Episode 48
“Thank you for your hard work, Your Highness.”
“You too, Lady Asta!”
Winter passed, and spring returned.
Unlike her usual routine, Elonia was receiving swordsmanship lessons from Lady Asta instead of Ethan.
With peace restored in the Empire, Lady Asta had regained her privilege to enter the Imperial Palace with weapons.
As expected, learning from Lady Asta was incredibly enjoyable.
Her swordsmanship was precise, elegant, and beautiful.
“Your Highness, you must be tired. Here’s some cold water.”
“Thank you, Sarah.”
Sarah quickly brought over a glass of cold water and a handkerchief.
Elonia gulped down the water, and Sarah wiped the sweat from her brow.
Ricardo, watching from the sidelines, clapped his hands, feigning ignorance.
“Wow, Your Highness, you’re amazing! At this rate, you’ll be able to enter Lucid Academy right away.”
‘That sly fox.’
His acting was far superior to Elonia’s.
But then again, it would be strange if she couldn’t handle a sword.
‘I’ve been wielding a sword for years.’
Still, she was far from her prime.
It was understandable, considering she was just a child, but Elonia trained diligently nonetheless.
“You definitely have a talent for swordsmanship, Your Highness.”
Lady Asta praised her with a warm smile.
Elonia’s eyes sparkled, and her cheeks flushed pink.
“But isn’t it too early for you to be learning swordsmanship at such a young age?”
Sarah added, her voice laced with concern.
Elonia discreetly hid the dagger behind her back.
It wasn’t as if the Emperor would take it away from her, but she still felt a pang of guilt.
“Her technique and handling are already flawless. And we’re avoiding strenuous physical training for now, considering her age. You don’t have to worry, Sardiana(Sarah).”
“I’m glad to hear that, but…”
“Don’t worry, Lady Sarah. Her Highness will never be injured by my sword.”
“That’s right. You even observed my magic lessons, remember?”
With reassurances from Lady Asta, Ethan, and Ricardo, Sarah, despite her initial concern, nodded proudly, pleased by their praise for Elonia.
Elonia was indeed in complete control of her powers now, unlike when she was a baby, staying well within her limits.
Embarrassed by their compliments, Elonia mumbled, kicking at the ground with her foot,
“Even if I want to enroll early, I still have to pass the entrance exam.”
Lucid Academy was a mandatory educational institution for nobles, and everyone had to enroll at the age of thirteen. But there were exceptions.
For example, early enrollment, like Llewellyn.
In such cases, after a preliminary interview to assess their suitability for the academy, they would receive a conditional acceptance.
And then came the entrance exam.
It wasn’t anything too grand, just a simple test to gauge their abilities before entering the academy.
The exam was divided into four sections, one for each department, and included a few challenging questions that even adults, let alone thirteen-year-olds, would struggle with.
While there was no cut-off score for those enrolling at thirteen, early enrollment candidates had to achieve a certain score to be accepted.
Lady Asta chuckled, easing Elonia’s worries.
“You’ll pass with flying colors, Your Highness. Your intelligence is legendary among the nobles, thanks to Llewellyn and Alberich singing your praises at the academy.”
The rumors had actually started because Llewellyn and Alberich kept arguing about whether she would join the Academic Department or the Swordsmanship Department.
Llewellyn, a certified genius who had entered the Academic Department as the top student that year, was notoriously arrogant, looking down upon everyone except for his cousin, whom he praised endlessly.
Naturally, his constant praise had attracted attention.
Just then,
“El!”
“Llewellyn?”
Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. Llewellyn was approaching, waving at them from the entrance to the training grounds.
They hadn’t planned to meet today.
Elonia, confused, asked,
“What brings you here?”
“We’ll be busy once school starts, so I wanted to see you before then. My brother’s here too.”
“Greetings, Your Highness.”
“Alberich, too.”
Elonia welcomed them with a smile, delighted by their unexpected visit.
After tidying up the training grounds, they headed to the drawing-room in the Imperial Princess’s Palace, their usual spot for gossip and chatter.
***
“Your Highness, are you interested in the academy?”
Alberich asked, setting down his teacup.
Elonia, who was eating pudding, blinked in surprise.
“Huh? What brought that on?”
“Well, your previous visit to the academy and the conversation I overheard just now…”
“…You could hear us from that distance?”
“His hearing is insane. You should be careful what you say about him, El.”
“Llewellyn.”
“Ow!”
Alberich, a vein throbbing on his forehead, pulled on Llewellyn’s cheek.
Elonia, used to their antics, ignored Llewellyn’s exaggerated cries of pain and replied, chewing on her pudding,
“Well, I’m not completely uninterested in the academy.”
“Are you considering early enrollment, like Llewellyn?”
“I don’t know. I’m confident about the exam, but the interview…”
Everyone in the Imperial Princess’s Palace knew that Elonia was brilliant, often reading difficult books.
She would often dismiss Artius’s invitations for tea, claiming she was busy studying. And even during their tea time, she would be glued to her books. Artius had even begged her to stop studying for a while.
But the interview was a different matter.
Elonia only had her cousins as friends and wasn’t confident about interacting with other children her age.
“I’m not exactly the most sociable person. The interview is meant to assess my ability to adapt to the academy environment.”
“Llewellyn wasn’t very sociable either.”
“Brother, why are you picking on me?”
“But he passed.”
“Ugh, Brother, come on.”
“He’s right, you know?”
“El, you too!”
Llewellyn looked betrayed by Elonia’s agreement.
Despite his arrogance, when he had snuck into the academy before, the students in his year had at least acknowledged his presence.
Elonia finished her pudding, realizing that Llewellyn might be more socially adept than she was. She slumped back on the sofa.
