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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Encounter
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To think he'd been so proud, calling himself a genius when a true prodigy like this existed.

Memories of his arrogant past flashed through his mind.

He'd even slacked off recently, thinking, ‘My results are better than everyone else’s even when I take it easy, so I don't have to try hard.’

But in the eyes of a genius like this, he must look like a dull stone.

His face burned with shame.

* * *

*What's wrong? Did I get a lot of them wrong...?*

Seeing the scholar’s face flush red as he reviewed my test, I fidgeted anxiously.

He must have asked why I gave that answer for the last question because I’d written something completely absurd.

He definitely had a ‘You foolish child. How on earth did you come up with an answer like this?’ look on his face.

I felt so wronged.

*The test wasn't multiple choice, it was short answer!*

I thought if it were multiple choice, my legendary intuition would have easily guided me to the right answers.

It’s hard to even describe how I felt when I received a test sheet with just five questions and no answer choices.

I barely held myself together and scribbled down the numbers my intuition led me to, but they probably weren’t correct anyway.

*Sigh.*

A sigh escaped me on its own.

The reason I’d insisted on taking the Ivory Tower’s exam was to salvage Lesia’s reputation, which had hit rock bottom.

Weren’t most people suspicious of me right now, calling me a ‘fake saintess who can’t even wield divine power’?

In a situation like this, nothing I said would carry any weight.

*To be honest, a Saintess is in a position that makes it easy to gain support.*

All you have to do is say what you want and then declare, ‘This is a message from Heaven!’

Then you could easily win over not only the temple but also the deeply faithful.

But right now, I couldn't enjoy that advantage at all.

*That's why I was planning to pass the Ivory Tower’s exam and restore my reputation, even if just a little.*

But it seems I bombed the test, so it’s all for naught…

“Young Lady!”

Just as I gave up and was about to get down from my chair, a hand suddenly grabbed mine.

“Please, teach me!”

*Huh...?*

Teach him...? What?

* * *

*Oh, my goodness.*

They were all correct!

Every single one!

I was still dazed with surprise.

The official results weren’t out yet, but a perfect score would surely mean I passed.

*Legendary intuition... so this is its power!*

It seemed my large donation of Heaven Coins had earned me a very good reward.

*I was really lucky.*

Giggling, I stepped out of the examination room, only to hear an unfamiliar voice right beside me.

“Looks like you did well on your test?”

It was the voice of a young boy.

I whipped my head around to see a boy with a tidy appearance, red hair, and golden eyes leaning against the wall with a smile.

He looked to be about six or seven years old.

He was older than me, but still a peer, so I figured I didn't need to be overly polite.

Besides, he’d spoken informally to me first.

“Uh-huh.”

I nodded in response, and the boy approached me.

Standing face-to-face, I got a much clearer look at him.

I hadn't noticed from a distance, but up close, he bore a slight—no, a very strong—resemblance to someone I knew.

“...Servian Call?”

He looked exactly how I imagined Servian, the spirit summoner from my expedition party, would look as a child.

As if hearing my near-whisper, the boy touched his own cheek.

“You guessed right. He's my father, and I'm his spitting image.”

My eyes widened.

“Oh! Then...!”

“A pleasure to meet you. I'm Leonid Call.”

The red-haired boy, Leonid, kindly extended his hand for a handshake.

I was so stunned that I couldn’t even think to take his hand, my mouth hanging open.

*Servian's son! Leonid!*

I had seen baby Leonid in my past life.

He was a wrinkly newborn, with hardly any hair on his head.

*That baby grew up to be this big?*

It was an unbelievable transformation from his wrinkly baby days.

*If I do the math, he should be seven now.*

I was still in awe.

*Wow... kids really do grow up fast.*

Leonid, seemingly deciding it would be too difficult to shake hands with a dazed me, withdrew his hand and smiled faintly.

“You're just as stupid as the rumors say, huh? I was hoping you might be a bright kid. You're just a typical four-year-old.”

“...Huh?”

His scathing assessment, so contrary to his gentle and soft tone, made me doubt my ears for a moment.

“Did you just call me stupid?”

“I don't understand. Why would Duke Elpinade give an opportunity to a child like this? He's such a fair man.”

Leonid muttered to himself, stroking his chin as if he hadn't even heard my question.

The way his eyes scanned me up and down, like he was analyzing an object, was infuriating.

*How did that cute baby turn into such a brat?*

Suppressing my bewilderment, I bounced on my feet and waved my hand in front of Leonid’s face.

I had to protest this baseless, scathing review immediately.

“I asked if you just called me stupid! Hey!”

*Hello, I'm right here!*

My vigorous hand-waving must have worked, because Leonid, who had been sizing me up, finally met my gaze.

His faint smile was very gentle, but not particularly warm.

“I don't know how you convinced the Duke, but I don't like kids like you. Being associated with you lowers my standards.”

“Wha...?”

Even if he was Servian’s son, I couldn’t just stand here and take this.

I was about to roll up my sleeves and start a fight when the closed door to the examination room opened, and the scholar stepped out.

It was the same scholar who had proctored my test.

“Master Leonid? Young Lady?”

He tilted his head, noticing the strange standoff between me and Leonid.

I was about to open my mouth, intending to set the record straight in front of the scholar, but Leonid beat me to it.

“Dr. Lukas. I heard the Young Lady Elpinade was taking her exam, so I came to greet her.”

Dr. Lukas smiled warmly as he watched Leonid sling an arm chummily around my shoulders.

I stared at Leonid, my jaw hanging open in astonishment, but Dr. Lukas was completely taken in by his pretense.

“Ah, I see. The House of Viscount Call and the House of Duke Elpinade have a long-standing connection, after all.”

“Yes, they do.”

Unlike the bratty way he’d acted in front of me, Leonid was now behaving like a very kind and polite boy.

*Wow. What a fox!*

He's just like his father in this respect, too!

* * *

Harrumphing, I stormed out of the Ivory Tower to find Axel waiting for me.

The unexpected sight of him made me forget my boiling anger, and my eyes widened.

“Why are you here? Where's Lily?”

Access to the Ivory Tower was extremely restricted.

Only the students who studied there, the scholars who taught and researched, and the direct descendants of the Elpinade family, who founded the tower, could enter without special permission.

Lily, of course, couldn’t come inside, so we had arranged to meet at the entrance of the Ivory Tower when my exam was over.

But Lily was nowhere to be seen, and only Axel was here, waving casually.

It was naturally puzzling.

“I was curious about your test results. I told her I'd come get you.”

“Why didn't you wait inside?”

Axel was a direct Elpinade, so he could have easily entered the Ivory Tower.

“Today, I'm not here as the son of Duke Elpinade, but as the 'older brother' of a student taking an exam. It's only right that I wait outside.”