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Mythia saying that she wanted to go to school had a huge impact on Ciel.
(So cuuuuuute!)
Lady Mythia was adorable.
I had already thought from before that she was like an angel, but this was an adorableness far beyond the total amount of sensation I was capable of perceiving, and if I tried to describe it all, these margins would not be enough.
As Ciel, wearing the face of an ancient mathematician, wrote the final theorem of loveliness into her notebook, Vincent said,
“She chose it after all. That was the one place I especially did not want her to choose, which is exactly why I put it at the very bottom.”
“Lady Mythia has a strong desire to improve herself and is serious at heart. Even though she says she wants to take it easy, I think she still wanted to study in the very best environment after all.”
“Even so, an S-rank school, the most difficult in the magical kingdom… Only a handful even among the children called prodigies throughout the land can enter that academy. Alongside the children of illustrious families, even His Highness the Prince is enrolled there. Should we not suggest, even now, that she change her mind?”
Ciel shook her head at Vincent, whose face was grave.
“If Lady Mythia wishes to challenge herself, then it is my duty as her mother to watch over her. Protecting her from danger is important too, but if we do not let her do what she wants, can we really say we have fulfilled our duty as parents?”
“You are not Lady Mythia’s mother.”
“I do not understand what you are talking about.”
Ciel said that while tilting her head in puzzlement.
(She really has completely lost her sanity.)
Vincent caught his breath, but it was not as though he understood none of her feelings.
Rather, he felt something extremely close to them within himself.
The bewitching daughterly charm possessed by Mythia, who lived positively and straightforwardly despite her pitiful upbringing.
Even though she was a child, she never failed to be considerate, and the way she treated them with respect and love had such astonishing adorableness that if one let down one’s guard, one might mistake her for one’s real daughter.
(This is bad… I am a professional… I have to control myself.)
Just remembering it made fatherly feelings almost overflow.
Using the emotional control techniques he had trained in when he was an agent of the Empire, Vincent calmed his heart.
“The problem is whether Lady Mythia can pass the entrance exam. Entrance exams in the magical kingdom are held in spring, but it is already autumn. To enroll, she will have to take a transfer exam. The difficulty is even higher than the regular one.”
“Would it not be fine even if she fails? That too would be a good experience, and even if she cannot get into the school, Lady Mythia’s value will not change in the slightest. Of course, I would be happy if she graduated from a good school, but even if she were truant, unemployed, or became a shut-in who stomped on the second floor and demanded food, to me Lady Mythia would still be the cutest beloved daughter in the world.”
“That is certainly true, but Lady Mythia has a problem different from that of ordinary children.”
“A problem different from ordinary children?”
“If it becomes known that she has no aptitude for standard magic, she will be looked upon coldly by the entirety of the magical kingdom. In this country, where magical aptitude itself is considered human worth, it would become nearly impossible for her to hold an important post.”
“That certainly is a problem… Lady Mythia is someone with the qualities to change this country in the future, so we cannot allow her future possibilities to be narrowed.”
The two of them thought in silence.
The room was filled with stillness.
“Or perhaps Lady Mythia is testing us.”
Vincent suddenly said.
“Testing us?”
“She is deliberately placing herself in a harsh situation and telling us to protect her. This may be a challenge from Lady Mythia to us, and at the same time, she may be demanding that we, too, aim even higher as her partners.”
“There is no doubt about it. Lady Mythia is someone with a strong desire to improve herself. Even when she is working in the fields, she is always researching in pursuit of vegetables even more delicious than before.”
“If that is the case, then we must answer her expectations no matter what it takes.”
Vincent let out a quiet breath before saying,
“The greatest prestigious school in the magical kingdom. We will slip through the strict security where even royal family members are enrolled, and protect Lady Mythia from the shadows.”
Then, with eyes full of resolve, he continued while gazing out the window,
“It is time to show the reason for our existence.”
When I began studying for admission to the magical kingdom’s only S-rank magic academy, Vincent said to me, “Shall I obtain the examination questions?”
Because he was so absurdly capable at his job, Vincent role-played an agent with such accuracy that one might accidentally mistake him for a real elite agent, and he said it would be possible for him to infiltrate the academy in advance and obtain the contents of the exam that would be given.
(What incredible role-playing accuracy…!)
I caught my breath, but I declined the offer.
Secretly obtaining the exam questions and memorizing the answers felt underhanded, and it did not feel like the kind of cool evil I was aiming for.
More than anything, the school I was taking the exam for was the overwhelmingly stupid academy of this country.
The exam content was probably at the level where I could pass just by writing my name, so there was no need to go out of my way to prepare.
On the other hand, as someone aiming to become the coolest villainess possible, I had no intention of slacking off even on an easy test.
(I will get a score that shocks everyone and make them understand that I am the new boss!)
And then came the day of the transfer exam.
Arcadia Magic Academy, located in the royal capital of the magical kingdom, had a luxurious and imposing exterior like a castle where a king might live.
Beyond the great gate adorned with the Goddess of Wisdom stretched a garden blooming with seasonal flowers.
The grass had been beautifully trimmed, and the fountain was making a small rainbow.
(I-it is a prettier school than I expected.)
I was bewildered by an appearance far more splendid than I had imagined.
I had thought it would be a more shabby and smaller school.
(For the lowest-ranked school in the magical kingdom to have facilities like this. Just how much effort do they put into education…?)
