episode_0097

Five months have passed since the day I gave my heart to Edan for the second time.

As the days changed, February, which could be considered the end of winter, was fast approaching.

This meant that the day of our academy entrance with Edan was not far off.

Of course, our admission to the academy with Edan was not yet confirmed.

To enter Luminoir Academy, whether noble or commoner, one must take the entrance exam without exception.

Even the prestigious Auguste Changbaek family’s Lizzie had a record of failing the entrance exam, showing that there were no exceptions to the academy’s admission rules.

…Of course, there was an unavoidable difference in the difficulty of the entrance exams between nobles and commoners.

“Because the academy must be run.”

It was a well-known fact that Luminoir Academy’s tuition was expensive, but compared to the operating costs of the academy, it was actually quite affordable.

Facilities with an abundance of knowledge where one could learn all they wanted.

Proper curriculum from veteran professors with years of experience in education ranging from 10 to almost 20 years.

Even inviting retired sages of the Matap or the former leader of the Emperor’s Sword Knights, or even former members of the Hero Party as daily instructors, the current principal’s crazy connections.

Considering these aspects, it was the reality of Luminoir Academy that even with the expensive tuition of one gold coin per semester, they could only run at a loss every year.

In fact, the parts that were not covered by tuition were filled through the empire’s national budget.

Assisting in covering Luminoir Academy’s operating costs even a little was the relatively easier academy entrance exam for nobles.

High-ranking nobles entering Luminoir Academy had a tradition of paying substantial donations to the academy in addition to tuition fees.

So, while claiming to provide equal educational opportunities to commoners and nobles, the reality of Luminoir Academy was that the ratio of noble students was overwhelmingly high.

Already, nobles who had received private tutoring and education from a young age were naturally superior on average to commoners, and with differences in the difficulty of the entrance exams, it was a natural phenomenon.

Of course, even though it was planned to change slowly starting this year.

As I mentioned before, from next year’s incoming students, the academy’s capacity would triple.

The large story itself was unfolding as it did in the original game.

Some of the measures announced by the Emperor for national defense in response to the palace attack crisis included an increase in the academy’s capacity.

Even if the entrance exam for nobles was said to be easy, the absolute number of nobles was already determined.

“Even at this time, there are still vacancies left for characters like the protagonist to enter.”

In the end, after all the nobles, both existing and non-existent, were admitted, the vacancies would eventually be filled by commoner students.

Starting this year, the atmosphere at the academy was gradually shifting from nobility to equality.

Of course, even though the admission criteria had been relaxed, the entrance exam still had to be taken, so both Edan and I had to visit Luminoir Academy on the exam day.

Therefore, today, we were planning to take a carriage with Edan to the Island of Knowledge to take the entrance exam.

“Have a safe trip, Lord Edan.”

“Yes, I will.”

“If you happen to make a mistake and fail the entrance exam, be prepared for that moment.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

Edan nodded slightly with a slightly tense voice at Harold’s words.

Well, Edan’s level was such that he could pass the exam for commoners, let alone the one for nobles, so there was no need to worry.

If there was any problem, it was more on my side… the magic exam that I had to take.

“Re, Relise! Do you have to do well on the entrance exam?”

“Yes, don’t worry, I’ll do well.”

“Cheer up, Lady Relise…!”

“Thank you for your support, Senior Katarina.”

One of the most comfortable things since gaining noble status was that there was no longer anyone who found it strange for Katarina to call me “Lady.”

Of course, after entering the academy, I wouldn’t hear the title “Lady” from Katarina that often.

With a slight worry about the academy entrance exam in my heart, I also prepared to depart for the Island of Knowledge with Isabelle and Katarina’s encouragement.

Carrying a bag filled with three days’ worth of clothes, towels, and other essentials in both hands.

The reason for bringing three days’ worth of clothes and towels is because I would need to stay near the academy for the next three days.

If it were just a matter of taking one exam and coming back, I could have stayed for just one day and returned without needing so much luggage. Unfortunately, the exams that Edan and I had to take were the swordsmanship and magic exams, respectively.

In order to take the swordsmanship exam on the first day of the entrance exam and the magic exam on the third day and return, we had to book a place to stay during that time.

Considering the number and variety of students entering the academy, it would be impossible for everyone to take all the entrance exams in just one day.

Some departments even had different exam dates for nobles and commoners, making the exam week naturally longer.

If it were Hwangdo, we could have easily traveled back and forth in half a day by carriage, so there would have been no need to book accommodation. However, the island of knowledge where the academy is located required almost half a day of travel by carriage from Blackwood.

Therefore, it was safer to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances by booking three days for the journey.

It takes one to two days to travel from Blackwood Territory to the island of knowledge.

After booking accommodation on the island of knowledge, washing the accumulated laundry during the journey, taking the exams, and staying for about three days.

And then returning to Blackwood Territory in one to two days.

The long itinerary, ranging from a few days to a week, was a bit overwhelming, but it was a level of effort I could endure if it meant entering the academy.

Loading the luggage prepared for up to a week of travel into the carriage compartment, I was about to follow Edan into the cabin when Harold suddenly stopped me with a serious expression and began to speak.

“Lilith, you.”

“Yes?”

“Even if you fail the academy entrance exam, remember that the contract is still valid.”

“….”

“During Edan’s four years at the academy, you are contracted to continue as Edan’s exclusive maid.”

…Ah.

So that was what he wanted to talk about.

Well, considering that Harold had originally demanded that I become Edan’s exclusive maid, my admission to the academy was probably not that important.

In fact, there was a possibility that Harold even hoped I would fail at the academy.

Anyway, being Edan’s exclusive maid without the title of an academy student was much more reliable.

Well, of course, I had no intention of failing the entrance exam.

And even if I did fail, I had no intention of giving up a job that paid 40 gold coins a year.

So, I just nodded respectfully to Harold and gave a formal reply.

“You don’t need to worry, Master. There is no reason for my admission status to affect your duties as Edan’s exclusive maid.”

“Of course, that’s how it should be. Well then, have a safe journey.”

“I will do my best to accompany Young Master safely.”

With that, I bid farewell to Harold, boarded the carriage, and as the sound of the coachman’s whip echoed, the two-seater carriage moved towards the island of knowledge, the main stage of the Luminoir Academy.

***

From the moment the carriage carrying Edan and me passed through the walls of Blackwood Territory, it took about two hours.

Inside the carriage, where only the occasional sound of the coachman’s reins could be heard, we maintained silence for quite a while after departing from Blackwood Manor.

“…”

“…”

It wasn’t that there was nothing to talk about or any particular reason for the silence. In fact, there was an abundance of things to talk about.

Whether it was about the Luminoir Academy and the island of knowledge we were heading to, or about our future life after entering the academy.

Or even just to encourage each other not to make mistakes in the entrance exam that would take place in a few days.

It’s just that it felt strangely awkward to meet Edan’s eyes right now, so I didn’t feel like talking.

After all, if I were to meet Edan’s eyes now, it might remind me of what happened in his room last night.

It had been five months since Edan started learning dual swordsmanship in earnest.

Following my advice to focus on dual swordsmanship, Edan had started showing remarkable talent in the new swordsmanship he had recently learned over the past few months.

Recently, I have been feeling more confident in my growth compared to the past when I used to challenge Harold to duels.

…Literally feeling it with my whole body.

“Ugh… I’m such a stupid girl….”

Thinking back to Ethan, who has been winning against Harold in sword duels almost every two weeks, I scolded my past self for being so reckless in my mind.

Seriously, how did I end up like this…