Chapter 10: The Exam for Apprentices that want to become the Alchemist Master of the Royal Family (Preliminary Inspection)
The next day after we arrived, I was told that Arnold's test would be held in the Royal Castle, so I was allowed to accompany him to go there.
I thought Miss Mercedez would come with us, but it was just the two of us.
It was a little awkward for me to be walking in silence with him, when I still don't know the reason for the bad mood the other day, but it seems that Miss Mercedez was planning to leave us alone from the beginning.
At the inn's entrance she said goodbye to us, with a smile on her face and disappeared.
So after checking the hour, we decided to went down the road to the Royal Castle before we were late.
There was no sign of him wanting to talk to me at all.
But at the same time, there were no furrow between his brows, so he might not be in such a bad mood now.
But this makes me wonder more and more... What was the point of his sarcastic comments against Lucas the other day.
I wonder if it's just he has simply become more arrogant than before...
Without a word having said in all the travel, we finally made it to the Castle's Gates.
There were several boys and girls of the same age of Arnold in the area.
They are probably aiming to become Alchemist Masters too, taking the Royal Family's exam.
There were several boys and girls of the same age of Arnold in the area.
They are probably aiming to become Alchemist Masters too, taking the Royal Family's exam.
We stopped in front of a big door, the Castle's famous gate, as I opened my mouth to say a few words to him and see him off.
"Good luck on the --"
"I don't need that."
I could only laugh bitterly at being cut off in the middle of a sentence.
Even if I don't mention the other day's event, it has been three years since Arnold, Miss Mercedez and me were close enough to talk with each other easily.
I don't know how to approach him again at all.
As I saw Arnold's back disappearing, as he was entering the castle, I suddenly realized.
I wonder how long I should wait for Arnold, and... where do I stay while waiting?
In the first place, do I have to wait until the exam is over?
Will I be scolded if I return to the inn before him?
There was so crowded that I staggered after being pushed a few times, while I was thinking over the right decision to take.
"Oh, little girl. Did you come here following your big brother?"
I hurriedly looked up in the direction the voice came from and there was a man standing there looking down at me with a gentle smile on his face.
Her pale green hair and pointy ears reminded me of Miss Mercedez.
--This person is also an elf.
The man wore a heavy armor that did not fit with his gentle face's features.
Its armor is emblazoned with the national emblem of this country.
I believe he is a member of the Knights of the Royal City, the Knights of Chevallier.
The older brother he mentioned must be Arnold.
After hesitating for a moment, I nodded.
"Ahhh, yes... Do you know if there's a place where I can wait for him until the exam is over?"
"There's a waiting room for relatives. I'll show you where it's... if you like."
"Oh, yes! Thank you so much!"
The man reached his hand out to me, while bending his knees a little to be near my stature.
The soft and graceful movements made me admire him... not because I thought they looked like a Prince's, but because--
I just admired him.
Sure, you could say that this world is a game world, so of course this kind of people is common here.
But still, it's the real world to me, so I can't believe I was able to meet someone like him in my whole life.
The Knights of Chevallier, to which he supposedly belonged, were related to the protagonist in The Last Brave as well.
One of the hero's party members was the Commander of this Order.
I was led through the Castle Gate by the hand.
The scene in front of me was exactly as I had seen it in "The Last Brave".
The luxurious Royal Castle at the center of the city, it's surrounded by greenery.
Instead of entering the Castle, we took the path to the side gardens.
"Keep going by this road and you'll see a tower in the distance."
I wondered if that tower was used as a waiting room.
That tower also looked familiar.
I gazed around and compared it the scenery to my memories'.
So far as I saw, there are no major differences.
"Sir, do you work at this castle?"
"Yes, I belong to the Knights of Chevallier."
After all, I was right.
By the way, even though he seems so young, he never broke the honorific language and kept smiling at me.
He is a very nice person.
The hero's party member, the Knights' Commander... his mouth was a little rude, but he was also a sincere man full of wisdom.
There are about five more years until Lucas leaves the village.
If he had joined the Order at this age, he should have been a Knights' Commander by that moment.
The grand smile that flashed through my view, made me woke up of my thoughts.
"Did your brother come to take the Alchemist Master's exam?"
The man seems to have completely assumed that Arnold is my brother.
I don't think our facial features are similar, but maybe he couldn't see him well because of the distance.
I nodded my head, even though I was feeling a little uncomfortable about the misunderstanding of Arnold being my brother.
"Yes. I'm thinking of taking it in a few years."
"I see! --Oh, here it is."
We entered into the tower, the relatives room was located as far away as we thought it would be.
