Chapter 53
Four years later.
Elonia, now nine years old, had finally passed the preliminary interview for early enrollment at Lucid Academy.
“Congratulations, Your Highness!”
“We knew you could do it!”
“Congratulations, Your Highness.”
Sarah, Ricardo, and Ethan showered Elonia with congratulations.
“Thank you, everyone.”
Elonia, clutching her acceptance letter, beamed, her cheeks flushed with happiness.
“Wow, time flies. Her Highness is already preparing for the academy.”
“She’ll probably be the youngest student in Lucid’s history.”
Ricardo and Ethan remarked.
No one had ever broken the magical barrier of ten years old.
If Elonia passed the entrance exam, the record would be hers.
Elonia blushed, embarrassed by their praise.
But,
“This is suspicious…”
On a peaceful weekend afternoon,
Llewellyn was the only one who voiced his suspicion.
Elonia might be bad at lying, but she was good at feigning innocence.
Sitting with the Asta brothers in the tea room of the Imperial Princess’s Palace, she replied nonchalantly,
“What is?”
“I can’t believe you actually passed the interview.”
“You wanna die?”
Elonia glared at him, slamming her book shut.
She was secretly surprised herself.
‘He’s sharp.’
But his sharpness was useless against her.
The moment she raised her book, Llewellyn cowered instinctively, surrendering.
Alberich, shooting his brother a disapproving look, clicked his tongue.
“You should have just kept quiet.”
“Ugh.”
Llewellyn grumbled, but Alberich ignored him, congratulating Elonia.
“Congratulations, Your Highness. I look forward to seeing you at the academy soon.”
“We’ll see. I still have the entrance exam.”
“You’ll ace it, of course. There’s no way the little sister of the genius Llewellyn would fail.”
“First you say it’s suspicious, and now you’re acting like my brother. I’ll say it again, we’re cousins.”
“Whatever.”
Elonia burst into laughter, and Alberich smiled faintly.
Alberich was nineteen now, and Llewellyn was fifteen.
They might have grown taller and older, but when they were together, it felt like they were children again, just like when they first met.
Llewellyn set down his teacup and smiled warmly at Elonia.
“If you pass the exam, our time at the academy will overlap.”
“Ah, that’s right.”
But the Asta brothers weren’t the only ones whose time at the academy would coincide with hers.
Elonia’s younger brother, Simon Heilan, was turning thirteen this year.
If she passed the exam, she would be attending the same academy as Simon for the next seven years.
“It seems like just yesterday you were agonizing over which department to choose, and now… I’m so proud of you.”
“Hey, it’s not like you raised her.”
Llewellyn scoffed, his arms crossed.
He was about to curse his brother under his breath, hoping Elonia would punch him, when her next words rendered him speechless.
“Well, it’s thanks to Alberich for helping me decide.”
“What?! Why are you always favoring him?!”
Elonia chuckled, her previous worries forgotten as she watched the two brothers bicker.
Llewellyn, even at fifteen, was still the same.
But Alberich, both in appearance and personality, was becoming more and more like Lady Asta.
That was why Elonia, while often kicking Ricardo and Llewellyn, always treated Alberich with kindness.
Just as she was pushing Llewellyn away with her foot, Sarah arrived with a letter on a silver tray.
“Your Highness, a letter from Professor Caroline.”
“Ah, thank you, Sarah.”
Elonia took the letter and a paper knife from Sarah.
Llewellyn, intrigued, leaned closer, taking advantage of the momentary break from Elonia’s kicks.
“Why is Professor Caroline writing to you?”
“I don’t know. Probably congratulating me. She’s been persistent ever since our visit to the academy.”
“That’s true. And you did end up applying to the Magic Department because of her.”
Elonia had indeed applied to the Magic Department.
After their visit to the academy four years ago, Professor Caroline, the head of the Magic Department, had been sending Elonia persistent recruitment letters.
But that didn’t mean Elonia had been swayed by her efforts.
‘I hate to admit it, but I wouldn’t have passed the interview without her.’
The preliminary interview, regardless of the department, was a four-on-one session with the heads of all four departments.
And Professor Caroline, the longest-serving department head, had the most influence.
‘I’m not exactly good at interviews, so I had to use other methods.’
In other words, negotiation, or rather, a deal.
According to Llewellyn, a veteran of preliminary interviews, Elonia’s social skills and interview skills were abysmal.
She had diligently prepared for the interview with the help of Llewellyn and Artius, but the thought of the Imperial Princess failing the preliminary interview was too embarrassing.
So Elonia had made a deal with Caroline.
She would apply to her Magic Department in exchange for a good review during the interview.
Even Caroline, the most senior mage with a questionable sense of ethics, couldn’t resist the opportunity to secure a promising student.
Caroline’s favoritism aside, the fact that Elonia had passed meant she had met the standards of the other department heads as well.
Elonia, remembering her grueling interview training, opened the letter and read the elegant cursive writing.
