Chapter 23: Exam

A slave’s morning starts early .

My eyes open with the sunrise .

I confirm the one I’m hugging next to me is who I think it is, and give a poke to the cheek . Yep, good and healthy .

Yig is sleeping in the corner of the room, but that thing is cold, so I’m not letting it in the bed . I guess taking on human form doesn’t change that it’s a lizard, huh?

Fighting the temptation to go back to sleep, I leave the bed without waking the one next to me .

I fill a cup with the jug on the side table, and re-hydrate .

After getting changed in a flash, I wash my face .

Now feeling refreshed, I head to the yard to do some cautionary calisthenics . Morning practice is a must .

My lungs fill with the painfully clear and cold morning air, and I slowly stretch my body .

Once fully stretched, my running starts .

According to Yig, “The ones who stop moving on the battlefield are the first to die! Run! People die the moment they stop walking!” apparently .

What came next was, “What, is that all you’ve got?! That’s exactly why you’re such a bleep! Show me some guts, you bleep bleep!” which is some abusive language I would rather forget .

It would seem it’s some kind of G.o.d of destruction-style training .

Upon returning from the run, Yig had awoken and come out to attend in the next part of training .

Yig casts [Silence] on the whole yard for us, and we have a fierce match using wooden practice swords .

If [Silence] isn’t cast, then the sounds of our clash would bother the other customers staying at the inn, so it’s necessary . I’ll learn it at some point .

Having lived five hundred years, Yig has a real variety of skills .

Normally dragons have such bottomless powers that they ignore learning techniques, but apparently she’s different .

After about one hour of clas.h.i.+ng swords, morning training is over .

I return to the room, remove my clothes, and wipe my body down with a towel . I really want to take a bath, but this inn doesn’t have one, so I’ll have to deal with it .

After once again hydrating from the jug, I give my body a check .

I’ve never put on much muscle ever since I was born, so my muscles don’t stand out . The results of my exercise are hard to see .

Just as I put my clothes back on before catching a cold, the eight o’clock bell rang through the city .

The breakfast place should be opening soon . We have to go eat .

I go over to my partner who still hasn’t gotten up and give another cheek poke before gently speaking .

It’s kind of like waking up a lover, so it’s embarra.s.sing, but I quite like this moment .

More importantly, if we don’t get going, then the ever-so-popular morning is going to be sold out .

“Come on, Eir . It’s morning . Wanna go get breakfast?”

“… Mmm?”

A slave’s morning starts early .

I want to indulge in indolence some more .

Two weeks have pa.s.sed since arriving in Raum .

Amy and Kevin asked us to go with them on requests a few times, but Master is preparing for the examination, so we are politely refusing .

And today is the day of the exam . Sticking to his morning training all the way to today shows Master’s diligent personality .

“Actually, martial arts is included in the tested items . ”

“How many categories are there?”

“History, language, math, magic studies, and medicine, plus martial arts and magic for practical skills . There’s also a magic power measurement . ”

“The studies should be fine for you . Magic power won’t be a problem either . ”

“The problems are the martial arts and magic . I’ve got nothing for martial arts, and my magic is really one-sided . ”

While devouring the morning set at the restaurant, we review the items on the test .

By the way, there’s enough for three people in front of me . This body burns through its fuel .

“Unlike the n.o.bles, I don’t have anyone backing me, so I don’t want to drop out on a single subject . ”

“Mm, good luck . ”

“You don’t sound serious at all . ”

The Raum Magic Academy is a higher education facility . And, as in any world, higher education costs money .

Being the number one academy in the country, it could be called a total den of n.o.bles .

As a twelve year old taking an academy exam normally for those fifteen years old or older, Master Rimuru probably doesn’t want to give anyone a chance to find fault with him .

This world has four renowned academies .

One is the Adventurer Support Academy in Naberius’ capital city of Sokaris .

This one is an organization whose purpose is to nurture adventurers who will conquer the World Tree, and is famous for teaching practical techniques, including magic .

The second one is the Cornus Knight Academy in my home country, the Forneus Federation .

This place teaches magic too, but its heavy emphasis on combat skills is well known .