“I don’t know. I’m only five years old. Isn’t it too early to worry about this? He enrolled at ten.”
“…You sound like an old woman.”
“You wanna die?”
Llewellyn grumbled, but quickly backed down at her threat.
Then, he suddenly sat up, an idea striking him.
“El, how about we do a mock interview? Pretend I’m the interviewer.”
“With you?”
“I passed the interview, didn’t I? Actually, my brother had an interview too.”
“Alberich did?”
“Yes, he was preparing for early enrollment, but he failed the interview.”
“…”
How was it even possible to fail an interview that Llewellyn had passed?
Elonia narrowed her eyes, and Alberich, embarrassed, turned away.
“…I was just a child back then.”
“…”
He was still a child now.
Elonia had always thought Alberich was more well-behaved than Llewellyn, but it seemed like he had been quite a handful in his younger days.
Llewellyn leaned closer to Elonia, whispering,
“He’s still a neat freak with OCD, you know? But he’s much better now than he used to be.”
“Llewellyn…”
He was the one who had told her to be careful what she said about Alberich, and now he was gossiping about him right in front of him.
Their bickering was a daily occurrence.
Elonia made up her mind.
“Alright, it’s better than doing nothing.”
“Great!”
Llewellyn, his invisible tail wagging excitedly, sat down opposite her.
He crossed his legs, putting on a serious expression, and said,
“Alright, Elonia, let’s begin the interview.”
***
The mock interview ended in a crushing defeat for Llewellyn.
And the reason was…
“…Elonia.”
“…What?”
Elonia avoided his gaze.
She was usually confident, but this time, she felt a twinge of guilt.
Llewellyn, his face pale, spoke in a strained voice.
“You’re not supposed to intimidate the interviewer…”
“…”
Elonia refused to meet his eyes.
That was right.
She had intimidated the interviewer.
It was the interviewer’s job to conduct a pressure interview, but she had turned the tables on him.
“But why? Why would you even try to intimidate the interviewer?”
“My life has been a constant battle.”
“B-but you’re just a little—”
“Little?”
“…W-well, yes. But I understand! You lived with the Emperor, after all! But I wasn’t planning on doing a pressure interview! They don’t do that to kids!”
“How do you know they won’t stab you in the back later?”
“…”
“The ones who act all friendly and approachable are the ones you can’t trust.”
This mindset was ingrained in the former War Demon with ten years of experience.
Even Alberich, who had failed an interview once, sighed at her words.
The brothers, for once, were in agreement.
“…Well, at least we identified the problem.”
“Agreed.”
Alberich nodded.
They wanted to fix the problem immediately, but Llewellyn, exhausted from the mock interview, had no energy left.
He replenished his sugar levels with some sweets and asked Elonia,
“But El, you said you were still deciding on a department.”
“Yes, I am.”
“Which one are you leaning towards?”
“Hmm…”
Lucid Academy had four departments: Swordsmanship, Magic, Academic, and Theology.
While there were only four departments, there were numerous majors within each department.
The Swordsmanship Department, after the common curriculum, branched out into Swordsmanship, Spearmanship, and Archery in the fourth year.
The Magic Department also had Combat Magic, Support Magic, and Magic Tool Crafting majors in the fourth year.
The Academic and Theology Departments were similar.
The Academic Department had Alchemy, Political Economy, Diplomacy, Finance, and other diverse majors, while the Theology Department had simpler majors like Missionary Work and Divine Healing.
“Well, it’s definitely not Theology. I’m not religious, and I don’t have any Holy Power.”
“That’s true.”
“I’m debating between Academic, Swordsmanship, and Magic…”
“Come to the Academic Department. I’ll take good care of you.”
“Your Highness, don’t be swayed by his sweet talk. Choose the Swordsmanship Department.”
“Be quiet, both of you.”
She wished she could double major.
Elonia sighed.
She regretted not reaching the Sword Master realm in her past life, and she had developed a newfound love for academics in this life.
‘And magic…’
To be honest, she had already mastered magic.
She might be a bit weak in everyday magic, but that was just her own high standards. When it came to combat magic, she was still unrivaled.
But it wouldn’t hurt to learn the orthodox methods, in addition to her self-taught skills.
But if she chose the Magic Department, she would miss out on swordsmanship and academics…
‘Ugh, this is giving me a headache.’
Elonia stopped thinking, her mind overwhelmed.
She grabbed a new plate of pudding and asked,
“But it’s still a long time until I enroll. Do I really have to decide now?”
“It’s good to have a plan.”
“It’s not a bad thing to be indecisive, Llewellyn. In fact, the longer she takes to decide, the better, considering her exceptional talents.”
“I’m not choosing the Swordsmanship Department just because you’re flattering me, Alberich.”
“N-no… That’s not what I meant.”
“Busted! You’re such a sly fox. First you bribed Elonia with cake, and now you’re trying to flatter her.”
“Silence, Llewellyn.”
Llewellyn chuckled.
Elonia pondered her options.
Then, she spoke.
“Atmosphere-wise, I think the Magic Department would be the best fit.”
“Huh? Why?”
“The Swordsmanship Department is too aggressive, loud, and sweaty. And the Academic Department is probably filled with arrogant know-it-alls like you, Llewellyn.”
“Hey! The Magic Department is way more arrogant than us!”
“But at least they’re trapped in their own world. The Academic Department kids probably have a lot of opportunities to gather for debates and stuff.”
“…”
Llewellyn couldn’t argue back.
She had hit a nerve.
Alberich, the neat freak who had just been labeled as aggressive, loud, and sweaty, looked utterly defeated.
“Anyway, I’m not deciding now.”
Elonia, having won the debate, finished her second plate of pudding.