IHDOE Ch 36

She checked the answers multiple times in disbelief, but there was no mistake. Every single response was correct.

How is this even possible?

As she stared at Blin in shock, the girl offered a sullen scowl, defensive.

[Blin] "What? Why are you looking at me like that? You told me to do the homework, so I did it. What's the problem? Ugh, fine. I was going to ask how you beat me at cards since I finished my homework, but forget it."

[Stella] "No, I'm just surprised because you got every single answer right."

Blin shouted before Satina could even finish her sentence.

[Blin] "I didn't copy the answer key!"

[Stella] "Huh?"

[Blin] "You took the answer key with you! How could I copy it? Besides, the problems weren't even that hard...!"

[Stella] "Calm down first. I'm not scolding you or accusing you. Why would I scold you when you got every answer right? I should be praising you."

[Blin] "Really? You mean it?"

Unable to believe her words, Blin asked for confirmation several times before finally exhaling in relief.

[Blin] "Then you should've said so from the start! Who praises someone with a face like that? Whew, I thought I was getting scolded again!"

[Stella] "I was just caught off guard. Honestly, since you barely seemed to pay attention during class, I didn't expect much."

[Blin] "Hmph. I learned all that stuff before. Besides, those problems were all easy..."

[Stella] "Easy?"

Looking closely at the pages, there were no marks of hesitation beside the questions. The clean workbook revealed she had written down the answers immediately upon reading them.

Satina pointed to a fairly challenging question.

[Stella] "Was this one easy too?"

Blin shrank back slightly, looking subdued.

[Blin] "Well, it's not like it was easy, exactly... I mean..."

[Stella] "Stand tall—I'm not trying to scold you. I'm asking because I'm curious. Was this problem easy too?"

Hesitating, Blin nodded slowly.

[Blin] "Yes, well... it wasn't hard."

Impressive.

Although they were fundamental concepts, the questions were trickily phrased—difficult for anyone taking lessons again after a long break. Yet Blin found them effortless.

[Stella] "Wait here a moment."

Satina immediately fetched a different book and instructed Blin to work through it.

Observing how she solved unfamiliar question types without flinching, Satina quietly handed her last year's Imperial Academy entrance exam questions.

[Blin] "Ugh, my head hurts. I don't want to do any more."

[Stella] "Just solve this one."

[Blin] "Who wrote this book anyway? Why are the questions so twisted up?"

Grumbling, Blin picked up the pen and set to work.

Unlike the previous exercises, the answer didn't come instantly, but after a brief moment of contemplation, she arrived at the correct solution with ease.

She's a genius.

As if reading Satina's thoughts, the system chimed in.

[Liv] "Did Liv not tell you? Liv never assigns impossible quests to the Player."

Observing Satina's intense reaction, Blin cast uneasy glances her way.

[Blin] "...Is it correct? Seriously, why are you being like this? Don't just keep making me solve problems—say something! You're scaring me."

[Stella] "Blin, do you know what problem you just solved?"

[Blin] "Uh... well, no."

[Stella] "That was an entry question for the Imperial Academy."

[Blin] "What? Just now? For real?"

I asked Hedzel to investigate how to bribe her way into the Imperial Academy, but that won't be necessary.

[Stella] "You really are amazing. You're a genius."

Blin burst out laughing at her admiration.

[Blin] "Come on, a genius?! Bwahaha! That's absurd! You're just pulling my leg to make me study, right?"

[Stella] "I'm being completely honest."

Dismissing it with a wave of her hands, Blin shook her head.

[Blin] "No way, I don't buy it. Me, a genius? Impossible."

[Stella] "I'm not lying to you. At this level, you could start preparing for the Imperial Academy entrance exam right away."

At Satina's persistent praise, Blin eyed her skeptically.

[Blin] "...Really?"

[Stella] "Yes."

Satina looked at her resolutely.

[Stella] "So let's give it a try."

---

That very day, Satina purchased a pile of thick reference books helpful for admissions and dumped them into Blin's arms.

Finding a suitable tutor on short notice was impossible, leaving the teaching duties entirely to her.

As Stella, a former noble maid, teaching basic arithmetic would have been her limit. However, she possessed exceptional intellect, having striven relentlessly in her youth to adapt to her noble household as quickly as possible. Having played the game dozens of times was an added advantage.

Above all, there was remarkably little left for her to teach Blin anyway.

Satina examined her progress.

[Stella] "I didn't teach you this section yet. How did you solve it?"

[Blin] "Uh... I learned it in the past."

[Stella] "In the past?"

[Blin] "Back when I still listened to the teachers. Working through these problems made all those things I memorized back then come rushing back. Plus, the books you gave me were a huge help. The explanations are so detailed that I understood everything right away."

[Stella] "With talent like this, someone must have recommended the Imperial Academy to you in the past."

Blin's pen came to a halt mid-sentence.

