“W-w-waa…W-Waa―”
At Rachel’s appearance, Rosaria, knowing her true identity, immediately rose from her seat and attempted to kneel before her.
“Yes, ‘Senior’. Rachel, ‘Junior’, is here.”
“Ah…yes…no, uh…Rachel…”
However, Rachel, grabbing Rosaria’s shoulders as she tried to kneel and strongly emphasizing the words “senior” and “junior,” made Rosaria realize her intention. Awkwardly correcting her posture, she called her name informally.
‘Why did Rachel suddenly appear? Could it be…is there something she didn’t get to say last night?’
“I often visit the library anyway. Then I saw a familiar face, so I thought I’d say hello.”
“Ah…is that so…?”
‘She read my mind?! How did she know?’
“And Senior, your thoughts are written all over your face, so it’s easy to tell.”
“Ah…”
Following that, Rachel, having read all of Rosaria’s thoughts just from her expression, smiled brightly, causing her to feel a slight chill.
“So, is studying difficult?”
‘How did she know?!’
“How did yo—”
“That’s enough.”
“Ah, okay.”
“Anyway, I think I can help you with that part.”
“…Huh?”
“Uh…so…”
“The gluteus maximus in the thigh.”
“Ah. The thigh…gluteus maximus?”
“Region.”
“Ah.”
With Rachel’s sudden appearance, she somehow ended up sitting next to Rosaria and began helping her study.
“Why do I even need to know these terms in the first place! I’m not a doctor!”
“I’m not in the combat department, but I heard that as much as we use our bodies, we learn about the muscles and bones that make up the body to better judge and control our movements.”
“I move just fine without any of that…”
Rosaria was suffering, overwhelmed by the need to memorize every single detail of the human body’s muscle descriptions and names crammed into her textbook.
Moreover, the names were so confusing that she would forget them as soon as she thought she had memorized them.
“But…is it okay for you to help me study? No, is it really okay?”
“The exam questions are simple. To the point where I don’t even feel the need to study?”
“…..”
‘She’s as annoying as that guy.’
“Shall I guess what you’re thinking right now?”
“Ah, haha! And where was it again? Semitendinosus? Semi-what? This damn slacker—”
“What are you talking about?”
In the midst of all this, Rosaria wondered if Rachel was okay with helping her study (honestly, she was burdened and uncomfortable being with her), but the answer she received was too similar to Felix’s, so Rosaria frowned and hurriedly mumbled the next term.
‘Rosaria Evergarden…’
Rachel watched Rosaria staring intently at her textbook, muttering to herself as if steam was coming out of her head.
‘Unlike Felix Evergarden, the eldest son, her intellectual abilities seem lacking. But her physical abilities are definitely solid.’
Unlike Felix, who possessed magic, quick thinking, reasoning skills, and skillful negotiation, Rosaria seemed to lack in those areas.
However, Rosaria’s skills, as seen during the past collaborative exam, were certainly those of an outstanding talent.
‘Last night, I allowed the bodyguards to use swords, but even if they had launched a subsequent attack, it would have been difficult to inflict a fatal wound.’
Rosaria, who already held the unofficial top spot in the combat department due to her excellent physical abilities and combat sense (her grades were too low for her to be officially ranked first), was a talent worth keeping an eye on, in a different sense from Felix.
‘Moreover, she didn’t even reveal her full potential.’
In particular, Rachel recalled the weapon Rosaria had drawn to deal with the assailant during the joint exam and subtly shifted her gaze towards her back.
‘Has the appearance changed? Did she improve the weapon she used back then? Or does she already have multiple weapons prepared?’
Namely, the sniper rifle hanging on her chair.
An incredible weapon that, with just one use, instantly rendered the assailant who had been pushing her into a corner incapacitated.
Not to mention the speed, destructive power, and penetration, it wasn’t like an arrow that was finished after one shot, but had a guidance function to reliably subdue and kill the opponent.
‘It’s strange to call it magic… It wasn’t a simple flow of magical power. Then it must be—’
-Mommy. What’s this?
-This is called a book.
-What’s a book?
-You don’t even know that? Silly? It’s what humans look at.
-What’s silly?
-That’s…well! What is silly?
—I’m hungry.
