Chapter 12 – 12. The Road to the Capital
As the sun was setting, the sound of the wind cracking continued to be heard in the half-dark forest.
“98…99…100.”
“Whoa…”
Standing there was Arthur, his whole body soaked in sweat.
The trembling left arm and the trembling tip of the sword.
I have been training for a whopping 5 years. At first, he felt his overall physical abilities increasing, and he felt a sense of accomplishment, so he trained harder. However, contrary to expectations, she quickly faced a wall.
At some point, no matter how much I swung the sword or lifted heavy things, my strength no longer increased, and even if I always ran to my limit, my physical strength did not increase at all.
Therefore, she tried to learn from Aris how to strengthen the body using the mana used by her warriors. No matter how small the amount, if you use it, your mana will naturally increase, and your body will become stronger as the amount of mana increases. And she had no other choice.
But she couldn’t learn even that. No matter how much I concentrated, I couldn’t feel what that damn mana was, and even though Aris sent the mana directly into my body, I could only feel an unpleasant foreign body inside her body.
In the end, I sparred with Aris as a last resort. This is because I heard that mana is often used instinctively by the body to survive when life is at risk.
Aris said she didn’t want to do it and made a fuss, but she had no choice but to grant her request, and she couldn’t stand the beatings all day and eventually fainted.
Naturally, I didn’t feel any mana during the process.
The amount of mana is so small that you can’t even feel it, the lack of sense of distance due to the poor left-hand sword and the half-blindness.
When she first practiced, she couldn’t even hit a still wooden pole properly. After that, I just got used to that location. It was almost impossible to hit a moving opponent.
The whole situation was the worst.
“Haa…”
ㅡRubber.
“Arthur!”
The voice heard was Aris.
“Aris.?”
Since when did Arthur always go to places that Aris didn’t know about and train alone? But she found herself easily, as if Aris knew where she was from the beginning.
She was asked how she knew and came to visit, but she tried to brush off the details, saying she had a feeling she was just there. Since she wasn’t particularly important, she just passed on.
Of course, she aroused curiosity every time she visited like now.
“Arthur, let’s go back now. “You know we have to leave for the capital tomorrow, right?”
The reason for going to the capital is that Arthur and Aris are now 20 years old and old enough to take the academy entrance exam, and the exam is held in ‘Ehys’, the capital of ‘Cirnio’, an empire with a thousand-year history. .
There are numerous academies in the empire. However, if you ask which academy is the best among them, the only answer is ‘Ehis Academy.’
Every year, thousands of people take the entrance exam, and only 600 people are selected.
And unlike other academies, there are only two faculties, the Department of Knights and the Department of Magic, each of which admits 300 new students. In addition, as the most prestigious school in the empire, upon graduation with excellent grades you will be eligible to enter the Order of Knights and the Magic Tower.
Of course, Arthur didn’t want to go to the academy. When she was young, the children in her village bullied her by throwing stones at her and calling her a monster, so she was afraid that something similar would happen to her if she went to the academy.
Still, her reason for going to the Academy was because Aris wanted to, and for her dream, she had to enter the Magic Tower, and her most important reason was that she would betray her Hilda, who had continued to support her to go to the Magic Tower.
“Then shall we go say hello to the villagers now?”
Now Arthur and Aris must go to the capital. Aris, who applies to the Knights Department, will be evaluated on her strength through a week-long tournament-style sparring, while Arthur, who applies to the Magic Department, will be evaluated on his magical knowledge, which is the most important thing for a wizard.
Because the results came out a week after the exam, I had to stay in the capital until I entered school.
And since the academy’s vacation only lasts for a month, unless something special happens, students usually stay at the academy for the four years it takes to graduate. Today was the last time I was in the village.
…
The next morning.
Arthur and Aris said hello to the village chief and his family and left the village.
Originally, it would have been safer to hire mercenaries or adventurers to make the long journey on horseback, but since Aris was stronger than most mercenaries or adventurers, we decided to just go.
Of course, in the case of the Empire, security has improved due to the war against demons, so there are almost no bandits, so there is virtually no real danger. In other words, it was common to hire people with the feeling of preparing for an emergency.
