episode_0105

Two days after Edan and Caraham took the swordsmanship department entrance exam.

Edan and I prepared to depart for Luminoir Academy once again to take the academy entrance exam.

Of course, it wasn’t Edan’s swordsmanship department entrance exam that had already ended, but rather my visit related to the magic department entrance exam.

Yesterday, it rained all day, so I couldn’t leave the inn, and ended up spending most of the day in the same space as Edan.

We rested and chatted in the same room, went down to the inn’s first floor for meals together during meal times… Come to think of it, even if it hadn’t rained, the day wouldn’t have been much different.

I’ve been living a semi-cohabitation lifestyle like this for the past three days.

I’ve even reached the point of meditating during meal times. There’s no need to be overly formal outside.

“Getting used to this daily routine might not be such a bad thing.”

Since Edan’s acceptance into the swordsmanship department was almost certain, my entrance into Luminoir Academy was practically confirmed as well.

The only difference would be whether I entered as a student of the same academy as Edan or simply as a full-time maid.

Regardless, I had already agreed to maintain my role as a full-time maid with Harold, so cohabitation during my time at the academy was already confirmed.

Of course, there are separate rooms for full-time maids in the academy dormitory, so we wouldn’t be sharing the same bed like now.

The only thing that would change whether I enter the academy or not… would probably be whether Isabelle follows me to Luminoir Academy.

If I were to fail the magic department entrance exam, Isabelle, who was supposed to share my full-time maid duties, wouldn’t have any reason to be called to the academy.

…I remember Isabelle showing interest in coming to the academy, so I’ll have to pass the exam somehow to avoid any resentment later on.

“Today is the magic department exam, Maid?”

“Yes, Master.”

“I’ll cheer for you to pass. …No, as a maid, you should be able to pass, so you might as well aim for the top.”

“Thank you for your support, Master.”

“I think it’s best to walk there today. I saw a line of carriages in front of our inn earlier. Waiting in a carriage for too long would be a waste of time.”

“I agree, Master.”

With Edan’s encouragement, we left the inn and walked to Luminoir Academy, avoiding the line of carriages in front of the inn.

Despite Edan’s encouragement to aim for the top, I didn’t have much hope of ranking first in the magic department entrance exam.

Because, among this year’s new magic students, there was at least one character with exceptional magical abilities, if not two, who could easily surpass me.

One was ‘Inferno Agnes,’ whom I had met before.

The other was, of course, the protagonist character. Although it wasn’t confirmed yet that they would enter the magic department.

Both of them were characters who could outshine me in magical abilities. In other words, no matter how hard I tried in the entrance exam, my limit would be second place after Agnes.

By the way, the protagonist character had such exceptional basic abilities that they could enter any of the eight departments at the academy. Of course, their abilities would specialize depending on the department they entered.

In that sense, ‘Luminoir Academy’ truly captured the unique charm of a academy-themed game.

Apart from the Aurelia Church’s priestess training department, the protagonist character could enter all the departments at the academy.

Of course, among the seven departments, there were divisions that were more helpful for gameplay or ideal for capturing specific heroines, so the departments they entered were somewhat standardized.

‘If it were my past life, I would have probably pursued the swordsmanship route.’

Indeed, in my previous world, the swordsmanship department was the one I progressed through the most while playing ‘Luminoir Academy.’

There were two main reasons for this. One was that entering a department like my favorite character, ‘Natalie of the Swift Sword,’ made it much easier to capture her.

The other reason was that by pursuing the swordsmanship department route, I could get involved with Relise a bit faster.

End of Episode 105.

Now, it may seem like I’m preparing for the magic department entrance exam out of sheer luck, but originally, Lillis was not a student at the “Luminor Academy.”

She was just a character who entered as a full-time maid, but she was treated so miserably in the story that it felt almost malicious.

The longer the delay in meeting Lillis, the more intense the coercion from the assistant Lillis of the coercion, so in the past, I chose the route that would allow me to meet Lillis as soon as possible.

Even if it was already tainted by one coercion, I couldn’t bear to see it being mistreated by coercion’s lackeys or even by a dog.

For me, who made every effort to find the Lillis virgin route, it was an important part.

…Of course, now I just fervently hoped that the protagonist wouldn’t choose the swordsmanship department.

Getting involved with the protagonist now and getting entangled in the main story was completely out of the question, and above all, there was a possibility of seeing an unpleasant situation if Ethan got involved with the protagonist.

