Chapter : 09
“I really don’t know anything. You can just think of it as teaching a newborn baby.”
“Y–You’re being overly modest. F–For the sake of conducting the lesson efficiently, p–please understand.”
Rather than both of us ending up embarrassed, it’d be better if he just gave up now and started teaching me from a three-year-old’s level. Jaden must’ve thought I was joking, because his expression relaxed slightly before he answered firmly.
“A–Ahahaha. Then I’ll s–start by asking about imperial history. On August 31st of the 23rd year of the Oreas Calendar, E–Emperor Hereo Waldheim concluded a mutual non-aggression pact with Queen J–Juliana Jaeus of Buorkröten, commonly known as the ‘Lily of the Round Table.’ A–According to political scholars, by reorganizing troop deployments and the circulation of supplies and funds, the smaller border kingdoms—”
“Don’t know. Never heard of it.”
“T–That was too d–difficult a question from the start, wasn’t it? Th–Then I’ll try something a bit easier… Ahem. The empire’s w–war history concludes with the Battle of the K–Kadon River against the Kingdom of Blev, which b–broke out on April—”
“Battle of the Kadon River? What’s that?”
“M–Mmm… Ah. I f–forgot that Y–Your Highness has been a–away from academics for quite some time. Th–That’s my mistake.”
For Jaden—who had never once lost the top spot even while studying among geniuses at the academy—this must have been a shock. His voice began to tremble noticeably.
“Th–This you’ll k–know for sure. Wh–Who was the f–first emperor of the empire?”
‘That’s not in the princess’s memories. Was it mentioned in the novel?’
So…
The empire was founded through the beautiful friendship and oath between a dragon and the first emperor, and then—
‘…Ah!’
After digging through my memories for a moment, I answered with a bright smile. People say you can’t spit at a smiling face—maybe this would earn me a little less scolding.
“I don’t know!”
“T–The hero who f–founded the Waldheim Empire!”
“The hero became emperor too?”
“Th–The incarnation of the sun who worked miracles like a god and saved the continent! The one who revived the dead and bent even the sky to his will!”
“Oh, you’re good with words?”
“Ghhk…!”
And then…
Though his inner self was a titanium-alloy awl, Jaden’s misfortune was that his outer wrapping was dandelion fluff. His mental fortitude was blown high into the sky by a child’s breath that couldn’t even pierce cotton candy.
* * *
Hoo—hah. Hoo—hah.
After steadying his breathing while staring at his left palm, Jaden rummaged through his bag with a much calmer expression.
“I–I thought an oral evaluation might be l–less boring for you, but… I believe this will be more appropriate.”
What he pulled out was a thick stack of papers.
Trying to solve that with Airencia’s level of knowledge would definitely give me a brain cramp.
“I–I brought the academy entrance exam papers. J–Just write down as much as you know.”
“Do I really have to take a test?”
I don’t know anything, though?
I looked at him with innocent, calf-like, moist eyes.
But Jaden was resolute.
“It is my d–duty to teach Y–Your Highness using the most efficient and appropriate method. And I h–heard that Y–Your Highness personally requested lessons from Sir H–Heiler first… If I’m w–wrong, then—”
Uh, well…
…I had nothing to say.
It was true that I’d asked Gott to find me a teacher first.
And back in Korea, whenever you go to a private academy, the very first thing they make you do is a level test.
English, Korean, math, piano—it didn’t matter. It was a mandatory process before any lessons.
“……”
I pressed my lips together and stared at the dozens of fluttering pages in his hands.
He said these were problems for eight-year-olds, but at a glance they looked absurdly difficult.
Feeling a faint headache coming on, I squeezed my eyes shut.
…It couldn’t be helped.
“Alright. Give it to me. I’ll try.”
A small hand reached out.
* * *
‘I can relax a little.’
I took a short breath while organizing the memories of Airencia that had surfaced so far.
‘Good thing I didn’t lose my own memories.’
The headaches had noticeably decreased in frequency lately.
Instinctively, I knew this damned memory implantation would be over before long.
The fact that my memories as my former self were still intact at this point was undeniably encouraging.
‘Though there do seem to be side effects.’
Every now and then, the dirty personality of the princess would suddenly pop up. My hands would itch with the urge to cause a scene.
