Chapter 14

"Master Zeros, a letter has arrived from Miss Reina."

"Ah, thank you."

The morning after clearing the [Thorn Nest], a letter was delivered by a servant.

The sender was Reina, my older sister by two years, who attends the academy in the capital.

(I wonder what she wants at this time?)

With a sense of curiosity, I opened the letter.

It was filled with her handwriting.

'Dear beloved brother, Zeros.

I heard that you have completed the Crest Bestowal.

I'm sorry I couldn't come because it coincided with an academy quest.

I really wanted to sneak out and attend, but the party members stopped me, and we ended up in a battle that lasted the whole night.

It was five against one, and they all tried to tear apart the bond between you and me. Don't you think that's terrible?

We managed to win the battle, but I didn't want you to see my battered skin, so I had to give up. I'm very sad.'

"Long and scary. And you won?"

I muttered this halfway through the letter.

My sister's way of expressing love is as intense as ever.

Recalling her excessive physical affection from when we lived together, I continued reading.

'Back to the Crest Bestowal.

I heard that the crest you received is the [Void Crest].

It's generally known as a crest that can't even learn a single skill and is considered useless.

—It seems the world is full of fools.

The crest given to my beloved Zeros is useless? That's impossible.

I'm sure the [Void Crest] has a special power that no one in this world knows about.

I eagerly await the day when I can see with my own eyes how you will master it. I might even go there immediately.

Yes, I will go there and talk to the dean. Please wait for me.

I will go there even if I have to fight.

From your loving sister, Reina.'

"......"

The letter seemed to be over.

There was a scary last line, but even if it's Reina, she can't beat the dean, so I'll ignore it.

Still, for her to already know about the Crest Bestowal, the information must have been obtained quickly.

Did she ask one of the servants in the mansion to inform her of the results?

"Still, it's only been three days. Normally, there wouldn't be enough time for a letter to go back and forth..."

There is a magical express service in this world that can deliver a letter from the Sylphid territory to the capital in about a day.

If she used that, this speed would make sense.

However, the magical express service is quite expensive... so she must have wanted to convey this content as soon as possible.

"...This content?"

I decided to temporarily forget the comment that slipped out.

From the content of the letter, it's painfully clear that my sister Reina has always had an unusually heavy affection for me, which was often said to be her only flaw.

By the way, Reina's crest is the same [Sword Crest] as my former one, and she is said to be outstanding in the academy.

With her beautiful appearance, she is popular among both male and female classmates, but there has never been any gossip about her.

It's a mystery.

"......"

For some reason, a chill ran down my spine, but I put that aside.

Suddenly, I remembered that I had been summoned by the Adventurer's Guild.

"Since I'm going anyway, I might as well complete my adventurer registration while I'm at it."

There are several dungeons that cannot be challenged without completing adventurer registration.

I don't need to register immediately, but there's no problem with doing it early.

I prepared my equipment and headed out of my room toward the mansion's entrance.

Just as I was about to go outside, a voice called out.

"Hey! Where does a useless person like you think you're going, all dressed up like that!?"

I turned my gaze in the direction of the voice.

There stood a blonde boy—my half-brother, Dione.

(I've been found by a troublesome person...)

Maintaining a calm face, I answered the question.

"I just thought I'd go into town."

Hearing my answer, Dione snorted.

"What, I thought you were going to fight monsters with that equipment. Well, that's impossible, since you're useless!"

Dione sneered. I felt a mix of wanting to retort and wanting to ignore him and leave because it was too much trouble.

I decided to respond with a sigh.

"Didn't you have experience fighting monsters?"

"Of course! I'm already over level 40! A number you, a useless person, will never reach!"

"Hmm..."

It was higher than I expected. A level equivalent to a D-rank adventurer.

Dione is about half a year older than me, and he received his crest that much earlier.

I've heard rumors that he goes to dungeons with the Sylphid family's guards.

That's why he has reached a high level at a very fast pace.

(Well, the [All Crest] becomes challenging around this level, after the beginner stage...)

There's no need to tell him that.

It would be troublesome if he suddenly got angry...

As I was thinking this, Dione's smile widened.

"Anyway, a person like you won't pass the entrance exam for the Royal Academy... or rather, whether Father will even let you take the exam."

"......"

The academy.

Hearing that word, the first thing that came to mind was the image of my sister, who is already attending it—no, that's not it.

I switched my thoughts and recalled the information I knew about the academy.

The Royal Academy.

It is the world's top educational institution in the Kingdom of Alexia.

Founded about 150 years ago, it didn't even exist 1000 years ago during the time of Creon.

For nobles, graduating from the Royal Academy is the highest honor and the greatest asset in noble society.

However, to be honest, if I just want to get stronger, it's more efficient to efficiently clear dungeons and gain skills.

With my game knowledge, there's no need to attend it forcibly...

(If possible, I'd like to attend the academy, even for a short time.)

After regaining my memories from my previous life and doing some research, I had a realization about the academy.

While attending for three years might be too much, I have a reason to at least get admitted.

And the entrance exam is approaching soon.

(No matter what happens, I need to hurry and build up my strength.)

With this resolve, I brushed off Dione's insults and left the mansion.

I ignored the angry shouts from behind.

When I had walked a certain distance from the mansion, I straightened my posture.

"Alright, let's go."

The destination, of course, was the Adventurer's Guild.

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