"Happy birthday Vivillian!" The nuns at the church sung happily, clapping their hands as a special home made cake was slowly set on the table.
Vivillian and Elva were probably the eldest children there, with the others leaving to start learning a trade.
A new cycle of kids had cycled in, and they eyed the cake with admiration in their eyes, some feeling envious.
"Sister Annie, why can't I get a cake like that?" A little blond girl asked one of the nuns.
"Then there will be too many cakes to bake, my dear." Sister Annie comforted the little girl. "These are the children that have stayed with us longer than any other, and today is their last birthday with us before they leave."
"Oh...then can I get a cake when I'm the oldest?" She asked hopefully.
"Of course, my dear."
Elva sat on a chair, raising his eyebrow at the interaction. For his birthday, the sisters had cooked his favorite meal and sung him happy birthday, and Viv got a cake when he doesn't even like sweets. He crossed his arms, he was older by a few months too.
Beside Elva, Viv silently stared at his expression, reading the thoughts on his face.
"It's because ever since I've been here, the orphanage has been getting more funding. Plus, I'm a guaranteed investment as a noble, they're probably hoping I'll come sponsor them in the future when I graduate."
"So are you gonna sponsor them?" Elva tilted his head, asking quietly.
"No."
"Tsk, how unfilial."
"You should know by now what my personality is like." Viv found amusement in seeing the souring mood on Elva's face, as he stared at the cake with silent distaste.
"You guys can eat the cake, I already ate and I'm full." He bowed and nodded his head at the sisters, before leaving unceremoniously.
The sisters seemed dejected, as Elva awkwardly took his leave too.
"He only blew out his candles too..." The blond girl added.
—-
Only just a few days later, it was time for the annual Einsvul Academy's entrance exam.
It was an important event to everyone in the Empire and even the surrounding countries, but this year, it was especially important with the Crown Prince of the Slachal Empire, the son of a famous dark arts magician, the eldest son of a long family of prestigious knights, and even some foreign nobility that came to attend.
Though the expectation was high, as long as you had been carefully studying the supplements provided by your tutor, for nobility, it was essentially a guaranteed entry. Those who failed the exam in this category only suffered from lack of innate mana, stupid/incompetent, or too much of a danger for the academy to handle.
For the commoners however, it was only a 15-20% chance of getting in without proper tutoring from the right people. Most commoners who were accepted into the academy probably passed only due to a usually high mana capacity, as this was the case for Lizzy Youtech, the heroine of LaD who was sponsored by a mage's association.
As a commoner you had to pay the highly expensive tuition fee if you were not sponsored by an organization, which already ruled out 97% of all commoners ever even trying to enroll. Exceptions to this rule were servants, who could attend classes for free, but couldn't participate in any exams or certain events.
Elva and Vivillian took a taxi carriage to Einsvul, staying silent along the way as Viv read a book, and Elva nervously looked outside.
"Just as Fennel said, I could always attend Einsvul as your servant if I don't pass the test..." Biting his thumb, Elva muttered underneath his breath.
Frowning, Viv scrutinizing Elva as his gaze looked him up and down.
"Stop putting your thumb in your mouth, that's gross." Vivillian furrowed his brow, as he looked away. "As long as you're not a complete idiot or have zero mana capacity, you'll pass. So don't act so obnoxious."
Elva paused, before quickly putting his hand away from his mouth. He looked slightly confused, as he looked at Viv.
"Are you...trying to comfort me?"
"I will sew your mouth shut when you are asleep."
"Sorry, I'll stay silent."
Sitting upright, Elva looked out the window again, before glancing at Viv, who still read a book. The title of it was The 3 Main Parts of the World.
Despite growing up with Viv, even though Elva could somewhat understand Viv's emotions by looking at his face, there was still only one word that he could describe him as.
Monster.
It seemed with each passing year, Vivillian grew more distant from everyone, his behavior shifting from willing to put on a facade of normalcy, to showing indifference if his true personality came through.
As Elva thought about it, he hummed to himself thinking, wondering how he managed to deal with Viv for all these years.
I bet if I died right now, Viv would only look at my body and say, "Stupid." Before leaving...
His eyebrow quirked as he thought about this, it seems like the most plausible reaction from him.
Come to think of it, it's also been a while since Elva had seen Viv use that disgusting ability of his to transform.
He had always doubted Viv's human authenticity because of his ability to shape shift at will, but he was exceptionally weak despite his cold demeanor, so Elva always put it in the back of his mind.
"If I'm not dead yet, surely he must be a weak monster..."
"Did you say something?" Viv looked up from his book.
"Ack, nothing at all..."
—-
The entrance exam consisted of two parts, the easiest being the written exam, -for nobles at least-.
In the vast lecture hall, a gray haired male professor looked bored as he looked at the rows of students slowly trickling in. His tired gray eyes drifted to a few particular students, one of them being a noticeable short one wearing a beret.
"Attention, everyone." The Professor cleared his throat, and casually cast magic to amplify his voice. "Quiet down, as this is just one of many lecture halls that will be holding test taking students."
Viv was slightly caught off guard, it reminded him speakers and microphones back on Earth, difference was, the Professor's voice was very clear, as if he were talking right in front of him.
Elva had been put in another test taking room as the seating was randomized, and Viv was alone at the edge of the row, with only one person on his left.
"I will be in charge of overseeing your exams today, you may refer to me as Professor Strong." The gray haired man stayed indifferent as a few silent snickers from the students stuck out in the quiet lecture hall.
"If you have any questions, or complaints during the test, then raise your hand. Cheating is absolutely prohibited on Einsvul Academy grounds and a zero tolerance policy has been made to enforce it. Students suspected of cheating or having been caught cheating will be suspended indefinitely or expelled. Depending on the severity, students may find themselves at risk of legal action being held against them."
An audible gulp could be heard from the kid sitting next to Viv.
"..." Vivillian's eyebrows twitched, feeling uncomfortable.
"Having said all that gibberish..." Professor Strong yawned. "You may all begin."
He snapped his fingers, and instantly, dozens if not hundreds of test papers flew out from his desk, all of them aligning perfectly with each student and desk.
It was a very interesting feat to look at, even Viv was slightly impressed as he saw such obvious show of magic in this world for the first time in his life, -minus himself-.
As the students marveled at the efficiency of the magic, they quickly got their wits together as they grabbed the provided pens, and began to work.
After what seemed like a long time, Vivillian finally set down his paper and took a long, slow stretch.
My goodness, this is just an otome game, yet I got flashbacks of my college exam...
He sighed inwardly, it's not like he wasn't used to exams like this though. In fact, it was easier compared to what he had done in the past.
Looking to see if any other students had finished, Vivillian was stunned to see basically everyone still working in their papers.
That was, until, he met eye to eye with a golden haired boy.