The day of the exam dawned.
The exam was scheduled to take place over the next four days.
During the exam period, there were no regular classes; only three periods of exams were held each day.
Thus, students would be dismissed in the morning.
The students who didn’t care about the exam cheered and enjoyed the shortened schedule, but it was meaningless to those who had prepared seriously.
Ah, and there was a rather disappointing matter.
“Did you bring your pen?”
“Yes, I did.”
“Did you bring the books to study during the break?”
“Yes, I did.”
“Did you bring snacks in case you get hungry?”
“Yes, I did.”
I was preparing to go out in a way that was different from usual.
By my side, Lily pouted and muttered, unhappy.
“Why can’t we bring our summoned creatures into the exam?”
That’s right.
There was a rule that no summoned creatures were allowed in the exam room.
If you were caught sneaking one in, all your exam scores would be invalidated and you’d face disciplinary action.
“It’s probably to prevent cheating. If a summoner can communicate with their summoned creature, it would be very easy to see someone else’s exam paper.”
What if I asked Lily to look at someone else’s paper who is good at studying and tell me?
What if I used invisibility magic?
“Asher, you wouldn’t make that kind of request, right?”
“Of course I wouldn’t, but even so, we can’t make exceptions.”
“Hmm…”
Lily puffed her cheeks in apparent dissatisfaction.
I smiled at her cuteness and playfully kissed her puffed cheeks.
“Still, since we’ll be home early, how about going on a date we haven’t had in a while?”
Lately, we hadn’t gone out much because of all the study and such.
Since this was a chance to eat lunch outside on a weekday, I thought it would be nice to go on a date for once.
Lily’s eyes sparkled at my suggestion, but then dimmed again.
“Ah, I’m fine.”
“Huh?”
I didn’t expect Lily to decline the date.
I thought she would naturally accept with joy.
“Ah, it’s not that I don’t want to go on a date. Of course, I want to go.”
“Then why…?”
“I’ve been studying really hard for this exam. You don’t need to spare time for me unnecessarily.”
I felt my chest swell with emotion.
I didn’t expect Lily to care for me so much…
“Lily…”
At my heartfelt gaze, Lily seemed bashful and turned her head.
I resolved inwardly.
I would definitely do well on this exam.
To repay Lily’s feelings.
With that resolve, I hugged Lily tightly.
“Thank you.”
“For what, this much?”
“Instead, how about we go on a date when the exams are over?”
“Good! I’ll look forward to it.”
After finishing our embrace and preparing to leave after changing shoes at the entrance, Lily held me back.
“Oh, I almost forgot this.”
“Huh?”
Lily softly kissed my lips.
Click.
Sharing a kiss filled with affection, I then took the door handle.
“I’m leaving!”
“Yeah, come back safely~!”
Stepping out of the room, I headed towards the exam venue with a brisk pace.
Thanks to the massage and reward Lily gave me yesterday, my body and mind were in excellent condition.
For some reason, I felt like I would do well on the exam today.
There was no particular reason, but I had a good feeling about it.
—-
Meanwhile, in the Academy Chancellor’s office.
While savoring the scent of the youngest daughter’s tea, a voice echoed in the Chancellor’s mind.
“-Wasn’t it exam time starting today?”
“That’s right.”
“-The students are going to suffer.”
“Not really. After all, only those who have to take it will.”
In fact, most students choose the practical exam over the written one.
Since the Academy aims to cultivate excellent magicians, practical exams are given more weight.
“-Ah, how’s Arthur doing?”
“That boy always focuses on the written exams. He hasn’t lost first place since he enrolled.”
“-Oh, he must be smart?”
“…”
The Chancellor silently lifted his teacup.
The tea was too hot to drink at the moment.
The Chancellor, who had once burned his tongue by drinking hot tea weeks ago, was always careful.
So why lift the teacup now?
“Of course not. There’s someone whose blood flows in him. It’s only natural he’s smart.”
The Chancellor hid his twitching lips by pretending to savor the tea.
Then,
“Hi?”
“!!!!!”
Suddenly, the voice from behind startled the Chancellor almost knocking over the teacup.
Barely catching the cup, he set it down on the desk and muttered.
“Did you finish your notes before coming in?”
At that, Lily tapped on the window.
“Tang tang-”
“Done.”
“…”
“-What’s wrong? Why is Lily here all of a sudden…”
The Chancellor quickly severed his connection with Hypnos.
“At least let me know beforehand. I was talking to an Elder God. Do you know how terrifying it is to have an Outer God behind me?”
“I know. There was a time someone contacted me during an Outer God meeting.”
“…”
Speechless, the Chancellor sighed deeply.
“So, what’s up?”
Lily waved her hand in the air.
Then a transparent barrier surrounded the Chancellor’s office.
“Since Arthur is taking his exam anyway, I thought we should finish the conversation we didn’t get to last time. Don’t you have questions about me?”
“Alright, sit down first.”
Lily sat down opposite the Chancellor.
Unlike her usual habits, she didn’t cross her legs this time, showing her respect for the person in front of her.
Since the Chancellor had close ties with Arthur, Lily decided to give him at least minimal respect.
