“Mister, Mister! I got in! To the Spirit Studies Department!”
“What!? The results shouldn’t be out yet…”
“Yes, yes, yes, yes! As soon as the exam started, they did a physical test, but I was the only one who passed! So they skipped the written exam and just gave me automatic admission!”
“…?”
A physical test?
For the Spirit Studies entrance exam?
What kind of nonsense was that? I was left speechless.
When Charlotte first said she was applying to the Spirit Studies Department as her top choice, I wasn’t sure she would make it.
Seeing her get in through such an absurd method left me dumbfounded, but…
In any case, getting accepted was a good thing, so I decided not to overthink it.
“Congratulations. I believe you’ll do well. Considering how well you get along with Dirt-Dirt and Water-Water, your affinity with spirits doesn’t seem bad at all.”
“Hehehe! Right!”
Charlotte might not have the natural talent of a true Spirit Master.
But seeing how she treats Dirt-Dirt and Water-Water like pets, maybe that doesn’t matter.
Does a Spirit Master have to tame spirits solely through spirit arts?
If you can tame them by any means—whether through physical force or something else—shouldn’t that still count?
From that perspective, Charlotte, who has tamed two Great Spirits, is on par with Yuri in terms of skill.
If she just picks up some theoretical knowledge in the Spirit Studies Department, she’ll be close to perfection.
I started to genuinely look forward to Charlotte’s future.
“Aslan! I’m done too! I got in! To the Black Magic Department!”
“…?”
Just then, Julia came running from a distance, wrapped tightly in a scarf, waving her hands excitedly.
I was so baffled that I couldn’t speak.
Wait, she already got her results too?
How could both of them find out their acceptance status on the same day as the exam…?
“What the hell happened?”
“While taking the written test, I noticed a lot of errors. I pointed them out to the exam proctor one by one, and they just gave me automatic admission, saying I had a far superior understanding of the subject than the test creators…”
“….”
Julia’s acceptance was even more absurd.
Then again, Julia and I co-authored the thesis that created the new field of Black Magic.
Right now, she undoubtedly understands Black Magic better than any other scholar.
“At this point, shouldn’t you just become a professor?”
“Oh, should I? Teaching might actually be kind of fun!”
“…”
I had meant it as a joke.
But Julia clapped her hands together and responded seriously.
She was planning to take as many courses as possible, just like Yuri, even triple majoring.
Now, on top of her heavy course load, she was considering teaching as well.
This wasn’t the mindset of someone studying out of obligation—this was the mindset of someone who genuinely enjoyed learning.
For someone like me, who viewed school as nothing more than a place to sleep, it was a shocking revelation.
“You two really are geniuses…”
“Huh? Geniuses? Isn’t this just normal?”
“Hey. You better not go around saying that to other people. You’ll just end up making enemies.”
“Uh….”
Julia tilted her head in confusion at the word “genius.”
A chill ran down my spine, and I decided to shut her up immediately.
If a talented person remains moderately humble, they’re respected.
But if they’re so exceptional they don’t even realize it themselves, they’re bound to provoke resentment.
Since Julia was constantly surrounded by others of top-tier talent, she probably didn’t notice.
But she needed to recognize that she was special.
“Ah! Master!”
“…!?”
At that moment, a thunderous voice rang out from the distance.
A blonde woman with rolled-up twin buns came running toward us.
Who was she again?
I was sure her name was something-Lia…
“Ugh… Miss Lillia…”
Oh, right.
I should make sure to remember that.
‘….’
Lill… what was the rest again?
“It’s been so long! I had no doubt you’d pass, Master! The day we attend the academy together has finally arrived!”
“Ah. But wasn’t last year your final semester, Lillia? How are you still at the academy?”
“Ohoho! I’ve enrolled in a master’s program and taken up a position as a teaching assistant for the Spirit Studies professor! I’ll be incredibly busy with almost no free time, but since you’ll practically be living in the Spirit Studies research lab, it’s actually a good thing!”
“I didn’t get into the Spirit Studies Department. I got into the Black Magic Department. I didn’t even take the Spirit Studies exam.”
“…Huh?”
Lillisy’s face was instantly filled with despair.
Why had she assumed Julia would apply to Spirit Studies?