More than anything, I could feel my thoughts and emotions edging closer to those of a ten-year-old.
‘Still, I haven’t been swallowed by Airencia’s memories.’
That alone was enough to satisfy me.
I had almost completely absorbed the princess’s memories. That meant I’d also internalized the knowledge she possessed.
In a way, it was an absurdly convenient perk for someone who’d transmigrated.
But the problem was…
[Explain the difference between mana and sword energy.]
‘Why does this kid know absolutely nothing?!’
I wasn’t particularly smart myself, but Airencia’s knowledge level was beyond disastrous—it was downright apocalyptic.
After all, thirty minutes had passed and I hadn’t written a single letter.
Even accounting for the fact that she was ten, this was serious.
Surely there had to be one problem I knew. I searched desperately, but it was all the same.
Black was text, white was paper.
Honestly, I half suspected that if you asked the princess, she’d tilt her head and say, “Huh? Was the black part the paper?”
And the more pages I turned, the steeper the difficulty curve became.
‘Isn’t this way too hard?’
By the time I reached question forty, even a layperson could tell that unless you were a scholar, you’d never solve this.
[According to the Atkinson School, mana is a dynamic non-material substance that simultaneously possesses fluidity and inertia, presenting a paradoxical—]
I tapped the ink bottle lightly with the tip of my quill.
‘So much for a kindergarten entrance exam.’
Not only did I not know the answers—I couldn’t even understand the questions at Airencia’s knowledge level.
And frankly, they were beyond my own understanding too.
‘Well, I was never that smart either.’
I’d only ever memorized things by cramming them into my head while chanting prayers, as if a bullet would fly into my temple if I didn’t. My brain was painfully average, so it was natural to struggle with questions meant for professors.
At this point, I honestly felt like giving up on studying altogether.
When I glanced to my left, I saw Gott watching me from afar with tear-filled, emotional eyes.
He looked exactly like a parent sending their child off to their first day of elementary school.
‘…It can’t be helped.’
I had to write something, at least.
I bit my lip tightly.
Then, resolutely, I picked up the pen.
Scratch, scratch.
[Don’t know.]
“Ooh!”
Hearing me write something for the first time, Gott let out a small exclamation.
They said noble children practiced penmanship before they could even walk.
Yet this kid had barely touched a pen—at ten years old, her handwriting was crooked enough to put worms to shame.
Even writing this much was the result of special training over the past few days.
I swallowed hard and moved on to the next question.
Scratch, scratch.
[Don’t know.]
Next question.
Scratch.
[Don’t know.]
Next.
Scratch.
[I don’t know.]
Next.
[Dunno.]
Next…
[No idea.]
Scratch.
After barely filling in the final answer of the mana studies section, I loosened my stiffened hand.
But I still couldn’t relax my expression.
‘This is a problem if it keeps going like this.’
History, then mana studies.
Seeing a test paper completely plastered with “don’t know” made my hands shake.
The princess had studied so little that she truly knew nothing. Her mind was empty—pure white, like a blank sheet of paper.
‘How am I supposed to study all this…?’
Just thinking about it made my vision swim.
A transmigrator’s “perk” turning into a gacha pull entirely dependent on the body’s specs—what rotten luck.
‘Next subject is…’
Clutching my throbbing head, I turned the page.
That was when—
“Huh?”
“I–Is there a problem with the question?”
Jaden, who had been sent away for being a distraction and was anxiously watching from afar, craned his neck forward.
“No. It’s nothing.”
I waved my hand quickly.
But I couldn’t stop the grin spreading across my face.
The next subject was [Language].
Most questions involved translating words from various languages into the imperial tongue.
Normally, at Airencia’s level, it’d be natural not to recognize a single word—but…
[Write the meaning of the following words.]
- Butterfly
- Conifer
- Dragon
[Choose the correct word to fill in the blank. (Select one)]
Tom: I read Lake’s poetry collection yesterday. It was themed around lakes, and it reminded me of you. Especially the first lyrical poem…
Genie: That collection is expensive. If you’re done reading it, could you sell it to me secondhand?
Tom: ( )
‘Maybe this…’
‘…is something I can breeze through?’
The pen that had been frozen in midair began moving without hesitation.
