Chapter 5: This Isn’t My Plan?

As soon as day broke, I finished getting ready and went to Ernia’s room.

I whispered to wake the Young Lady, who was fast asleep hugging a giant rabbit doll, but she didn’t even react.

“Ernia, you’ll be late for the interview at this rate.”

“Ugh… What time is it…”

“It’s 9 AM.”

“……”

In an instant, she woke up with a bizarre scream and wide eyes, checked the time, and then stared intently at me.

“What time did you say?”

“It’s 9 AM.”

“……”

Ernia sighed and said something shocking.

“No breakfast this morning.”

“I was wrong! Please forgive me just this once!”

“D-Don’t cling to me!”

I ended up securing breakfast and she left me, smiling, to go wash up. I was watching her when the maids approached.

“Shall we go wash up?”

“I washed yesterday?”

“……”

Without a word, the maids grabbed my arms with their sturdy forearms and dragged me to the bathroom.

Unnies, I’m scared…

When I arrived at the interview site on time, I noticed a large number of students.

This damn game changes the NPCs randomly every time, which causes a problem.

I don’t know who’s who.

At least the named NPCs are fixed, but there aren’t any such NPCs among the students. Maybe there would be on hard difficulty.

Just then, Ernia whispered in my ear.

“There are still so many people even for the third test.”

“I know.”

There were about 500 students in the third test site.

About 300 of them will pass and be able to enter Magic School.

Amidst the fierce competition, I looked to the side and saw Ernia trembling.

“You need to show a calm demeanor, especially at times like this.”

“I, I am ca, calm…?”

“You don’t look like it at all.”

I took the trembling Young Lady’s hand, and her trembling stopped as if she had finally calmed down.

Doesn’t this world have Woo Hwang Cheong Sim Won? If I only knew how to make it, I could make a fortune, but unfortunately, I don’t know how.

Damn it, if I had known this would happen, I would have become a pharmacist instead of a magician.

No, I also have a job with the character “sa” in it, so what.

Prosecutor, lawyer, doctor, pharmacist, magician…

While I was lost in thought, the examiner appeared.

“We will now begin the interviews. Please enter in the order your names are called.”

Accordingly, students were called one by one and entered the interview room, and then the name of the Young Lady, who had been nervous next to me, was called.

“Student Ernia Draconian, please enter the interview room.”

“Ye, yes!”

I shouted “Fighting!” to encourage her, and she smiled slightly as she entered.

I hope this relieves some of her tension. It would be a disaster if she failed.

Not long after, I heard my familiar name.

“Student Aris, please come into the interview room!”

Like a veteran of Arcane Magic School, I confidently strode into the interview room, and all eyes turned to me.

So many professors are looking at me, did I come in too confidently?

More than that, with this many people, aren’t all the professors at Magic School here?

Then, the oldest-looking professor asked me a question, and I recognized his face.

Huh…? That person is…?

“Aris, you’ve made it to the third stage of the exam despite being a Commoner. Very commendable. Then, I’ll ask a question. If the academic atmosphere is disrupted because of you, a Commoner, what will you do?”

“I will withdraw.”

The professor looked at me with an intrigued expression at my answer.

“Can you tell me why?”

“Disrupting the academic atmosphere of Arcane Magic School, the only one of its kind in the empire, is a serious crime. It’s like trampling on budding sprouts. I want to remain a honorable Arcane student even if it means sacrificing myself.”

The professor looked at me with an impressed expression after hearing my answer.

“Aris, you have a very correct way of thinking. That will be all for the interview.”

“Bu, but Headmaster. There are still questions…”

“Hahaha, that’s enough. It’s sufficient.”

The professor, no, the Headmaster, said that was enough and told me I could leave.

I bowed my head and greeted him, and when I went outside, the Young Lady was waiting for me.

“How was it? Did you do well?”

When I made a gloomy expression, she panicked.

She said that when you’re feeling down, something sweet is good, and took me to a cafe.

Since the interview results would be announced in the evening, Ernia ordered various kinds of desserts and encouraged me, saying that there would be good results.

