I received the paper and bowed my head before leaving the room. As I walked down the hallway, I found a classroom with a sign that read “Second Test Venue.” A woman was sitting in a chair beside the sign. When she saw me, she seemed surprised and asked, “Oh, has the first test already ended?”

“Yes. Is this the next venue?”

“Yes, that’s right. The second test is a magic test. Come this way.”

The woman entered the classroom, and I followed her. It was originally a large classroom, and the room was quite spacious. It was approximately 20 meters square. As soon as I handed the woman the paper, numerous targets appeared at the back of the classroom.

“I’m going to count to one hundred, and you need to hit all of the targets with your magic. Any attribute is fine.”

“I understand. Um, I shouldn’t destroy them, right?”

“It’s to test the accuracy of your magic, so don’t destroy them or blow them away with wide area magic.”

“I understand,” I nodded silently and waited for the woman’s signal.

The targets were all positioned at different locations and distances. Some were as close as five meters, while others were around fifteen meters away.

“…Now, let’s begin the second test!”

As soon as the signal was given, I aimed at the easiest target in front with a fire attribute magic and hit it with a fireball. Since I had been training like this with Ars, it was easy to adjust the power. Perhaps Ars had anticipated this kind of test. I targeted the closer targets first and then switched to the further ones. I shot each one carefully, but it was difficult to control the magic accurately when the targets were farther away.

(Damn, it’s hard to hit that target…)

Especially, the target in the hidden location in front of me was almost impossible to hit with a fireball. I judged that a fireball moving straight ahead could not hit the target, so I created wind blades with wind attribute magic and shot them towards the target. Wind blades have a lower rate of fire compared to fireballs but can be controlled to a certain extent with my own will.

With this judgment, I was able to hit even the difficult targets. I’ll keep aiming at the targets further back like this.

“Stop there!”

“Phew, my nerves are worn out more than usual during magic training…”

Somehow, I managed to hit all the targets within the allotted time. But it was a close call, and I wonder if it’s okay…

Despite my worries, I received the stamp on the paper and left the classroom with the female examiner. The woman tilted her head when she saw that there was no line in the hallway as usual. “Hmm? It’s strange that there isn’t a line, even though it wouldn’t be surprising if there was one… Did you come early?”

“Well, I was the first one here, for the time being.”

“Um, I wonder if they’ll be here soon if we wait… Well, good luck on the next test.”

I waved goodbye to the woman and walked down the hallway towards the next test site. It’s a straight road to the third test site, and since the signboards were put up just like in front of the second venue, it wasn’t confusing. About five minutes later, I found a sign that read, ‘Third Test Venue’.

Everything seems fine until…

“Ugh…”

A strong man who appeared to be the next examiner was sound asleep on a chair beside the sign. …He showed no signs of waking up, but would it be okay to wake him up? Feeling helpless, I lightly tapped his shoulder to wake him up.

“Excuse me, I want to take the exam…”

The man slowly opened his eyes, rubbed them and stretched while looking at me.

“Mm… oh, you’re here already. Sorry, I’ve been here since early morning and I’m feeling a bit drowsy. Well, let’s go inside for the exam.”

“Yes.”

Together, we both entered the room. The interior of the room had a similar atmosphere to the castle’s training grounds. Various weapons were displayed on the walls, and a beautiful circular white line with a diameter of about five meters was drawn in the center. I could vaguely imagine what to do.

The man began to explain the contents of the exam. “The third exam is a test of interpersonal combat. Magic other than the ability enhancement type is prohibited. However, you can use any weapon that is displayed on the wall. If necessary, choose whatever you like.”

“Understood.” As instructed by the man, I moved towards the wall and picked up a suitable dagger. It had a dull edge to prevent injuries, but it didn’t seem like a replica. After confirming its weight and balance with a few swings, I returned to the man.

“Oh, a dagger, huh… I see, it’s a weapon that suits your body… Oh, by the way, I haven’t introduced myself yet. I’m Maurice, the combat training instructor at this school. Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too. I’m Lark.”

