Chapter 107
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107.
On the morning of the advisor selection examination, the scroll wrapped around my arm radiated heat so intensely it became unbearable.
'I've lost another three minutes of sleep.'
Was this really how it worked—trying to sleep until the last possible moment, ignoring the lukewarm sensation?
How precious those pre-work hours of sleep were to someone with a job!
I was inwardly irritated when suddenly a laugh escaped me.
I could feel that I had completely regained my composure.
It was all thanks to Cassian Artez.
We hadn't pretended to be strong with each other, and instead of burying the strange occurrences, we'd discussed everything—I was truly grateful for that.
Additionally, when I asked him to check the surroundings, Cassian Artez had indeed toured the other palaces that day, but fortunately it seemed the anomaly had only affected the Winter Palace, and only the two of us.
One thing, though.
'The Rose Palace seemed a bit suspicious.'
But the problem was that right now we had no way to dig deeper.
After the Fourth Concubine had been humiliated by the First Concubine, whether due to surveillance or her own decision, she was genuinely living in seclusion.
Even our Winter Palace, where we'd felt the greatest changes, had experienced nothing unusual among the other palace staff who worked that night.
The changes were either so subtle they'd blend in unnoticed, or perhaps they only occurred to the key figures from the original story.
For now, that was all we could hypothesize.
So we decided to proceed without excessive worry, but with thorough preparation.
This was not a matter worth investigating at the risk of danger.
Rather, it seemed more like something that would gradually be revealed as we resolved things sequentially.
I opened the finicky scroll and burst out laughing at the absurdity.
The letters on the scroll were glowing bright red as if issuing a warning.
'Are they trying to provoke me, or do they think this will intimidate me?'
Or are they perhaps threatening us, saying we'll never properly resolve this?
I had the sense that this wasn't connected to whoever sent the scroll, but rather to something they couldn't prevent.
Since the ones who sent the scroll were Mages, I couldn't fully trust them.
They were cunning creatures who only cared about themselves.
Precisely because those prideful beings had asked us to prevent the worlds from merging, I came to a different conclusion.
This incident wasn't unrelated to them either.
Therefore, since it was clear that the worlds merging would be a loss for them, I decided it was safe to trust them on that point and gather their information.
But this complicated one thing.
'There might be one more entity we need to find?'
I hoped the Mages had discovered everything.
As if giving feedback to my indifferent demeanor, the scroll now changed the text to bold and added a bouncing effect, which I regarded with exasperation before closing my eyes.
I'll just call it a decent wrist compress and move on.
Once I'd settled on that thought, the scroll finally stilled.
Being so clever about it....
Meanwhile, I recalled an existence that might be able to answer the questions I'd been pondering.
'Flare Dragon.'
True to my nature—swallowing the sweet and spitting out the bitter—I boldly sent a silent prayer asking it to open a Q&A session for me.
"...."
Unsurprisingly, no response came.
I shouldn't dwell on strange thoughts; I needed to hurry and prepare for work.
Today was the day of that advisor selection exam, so I had to steel myself more than usual.
*
Thanks to the extensive advertising, more people than ever applied for the advisor selection exam.
Previously, even with public announcements, the applicants had fallen within expected ranges, but this time was different.
[Are the doors opening wide for provincial nobles to advance to the center?]
[The Administrative Officials exam, now open to those without titles.]
It was thanks to journalists churning out various special features based on materials distributed by the Imperial Family.
There were even journalists with such unwavering professional spirit that they'd submitted applications to cover the Administrative Officials exam being held simultaneously.
As a result, the entrance nearest to the Palace designated as the test site was bustling.
"You can do this, our daughter!"
"Sister, fighting!"
"Senior, we're cheering for you!"
Like the college entrance exam day I'd experienced in my past life, not just applicants but people of all kinds had gathered.
Thanks to them, lodgings and shops in the Capital City and surrounding areas were thriving, and the Emperor seemed quite pleased about this as well.
'Just as expected of the Winter Palace—preparing for such an influx of people at an unprecedented event.'
Of course, if they hadn't prepared for the crowds and hadn't circulated notices to the shops, they would have faced criticism instead.
The Emperor was always that way.
As I turned my gaze away with that wry thought, I spotted Wilhelmina and her older brother descending from their carriage in the distance.
I desperately wanted to greet them, but I had to hold back.
"She'll prefer meeting after the results come out."
"I know, and besides, if I acted familiar now, Wilhelmina would scold me for it."
Since I could prove my abilities fair and square, I didn't want to do anything that might be misunderstood—that's exactly what my dear friend would say.
In fact, the moment the exam announcement came out, it was Wilhelmina who first suggested I refrain from contacting her for a while.
I was moved by her letter—so characteristically her—and it soothed my disappointment.