“More than that, what did they ask you? They asked me if I was interested in being a teaching assistant if I got in, and I said no.”

They’re already looking for slaves, scary people.

I took a bite of the strawberry cake in front of me and answered.

“They asked me what I would do if the academic atmosphere was disrupted because of me, and I said I would withdraw.”

“Pfft!”

She spat out the tea she was drinking.

As a result, my clothes got wet.

“I’m sorry! No, this is Aris’s fault!? Who told you to say something like that!?”

“……”

I looked at her in my damp state, and she didn’t know what to do, so I told her it was okay and used a handkerchief to remove the stains and dry the moisture.

“Amazing! What kind of Magic is that!?”

“It’s Clean Up Magic.”

“That’s so useful!”

I said I would show her something else to the surprised look on her face and asked for a coin.

She took out a gold coin from her wallet and handed it to me.

A copper coin is 100 won, a silver coin is 10,000 won, and a gold coin is 1 million won, and she just hands it over…

I opened the hand that was holding the gold coin, and the coin disappeared.

She looked at me with surprised eyes and handed me another gold coin.

And it disappeared again.

Thanks to Ernia, who clapped her hands and was amazed, I earned 10 million won in an instant.

“That was so amazing! Show me again next time!”

“Please tell me anytime.”

Magic that can earn 1 million won in 10 seconds, no, an hourly wage. I can show it to you anytime.

Is magic a big deal? Money comes first.

I spent time showing her various magic tricks, and when we went to the place where the academy bulletin board was located, it was crowded with many students.

It’s because of the list of successful candidates posted on the bulletin board.

The crying students and the smiling students contrasted, and I took the nervous Ernia closer to the bulletin board, and I could see the list.

【Ernia Draconian Passed.】

“I passed! I passed!”

She jumped up and down, happy, and then flinched when she saw my expression.

My name is not on the bulletin board.

Why? The exam was perfect? Could it be because I’m a Commoner…?

“Th, there’s always next year…”

Just as I was about to tell the Young Lady, who was comforting me, that it was okay.

A list was posted on a new bulletin board.

【Joint Valedictorian: Ardon Breaker, Aris.】

I’m the valedictorian? I didn’t want this?

There are various benefits to being the valedictorian, but you become the target of jealousy.

For me, who has the goal of clearing the game, it means that I already have enemies.

Ernia, who had no time to know this fact, jumped up and down and rejoiced.

As if it were her own business.

“Aris is the valedictorian! That’s amazing!”

I smiled slightly as I looked at her.

The young lady of the Duke’s family is living so unreservedly.

I thought about it last time, but the sense of distance is strange.

Is that why she doesn’t have any friends…?

“You weren’t thinking rude thoughts just now, were you?”

“I’m hungry. Buy me food.”

“Do you know how many plates of cake you’ve devoured!?”

She pokes my cheeks and asks where all that food goes.

When I whispered that there was a subspace pocket in my stomach, her eyes turned cold.

“Are you making fun of me right now? No dinner tonight.”

“I was wrong!”

She has learned how to handle me.

She’s smiling at me, but it’s scary, scary.

They say there’s no one in the world you can trust, and that’s true.

The Arcane Magic School entrance ceremony is extravagant.

The problem is that it is the role of the freshmen to create the extravagant entrance ceremony.

Especially the students who entered as valedictorians.

The problem is that this year’s freshmen had two valedictorians, and one of them happened to be me.

Thanks to that, I was forcibly summoned to the student council.

“There are 3 days left until the entrance ceremony. Have the freshmen prepare the most spectacular Magic they can perform.”

The student council president gives us instructions.

While lying about showing off spectacular Magic.

Are they testing us?

She scanned us with her flowing black hair and bright eyes that looked like obsidian, and especially stared intently at me.

“And I have something to say to our junior Aris. Can the other students be dismissed?”

All the students except me and the president went outside.

The student council president looks at me with an interested expression.

She whispers to me.

Asking if I’m interested in joining the student council.

And I refused outright.

Scouting. Troublesome.