After introducing ourselves, Maurice and I stepped into the circle. Maurice raised his sword, so I held up my dagger.

“The test is simple. You’ll pass if you can hit me once… Alright, let’s begin.”

As soon as Maurice spoke, he quickly closed in and swung his sword with force.

“Ugh!”

I managed to block it with my dagger, and a loud clang echoed in the surroundings. Our weapons collided, and we ended up in a deadlock.

Maurice exclaimed in admiration, “Ohh, you have enough strength to take my sword head-on.”

“Yes, I’ve been training every day, so…”

However, this situation was not in my favor. To try and land a hit, I needed to make the next move.

“Is it okay to use enhancement magic…? Then I’ll use it without hesitation!” I said, recalling the enhancement magic, “Physical Ability Enhancement,” that I learned during training with Ars. I activated the magic and knocked away Maurice’s sword. In this enhanced state, even my father could be momentarily stunned by my speed, so it should work on Maurice as well. I quickly circled around to Maurice’s back and swung my dagger at his left hand, which was holding the sword. However, in the next moment, Maurice’s body disappeared from my sight.

“Huh!?”

Looking around restlessly, before I knew it, Maurice was behind me.

“Phew, that was close. It’s not just Lark who can strengthen his body. And I never said I wouldn’t use it,” he said.

“Damn it…”

Although I attacked several times after that, all of my sword strikes were either deflected or avoided with impeccable timing, and none of them hit their target.

“Haa, haa…”

“Hey, if you keep that up, you never gonna pass the test, you know? You need to be more focused,” Maurice said, carrying his sword on his shoulder and relaxing. He seemed to be thinking that I had exhausted my stamina and had let my guard down.

Seeing this as an opportunity of a lifetime, I quickly released the strengthening magic that I had been using all over my body, and focused it all on my legs. Then, I leaped forward with all my might and thrust my dagger into Maurice’s side.

Completely caught off guard, Maurice took the full brunt of the attack and crumpled to the ground. “Cough, cough…” he began to cough.

I hurriedly ran over and released the strengthening magic.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Whew, it’s been a while since I’ve been taken down like that…”

“I’m sorry…”

“It’s a test, so you don’t have to apologize. Now then, can you give me the paper so I can stamp the passing mark?”

“Oh, yes. Of course.”

I took out the paper that I had in my pocket and handed it to Maurice, who had stood up.

“However, you were a good opponent after a long time… Huh?” Maurice’s hand, which was about to stamp the paper, stopped. “Voltoris… I’ve heard that surname somewhere. Hey Lark, what’s your father’s name?”

“Huh? It’s Guldo Voltoris.”

As soon as I answered, Maurice froze. Wondering what had happened, I waited for a moment, and then…

“… He had a son!!”

Suddenly, he shouted in a loud voice and grabbed onto my shoulders with both hands. “Lark, are you Guldo’s son!?”

“Yes, that’s right… Do you know him?”

“We used to be party members a long time ago when he was still active as an adventurer.”

“What? Is that true?”

To my surprise, Maurice continued with a sad expression.

“Well, we haven’t seen each other since we disbanded…”

“Is, is that so…”

Somehow, the atmosphere became a bit melancholic. To dispel such an air, Maurice hit his own face with a bang.

“Phew, sorry about that. Hearing his name after so long made me think of the past, but I’m okay now.” Maurice stamped the paper and handed it back to me.

“Alright, Lark, you’re done with the test.”

“Yes. Um… What should I do with this paper?”

“I don’t think you were here when you came, but there should be a school teacher standing at the entrance of this building. Give it to that person, and then you can go home.”

“Okay, got it. Thank you and goodbye.” I bowed my head, and Maurice smiled.

“Hey, I had a good match with you. Take care on your way back.”

Leaving the venue, I returned to the entrance of the school building. When I got back, there was indeed a woman standing there. The woman noticed me and spoke, “Oh, did the exam finish already?”