It turns out a large number of famed knights .

The third is the Matala Magic Crafting School in the far east .

It’s an odd academy that almost exclusively stresses techniques for creating instruments of magic .

There are rumors they have techniques for creating magic swords too .

And then the fourth one, the Raum Magic Academy .

It’s called the oldest academy in the world, and its library’s collection is considered the best across the land .

Of course its focus is on magic .

There’s a ma.s.s of other academies out there, but these four are known as the best of the best .

“Honestly, I’m so nervous that my hands won’t stop shaking, even now . ”

Upon careful inspection, his soup bowl and spoon are clattering against each other .

Surprisingly, I guess Master who goes weak when it’s time for the actual performance? When the disaster beast fight happened, I thought he was the type to get serious at those times though .

Seeing Master shake like that made him seem kinda cuter though, so I got out of my seat, went to his side and wrapped my arms around his neck .

“Don’t worry . You’ll do just fine, Master Rimuru . I guarantee it . ”

I’ve heard that when people are feeling nervous or worried, the sound of a heartbeat will calm them down .

I just hope this will lighten Master’s mental strain .

“I’ve seen how hard you worked . ”

“Yeah… You’re right . And even if I fail, I can always take it again next year . ”

“Yeah… You’re right . And even if I fail, I can always take it again next year . ”

If we put together Master’s savings and what I have on hand, we’ve got more than enough to stay at an inn for a year .

Besides, we’re adventurers . We can complete requests to pay for our daily living expenses, so one year is nothing .

I pat Master’s back a couple times, and he returns my hug before we release each other .

“That’s great and all, but we’re in public . Think you two could do this later~?”

And then Yig, who had been silent until now, muttered that .

With a gasp and a look around, I saw that everyone seemed to have warm expression on their faces as they looked this way .

“L-let’s hurry and finish eating, then go to the testing site, Eir . ”

“Uah… Right . ”

After that we practically poured the food down our throats, and quickly left the restaurant .

In a section of the upper-cla.s.s district, where the n.o.bility live, stood the magic academy .

Being the day of the exams, the front gate is congested, with carriages coming and going continuously .

“Oooo~”

“This is… Magnificent . ”

Master and I were at a loss for words at the unusual scene .

By the way, Yig said, “It’s cold, so I’m going to a hot spring,” and went off to parts unknown . Well, she is a lizard .

“It’s like a carriage trade fair . ”

“And officer of arms sure would be busy here . ”

Lined up at the entrance are n.o.bles’ carriages, and on them flags with family crests .

Coachmen, escorts, and attendants .

“I’m kinda feeling really out of place . ”

“Master Rimuru, calm down?”

“Sorry Eir, but could you do that thing again? With the hugging?”

“Yeah . ”

Except Master is taller than me, so he has to crouch down so I can hug his head .

“Calmed down?”

“Yeah, a little . Well then, I’m off . The tests should go until evening, so you can take your time and come for me then . ”

“Looks like there’s a place for attendants to wait, so I’ll go there . ”

“Oh, so they’ve got a place for that? I guess that makes sense though, with how many people are here . ”

Next to the school building stood a large tent, where escorts and coachmen were waiting .

The attendants seemed to have a separate room inside the building prepared for them, but I’m not actually an attendant, so I’m hesitant to go inside .

“Then I’m off . Take care, Eir . ”

“Yes, good luck Master Rimuru . ”

“Yes, good luck Master Rimuru . ”

I waved my hand a bit and saw Master off .

Upon entering the tent, inside it was another world .

Well, see, that’s the only way I can express the unusual sense of tension I felt in the air .

Escorts and their coachmen given higher status by various n.o.ble families .

They’re all keeping each other in check, looking for any signs of weakness . They don’t need to bring their power struggle all the way in here though…

Most likely they’re trying to figure out who was hired by who, and what kind of rank they have, to determine the hierarchy .

“Uwaa…”

“Hey, it’s cold out there, shut the thing already . ”

“Ah, right . ”

Having opened the tent flap and suddenly froze up, a seemingly displeased voice called out to me .

