Shomin no Aji - Chapter 455.1 (Patreon)

Let's go for the aptitude test!
The next morning, after a quick breakfast, I finished getting ready and went downstairs to find Sei already waiting for me in the hall.

“I'm sorry, Sei. I hope I didn't keep you waiting.”

Sei shook his head as he noticed me hurrying down the stairs.

“No, I just came down. Teacher Neil is going to lead us to the venue, right?”
“Yes, that's what I heard, but…”

I then looked towards the dormitory manager’s office, which was also Teacher Neil's room, and the door opened vigorously.

"Hey, everyone's early. Are you ready to head to the venue?”

Teacher Neil, who at least seemed to be dressed correctly for the occasion, asked sleepily as he came out.
He had walked all over the school yesterday and had come home exhausted.
I've kept it a secret because I don't think he will be able to recover if he found out that Leon-sama was here. It's a warrior's compassion… No, it's a mercy from me.

“Yes. We will be in your care.”
"Yes, yes. You've got your writing materials and everything you need, right? I'll guide you there, then.”

We followed Teacher Neal out of the special dormitory as all the Sacred Beasts saw us off.

After a short walk from the special dormitory, we soon arrived at the building where the classrooms and lecture halls were located.
The education building was a solid stone structure in the shape of "ロ". There were entrances and exits from the outside on all four sides, with a Square in the middle and corridors surrounding it.
We followed Teacher Neil and entered the building through the nearest entrance from the dormitory, and as we walked along the corridor while receiving a brief explanation of the building, a student in the courtyard noticed us and seemed to be talking with others while looking at us.
The group, who I could tell were upperclassmen and the daughters of noble families because of their flashy and sparkling uniforms, were not in a very friendly mood, judging from their whispering and rude stares.
Well, I was holed up in a special dormitory and didn't show up until the entrance ceremony, and when I finally did show up, I was escorted by my brother, and was introduced by His Majesty the King as a Sacred Beast contractor. It was not that amusing for the rest of the students, right?

But all of that, from my point of view, was inevitable… Ugh.
What if my classmates are like this too?
With a depressed feeling, I tried not to look at my surroundings and followed Teacher Neal with heavy steps.

We were ushered into the auditorium, which was different from the entrance ceremony, and after completing the registration at the entrance, we took our seats according to the numbers given to us.
Sei and I were seated next to each other, since our numbers were close. Thank goodness we were not separated. That was reassuring.

“You'll have to wait here. The written test will also be held here, but first we will examine your magical power and attributes. When it's your turn, you'll be called by the attendant, and you'll go to the room you've been called to.”

As I listened to Teacher Neil's explanation, I looked at the wall on the right side of the room and saw a row of doors.

“In these rooms, there are magic tools to check the amount of magical power and attributes you possess, so please follow the instructions of the staff. Then I'll leave you to prepare for the exam.”

Teacher Neil said this and walked out of the auditorium.
As students continued to arrive and the auditorium began to get noisy, the examiner stood on the podium.

“Quiet, everyone! We will now test your magical power and attributes. Students whose numbers have been called should quickly go to the room where they have been called. First, numbers one through ten...”

Following the examiner's instructions, the students whose numbers were called went into the indicated rooms one by one.
There are ten people in each of the ten rooms… and we're number 112 and 113, so we're on the second round.

Next chapter: https://www.patreon.com/posts/53749209