“Yes, I took up to the third test.” I took out the paper with three stamps and handed it to the woman.

“Wow, that was really fast. Well then, thank you for your hard work. The results will be announced in two days. We will post the names of the successful candidates on the bulletin board of the academy, so please be sure to check it.”

“Understood.”

Finally, bowing to the woman, I moved to the main gate. A carriage belonging to the castle was waiting for us in front of the gate, and it was arranged for me to ride back with Lea. As I got on the carriage, I saw the coachman flinch.

“Oh! Lark-kun, are you done already!?”

“Yes, it seems Lia-chan is not done yet.”

“I think she’ll be back in about 30 minutes. I was surprised because I thought Lark-kun would be returning at the same time.”

I see. If I have that much time, maybe I should read a book. I took out the book that I borrowed from Wallis-kun from my “Useful Box” and started reading.

Thirty minutes later, as the coachman had said, Lia returned.

“Oh, you’re early, Lark-kun.”

“Welcome back. Well, it wasn’t that difficult.”

Now that Lia and I were together, the carriage started moving. After a few tens of minutes, when we arrived at the castle gate, father was already waiting for us.

“Welcome back, both of you. Lark, how was the exam?”

“The written exam was easy. I struggled a bit with the magic and combat tests, though.”

“I see. Well, since you were trained by me and Ars, there’s no doubt you’ll pass, right?”

“I hope so.”

After we entered the castle, I parted ways with Lia and went with father to his office to report that the exam was over.

When we entered the room, Ars, who was working, looked up and smiled. “Lark-kun, you’re back. How was the academy’s exam?”

“I have a good feeling about it, for the most part.”

“That’s great. Oh, by the way, Wallis said he had something to discuss with you earlier.”

Wallis-kun? Understood, I’ll go see him.”

Father said he had another matter to discuss with Ars, so I left the office and headed to the library alone. At this time, the possibility of Wallis being anywhere other than the library was almost zero. I arrived at the library and opened the door. As expected, Wallis was sitting at the table in the back, reading a book with a serious expression.

I approached Wallis, who had not noticed me, and patted him on the shoulder. “I’m back, what’s up?” I asked him.

Wallis lifted his face and got straight to the point. “I found that book we were talking about.”

“Huh… that book?”

“Yes, it was hard to find in the library, but I finally found it. Look, here it is.”

Wallis handed me the book he had next to him. The book in question was about rice, a staple of Japanese cuisine. This was the book Wallis had mentioned when I had complained about being tired of eating only bread and wanting to try a different staple food. He had said he had seen a book with information about some strange grains in the past and had offered to look for it. It seemed he had finally found it today.

I checked the title of the old book I had received. The cover read “The Proper Way to Grow, Use, and Cultivate Rice.” I immediately began to read the text. Here and there, there were handwritten notes in Japanese, like memos.

Hmm… This book was probably written by someone who had been reincarnated from Japan, just like me.

I decided to read the rest of the book in my room and closed it. “Wallis, can I borrow this book for a while?” I asked.

“Of course. I’m in charge of managing the library’s collection, so you don’t need to fill out any paperwork.”

“Thank you,” I said with a smile and left the library.

I skipped back to my room and sat down to read the book carefully. As I read further, I was impressed. This book not only discussed rice but also all sorts of other grains. Moreover, it talked extensively about the greatness of rice.

Furthermore, it seemed that the author of this book had traveled all over the continent, as there were hand-drawn maps on the last page spread. These maps detailed the various regions and what kinds of grains were grown there.

“Wow, this person is amazing. They wanted to bring the greatness of rice to the whole world,” I said to myself.

To write a book like this entirely by hand, the author’s dedication must have been genuine. As I was thinking this, the door to my room opened with my father entering the room inviting me for lunch. So, I inserted a bookmark into the book and put it away in the “Useful Box” before leaving the room.

I’ll read the rest of it next time.

