Sword, Magic and Academic Society

"...Well then, let's hear what you have to say."

I see. So he wanted me to explain the reason why my grades had suddenly improved, huh......? Like hell, I could explain!

There was no way I could say that I suddenly realized that I had reincarnated into another world and became a study nerd...

"Well, all I can say is that I studied like crazy for the past 3 months as if my life depended on it."

I spoke straight, explaining within the range that I could.

"Hmph. Too cliche. For the investigation, simply saying that won't cut it."

Godorfun exhaled a deep sigh and then glared at me intensely. The air grew tense.

"You see, I believe the true purpose of exams is to reflect on your past behavior through self-reflection and then use the result as a guide for further self-improvement. I despise the scum who cheats in this sanctuary of self-improvement the most. If I wish so, I can cancel your enrollment right here. So speak with preparedness to accept the result. Don't think you'll be able to lie through your teeth."

"Eeeek."

Screams escaped from the lips of several classmates.

Godorfun the Buddha, was it? I must say he was quite impressive, however, the pressure from him was just on the same level as my mother when she got angry.

He did seem like someone who wouldn't be tricked with lies. I spoke discreetly.

"...Our family has a remarkable private tutor... His name is Schord Bainfause. It's due to his efforts that I'm able to stand here today."

I pinned everything on Schord.

"Schord Bainfause? Never heard of him. So you are saying that a private tutor alone has managed to drastically improve your abilities in a short time?"

Godorfun repeatedly tapped at the paper under his hand while staring at me.

Well, of course. There's no way the right-hand man of His Majesty the King would have ever heard of Schord.

"I don't think he's a renowned private tutor. But, his abilities are definitely a cut above the rest. I am living proof of his abilities. I used to be a certified study hater, however, he managed to make me turn a new leaf, to the point that I had skipped food and sleep just to study.

...I can still vividly recall the details of that day, as if it just happened yesterday. Schord had said to me— 'I can see a glorious future awaiting for you, young master.' That he was prepared to apologize by forfeiting his life if I failed.

That was the turning point for me, the day the being called Allen had awakened. In fact, for the past three months, I have slept for no more than 3 hours a day, saving time in every activity as much as possible to the point I ate only portable emergency rations for almost the entirety of the duration.

Every possible second had been devoted to nothing but self-improvement."

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It wasn't like I was lying. I was succinctly describing the main point.

Godorfun's eyebrows slightly shot up.

"......What do you think about the recently launched Salami flavor?"

"God forbid, I wouldn't even have my enemies try it."

I replied instantly.

"I was the one who made it."

......Holy damn, that was so close. At least, he didn't seem like he was going to cancel my result just yet.

Be more careful, me.

"Schord hadn't bothered about the superficial tricks for the exam, what he had fostered was the heart.

Conduct yourself as if you're always on a battlefield. That old private tutor used to say so, constantly reminding me 'This is a battlefield'.

Despite his old age, he never allowed himself to rest for more than 5 minutes, even going so far as to wear diapers to save time going to the toilet. He kept facing me until the very end. It was like he was telling me to stop being a spoiled kid."

I wasn't lying— this was what you would call eloquence. It wasn't a lie as long as my words completely danced on the edge of the truth.

As for what Schord wanted me to comprehend back then, how I interpreted it was up to me!

"This sounds so absurd it's hard to believe. How could a man of such sheer will be content with just being a private tutor in a countryside Viscount territory."

Godorfun looked at me with a skeptical gaze while stroking his white beard.

"I don't know what sort of events led Schord to move to our territory. But at the very least, I'm sure without his involvement, my elder sister — who moved to Advanced Magic Tool Research Institute from the Aristocratic Academy last year — and I might have been walking on a different path.

In this short frame of time, the two of us have produced remarkable results. I believe there couldn't be any more clear indication of his abilities."

I was by no means exaggerating! This was still safe! This was the so-called butterfly effect if one must ask! It was hard to tell how me and my elder sister would have turned out in his absence!

"I have heard of rumors about the Research Institute accepting a talented girl from the Dragoon Territory. So that's how it is. So the one who cultivated her talent was the same person, huh......?"

"Kyahahaha! Now that's interesting. I've heard how, despite being a beauty, the <Tempest Rose> gets herself absorbed in her research so much she often forgets to bathe, let alone sleep and eat. Who would have thought there was such a hidden backstory behind the rumors? The world has a lot of wonders, huh?"

Fey licked her lips as her eyes, reminiscent of a carnivorous feline, gleamed with a radiant shine.

It was nothing but her lazy nature for god's sake! Don't try to steer away the topic to where it doesn't belong! I was sure I had almost managed to convince him!

However, Fey wasn't the only one, as there was one more unexpected person who let out an astonished yelp.

"What, <Tempest Rose>? So you're the brother of the victim of the <Red Carpet (Sea of Blood) Incident>, Allen!?"

Al looked at me with an incredulous expression.

◆

I surveyed the class and it wasn't just him, many of my classmates were chatting between themselves with surprised expressions.

Ah, I can see the world spinning... Just what in the world had my elder sister done...

"What!? By <Tempest Rose>, you mean the <Red Carpet Incident>......?"

I could see Godorfun gaze boring into me. Like hell would I know...... I'd bet even with my eyes closed that it would be anything but a story that sang her praises.

"Ahem, so in the name of Schord Bainfause, I once again swear that I had carried out my exam with nothing but pure devotion!"

"Can you tell me more about that?"

