07

“Lady Lizelotte herself!? Well, well. I would very much like the chance to cross blades with her someday.”

“If the opportunity arises… By the way, is Lady Lizelotte the woman in the vivid red dress from the throne hall?”

Ains listed the person who fit that description from those present in the throne hall.

“Yes. I have not heard the details directly from my father, but she is something like his adviser.”

“And yet, it seemed as though His Majesty could hardly raise his head around Lady Lizelotte.”

“That is simply the kind of person Lady Lizelotte is. She often comes across as overbearing, but in truth, she is very kind.”

Seidel shook his head slightly.

“Even so, I can scarcely bring myself to meet her gaze.”

“Are you here for the academy entrance exam as well, Ains-san?”

“Unfortunately, no. I was unable to submit an application for the exam.”

At Ains’s answer, Kirishiya looked puzzled.

“Then why are you here?”

“Ains came as my attendant. He said he absolutely wanted to see the academy, so Father somehow worked out a solution for him.”

As Laika and Kirishiya chatted about whether they felt confident about the exam or nervous, two men—likely instructors from the Sorcery Academy—arrived at the venue where the four were gathered.

One of the male instructors raised a magical device to his mouth and addressed the assembled examinees.

“The appointed time has arrived. We will now begin the entrance examination of the Kirk Sorcery Academy. First, please take your seats in front of you.”

Even though the exam venue was divided into several areas, the number of examinees gathered in this block alone easily exceeded one hundred.

There was no way the instructor’s voice could normally reach everyone in the bustling crowd.

However, the magical device in his hand solved that problem. Its effect was voice amplification—a simple magical tool, essentially a loudspeaker.

At the instructor’s words, the boys and girls all turned their attention to the seats ahead.

“We will begin with the written examination. There are examinee numbers marked at the edges of the desks, so please be seated accordingly. Some examinees may have attendants with them; seating has been prepared for those attendants as well, so please move there.”

Ordinarily, the written exam should be held inside the academy buildings, but regrettably, there were not enough seats for the enormous number of applicants. That, too, was because the academy opened its doors to so many people.

As a result, there had been several occasions in the past when the written exam was postponed due to weather—but that was another story.

Everyone began filing toward their assigned seats.

“Well then, Ains, I’m off.”

“Yeah. Do your best.”

Laika gave a small nod and headed toward her seat.

Beside her, Kirishiya and her attendant Seidel exchanged similar words before heading to their seats together.

“Shall we move as well, Ains-dono?”

It seemed that some examinees besides Laika and Kirishiya had attendants with them. Several people did not head toward the examinee seats; among them were those in tailcoats like Seidel, as well as maids and people wearing robes.

They quietly made their way to the area designated as the waiting seats.

Seidel too appeared accustomed to this, calmly taking his seat.

Among the gathered attendants, Ains stood out.

“To become an attendant means being held to the same standard of dignity and conduct as a high-ranking noble,”

Seidel said quietly, noticing Ains’s restless expression.

“Though, there are some who lack such refinement…”

Among the attendants sitting quietly, one man alone sat sloppily, sprawled in his chair.

“Don’t you have any chairs with better cushioning!? I’m the attendant of Lord Darius Sobi!”

The man shouted.

His anger was directed at the academy staff supervising the exam.

His behavior was apparently well-known; the other attendants wore exasperated expressions.

“Who is that?”

Ains asked Seidel in a low voice while looking at the man.

“His name is Talidge. He serves the Sobi house. As you can see, his arrogant behavior is quite infamous.”

Seidel’s expression turned sour, as though he found sharing the same role deeply unpleasant.

“The Sobi house holds the same marquess rank as Lady Laika’s Brandy family. He is very much a fox borrowing the tiger’s might.”

“I see. I’d rather not get involved with him,”

Ains said with a wry smile.

“No, that may prove difficult,”

Seidel replied, sounding almost pitying.

Once all examinees were seated and the test papers distributed, the proctor’s call of “Begin!” sent everyone into motion at once.

The written exam consisted of arithmetic, history, magical knowledge, and the interpretation of magical texts.

That said, the Kirk Sorcery Academy was highly selective. The arithmetic problems were often difficult, and the other knowledge questions ranged from basic to extremely meticulous.

Although applications were open to the general public, acquiring such advanced knowledge inevitably required excellent private tutors. That led to financial issues, ultimately giving an advantage to nobles and wealthy merchants.

As Ains waited quietly, he noticed that among the examinees were quite a few who could clearly be identified as commoners by their clothing.

Some of them were genuinely talented.

“…I’m curious about the magical knowledge section.”

“Would you like to see it?”

Ains had muttered quietly, but it seemed Seidel had heard him.

“I can see it?”

“You cannot teach it to your master, but you may look.”

Saying that, Seidel calmly raised his hand.

An exam supervisor noticed and approached them quietly.

“I would like to see the questions from the magical knowledge section.”

“Please wait a moment.”

The supervisor left briefly, then returned with a test booklet in hand and presented it to Ains and Seidel.

Ains accepted the booklet and began flipping through the pages.