◈◈◈

After lunch, I started combat training with father at the training grounds as usual. I held the training dagger in my hand, but then I had a sudden idea, so I lowered my stance and made a proposal to him.

“Father, could you teach me how to use a one-handed sword today during our training?”

“I don’t mind, but why now all of a sudden?”

“Well, the other day, you said that once my school life calmed down, I could go outside the town. And I thought that using a one-handed sword would be safer in combat because it has a longer reach than a dagger.”

“I see… Alright, I understand. Then let’s start training with a one-handed sword from today.”

“Yes! Thank you very much!”

We immediately switched weapons and started training. In fact, I had trained with a one-handed sword two years ago, but back then, my physique was more suited to using a dagger, so I didn’t take it very seriously. However, now that my body has grown bigger than before, I thought it would be a good idea to learn how to use a one-handed sword again. After about an hour of sparring, I was getting out of breath.

“Haa, haa…”

“Alright, let’s stop here for today.”

“Thank you… I want to focus on using a one-handed sword for a while, so maybe we can skip magic training and increase our training time together,” I murmured softly, but he soon objected, saying, “No, let’s not do that. Of course, sword training is necessary, but Lark is more suited to fighting with magic as a core.”

Indeed, that way of fighting might be more suitable for me, a small person, as he said. However, I wanted to get rid of my aversion to using a one-handed sword as soon as possible…

Apparently, father saw through my mind, and continued to speak, “Besides, Lark likes magic, right?”

“Yes, I do, but…”

“Then it’s better to focus on what you like first. It’s not like we’re taking a break from sword training. Let’s continue as usual without rushing.”

Father’s words made me realize for the first time that I was getting anxious without even realizing it. It seems that I was carried away by the fact that I could go outside the city.

“I understand. I will train diligently,” I said, to which father nodded in satisfaction.

“Well then, since we worked up a sweat during training, should we go take a bath?” he said.

The two of us moved to the bathhouse. As we were getting undressed in the changing room and about to get into the hot bath, Rio had already gotten in. It seemed like he too was sweating after training.

Rio noticed us and called out, “Hey Lark. Your muscles have been getting bigger recently.”

“I’ve been training with father every day. But, Rio-kun, your muscles are amazing too,” I replied.

Indeed, even though Rio was around the same age as me, his body was muscular.

“Well, I have been training longer than Lark, you know. By the way, Guldo-san, would you like to have another match with me sometime? I want you to see how much I’ve improved,” Rio suddenly asked my father, who looked surprised.

“You haven’t asked for a match in the two years since you started living in the castle. What’s with this sudden change of heart?” he replied.

“I’ve been training with the soldiers to improve myself, so that you could see how much I’ve grown. Finally, I feel like I have the results to show, so I wanted to ask again,” Rio said with a serious expression.

Father looked at Rio and replied seriously, “Alright, I understand. Let’s have the match tomorrow morning at the training grounds.”

“Thank you very much,” Rio bowed his head and left the bathhouse.

I had planned to leave after my father-in-law, but today he didn’t seem to want to leave the hot bath so soon. It seemed like he was planning to stay in longer than usual. And so, a spontaneous endurance contest began.

“… Lark, aren’t you about at your limit?” Rio called out to me 10 minutes after he left. Father’s face was dripping with sweat, but I was still doing fine.

“I’m totally fine,” I answered calmly, but soon father’s expression became one of despair.

Not even five minutes later, he jumped out of the bathtub. “It’s too hot!” he exclaimed. Then, he ran straight into the changing room.

“I won…” I said triumphantly as I strolled casually to the changing room, where I found father lying on the floor. I made sure to give a smug grin to my father.

Translator’s Notes

Hi, just wanted to say thanks for reading my translations.

Some of you might notice that Lark’s no longer addressing Guldo by his name, but by ‘father’ instead, even in the narrative parts.

And, I want to clarify that in the raws, Lark’s actually addressing Guldo as stepfather rather than father, but I thought that may sounds weird if I literally translate them as stepfather every single time. Hence, the word ‘father’ in the chapters.