were three chairs, and seated were the examiners and those with high positions in the academy.

There are quite a few people watching.

Academy students watching those who came to take the exam could also be seen between the buildings.

“You can go and stand over there.”

The middle-aged man took ten students and led them to where the examiners were sitting.

Before I knew it, I was also swept up in them and walked forward with them.

‘This isn’t it… why am I taking a test here again?’

It hasn’t been long since I took the exam to become a servant in the Jack family…

…..what happened?

It’s funny that you came all this way and said you didn’t come to take the test, you had to go back.

Rather than being labeled as an unnecessarily unique person, it would be better to be forgotten by the examiners as a common extra who failed to get into the Academy Awards.

I let out a deep sigh.

Yeah, it was easier if I gave up.

If you don’t show your ability, you will fail anyway.

Just do a rough copy and think you had a good experience.

While I’m at it, I should take a look and see what abilities other people have.

“Now, come up one by one from the beginning and tell us what abilities you have and freely show us your abilities.”

“Yes! I understand! My name is Isaac. I have excellent swordsmanship skills!”

The first subject was a man in his twenties who looked quite old.

He pulled out his sword as if to demonstrate his abilities and began swinging it vigorously in front of the examiners.

‘…Hmm. It’s a bit strange?’

It seems like I tried my best, but I was lacking something decisive.

It looks like that to me, so I’m sure the examiners see it the same way.

I glanced at the test tubes and, as expected, there was no particular reaction from anyone.

Rather, he had a bored look in his eyes.

The oldest-looking, white-haired examiner sitting in the middle of the three examiners spoke.

“…I’ve seen your swordsmanship skills, Isaac. Finally, put your hand on that crystal ball.”

“Yes!”

The man seemed very nervous and approached the transparent crystal ball that looked precious at first glance in front of the test tube.

I looked at the crystal ball with interest.

‘Was that the crystal ball that showed the potential for future growth?’

I knew it because it appeared frequently in webtoons.

It’s transparent now, but it’s better the color goes up from purple like red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.

It seems that this webtoon artist must have created that crystal ball with a rainbow as the motto.

‘I wonder what color it will be….’

The man’s hand touched the crystal ball.

The crystal ball seemed to glow for a moment, then passed purple and stopped at blue.

The man’s face was stained with disappointment. His potential for growth was limited to that extent.

I heard that you have to be at least red, orange, and yellow to be accepted into the academy.

“….hmm. Fail.”

As expected, I failed.

“Failed.”

“Failed….”

“Not suitable…!”

After the first man failed, I started receiving rejection notices one after another.

All the successful candidates turned around and walked away with bitter faces.

The Academy exams were rumored to be difficult. As expected, the passing rate was very low.

Now it was just Elsie and me left.

Elsie’s friend had already fallen. Elsie walked forward with a very nervous expression on her face.

“…..So, what are your abilities?”

“My ability is! The sword!”

The testers instructed him to try with a cold face, similar to the first man’s ability.

Elsie seemed nervous and took a deep breath, then began swinging her sword in earnest.

The more you swing the sword, the more a subtle aura appears on the sword.

‘Oh, is that good enough?’

The test tubes also had strange eyes as they saw the aura.

Even though she still looked young, Elsie could clearly see that she had talent with swords, as she was able to freely wield her aura.

Moreover, he had good stamina, so he didn’t show any signs of fatigue even when swinging his sword to his heart’s content. In fact, the more he swung his sword, the more lively his face seemed.

“…That’s enough sword skills. Now, put your hand on this crystal ball.”

“Yes! I understand!”

Elsie stepped forward confidently.

Elsie took a deep breath, seeming slightly nervous, and carefully placed her hand on the crystal ball.

How high will it go?

I also looked at the crystal ball with nervousness.

The light from the crystal ball sparkled.

The crystal ball, which started out purple and then turned to indigo, blue, purple, yellow, and orange, stopped shining.

“Oh. Orange…!”

“If it’s orange, it’s really good.”

“The sword skills are also good, and I’m looking forward to seeing more growth in the future. Elsie Yang is qualified.”

I see some admiring examiners.

Among them, the examiner who was wearing glasses and looked the most picky announced that I had passed.

“Wow! I passed! Thank you! Thank you so much! I will train hard to live up to your expectations!”

The examiners’ faces also smiled as they saw Elsie jumping up and down in joy at the news of her acceptance. It seemed that it was nice to see such an innocent reaction from a student of that age.

Elsie turned around with light steps and was about to leave, but then something suddenly occurred to her and she turned around to look at me.

She spoke with a small mouth shape.

‘go for it!’

I nodded nervously to Elsie, who was cheering me on.

I don’t really have any intention of fighting, but I can’t ignore the sincerity of those who cheer me on.

“…..Okay, this is the last one. What abilities do you have?”

Now it’s finally my turn.

All the examiners’ eyes turned towards me.

I was planning on falling anyway.

I opened my mouth to speak lightly about the abilities I had thought about in advance.

“Well, my ability is…..”