Chapter 99

After a while.

"It's done."

"Huh?"

He couldn't believe his ears. When William turned around, Amelia was timidly holding a stack of test papers.

"Already finished?"

"Y-Yes... I'm sorry, was it too late?"

"No, no, no, no, no."

He couldn't help but drop his formal speech.

"Too early! I set a one-hour limit considering the amount and level, but it hasn't even been ten minutes yet?"

"R-Really? I thought it took much longer..."

"Maybe there were a lot of questions you didn't understand, so you left many blanks?"

"No, I, I filled in all the answers..."

"......"

"......"

"......Let's grade it, shall we?"

"Y-Yes, please..."

William took the test papers from the tense Amelia and began to review them.

(Even if she filled in all the answers, there's no way she could have answered correctly in such a short time...)

He flipped through the first, second, and third pages.

(If she gets half right, that would be great; 70% correct would be excellent... Hmm...?)

William's eyes, which were checking the answers at an incredible speed, gradually widened.

After confirming the last page, he looked up at the ceiling for a moment.

"...Perfect score."

William's voice of surprise echoed in the reception room.

His face clearly said, "I can't believe it."

"Yay..."

Amelia clenched her fists in front of her chest and beamed.

Sylphie clapped her hands modestly, saying, "Well done, Lady Amelia."

"Indeed, this is... I mean, it's completely unexpected... Anyway, it's absolutely remarkable."

William, who probably hadn't prepared comments for a perfect score, still seemed to be struggling to accept the fact of a perfect score.

"R-Really? If I may say so, the questions seemed quite basic, so I finished early, which made me even more anxious..."

"......I see."

(She had a worried look during the test because it was too easy and made her anxious...)

Ha... William couldn't help but laugh.

He had included some advanced questions to test her abilities.

But for Amelia, it seemed as easy as climbing a single step.

"I had a vague feeling that you had extensive knowledge even before yesterday, but seeing the actual results is truly impressive... Lady Amelia's academic level is undoubtedly at a very high level."

"Really? Thank you...!! I'm so happy!"

Amelia's heart leaped at being praised for her genuine achievements.

"Still, what should we do..."

William scratched his head, looking puzzled.

"I was planning to explain the parts you couldn't solve today... but with a perfect score, there's nothing left to do."

"Oh... I see... I'm sorry for disrupting your plans..."

"No, no, no, no! Not at all! On the contrary, this is the best possible outcome for Lady Amelia."

William was right.

"A perfect score on this test means that there's nothing more for Amelia to learn in the basic fields. So, Lady Amelia can move on to the next step right away."

"I see... That sounds good..."

Although she didn't fully grasp it, it was still a fortunate situation.

Understanding this, Amelia's expression was filled with relief.

The fact that Amelia herself didn't seem to realize the magnitude of her achievement also indicated the depth of her abilities.

(Still, it seems we need to move on to more advanced topics...)

At this young age, she had knowledge that surpassed what he taught university students.

Thinking about her future, he couldn't help but shudder.

An indescribable excitement surged through his body, far more intense than when he lectured at the university.

However, he also felt a mysterious pressure, a kind of awe, knowing that it was up to him to nurture or stifle this girl's talent.

(I need to calm down and think...)

Just as William took a deep breath to think, a knock echoed through the reception room.

"Excuse me."

Sylphie bowed and quickly headed to the door to answer.

"What... is it? I'm in charge at this time..."

"S-Sorry, Sylphie. I... need to talk to... both of them..."

The conversation at the door was heard in fragments.

(What's going on...)

Taking advantage of the pause in the conversation, Amelia naturally listened.

William also looked at the door with a puzzled expression.

"Oh, Laila!?"

Sylphie's anxious voice rang out.

Laila, who had been running, quickly came to Amelia and William.

Her usual bright and lively expression was nowhere to be seen.

Seeing her face, which looked like melted lead, Amelia sensed that something was seriously wrong and asked quietly.

"Laila, what's wrong?"

Laila, with a determined look, knelt down.

Amelia and William were startled for a moment, but then Laila pressed her head to the floor and said in a voice that echoed through the reception room.

"Please... help my mother...!!"