As a result of her foolish decision, Lillisy was now doomed to spend her days in a research lab filled only with gloomy graduate students and balding professors.
‘A research lab without Julia… Truly tragic.’
No more stroking her silky hair, no more climbing onto my lap, no more dozing off against me when she got sleepy.
If it had been me, I probably wouldn’t have even finished my thesis and would’ve died alone in isolation.
For the first time, I genuinely felt sorry for Lillisy.
“Hmm? Lady Merilda! And Yuri!”
“Oh my! I thought my exam ended too late and that everyone would have already left! But you’re all still here!”
“Merilda said she was taking the exam too, so of course we waited!”
At that moment, Yuri appeared alongside Merilda.
The children ran towards each other in an excited rush, chatting loudly as if they hadn’t seen each other for months.
“Count! We were thinking of taking a walk around the campus streets. May we go?”
“Go ahead.”
Charlotte, Julia, Yuri, and Merilda stood in a row, chattering as they gradually walked away.
I watched their retreating figures with a satisfied smile.
“Hmm…”
“Ahem…”
Just then, I happened to meet eyes with the Archduke, who was standing beside me with the exact same expression on his face.
Feeling slightly awkward, I cleared my throat.
I couldn’t believe I was acting just like this fool who completely lost his intelligence the moment his daughter was involved.
It was a humbling realization.
“You seem completely at ease letting them go off on their own. That suggests you have a great deal of trust in that child, Yuri.”
“Yes, that’s correct. I employ her myself, so there’s no need to question her skills. And when it comes to caring for the children, Yuri is likely even more devoted than I am.”
“Hoo. I did think they seemed close—almost like childhood friends.”
“…”
He noticed that?
So, as long as it wasn’t about his daughter, the Archduke was surprisingly perceptive.
“Do you think your children will pass their exams?”
“They already have. Their acceptance was confirmed today. Apparently, the exams were… rather unusual.”
“What? I expected them to pass since they’re prodigies who appear maybe once in a thousand years, but to have it confirmed on the same day?”
“I was shocked as well. How about Lady Merilda? Did she do well?”
“She kept grumbling about how hard it was… but she tends to exaggerate. Judging by how bright her expression was, I’d say she’s confident she passed.”
“Ah. That’s wonderful news.”
Barrier Magic Engineering was known to be one of the more difficult programs at the Imperial Magic Academy, with an exceptionally tough entrance exam.
If Merilda passed after studying for just under a year, it meant she had remarkable talent in barrier magic.
“I really must thank you, Count. If Merilda is entering the academy, it’s all because you encouraged her to study barrier magic.”
“Not at all. Lady Merilda is both intelligent and diligent. It was her own hard work that bore fruit.”
“Hahaha!”
The reason I initially recommended barrier magic to Merilda was simply to send her away to a safer environment.
It wasn’t because I had glimpsed some hidden talent in her.
So, receiving the Archduke’s gratitude left me feeling a bit bewildered…
But, still, I couldn’t deny a sense of satisfaction.
“Now that I think about it, Count… Isn’t it about time you gave those children the Vermont name?”
“H-Huh!?”
“Why are you so surprised? You don’t intend to keep them as slaves forever, do you?”
“Well, no, but…”
The abrupt change in topic caught me off guard, and I stuttered.
Giving Charlotte and Julia the Vermont name…
I suppose I had been making it rather obvious to those around me.
It was only natural that people thought it was just a matter of time.
“I still think it’s too soon.”
“Too soon!? Then when do you plan on doing it? If you wait too long, they’ll already be grown!”
“That’s exactly what I’m waiting for.”
“Count, what on earth do you—”
“No, Archduke, what exactly are you—”
I furrowed my brows without realizing it.
Before they grow up?
I supposed in this world, it wasn’t uncommon for people to marry before reaching adulthood, but…
As a modern person, I couldn’t help but feel a certain level of discomfort about it.
“If you want to officially adopt them and declare them as your children, you should do it before they’re fully grown—”
“If I want to formally betroth them and declare them as my future wives, I should at least wait until they’ve undergone their coming-of-age ceremonies—”
“…What?”
“…Huh?”
Ah.
No wonder this conversation felt out of sync.
