Chapter 14: Chapter 14: Storm-Summoning Entrance Exam (3)

༺ Storm-Summoning Entrance Exam (3) ༻

Ring, Ring-

At one o’clock in the afternoon, bells began ringing everywhere.

—The written exam will begin soon. All students who wish to take their exam, please promptly make your way to your designated examination room. Once again, the written exam-

Various magically engineered loudspeakers spread throughout campus started guiding us.

People who had been eating in the park, one by one, began to move.

Brigitte, having cleaned up our area, spoke to us.

“Judas, Naru, I have to attend a lecture. You can do well even without me, right?”

“Of course.”

I nodded.

Brigitte, seemingly satisfied with my response, turned to Naru.

“Naru, just remember what we studied. Alright?”

Pat—

Brigitte rubbed her palm against Naru’s head.

Strangely, it felt both familiar yet saddening.

“Naru will do her best…!”

Naru walked alongside her father, Judas, as they made their way to the examination hall.

“It says your examination hall is on the third floor of building A. I’ll at least take you there, but you have to take the exam on your own. Will you be alright, Naru?”

As we headed toward our destination.

Naru nodded vigorously in response to her father’s questions.

“Naru can do it!”

Before I even realized it, we had arrived at the examination hall.

Along the corridors, I could see many children around Naru’s age, accompanied by their parents.

“Johnsonville, don’t forget what you studied. Take one last look at the practice questions before you go. You are the last hope of our Bienne family.”

“I understand, father.”

“Good luck, son!”

Many parents began embracing their children.

Observing this, Naru began to think of her mother.

She missed her.

“…….”

“It’s time, Naru. Don’t forget your pen.”

“My pen!”

Slip—

Naru took out the pen that Brigitte had given her.

Filled with determination, she walked to her seat confidently.

On that table, Naru’s name was written.

「Examination Number B-12, Naru Barjudas」

Naru.

The name that her dad had given her.

She loved her name.

But what was this?

“…Barjudas?”

It was something she had never seen or heard before.

Naru began utilizing her intelligent mind, calculating various possibilities.

“Ah, this must not be Naru’s spot! This must be the spot of someone who has the same first name as Naru but has a different last name…!? What should I do? Naru sat down somewhere she wasn’t supposed to…!”

“Barjudas means ‘Daughter of Judas’ in the Barboi language, you fool.”

Daughter of Judas?

That was definitely Naru.

“Oh, holy shh! My name is Naru Barjudas! I didn’t know that! So, this is Naru’s spot! Because Naru is Judas’ daughter!”

Naru turned, curious about who had delivered this surprising information to her.

She saw a young girl with blonde hair that cascaded over her shoulders in locks.

With blue eyes and a red dress, the girl resembled the dolls that Naru had seen other children carry around.

Naru also wanted a doll but never had the courage to ask for one.

Regardless.

The girl in the red dress looked like a doll.

Suddenly, she began to frown slightly.

“W-What? Why are you looking at me?”

“You’re beautiful and you’re nice! You look like a princess. Do you want to be friends with Naru?”

“Ha? What are you saying so suddenly? Are you stupid? This is why all the Barboi… I don’t know how you passed the interview, but to think I might have to attend the same school as someone who doesn’t know their own name.”

“Cecily!”

“Huh…!? How did you know my name?”

Cecily Von Ragdoll was taken aback.

Despite her not having told her name to this ‘Naru’, she was easily recognized.

Could it be her name had spread all the way to the country of Barboi–?

Naru shattered her delusions with a single finger.

“Your name and exam number are written on your desk. Does Cecily not know how to read?”

“……!”

“It’s okay! Naru only learned how to read recently! Brigitte taught me, and it ended up being easier than I thought. Naru will teach you!”

“…….”

The six-year-old Cecily was feeling rather pissed off.

It seemed her genius self had been verbally attacked by a black-haired brat who didn’t even know her own name.

‘Hmph. It’s not like she’s going to be able to pass the entrance examination. I’ll endure it for today since I’m never going to see her again.’

Screech—

Just then, the door opened, revealing a dignified old man.

He was wearing a monocle and gripped a cane with a spherical handle.

“My name is Diogenes de Boton Allend, and I specialize in teaching history and ethics. For your convenience, please address me as Professor Diogenes. I will be your exam supervisor for today.”

Professor Diogenes.

Cecily was well aware of his reputation.

Even within Graham Academy, he was known for his strict demeanor.

“You there. The male student with badge number 22. Ten points will be deducted from your score.”

“T-The exam hasn’t even begun though?”

“Your face is covered in tartar sauce, is it not? A sound mind requires a sound body. A student without those basics in mind isn’t worthy of even taking this exam.”

“Wahhhhhh…!”

The male student wearing number 22 began to cry.

A ten-point deduction was the equivalent of getting two questions wrong on the exam.

In this examination, filled with prodigies, a ten-point deduction was almost a fatal blow.

Seeing this, the other six-year-old children in this goldenbell classroom couldn’t help but feel nervous.

“I bet the tartar sauce would taste good. I think we had fish cutlet for lunch. Naru likes pork cutlets, but she also loves fish cutlets!”

However, it seemed one person wasn’t nervous at all.

Seeing that, Professor Diogenes became nervous instead.

‘She might just look like a cute child, but she’s the daughter of Judas, the king of thieves…. This girl is the daughter of someone with absolutely no morals. I don’t know how she passed the interview, but I should keep an eye on her.’

Tap—

Diogenes began writing the time that the exam would take place.

“Any student caught talking during the exam will be disqualified without warning. I hope each of you makes the best use of your own abilities. Begin.”

