Chapter 76

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That day, the "Royal Alchemist Apprentice" examination day was particularly busy.

Apparently, they had put more effort into recruitment, and there were clearly more examinees than in the previous exam. Just guiding them was a challenge, and I had to run back and forth between the examination hall and the operation headquarters multiple times to fetch this and that. I must have run up and down the corridors countless times. I had even become accustomed to the reproachful gazes of the adults.

---

It was then. The sound of rustling papers shook my eardrums. I stopped in my tracks and turned around to see a young man scattering a pile of documents and papers on the floor.

Even though I was in a hurry, I couldn't just leave him after seeing that, so I called out to him.

"Hey, are you okay?"

The young man had dark blue, wavy hair. His eyes were hidden behind his long, wavy bangs and glasses, but he was clearly a stranger. His attire was different from any of the uniforms worn by those who worked in the royal castle.

It hit me. He was probably, no, definitely an examinee for the "Royal Alchemist Apprentice" exam.

As I approached, he looked up at me. Our green eyes met.

"Wh-What!? Oh, yes! I'm fine, I'm fine! I must be in the way, right? I'm sorry!"

The young man frantically gathered the scattered documents. After picking up a few and handing them to him, he bowed and tried to run off, saying, "I'm sorry!"

When he stood up, I was surprised by his height, which was taller than I had expected. But more importantly, he was heading in the wrong direction. I called out to his retreating back.

"Are you an examinee for the Royal Alchemist exam? The examination hall is not that way!"

The young man's steps halted. He must have been an examinee.

He returned to me with a stiff, robotic movement. He was indeed quite tall, perhaps as tall as or even taller than Arnold.

When I looked at his face up close, he was blushing and silent. From his appearance, he must have been very nervous. I found it endearing and smiled.

"I'm going to the examination hall too, so I can guide you."

"Thank you, thank you..."

The young man walked a few steps behind me, bowing repeatedly. We hurried to the examination hall. I was considering whether to say something to ease his tension when, surprisingly, he asked a question.

"Excuse me, are you a Royal Alchemist?"

"Huh?"

"That uniform..."

The white coat he pointed at was the one issued to Royal Alchemist apprentices. I was so used to wearing it that I didn't usually notice, but from the outside, it was indeed distinctive.

I nodded in response to his question.

"Yes, I am. But I'm still an apprentice."

I almost said "assistant" but caught myself in time. It wouldn't make sense to explain my special position.

The young man's green eyes behind his glasses lit up. He sighed softly.

"Wow. You must be very talented, unlike me."

"That's not true..."

"I've been failing the exams for a long time. This is my last chance..."

His words reminded me of the recruitment requirements for Royal Alchemist apprentices.

--- Eligibility: Males and females aged 14 to 20.

If this year was his last chance, he must be 19, which is considered an adult in this world. No wonder he seemed so tall. Of course, he was tall, but his well-built frame made him look even more grown-up.

"Ahaha, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought up such a gloomy topic."

The young man, a man, smiled wryly at me. "I'm sorry," he said, bowing slightly as he continued to walk.

The conversation ended there, but the entrance to the examination hall wasn't far. I felt the awkwardness of the silence before we reached the hall.

"Please take a seat in an empty spot and wait for a while."

The man bowed repeatedly, his back hunched. He seemed extremely shy, and I didn't know how to react, so I just waved my hands in front of my face and smiled wryly, saying, "Don't worry about it."

As we repeated this exchange at the entrance, another examinee arrived. Realizing we were blocking the entrance, the man bowed deeply one last time and walked into the examination hall. However, his right hand and right foot moved simultaneously.

Seeing his awkward tension, I couldn't help but call out to him.

"Hey! I saw a glimpse of the notes in the documents you dropped. They were very neatly written..."

He turned around. After a moment's hesitation, I continued.

"I hope your efforts pay off. Have confidence and do your best."

The corners of his mouth, which had been tense, relaxed slightly.

---

The quiet corridor was bathed in the setting sun. The first day's written exam had ended, and I was busy with cleanup, running back and forth between the examination hall and the operation headquarters.

"Excuse me."

"Huh?"

I turned around to see a man with dull red hair standing there. His hair, which was tousled in various directions, was loosely tied back.

The slender man had a clearly adult appearance, and although his eyes were sharp, he exuded an aura of being in trouble. I tilted my head and approached him.

"Um, have you seen a girl about this tall? She has light pink hair and amber eyes..."

As he said this, he also looked around with his "amber" eyes. His speech was somewhat halting, and he seemed unaccustomed to using polite language.

I tried to recall my memories. A girl with light pink hair and amber eyes. Her striking appearance would stand out in a crowd, but unfortunately, I couldn't find such a girl in my memory.

I shook my head, worried that she might be lost.

"I'm sorry, I—"

"Ahaha! There you are, Shisho! Don't just wander off like that!"

At that moment, a cute girl's voice echoed down the corridor. She ran past me and tackled the man in front of me.

She had light pink hair, which was styled in a complex ponytail. As I looked at her neatly braided hair, I felt relieved that she had been found.

"You're the one who got lost, you know..."

The man's deep sigh shook my eardrums. I had been distracted by the sudden appearance of the girl, but upon reflection, she had indeed spoken as if the man was the one who had gotten lost.

Are they related? They didn't share any physical features, and their personalities seemed very different even in this brief moment.

The girl, seemingly unconcerned with the man's words, tilted her head.

"Hey, Shisho, where are Leon and Sieg?"

"They're looking for you. Come on, let's go."

The man took the girl's hand and bowed to me. Just as he was about to leave, the girl slipped out of his hand and ran to me.

Her large amber eyes looked up at me. Despite her adorable appearance, her eyes seemed to see through me, and I took a half-step back. At that moment, her amber eyes overlapped with someone in my memory.

I tried to think about who they overlapped with, but the girl interrupted my thoughts.

"Hey, are you a Royal Alchemist?"

"Y-Yes."

The girl's eyes narrowed in delight. She puffed out her chest and said,

"I'm Iris! I'm going to be a Royal Alchemist too, so please take care of me! Oh, but you're already a Royal Alchemist, so you're my senior, right?"

The girl, with her adorable appearance, seemed to have a strong personality. Her words about becoming a Royal Alchemist confirmed that she was an examinee. However, she already seemed to be confident that she would become an apprentice.

She must be very confident—no, she seemed to believe she would pass without a doubt. However, there was no arrogance in her attitude, only the innocence of youth. She might be a genuine prodigy.

"Stop fooling around and let's go."

The man grabbed the girl by the neck and dragged her away. Despite being dragged, the girl's gaze remained on me. For a few seconds, our amber eyes met. Her eyes, sparkling in the sunset, made me feel uneasy—then, I suddenly "remembered."

"When you look at me, it feels like you can see through everything, and it makes me a bit uncomfortable."

The voice that echoed in my ears was deeper and more mature than my current voice, the voice of my childhood friend. The person he had said this to was the heroine of the ancient species.

During our journey, she had been surprised when he said this, especially by her amber eyes.

---

The man dragged the girl away, but her gaze remained on me. Her amber eyes, sparkling in the sunset, made me feel uneasy. Suddenly, I "remembered" something.

"When you look at me, it feels like you can see through everything, and it makes me a bit uncomfortable."

The voice that echoed in my ears was deeper and more mature than my current voice, the voice of my childhood friend. The person he had said this to was the heroine of the ancient species.

During our journey, she had been surprised when he said this, especially by her amber eyes.