NOVEL WEB Chapter 10
“Wh-what should I do? I’m so nervous!”
“Oh no.”
“Ugh, ugh! Aren’t you nervous, Young Lady? Is it just me shaking?”
“I’m nervous too.”
“You really can’t lie, can you, Young Lady?!”
“…Hey. It’s too noisy, go outside.”
“Hmph…”
“Get out quickly. I’m going to change.”
“Shall I help you get dressed?”
“Don’t say nonsense and just wait in your room.”
“Okay…”
Two years have passed.
The day of the Academy entrance exam is approaching.
And like this…
Wooom—
My mana has risen to the point where I can manifest it outside my body.
“That’s impressive.”
I sighed in despair as I watched the cherry blossom-colored mana blooming above my hand.
The quality and quantity of this mana are far superior to my previous life.
The growth rate is almost spooky.
This is some nonsensical talent.
But why, out of all colors, does it have to be pink?
My hair, eyes, and mana are all pink.
Well, I guess I can let the hair and eye color slide since it’s the color of Eustetia, but the mana? That’s a bit off, isn’t it?
Was all that testosterone I had as Ronan wiped out?
“Ha…”
I let out a sigh as I stared into the mirror.
“I’m still not tall.”
The black line drawn in the mirror told me my height.
Somewhere near 140 cm.
I’d probably get confused standing next to a dwarf.
For a Martial Artist, a tall height is the only advantage, and I don’t even have that.
Tall Arisa has long limbs.
Meanwhile, I’m short with short limbs too.
My body is the same.
Still smooth, soft, thinly lined…
…and squishy.
I’ve got no muscles.
I’ve eaten so much meat and milk, yet my height remains the same. How is that even possible?
Of course, I’ve gained some muscle.
But it’s just pitiful.
And my frame has changed a bit.
Somewhat more feminine.
“Damn it.”
Crunch, crunch— I gritted my teeth while changing clothes.
At least I’m glad my chest hasn’t grown. It would just get in the way during fights.
My slightly satisfying growth…
I finished changing all my clothes.
Now it’s time to tie my hair up.
Hmm.
Since I won’t be seeing them for a while…
I was about to shake the bell to call Sara when I immediately got up and went out of the room.
I grabbed a hair tie from my desk.
“Young Lady, aren’t you tying your hair?”
Sara, waiting by the door, tilted her head and asked.
Without needing to answer, I waved the hair tie in my hand.
Understanding the implication, Sara smiled broadly and bent her waist.
“You made a good decision.”
“What do you mean a good decision?”
Swish—whoosh—
My hair was pleasantly brushed, making me feel like I could break into song.
“I wonder what made our Ellie want to ask Mom to tie her hair?”
Suck, suck— Sara, chewing on a candy, asked as she moved the candy to one cheek.
“…It’s not that something made me want it; I just won’t be seeing you for a while. So… um… I just wanted to.”
“Hehe. You missed Mom, huh?”
“That’s not it.”
Despite my firm answer, my mother chuckled.
Other people might not understand, but my mother is strangely hard to deal with.
How should I put it?
It’s like no matter how hard I try, I feel like I’m the one getting eaten.
She’s unsettlingly good at seeing through my thoughts.
In contrast, I can’t figure her out.
Even I, who has experienced many people and been blindsided countless times, can’t grasp my mother’s true feelings.
Well… I know she cherishes and loves me very much.
“I expected it, but I guess you’re not worried. I’ve never seen you study. Are you going to be okay, Ellie?”
“Yes. I’m fine.”
Study.
I studied with Yurasia, but since I already knew everything, I quit right away.
The history of the Empire?
I lived during that era.
Demon race ecology?
The one who killed the most demons is me.
There were many subjects like the history of Holy Relics or methods to subjugate monsters.
But I thought it wasn’t necessary.
It was written that as long as the combined score of practical and written exams exceeds 140 points, I would pass.
Just to be sure, I sent someone to check, and I got confirmation from the Academy that they understood correctly.
If I score 100 points in practice and only 40 points in theory, I’m fine.
The subjects I’ll probably get 40 points in are Empire History and Demon Race Ecology.
So I’ve spent the remaining time focusing on personal training and sparring.
Thanks to that, Yurasia’s fighting style has changed to fit my taste.
The herbivore style Yurasia learned from Eustetia has faded to the point where the original is barely recognizable.
Feeling that change made Yurasia a bit gloomy, but I love it.
I’m actually stronger too.
Still getting wrecked by me, though.
Anyway.