‘If Ethan was a coercion like in the original game, it would be different, but Ethan, who is my master now, was a necessary presence for me.

In that sense, the confrontation between him and the protagonist was not a future I wanted at all.

For now, Ethan is the heir to the Blackwood family, who can maintain my noble status, and he also plays a role in protecting me, who has to enter as a lowly noble lady.

Moreover, personally, I didn’t want to see Ethan, who hadn’t done anything wrong in this world, and the tragic downfall of the Blackwood family, so if the protagonist were to risk his life against Ethan in the swordsmanship department, that would be the worst-case scenario for me.

With such thoughts in mind, I also moved towards the academy to take the magic department entrance exam, and Ethan, with a slightly worried expression, asked me.

“What’s wrong, maid?”

“Yes?”

“You look serious. Are you worried about the academy entrance exam?”

“…A little bit.”

It was actually not my entrance exam, but the protagonist’s entrance exam.

“It’s okay, maid. If you’re a maid, you’ll definitely pass.”

“Thank you, young master.”

“…And if the maid does well on the entrance exam, I’ll grant you one wish.”

“…Yes?”

“Just the other day, the maid granted me one wish. This way, it’s fair.”

…I don’t think it’s necessary to be so sincere.

Of course, refusing the favor would be inappropriate, so I gladly accepted Ethan’s offer.

“Alright, young master. Then I will gladly accept your favor as well.”

“Yeah, good luck on the entrance exam.”

“You don’t have to worry. Young master already knows well about my magic skills, right?”

“…That’s true, but I still worry that the maid might suddenly cause trouble.”

“Yes?”

“…No, it’s nothing.”

Ignoring Ethan’s random comment, I first completed the registration process for the magic department entrance exam.

…Well, for someone like Lillis, the magic department entrance exam was a piece of cake.

***

Unlike the swordsmanship department entrance exam, where three other members of the same team had mock battles, the magic department entrance exam was quite simple.

Using magic to hit targets at a certain distance and scoring points within a set time to determine pass or fail grades.

Of course, it was a relative evaluation, and since the number of students in the magic department at the Luminor Academy was fixed, hitting as many targets as possible was important.

Trying to adjust your skills just for show would only lead to failure.

Especially in the magic department, where all kinds of nobles gathered, the average ability itself was superior compared to other departments.

“You just need to destroy as many of the ten scarecrows in front of you as possible. You can cast magic up to five times, and if you destroy all the targets within five attempts, the fewer total attempts you make, the higher the score you will receive.”

After hearing the rules and explanations such as distant targets being worth more points than closer ones, moving targets and solid targets being worth more points than others, I began the exam.

Looking at the ten targets in front of me, I roughly grasped how I should approach them.

There are ten targets, but only five chances.

It was clear that these targets were a means of distinguishing between examinees who could use multi-casting or wide-area magic and those who couldn’t.

Judging by the fact that the farthest target was 300 meters away, it seemed like the maximum range was also being evaluated.

Moving targets were probably being assessed on how quickly they could use offensive magic, or how well they could time their attacks.

Solid targets were likely a standard for evaluating the power of magic itself.

It was a simple test of destroying ten targets, but the discrimination itself was a thorough evaluation.

“If I use triple casting well, I can hit them all somehow.”

Three shots at once. And I have to focus on the farthest one separately.

After roughly planning in my head, I quickly chanted the spell for triple casting on my right hand, creating three magic arrows.

“Oh…”

The examiner of the entrance exam looked at the three magic arrows created on my hand with a rather interested gaze.

It was a natural reaction. While double casting might be common, there were probably very few examinees who could do triple casting.

It was time for the magic skills I learned while peeling potatoes in the kitchen in the early morning to shine.

“Pierce through, arrows of magic!”

-Whoosh!

Swinging my right hand forward and finishing the chant, three magic arrows flew forward.

I aimed at the three closest targets first as a warm-up.

If I repeat this two more times, I should be able to easily destroy up to nine targets…

-Thud!

“Huh?”

“Huh, what?”

However, contrary to the image in my mind, the three magic arrows that flew from my hand each drew strange trajectories and ended up crumbling to the ground.

Momentarily unable to grasp the situation, a desperate ability score of Release flashed through my mind.

『Luck: 2』

Ah, right.

This damn accuracy stat.