Godorfun ignored me and wrapped himself back in an air of amiability as he gently asked Al.

"Well, it isn't actually a pleasant story for the Marquis Endumion's side. According to what I heard, it happened four years ago during the exam for the Royal Academy, the heir to the Marquis Endumion family tried to be overbearing against a certain young lady in the pruning lawn, but instead had their backsides whooped by her, resulting in sending more than 60 of the examinees from Marquis Endumion's territory to the hospital.

Ever since then, they had passed a rule in the Endumion territory stating that they were strictly forbidden from talking to other examinees during the Royal Academy exam for no reason."

La~La, I can't hear anything.

"Ah, I have heard about the case of the dumb boy and the pitiful lady.

The dumb kid apparently chased after her proclaiming 'I want you to be my concubine', and even after the young lady's polite rejection in the beginning, he forcefully grabbed her hand and tried to put her thumb mark on the contract, finally draining the last of her patience. The lady sank him along with his lackeys in their own pools of blood. She was a valiant heroine."

La~La, I'm not hearing anything!

"After the incident, that young lady was given a clean chit after the investigation of the security group, marking her the victim in all this. However, the young lady had also injured even the two staff members who tried to mediate the situation.

The people from Endumion then, to protect the honor of their family, secretly pulled strings and disowned that dumb boy, leading to an extremely unjust resolution of both sides being blamed for the conflict.

The young lady in question just said 'I'm withdrawing from the exam' and left the place without paying any heed to what others had to say at all, and since she didn't try to offer any explanation, it seemed like she had accepted the unfair judgment."

...Oh my dear sister... Since she didn't want to talk about it with Mother, she manipulated the information...

After my awakening, I did find this part to be fishy after giving this matter some thought. Even though there were around 10,000 examinees, the requirement to clear the preliminary round happened to be 1.5 times higher than usual in only that year...

It was without a doubt that they were ignoring the law of large numbers.

"As a result of that incident, the elites of the Knight Order were made to be in charge of security for the duration of the Royal Academy exam from the following year onwards.

I was still the vice-commander then, and the details had been passed to me, as well as the discussion. I heard that this incident was deemed too sensitive for it happened at the prestigious Royal Academy examination venue, so a gag order had been imposed... Though there exists no lock sturdy enough to silence the human tongue, huh?"

"Kyahahaa! Fuhahaha! Th-That's so refreshing to hear. Even I didn't know about it."

Fey broke out into laughter to the point tears had poured out of her eyes.

What the heck is refreshing about this? Is there anything else to reveal? I'm already so full so I would like my ears to be spared from hearing all this again,

"I heard the rumors that the victim, still harboring intense resentment against Endumion until this date, is being called <Tempest Rose>...... But the world is really a small place, I didn't expect Allen to be the brother of the victim..."

Impossible. I know her very well, there was no way my sister remembered whom she punched and where. She was the 'feeling refreshed after punching' type.

In fact, I dare say she must have already forgotten about the matter on her way back home.

"...Haaa... I think I have grasped the gist of it. The teaching way of <Unceasing Prudence> Schord Bainfause."

Crap, the old man seems to be seeing something he shouldn't be seeing... If I let it be, I wouldn't have tears left to cry out later.

"By all means, this is far from the philosophical aspect that he wanted to teach us. It's more metaphorical, about giving our best as if our life depends on it, that's it."

"Despite being the victim, she didn't stoop down to give her explanation and had the resolution to throw away the chance to enter the Royal Academy on the spot. And you, boy... you didn't know about this matter until now, right?

A little girl of tender age kept everything within her tiny existence and didn't try to make any excuses, even to her family. On top of that, she clawed her way to the Advanced Magic Tool Research Institute from the Aristocratic Academy through her own effort, this rebellious spirit of hers is really praiseworthy."

I didn't expect the complacent story to actually have such a magnificent tale.

"No, no, you're giving her too much credit here. No matter what you think, you can hardly call my elder sister, who sent over 60 people to the hospital, a victim of all this. And if you give it some thought, Elder Sister's achievement in Dragried hardly has any relation with Sch—"

"You were indeed correct earlier, one can train one's abilities but the heart is always the hardest to cultivate. That's something I deeply understand, having seen many young ones in the Knight Order for a long time. But a cultivated heart, like your elder sister's, is an invaluable treasure all other materialistic things fall short in front of.

As a fellow guide who imparts knowledge, Schord Bainfause's teaching method has such value that even I would like to seek some guidance from him.

....He is the one. I want him in this Academy."

"But he is someone from Dragried, alright? Don't think you can bring in talent from our place so easily."

Fey, who hadn't even heard of the 'Sc' of Schord before today, suddenly put up a noble persona and asserted her ownership right.

Godorfun glared at her with a sharp gaze. Fey nonchalantly ignored it.

Anyone worth their salt could predict the situation afterward, let alone the students of Class A— the best talents from all over the kingdom. They quickly jotted down the name of 'Schord Bainfause' in their notebooks to inform their families as soon as possible.

◆

This was the prelude to the intense battle that took place between the various forces of the kingdom over Schold Bainfause— the legendary private tutor that had astonished even Godorfun Von Wangyus, the right-hand man of the King, enough to make him seek his guidance.

Though, this was a tale for another time.

Editor's Note - Well, I do understand he was trying to calm them down but I don't agree with what the MC said that her sister can't be called a victim. Was she supposed to just take the idiot noble's pestering? Having said that, sending 60 people to the hospital is a bit excessive so I can see why the Academy said both sides were to blame.