[SS4] Studying for the Exam and Meat Pies

His mother was skilled in making pies, turning any fruit, meat, or fish into delicious masterpieces.

The pies were not only elaborate in appearance, with lattice and braided patterns on the surface, but also featured dough resembling flowers and leaves encircling the pie dish.

She often let him assist in decorating the pie crust.

He remembered back to his mother’s swollen belly, decorating the pie while thinking about his soon-to-be-born younger sibling.

——Someday, big brother will make you a delicious pie!

He had once said that to his mother’s belly.

＊　＊　＊

On a day when the heat of summer was mellowing out due to the refreshing autumn winds, Glenn Dudley visited Monica’s house in Sazandol, holding a gift of stuffed sausages.

“Monica! I need your help with studying for the exam!”

Upon hearing the words “exam studying,” Monica tilted her head.

Glenn had graduated from Serendia Academy just this summer, if she recalled correctly.

After a few seconds of contemplation, Monica quickly realized what Glenn meant by “exam.”

“Ah… Is it the mage exam, by any chance?”

“That’s right! The novice one!”

Hearing Glenn’s loud voice, Nero, who was napping by the window, meowed discontentedly.

Isaac placed a plate with chopped meat in front of Nero, then looked at Glenn.

“Dudley-kun, I thought you would have passed the novice level ages ago. Given your skills, it shouldn’t be very difficult, right?”

“Hehe, w-well, you see…”

In response to Isaac’s sincere praise, Glenn wore a happy albeit complicated expression, as if he had mixed feelings about the subject.

“Well… actually, I’ve taken it twice already… and failed the written part both times.”

Having seen Glenn study during his time at Serendia Academy, Monica let out a sigh of understanding.

Even the novice level of the mage exam included questions about the structure of magecraft, laws related to handling magic, history, and knowledge of magical creatures. What’s more, this knowledge couldn’t be acquired in ordinary schools.

Educational institutions for studying magic were not abundant, even in Ridill, a leading magical technology nation.

“Master is busy searching for a new sage. Al is still at Serendia Academy, so I can’t easily meet with him now that I’ve graduated.”

The “Al” Glenn mentioned was none other than the country’s third prince, Albert.

Albert and Glenn were good friends who taught knowledge and practical exercises to each other respectively. When Monica was studying at Serendia Academy, she had also taught Glenn a bit.

That must be why Glenn came to Monica for help.

Nevertheless, his options for teachers were either royalty or members of the Seven Sages. It would seem like an eye-popping choice to most.

“If I fail the mage exam three times in a row, I can’t take it again for two years.”

“W-Well, that’s true…”

“And the other day, my master came back for a short while and started swinging his staff, saying, ‘You know what will happen if you fail it again?’…”

“…Eek!”

For Louis Miller, a staff was not a tool to demonstrate the status of a mage; it was a weapon to beat down his targets.

Monica didn’t want to see her friend getting hurt, and if possible, she wanted to help Glenn.

But no matter how much she wanted to help…

“…I’m sorry, Glenn-san… I can’t assist you with studying.”

“Eh!?”

Glenn, seemingly not expecting a rejection, looked back at Monica with his mouth agape.

Monica, twiddling her fingers, explained in a subdued voice.

“…You see, I supervised the written questions for the mage exam… so I know the exam questions.”

Isaac placed a cup of coffee in front of the apologetic Monica, then spoke with a calm demeanor and an elegant smile.

“While the Silent Witch is famous for chantless magic, her achievements aren’t limited to that. Monica deciphered nearly all existing magic formulas during her time at Minerva, developed twenty-two new formulas, and had an impact on about 30% of the magical formulas listed in basic magic textbooks. Her influence goes even beyond improving existing formulas. Even if that alone is considered a significant achievement worthy of being one of the Seven Sages, my mentor who can use chantless magic on top of that is truly amazing and…”

“Uh, Ike, Ike… that’s enough…”

Monica could not help but fidget during the explanation, so she attempted to stop Isaac. Meanwhile, Glenn was staring at him intently.

“…Whoa, Monica really is amazing… But, I see. So you can’t teach me…”

Glenn slumped onto the table with a dejected expression. His usually lively and bouncy hair seemed to lack vitality today.

Monica looked at the dejected Glenn, dropping her shoulders with disappointment.

