Chapter 257

Chapter 257

In any case, as if she had not expected anything at all in the first place, Nia did not care in the slightest and spoke as she patted Roan on the back.

“Our proper junior, go and eat a bowl too! You are fully qualified to eat.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Although it was a bit early to call it dinner time, in fact, Roan had been quite hungry since a while ago due to the aroma wafting from Nia’s cooking.

When Roan scooped his portion and sat down, Yusina, who had already stuffed a mouthful of meat, spoke in a mumble.

“Roang, by the chawman’s specwal pawer… the swill test will be done afwer eatwing!”

“Not a sight test, but a skill test.”

“Anywway!”

* * *

[Ugh, I’m full…]

Chirp—

Miyaa…

Poroporong—

The six divine and spiritual beasts were each expressing their fullness in their own ways while clutching their bellies.

Only Pallangi, who had been given special flower juice squeezed by Nia instead of meat, was flying around happily here and there.

“Ugh… I’m so full, do we really have to do the skill test?”

…Yusina was also sitting on the chair holding her belly, saying such things.

Zorv spoke with a pathetic look in his eyes.

“You said it was a tradition.”

“…Tradition is bound to be broken someday.”

“I wonder if the Principal would think so too.”

“Fine, we can do it, do it!”

Yusina grumbled, saying things like ‘that rich guy is so uptight.’

Sion spoke to Roan.

“Ah, today was the skill test day, right?”

“…Yes.”

Sion, who had been quite nervous at the mention of a test, now looked completely unfazed.

Yusina put the mask she had been wearing when Roan and Sion first entered the club room back on her face.

“Zorv, you wear yours too!”

“Hmm.”

Zorv also equipped his mask.

Yusina offered a mask to Nia as well.

“Since you came too, wear a mask, Nia.”

“Do I really have to wear this? I don’t really want to touch human objects.”

“It’s a tradition, so wear it~”

“It’s suffocating…”

Nia did not seem to like it very much, but she still did not stop Yusina from putting it on her.

Sprawling on the floor with her legs stretched out and scratching the part where the mask met her face with her fingernails as if it were uncomfortable, she looked somewhat like a wild animal.

Snap—!

As Yusina rubbed her index finger and thumb together, the barrier blocked out the light again, and the candles lit up all at once.

A voice-modulated voice flowed from all directions.

“Ah~ Now, we will begin the skill verification for the new students of Sanctuary!”

Sion raised one hand.

“Yes~ New member Sion~”

“How will the skill verification be conducted? Can we do it here?”

Sion spoke worriedly, looking around her surroundings.

After all, the club room was a bit narrow, and it did not seem to be equipped with any special equipment.

Yusina clapped her hands and praised Sion.

“That is a very good question!”

“Hehehe…”

“The skill verification of Sanctuary is divided into written and practical tests, and both can be conducted here, so you do not have to worry and can just participate~”

“Ah, then are there also eliminations?”

“Yes! This is also a very good question!”

“Hehehe.”

Sion smiled sheepishly at Yusina’s repeated praise.

“If you fail due to falling short of the standard score, you will be expelled immediately!”

“…….”

However, it was hard to smile any longer at the word expulsion.

Sion suffered an earthquake in her pupils, perhaps as the forgotten tension was revived!

Roan spoke to Sion in a nonchalant voice.

“Do not worry too much. Since only about half of the people fail every year.”

“Ah…”

At those words, Sion tried to reassure herself, thinking that she would surely make it into the top 50% anyway.

“Th-That doesn’t help!”

Then she screamed loudly.

Think about it.

The new members this time were only two in total, Sion and Roan.

In such a situation, if half usually failed, didn’t that mean one of the two would fail?

Yet Sion did not have the confidence to beat Roan even if she died and came back to life.

Roan said belatedly, “Ah.”

“Does it turn out that way? That’s a pity.”

“Hiiiiiiik—!!!”

As expected, the cruel Roan Darc!

Sion glared at Roan, who made such a terrifying remark so nonchalantly, while trembling.

Yusina clapped her hands and spoke.

“Now, now~ Stop the chatter, I’m handing out the test papers now, so everyone close your eyes!”

Roan and Sion closed their eyes.

Scratch, scratch—

However, there was no feeling of a paper being placed in front of them, and only the sound of something being written kept echoing.

Sion tilted her head.

‘Are they writing the test paper right now?’

After waiting for a long time, just as she could not bear it any longer and was about to squint her eyes to take a peek.

Yusina spoke in a modulated voice.

“I’m giving the real test paper now! Sion, you have your eyes closed, right?”

“Hiccup!”

In any case, thus the written exam began.

“For your information, the written test questions were just written by these seniors, so keep that in mind as you solve them~”

‘They r-really did write them just now…’

Sion thought that the club was run in an ad-hoc manner, just like the classes.

Still, it was much better for the club to be that way rather than the classes.

Flutter—

As she opened her eyes, she saw the test paper that had just been placed.

On the very first page, it was written as follows:

─ Sanctuary New Member Written Exam: Yusina Section ─

Apparently, the questions set by Yusina were at the very front.

─ 1. There are thirty Great Temples recognized by the Holy Emperor’s Palace in the Empire! Write down the names of just ten of them~ ─

─ 2. Currently, there are a hundred archbishops in the Holy See! Write down the names and family names of ten of the archbishops~ ─

Yusina’s section consisted of basic common-sense questions about the Empire…

─ 3. Sion, who was traveling, arrived at the Elaji Peninsula. There, she fell into a trap of evil black mages, oh dear! It was a barrier called the ‘Evil Serpent-scale Prison’ that seals holy power! Logically explain the escape methods that Sion, who is in crisis, can choose~ ─

…And was composed of questions that one could see in ordinary classes.

