Chapter 20: The Swordsmanship Prodigy Saintess

Academy Entrance Exam (1)

1.

Imperial Academy Headmaster's Office.

The academy headmaster Croto reviewed the list of applicants for this year’s entrance exam.

“Hooh…”

He let out small sounds of admiration as he checked each applicant’s profile.

Once again, many talented individuals had applied this year.

The applicants to the Academy were elite youths hailed as prodigies from the Empire, the Five Kingdoms, and the Papal State.

Among them, there were a few talents who had already made a name for themselves in the world.

Yuriel von Skolhart, second daughter of the Nothern Grand Duke, known as the Wind of the Snowfield.

Holt Langtree, the berserker of the Southern Kingdom who singlehandedly wiped out a detachment of the Demon King’s army.

Yohan, the disciple of the great Hero Louis.

And lastly, a noble girl who graced the final page of the list.

The Saintess, Elia.

All of them were individuals destined to lead the coming era.

Among them, the one drawing the greatest attention at present was undoubtedly the Saintess.

It had been less than a week since the Papal State announced the death of Saintess Aris and the existence of her successor.

The suddenness of the revelation threw the Empire, which holds the Celestial God as its state religion, into chaos.

Memorials for Saintess Aris had continued for three days and nights.

And now, all interest had shifted toward the new Saintess.

But as of now, almost nothing was known about her.

Elia.

Only her name had been made public.

No one even knew what she looked like.

The succession ceremony where she first appeared was held privately within the Papal State, as it overlapped with the funeral rites of Saintess Aris.

Some voices had already expressed concern about the new Saintess.

Even if she had been chosen by the Celestial God,

The fact that nothing was yet known about her led people to question whether she could truly live up to Saintess Aris.

After all, just because one is a Saintess doesn’t mean they’re guaranteed to be competent.

And since Aris had been hailed as one of the top three Saintesses in history, such skepticism was, in some sense, only natural.

Headmaster Croto felt the same way.

“I wonder if she’ll be able to pass…”

He looked over the application submitted by the Saintess.

Only her name was listed—no activities or accomplishments.

Based solely on that, she should have failed the first round.

But for now, he had passed her through the first round out of consideration for her status as the Saintess alone.

From this point on, it would depend entirely on her own abilities.

The second stage of the Theology Department’s entrance exam was designed to verify divine power.

She would need to demonstrate a certain level of ability there.

Even a Saintess could be rejected.

The Imperial Academy did not select based on status, but on competence.

“She may have been born with inherent divine power, but…”

It is questionable how much she can actually utilize it.

Normally, a Saintess receives education from the Papal State before enrolling in the academy.

Possessing divine power and using divine power are two very different things, so proper instruction is essential.

The fact that it’s only been a week since she was appointed Saintess... means she will likely be taking the academy entrance exam without having received proper training.

And the entrance exam for the academy is anything but easy.

Out of every 1,000 applicants, maybe two pass.

It’s notoriously difficult. Even those known as prodigies can easily fail.

Despite that, tens of thousands apply each year.

Graduating from the academy is essentially a golden ticket to success in life.

The top graduate of the Swordsmanship Department last year entered the Imperial Army as a First-Rank Knight Commander.

To put that into perspective, the commander of a knight order typically holds a Third-Rank Knight Commander or a First-Rank Knight Captain title.

That’s how high a starting position it was.

Even with poor grades, just graduating guarantees a solid position—

So it’s no wonder the competition is fierce, and the difficulty remains brutal.

It’s hard to imagine a greenhorn who’s only a Saintess by title managing to pass such a test.

"We'll find out soon enough."

Half anticipation, half worry.

Headmaster Croto tapped his desk lightly as he stared at the Saintess’s name.

*

2.

Early morning.

Crowds gathered at the Imperial Academy.

All were here to take the entrance exam.

“Haah…”

Yohan, the disciple of the Hero, sat in a carriage, sighing deeply as he gazed out the window.

“They expect me to go up against those monsters?”

Every person passing by looked overwhelmingly strong.

He even recognized a few faces from the newspaper.

Standing among them, Yohan felt himself shrink.

He was the disciple of Louis, the Hero—

The star pupil of the Sword Saint, Adrian.

That alone drew huge expectations from the people around him.

But unfortunately, Yohan’s abilities weren’t quite worthy of such expectations.

Compared to the average skill level of first-year swordsmanship students at the academy, he was around mid-tier.

He’d likely pass the entrance exam, but ranking at the top or even second? That was out of reach.

Now, that fact would be revealed to the world.

His master had told him not to worry about it.

But the subtle, expectant glances from those around him made it impossible to stay calm.

He had trained hard in swordsmanship, but it was far from enough.

He hadn’t even properly awakened his Sword Qi yet.

