Chapter 21

When morning came, there was a line of carriages full of luggage in front of the mansion.

Mother asked for the last time,

“Are you sure you don’t want to come with me?”

“Yes, I prefer the dormitory.”

I just wanted to stop being involved with the Miller family.

Especially with Orion Miller.

My mother hummed in response to my words while looking at me.

Then she lightly tapped my forehead.

“Whose daughter is this smart?”

I unconsciously was about to say have a safe trip, but I stopped.

Whether she remembered it or not, for someone who was determined that this will be the last, rather than having a safe trip . . .

“Have a harmonious relationship.”

And it would be better if she didn’t fight with the Duke and his son, and got along with them.

“Girl, you don’t have to see me off. It’s right next to this place anyways.”

I smiled faintly at her words.

“Call me if anything happens.”

“Yes.”

As though she were going on her occasional erratic journeys, Mother left the mansion.

***

The lingering feeling of parting was not long.

It was because, rather than Mother’s relocation to the close Duke’s house, the examination for advancement was more important in my eyes.

“You managed to meet the requirements for advancement to senior student.”

The professor who was examining my application, stared at me.

“As you already know, it means you have the right to take the exam, but there is no guarantee that you can advance.”

“Yes.”

“Your grades are not that high compared to other candidates for advancement.”

“I know.”

“But, you’re fine with this?”

“Yes.”

He stared at me intently and once again checked my transcript.

His eyebrows twitched.

“I’ve been thinking about this for a while. Have you perhaps adjusted your scores in this manner purposefully?”

“. . .”

“Your scores are the exact lowest scores for qualification. I can hardly believe that all of the subjects are at a B minus.”

He passed my report card toward me.

Looking at the same scores as if it were taken by machine, I silently shrugged my shoulders.

Was I too obvious?

Instead of doing my best and garnering unwanted attention, this was more comfortable for me.

There was no need for me to fiercely fight for the top rank and there was no need for me to struggle in the lower ranks.

The professor continued his questioning, as though he hadn’t been waiting for my answer.

“The reason you want early advancement?”

“I want to quickly get a job.”

He nodded at my answer as he scribbled it down in a memo.

Not long after, a letter of recommendation with a few formal words was in my hand.

I was on my way out of the hallway after the consultation.

My shoulder bumped into someone who was walking from the other side, and the documents in my hands fluttered to the ground.

Then, just when I expressed my gratitude to the person who picked up my documents  . . .

“The land of death.”

When I turned my head toward the faint voice, I saw a familiar face.

He, who was staring at the document intently, greeted me with a smile.

“Hello.”

“Yeah.”

Even though we were in the same class, he was someone who I had never spoken to before all year round.

He smiled in a friendly manner and picked up the remaining documents.

“So, you’re taking the exam for advancement.”

“Yeah.”

“I also decided to take the advancement exam this time.”

“I heard about that.”

Trevor Beryl’s eyes sparkled in an instant.

Instead of  walking away and leaving me be, he spoke again.

“I was thinking of doing research on the same topic.”

“Ah, really?”

It was unexpected.

I thought he would choose a more popular and more comfortable topic.

As one of the best talents, he had never missed the top spots since freshman year with his outstanding scores.

Rumor said that he was not only supported by Count Amber, but would soon be taken in as an adopted son by said count.

On top of that, because of his outstanding looks, there were quite a few female students who would follow him.

I could feel the gazes of people who passed through this hallway directed at us.

“Then we can be good rivals for each other.”

He reached out his hand, smiling widely.

Good rivals.

Actually, I was more taken aback by the fact that he remembered my name.

“Thank you. For phrasing it like that. Let’s aim for a good result.”

He smiled brightly at my response.

I slightly avoided his gaze. Unpleasant feelings were somehow creeping up.

Then . . .

It was right when I was about to walk past him first.

From the far away hallway, I heard someone’s hurried footsteps.

There were not many people who could make such a fuss in the hallways of this academy, tight with its rules as it was.

My best friend, who often played an active part in the center of uproars and noises, was running vigorously.

“Rany, don’t run in your uniform….”

She never listened to me even though I had said it dozens of times, but Rany abruptly stopped at my words.

“It’s very awesome!”

Her hands were somewhat violent as she shook my shoulders.

“There’s a carriage in front of the school gate.”

“So?”

Around half of the academy’s students used carriages to travel school.

It was not a strange thing, nor a problem.

She shook her head, her voice excited.

“It’s not an ordinary carriage.”

Rany suddenly lowered her voice and began to whisper.

“I don’t know about the other kids, but it can’t deceive my eyes.”

“Huh?”

“Power was used to camouflage it, but in the end it isn’t an ordinary carriage at all.”

She narrowed her eyes, looking around as though she were in guard.

“It’s camouflaged as ordinary, but it’s a carriage made of enchanted ebony wood. It is made of the best wood planted with mana for a long lasting use. Look at that! The color is different.”

At the end of where her fingertip pointed, I saw a carriage with a familiar exterior.

“Look at that carriage’s horses. In any race track, those types of well-bred horses are very rare.”

Even today, the two excellent horses with exceptionally sturdy leg muscles were stomping their feet as though they were dissatisfied.