[To Her Imperial Highness, Princess Elonia, the future of the Magic Department,
Greetings, Your Highness.
By the time this letter reaches you, you must have already received your acceptance letter for the preliminary interview.
I, Caroline, have been eagerly awaiting this moment.
This old woman still remembers the brilliance of your mana, a sight so unforgettable that it haunts my dreams.]
‘She’s so dramatic.’
Elonia skipped over Caroline’s flowery prose, praising her mana, and focused on the last part.
[Now, the only thing left is the entrance exam.
I have put a lot of effort into designing this year’s Magic Department entrance exam.
To be honest, I was quite disappointed with the recent batch of students. Meeting Your Highness was a breath of fresh air.
The excitement I felt while pouring my 60 years of experience as a mage onto those parchments was indescribable.
I eagerly await the opportunity to witness your brilliance once again, Your Highness, this time as your professor.
May the blessings of mana be with you.
Sincerely,
Caroline.]
The letter ended there.
Llewellyn, curious, leaned closer, his eyes sparkling like a puppy’s.
“What does it say?”
“Caroline said she designed the entrance exam this time.”
“Gasp.”
Llewellyn gasped dramatically.
Elonia glanced at Alberich, who also looked troubled.
She asked, her expression puzzled,
“Why? Is there a problem?”
“There’s a… problem…”
“…A very big problem.”
Even Alberich was concerned?
Elonia demanded an explanation, and Llewellyn, his face grim, launched into his story, his tone resembling that of someone telling a ghost story.
“You know how Professor Caroline is a bit eccentric, right?”
“Yes.”
“And you know that Ravanta students are allowed to take classes outside their own department, unlike the hostages, right?”
“Yes.”
The Heilan hostages had limited choices when it came to departments and courses.
It was a safety measure, preventing them from learning swordsmanship or magic and potentially causing trouble.
“Okay… so listen to this. There’s a legend circulating in the Academic Department.”
A legend?
Llewellyn continued, his expression serious.
“A long time ago, before I even enrolled, there was a genius student in the Academic Department who took Professor Caroline’s magic theory class. The lectures were fine. Professor Caroline even praised him for keeping up with the material, despite being from the Academic Department. But the exam was the problem.”
“Why?”
“The exam questions were ridiculously difficult, way too hard for students. It was like she had spoon-fed them appetizers and desserts during the lectures, and then suddenly demanded they prepare a full-course meal on their own for the exam!”
“What?”
Elonia’s eyes widened, and she raised an eyebrow.
Llewellyn continued,
“So this genius student, thinking he might be finding it difficult because he was from the Academic Department, looked around, and even the Magic Department students were struggling, most of them turning in blank test papers. Even the top student of the Magic Department could only write a few lines. Do you know what the average score for that exam was? Seven out of a hundred! And the highest score was thirty!”
“What? No way, you’re lying. The students would have protested if it was that bad.”
Elonia was truly baffled.
Lucid Academy was a mandatory educational institution for nobles.
It wasn’t a research institution like Gaia Academy, where only the top graduates of Lucid Academy were accepted. There was no way they would treat students like that.
Llewellyn, indignant, retorted,
“That’s why it’s a legend. Professor Caroline never designs her own exam questions, even though she teaches the lectures. It’s always her assistant who does it. She just reviews and approves the questions. And it’s been like that for at least 20 years. The other department heads at least design their own exam questions for their own classes.”
“…Is that true, Alberich?”
“Yes, it’s true. There’s no record of Professor Caroline submitting her own exam questions in the past 20 years. No one knows why, but the legend is the most popular explanation within the academy.”
If the legend was true, Elonia was in trouble.
She might be skilled in magic, but her expertise was limited to practical applications. She had never studied the theoretical aspects.
The only exposure she had to magic theory was from briefly skimming through a book during her academy visit four years ago.
‘And I haven’t studied any magic theory since my reincarnation…’
She had diligently trained in swordsmanship to improve her strength and stamina, but she hadn’t felt the need to study magic theory.
Besides, while there was no cut-off score for regular students, Elonia, as an early enrollee, had to achieve a certain score.
If she remembered correctly, the cut-off score for early enrollment was 70.
Elonia reached a grim conclusion.
“…I’m doomed.”
“That’s what I’m saying! El, did you do something to upset Professor Caroline?”
“…”
She hadn’t exactly upset her, but she did have a guilty conscience.
Elonia had taken full advantage of Caroline’s high expectations.
It was only natural to exploit such opportunities when their interests aligned.
But she hadn’t expected this outcome.
‘I was confident about the exam, even if I wasn’t about the interview…!’
The legend had shattered her confidence.
She had no idea how Caroline designed her exams.
It felt like she had avoided a fox only to encounter a dragon.
“…How much time is left until the entrance exam?”
“Exactly one month.”
Alberich replied instantly.
Elonia jumped up from her seat.
“I’m going to study.”
The countdown had begun.