A man, standing beside the door, opened it and a few glances passed through me.
People who appeared to be the parents of the children who had come to take the exam today sat in the waiting room with stiff expressions on their faces.
The atmosphere was heavier than I thought it would be.
And in the midst of the parents, my presence was clearly awkward.
But it was a lot better than standing around waiting near the gates.
Releasing the hand connecting me to the man, I turned around and bowed my head.
"Thank you very much for your help and for guiding me here"
"No, no. If in the future, you became an Alchemist. Someday in a few years, I may be in your care. So, thank you for your help then."
A soft smile and a soft tone of voice.
He was a very nice person who I would definitely like to meet again after I pass the Royal Family's exam for Alchemist Masters Apprentices.
*******
I sat on the soft couch and waited a few hours while sipping on the obviously fancy juices offered by the maids that were in charge of attending the visitors.
An hour later, Arnold himself came up to the waiting room.
I asked him how the test went, but he was as expressionless as ever.
So, I was unable to read from his face anything about how the exam resulted.
We said a few words of thanks to the guards and maids there and headed home together.
"Ehh-- Ummm-- What are you going to do tomorrow?"
"It was a written exam today, I'll probably do practicals tomorrow."
Even when I thoughtfully chose the subject to talk about, that was all.
It's true that I should have thought about it a bit more and asked a more specific question.
But there is a way of answering questions, and this one was obviously a way to finish the talking.
I was annoyed, so I dared to repeat my question, trying to delve into the matter a little more.
I'm not very good at starting a conversation, if I've to say it myself.
In times like these that I wish I could use my experience and act more like an adult.
"...that, it was actually about the potion's formulas"
The preparations of restorative potions have designated potency's scores that can be calculated according the herbal selection.
It was a topic I chose to dive deeper into, out of annoyance, but I was impressed by the content of the test.
"Ah yes, it reminds me..."
I'm visiting the royal city this time as a prelude for the exam I'll take on two years from now, I almost forgot what matters the most here.
Since I've come all the way here, I have to harvest some useful information from his experience before going back to the village.
The first day was written and the second day will be practical.
It seems that the practical test begins with the sorting of medicinal herbs, but you have to remember the types of medicinal herbs and their potency score before you can select one.
I'm proud to say that I've memorized almost all kinds of medicinal herbs, but I still have two more years to work hard on my studies, so I don't miss anything important.
"...your childhood friend, Lucas, was it?"
As I was reviewing my research results, a question that sounded like a monologue appeared.
I was doubly surprised and delayed in replying because I didn't expect Arnold to bring up the subject of Lucas.
"What's with the crest in his left eye? It's clearly not normal."
Arnold asked a series of questions more as if he can't wait for a moment to my reply.
There was no emotion, of fear or discomfort, anything exuding in the tone of his voice or in his facial expressions.
Even though I felt relieved by this, I chose my words carefully to make as good the impression on Arnold about Lucas as possible.
"I don't know all the details. But Lucas has a some sort of...magical powers. It's a very nice gentle power that protects people, even I was saved by it once."
It's a good idea to not mention too much information that can create suspicious about me or about Lucas, but I cannot let him misunderstand it either.
In a few years, Arnold will also be saved by Lucas' power, as the whole world.
I wouldn't feel surprised if he is interested in this power, but then again, the sarcasm of the other day wasn't the correct way to ask about it.
You've come so far as to ask me about this, so I can see you're interested on the matter... even more than you can imagine.
As I glanced sideways at his expression, wondering how Arnold received my words - he rolled his eyes slightly, as if he had found something beyond me.
Just when I thought he was about to ask something more, he suddenly pointed in a certain direction.
I turned around to look at it and found a stall there, judging by the sign in front of it, it seems that they mainly sell drinks.
I looked back at him, staring at his face features, wondering if there was something he wanted to drink or it was a way to cut off the talk.
He - thrown - unexpected words at me.
"Hey, I'll be the one paying."
"Huh?"
"You can bring me one, I'm thirsty."
Certainly, Arnold should receive a reward for finishing the exam, and as a thanks for allowing me to come with him and see the place.
I didn't have any complaints about having to buy him a glass of juice.
However, I don't like his voice's tone, which is clearly more irritating than it was three years ago, like ordering you around.
It makes you feel like, you can't do anything by your own will, you have to obey him!
That doesn't mean I'm going to refuse to buy him a drink, but I thought I'd ask a few nasty questions as revenge.
As if to hide my mocking grinning face, I narrowed my eyes to make it look like a gentle smile, then asked in an effortlessly soft tone of voice.
"I don't mind... but... are thirsty because you were so nervous during the exam?"