-Me too.
“Kids…Mommy needs to concentrate, so can you be a little quiet?”
‘It must be the power of those spirits.’
Following that, Rachel looked at the two spirits sitting side by side on Rosaria’s shoulders, tilting their heads.
Spirits are inherently difficult to see unless one is incompatible with them, but for her, who possessed excellent magical sight, the spirits that shouldn’t be visible were clearly visible (Felix also recognized spirits in the same way).
‘A fire spirit and a wind spirit…To casually carry around beings that I’ve only seen in books. In some ways, she could be said to be even more special than Felix Evergarden.’
Magic is a type of skill.
Although there are differences in aptitude, anyone can awaken their Magical Power and use magic if they try.
But a spirit summoner is, as the name suggests, a destiny determined from birth.
Communicating with spirits, who are nature itself, and gaining their favor is nearly impossible for ordinary people.
Rosaria, however, was already carrying around two of them.
Rachel judged that the firearms she used were likely infused with not only magic but also the power of spirits.
‘Although her knowledge is a bit lacking, she is also an outstanding talent. And since we’ve decided to form a kind of alliance with the Evergarden family, it would be good to keep an eye on her as well.’
Having become involved with the Evergarden family, Rachel decided that she should become closer to Rosaria, a member of the family, and her eyes flashed.
‘…And, that expression she had when she fell asleep on my lap was quite…quite…? Huh? Why? Why am I remembering that in this situation?’
Then, suddenly, Rachel, recalling Rosaria’s face as she fell asleep in her arms, covered in blood after defeating the assailant, unknowingly grinned, but her pupils suddenly widened.
…Could it be, perhaps…?’
“Sartorius, piriformis…piriformis? I wanted to be a piriformis too…Damn Military Service Administration…!”
‘…No. That’s not it. Not with that dazed face. Was I mistaken?’
Following that, Rachel, with a slightly flushed face, turned her gaze towards Rosaria, but seeing Rosaria’s expression as she rubbed
her cheek against the book and mumbled nonsense, her expression froze coldly.
“…Study quickly.”
“M-my head is…filled with professional knowledge…..! Ah…memorization…!?”
“Don’t say strange things.”
…Should I just go back to research?’
Is that person really the same person as back then?
Such thoughts began to pop into Rachel’s head.
“Then, before distributing the exam papers, I will reiterate the precautions.”
The noisy interior of the exam hall became silent in an instant, except for the voice of the examiner standing at the front.
“The exam time is a total of one hour, and leaving your seat during the exam is prohibited. This is obvious, but even if you submit your answer sheet early, you cannot leave the exam hall.”
“Of course, anyone caught committing common-sense violations, as well as those who condone such actions, will be disqualified immediately and forced to retake the course and attend supplementary classes during the semester.”
“…Well, from my perspective, I’d like to recommend you try it. I’m in charge of this supplementary class.”
The examiner’s attitude when mentioning the precautions during the exam was extremely insincere, but the overwhelming presence made it clear what would happen if you were caught committing violations.
If it were the Rosaria of the past, she would have been sweating profusely, anxiously wondering how to secretly look at the cheat sheet she had hidden-
“…Hmph.”
The current Rosaria smiled, lightly twirling the pen in her hand with an attitude of complete composure.
‘Nine Principles’. ‘Polarization’. ‘The Crow and the Declaration’. ‘The Gap Between Inside and Out’.
‘I don’t hate anyone.’
“Then, I will distribute the exam papers. As soon as you receive them, keep them face down and do not open them until the signal.”
‘Right now, this moment is simply endlessly pleasant.’
‘Heaven and earth. I alone am the honored one.’
Rosaria, who had received the exam paper that had finally reached her seat, finally gripped the quill pen that had been spinning in her hand.
“Then, begin the exam!”
Following the examiner’s declaration, the hands of the stopped clock began to move and tick.
-Are you losing?
The moment when her weak self grabbed her head and cried, saying that it was impossible, flashed through her mind.
How can I memorize this? Let’s just give up, her weak self muttered endlessly, passing through her mind like a revolving lantern.
She felt like she was about to collapse, that she had reached her limit.
However. She overcame it.
And now.
‘Win.’
Her face was full of a confident smile.