Chapter 10
The moment I first came face-to-face with the capital, I had one immediate thought.
Big! It's freaking huge!!
It's unbelievably huge!!!
By my standards, after living in a rural village for a year, everything was overwhelming.
The number of people was different, and so were the kinds of carriages passing by.
Unlike the village, where a little market and a few fields were everything, countless shops and buildings stood packed together here.
I'd never even seen anything like this in the tower!
But there was another place that caught my eye more than the capital's scenery.
Astell Imperial Academy!
The empire's finest educational institution had appeared countless times in the original story, but seeing it in person was completely different from reading about it.
Buildings encircled the grounds like enormous castle walls, and towers soared high into the sky.
And…….
Wait, why is there a tower over there?
I almost had a PTSD attack.
Anyway, I had expected something like this after seeing it in the original story, but this was big enough to be called a small city rather than a school.
"……Wow."
Of course, that was the end of my sightseeing.
I lightly exhaled and walked alone toward the academy entrance.
The Extreme King had said they had business in the capital, after all.
Our traveling together ended yesterday! All right, shall I go register?
A ten-year-old brat going to register alone—it was kind of funny when I thought about it again.
Nothing will happen, right?
Hmm. Something did.
As expected, trouble arose at the very first hurdle.
"Hold it."
The knight guarding the entrance raised a hand to stop me.
"Are you a student?"
"Yes."
I answered confidently.
The knight looked me up and down.
"……How old are you?"
"Fifteen."
The knight's eyebrows rose slightly at my unhesitating answer.
"I'll ask again. How old did you say?"
"Fifteen."
I gave the exact same answer again.
The knight stared at me for a while.
They were probably thinking all sorts of things.
Well, I understood.
Anyone could see that I looked like a ten-year-old brat right now.
The Extreme King had prepared something for exactly this situation.
"I've come to take the entrance exam."
I pulled a registration slip from inside my clothes and handed it over.
The perfect registration slip the Extreme King had forged for me!
The knight accepted it with a suspicious expression and checked it, looking a little surprised.
"……It's genuine."
The document clearly stated:
-Lee Rowoon, age 15.
Of course, that wasn't my actual age.
On paper, it was perfect.
"Pass."
The knight let out a small sigh.
"Young nobles these days come up with all sorts of strange methods."
"I'm a commoner, though."
My words made the knight look even more baffled.
"……That's even more surprising."
I smiled as though nothing were wrong.
Done.
I'd cleared the first hurdle.
I walked straight inside the academy.
The inside was much more enormous than it had looked from outside.
What was even more surprising was—
“What! You're taking the academy exam this time too?”
“Uh, I'm in big trouble if I don't pass. My dad says he'll kill me…….”
There were students walking by with swords, students running around with spellbooks tucked under their arms, and more.
The crowd gathered at the academy surpassed anything I had imagined.
Every one of them had gathered here for the academy.
I watched the scene and smiled faintly.
Maybe it wouldn't be so bad.
Honestly, I was a little excited.
Following the signs, I had no trouble finding the registration area for the entrance exam.
Countless people were standing in line.
Most of them looked much older than me.
I suppose that was only natural, right?
The registration process was simpler than I had expected.
They checked my name, confirmed the department I was applying to, and finally directed me to the examination hall.
The final staff member checked my documents and opened their mouth.
"Student Lee Rowoon."
"Yes."
"You're applying to the Combat Department?"
"Yes."
The staff member looked at the documents one more time.
"Fifteen years old…?"
"Is there a problem?"
"You look much younger, you see."
The staff member then closely examined my face with a doubtful look.
"Ah."
The registrar nodded as though they understood.
"You're from a commoner background."
"Pardon?"
"Some people grow a little more slowly, after all."
Ah.
So that's what they thought.
If they wanted to misunderstand me that way, all the better. I was grateful.
Anyway, registration was complete.
I took the information sheet and went outside.
At last, the academy entrance exam.
The first stage was about to begin.
The written exam, well……
Surely I'd manage somehow?
My actual age was twenty-three, you know?
It was just an academy exam for fifteen-year-olds, right?
As for the practical exam, I could just do reasonably well.
-The written exam will begin shortly. Examinees, please proceed to Written Examination Room 2.
The announcement echoed through the area.
I put my registration slip in my pocket and stood up.
"Let's go, then."
And so began the written exam, the first hurdle of the Astell Imperial Academy entrance examination.
***
“Did you do well on the written exam-ieyo?”
“As if-ieyo~”
“Don't imitate me-ieyo!!”
Bonk!
“Ow.”
The written exam had just ended, and there was still a little time left before the practical exam.
