Chapter 010. First Exam (2)

"What's going on...?"

The instructor who opened the door generated inside the dungeon was met with the surprising sight of a new student who was fleeing, abandoning their comrades.

After easily subduing the disgraceful runaway, the instructor descended deeper into the dungeon to find the other new students, only to be confronted with an even more astonishing scene: a Minotaur, an intermediate-level monster, lying dead in a large chamber.

"Did you do this?"

The instructor was not so oblivious as to fail to grasp the abnormal situation. Several new students were staring blankly at one person, so it was clear to him who had created this miraculous scene.

"Yes."

The response was calm, considering the extraordinary feat. The instructor tossed an unconscious Golden Taining to a new student and murmured softly.

"I didn't see the situation from the beginning, but I have a rough understanding. New student, what on earth did you do? I can't help but ask after seeing this sight."

"...It was a normal attack."

"What?"

"I dealt with these monsters using a normal attack."

The instructor nodded heavily, thinking it might be around the level of the renowned swordsmanship of the Vitelbach family.

'A normal attack, huh? Just hearing the name gives off a strong aura.'

* * *

"Be careful. The kukri weapons carried by the goblins here are a weapon style that is hard to find in the Empire or the Holy Kingdom, and it is best to face them with those who are at least skilled in measuring distance. I know the Saintess's abilities, but please don't worry and leave it to us, who are 'reliable.'"

"Ah, I'm fine, really..."

"That friend is right. How could we put the Saintess into close combat? Please leave it to us."

"I really am fine..."

Arwen shook her head as she watched her teammates exploring the dungeon.

No matter how much unnecessary waste they made, the fact remained that they were also new students who needed to prove themselves in this exam.

However, the mere presence of someone noble, called the 'Saintess,' made them act so fussily that it seemed the Saintess herself might feel uncomfortable.

'Saintess...'

Although Arwen had little interest in human culture, it would be a lie to say she felt no curiosity at all.

The Saintess she saw was a unique person. The luxurious white attire suited her well at first glance. Yet, that was overshadowed by her willingness to jump into the dusty, dirty terrain without hesitation.

It was inevitable that Arwen and her teammates would be shocked by the Saintess's actions. It seemed that her leading by example as a messenger or representative of the gods made them uneasy.

Nod.

Then, when the Saintess made eye contact with Arwen, she smiled brightly and bowed her head.

In that innocent demeanor, Arwen couldn't help but acknowledge her.

Originally, Arwen had fled from the war that broke out in the Eastern Great Forest region and was captured by a human slave trader. Therefore, her distrust of humans was sky-high, except for a few people, but even she couldn't deny the Saintess's good heart.

"It would be best to rest here for a while. I can't find the instructor anywhere."

Had they dealt with the monsters and moved on?

What greeted them was a large space. Judging by the traces of a fire in the corner, it seemed to be a place where previous new students had stopped by.

Having already spent a considerable amount of time in the dungeon, both body and mind were fatigued. Thus, there was no one among the teammates who opposed taking a short break.

As they each spread out their resting spots, Arwen looked up at the approaching Saintess.

Indeed, even up close, she exuded an elegant grace. Even though Arwen had no particular feelings about beauty, she could tell that the aura emanating from her was extraordinary.

"Let's talk."

"...Talk?"

"It may sound rude, but this is actually my first time meeting an elf."

The Saintess smiled with a giggle. It was a smile that could melt anyone's heart, regardless of age or gender, but for some reason, Arwen felt a strangely uncomfortable feeling.

"How did you end up taking the academy entrance exam?"

"...I ended up here while chasing the light."

"Light... That light must refer to a certain person, right?" "..."

Contrary to her innocent first impression, the Saintess was quite insightful. Arwen, caught off guard, fell silent.

But who wouldn't know that silence meant agreement? The Saintess soon flashed a friendly smile and continued speaking.

"I have someone like that too. A person who shines like a star."

"Is it right to refer to someone like that as the Saintess?"

It was a surprising confession. If the Saintess had someone shining like a star, who on earth could that person be?

