“I think it’s about time I head back to the Holy Empire.”
Estelle, who had spoken as if she’d stay at the house forever, naturally brought up the topic of returning to the Holy Empire as time passed.
“I feel the same way. I need to prepare for the academy too.”
Iris also pointed out that she was in a similar situation.
Yesterday, after the exams had ended, Iris and Estelle took the “teleportation taxi” Estelle provided and returned home together. In reality, it was actually strange that these two had been farming, training, and living at my house all this time.
After all, they were both remarkable individuals in their own right and needed to prepare for the academy.
“Then how about you go back first, Iris? I’ve done most of my preparations, so I have time until Theo’s acceptance announcement. But if you’re busy, you should go.”
“Hmm? What’s that supposed to mean? By that logic, wouldn’t it make more sense for Estelle, who has to travel a long way, to leave first? This time, you can’t use teleportation magic and will have to enter the country officially.”
Considering the lengthy journey from the Holy Empire to the Empire, Iris wasn’t wrong.
It wasn’t feasible to rely on teleportation magic in a situation when she needed to enter the country officially.
“I’ve accounted for all of that in my schedule.”
“Same here. I calculated it perfectly so that I can stay until Theo’s acceptance announcement too.”
How they calculated everything so perfectly, I didn’t really know, but well.
“Hey, you two, can I talk to you for a moment?”
Setting that aside, there was something I absolutely needed to say to these two.
“Hmm? What’s up, Theo?”
“Theo, what is it?”
Estelle and Iris ran over to me with expectant looks.
“Well, since you’ll both be leaving soon, I figured I’d mention it now. At the academy, you know you can’t speak casually to each other, right? I don’t care how you talk to me, but between yourselves, you’ll need to use formal speech.”
After all, there would be a lot of eyes on us, and regardless of being peers, the academy had a fundamental rule requiring mutual respect.
With commoners, nobles, royalty, and even foreigners all mixed together, it seemed they had standardized the policy to maintain respect.
“Oh, that’s right. There was such a rule.”
Estelle nodded lightly and added with a smile,
“Of course, Sir Theo. I’m always prepared for anything. Using formal speech is no big deal.”
Hearing them speak so formally to me brought back memories of the day I first met Estelle. This left me with a strange feeling in my heart.
“I feel the same. If the Saintess can do it, surely I can as well, Sir Theo.”
But seriously, why were they both calling me “Sir Theo” so formally?
I told them to speak formally to each other, but instead, they were directing their formal speech at me.
“Ahem! I meant that you two should use formal speech with each other. And please, don’t call me ‘Sir Theo’.”
Even if the academy had a rule that everyone was considered equal, the reality was that I was a commoner while these two were imperial family members.
If they attached honorifics when addressing me, it would inevitably draw unnecessary attention, and I needed to prevent that.
I just wanted to focus on quietly taking care of them, blending in like I wasn’t even there.
“For now, let’s all get used to speaking formally to each other.”
Previously, we all agreed to speak casually since there was still plenty of time before entering the academy, but now, the reality of admission was right around the corner.
…Well, that’s if I pass.
I mean, I will pass, right? I will, won’t I? Ugh, this lingering unease is so annoying.
***
Estelle found each passing day increasingly bittersweet.
Tomorrow was the day Theo’s admission results would be announced, and once the results were out, she would have to return to the Holy Empire immediately.
There’s no need to worry about Theo’s admission anyway.
She couldn’t imagine him failing; not even remotely. If anything, he might even take the top spot.
Estelle was certain of this because she knew Theo’s abilities all too well.
Even now, when she thought back to when she had healed her frozen arm, she felt as if she was still trembling from the memory.
What she found regretful was simply that her time with Theo and the bickering moments with Iris were coming to an end.
She was saddened by the thought of these peaceful days slipping away.
“Estelle, what are you doing over there? Close the door already; it’s freezing!”
They weren’t the type to exchange kind words often, but they’d at least reached the point where they could call each other by name and occasionally joke around.
It felt astonishing, almost unbelievable, that she had become this close to the Crown Princess of what had, until recently, been an enemy country.
The truth was, they still belonged to countries that were officially in a hostile relationship.
The peace treaty wouldn’t actually take effect until both of them enrolled in the academy.