I was currently eating in a corner of the cafeteria with the Extreme King, who was wearing a recognition-obscuring artifact.
Apparently, too many people here recognized them.
For the record, I had spectacularly bombed the written exam.
I knew the original story, and even if it was an academy entrance exam, it was only a test at a fifteen-year-old's level.
But when I actually received the test paper, I realized something.
I had forgotten that the me from my original world had only graduated elementary school.
I awakened while I was in middle school, after all.
But it was fine.
The academy wasn't a place that judged people solely by their intelligence.
The Combat Department in particular placed far more weight on the practical exam than the written one.
And when it came to practical exams, I was confident.
More importantly.
“Nom nom… delicious-ieyo.”
Why was this person here?
I stared at the Extreme King across from me as they stuffed food into their mouth until their cheeks puffed out.
“But why are you here?”
I understood coming along because they said they had business in the capital, but I hadn't expected them to follow me all the way to the entrance examination site.
Wait, weren't you busy? Didn't we agree to part ways in the capital?
The Extreme King chewed the food filling their mouth, then proudly declared,
“Hehe! I've been appointed as a martial arts professor at the academy-ieyo!”
“…What?”
“I was worried you might cause trouble, and I also wanted to keep an eye on those demon bastards-ieyo!”
The Extreme King paused briefly and took another bite of bread.
“And I wanted to try being a professor-ieyo!”
“…That's the real reason, isn't it?”
“You caught me-ieyo!”
This person.
They were just completely reckless.
Wait, but if that was the case……
The Four Emperors.
In other words, the Extreme King, one of the strongest beings in the world, was treated as an existence comparable to the emperor.
One of the Four Emperors was a professor?
Then what was the dean?
Was it a position for managing the world's strongest beings?
Oh shit!
That meant the dean was their boss, right?
[The Strongest Person in the World Became My Direct Subordinate.]
It sounded like one of those novels that had already failed from the moment you saw its title.
Hang in there, Dean!
Anyway, the practical exam was simple.
You fought an academy-prepared combat golem.
The fight continued until either the golem was defeated or the examinee was incapacitated.
There was no need to worry even if you were seriously injured.
The empire's finest priests and healers were all waiting on standby, after all.
Anyway, this practical exam was designed to evaluate a candidate's real combat ability, precise mana control, quick thinking, and judgment in a crisis—all at once.
-Or so it says.
I didn't really know, though.
The combat golems used by the academy were different from ordinary magical dolls.
They had special alloy bodies engraved with countless magic formulas.
And they were even equipped with artificial intelligence magic that changed their fighting style according to their opponent's movements!
In short, they were specialized weapons designed to evaluate new students.
"They made it pretty well, considering."
I read the practical exam guide and admired it.
This thing was much smarter than the golems I'd encountered in the tower, wasn't it?
Anyway, I'd bombed the written exam.
So I had to make up for it in the practical exam.
Overwhelmingly.
A moderately high score?
That wouldn't do.
I had only one goal!
First place!
I had to take first place, no matter what!
Because I wanted to see it!!
The moment Isabel saw my face and froze!!
‘Why is Rowoon here……?’
Just imagining it made me want to laugh.
Me standing proudly before hundreds of new students, with all the professors watching.
And my big sister frozen in the very front row.
Excellent.
I couldn't resist this.
"Hehe……."
A laugh escaped me before I realized it.
I never thought the day would come when I could use it in a place like this.
The ultimate serious moves I'd seen in some manga.
Had the moment finally come to use them……?!
At that moment.
-The Combat Department practical exam will begin shortly. Examinees, please proceed to Practical Examination Hall 5.
Along with the announcement echoing throughout the academy, the atmosphere in the cafeteria changed.
The space that had been bustling just moments ago was suddenly filled with tension.
The examinees began rising from their seats one by one.
I noticed people checking their magic formulas one last time, as well as others quietly steadying their breathing with their hands resting on their sword hilts.
I watched them, then slowly rose from my seat.
And I lightly clenched my fist.
All right.
Wait for me, golem.
From today on, you're a pancake.
“Nom nom…… Oh, right-ieyo!”
Just then, the Extreme King hurriedly called out to stop me.
"Rowoon!"
"Yes?"
I turned my head.
The Extreme King had the last piece of bread in their mouth, yet wore a serious expression.
"Take it easy-ieyo!"
"Really, take it easy!"
But with their cheeks puffed out, they had absolutely no dignity at all.
I snickered and gave them a thumbs-up.
"Don't worry."
"……"
The Extreme King saw my expression and sighed.
"……That expression makes me the most nervous-ieyo."
Well.
Anyway.
The Astell Imperial Academy practical exam.
Lee Rowoon, sortie.