Chapter 34 - I Became the Daughter of the Academy’s Villain

Chapter 34 - The Guarantor of Identity The first barrier was a test of autonomy. The second barrier was a test of creativity. And the third barrier was a test of combat ability. 'I never expected passing the Academy to be this difficult.' It was only upon reaching the third barrier that Irene finally secured her pass. She asked the examiner of the third barrier, "Has the exam always been conducted like this every year?" "More or less." "Do the passers of the second barrier not need to have their combat abilities tested?" "Why bother? Combat ability is only necessary for those passive, inferior students who lack autonomy and creativity." "…!" "Northern Archduchess Irene. A combat magician who served in the army. You personally engaged in thirteen battlefronts. Having experienced the harshness of war, you must know better than anyone that combat isn’t everything." Irene realized it then. No matter how many wars are waged, they never end. With each death, only the numbers of the fallen and graves marked with broken weapons multiply. The war-weary Northern Archduchess sought answers in the capital. That was the background to Irene's journey all the way to the entrance exam of the Gift Academy. "The reasoning is the same. Is that satisfactory, Xing?" "I may not be convinced, but if that's the policy of the Academy, there’s nothing to do but to follow." Irene and Xing, along with other exceptional talents, easily passed the third barrier. Those who failed to pass were not necessarily out of luck; even if they failed the advanced class exam, their chances of success in the reexamination for the lower class were more than plentiful. 'It's a blow to my pride to be evaluated less than that whelp, even after all this.' Not just Irene and Xing, but all the passers thought; Oknodie, the most promising candidate for top scorer, who had demonstrated her superiority not once but twice. They decided that they had to keep an eye on her every move and learn everything that could be learned. 'There must be some reason behind her hobby of collecting pretty stones, right?' Irene gently placed a round stone into her pocket. * * <Entrance Exam Advanced Class Passers> <Total: 44> <Entrance Exam Lower Class Passers> <Total: 2086> <981st Cycle Total Passers> <Advanced Class: 44> <Lower Class: 2086> <Total Participants: 2130> For several days in the lounge, they ate, slept, and rested, recovering from the exhaustion and injuries of the exam. The detailed list of passers floated up on the manaboard. Dorothy and Rockpell, the childhood friends, both passed, but perhaps feeling awkward about facing each other, they cloistered themselves in private rooms. "That's quite a lot." "With over 2000 passers, it’s more than I anticipated." "Uha-hat! Anyway, most of them are just small fries, not even worth our attention!" While my comrades revelled in high spirits, I felt a bit uncomfortable. My discomfort wasn't due to the conflict I had with Examiner Minerva before. It was because of the way the passers were grouped. "Groups, huh. This is the first I've heard of such a thing." "It's a division by region." "Do you know something about this, Oknodie?" "A is for the frontier. B is for the central region. C is for the special cases. The central region being vast, all directions of the continent, north, south, east, and west, are counted as the frontier. We probably belong to Group A." "It seems odd to categorize the passers by origin after they've been selected." "They're not just being recategorized. Those from the frontier and those from the central region took the exams at different sites, so it makes sense they're grouped separately." Giselle and Isabel looked at me with curious eyes. "Do noble families teach all this as well?" "Oknodie’s knowledge seems exceptionally ample whenever it's related to the Academy." "It's, it's just a coincidence. I just remembered what I was taught." I was about to recycle Giselle's words when a serious voice intercepted, "That's strange." Western Nobility Union, ranked first. Andersen Pretzel, a young lord from the wealthiest realm in the three western kingdoms, the Pretzel Archduchy of the Doich Kingdom, had been listening to our conversation from the next table and chimed in. "Even Andersen Pretzel, the second son of the first noble house of a mighty nation representing the Western Tri-Countries, doesn’t know such stories. It’s intriguing to find a candidate who does." "Well, then my Papa must be someone far greater!" Sorry, Papa. If I don't make use of you in times like these, when will I? "A noble house surpassing the intelligence network of the first noble house of a powerful nation is quite promising. Oknodie, just how remarkable your hidden origin must be." "I agree. Unless you belong to a royal family of some country, such an informational network is unfathomable." Second in the hierarchy of the Western Union. The sole presence from <Arcadia>, with only her eyes peeking over the fan, she gleamed with a desire to see through the heart of matters. Dressed in an Eastern-style cheongsam, with Southern tribal tattoos on her shoulder, and wielding a fan, a must-have accessory for any central noble lady. She was a supporting female character from the player community, deemed iconically rootless for following every fad, ranked in the late twenties of the popularity index. 