If possible, she wanted to help her friend. Moreover, magic was Monica’s specialty. If she couldn’t assist her friend here, then when could she? …Unfortunately, Monica had already seen the next exam questions.

As Monica and Glenn fell into gloom, Isaac patted Glenn’s shoulder.

“If you’re okay with me, shall I teach you?”

“…Huh?”

As Monica and Glenn widened their eyes, Isaac continued.

“I’ve seen the past mage exam questions. I think I can teach you up to the novice level.”

Isaac was falsifying his identity and specialty, so he wasn’t in any position to take the mage exam. Nevertheless, he had been studying for the mage exam through self-learning.

Upon seeing the extent of her disciple’s diligence, Monica once again realized how amazing he was.

＊　＊　＊

“The most significant part of the scoring is the basic magic section, but since the magic-related laws section is easy to score on, let’s remember it thoroughly. You’ll have to describe the interpretation of the law in the advanced level, but it’s a multiple-choice section for the novice level, making it relatively easy.”

“Ugh… I’m not good with laws.”

“Don’t overthink it. Consider them as a sort of promise you make when using magic.”

Saying so, Isaac explained the wording of the laws to Glenn in simpler terms.

Although Glenn had complained that he can’t read complicated texts, he nodded in agreement with Isaac’s explanation.

“Definitely remember the difference between quasi-prohibited magic and prohibited magic because it will come up in the exam. Quasi-prohibited magic is fine to research, but its usage is restricted to specific conditions. Also, there are exceptions for the Seven Sages.”

“Master and Monica are special, huh!”

“That’s right.”

Even though Glenn was stating something quite ordinary and straightforward, Isaac gave him a praising smile and continued his explanation.

Listening to the explanation from the side, Monica secretly admired Isaac’s skills in this area.

Isaac wasn’t just good at explaining things; he was also skilled at keeping Glenn interested. He used analogies with familiar things and expressed technical terms in simpler language. Hence, even Glenn, whose concentration often wavered, managed to listen to the whole explanation.

After finishing the explanation, Isaac wrote something on the back of a used paper. It seemed like he was creating simple practice problems.

“Now, let’s review what we’ve covered so far. Just answer whether it’s true or false, so try it without pressure. Take a break when you’re done, and we’ll eat meat pie.”

“Meat pie!”

Glenn began tackling the practice problems, as his motivation had clearly skyrocketed.

Isaac quietly stood up and headed to the kitchen.

Monica paused her work and followed Isaac.

“Um, Ike… Is there anything I can help with?”

“It’s okay. I just need to reheat the meat pie.”

Indeed, Isaac efficiently handled the process of reheating the meat pie. There was probably nothing Monica, unfamiliar with this type of work, could assist with.

The meat pie inside the oven had an intricate lattice pattern on the surface, with leaf-shaped cutouts of the pastry surrounding the pie dish. Monica could never achieve such a finish no matter how many years she spent.

In the first place, Monica had never even thought of making a pie crust by herself.

(Isaac is so talented…)

While watching Isaac check the color of the pastry, Monica wondered vaguely about the kind of life he had led until now.

She knew he had been playing the role of the second prince for a long time, and was originally a servant of the second prince. However, Monica didn’t know anything from earlier.

What kind of life did he lead before becoming a servant? How did he end up becoming a servant? Did he have a family? …While these weren’t exactly appropriate subjects to ask out of curiosity, Monica thought it would be nice if Isaac shared his history with her one day.

Monica was slightly surprised at her own change in becoming interested in others. Meanwhile, Nero arrived in the kitchen, dragging along the sausages that Glenn had brought. He took them over to Isaac.

“Let’s eat these right away. I want it nicely browned on the surface.”

“Dudley-kun’s meat pie reward comes first.”

Saying so, Isaac took the parcel from Nero’s mouth, storing it in a cupboard that couldn’t be opened with a cat’s paw.

The displeased Nero tapped the floor with his tail and looked up at Isaac with sharp eyes.

“…I’ve been thinking for a while, you know. Aren’t you a bit too nice to that Loudmouth?”

Isaac lightly blinked at Nero’s remark. It was the reaction of someone being pointed out about something they were unaware of.

“Really? …Maybe so.”

Isaac took out the pleasantly warmed meat pie and smiled, seemingly reminiscing about something.

“Well, it’s like taking care of a troublesome little brother, right? Isn’t he cute?”

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