He had heard that the young lady of the Skolhart family, who would be taking the exam with him, had been using Sword Qi since she was 14.

That alone filled him with a sense of inferiority.

…And speaking of inferiority—

There was someone else who might be feeling the same way.

“…Saintess.”

She who now stands in the center of attention.

The girl who inherited the mantle of Saintess from Aris—the woman praised as "the most radiant among all"—was under the public eye.

No matter how she performs in the exam, criticism will follow.

Because the previous Saintess was too extraordinary.

Her status rivaled even the first Saintess who ended the Hundred Years' War in the past.

To be the immediate successor to such a figure… it’s honestly tragic.

Yohan smiled faintly in pity.

She would be compared again and again.

Even if she did well, it wouldn’t matter.

She’d be endlessly compared to a historical great who appears once every few centuries.

How much pressure must she be under right now?

She might even be clutching her stomach, doubled over in anxiety.

“Right. Master told me to befriend her, didn’t he?”

When Louis returned from his work in the Papal State, he’d told Yohan that the Saintess was also applying to the academy this year and to get along with her.

After all, she’d be one of the core members of the Hero’s future party.

“I’ll try to meet her properly next time.”

Yohan sighed once more, deeply.

*

3.

At the same time.

A white carriage en route to the academy.

Inside, Elia stretched and let out a long yawn.

“Ugh… mmnya…”

She rubbed her sleepy eyes and looked out the window.

“Are we still far from arriving?”

“We’re almost there,” replied the man seated across from her—

Rael, the Holy Knight assigned as the Saintess’s escort.

“Nothing happened while I was asleep?”

“No, everything was peaceful.”

“Is that so?”

Tch.

Elia smacked her lips slightly and looked almost disappointed.

Her pouting lips gave the impression that she had hoped something had happened.

She stared at Rael intently.

Rael averted his gaze, feeling flustered under the beautiful girl’s unwavering eyes.

“You’re a Holy Knight, right?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Then which department will you be taking the exam for?”

“Swordsmanship. Holy Knights are primarily knights, not priests.”

Rael, the youngest of the five Holy Knights of the Papal State.

He was also taking the entrance exam this year.

Although he’d initially said he would remain by the Saintess’s side at all times, the Papal State had offered him a special opportunity to study.

They claimed it was Elia’s own suggestion.

She told him not to waste time just standing guard beside her, and encouraged him to expand his world by attending the academy.

But is that really okay?

Is it fine for an escort knights to enroll as a student?

During class hours, they’d be separated.

And in emergencies, he wouldn’t be able to respond immediately.

Rael had brought this concern to the Papal State, but…

Their response was not to worry about it.

The Saintess herself had said the same.

‘But still… what if something happens to you, Saintess?’

‘What could possibly happen at the academy?’

‘You say that because you don’t understand, Saintess!’

She was said to be from a rural convent.

That meant she probably didn’t know much about the ways of the world.

Like how cunning and malicious people could be.

And since the academy had students from other kingdoms that didn’t follow the Celestial God Church, there was a very real chance some bold idiot might try to start trouble with her.

But no matter how much he tried to persuade her, Elia would always respond calmly:

‘I can protect myself.’

She looked so delicate, though…

“Wow… I’m jealous.”

“Yes?”

“Ah, sorry. I misspoke.”

Elia placed both hands neatly on her lap.

As her shoulders pulled inward, her full breasts were naturally emphasized.

They were already showing off an enormous presence, but now they seemed even more prominent.

Rael cleared his throat and turned his head away.

In many ways, she was an enchantingly captivating woman.

“Are you good with swords?”

“Well… I’m ranked in the top five within the Papal State.”

“Ah, right. You’re one of the five Holy Knights. That should make the entrance exam easy for you, no?”

“Not really. Since the Empire and all five kingdoms send their most skilled applicants, it’s not something to take lightly.”

“So humble.”

Elia smiled, her eyes curving like crescents.

“The second exam was a sparring match, right?”

She tilted her head slightly.

“Yes. You designate an opponent and duel them.”

Winning or losing didn’t matter.

The content of the duel was what got evaluated.

So, both could pass, or both could fail.

“That sounds fun.”

“Huh? Fun?”

“Ah, I misspoke again. I meant to say it sounds concerning. Having kids fight with real swords… if someone gets hurt, it could be terrible.”

Elia made a distressed expression, sincerely worried.

Watching her, Rael felt quietly moved.

Only a Saintess would worry about others more than herself, even during her own entrance exam.

‘Haaa… being a Saintess is exhausting.’

Behind the Saintess’s smiling face, Elia was quietly sweating and worn out inside.

=========

TL Note: There was a mistranslation. Since there are five other kingdoms, I changed the "Holy Kingdom" to "Papal State" for better differentiation. It was also more correct.

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