I slowly got inside, and just as I made to sit on a nearby chair—

“Wait, you a slave?”

“Uh, yes . ”

My collar probably got noticed . A young warrior-ish man spoke to me .

He’s got a strangely s.h.i.+ny set of armor and sword, but there’s no sense of magic from them .

“Tch, friggin’ slaves can’t be coming into the same tent as us . ”

“Eh, ah… . ”

Master’s frank att.i.tude made me completely forget, but people usually get disgusted by slaves just occupying the same s.p.a.ce as them .

“Who’s the b.a.s.t.a.r.d stupid enough of bring a slave to a place like this anyway?”

“Umm, I’m sorry . I’ll leave right away . ”

“Probably a weak n.o.ble without attendants . Not like the common folk can afford slaves . ”

I was feeling a little irked, but when I thought about it Master isn’t even part of the n.o.bility at all .

Besides, starting a conflict here would probably cause inconveniences for Master while he’s busy taking the exam, so las.h.i.+ng out is dangerous .

It’s a little cold, but I’ll wait outside .

If I stay where people can see me, I run the risk of getting tangled up in something . So I circle around behind the school to look for a place with plenty of sunlight .

After finding an appropriate place, I basked in the sunlight, but… It’s still cold .

Considering it’s the twelfth month, that just figures of course though .

Just sitting still is going to leave me cold, so I grabbed a great sword from “Dimensional Storage” and went through the exercises I learned from Yig to warm myself up .

It weighed roughly as much as two adult men; one hundred and twenty kilograms .

“Whoever made this sword must be an idiot . ”

There’s no way anyone would normally be able to swing this . Well, I can though .

If you look closely there’s an undulating pattern on the blade, so you can tell it’s not made from pure iron .

That supposed to be what’s increasing its weight further .

If you look closely there’s an undulating pattern on the blade, so you can tell it’s not made from pure iron .

That supposed to be what’s increasing its weight further .

According to Yig, “that’s what happens when you melt dragon scales into it,” is what she said .

“I wonder how dragon scales get melted anyway . ”

I use “Magic Power Bestowal” on myself, and swing the iron board-like sword around .

When I give it a swing, it fills the surroundings with disturbing sounds as it plows through the air .

“Fuu! Haah!”

Besides the sound of the sword swings, my breathing and steps were also sounding in the air, but then I heard clapping too .

When I looked up, there was a female student staring this way from a window on the second floor .

“Who?”

“Hmm, maybe I should be asking that? Who might you be?”

The girl replies to my question with another question .

Now that she mentions it, I was swinging a sword around on school premises, so I’m probably the more suspicious one here .

“Ahh, sorry . I came accompanying one of the exam students . My name is Eir . I’m a slave . ”

Hiding it could only bring trouble for him, so I’ll declare that I’m a slave right off .

This way she probably won’t come close either .

“Eir then . Got it . I’m a first year student here, Elly Lime . I’m a member of the library committee . ”

“Library committee… Why are you at the school right now?”

Normal students shouldn’t be in the school during the exams .

“Well, there was a slightly overdue book I came to return…”

She replies with a charming smile and a laugh .

“But that’s an amazing sword you’ve got . And you’re swinging it around like it’s nothing, too . That’s incredible, Eir . ”

“Yeah? Yeah, guess it is . ”

Hard to fake my way out of this one . She saw me swinging around a stupidly huge sword even though I look like this, after all .

Right now this sword has absolutely no magic power in it, and is a lump of iron . This is a student at the magic academy, so I’d imagine she can at least sense magic power .

In situations like this, if I just say it’s thanks to a gift, that should probably work fine .

“I’ve got a type of gift that makes me really strong . ”

“Wow, I figured it was a battle type gift, but no?”

“I just have a lot of strength . I’m studying swordsmans.h.i.+p right now . ”

“Hmmm… Ah, wait just a minute . I’ll be right down . ”

“Ri-eh?”

She’s coming out here, on purpose, in this cold? What a curious person .

… This was the first time Elly and I met .

Chapter 23: Exam.

A slave’s morning starts early

 .