"Yes, I was. Did I say something... bad?"
--Oh, my God. Surprisingly, a straightforward sincere reply came back in no time.
I thought I was being mean to him, but I was also flattered that he relies on me enough to tell me that.
I shook my head hurriedly, as a disgruntled sharp gaze was directed at me, after he noticed the reason that I froze in place was that I was mocking him and didn't expect an answer.
"No, no."
I'm relieved to know that you're 14 years old but nothing more changed about you...
Next time I'll have to make sure to remember, if you want to know more about the other persons, you've the saying the right thing in the correct way, to avoid misunderstandings.
And since he bluntly ordered me to "go buy it quickly" I left Arnold and ran to the stall.
I thought something similar was what happened three years ago, and I felt nostalgic.
Without even realizing it myself, a smile appeared on my lips.
*******
"Laura, you're back."
As soon as we returned to the inn, Lucas greeted us... me with a tender smile.
This is probably because I've being half day's with the rude Arnold, and I'm not talking about the time I had to wait for the exam to be over, which was about an hour.
But when I saw the warm smile of my childhood friend I felt relief both in my tired body and stressed mind.
"I'm sorry, you came to accompany me and I left you alone..."
"It's okay, I don't care. Besides, Miss Mercedez gave me a tour around the city today too, it really was fun."
I know it's disrespectful to Lucas to think this way, but from my current perspective Lucas seems to be a cute human-size dog.
Compared to Arnold, who you have no idea what he's thinking, Lucas is crystal clear, you can see all his emotions and the affection he feels for you...
And by "affection", I mean affection as a childhood friend to his close friend, just in case I clarify.
At the view of the cute younger boy in front of me - a mental age-wise woman -, my mouth couldn't help but smile softly.
"So, I found a store that Laura would like. "
"Great! Let's go tomorrow or the day after tomorrow when we have time."
I said, nodding my head at Lucas' happy invitation.
We have two days left to stay in the royal capital - a day and a half, to be exact, since we have to arrive home in two days.
Tomorrow I will accompany Arnold to his practical exam, as I did today, but the day after tomorrow I will have a half-day free .
Originally, I had promised to tour the royal capital with Lucas on the last day, so there's no change on the schedule.
I'm looking forward to finding out what kind of shops I might like, according to Lucas.
Chapter 10: The Exam for Apprentices that want to become the Alchemist Master of the Royal Family (Preliminary Inspection)
The next day after we arrived, I was told that Arnold's test would be held in the Royal Castle, so I was allowed to accompany him to go there.
I thought Miss Mercedez would come with us, but it was just the two of us.
It was a little awkward for me to be walking in silence with him, when I still don't know the reason for the bad mood the other day, but it seems that Miss Mercedez was planning to leave us alone from the beginning.
At the inn's entrance she said goodbye to us, with a smile on her face and disappeared.
So after checking the hour, we decided to went down the road to the Royal Castle before we were late.
There was no sign of him wanting to talk to me at all.
But at the same time, there were no furrow between his brows, so he might not be in such a bad mood now.
But this makes me wonder more and more... What was the point of his sarcastic comments against Lucas the other day.
I wonder if it's just he has simply become more arrogant than before...
Without a word having said in all the travel, we finally made it to the Castle's Gates.
There were several boys and girls of the same age of Arnold in the area.
They are probably aiming to become Alchemist Masters too, taking the Royal Family's exam.
There were several boys and girls of the same age of Arnold in the area.
They are probably aiming to become Alchemist Masters too, taking the Royal Family's exam.
We stopped in front of a big door, the Castle's famous gate, as I opened my mouth to say a few words to him and see him off.
"Good luck on the --"
"I don't need that."
I could only laugh bitterly at being cut off in the middle of a sentence.
Even if I don't mention the other day's event, it has been three years since Arnold, Miss Mercedez and me were close enough to talk with each other easily.
I don't know how to approach him again at all.
As I saw Arnold's back disappearing, as he was entering the castle, I suddenly realized.
I wonder how long I should wait for Arnold, and... where do I stay while waiting?
In the first place, do I have to wait until the exam is over?
Will I be scolded if I return to the inn before him?
There was so crowded that I staggered after being pushed a few times, while I was thinking over the right decision to take.
"Oh, little girl. Did you come here following your big brother?"
I hurriedly looked up in the direction the voice came from and there was a man standing there looking down at me with a gentle smile on his face.
Her pale green hair and pointy ears reminded me of Miss Mercedez.
--This person is also an elf.
The man wore a heavy armor that did not fit with his gentle face's features.