“First question. Are you human?”
“Definitely human. Though, sometimes I question that myself.”
“Yet you’ve lived for hundreds of years? Looking at you, I don’t see any contracts with Outer Gods or Elder Gods.”
The Chancellor shook his head.
“I did make a contract. Though it’s not related to my lifespan.”
“Then how can a normal human live for hundreds of years?”
“Not normal.”
The Chancellor took a sip of the lukewarm tea.
“Let me tell you this first. I’m not from this dimension. I came from a distant parallel dimension.”
“But that’s impossible unless…”
“Impossible if I came alone.”
“Together?”
What kind of crazy Outer God would bring a human through dimensions?
“Um… if we can count it as ‘together’ when I was swallowed up and came through that way… yeah, together.”
“…What?”
“Exactly as it sounds. I was being digested by a Great Old One. Then an Elder God cut open that Great Old One, and that’s how I survived.”
At the memory, the Chancellor shuddered.
“It was a truly horrifying experience.”
“Since then, you haven’t been able to go back?”
“Yeah, that’s how things turned out.”
“What about your lifespan?”
“I ate the mucus of that Great Old One. Later, Nodens told me that it acted like a kind of preservative.”
Lily nodded.
She also knew of this method used by the Great Old Ones and Outer Gods to live such long ages.
You store food by eating and preserving it internally, keeping it alive forcibly to keep it fresh.
“By eating that, you’ve managed to live to this day?”
“Exactly. Honestly, I didn’t expect to live this long. I thought I might live a hundred years. But to live several times that length…”
The Chancellor sighed deeply and took a sip of tea.
“Hmm. Now, I have a few questions for you. When did you meet Arthur?”
“Late last fall.”
“How did you meet?”
“I was hiding in the Dreamland forest, almost dead after being attacked by Nodens, and Arthur took care of me.”
“Wait, Arthur was in Dreamland?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“…Didn’t you say he was just a normal human before meeting you?”
“Yes. Occasionally, humans accidentally end up there. Arthur didn’t even know what kind of place it was.”
“Huh…”
The Chancellor tried to calculate the probability in his head, seeing a astronomical number, and quickly dismissed it.
“Ah, I had the most important question earlier. How do you handle… your ‘meals’?”
At this, Lily averted her eyes.
“…Arthur helps.”
“What?!”
The Chancellor jumped up from his seat.
“You’re draining Arthur’s life force?”
“That’s not something to worry about.”
“Life force is directly tied to lifespan. How can I not wo-”
“Golden Honey Mead.”
At this single word from Lily, the Chancellor was forced to close his mouth.
“With that diluted every meal.”
At Lily’s explanation, the Chancellor nodded.
‘If you feed him that, it’s not unreasonable. He’d actually become healthier.’
Lily frowned and shot back.
“Would I let the person I love die? Even if we can’t spend hundreds of years together, thousands, even millions… we’ll be together forever. Don’t worry.”
At Lily’s words, the Chancellor sat back down.
He fell into thought about the implications of Lily’s statement.
Having lived hundreds of years, he knew eternal life could also be a kind of hell.
The love from an Outsider.
As he considered what that might mean for his descendant, the Chancellor noticed something.
Something that shattered all his concerns.
Pointing at Lily’s left hand with a trembling voice, the Chancellor asked.
“What’s that?”
“Huh? What?”
The Chancellor pointed to her left hand.
Specifically, the red-jeweled ring on her ring finger.
“Ah, this?”
Showing the ring, Lily smiled brightly.
“Arthur gave it to me.”
“Does the ring on the left ring finger mean…?”
As the Chancellor left the question hanging, Lily nodded.
With that, the Chancellor’s eyes began to tremble.
They had known each other well, but to hear they were engaged was unexpected…
Especially, seeing Lily’s expression when looking at the ring made the Chancellor double-take.
Her cheerful smile was something entirely unlike the illustrious name she bore.
Just an ordinary woman’s smile.
‘Momentarily, that means… my relationship with Nyarlathotep…’
Thunk.
The Chancellor felt something snap in his mind.
Bang.
“No! I protest this marriage!”
Slamming the table, the Chancellor stood up shouting.
Lily shot to her feet as well.
“What right do you have to oppose our marriage?”
“Can’t we just stay together without getting married?”
“Does that even make sense?”
“It’s fine without marriage. Just living together… yeah, actually, like a trial marriage-”
“Why are you saying this all of a sudden?”
Lily looked at the Chancellor with suspicion.
“Even if you oppose, Arthur and I will get married.”
“Graaa…”
The Chancellor clutched his head and writhed, and Lily, watching him strangely, shook her head and prepared to leave.
But then the Chancellor called out desperately.
“Hold on! Let me ask one last thing.”
“What?”
“Where are things between Arthur and you…?”
“Stop nosing around, old man.”
With that, Lily dissolved the barrier.
Glancing at the Chancellor once more, she disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Alone again, a voice echoed in the Chancellor’s mind.
“What did you say to make Lily leave like that?”
“…Hypnos.”
“Yeah?”
The Chancellor muttered dejectedly.
“Do I… seem like a know-it-all to you?”
“?”
“…?”
