Just as Kelvin and the others were getting excited on the second floor, in the garden connecting the mansion’s gate and entrance, Rion, Kuromel, and Shutra were sitting by the edge of a fountain, waiting for something to arrive. Shutra was calm as usual, but the two examinees seemed somewhat restless.
“Is it… still not here yet? Looking at the usual trends, it should be around the time it would be for it to arrive… (restless)”
“Calm down, Kuromel! We did our best, so I’m sure it’ll be okay! (restless)”
“Rion-chan, you say that while you’re also restless, so let’s calm down for a moment? Okay?”
Even amidst their conversation, Rion and Kuromel kept glancing towards the gate, their upper bodies swaying left and right like pendulums to the point where Shutra let out a wry smile. You’ve probably guessed by now. The two of them were waiting for their exam results. Lumiest’s exam results were scheduled to reach the examinees in about a week. As Kuromel mentioned, if this year was like previous years, they were approaching the time when the notifications should arrive soon.
“Okay, deep breath~”
“‘*Sigh, huff～～～*’”
“Are you calm now?”
“‘……(restless)’”
“It seems like you’re… still not calm… You checked your answers so many times, and confirmed that you both had good scores. You were praised for your excellent interview performance, weren’t you? You’ll be fine even if you’re this nervous! I guarantee it!”
“Y-yeah. I understand it intellectually, but I can’t help but feel nervous, you know…”
“I was quite nervous during the interview exam. Maybe that had an impact…”
“Aren’t you both more nervous than when you fight S-Rank Monsters?”
Exams are strange things. They seem to bewilder heroes who have traversed numerous battlefields and even performed admirably at the Beast King Festival, and even a former Black Goddess who once brought the world to the brink of destruction. It’s not like the fate of the world is at stake, nor are lives being exchanged. Yet, this event provided Rion and the others with more than enough thrills.
“…Could it be that we didn’t get accepted, so our notifications haven’t come?”
“No. Regardless of the pass or fail result, notifications are sent to all examinees. Honestly, while I expected Kelvin Older-brother and Kuromel-chan to be like this, I didn’t expect Rion-chan to be this unstable. Bell-san, who returned to the Grellverelka Empire, hasn’t received her notification yet, has she?”
“No. When I visited via the transfer gate yesterday, Bell-san hadn’t received it either. Also, she looked very exasperated…”
“You went to check at the transfer gate every single day. Just like Shutra-chan, she told me it was pointless to worry because you’re definitely going to pass!”
“Yeah, I think going every day was a bit much.”
By the way, during this past week, Gustav Papa’s mood was exceptionally good, and Gerard Grandpa seemed a bit conflicted.
“Oh?”
“What is it, Shutra-chan?”
Rion and Kuromel tilted their heads when Shutra suddenly looked up at the sky.
“…Yes, it seems so. You two, your awaited notifications have arrived.”
“‘Eh?‘”
In the direction Shutra was looking was a bird. It had a bag hanging from its neck and a hat with Lumiest’s school emblem on its head. And the bird itself was quite large. Considerably large. It seemed to be large enough to be the height of a human. Such a giant bird was circling repeatedly above the mansion.
“A bird… mail carrier? Woah, it’s big!”
“Yes, it’s a monster kept at Lumiest. It’s intelligent enough to understand maps and addresses, and they say it has undergone combat training to go to various places. I was scared of it when I saw it a long time ago… but seeing it again, it’s quite charming!”
“Its eyes are black, and it looks like an owl wearing glasses. It looks fluffy and squishy!”
Since it looked like a giant owl with glasses, it was surprisingly popular with children.
“But why is it circling around there so many times?”
“I wonder if it can’t enter from the sky because the mansion is surrounded by a barrier?”
“Th-that’s terrible! I have to tell Papa quickly to deactivate the barrier!”
“Ah, wait a moment. The owl has landed in front of the gate. And it’s interacting with Wan and Tuu!”
“It looks like Tuu received an envelope!”
“So smart!”
“It is smart!”
Then, the giant owl with glasses soared back into the sky and departed towards its next destination. Kuromel, unable to release her urge to hug it, looked a little dejected.
As they waved goodbye to the departing bird, Wan, who was acting as the gatekeeper, approached from the gate.
“Lion-sama, Kuromel-sama, a letter has arrived from Lumiest. Please check it.”
“R-right. Thank you.”
“Thanks! It’s finally time to know the results. I’m getting nervous again…!”
The two of them opened the envelope with great trepidation. After cautiously checking the contents—
“—Shouldn’t we inform Kelvin Older-brother?”
“I’m going!”
“I’ll go inform him!”
With bright smiles, Rion and Kuromel ran into the mansion. Even without reading the results, it was clear what the contents said. Watching their retreating figures, Shutra let out a slight sigh and then smiled.
“Shutra-sama, you look happy.”
“Yes! My friends passed. I’m so happy! Also, as the teacher who taught them, I’m proud. *Hmph!* …But, the real problem starts now, doesn’t it?”
“Hou, and what problem is that?”
“Passing is great, but the dorm assignments within Lumiest Academy will be entirely up to the school. There are four dorms in total, so the probability of the three of us being in the same dorm is honestly low. The notification slips Rion-chan and the others are holding should also state which dorm they’ll be assigned to… At this point, all we can do is pray to the gods that Rion-chan gets into her desired dorm. My dorm was different from Colette-chan’s too.”
“If the dorms are different, will it cause any problems?”
“Kelvin Older-brother and Gerard Grandpa will despair.”
“…That is indeed a troublesome matter.”
“Yes, it’s very troublesome. Rion-chan specifically wants to bring Alex along as a pet, so it narrows down to two dorms that allow pets. But for Kuromel-chan and Bell-san, hmm…”
“I see. So it’s about relying on muscle when in trouble, isn’t it?”
“M-muscle? Uh, well, it is about relying on the god of muscle, but if you shorten it like that, it might take on a different meaning…”
Gordia has always publicly stated a policy of accepting those who come and not pursuing those who leave. Shutra, thinking that perhaps there might be some benefit, imagined a new goddess in her heart and offered a prayer.