Its armor is emblazoned with the national emblem of this country.
I believe he is a member of the Knights of the Royal City, the Knights of Chevallier.
The older brother he mentioned must be Arnold.
After hesitating for a moment, I nodded.
"Ahhh, yes... Do you know if there's a place where I can wait for him until the exam is over?"
"There's a waiting room for relatives. I'll show you where it's... if you like."
"Oh, yes! Thank you so much!"
The man reached his hand out to me, while bending his knees a little to be near my stature.
The soft and graceful movements made me admire him... not because I thought they looked like a Prince's, but because--
I just admired him.
Sure, you could say that this world is a game world, so of course this kind of people is common here.
But still, it's the real world to me, so I can't believe I was able to meet someone like him in my whole life.
The Knights of Chevallier, to which he supposedly belonged, were related to the protagonist in The Last Brave as well.
One of the hero's party members was the Commander of this Order.
I was led through the Castle Gate by the hand.
The scene in front of me was exactly as I had seen it in "The Last Brave".
The luxurious Royal Castle at the center of the city, it's surrounded by greenery.
Instead of entering the Castle, we took the path to the side gardens.
"Keep going by this road and you'll see a tower in the distance."
I wondered if that tower was used as a waiting room.
That tower also looked familiar.
I gazed around and compared it the scenery to my memories'.
So far as I saw, there are no major differences.
"Sir, do you work at this castle?"
"Yes, I belong to the Knights of Chevallier."
After all, I was right.
By the way, even though he seems so young, he never broke the honorific language and kept smiling at me.
He is a very nice person.
The hero's party member, the Knights' Commander... his mouth was a little rude, but he was also a sincere man full of wisdom.
There are about five more years until Lucas leaves the village.
If he had joined the Order at this age, he should have been a Knights' Commander by that moment.
The grand smile that flashed through my view, made me woke up of my thoughts.
"Did your brother come to take the Alchemist Master's exam?"
The man seems to have completely assumed that Arnold is my brother.
I don't think our facial features are similar, but maybe he couldn't see him well because of the distance.
I nodded my head, even though I was feeling a little uncomfortable about the misunderstanding of Arnold being my brother.
"Yes. I'm thinking of taking it in a few years."
"I see! --Oh, here it is."
We entered into the tower, the relatives room was located as far away as we thought it would be.
A man, standing beside the door, opened it and a few glances passed through me.
People who appeared to be the parents of the children who had come to take the exam today sat in the waiting room with stiff expressions on their faces.
The atmosphere was heavier than I thought it would be.
And in the midst of the parents, my presence was clearly awkward.
But it was a lot better than standing around waiting near the gates.
Releasing the hand connecting me to the man, I turned around and bowed my head.
"Thank you very much for your help and for guiding me here"
"No, no. If in the future, you became an Alchemist. Someday in a few years, I may be in your care. So, thank you for your help then."
A soft smile and a soft tone of voice.
He was a very nice person who I would definitely like to meet again after I pass the Royal Family's exam for Alchemist Masters Apprentices.
*******
I sat on the soft couch and waited a few hours while sipping on the obviously fancy juices offered by the maids that were in charge of attending the visitors.
An hour later, Arnold himself came up to the waiting room.
I asked him how the test went, but he was as expressionless as ever.
So, I was unable to read from his face anything about how the exam resulted.
We said a few words of thanks to the guards and maids there and headed home together.
"Ehh-- Ummm-- What are you going to do tomorrow?"
"It was a written exam today, I'll probably do practicals tomorrow."
Even when I thoughtfully chose the subject to talk about, that was all.
It's true that I should have thought about it a bit more and asked a more specific question.
But there is a way of answering questions, and this one was obviously a way to finish the talking.
I was annoyed, so I dared to repeat my question, trying to delve into the matter a little more.
I'm not very good at starting a conversation, if I've to say it myself.
In times like these that I wish I could use my experience and act more like an adult.
"...that, it was actually about the potion's formulas"
The preparations of restorative potions have designated potency's scores that can be calculated according the herbal selection.
It was a topic I chose to dive deeper into, out of annoyance, but I was impressed by the content of the test.
"Ah yes, it reminds me..."
I'm visiting the royal city this time as a prelude for the exam I'll take on two years from now, I almost forgot what matters the most here.
Since I've come all the way here, I have to harvest some useful information from his experience before going back to the village.
The first day was written and the second day will be practical.
It seems that the practical test begins with the sorting of medicinal herbs, but you have to remember the types of medicinal herbs and their potency score before you can select one.
I'm proud to say that I've memorized almost all kinds of medicinal herbs, but I still have two more years to work hard on my studies, so I don't miss anything important.