Although it was a slightly difficult level for freshmen to solve, since Sion was an honor student who had studied ahead diligently in her family and the Holy See, she was able to solve the theoretical questions without much difficulty.

‘Wow… by the time one is a fourth-year, they set questions so excellently!’

Sion looked at Yusina, who had written such questions in that short amount of time, with eyes of respect.

The masked Yusina tilted her head when Sion looked at her.

She had likely winked one eye.

Next were the questions set by Zorv.

It seemed likely that Zorv’s section would have many economics or arithmetic questions, and indeed, it was as expected.

However.

─ 1. A merchant of the Empire goes to the Kingdom of Zelden to trade through the Libado Pass. Assuming the merchant’s trade goods consist of 30 boxes of apples, 10 sheets of wolf skin, and 15 sacks of wool, what is the expected total amount of customs duty? (However, assume that the merchant uses two standard carriages and possesses an archbishop’s seal. The prices of the goods are 1 silver per box of apples, 5 silver per sheet of wolf skin, and 3 silver per sack of wool.) ─

“????”

The level of the question was beyond imagination.

Sion read down the question carefully with slightly trembling eyes.

‘The L-Libado Pass is a place where three countries share a border, but was the half-customs agreement with the Kingdom of Zelden or the Kingdom of Odlin? And usually, fruit has a tax rate of 10%… no, 8%?’

Although she might understand if she thought about it carefully, who on earth would have thought that such a question would appear in a club exam!

Even a brief glance revealed that the first question was the easiest, and it grew increasingly arcane and complex as it went on.

At the very end, there was even a descriptive question asking for one’s thoughts on the expected impact of a certain geopolitical issue on the economy!

While Sion was solving the questions, even taking notes on paper.

Flutter—

Roan, who was similarly taking the exam next to her, scribbled something down and flipped the pages quickly.

It seemed he had already solved half of the questions in Zorv’s section.

‘W-W-What is this!’

Sion was startled by that shocking speed.

At that rate, he could easily be deployed to practical work regarding the Empire’s commercial law or tax law immediately.

On the other hand, Roan was unaware that Sion was startled looking at him.

‘Easy.’

Scratch, scratch—

Not to mention Yusina’s section of basic common sense, even the economics-related Zorv section was so obvious that he didn’t even need to read the questions fully.

‘For standard carriage sizes, a 10% discount is applied under the Small Merchant Protection Act; apples are deducted up to 10 boxes, the archbishop’s seal exempts 40% of the value, and keeping in mind that Libado Pass is a trap, the answer is…’

For Roan, who had started trading with a single bundle and risen to the position of a great merchant grandmaster commanding hundreds of spatial holy magic carriages, this level was simple addition and subtraction!

Thus, Roan passed Zorv’s section in one go.

The observing seniors were rather startled by that marvelous speed.

“W-Wow… look at Roan solving the questions. Is that a hand or a holy relic?”

“They are questions I agonized over for practical application in my own way, but as expected, he is fast.”

However, when entering the final Nia section, even Roan had no choice but to pause.

‘I knew it, but what kind of questions did she set…’

Roan cast his eyes toward Sion, who was solving the questions diligently beside him.

She seemed to be putting up a good fight for a freshman, but he was slightly curious about what kind of reaction she would show when she saw Nia’s section.

A moment later.

‘I’ve solved all the way up to Senior Zorv’s section!’

Sion, who passed the second section with a fairly good feeling, turned the page.

The last was naturally Nia’s section.

‘If it is Senior Nia, they must be questions related to divine and spiritual beasts? I have confidence in that much!’

Since the feeling from the previous questions was so good, Sion tried to push forward with momentum this time as well!

However.

“……?”

Sion, seeing the questions on the next page, had no choice but to doubt her own eyes.

─ Sanctuary New Member Written Exam: Nia Section ─

Up to here was very good.

─ Perrryub pol poriring, biruru? ─

Sion rubbed her eyes, unable to understand the new world (?) unfolded before her.

Still, the questions did not change.

Flutter—

It was the same even when she flipped the test paper over completely and looked at it again.

‘What kind of question is this!!!!’

Sion glared at the masked Nia with resentful eyes.

Spiritual beasts were fine and all was fine, but shouldn’t test questions be set in human language!

Just then, Nia spoke as if she had forgotten something.

“Ah! I made an error in Sion’s questions since I wrote them in a hurry, I forgot!”

She then took Sion’s test paper and began to scribble and correct something.

Yusina and Zorv, who watched that sight together, nodded as if they understood.

“Mmh. Surely that is a big mistake.”

“An atypical mistake for you, Nia.”

“As expected, right? I’m sorry.”

Only then did Sion feel that the world was turning the way she knew it.

‘The qu-questions were an error? Of course…’

After all, it was impossible for a human to solve test questions written in the language of divine and spiritual beasts.

Indeed, since her first greeting was also in the shadow pigeon tongue, she might have habitually written the test questions that way.

Seeing that Roan in the next seat was still solving the questions at a rapid pace, he had probably received a proper (?) test paper.

“Here, junior, I’m sorry. Now you’ll be able to solve it properly.”

Having corrected the error, Nia returned the test paper to Sion.

Sion replied energetically.

“Yes! Thank you, Senior!”

And she looked at the first question again with a fresh mind…

─ Perrryub pol poriring, biruru?

Perrryub beureu pol poririring, birurong? ─

“…….”

What changed?