Apparently, the magical kingdom’s nobles were far more invested in education than I had imagined.
The exam venue was a room in the clock tower located at the center of the academy.
Alone in the classroom, I waited for the exam to begin.
Three men who seemed to be teachers were proctoring with grim expressions.
At the signal, I opened the exam paper—and caught my breath.
(What is with these questions…?)
The difficulty was like a professional exam taken by adults who had graduated from university.
It did not look remotely like the level of something a child would take.
(Could it be that the academic level in the magical kingdom is insanely high…?)
Even though it was the exam for the lowest-ranked school, I did not understand any of it, and my mind went completely blank.
(Far from doing this easily or by cheating… this is bad, I do not understand any of this at all, not even a little bit…)
Thinking back on it, I had grown up with almost no contact with children my own age.
Mother and the maids around me had all said I was “very smart,” but perhaps that, too, had come from kindness, and maybe in truth I was below average.
(It is over…)
The sheer difficulty almost made me give up.
It almost made me break.
I heard a voice.
‘Is that really all right?’
The answer was obvious.
(Of course not.)
I had been given the chance to live a second life, after all.
I had to live this life with everything I had.
There would be painful things too.
But that is exactly why the fun things become even more enjoyable.
(I refuse to lose…!)
More than anything, the villainess I loved never gave up, even in painful situations.
I took one step forward from the verge of breaking.
I knew that kind of strength of heart was more beautiful and noble than any jewel.
—I am absolutely going to be a villainess easily and leisurely.
With that strong conviction in my heart, I gripped my feather pen and glared at the questions.
What I realized after continuing to fight while my spirit nearly broke again and again over questions I could not solve was that these questions had not been made to be solvable in the first place.
I did not know the reason, but several questions mixed into the exam were absolutely impossible to solve.
(For now, I just have to solve the ones I can with everything I have…!)
Within the 120 minutes of exam time, I did everything I possibly could, but even then, more than half of my answer sheet remained blank.
(I was arrogant. I have to go home and study all over again from the beginning.)
I straightened my back and left the venue with dignified steps.
Even in defeat, beautifully and nobly.
Our value is not diminished in the slightest just because I could not do a test like this.
(T-that is right. Even if I could not do the test for the country’s number one lowest-ranked school, it has nothing to do with anything. I am totally fine.)
The voice in my heart trembled.
As expected, it was painful.
However, I could not let it end with me simply losing.
(If it has come to this, I will study even more and absolutely become a villainess at that school.)
Resolving myself strongly, I left the academy behind.
A room in the clock tower at Arcadia Magic Academy.
The three men who had served as proctors sat in silence before the exam Mythia had answered.
“…What shall we do?”
“It was my mistake. I will make it public. I will take responsibility.”
At the words of the elderly man, the large man sitting across from him shook his head.
“That will not do. You are someone who has supported this academy since its founding. We cannot allow your career to be blemished over something like this.”
“It was I who mixed up the prepared exam papers and handed her the First-Class Mage Examination. It has resulted in betraying the girl who worked so hard for this exam. This is not a problem that should be brushed aside lightly.”
“However, your name is closely tied to the academy’s reputation as well. It concerns the opinion of all of us teachers, and of the noble families who entrust their precious children to this academy.”
“Then what do you propose we do?”
“Let us pretend it never happened. The only examinee was a single girl. It is troublesome that she is the daughter of House Lumiore, but it can be hushed up. You did not mix up the exams; you handed her the exam that had been prepared for her. She could not solve it. No one will suspect a thing.”
The elderly man listened quietly to the proposal.
After nodding several times, he said,
“Tell me, what do you think of the evaluations of others?”
“What do I think, you say?”
“Are they something of value?”
“Of course they are valuable. How one is evaluated is connected to that person’s worth.”
“There is certainly such an aspect. However, what is that value tied to? Is what matters how the evaluator happens to think?”
The elderly man said,
“I do not believe it is necessary to place weight on what the other person thinks. That is because human thoughts are narrow-minded and full of prejudice, like the mountain weather that changes with the mood of the day. What matters is not external evaluation. I believe a person’s true worth lies in the nobility of heart underlying it.”
“Even so, in this world, honest people are the ones who get made fools of.”
“Then let them be made fools of. False honor will surely be lost. The pride of knowing you did what was right is worth far more than such things.”
“You have not changed, have you, Professor.”
The large man let out a deep breath and then said,
“Understood. We will make it public and have her take a re-examination.”
“Yes. Do that.”
“Then I will dispose of this answer sheet.”
It was just as the large man said that.
“Please wait.”
The third man, a short man, spoke up.
His timid voice, behind his glasses, was strained and trembling faintly.
“What is it?”
“This question… her answer appears to be correct.”
“What?”
The large man knit his brows in displeasure and said,
“That is from the First-Class Mage Examination to be held two weeks from now. Even among graduate students, the pass rate is under ten percent. There is no way an eleven-year-old child could solve it.”
“You may be tired. Professor, please check it as well.”
The short man handed the answer sheet to the large man.
The large man lowered his gaze with a dubious look on his face, then fell silent.
With a serious expression, he followed the girl’s reasoning written there.
He read it over and over with great care.
“How… why…”
A weak voice escaped him.
“There is no way… that something like this…”
Beside the stunned man, the elderly man, who had peered at the answer sheet, murmured,
“A genius, hm.”
He continued while gazing pensively out at the academy beyond the window.
“I smell a storm.”
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