I’m not worried at all about the entrance exam.
Passing is a sure thing.
According to Sara, if I want to make an impression, I need to be top of the class, but I don’t think that’s necessary.
For those with high entrance scores, scholarships will be given out, but I don’t need that.
People who truly need it should be the ones to take it.
Nobles’ children reportedly refuse scholarships as well.
On the other hand, Yurasia aims for a scholarship.
Of course, Eustetia said it would cover tuition. Sir Karon, the commander of the First Knight Order, said the same.
Yet, Yurasia subtly refused, saying she wanted to pay for it herself.
And then she worked hard, deciding that if she’s going to do it, she will aim for being first while cutting back on sleep.
For a thought she had at 17, that’s really impressive.
“Is that so? Our Ellie is amazing, huh?”
After finishing the brushing, my mother skillfully tied my hair.
Without pulling too tight.
And yet, not loose either.
“Alright. All done.”
She lightly stroked my hair.
Puck!
“Ugh?!”
She kissed my cheek.
“At the Academy, there won’t be any disparity of status, so things might be a bit uncomfortable. Of course, Ellie won’t care about that, but still, be careful. Even if you don’t act like it, you could still get hit by a blind arrow.”
“…Yes.”
Swipe, swipe— Feeling a bit embarrassed, I fiddled with my twin tails as I responded.
“No matter how virtuous you are, being in a high position means you can’t please everyone.”
“Well… that can’t be helped.”
“And if it gets really unbearable, just do what you were doing before. You don’t have to endure just because of Eustetia’s name. Mom and Dad will take care of the consequences, so don’t worry.”
Just do what I was doing.
If I get angry, it means I can just charge through.
“Can you do well?”
The entrance exam.
The Academy.
Charging through.
I don’t know which of the three it is, but I answered nonetheless.
“Of course.”
“Yes. Mom believes in our Ellie.”
“…Thank you.”
The candy in my mouth felt particularly sweet today.
*
I’m leaving to take the exam three days from now, but…
Since Yurasia and I are confident we’ll pass, we won’t return to the Duchy of Eustetia until the vacation.
So, we’re saying goodbye to everyone.
I asked Sara why we had to do this much, but apparently, there are family honor issues or something, so it has to be done.
“…Ellie. Even if you miss Dad, you have to hold it in.”
Tears welling up in my father’s eyes, he held my hand tightly and sobbed.
The one who should be holding back from missing someone is clearly Dad.
“Yes. But I’ll be back for vacation, so I’ll see you again soon.”
“V-vacation?!”
“Yes. Vacation.”
“Why not come down during the weekend?”
“Why bother coming back and forth? If you’re really curious, we can just exchange letters.”
Despair appeared on my father’s face.
“Well… isn’t it better to see each other’s faces?”
“What’s with all this? It’s better to be apart for a long time and then see each other again. It makes the reunion more special.”
Giggle— I laughed.
I bowed to my father.
I bowed to my mother.
I observed the knightly etiquette toward the Knight Order.
In response, the knights comforting the crying Yurasia hurriedly adopted the knightly etiquette.
Yurasia, sniffling, also performed the etiquette.
But why is she doing this while coming along with me?
“Anyway, I’ll be on my way.”
Just as I was about to turn to leave after saying my last goodbyes…
My father, who had been hesitating, cautiously said,
“Ellie. Before you go, c-can I hug you just once?”
If I don’t do this, my father will be really upset.
And, well, a light hug isn’t weird even from a son.
I’ve often seen knights hugging their parents when parting ways on the battlefield.
So, yeah. This is fine.
Immediately, I turned around and hugged my father.
Since he’s just under two meters tall, it looked like I was the one being hugged, but it’s still me doing the hugging.
“Ugh, sniff… Thank you, Ellie. Thank you. Be careful on your journey. If something comes up that you can’t deal with, or if anything serious happens, just contact Dad right away. I will throw everything away to help you.”
“Yes… but please don’t throw the family away.”
“No, if I can protect our Ellie, I don’t need the family. So make sure to tell Dad, okay?”
“Yes. Thank you.”
“Spend money freely. Enjoy delicious food with Yurasia. If you need more, just let me know anytime.”
“Thank you.”
“See lots of good sights. Be careful with the wagon, be careful of people, and be careful on the night roads. Got it?”
“Yes.”
“And Ellie, you are the cherry blossom of our family. The only cherry blossom of Eustetia. Always remember that behind you is me, Turius Eustetia, the head of Eustetia.”
“…Yes.”
