CH 20

Chapter 20 A Surprise Appraisal From a Stranger Is Surprising

「So big~!」

In front of me, there is a magnificent castle wall that is different from that of Luta, the royal capital of the Kingdom of Rosalta.

As expected of the capital of a large country… the national power is on a whole different level….

「Jink-san~, the guards want to check the inside of the carriage. Is that okay?」

「It is okay~」

In Rosalta, the carriages of nobles could go in and out freely, but it seems that the guards are doing their jobs properly here.

The guards checked every corner of the carriage, and after they found no problem, they immediately gave permission to pass.

「I’m sorry that you had to wait.」

「I think it is a good thing that the guards are doing their jobs properly.」

「I’m glad to hear that! Jink-san is a former noble from another country, right? So, I thought that you didn’t like bothersome things like this….」

Well, I don’t like it if the inspection takes a long time, but I know what will happen if they don’t do it properly….

「The guards are properly doing their jobs, so we can expect good public order. In Luta, the capital of Rosalta, it is not rare for some nobles and the underworld guys to work together in drug and poison trafficking and kidnapping…. Considering that, I think Qualarute’s checkpoints, where everyone is inspected equally, are much better.」

「Luta is a dangerous town, huh….」

「By the way, can I get off the carriage? It is my first time in such a big city, so I’d like to see the outside more!」

「Please bear with it until your existence spreads throughout the royal capital! …… If something happens to you, we’ll all lose our heads!」

I can’t, huh….

Too bad…. *Cries*

「I understand….」

「Ahaha…. Let’s go out for a walk after the exam! Well then, we’re heading to Count Brand’s mansion now!」

After a few minutes of looking at the city from the carriage, we entered an area lined with large mansions.

「Jink-san, we have arrived at Count Brand’s mansion~」

When I got off the carriage, in addition to the butlers and maids, I was greeted by a lady in elegant clothes and a boy of the same age as me.

Are they Count Brand’s family?

Both of them have well-ordered faces, and the boy has the look of Count Brand.

「Jink-sama, welcome to our residence. I am Count Brand’s wife, Maria. This child here is our son, Chris.」

「My name is Chris. I am 15 years old, and I will be taking the exam for the second class of the knight department of the Quall Royal Academy this year.」

「I am sorry for the sudden visit. I will be in your care for a month until I enter the academy. Also, it will make me nervous if you are being so polite, so please feel free to call me Jink.」

「Fufu…. I have heard about you from my husband. We can’t offer you much hospitality, but please make yourself at home.」

I’m relieved that Count Brand seems to have told them about me.

「Jink-kun, I’ll show you around the house, so follow me!」

Chris seems to be quite an active guy.

He treated me like a friend the moment I told them not to be so polite, so I don’t have to worry about being exhausted mentally.

After that, I ran around the mansion while being led by his hand….

Let me correct it…. He’s cheerful and good-natured, but he’s also a kid.

~On the day of the exam~

「Jink-kun, I’m so nervous~. Well, if it’s you, I’m sure you can easily pass the second class exam, but… there’s a chance that I might fail.」

「It’s okay. With your ability, you can pass the exam if you do it calmly. Come on, take a deep breath. …… Still, it’s weird.」

「What’s wrong?」

「I’ve become famous for some reason, so I thought some nobles will try to mess with me, but nobody is approaching. Rather, it’s so quiet. Are they avoiding me…?」

「Ahaha, there’s no way they will mess with you! If Jink-kun enrolled in the Quall Royal Academy, the Quall Kingdom will have a close connection with an enchanter. The kingdom wants you to enroll in the academy no matter what. But, the kingdom doesn’t allow unfairness, so they can’t let you enroll through the back door.」

………

「In other words, they have no choice but to pray that you pass the exam with your ability. In consideration for you who hate nobles, even inviting you to meet the king is not allowed for now…. If there’s a noble who doesn’t read the air and mess with you on the day of the entrance exam, and by some chance you don’t pass… that noble will be hated by everyone for sure. Well, setting aside the first class, there’s no way you won’t pass the exam for the second class, so it’s just an unnecessary worry!」

「…… I see.」

If it’s in Rosalta, there will be people who will ignore the country’s intentions and mess with me.

