Episode 5: Royal Adventurers' Academy

  Seneca and the others arrived at the royal capital.

  For the three of them, this was their first time in the royal capital, and they were all filled with excitement.

  The high walls, the bustling crowds, the neatly paved roads—everything felt new and refreshing.

  Maiol noticed that people in the royal capital wore unique outfits. Those with money and those without seemed to share a simir air about them, which struck her as interesting.

  Some people ughed at Seneca's rural mannerisms, but the majority of people ignored the three girls as they walked past, too busy with their own affairs.

  "This is the royal capital," Seneca muttered quietly, trudging along in the direction of their destination.

  Kito had arranged to stay at an inn run by someone she knew through Yulia.

  After seeing Kito settled in, Seneca and Maiol secured a pce for themselves nearby. Since they were set to stay in a dormitory once school began, this would only be a temporary arrangement.

  The entrance exams for the Royal Adventurers Academy would take pce in ten days, with results announced three days ter. Though Seneca and the others had been granted permission to observe the exams, they decided not to attend, feeling it might be in poor taste.

  Kito's exam was scheduled for the same day.

  Although Kito's acceptance seemed certain, she had been insistent that the results would shape her future life entirely, stressing the importance of the exam.

  ...

  Kito had been recommended by Yulia, a distinguished honorary member of the Apothecaries' Guild. Becoming an honorary member required notable achievements, and only a handful of people in the country earned such a title.

  Yulia had become an honorary member after developing a cure for a specific endemic disease.

  When Kito researched books on the history of pharmaceuticals, she found Yulia's name featured in the chapter about recent achievements. Yulia was praised as a "milestone in modern pharmaceutical research."

  Seneca had once asked Kito why someone like Yulia was living in Baetica. According to Kito, Yulia had no desire for power and had wished for a quiet life. She was also developing a remedy for a rare disease that occasionally occurred near Baetica.

  The Royal Magic Academy was a prestigious institution, combining tradition with a long history of achievements. Although the academy wished to nurture those with exceptional talents, there were concerns about the misuse of recommendation slots, which could lower the school's standards. As a result, there were strict limitations on who could be recommended.

  Firstly, only honorary members of the Magic and Apothecaries' Guilds could recommend one person at a time to the Magic Academy. Thus, only a select few could use this recommendation slot.

  Moreover, the achievements of the recommended student during their time at the academy would ter be reviewed. If they received poor evaluations, the person who had made the recommendation would lose the privilege of recommending anyone to the Magic Academy in the future.

  This meant Kito's evaluation was tied to Yulia's reputation.

  Yulia had cimed she never intended to use this recommendation slot in her lifetime, but when an exceptionally brilliant disciple appeared, she decided to use it for Kito.

  While Kito was honoured by this, she also felt the pressure weighing heavily on her.

  The more Kito learned about Yulia's accomplishments, the heavier the burden on her shoulders became.

  Yulia's achievements shone brightly, with some calling her the standard in research. Kito had to live up to the expectations of being seen as her disciple, despite only having been her student for two years. At times, Kito almost felt as though she might be crushed under the pressure.

  However, she overcame it.

  It was only because she was able to reinterpret this situation as a trial.

  Kito had often discussed heroes with Seneca, Lucius, and Maiol, so she knew well the common trait heroes shared: they were tested.

  Heroes constantly faced seemingly insurmountable walls, and by overcoming them, they became heroes.

  The "Sword God," too, had been born in an age of darkness, and only through surpassing their own limits could they achieve greatness.

  Thus, Kito had decided to face it head-on.

  Seneca, though unusually worried about her friend's resolute attitude, decided to simply watch over Kito. There was something noble and beautiful about Kito's determination, and Seneca could only admire it.

  ...

  Maiol found herself puzzled by one thing: Lucius, the boy who seemed to have no doubts about his growth.

  From Maiol’s perspective, both Seneca and Kito were incredible. In fact, they were extraordinary.

  Among all the people she had met, Seneca and Kito had an exceptional drive to keep moving forward. But what about Lucius, who seemed unfazed and relentlessly focused on his own progress?

  Seneca’s swordsmanship was extraordinary, as acknowledged by the adventurers. Maiol had always thought that Seneca’s skill with a sword far surpassed that of her peers.

