The day of the entrance exam has arrived.
The official name of the academy is the Royal Isamu Kanade Academy, a vast school located in the southeastern part of the royal capital.
The Roxfall mansion is located in the northwest of the noble district, and the academy is in the southeast. It takes about two hours by carriage, so I left the mansion early in the morning. It’s quite far.
As we approached the academy, more and more carriages appeared.
This academy is open to both nobles and commoners. The commoner entrance exam is held two days after the noble entrance exam.
So today, it’s only nobles.
“I’m Thomas from the Roxfall Knightly House.”
“Yes… Please wear this number tag on your chest and follow the red arrows for lower-ranked nobles to proceed to the exam hall.”
At the reception, I received a number tag with the number “37564” written on it. Not a very lucky number…
More than that, I was reminded of the class disparities right from the reception.
There are separate receptions for upper, middle, and lower-ranked nobles.
The upper and middle noble receptions proceed smoothly with little waiting, but there is a long line at the lower noble reception.
At the upper noble reception, there are ten people, and at the middle noble reception, there are six.
On the other hand, there are only three people at the lower noble reception, even though the number of applicants from lower-ranked nobles is the largest.
The staff distribution is clearly wrong!
Upper-ranked nobles follow blue arrows, middle-ranked nobles follow green arrows, and lower-ranked nobles follow red arrows. I followed these arrows to enter the classroom.
“Servants should wait at the back.”
Today, Captain Susanna is a companying me as a guard.
“I’ll wait at the back then.”
It’s fine to bring a servant into the academy, but lower-ranked nobles can only bring one. Middle-ranked nobles can bring three, and upper-ranked nobles can bring as many as six. It’s obvious even from a distance.
As the saying goes, “A wise man avoids danger.”
“Your exam number is 37564, correct? Hmm, you must be Thomas from the Roxfall Knightly House.”
“Yes, that’s me.”
“Let me check your status.”
= ・ = ・ = ・ = ・ = ・ = ・ = ・ =
Name: Thomas Roxfall
Race: Human
Information: Male, 10 years old, Healthy
Title: Apostle of Deuro
Rank: S
Affinity: None
Blessing: Sake Brewer
Level: 199
Skills: Brewing Knowledge – Level 5, Quality Improvement – Level 5, Dexterity – Level 4, Appraisal – Level 4
Life: 11,032
Stamina: 11,144
Mana: 11,441
= ・ = ・ = ・ = ・ = ・ = ・ = ・ =
“An… Apostle!? Rank S!? Level 199!?”
The teacher (or whoever they are) who checked my status shouted loudly.
Even though there’s no personal information protection law in this country, I still think shouting like that is a bit much.
“Huh!? Ahem!”
Ah, the teacher quickly tried to cover up.
“Ahem, please take a seat according to your exam number and wait.”
“Yes.”
His eyes were clearly uneasy, but whatever.
When I turned to take my seat, the entire class’s attention was on me. It seems like everyone heard the earlier shout. Ugh…
As I sat and waited, the seats gradually filled up.
After a while, the written exam began.
The exam was certainly easy.
I don’t know what score is required to pass, but I don’t think I’ll fail.
However, with a relatively easy exam like this, if everyone gets high marks, there’s no guarantee.
I don’t particularly want to attend this academy, but I can’t bring shame to my father. I’ll give my all to get a good score.
Phew, I’ve done my best. I gave it my all.
I double-checked everything, and I wrote my name and exam number.
“Alright, that’s all. Those who are taking the Knight, Magic, or General Education 1 courses, please follow the arrows to the training hall. Those who are taking the General Education 2 course may leave now. The results will be announced in ten days.”
The academy has departments for Knights, Magic, General Education 1, and General Education 2.
The Knight course is for children who wish to serve the country or nobility as knights.
The Magic course is for children who wish to serve as mages.
General Education 1 is commonly known as the noble course, and it teaches land management, so it’s taken by the heirs of land-owning nobles.
General Education 2 is the civil servant course, for children who wish to serve the country or nobility.
I’m taking the General Education 2 course.
I have no desire to become a knight or a mage, and I can’t even use magic.
I’m hoping my younger brother, Ziegwald, will inherit the family, so I excluded the General Education 1 course.
The only remaining option was General Education 2.
The Knight, Magic, and General Education 1 courses also have practical exams, so there are still practical exams to come, but for me, this is the end of the exam.
I decided to meet up with Captain Susanna and head home.
“You really did choose the General Education 2 course, didn’t you?”
From the moment I said I’d choose the General Education 2 course, Captain Susanna and everyone else didn’t quite believe me.
They all said I should take the Knight or General Education 1 course, but I have no intention of becoming either a knight or a lord.
