Episode 67: Exams at the Academy
“The new semester… it’s exam season.”
“Do your best, Cladfield!”
With the start of the new semester, the exam content for us servants was announced.
It seems the exams for the sons and daughters of the nobility are at the end of the semester. They apparently don’t do it at the same time as the servants because there would be widespread cheating, like exchanging answer sheets or having the servants help with answers.
But I wish they’d at least wait a little longer. Why so early in the new semester?
“I haven’t studied at all.”
“Indeed!”
Lady Evelyn is agreeing with me confidently, but this is a bad situation. If my grades are bad, Lady Evelyn will be made fun of.
Homework? There’s no teacher who would give that to servants. Though, there aren’t any teachers who give it to the noble children either.
“The exam content is…”
Arithmetic is no problem, but history is my weak point. All the names of the past kings sound so similar!
And then there are the various manners. Though it’s more about how to serve one’s master. We are servants, after all.
And since I’m a guard, there’s swordsmanship, or rather, a combat exam. It’s not limited to swordsmanship because a guard should protect their master at all costs. It seems it’s designed for indoor combat, so magic is prohibited, but we can use any weapon we like instead. Though, it’s just a blunted practice sword or a wooden sword.
“More than that, Miss Evelyn seems down.”
“I’m sorry, but the exam is more important.”
“W-Well, that might be true.”
“Yes!”
I can’t be bothered with Lady Evelyn, who’s making a face like she’s so sad. I can kind of guess what’s going on, but I don’t care!
“I’ll go talk to her for a bit.”
“Yes, please take care of your friend.”
I’ll be studying here.
Before long, Young Lady brought Miss Evelyn over here. Don’t bring her here!
“…So, what’s wrong?”
“It’s embarrassing. To worry even my friends.”
Can’t they do it over there!?
“The Black Ant in the north. There…”
“Some classmates too…”
The Black Ant problem in the north actually hasn’t been resolved yet. Some of the noble children who were in this class haven’t returned yet, and some apparently won’t be able to.
Some of the servants they’ve brought have completely different faces. Well, those guys look pale when they hear the exams are soon.
Lady Evelyn’s beloved relative, an older sister figure, apparently died. She was a distant relative, the second daughter of a count family different from the Marquis House.
Despite her status, she was active in the Knights Order and was chosen as one of the attendants of a special class Knight… What are we talking about, Beatrice?
Lady Evelyn, who is also active as an Adventurer, uses magic to fight, but she felt a sense of kinship with her and became attached to her.
That person is probably swinging a halberd as a lumberjack right now.
“Oh, how pitiful.”
“Ugh, thank you.”
I’m sorry, but I don’t want to get involved, so could you do it a little further away? I can’t concentrate on studying.
“…Excuse me, you. Is it okay?”
“Yes. Uh?”
Who is this? He’s probably a new classmate, but since he’s a servant, we haven’t introduced ourselves yet.
“If possible, I’d like to ask about studying, about the exam scope.”
“…Ugh.”
“I’m starting today! Please!”
“…Please sit next to me. I’ll teach you what I know simply.”
It’s hard to refuse here. After all, we’re just a Baron House. We can’t afford to earn the resentment of viscount or count families.
By the way, the servants of marquis families and above basically don’t come here. They’re excellent, and their families provide thorough servant education.
“Um, Claffy-kun. Me too.”
“…Please, Kalinka-san.”
Of course, there are exceptions.
“You! You! Just a servant from a Baron House!”
“Well, I can’t overlook that.”
Saying that, I beat up one of the servants with a wooden sword.
The daily exams are mostly over, and finally, the combat exam is prepared.
Since the teachers would need inexhaustible stamina to face all the guarding students, it will be a battle between students.
Over there, opposing noble families are glaring at each other, and here, people are making fun of those with lower status than themselves, so small battles are breaking out here and there.
The teachers? They seem to be writing something down, but they’re not interfering? There are noble teachers mixed in, but they’re basically soldiers or knights.
And why is it a round-robin? Aren’t these things usually one-on-one?
“You’ve fought in the north! What a boring liar!”
“It’s not a lie. Please inquire with the Knights Order.”
“You defeated Black Ants!? How could a kid like you do that!?”
“Soldier-class are weak, so it’s surprisingly possible, you know?”
“Sandfelds! A lower noble family trying to rise up now!?”
“That’s why I can’t overlook insults to my house.”
There’s a house that’s not well-regarded because of the Hair Cleansing Liquid, isn’t there? I’ll beat up those who say such things until their faces are unrecognizable. Master has told me to “don’t hold back, go all out,” so I’ll do it thoroughly… because Young Lady is watching with him.
The battle between servants seems to be like a proxy war for the noble families, and all sorts of expressions, from agony to joy, are being displayed here and there. Such things are unfolding outside the arena.
Surprisingly, the exam is open for viewing. Showing the parents what their children have learned at the academy is useful, or so they say.
Most of the heads of noble families come, but it’s rare for the servants’ parents to come.
