Chapter 78
A short while later.
“Relax your muscles.”
Calicia slapped the backs of the orc warriors. Their muscles were so large and uneven that the problem wasn’t immediately visible.
-Grr…
The warriors let out sullen sounds. After a lifetime of building their muscles, it stung to have them treated like mere lumps of cargo.
“Hey! Did you all loosen up?”
Calicia turned her head back after finishing the task.
“All done.”
Laktar straightened his back, asking the obvious as if it were a matter of course.
“I, too!”
Izriel, lying on top of an orc’s back, also raised his hand. The end of the long entrance exam was finally in sight.
-Hardship and adversity will guide you on your path.
Calicia, reflecting on the tarot reading, stared at Laktar and Izriel. Somehow, it felt like she had guided these two onto the right path herself.
“The prophecy is vague.”
Crackle-crackle-
A whole pig, rubbed with salt and herbs, sizzled over the campfire. The rich, fragrant aroma whetted appetites. The unexpected feast had come from the village’s storehouse.
“Ahhh!”
Izriel downed a drink made from fermented buffalo milk, humming happily. It was slightly tart but smooth—much better than the alcohol mixed with some annoying flowers.
“Shall I tell a scary story?” he asked, grinning mischievously at Calicia and Laktar.
“Hey! Why so chatty during a meal? Take your drunken antics elsewhere!”
Laktar, clearly displeased, pointed at the group of orcs.
“Ah, it’s about the academy…”
“Hmm, Dung!”
Calicia, shoveling meat into her mouth, perked up. Listening to stories about Heloren could be useful.
“Vallus! How can a noble eat with such manners? Are all great nobles this ill-mannered?”
Laktar lectured on proper etiquette as a guiding figure. No one was listening, of course.
“In the academy, there are statues of past chancellors and great masters… and, they move!”
“They move?”
Calicia responded disinterestedly. For an ambitious introduction, it was a pretty run-of-the-mill school ghost story.
“How did you… know? No, it’s something else! On the fourth floor, in the corridors, the statues move….”
“They’ll move, of course.”
“How do you know?”
“Obviously.”
Izriel gulped down more buffalo wine. The charm of drinking lay first and foremost in entertainment.
“See! I told you!”
This time, he set the bottle down, ready to tell a ghost story about a freshman who forgot their exam slip.
“A few years ago…”
A very ordinary start. The Heloren assistants wore tired expressions, thanks to the influx of examinees from all over.
“Um, I forgot my exam slip…”
The busy assistants looked at the student with resigned expressions.
“Tell me your name and hometown, and we’ll issue a temporary verification slip.”
“James Xavier, from Pollan Village, Seilton, the Southern County.”
In tiny, trembling voices, the assistants exchanged glances. The kid was clearly terrified.
“Senior! His name and hometown are correct! But it’s not showing up?”
The youngest assistant double-checked the records. The response was correct.
“Strange. I can’t find him anywhere. Could it be missing? That shouldn’t happen. Wait!”
One assistant pulled out a magical storage containing all previous exam slips.
“Ah, found it! James Xavier… huh?”
Soon, the junior assistant located the student’s record and blinked in disbelief.
“What’s wrong?”
The senior assistants turned to see why he couldn’t speak.
“…Senior, this is last year’s exam slip.”
A heavy silence filled the air. All the assistants turned with grim faces. Before them was only an empty seat and chilling silence.
“The academy exam… the student… became a spirit and wandered away…”
Izriel ended the story flatly, pouring snow-flower liquor into Calicia’s hand.
“…What are you doing?”
Calicia brushed her hand off at the cold sensation.
“This liquor is sacred… it contains divine power… so it’s holy water… no, holy liquor!”
Izriel, his nose bright red, poured it in lavishly.
“Why are you pouring this on me?”
“You’re… dead!”
“What are you talking about?”
Calicia set the pig’s hind leg down, frowning in confusion.
“Step back! James… Xavier… eeeh!”
“What nonsense have you been spouting? Vallus is perfectly alive.”
Unable to watch, Laktar grabbed the bottle. Izriel had never been entirely sane, but recently it had worsened. Perhaps the ritual had taken his mind.
“Then… Jomby?”
Izriel inhaled sharply and took a big bite of Calicia’s arm.
“Ah! Hey! Let go! You lunatic!”
Calicia screamed in pain and grabbed his head firmly.
“You’re stealing not just sanity, but intelligence too, Helaisy.”
Laktar, witnessing such a scene, looked up at the night sky.
Flash!
With a bright light, the three were ejected onto the shore. A portal had appeared as soon as the exam ended.
“Uh… huh?”
Hundreds of candidates staggered into view, collapsing on the sand. After 24 hours of nonstop battle without food or water, it was inevitable.
“Dunghead!”
Calicia spotted Ian in the crowd and ran forward, ignoring Laktar and Izriel.
“Why so reckless!”
Seeing the rapidly retreating figure, the other two muttered in disbelief.
“Vallus! Are you badly hurt?”
Blood splattered across Ian’s uniform, but he kept his eyes on Calicia’s arm. The wounds were clearly minor.
“Oh, this?”
Calicia waved her hand dismissively.
“Tell me the truth.”
Ian’s eyes darkened. Lizardmen wielded spears, orcs wielded axes. These cuts weren’t serious.
“I followed your instructions.”
Unable to refuse, Calicia recounted her exploits with the orc chieftain. Naturally, it ended with a scolding.
-Thus ends the Heloren Academy entrance exam. Thank you for your efforts!
A golden horse head appeared in the sky. The candidates barely lifted their ears in acknowledgment.
-Now, the list of successful candidates will be announced! This year, 296 students passed the Heloren entrance exam.
At the booming voice, the exhausted students struggled to stand.
“Already graded?”
“Are you sure?”
Voices of doubt arose here and there. Though just teenagers, they had risked everything in the exam. Some careful consideration was only natural.
-The entrance exam was conducted fairly under the supervision of the academy professors and royal officials.
The golden horse head vanished, replaced by a huge parchment. All candidates’ gazes turned to the sky.