My eyes open with the sunrise

I confirm the one I’m hugging next to me is who I think it is, and give a poke to the cheek . Yep, good and healthy

Yig is sleeping in the corner of the room, but that thing is cold, so I’m not letting it in the bed . I guess taking on human form doesn’t change that it’s a lizard, huh?.

 .

Fighting the temptation to go back to sleep, I leave the bed without waking the one next to me

I fill a cup with the jug on the side table, and re-hydrate

After getting changed in a flash, I wash my face

 .

Now feeling refreshed, I head to the yard to do some cautionary calisthenics . Morning practice is a must

My lungs fill with the painfully clear and cold morning air, and I slowly stretch my body

Once fully stretched, my running starts

According to Yig, “The ones who stop moving on the battlefield are the first to die! Run! People die the moment they stop walking!” apparently

What came next was, “What, is that all you’ve got?! That’s exactly why you’re such a bleep! Show me some guts, you bleep bleep!” which is some abusive language I would rather forget

It would seem it’s some kind of G.o.d of destruction-style training

 .

Upon returning from the run, Yig had awoken and come out to attend in the next part of training

Yig casts [Silence] on the whole yard for us, and we have a fierce match using wooden practice swords

If [Silence] isn’t cast, then the sounds of our clash would bother the other customers staying at the inn, so it’s necessary . I’ll learn it at some point

Having lived five hundred years, Yig has a real variety of skills

Normally dragons have such bottomless powers that they ignore learning techniques, but apparently she’s different

 .

After about one hour of clas.h.i.+ng swords, morning training is over

I return to the room, remove my clothes, and wipe my body down with a towel . I really want to take a bath, but this inn doesn’t have one, so I’ll have to deal with it

After once again hydrating from the jug, I give my body a check

I’ve never put on much muscle ever since I was born, so my muscles don’t stand out . The results of my exercise are hard to see

 .

Just as I put my clothes back on before catching a cold, the eight o’clock bell rang through the city

The breakfast place should be opening soon . We have to go eat

I go over to my partner who still hasn’t gotten up and give another cheek poke before gently speaking

It’s kind of like waking up a lover, so it’s embarra.s.sing, but I quite like this moment

More importantly, if we don’t get going, then the ever-so-popular morning is going to be sold out

 .

“Come on, Eir . It’s morning . Wanna go get breakfast?”.

“… Mmm?”.

 .

A slave’s morning starts early

I want to indulge in indolence some more

 .

~*~.

Two weeks have pa.s.sed since arriving in Raum

Amy and Kevin asked us to go with them on requests a few times, but Master is preparing for the examination, so we are politely refusing

And today is the day of the exam . Sticking to his morning training all the way to today shows Master’s diligent personality

 .

“Actually, martial arts is included in the tested items . ”.

“How many categories are there?”.

“History, language, math, magic studies, and medicine, plus martial arts and magic for practical skills . There’s also a magic power measurement . ”.

“The studies should be fine for you . Magic power won’t be a problem either . ”.

“The problems are the martial arts and magic . I’ve got nothing for martial arts, and my magic is really one-sided . ”.

 .

While devouring the morning set at the restaurant, we review the items on the test

By the way, there’s enough for three people in front of me . This body burns through its fuel

 .

“Unlike the n.o.bles, I don’t have anyone backing me, so I don’t want to drop out on a single subject . ”.

“Mm, good luck . ”.

“You don’t sound serious at all . ”.

 .

The Raum Magic Academy is a higher education facility . And, as in any world, higher education costs money

Being the number one academy in the country, it could be called a total den of n.o.bles

As a twelve year old taking an academy exam normally for those fifteen years old or older, Master Rimuru probably doesn’t want to give anyone a chance to find fault with him

 .

~*.

This world has four renowned academies

 .

One is the Adventurer Support Academy in Naberius’ capital city of Sokaris

This one is an organization whose purpose is to nurture adventurers who will conquer the World Tree, and is famous for teaching practical techniques, including magic

 .

The second one is the Cornus Knight Academy in my home country, the Forneus Federation

This place teaches magic too, but its heavy emphasis on combat skills is well known

It turns out a large number of famed knights

 .