I guess this is what they call the difference in moral standard.

「But well, there are a few guys who are like that. But since we didn’t see them today, someone probably did something and made them go to another venue.

Seriously….

They are being considerate too much that it became the source of my stress instead….

「Now, we will begin the entrance exam for the Magic Department of the Quall Royal Academy! Begin!」

The subjects of the entrance exam for the Magic Department are modern literature (modern language), ancient literature (ancient language), foreign language (I chose Rosalta national language), magic knowledge, history (history of the Quall Kingdom), geography, arithmetic, biology, and law. There’s no physics or chemistry.

…… Actually, it’s doubtful that the concept of physics exists in this world.

Just like on earth, if you throw something up, it will eventually fall down, but… magic and skills can’t be explained by the laws of physics.

The difficulty of the exam is at the level of a typical high school entrance exam.

Since the practical exam has a larger distribution of points, you don’t have to worry too much about the score (aside from those who are not good at magic), as long as you don’t fall short on the written exam.

The border for the first class is 80% or more in all subjects, and the border for the second class is 20% or more in all subjects.

I got cold feet when I heard that the border for all subjects is 80%, but there are many subjects that can be managed by memorization, less essay questions, and arithmetic is just a few equations and graphs.

When I tried the past exam questions for the first time, the lowest I got was 64% (geography).

Moreover, there are many questions similar to the past questions, so I think most former Japanese who have experienced the exam war for university can pass the exam.

I couldn’t go to university due to tuition fees, but I was the type of person who studied hard in high school to get a scholarship, so I can manage the exam as long as the question pattern doesn’t change.

I finished the exam with a lot of time left over, so I used the extra time to review it about three times.

Quall has different history, geography, and law from Rosalta, so the questions on them could have brought me below the border.

But fortunately, the questions this time were similar to past questions, so I was able to overcome it.

At a glance, I think I could get at least 90%, so there’s no need to worry about failing.

After the written exam is over, the practical exam starts without a break.

The practical exam for the magic department seems to be graded according to the type of magic that can be used, its difficulty level, power, and rarity.

It seems that if you can use 3 types of elementary magic, you can pass the exam for the second class.

To pass the first class, if it’s the four-element magic, you need at least 5 types of intermediate magic.

As for the magic I can use right now…

Water Magic

・ Water Ball (Elementary)

・ Water Arrow (Elementary)

・ Water Lance (Intermediate)

・ Water Cutter (Intermediate)

・ Water Wall (Intermediate)

・ Water Cyclone (Advanced) ← Only when using enchanted equipment

Recovery Magic

・ Heal (Elementary)

・ High Heal (Intermediate)

・ Area Heal (Advanced) ← Only when using enchanted equipment

・ Cure Poison (Elementary)

Enchantment

・ Enchant (no rank specified)

Alchemy

・ Transform (no rank specified)

According to Karen-san, as an enchanter, I will be allowed to use enchanted equipment, and even if it’s prohibited, I can pass the border for the practical exam as long as I can use High Heal.

Still… how will they examine someone with so many rare magic?

「Are you the examinee number 783, S rank adventurer Jink-sama?」

「Yes.」

They are calling an examinee with <sama>….

「Penam-sama, how is it?」

「Jink-sama certainly has Enchantment and Appraisal skills.」

I see, so this is how they do it….

Still, I’m somewhat reluctant to be appraised by a high-ranking noble of the Quall Kingdom….

Dusty Penam (67)

Level: 27 (43/270)

Job: Marquis of Quall Kingdom

HP: 270/270

MP: 265/301

Skills: Water Magic 16, Etiquette 24, Appraisal 6 (Max), Education 31

Others: Title (Wise Man), Aptitude list (Appraisal C)

「Jink-kun, there were many questions similar to the ones you taught me! I think I’ll be able to pass the exam too! Thanks!」

「I see. I’m happy to hear that….」

「Jink-kun…?」

I was allowed to use enchanted equipment, and I finished the practical exam after showing all the magic I could use.

There was an appraiser, so I was able to receive a fair examination… and I think I will pass the exam for the first class.

But… that noble appraiser is definitely going to report it to the king, right?

I’m not doing anything wrong, so it’s not a problem, but… I really want some stomach medicine…..