'Tsk. Arcadia daring to backtalk me.' "Little miss, your expression is somehow irritating. Surely, you're not permitting yourself any rude thoughts?" "...Not really? I was just thinking if I added a fur coat from the North, it would complete the set from each direction – east, west, south, and north." "Oh my. You have quite the sense, don’t you? I happen to have a winter coat prepared. You recognizing my sense makes you quite a commendable child, doesn’t it?" A 2.5-tier supporting character and not as popular as the 2-tier NTR heroine Yui, the goodwill I received was nothing to boast about. "Here, this is a specialty from our Kingdom of Firenze, fried squid. I got it from the rest stop's diner. Why don’t we girls chat about fashionable trinkets and such?" That's what I thought until I received the fried squid. "From today, Arcadia is my top-tier favorite. No one can ignore you!" "...Top-tier? I may not understand well, but I’ll take it as your own peculiar way of giving a compliment, thank you." Yum-yum-yum. Munch-munch-munch. As she devoured the fried squid, relishing the crumbling texture and chewing satisfaction with her body shivering and head swaying joyfully from side to side... Tap-tap-tap at the lounge window, a crow made its presence known, pecking with its beak. "What's that?" "There's something tied to its leg." "It's a courier bird." Xing, the Eastern swordsman, said, leaning against a wall. "In the East, instead of using magic for communication, people tie messages to birds' legs and send them flying." The crow landed on a nearby desk, untied the string around its leg with its beak, and dropped the paper. Flap-flap! And the crow made a beeline for the nearby food dish! "She's just like Oknodie." "Indeed, I concur." "Haha! The flying little bell has appeared." "Ugh, don't call me that! I'm not a little bell. I'm still growing, and I'm going to grow a lot taller! Up to 2 meters 30 centimeters!" "Isn't that a bit too tall?" When I mentioned the height from my muscular male character days, it made Son Ocheon clutch his stomach and burst into laughter. If I really were a male character, I'd make that insolent monkey realize the difference in our eye levels by looking down at him from above! "Candidate Oknodie. This note is for you. You are summoned by Examiner Minerva to the consultation room downstairs." Ugh. Why her, of all people? Reluctantly, I made my way to the consultation room. "What did you call me here for this time?" "Today I have summoned you for a different matter." Minerva showed me a chart. "What's this?" "It's the group markings for groups A, B, and C. Passers are divided into A group from the frontier, B group from the central region, and C group for the rest. These groups will continue to be maintained even after admission." "Well, I'm obviously A group, aren't I? I received my ticket and took the entrance exam in the frontier exam hall." "That's the problem. Upon checking, it turns out that candidate Oknodie has never been registered with the international identity registration magical archive." "Oops." An ominous premonition crept over me. Surely not, right? "An unregistered individual cannot belong to either the frontier or the central region. A non-existent person. A person not recognized by society. C group is comprised of those whose origins are unclear." "What does that mean for me?" "You lose freedom of movement and wherever you go, you must always be under the supervision and permission of an instructor." No, that can't happen! Then I wouldn’t be able to collect stat stones, I wouldn't be able to rush to events I need to tackle ahead of time. I couldn't sneak into the library to tear up banned books disguised as regular tomes, fight hidden gargoyles among the statues, or set a mandragora ablaze by lighting a fire in the garden! "Can't you let it slide, just once?" "It's not possible." Minerva was unyielding. "So candidate Oknodie, from now on you must be accompanied at all times by an instructor appointed by the main house." "That's too harsh!" "...I’d like to say that. But for the past three days, 72 hours, we waited for someone to come forward to vouch for candidate Oknodie’s identity. And finally, a guarantor appeared." With a flick of Minerva's hand, the curtains in the corner of the consultation room opened, revealing a man in a familiar suit. "Jonah!" "It’s been a while, miss. Have you been in good health?" I ran towards him and hugged his leg tightly. A loyal butler who would never betray me once summoned by a whistle, with a loyalty of 100. My very own butler, Jonah Whyheimhie, the only person in this world I can trust, who would never betray me under any circumstances. "That is not acceptable." "Urk." With a hand pressed firmly against my forehead, Jonah detached me. Even though I thought I had grown stronger, Jonah’s strength was indisputable, and I was no match for him in terms of might. "The Academy examiner is watching. Please keep your dignity, miss." "Che, how can someone not change at all? It's been a while since I last saw you, and 'that is not acceptable' is the first thing you say." Was Jonah not pleased to see me? I pouted and grumbled, to which Jonah, with his usual grim face, slightly, ever so slightly, lifted the corners of his mouth. Wow... As much as he's my butler, that’s too much. Look at how savagely he smiles, as if he's about to massacre someone. He really shouldn’t smile in public. "Jonah. Your smiling face is confiscated for three weeks!" "…?" Who else but me could bear such a smile? So, from now on, it's just for my eyes only. A word from the author (Afterword) A Dependable Butler I made some adjustments to the content of episode 1. There is no significant change in the content, just a bit of tidying up of what was messy. [End of Passages]