Chapter 18

When I finally arrived and stepped into the waiting room, I couldn’t help but notice that everyone else seemed to have brought real swords. For a moment, I wondered if I should have prepared something better than a wooden sword, but I quickly shook my head to push the thought aside.

The cost was one thing, but if a proper sword had been absolutely necessary, Uncle Duncan would’ve made sure I had one.

If you try to show off during the exam, you’ll just fail outright. Don’t worry about appearances, just focus on showing your true skills.

That was one of Uncle Duncan’s favorite sayings. It was something he repeated so often it felt like it had been drilled into my skull.

That’s why I brought the wooden sword I was most comfortable with. While it wasn’t common knowledge, I found out by scouring through hidden posts in the community that the exam officially started the moment you entered the exam grounds.

“Greetings, I’m Theo, applicant number 32.”

So, after offering a simple and straightforward greeting, I began planting the scarecrows I had brought onto the grass one by one.

I thought I felt a few intense gazes coming from the audience where the imperial family was sitting, but I ignored them as best I could. After placing all the scarecrows, I finally drew my sword.

Whoosh!

First, with a few light swings, I showed that this wooden sword had been used for a long time and was a well-worn, familiar tool in my hands.

I thought details like these would be aspects the judges could evaluate, as they likely reflected how thoroughly an applicant had considered how to showcase their abilities.

Then I lunged at one of the scarecrows and swung my sword. Like Marty had said before, the scarecrow was sturdy enough for it not to collapse completely; it managed to retain some of its shape to some degree.

“Ooh…”

I thought I heard a faint murmur of admiration from the direction of the judges, but now wasn’t the time to focus on that.

If I couldn’t crush the scarecrow with a single strike, I planned to use the special technique Duncan had taught me—Aura.

To be honest, I figured most commoners aiming to be accepted by the academy would use aura to demonstrate their full potential. Still, if they could do it, then I certainly had to as well. Failure wasn’t an option.

Wooong—

I gathered energy from inside my body, channeled it to my fingertips, and formed it into a faint flame before wrapping it around the wooden sword as I always did.

Since my hand was in contact with the sword, maintaining aura wasn’t as difficult as one might think, as long as the connection between me and the blade remained intact.

Wooong—Flash—!

Slash—!

The wooden sword that was now enveloped in aura cut through the air in a wide arc and sliced the scarecrow cleanly in half.

Slice—Slice—

Then, I rushed to the line of scarecrows set up in a row and performed a series of consecutive slashes, following up with precise thrusts that completely crushed the scarecrows with just the force of withdrawing the blade.

When all ten or so scarecrows I had prepared were rendered completely unusable, I decided that this marked the end of my performance.

“This is the end.”

I casually dispelled my aura, sheathed my sword at my waist, and informed the judges that my performance was complete.

Yet, for some reason, no one responded with a word of acknowledgment or encouragement. Instead, everyone seemed frozen and no one did utter a single sound.

“…Uh, excuse me…?”

What was going on? Did I do something wrong? Did I use too many scarecrows…?

Now that I thought about it, cleaning all that up would probably be quite a chore for them.

***

When Theo had first started setting up multiple scarecrows, the judges overseeing the exam had exchanged skeptical looks.

“Isn’t that a bit excessive?”

“Just bringing all those here must have been a job in itself.”

“You know, sometimes there are those types. People who like to show off.”

Showing off with scarecrows was certainly a fun concept, but since it was a conspicuous behavior, it could also be seen as an act of showing off.

Because of that, most of the judges assumed Theo was simply someone trying to draw attention by showing off his scarecrows.

“This one won’t be anything special either.”

That was the conclusion they had reached.

But then.

Whoosh—

After Theo planted all the scarecrows into the grass and drew his wooden sword for a light swing, a faint glimmer of unexpected interest began to stir among the judges.

“Oh, so he brought a sword that suits him well?”

“That’s clearly a sword he’s used often. It’s perfectly molded to his grip.”

Just as Theo had anticipated, that single small movement was enough to convey to the judges that he had chosen a weapon that fit his hand best.

Considering the previous applicant had used a flashy new sword that didn’t fit them at all and failed to handle it properly, there was no reason to deduct points for Theo’s approach.