Rustle— Rustle—

The examination papers began to be passed down by the students sitting in the front row.

* * *

「Problem 3 – What sound does the harmful algae bloom ‘Michuri’ make? +5 points」

(1) – Chirp, Chirp.

(2) – Tweet, Tweet.

(3) – Hyaaaaagh!

(4) – Michurichurichuri!

(5) – …This! …This!

“Ugh….”

Naru fell into deep thought.

The problem was far more difficult than she had expected.

‘…What kind of animal is a Michuri?’

Her head was already spinning.

Rustle—

Looking around her, it seemed that the other children felt the same way.

“…It’s too hard.”

“How can they ask us to multiply three-digit numbers…?”

“If I fail, mother will scold me…”

“Silence! Any student making noise during the exam without permission will receive a point deduction from me, Professor Diogenes! Don’t even think about turning your head to cheat either. You there, deduction!”

“Hiiik….!”

The air in the classroom became heavy.

Now, the only thing that could be heard was the sound of pens scratching onto paper and the occasional sniffle from an unknown source.

‘Naru doesn’t understand any of this…’

Naru felt a slight sense of dejection as she looked down at her test papers.

Despite having studied hard alongside Brigitte.

Nothing came to her mind upon seeing the questions.

– Naru, you just need to pass. Just get at least thirty points. Let’s focus on getting a few questions right for sure instead of skimming various topics.

She recalled Brigitte’s gentle voice.

Naru felt a sense of determination surge through her.

‘…Naru can do it…!”

She then began scanning the examination paper.

She found a familiar name.

「Problem 12 – Write the capital city of the Ordor Kingdom. + 5 Points」

‘Ordor!”

That’s it.

She managed to spot a problem that she had gone over with Brigitte.

Naru felt a little bit better.

She had managed to solve five problems up to this point.

Because each problem was worth five points each, it meant she had received at least twenty-five points.

‘But Brigitte said I needed at least thirty points to pass….”

Five points.

How could she guarantee at least one more correct question?

Amid all of her struggle, Naru noticed Cecily beside her.

She looked very confident.

Barboi Secret Style!

「Cheating!」

“Huh? Where’s this chill coming from….? Did someone open a window…?”

It was at that moment when Cecily began to shiver.

Tap—

Naru could feel something light and thin impact on her head.

The source of the sensation was a tiny, crumpled piece of paper.

“……?”

Naru opened it.

And when she did, she saw the word ‘idiot’ written on it.

Kekeke—

Behind her, she could hear people laughing.

“Quiet down! Who dares to speak during this sacred hour?!”

Thump— Thump—!

Diogenes struck the podium with his cane.

The classroom fell silent again.

Tap—

Naturally, the harassment continued, with crumpled pieces of paper being continuously thrown at her.

Each time she unfolded them, she saw demeaning phrases like ‘stupid’ and ‘black haired’.

“…….”

Naru didn’t pay attention to it.

Because Naru was strong…!

Tap—

Once again, another crumpled piece of paper was thrown at her.

This time, however, something peculiar was written.

1 – 5

2 – 4

3 – 5

4 – O

5 – 1

.

.

.

25 – X

“…Huh?”

A strange cipher was written.

Almost like the ones thieves used.

The intelligent Naru quickly figured out what it meant.

It was the answer to the questions!

‘…Who could have given me this? An angel maybe?’

Where could it have come from?

When Naru was about to copy down the answers without a care in the world, something happened.

“Ah, seriously!”

Thump—!

Cecily, who was sitting beside Naru, slammed her palm against the desk and got up.

Everyone’s attention was then focused on her.

“Professor Diogenes, I can’t focus because the kids sitting behind me keep throwing paper! Isn’t this considered cheating?”

“Throwing paper? Are you saying someone behind you is throwing paper at you to disrupt your concentration?”

“No, they weren’t throwing it at me, but I, Cecily Von Ragdoll can’t overlook such undignified and vile behavior anymore!”

She boldly declared.

Seeing that, the other students began to murmur.

“Cecily…isn’t she the only granddaughter of the Ragdoll Dukedom of Freesia?”

“Viscount Ragdoll… . Isn’t he a war hero? That’s what daddy said.”

“What about the test… What’s going on?”

Amid the murmuring of the children, the experienced Professor Diogenes quickly grasped the situation.

It was clear that something was going on in the back of the classroom that he hadn’t managed to see.

It wasn’t exactly uncommon for there to be issues in the middle of the exam, so he wasn’t surprised either.

Did she make a fuss because she knew that his elderly vision wasn’t good?

“However Cecily, rules are rules. Because you spoke without permission, ten points will be deducted. Will you be alright?”

“I don’t care.”

As expected!

Diogenes marveled at her bravery.

Even though she would be the one to face the consequences, Cecily refused to stand by what she perceived as injustice.

Despite only being six years old, it was clear she would become the ideal of a noble society.

But if it wasn’t her, who was the victim?

As if reading his mind, Cecily continued her rant.

“The kids behind us keep throwing paper at Naru Barjudas’ head! To think they’re harassing her just because she’s a bit different from us. It’s a disgrace!”

“…….”

Diogenes began to feel lightheaded.

The daughter of the one called the king of thieves, Judas.

He hadn’t expected that children would dare to harass someone like her.

Having lived a long and experienced life, he was quickly able to grasp the situation.

‘Children are pure, but they can also be evil. Their acts of cruelty could be far more vicious than an adult’s. That is why proper education in ethics is needed.’

Order had to be maintained.

Diogenes then spoke.

“The exam will continue. After the exam, Cecily, Naru, and everyone sitting behind them will remain in their seats.

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