The results of the Royal Academy entrance exam were finally out.
The verdict for Cedric Ebern, the eldest son of the Honorary Viscount Ebern House, was a failure.
"This is impossible! There must be some mistake!"
"My son is the greatest genius of this era! Failing a mere entrance exam—such a thing should never have happened!"
"…………"
Upon hearing the news, Cedric’s parents—Lucas and Liza—descended into a shrill, manic frenzy. Beside them, Cedric sat with a face as pale as a criminal awaiting the executioner's blade.
"It’s all right, my dear Cedric! Your father and I will go to the Academy and protest this at once!"
"Indeed. It is unacceptable for a mere Academy instructor to insult my son! I will deal with this decisively!"
Brimming with indignation, the Ebern spouses boarded their carriage and made for the Royal Academy. Cedric watched them go, his body trembling uncontrollably.
"…………"
"…………"
The couple did not return until evening.
Their shoulders were slumped, their spirits utterly broken. Seeing their dejected state, many of the servants immediately intuited the result of the protest and kept their distance, hoping to avoid the coming storm.
"Father, Mother... um, how did it go?"
"You fool!"
"…………!?"
Lucas struck Cedric across the face the moment the boy stepped into the foyer to timidly greet them. Cedric collapsed onto the floor, staring up at his father in a daze.
"A forty?! You got a forty on the written exam?! And on top of that, you used low-yield area magic during the practical exam and then had the audacity to talk back to the proctor? You lost points for your insolence! What a pathetic, shameful display!"
"Ah, ah... ah..."
Cedric let out a breathless gasp as he rubbed his stinging cheek. He was reeling from the fact that his father had discovered everything, but even more so from the shock of being hit. This was the first time in his life he had ever been struck.
Since childhood, Cedric had lived a life of luxury as a self-proclaimed genius, pampered by his parents. Even when he had nearly killed the daughters of the Marquis Rosemary House, he hadn't been beaten.
"I am disappointed in you... I believed in you, and yet you produce such a disgraceful result..."
"D-Dear..."
His wife, Liza, clung to her husband’s arm.
"W-what is to become of Cedric? Surely, this boy isn't the same as that good-for-nothing, right?"
"Mother..."
"I won't stand for it! I refuse to be known as the mother of a failure, just like that maid! I am a Viscountess. Cedric was supposed to be the one to secure our legacy...!"
Liza wasn't even looking at her son. She wasn't worried about Cedric’s pain; she was only concerned with her own social standing.
Enraged by his wife's pleading, Lucas scratched his head in frustration and spat out his words.
"...The exam isn't only held once. He can stay back a year and try again."
"T-then..."
"However, second-time applicants are held to a much higher standard than normal. No matter how well the practical exam goes, if his written scores are low, they will fail him without mercy."
"N-no...!"
"Even if he passes, he’ll be branded as a repeater. Nobles value honor above all else; it’s inevitable that he’ll be looked down upon. He won't even be in the same year as the Marquis’s daughters... My entire plan is in ruins!"
"I-it’s not my fault! I’m nothing like that maid... I didn't give birth to a failure!"
Liza screamed in a piercing, high-pitched voice, pointing an accusing finger at the stunned Cedric.
"This child failed because of your poor education, Master! I bear no responsibility for this!"
"Don't be ridiculous! You were the one who said, 'Cedric is so brilliant he doesn't need to study,' and let him spend all his time playing!"
"D-Dear, you were the one calling him a genius! Since you’re a Court Mage, I took your word for it and felt at ease! Do not pin the blame on me!"
"Damn it! If Cedric can't become a Court Mage, my plan to become a true noble is...! At this rate, I should just adopt a talented child from elsewhere and be done with it!"
"N-no... please don't abandon me! Father, Mother!"
Cedric clung to them, but his pleas were met only with more shouting. The family's bitter argument raged late into the night. The servants treated the family like a taboo, distancing themselves even further to avoid the fallout.
Ultimately, Cedric was ordered to pass next year's exam at any cost. He was locked in his room and forced into a grueling study regimen.
"Damn it... damn it, damn it, damn it! This is all his fault!"
Chained to his desk, Cedric let out a scream of pure resentment.
"Everything was going perfectly when that brat lived here... Rest! I'll kill you! The next time we meet, I'll definitely kill you!"
The Honorary Viscount Ebern House.
They were supposed to be heading toward a glorious future, yet their happiness had been shattered as if they had stumbled into a pitfall on the road.
Perhaps their blissful existence had only ever been sustained by the sacrifice of Rest.
It was one week later that a messenger from the Marquis Rosemary House arrived at the Ebern estate.