  Yet, Seneca cimed she could not hold a candle to Lucius when it came to swordpy.

  Maiol could hardly believe it.

  According to Seneca, the mere fact that Lucius could fight while using recovery magic made him a considerable threat.

  Seneca had remarked something quite telling:

  "If Lucius were ranked 1, I could win. If he were ranked 2, I might lose. At ranked 3, I don't think I could win at all."

  Her expression was a mix of frustration and something close to delight.

  ...

  While Seneca and Maiol were sightseeing and visiting the guild, Kito had finished her exam. Afterward, Kito wore a satisfied expression, so Seneca assumed everything had gone well.

  The day the results were posted, Seneca and Maiol went to the Royal Adventurers Academy to complete their admission procedures.

  The school was even grander than they had imagined, with a rge and expansive campus. Seneca couldn’t help but feel a little overwhelmed.

  The crowd gathered for the results mostly consisted of people dressed simirly to Seneca and Maiol, but there were also some visibly poor individuals and others who clearly seemed to belong to noble families.

  According to Maiol and Turia, the Royal Adventurers Academy was known for its merit-based system. Though there was still some social distinction, Seneca, being someone who had little experience with high society, found that her background was not an issue.

  They arrived at the square where the results were posted. Some students were jumping for joy, while others were sitting on the ground, crying.

  The two girls, feeling a bit awkward, made their way to the bulletin board to check for their names.

  And there they were:

  Seneca (Baetica Branch): S-Css Special Schorship Student

  Maiol (Baetica Branch): S-Css Special Schorship Student

  "I knew it, but this really confirms it," Maiol said slowly, letting out a deep breath.

  "Hey, Maiol, it says S-Css. What’s that?" Seneca asked, curious.

  "It’s the highest css in this school," Maiol expined. "There are six csses in total, from E to S, and they assign students based on their grades. S-Css has only twelve students, and getting into it is incredibly difficult. There were over a thousand applicants nationwide, and only the twelve most talented students make it into S-Css. We might not be as exceptional as Kito, but we’ve definitely attracted some attention."

  Seneca, who hadn’t done much research on the matter, looked shocked.

  Maiol continued scanning the names of the other candidates.

  "Look, Seneca, there are five special schorship students this year! It’s rare to have any, and I thought it might just be the two of us, but there are three others who made it."

  This meant three others had risen to Copper-ranked adventurer status with astonishing speed.

  "I hope at least one of them is a girl, but we can't tell from just the names. Let’s just go ahead and complete the admission process!" Maiol said, quickly starting to move toward the administration desk.

  ...

  The admission procedure itself was straightforward. They only needed to confirm their identities with their adventurer cards. Once that was done, they were given information about the start date of the semester and the dormitory arrangements.

  Most others were dealing with finer details, like tuition payments, but since they were special schorship students, their paperwork was quick and simple.

  Afterward, they were set to meet Kito. Seneca and Maiol suspected their paperwork would be completed faster, so they agreed to meet at the Royal Magic Academy.

  The two of them took a shared carriage toward the Magic Academy, which took about half an hour.

  ...

  The Royal Magic Academy was even more extravagant than the Adventurers Academy. The gate was made of sturdy wood, with metal decorations that looked like magical mechanisms, though they couldn’t tell exactly what they were.

  The campus was equally impressive, with gleaming stone buildings that seemed to be cleaned by magic.

  Seneca and Maiol walked casually onto the grounds, heading toward the area where the results for the Magic Academy had been posted.

  "Seneca! Maiol! Over here!"

  They heard Kito’s voice and saw her waving them over.

  Seneca started walking quickly, and Maiol followed her.

  "Kito! Good work! We’ve finished our Adventurers Academy paperwork. We passed!" Seneca said with a wide grin.

  Kito smiled back at them.

  "I passed too," Kito said with a smile.

  "Looks like it all went well," Maiol grinned.

  "Yeah. I was lucky to get a good score, though I know there are still people better than me, so I’ve got to work even harder!" Kito replied cheerfully.

  Seeing Kito’s bright expression, Seneca couldn’t resist and gave her a big hug.

  Later, they learned that Kito had ranked 15th overall, with second pce in the Apothecary course. This meant she was among the top students in the entire country in magic-reted fields.

  Maiol, hearing this, couldn’t stop exciming, "Unbelievable!" three times in a row.