"The Talented Dragon Hides Its Claws" ~ The Eldest Son of the Baron Family, Called Useless, is Actually One of the World's Strongest ~ - Episode 64

Imperial Academy, early morning on the day of the entrance exam.

The two are riding in a carriage, heading towards the Imperial Academy.

“Lena, are you nervous?”

“No. A lot has happened this past year. I don’t think I’ll be overwhelmed by the atmosphere of the venue.”

Her eyes, which smiled softly, were very strong and reassuring.

“……I see. As expected of Lena.”

The incidents they have experienced over the past year were basically intentionally caused by Ryu. There are many reasons, but it doesn’t change the fact that I made them go through a tough time during the exam period, so I briefly considered apologizing, but somehow managed to hold back. For now, I should send her off with a refreshing feeling.

“Please do your best too, big brother.”

“Ah, I’ll do my best too. For Arden.”

Actually, today, after dropping off Lena, Ryu plans to head to the Imperial Castle. Originally, it was supposed to be much later, but according to Estelle, the academy is supposedly right next to the castle, so Ryu decided to take care of the troublesome matters today.

(While Lena is working hard, it feels kind of wrong for me to be slacking off.)

Arrived at the main gate of the academy.

On the day of the entrance exam, entry was prohibited for anyone other than the examinees, so several carriages lined the street in front of the gate. Some were sending encouraging words to their children, while others were chatting with acquaintances from the nobility. Nobles who had participated in the western front could also be seen here and there.

Stop the carriage and head towards the gate.

Near the entrance, several students wearing uniforms with badges were standing and guiding the examinees to the venue. On the other side of them, there was a particularly eye-catching beautiful female student.

That female student noticed me and waved.

“Ah, there’s Flora over there!”

“To think you would actually come running…”

Lena cheerfully waved back, and Ryu bowed his head slightly. However, due to the large number of people, her figure was quickly hidden.

(My turn ends here.)

Ryu took the necklace out of his pocket.

“Lena, I want you to accept this amulet.”

“From my brother to me…? With pleasure!!!”

Lena slightly lowered her head.

He probably wants me to put it on for him.

To meet that expectation, he gently placed the necklace around her neck.

Thank you very much! I will cherish it for a lifetime!

Lena is gazing at the necklace with sparkling eyes.

I’m glad to see that you enjoyed it.

“Well then, Lena. Miss Flora is waiting over there. This is where we part ways.”

“Yes! I will definitely pass!”

I don’t need long-winded words.

Trust is inherently like that.

Lena passed through the gate without hesitation and disappeared into the crowd.

“Flora-san!”

“Lena-chan! You’re full of energy today too! Since the venue is a bit far, shall we head out for now?”

“Yes! Please guide me!”

The two of them head to the venue.

Not only are there magnificent buildings on the campus, but also fountains and statues.

“Wow, it’s spacious!”

“This is one of the top five educational institutions on the continent.”

At that moment, the necklace was caught by the wind and sparkled as it danced.

“Huh? Lena-chan, that necklace is…?”

(I don’t think I was wearing it a few days ago, but…)

“This is the talisman I received from my older brother!”

“I see… It really suits you, Lena-chan. With this, there’s no doubt you’ll pass.”

Thank you very much!

Flora was captivated by the necklace for a while.

She had received many jewels and accessories from young masters until now. Therefore, her eye should have been quite well-trained, but for some reason, she couldn’t resist the charm of this necklace.

“Hey Lena, by the way, have you asked about the details of that necklace? Like where it was bought or the name of the craftsman, and so on?”

“I just received it a moment ago, so I haven’t been able to listen to it yet.”

“I see… I’m sorry for bringing up a strange topic before your exam.”

“No, no, not at all! If the roles were reversed, I would have asked the same question. This necklace is that beautiful. Especially this… ‘silver scales’…”

Lena held the silver scales crafted into the pendant of her necklace up to the sun.

Meanwhile, at the imperial castle.

Tap, tap, tap…

In the cold hallway, footsteps echoed.

The master of the sound strides forward, his crimson hair flowing behind him.

Their presence is like that of a lion.

The knight swallowed hard and beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.

“Your Majesty, we have been waiting for you.”

“Open up.”

“Ha!”

Gogogogo.

This is the audience chamber. Until Emperor Iris Astoria takes his seat on the throne, no one is to raise their head.

“Raise your face.”

“……”

Ryu raised his face while keeping one knee on the ground.

“It’s been a while, Ryu Arden.”

The moment the Empress came into view, a scorching wind swept past me with a whoosh.

“…It is a great relief to see that Your Majesty is in good health.”

Currently, besides the two of them, only the royal knights and the chancellor can be seen here.

(Although I came without an appointment, I thought all the important people in the castle would be summoned…)

A bad premonition crossed Ryu’s mind.

“Time is precious, so I’ll get straight to the point before you change your mind. First, in this recent battle—the Western Front—Baron Arden, serving as Chief of Staff, showed remarkable performance. In particular, the defeat of the hero brought great benefits to the Empire. If I were to list more, it would be endless, so I’ll refrain from doing so.”

The queen took a breath.

“Therefore, it is decided to award the Second Order of the Medal to Baron Arden.”

“It is an overwhelming honor, and I am deeply delighted.”

Since the royal guard brought the medal, Ryu received it with reverence and immediately pinned it to his chest.

This was the established custom.

“I have prepared two rewards. Mentioning one here would be somewhat impolite. However, regarding the title, it is necessary to announce it to the entire country. Forgive me.”

“Ha!”

“Effective today, the Arden family will be elevated from a baronial house to a viscountcy.”

“Grateful happiness”

“The procedures will be carried out gradually, but for today’s audience, this is it… Do you have any questions?”

There is none.

“I see. Then the audience is concluded.”

“Ha!”

(I thought I would be told various things, but it ended up going surprisingly smoothly. I’m grateful.)

Ryu lowered his face.

Of course, you must not raise your head until the Empress leaves again.

However…

“……””……”

The empress will never leave the throne, no matter when.

The Empress’s tone of voice changed.

“Ryu Arden. From here on, this is a private space. You may raise your face.”

“Ah, yes.”

(As expected, this is how it turns out)

“Ryu, you previously claimed that you didn’t have a spear during the Man Tester battle, but was that a lie?”

“It’s true.”

“However, it seems you caused quite a stir on the Western Front. I’ve heard all about it from the high seas.”

“This time I felt motivated, so I put in a bit of effort. That’s all there is to it.”

“I am sad. To think that you, whom I trusted so much, were hiding something from me…”

“It’s not like I was hiding it or anything.”

“Don’t make excuses.”

“Excuse me”

The Empress didn’t care whether she had the spear or not; she just wanted to indirectly confirm her combat power at that time. Ryu, knowing this, played dumb, and now he’s being nagged about it.

By the way, thank you for the port town project.

“Don’t try to change the subject. I won’t be swayed.”

“I’m going on a Hinomaru expedition with Esther now.”

“Oh, you’re taking Esther with you? You really managed to get that lazybones to move. How did you persuade her?”

“I lured them with candy.”

“I see, so that’s the way to do it… or rather, that’s not it.”

The empress cleared her throat.

“Let’s get back to the topic. Ryu, I’ll be blunt. I think you might have anticipated this, but…”

“…Don’t you want to be listed among the Imperial Sorcerers?”

「「「「「!？」」」」」

The royal guards were astonished and widened their eyes.

(An imperial magician…?)

To a fourteen-year-old boy viscount!?

(So, he is such a remarkable person…!)

(I never imagined I would witness the birth of a magician…)

It seems everyone thinks Ryu will nod in agreement, but what will his answer be…?