The third is the Matala Magic Crafting School in the far east

It’s an odd academy that almost exclusively stresses techniques for creating instruments of magic

There are rumors they have techniques for creating magic swords too

 .

And then the fourth one, the Raum Magic Academy

It’s called the oldest academy in the world, and its library’s collection is considered the best across the land

Of course its focus is on magic

 .

There’s a ma.s.s of other academies out there, but these four are known as the best of the best

 .

~*~.

“Honestly, I’m so nervous that my hands won’t stop shaking, even now . ”.

 .

Upon careful inspection, his soup bowl and spoon are clattering against each other

Surprisingly, I guess Master who goes weak when it’s time for the actual performance? When the disaster beast fight happened, I thought he was the type to get serious at those times though

Seeing Master shake like that made him seem kinda cuter though, so I got out of my seat, went to his side and wrapped my arms around his neck

 .

“Don’t worry . You’ll do just fine, Master Rimuru . I guarantee it . ”.

 .

I’ve heard that when people are feeling nervous or worried, the sound of a heartbeat will calm them down

I just hope this will lighten Master’s mental strain

 .

“I’ve seen how hard you worked . ”.

“Yeah… You’re right . And even if I fail, I can always take it again next year . ”.

 .

If we put together Master’s savings and what I have on hand, we’ve got more than enough to stay at an inn for a year

Besides, we’re adventurers . We can complete requests to pay for our daily living expenses, so one year is nothing

I pat Master’s back a couple times, and he returns my hug before we release each other

 .

“That’s great and all, but we’re in public . Think you two could do this later~?”.

 .

And then Yig, who had been silent until now, muttered that

With a gasp and a look around, I saw that everyone seemed to have warm expression on their faces as they looked this way

 .

“L-let’s hurry and finish eating, then go to the testing site, Eir . ”.

“Uah… Right . ”.

 .

After that we practically poured the food down our throats, and quickly left the restaurant

 .

~*~.

In a section of the upper-cla.s.s district, where the n.o.bility live, stood the magic academy

Being the day of the exams, the front gate is congested, with carriages coming and going continuously

 .

“Oooo~”.

“This is… Magnificent . ”.

 .

Master and I were at a loss for words at the unusual scene

By the way, Yig said, “It’s cold, so I’m going to a hot spring,” and went off to parts unknown . Well, she is a lizard

 .

“It’s like a carriage trade fair . ”.

“And officer of arms sure would be busy here . ”.

 .

Lined up at the entrance are n.o.bles’ carriages, and on them flags with family crests

Coachmen, escorts, and attendants

 .

“I’m kinda feeling really out of place . ”.

“Master Rimuru, calm down?”.

“Sorry Eir, but could you do that thing again? With the hugging?”.

“Yeah . ”.

 .

Except Master is taller than me, so he has to crouch down so I can hug his head

 .

“Calmed down?”.

“Yeah, a little . Well then, I’m off . The tests should go until evening, so you can take your time and come for me then . ”.

“Looks like there’s a place for attendants to wait, so I’ll go there . ”.

“Oh, so they’ve got a place for that? I guess that makes sense though, with how many people are here . ”.

 .

Next to the school building stood a large tent, where escorts and coachmen were waiting

The attendants seemed to have a separate room inside the building prepared for them, but I’m not actually an attendant, so I’m hesitant to go inside

 .

“Then I’m off . Take care, Eir . ”.

“Yes, good luck Master Rimuru . ”.

 .

I waved my hand a bit and saw Master off

 .

~*~.

Upon entering the tent, inside it was another world

 .

Well, see, that’s the only way I can express the unusual sense of tension I felt in the air

Escorts and their coachmen given higher status by various n.o.ble families

They’re all keeping each other in check, looking for any signs of weakness . They don’t need to bring their power struggle all the way in here though….

Most likely they’re trying to figure out who was hired by who, and what kind of rank they have, to determine the hierarchy

 .

“Uwaa…”.

“Hey, it’s cold out there, shut the thing already . ”.

“Ah, right . ”.

 .