“Your Young Lady! She’s cute, it’s unfair!”
“…I don’t know how to respond to that.”
Your Young Lady is a little plump and has skin problems, you know.
“That attitude! I don’t like it!”
“Even if you say that.”
Magic is prohibited, so it’s a battle with swords only.
“Surround him!”
“Ooh!”
“Why are you starting to coordinate?”
Why am I being targeted for a concentrated attack…? Is it because I beat up the first and second guys so badly!?
“Hee-hee-hee, as expected of Cladfield-kun. He’s clearly the most excellent. More than anything, he’s strong.”
“Yes! He’s my pride and joy!”
You two over there! Don’t provoke me!?
“Just a kid.”
“I’m aware that I’m the smallest.”
I’ll be 12 this year, but everyone else is around 15 to 20 years old. There’s no way someone who can use magic and guard in Cybarossa Territory would suddenly appear, so I was chosen.
“Gah!”
“Buheh!?”
If they’re going to surround me, I’ll throw my sword at the weakest-looking person and then flying kick someone near them.
Then I’ll take their weapon and finish them off. I’ll steadily reduce their numbers.
“…Is that all?”
“Yeah, well. That’s right. Isn’t it good enough?”
The teacher nods when I’ve knocked everyone to the ground.
Thanks to the training with the Onmitsu, I feel like I’ve become stronger against surprise attacks.
“Hee-hee-hee-hee, that was exhilarating. But in that kind of situation, Cladfield-kun was a little underhanded, wasn’t he?”
“Huh?”
Master is laughing so cheerfully. Well, I don’t intend to lose to people my age, so I’ll humbly accept that evaluation.
As someone who was fighting for second or third place in the village, I feel a little good.
The exam is over, and I return home safely. Thanks to not having a single injury, I’m unusually invited to dinner with Master and Young Lady.
Master, in high spirits, opens a bottle of wine, and Young Lady is tipsy and mellow.
“As expected of someone from that village!”
“Well, I’m not the best in the village.”
The best is someone who can’t use magic, but I can’t see a future where I can beat them. Well, I think I could win if I used magic, but I can’t win with pure physical ability and swordsmanship.
“There’s someone like that too.”
“As expected of the Demon Realm.”
“Demon Realm…”
Was it the Demon Realm…? Is the Demon Realm okay?
“That’s a place where you can’t survive unless you’re strong. I wanted to try challenging it when I was young.”
“Is that so?”
“Everyone in the clan and the Knights Order stopped me, so I couldn’t go.”
“Ah, I see…”
But considering Master’s abilities, I think he could manage around the village. He has a decent amount of Magical Power, and he can handle various weapons.
Being able to use a bow is especially important. The advantage of being able to find the opponent quickly and attack from a position where they can’t counterattack is immeasurable when dealing with Monsters.
“The Black Forest side is out of the question, but the surrounding areas should be fine, right?”
“Really?”
“I saw your skills during the hunt, and your magic is proficient. Ah, but fire magic is dangerous. There are many trees.”
“I see, magic is dangerous, huh.”
“Oh, but you should be prepared for bugs. There are a lot of them.”
“Bugs, huh? I hate bugs.”
“Ore hates them too.”
Since it’s a forest, there are many insect-type and beast-type Monsters. Especially abundant are the insect types.
“We need countermeasures against poison, paralysis, hallucinations… basically, all that kind of stuff.”
“Ugh.”
“Monsters with those kinds of abilities aren’t usually strong in direct combat, but instead, they… launch attacks from afar or set traps.”
“What do you hunters do?”
“Well, we’re used to it.”
We often overpower them head-on. That’s why we’re given resistance to poison, paralysis, and hallucinations from a young age.
“You can manage with getting used to it, huh?”
“…When I think about it now, I wonder if that’s okay.”
Giving us paralysis medicine in baby food is unbelievable, right? That’s normal in our village? And they say it’s okay as long as they don’t mess up the amount, but they just measure it by sight.
It’s terrifying even when I think about it now. I mean, I grew up eating that kind of food.
“A village that can’t survive without going that far, that’s amazing.”
“The Black Forest is nearby, after all. Ore doesn’t really understand what kind of Monsters are there either.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Of course, we’re taught various countermeasures against Monsters, but knowing what kind of Monsters are where isn’t reliable.”
I haven’t been on official missions, but I’ve been taught about that kind of thing.
The educational policy isn’t about knowing where certain Monsters are, but how to deal with certain Monsters.
Floods occur from multiple Dungeons, there are turf wars, and new Monsters appear and disappear. It’s a Forest where the environment changes constantly. Even if you’re told that a certain place is the nest of a certain Monster, it’s normal for a different Monster to be nesting there the next time you go. In some cases, the nest disappears and the terrain changes.
“Yeah, I think it’s a good thing we’re not going after all.”
“Y-Yeah… you’re right.”
“Yes.”
Strong ones sometimes come out near the village too. From the Black Forest’s perspective, they’re just runaway losers.