“Aris…”
“Why?”
“Can I enter the academy.?”
“Arthur, don’t worry. “I’ve never seen a kid smarter than you?”
“If you, who memorized all the grimoires in the library, fail the exam, who else will be able to enter the school?”
“But…”
“Shh! Stop talking about this now!”
Aris, who quickly blocked Arthur’s excessive worries, brought up something else to distract Arthur, and her mood was quickly restored.
…
The long journey that lasted several weeks has come to an end.
Arthur and Aris arrived at the capital and were showing their identity cards at the gate.
The gatekeeper who was checking the identification badge saw the silver plaque hanging around Aris’ neck.
“Hoo.? “She’s 20 years old, and she has a silver plaque?”
“It wasn’t difficult?”
“Haha, it looks like I came here to take the entrance exam… Kids these days are definitely of a high standard.”
At that time, Arthur spoke to her from the side.
“Are you from the Academy?”
“Yes. Isn’t that why they’re guarding the door here? Even though he looks like this, he is a knight who protects the capital. “Not everyone can do it.”
“Wow! You were a knight. It’s amazing!”
The doorkeeper seemed to feel better at Arthur’s praise and began to give tips.
“The verification is over, so please pass by. And if you go to the center, there will be an inn with a tree drawn on it. “They serve good food, so definitely go there once.”
“Yes. Thank you for letting me know.”
When the door opened, Arthur and his party were able to enter the capital.
“… “Arthur.”
“Huh?”
“Don’t smile like that at another woman.”
“… No…”
Arthur tried to explain her, but Aris suddenly grabbed Arthur’s chin and kissed her.
“!!!”
Aris takes her mouth off after kissing her deeply.
“Because I’m jealous. “Understand, right?”
Embarrassed, Arthur looked around.
“Aris!! I told you not to do that outside! It’s embarrassing!”
“Other women keep looking at me. “I’m sorry.”
“Whoa…”
Perhaps because she turned 20, Aris has become more active these days.
Is it scary sometimes.?
While chatting like that, we were able to arrive at an inn with a tree drawn on it.
As I entered, a man who appeared to be in his 30s greeted me.
“It looks like you came to take the entrance exam. Are you lucky? “Our inn is doing well in the capital, and we just happened to have some rooms left.”
Arthur answered when he was told there was room left.
“Is it so? Then, 2 rooms.”
But she couldn’t continue speaking. That’s because Aris grabbed Arthur’s shoulder.
“Hmm… Two rooms? Then here’s the key…”
“No? Please give me one room.”
“Aris…?”
“Why? “I don’t like it, Arthur?”
“Oh, no, that’s not it…”
Then the owner started smiling and talking.
“Kids, can’t we make too much noise at night?”
Arthur’s face turned red when he heard those words.
“… “
“Let’s go in, Arthur.”
ㅡJeobbuk Jeopuk.
Room at the end of the second floor hallway.
ㅡKkeak.
When I opened the door, there was a simple bathroom and a large bed inside.
“Uh… Aris? Because there is a test in a few days. “I’m going to the library to study.”
“Okay. See you later ‘night.'”
…
Arthur studied until late at night and went to his room as late as possible.
Arthur quietly walked over and quietly opened the door. When he entered, the room was dark and Aris seemed to be sleeping first.
“Arthur.”
“Hi!”
But Aris did not sleep, and she was waiting for Arthur.
“Uh… Aris. “You weren’t sleeping yet?”
“I kept waiting because you didn’t come.”
“Well… There are a lot of magic books I’ve never seen before… I didn’t realize how much time had passed…”
After hearing her words, Aris patted the seat next to her with her hand.
“Let’s sleep together, Arthur.”
“Uh.Yeah,”
At Aris’s words, Arthur went and lay down next to him.
“Is this the first time you’ve slept together since you were little?”
“So…”
“Then sleep well, Arthur.”
“Yes, you too.”
“… “
She was really sleeping, but she couldn’t feel Aris moving.
Arthur was internally relieved. Although she likes Aris and is dating her, everyone is nervous at first.
As tired as the day was, Arthur fell asleep quickly and nothing happened until the day of the exam.