"...your childhood friend, Lucas, was it?"
As I was reviewing my research results, a question that sounded like a monologue appeared.
I was doubly surprised and delayed in replying because I didn't expect Arnold to bring up the subject of Lucas.
"What's with the crest in his left eye? It's clearly not normal."
Arnold asked a series of questions more as if he can't wait for a moment to my reply.
There was no emotion, of fear or discomfort, anything exuding in the tone of his voice or in his facial expressions.
Even though I felt relieved by this, I chose my words carefully to make as good the impression on Arnold about Lucas as possible.
"I don't know all the details. But Lucas has a some sort of...magical powers. It's a very nice gentle power that protects people, even I was saved by it once."
It's a good idea to not mention too much information that can create suspicious about me or about Lucas, but I cannot let him misunderstand it either.
In a few years, Arnold will also be saved by Lucas' power, as the whole world.
I wouldn't feel surprised if he is interested in this power, but then again, the sarcasm of the other day wasn't the correct way to ask about it.
You've come so far as to ask me about this, so I can see you're interested on the matter... even more than you can imagine.
As I glanced sideways at his expression, wondering how Arnold received my words - he rolled his eyes slightly, as if he had found something beyond me.
Just when I thought he was about to ask something more, he suddenly pointed in a certain direction.
I turned around to look at it and found a stall there, judging by the sign in front of it, it seems that they mainly sell drinks.
I looked back at him, staring at his face features, wondering if there was something he wanted to drink or it was a way to cut off the talk.
He - thrown - unexpected words at me.
"Hey, I'll be the one paying."
"Huh?"
"You can bring me one, I'm thirsty."
Certainly, Arnold should receive a reward for finishing the exam, and as a thanks for allowing me to come with him and see the place.
I didn't have any complaints about having to buy him a glass of juice.
However, I don't like his voice's tone, which is clearly more irritating than it was three years ago, like ordering you around.
It makes you feel like, you can't do anything by your own will, you have to obey him!
That doesn't mean I'm going to refuse to buy him a drink, but I thought I'd ask a few nasty questions as revenge.
As if to hide my mocking grinning face, I narrowed my eyes to make it look like a gentle smile, then asked in an effortlessly soft tone of voice.
"I don't mind... but... are thirsty because you were so nervous during the exam?"
"Yes, I was. Did I say something... bad?"
--Oh, my God. Surprisingly, a straightforward sincere reply came back in no time.
I thought I was being mean to him, but I was also flattered that he relies on me enough to tell me that.
I shook my head hurriedly, as a disgruntled sharp gaze was directed at me, after he noticed the reason that I froze in place was that I was mocking him and didn't expect an answer.
"No, no."
I'm relieved to know that you're 14 years old but nothing more changed about you...
Next time I'll have to make sure to remember, if you want to know more about the other persons, you've the saying the right thing in the correct way, to avoid misunderstandings.
And since he bluntly ordered me to "go buy it quickly" I left Arnold and ran to the stall.
I thought something similar was what happened three years ago, and I felt nostalgic.
Without even realizing it myself, a smile appeared on my lips.
*******
"Laura, you're back."
As soon as we returned to the inn, Lucas greeted us... me with a tender smile.
This is probably because I've being half day's with the rude Arnold, and I'm not talking about the time I had to wait for the exam to be over, which was about an hour.
But when I saw the warm smile of my childhood friend I felt relief both in my tired body and stressed mind.
"I'm sorry, you came to accompany me and I left you alone..."
"It's okay, I don't care. Besides, Miss Mercedez gave me a tour around the city today too, it really was fun."
I know it's disrespectful to Lucas to think this way, but from my current perspective Lucas seems to be a cute human-size dog.
Compared to Arnold, who you have no idea what he's thinking, Lucas is crystal clear, you can see all his emotions and the affection he feels for you...
And by "affection", I mean affection as a childhood friend to his close friend, just in case I clarify.
At the view of the cute younger boy in front of me - a mental age-wise woman -, my mouth couldn't help but smile softly.
"So, I found a store that Laura would like. "
"Great! Let's go tomorrow or the day after tomorrow when we have time."
I said, nodding my head at Lucas' happy invitation.
We have two days left to stay in the royal capital - a day and a half, to be exact, since we have to arrive home in two days.
Tomorrow I will accompany Arnold to his practical exam, as I did today, but the day after tomorrow I will have a half-day free .
Originally, I had promised to tour the royal capital with Lucas on the last day, so there's no change on the schedule.
I'm looking forward to finding out what kind of shops I might like, according to Lucas.