Of course, even if she didn't score well on the advisor examination—though I believed she would—her status as my most precious friend would never change.
The bustling entrance grew quieter as the test time drew near.
The Imperial Knight Order guard dispatched for strict test supervision pulled out a pocket watch from his coat, checking down to the second.
With barely thirty seconds remaining before the doors closed, an ordinary carriage stopped at the entrance.
Seeing the applicant arrive at the last moment in shabby attire, the Imperial Knights began urging them forward.
"The doors are closing soon, please hurry!"
They showed kindness because the applicant appeared to be a poor noble from a rural province who had come to the Capital City to earn money.
However, despite their consideration, the applicant maintained an unhurried pace.
Instead, they glanced at the pocket watch and rendered the knight speechless with their nonchalant attitude.
Even as they leisurely passed through the entrance,
"There are still five seconds left before the announced closing time. Is there really a need to rush like that?"
they reproached the knight.
"Are you so eager to dismiss this as trivial?"
"What do you mean!"
"If not, why get defensive? I'm simply disappointed that the renowned Imperial Knight Order's standards are at this level."
Arrogantly evaluating even the Imperial Knight Order's conduct, they walked into the examination hall with haughty indifference.
Without leaving a single word of apology for their rudeness.
And the Imperial Knight left behind, unlike what they had been judged to be, was a well-trained individual who did not abandon his post to argue.
He suppressed his displeasure and focused on closing the doors, which earned him a favorable evaluation from Cassian Artez instead.
"I'll have to spar with them next time."
It was his way of saying they were worth cultivating.
Whether that would actually be a reward for the person meant to receive the training was uncertain.
"So what's Roselita's impression of that applicant?"
"Attitude score deduction, naturally."
I said so while marking scores on the densely filled evaluation sheet.
There was one blind test the applicants taking today's examination didn't know about.
It was an attitude test conducted on a deduction system, recording conduct from the moment they entered the examination hall until they left.
Since it was a deduction system, basic points would be awarded to all except those who clearly engaged in rude language like just now, cheated during the test, or interfered with others.
We weren't the only ones checking; other staff members entering as proctors also participated.
"Then one more thing—are you scared?"
Cassian Artez also marked a deduction on the applicant's attitude evaluation sheet as he asked me.
And I.
"...Are you feeling unwell?"
I asked him back honestly, finding the situation utterly absurd.
Fear? For someone who couldn't even bend their own pride?
At my astonished expression, Cassian laughed softly and finally showed a relieved face.
"That's my proud advisor, Roselita."
At those affectionate words, I suddenly realized.
How much he had been worrying about me because of what happened before, and how hard he had tried not to show it.
*
Four days later, the results of the advisor examination were posted.
The top scorer was none other than Wilhelmina Lopez, the pride of Duke Lopez's House.
'It's no wonder she graduated from the Academy as valedictorian!'
Despite being forcibly sent abroad to study, she had made the most of her time rather than shirking her duties, earning exceptional grades through her diligence and remarkable character.
Which made me think all the more that Duke Lopez was a foolish parent.
Of course, her brother Prince Lopez had also achieved quite respectable results—fifth place overall.
Wilhelmina laughed softly as she looked at her brother.
"You'll keep your promise, won't you?"
"...No, that was just a joke!"
"Just a joke?"
"...Yes."
"And the proper address?"
"...Sister."
It seemed my soft-hearted young lady's pride had been wounded by Prince Lopez.
She appeared to have decided to forgive him in a manner both dignified and befitting of siblings.
In stark contrast to Prince Lopez's dejected expression, his father Duke Lopez simply beamed with delight.
Though slightly irritated, I resolved to be magnanimous myself—it was a good day for Wilhelmina, after all.
Joyful exclamations erupted not only from Duke Lopez's House but from all those who had passed the examination.
"Of course our daughter is the best! Mother always believed in you!"
"Senior! Please teach us at the next examination!"
"Today I'll make something delicious for my sister!"
Of course, far more people were drowning their sorrows than celebrating their joy.
Yet most displayed the maturity to accept the results with equanimity.
"Since the Winter Palace Administration oversaw this, they'll surely provide another fair opportunity next time."
"That's right, sir! Don't be too disappointed—those devils certainly won't do anything like that again."
Though there was some cursing mixed in with what seemed like encouragement, I attributed it to loose words born of disappointment and chose to overlook it.
But certain types of people.
"This is a rigged examination! It's impossible that I failed! And yet the Empire speaks of fairness?"
They refused to acknowledge their own inadequacy and blamed others instead.
"An examination with no answer key, no published scores! It's all fabricated!"
Watching him brazenly voice such baseless slander, I allowed a contemptuous smile to play at my lips.
Very well—I would grant his wish and reveal the truth about his abilities.
As I raised my hand, the Imperial Knights standing by immediately stepped forward in unison toward him.
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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