“Not bad. If his skills match this, he might pass without much trouble.”

For the first time that day, a moderately positive evaluation came from one of the judges.

However, that assessment was rendered meaningless the very next moment.

Whoosh—Slash!

After demonstrating how naturally the sword suited him, Theo charged forward and shattered a scarecrow with his wooden sword, leaving everyone utterly stunned.

“Ooh…”

The judge who had managed to maintain their composure the best let out a quiet exclamation of surprise.

Usually, when an exclamation came from the judges’ side, it often caused the applicant to falter and fail their exam. To prevent this, the judges typically refrained from speaking or reacting in a way that could be heard by the applicants.

This made it clear that what Theo had just displayed was extraordinary enough to make them forget such rules.

However.

Wooong—

In the next moment, even the judges found themselves unable to utter any sort of exclamation.

“T-That’s aura…”

They had just witnessed a scene that made no sense. A prospective academy student, an applicant, using aura during the exam.

“An applicant who can use aura…?”

It wasn’t just the judges who were shocked by this sight.

Even the Emperor, who had been observing Theo’s exam from the audience seats, was so stunned that he couldn’t help but rise from his seat in disbelief.

Wooooong—Flash—!

Swish—! Slash, slash—!

But regardless of how others reacted, Theo continued the exam without pause. One by one, the scarecrows set up for the exam were either obliterated or sliced cleanly in half, reduced to useless scraps. Only after the last scarecrow was destroyed did Theo finally deactivate the aura and speak as if nothing unusual had happened.

“This is the end.”

He said those words as if finishing the exam was no big deal.

Everyone present froze and couldn’t utter a word.

What kind of place was the Academy?

It was a small society where one could learn swordsmanship, study magic, and build connections.

But now, a question popped up. Did Theo really have anything to gain from attending such a place? It had become difficult to confidently say yes.

Ah, but he’s a commoner… perhaps it’s not about skill but about building connections.

No matter how talented they were, commoners could not attain noble titles.

The best they could do was inherit their parents’ work or take up jobs that didn’t require noble status, which left them with few opportunities for significant advantages.

Still, with swordsmanship as exceptional as Theo’s, it seemed almost wasteful for him to settle for farming or other ordinary tasks.

I see. He must have chosen the Academy to make connections!

Having reached this conclusion on their own, the judges finally managed to respond to Theo with smiles.

“…Um, excuse me…?”

“Oh, yes. Well done. You’ve worked hard.”

“Ah, thank you very much!”

As Theo left the room after bowing politely to the end, the judges felt certain of one thing.

Theo intended to form connections with nobles to climb to greater heights.

The same thought crossed the minds of the Emperor and Empress, who were seated in the audience.

“I never expected to come across someone so exceptional, Your Majesty.”

“Indeed, Empress. If someone like that joins the Imperial Knight Order after graduating from the Academy, our military strength would soar beyond measure!”

Considering how few members of the Imperial Knights were capable of wielding aura, Theo’s skill was enough to immediately place him as the knight commander upon entry.

No, not just as the knight commander…his abilities were sufficient for him to become a direct imperial guard tasked with protecting the Emperor, Empress, or even the Crown Princess.

“I look forward to seeing how he develops further at the Academy. What about you, Iris? What did you think?”

“…I believe it was impressive swordsmanship.”

“Yes, with your eye for such things, it must have looked that way. But your phrasing… tsk, never mind. Forget it.”

Since Iris wasn’t known for being particularly expressive, the Emperor decided to let it drop and turned his attention to the next applicant.

Aah! Theo, you’re amazing! What’s going on? Your aura’s even stronger now!

Iris showed no interest whatsoever in the next applicants. Her mind was entirely consumed with an enthusiastic cheer for Theo.

In fact, when the Emperor had asked her earlier, what she really wanted to do was to shout loudly, cheer wildly, and yell “Theo’s the best!” and even roll forward on the floor in excitement. But she knew that such exaggerated behavior would definitely look strange, and besides…

…What if Theo thought I had some kind of interest in him?

That kind of misunderstanding could cause its own set of problems, so she had answered as cautiously and quietly as possible.