[Blin] "Naw, no way. You're seriously the only person who's ever said that to me, Teacher."

[Stella] "Am I your teacher now?"

[Blin] "Well, you taught me, so you're my teacher. Though honestly, I'd rather call you Big Sister."

[Stella] "Big Sister?"

[Blin] "People say if you're pretty and rich, you're Big Sister."

[Stella] "I don't have money, though."

[Blin] "You'll make a fortune if you play cards!"

She offered a sheepish grin.

[Blin] "My previous teacher made everything so confusing and talked over my head, but I like that you don't do that. So I'm gonna work really hard."

[Stella] "Good."

[Blin] "I still don't know if I can actually make it into the Imperial Academy as you say, but..."

[Stella] "You can."

Lately, Blin rose at dawn to begin studying and remained at the orphanage past midnight, solving problems. Her delinquent wandering had ceased completely.

Word of Blin's dramatic transformation quickly spread throughout the orphanage.

[Teacher] "That troublemaker Blin has been doing nothing but studying lately!"

[Teacher] "She carries those books Miss Stella gave her everywhere she goes. What kind of magic did she cast to make such a reckless child work so hard?"

Serpens heard the rumors as well during his visit to the orphanage.

Strolling through the courtyard garden together, he broached the subject first.

[Serpens] "I've heard about Blin recently. You are remarkable, Miss Stella—transforming such a troublemaker into such a diligent student."

[Liv] "Serpens feels affection toward the Player for guiding a troubled student onto the right path. Serpens' affection has increased by 2."

Satina offered a bashful smile.

[Stella] "Oh, no. It's simply that the child worked hard herself."

[Serpens] "May I ask your secret? I should keep it in mind when dealing with other unruly children."

Satina hesitated for a moment. Though her expression remained serene on the outside, her mind was whirring at full speed.

Serpens' affection level is at 30 now, so it's time to lay down some bait.

Having finished her calculations, she spoke tentatively.

[Stella] "Well... I treated her with a sincere heart, praying that God would watch over her. In a way, she reminded me of my younger sister."

Now that I've mentioned having a younger sister, knowing Serpens' personality, his response will be...

[Serpens] "You have a younger sister? This is the first I've heard of it."

Hooked!

She lowered her gaze slightly.

[Stella] "I do, but we aren't particularly close, so I rarely speak of her to others. Truth be told, my family is a blended one."

[Serpens] "I see."

[Stella] "My mother remarried when I was young, which gave me younger siblings... but neither of them is fond of me. It's surely due to my own shortcomings."

[Serpens] "Nonsense. Please don't say such things about yourself, Miss Stella. Had I been blessed with a sister like you, I would have thanked God every single day."

He offered hurried words of comfort, but Satina merely let out a bitter smile.

[Stella] "No... Perhaps that's why I come to volunteer so often. Staying home feels suffocating at times. Since they are younger, I ought to be more understanding and forgiving, but sometimes I struggle to do so... Ah, my apologies. This must be unpleasant to hear."

[Serpens] "Not at all."

A surge of resentment toward this faceless younger sister welled up inside Serpens.

What fault could possibly lie with this woman?

She was someone incapable of speaking ill of others. Even when placed in such circumstances, rather than resenting God, she prayed for divine guidance and dedicated herself to charitable work. She had undoubtedly treated her siblings with the same love and goodwill she showed Blin.

And truth be told...

Stella, who had always kept her burdens locked inside, was opening up to him for the very first time. The thought that she had come to trust him to this extent brought him a flicker of quiet joy.

To entertain such thoughts while listening to another's pain... I am still lacking as well.

Reaching out, he gripped her hand firmly.

[Serpens] "So whenever things become difficult, please speak to me, Miss Stella. As a servant of God, I stand ready to assist you at any time."

[Liv] "Serpens' affection has increased by 5."

It was a notification that he couldn't hear.

---

Sophia found the current rumors circulating in the orphanage utterly unbelievable.

Ha! Blin attempting to enter the Imperial Academy?

She had dismissed it as wild gossip at first, but after overhearing Stella and the director discussing Blin's application form, she could no longer write it off so easily.

[Sophia] "What are you all thinking? Blin applying to the Imperial Academy?! Could a child like her actually pass?"

The other teachers answered with casual optimism.

[Teacher] "Still, shouldn't we at least let her try?"

[Teacher] "Exactly. She's staying out of trouble and studying hard for once, so let's just leave her be."

[Sophia] "What if you fill her head with false hope and give her unrealistic ideas?! I know Blin better than anyone! Leaving her like this will only drive her further astray!"

[Teacher] "Come to think of it, didn't you use to teach Blin, Miss Sophia?"

[Teacher] "She gave you such a hard time back then and refused to listen. Maybe Blin was the type who needed a clear goal."

[Sophia] "Are you suggesting that I fell short?"

Her voice turned razor-sharp.

---

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