"Yes. It's a bit embarrassing to say, but it was someone who helped me during my training as a priestess to become a Saintess. When I was caught in a trap by heretics, that person bravely appeared and rescued me from the threshold of purgatory."

"That's truly fortunate."

It was a comforting thought to know that the Saintess also had a time as a training priestess.

Arwen had thought of the Saintess as someone whose fate was predetermined from birth, living a life enviable to others. But after hearing the Saintess's brief words, she felt a surge of thoughts.

In a sudden confession from the Saintess, Arwen fidgeted with her fingers for a moment before sharing a fact with her.

"A person also saved me when I was young."

"Saved you, you say?"

"Yes. That person rescued me from the fate of being captured and sold by a slave trader."

"Oh my..."

Perhaps due to the unexpectedly grim story, the Saintess covered her mouth in surprise.

After all, even if Arwen had lived a fierce life, the idea of being sold by a slave trader would surely resonate deeply with her.

No matter what anyone said, the woman squatting next to Arwen was one of the most noble people on the continent.

"I'm really glad. If I ever meet the person who saved me, I'd like to express my gratitude."

"It shouldn't be too difficult."

Had they been blooming a conversation? For a moment, the other members of the group, captivated by the beautiful elf and the symbol of nobility, stared at them with wide eyes, until a cough broke the silence and a figure emerged from the darkness.

"Ahem, your exam is now concluded."

"Is that you, instructor?"

"That's what I'm called. You can consider me the supervisor for this entrance exam."

"Does that mean..."

"Yes, all of you have passed. Of course, evaluations will be divided, but it's encouraging that not a single one of you has failed to receive a passing mark."

Saying this, the instructor took out a notebook and began to write something down. It seemed he was evaluating the new students...

"Does that mean we don't need to receive a passing mark separately?"

"That's right. You're more naive than I thought, huh? Seeing you believe that you should go into the dungeon and find the instructor to get your passing mark."

The Saintess, who had been silently observing the conversation between a teammate and the instructor, turned to look at Arwen.

This marked the end of her exam. Although she didn't know what kind of evaluation she would receive, she felt good knowing she had formed a precious bond.

"By the way, we don't even know each other's names."

"...Arwen. Just call me Arwen."

"I'm Cecilia. Although I'm called by the extravagant name of Saintess, I'm here as a new student at the academy."

Cecilia and Arwen.

Their unexpected meeting took place in the underground dungeon of the academy.

* * *

"Hmm...?"

Right after the entrance exam concluded, a clerk who had laid out the evaluation items for the new students frowned.

In his eyes was the evaluation item of a certain new student that was clearly abnormal, and just looking at it made his irritation rise.

"Leadership S, Monster Handling Ability S, Understanding of Dungeons S, Student Talent Evaluation S, Student Level Evaluation S. Is this a joke?"

Every year around this time, the influx of new students made the clerk's hair fall out due to overwork. Thanks to the extremely subjective evaluations of the instructors deployed in the dungeon, the task of classifying students was a daily headache, but this was an evaluation that was simply too excessive.

To make matters worse, his patron's son had canceled his admission due to unforeseen circumstances, so his irritation was at an unbearable level. "What a fool. If you're going to take bribes, at least do it discreetly."

The clerk scolded the instructors who were his successors. Of course, he wasn't exactly pure and innocent himself, but this was just too blatant.

Even though there were many who sprinkled money to enter the upper class during the entrance exam, this was crossing the line by a long shot. It wasn't like they were legendary heroes or anything...

The only power he had within the academy was being one of the final decision-makers in classifying students. If he fell out of favor, no matter how impressive their background was, they wouldn't be able to manipulate the selection process according to their wishes.

"Is there anyone outside?"

"Yes. I'm here, Classification Officer."

"Bring in the instructor responsible for Group E-2."

"Understood."

The young master of the Taining family, who belonged to the same group, had already been banned from admission to the academy. Therefore, he had to show something to the Taining family, which provided him with a large annual sponsorship, and he was confident in his choice.

"What's money, anyway? It's pitiful."

He knew that the Vitelbach family was a well-known sword family.

But the situation was already like spilled water. The phrase "there's no place to return to" seemed to fit this moment perfectly for the clerk.