Having opened the tent flap and suddenly froze up, a seemingly displeased voice called out to me

I slowly got inside, and just as I made to sit on a nearby chair—.

 .

“Wait, you a slave?”.

“Uh, yes . ”.

 .

My collar probably got noticed . A young warrior-ish man spoke to me

He’s got a strangely s.h.i.+ny set of armor and sword, but there’s no sense of magic from them

 .

“Tch, friggin’ slaves can’t be coming into the same tent as us . ”.

“Eh, ah… . ”.

 .

Master’s frank att.i.tude made me completely forget, but people usually get disgusted by slaves just occupying the same s.p.a.ce as them

 .

“Who’s the b.a.s.t.a.r.d stupid enough of bring a slave to a place like this anyway?”.

“Umm, I’m sorry . I’ll leave right away . ”.

“Probably a weak n.o.ble without attendants . Not like the common folk can afford slaves . ”.

 .

I was feeling a little irked, but when I thought about it Master isn’t even part of the n.o.bility at all

Besides, starting a conflict here would probably cause inconveniences for Master while he’s busy taking the exam, so las.h.i.+ng out is dangerous

It’s a little cold, but I’ll wait outside

 .

~*~.

If I stay where people can see me, I run the risk of getting tangled up in something . So I circle around behind the school to look for a place with plenty of sunlight

After finding an appropriate place, I basked in the sunlight, but… It’s still cold

Considering it’s the twelfth month, that just figures of course though

Just sitting still is going to leave me cold, so I grabbed a great sword from “Dimensional Storage” and went through the exercises I learned from Yig to warm myself up

It weighed roughly as much as two adult men; one hundred and twenty kilograms

 .

“Whoever made this sword must be an idiot . ”.

 .

There’s no way anyone would normally be able to swing this . Well, I can though

If you look closely there’s an undulating pattern on the blade, so you can tell it’s not made from pure iron

That supposed to be what’s increasing its weight further

According to Yig, “that’s what happens when you melt dragon scales into it,” is what she said

 .

“I wonder how dragon scales get melted anyway . ”.

 .

I use “Magic Power Bestowal” on myself, and swing the iron board-like sword around

When I give it a swing, it fills the surroundings with disturbing sounds as it plows through the air

 .

“Fuu! Haah!”.

 .

Besides the sound of the sword swings, my breathing and steps were also sounding in the air, but then I heard clapping too

When I looked up, there was a female student staring this way from a window on the second floor

 .

“Who?”.

“Hmm, maybe I should be asking that? Who might you be?”.

 .

The girl replies to my question with another question

Now that she mentions it, I was swinging a sword around on school premises, so I’m probably the more suspicious one here

 .

“Ahh, sorry . I came accompanying one of the exam students . My name is Eir . I’m a slave . ”.

 .

Hiding it could only bring trouble for him, so I’ll declare that I’m a slave right off

This way she probably won’t come close either

 .

“Eir then . Got it . I’m a first year student here, Elly Lime . I’m a member of the library committee . ”.

“Library committee… Why are you at the school right now?”.

 .

Normal students shouldn’t be in the school during the exams

 .

“Well, there was a slightly overdue book I came to return…”.

 .

She replies with a charming smile and a laugh

 .

“But that’s an amazing sword you’ve got . And you’re swinging it around like it’s nothing, too . That’s incredible, Eir . ”.

“Yeah? Yeah, guess it is . ”.

 .

Hard to fake my way out of this one . She saw me swinging around a stupidly huge sword even though I look like this, after all

Right now this sword has absolutely no magic power in it, and is a lump of iron . This is a student at the magic academy, so I’d imagine she can at least sense magic power

In situations like this, if I just say it’s thanks to a gift, that should probably work fine

 .

“I’ve got a type of gift that makes me really strong . ”.

“Wow, I figured it was a battle type gift, but no?”.

“I just have a lot of strength . I’m studying swordsmans.h.i.+p right now . ”.

“Hmmm… Ah, wait just a minute . I’ll be right down . ”.

“Ri-eh?”.

 .

She’s coming out here, on purpose, in this cold? What a curious person

 .

… This was the first time Elly and I met