Even without such a ridiculous peace treaty, the two had grown close, revealed their true feelings to each other, and managed to become friends.
“Iris is so weak. You’re so sensitive to the cold; do you think you’ll be able to live with Sir Theo later? He’s going to come back here after he graduates. I don’t feel the cold much, so even if I end up living here with him, it wouldn’t be a problem at all, Sir Theo~”
Even as she said this, Estelle closed the door with a gesture of consideration for Iris.
“Alright, alright, stop saying weird things and both of you go to bed already. I’m not sure if I’ll even be able to sleep because of how nervous I am.”
Waiting for the results of the admission announcement was enough to make anyone anxious.
Of course, neither Estelle nor Iris understood why Theo was so nervous.
“If it’s not Sir Theo, then no one else could possibly pass, could they?”
“Estelle, I appreciate the kind words, but I’m pretty sure that’s not the case.”
When it came to the exam, Iris chose to stay quiet.
And for good reason. She already knew the entire outcome of the results.
Still, revealing them in advance would be a severe violation of confidentiality laws, so she kept her silence when it came to anything about the exam.
“Anyway, both of you, go to bed already. I should try lying down soon myself.”
The admission results were being announced on the Ermunt Academy website starting at 10 a.m.
Whether someone checked at 10 a.m. or 11 a.m., the list of successful applicants wouldn’t change, but the website often crashed at 10 a.m. which made it nearly impossible to access.
“Haah, I’m so nervous.”
Theo thought he really wouldn’t be able to sleep this night.
…
“Sir Theo! Sir Theo! Wake up! It’s already past noon!”
The next day, Estelle came to wake Theo up and it was already past 12 p.m.
“Huh…? How is it already past noon…?”
Theo’s face was filled with confusion as he sat up and looked at Estelle.
“Hurry up, let’s check together! I’ve been waiting without checking!”
Estelle knew well that she wasn’t good at hiding her emotions.
She worried that if she checked the results first, she might inadvertently blurt out the outcome before Theo got the chance to see it himself, so she had been waiting without looking.
“You could’ve checked beforehand.”
“Everyone’s waiting to check together!”
Not only Estelle but also Iris and Theo’s parents were all waiting for him in the living room.
“Oh, come on, even Mom and Dad are doing this now.”
“You little brat, just how late did you stay up last night to be waking up at this hour?”
Though Theo’s mother scolded him with a sharp voice, the table set with an array of dishes hinted that his parents were just as eager as anyone else.
No, rather than eagerness, it might be more accurate to say that no matter what the outcome was, their actions were filled with unconditional love for their son.
Theo glanced at the meal laid out with all his favorite foods; his expression was briefly touched with emotion, but his desire to quickly check the results soon took over. Picking up his phone, he turned it on.
The holographic display unfolded smoothly, and Theo searched for “Ermunt Academy”. The site must have already cleared out most of the earlier traffic because there was no lag. This allowed him to reach the admissions results page without delay.
“Let’s see… search for Theo…”
He entered his name and date of birth, pressed confirm, and the result finally appeared before him.
[Theo / 20 years old / From the Deir Viscounty]
[Accepted]
The admissions results page, which announced acceptance or rejection in an incredibly straightforward manner, left Theo feeling a bit deflated.
“Kyaa! Sir Theo, congratulations! I knew you’d pass, but still, congratulations! We’re officially academy classmates now!”
Estelle was the first to shout out as she offered her congratulations with boundless enthusiasm.
“Congratulations, Sir Theo. To be honest, I already knew the result, but it was tough keeping it a secret until now.”
Iris too finally allowed herself a relaxed smile as she offered her congratulations.
It was something she had wanted to say for a while, but until now, she hadn’t been able to.
“Oh my, our son! So you really did well! Passing the academy exams! This is a big event for the whole village, a big event!”
“Wow, our son is really entering the academy? He’s truly one of a kind!”
Theo’s parents were equally happy and they immediately started making calls here and there. They proudly bragged about their son’s accomplishments.
[You have acquired a title!]
[A Dragon Rising from the Stream]
“Hoho… A Dragon Rising from the Stream, huh…”
Looking at the sudden notification of the title he had earned, Theo let out a wry laugh.
It was the start of a day that felt like a festival for everyone.
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