“Lastly, be careful of men. Our Ellie is too pretty, cute, and kind for this dad—”
“Ah! Stop! Stop!! I get it, just let me go.”
After pushing my father away while whining, I nodded vigorously.
“I get it, so don’t worry too much. And I’m not going to date anyone even if a knife is held to my throat, so don’t worry about that.”
Hearing me say I wouldn’t date anyone made my father’s face light up with a bright smile.
“Hahaha! I got it. Thanks, Ellie.”
What’s with the thanks…?
And besides.
Aren’t they all just kids? What are they doing dating?
No way, in the first place. Am I out of my mind to date a guy?
I’m a guy.
No matter how my body looks, I’m a guy.
Deep inside me, the testosterone-filled manly Ronan is still alive.
Besides, I don’t plan on dating in this life either, including my previous life.
I’m too busy with killing the Demon King to even think about dating.
The Academy is a place for learning something.
It’s a sacred place of learning.
Can you date there?
Those who do that are just messed up in the head.
They keep talking about the era of peace, but are today’s kids dating even in a place of learning?
In my time, that kind of thing was never even a thought.
What a degenerate age, what a degenerate age.
Tsk, tsk.
While clicking my tongue inwardly, my mother, who had been behind my father, opened her arms.
“Ellie?”
Sighing softly, I ended up sharing a hug with my mother too.
“Do you remember what I told you earlier?”
“Yes.”
“Right. But I can’t help worrying.”
“I understand.”
“Hehe.”
My mother, rubbing her cheek against mine, whispered in a tiny voice.
“Ellie. There are many side branches in the Eustetia family. You’ll probably meet some at the Academy too. It will be easy to recognize. They carry the same color of Eustetia, although slightly lighter than yours.”
With that said, my mother let go of me.
She left without saying what would happen next, but I completely understood her words.
So this time, I answered sincerely.
“Don’t worry.”
“Okay.”
My mother also nodded, conveying her trust in me.
After that.
Including Sara, who insisted on accompanying me until the entrance results come out, we set off in a carriage with a total of three people.
The coachman is Sara.
I guess she knows how to drive a carriage.
“Sniff… Waaah, the Young Lady isn’t crying at all…”
“Why would I cry? It’s not like I’m going to die.”
“But… it’s sad, isn’t it… sniff.”
“Everything seems sad to you. Just wipe your nose. Don’t make a mess on the carriage.”
“Ugh… Thank you…”
Yurasia, who had filled her nose with the tissue I handed over, rummaged through her bag.
Then, she pulled out something wrapped in a small cloth.
I waited quietly to see what it was until Yurasia opened it.
“…Why did you bring eggs and cookies?”
It was a pile of eggs and cookies.
Seriously, couldn’t she have just asked another servant to bring them in a proper container? What’s with the frugal wrap?
“Huh? Of course they need to be brought! Especially boiled eggs are a must-have for a carriage journey! Here, even drinks!”
“…Really?”
Is that a recent trend?
We didn’t have that during my time.
No, while I can see taking ingredients, I never brought fragile things like eggs or cookies.
It was usually just jerky or dried bread scraps.
And maybe a drink to warm me up.
“Here. Young Lady, have one too. I even brought yours.”
“Did you boil it yourself?”
“Yes!”
I hesitated for a moment, then accepted the egg Yurasia handed over.
And as I cracked cracked it against the wall of the carriage, I noticed…
“Uh? Hey, this isn’t cooked yet!”
An undercooked egg slithered down the wall.
“Oh no! I’ll eat it!”
“What? Really? Are you going to eat that? Why would you eat something that fell on the ground? Are you a beggar?!”
“Ugh… it’s a habit… I’m sorry. And it hasn’t touched the ground yet…”
“I used to think there was nothing wrong with it before, but you’re a knight now, so what kind of habit is that… Haah. Never mind. Don’t eat stuff like that in the future.”
“Hiiiii…”
“Hiiiii what? I’ll buy you something next time, so don’t eat that kind of junk anymore.”
“Aww. You’re so cool, Young Lady.”
Leaving behind the beaming Yurasia, I looked out the window.
The sky was clear, and the day was cool.
“Young Lady. This time, it’s a properly cooked egg.”
“Leave me alone. I’m not eating.”
“It’s seriously seriously delicious! The yolk is moist, the white is tender, it’s wonderful!”
“…Then you peel it and give it to me.”
“Hehe. Okay!”
The egg boiled and peeled by Yurasia was…
It was a little undercooked, but it was delicious.