I gathered the kids and led them out, taking care of things outside first.
The chaos out there was no less than what had unfolded inside the auction house.
And really, that made sense—after all, we’d brought demonic beasts into town. Of course the people living nearby had panicked.
We’d done our best to avoid causing any damage to residential areas, but from the townspeople’s perspective, it must’ve felt like a disaster falling from a clear sky.
As proof, the entire area was eerily silent—everyone must’ve already ran as far as they could.
“Raspie, let’s start by sending the demonic beasts back. Krung too.”
“Alright.”
The good news was, demonic beast surges were fairly common in the Empire.
Which meant no one would suspect that someone had deliberately brought them here.
Once Raspie recalled the beasts and sent them back into the forest, the twin siblings finally embraced each other, overcome with emotion.
“Waaaah! I thought I’d never see you again, big brother!”
“I’m just glad you’re not hurt, Mary.”
“I was so scared… I thought I was going to die…”
“I’m sorry I was late.”
“No, brother, you don’t need to apologize.”
Watching them finally cry like the kids they were stirred something strange in me.
At any moment, I could use my ability and jump forward to a future point in time.
But in that future, Raspie had already been executed as a criminal of the Empire.
It was a future, yes—but not this present’s future.
And that meant there was hope.
Hope that I could save Mister Aiden. Hope that I could create a future entirely different from the one I’d seen before.
“Hic… Brother, thank you for coming to save me, even though it was dangerous.”
“You should really be thanking Miss Tania, not me. Without her, we wouldn’t have even known where you’d been taken.”
The twins’ eyes turned to me in unison.
I was watching them, deep in thought, when I put on a playful smile and asked,
“All done crying?”
“Yes!”
“…I didn’t cry.”
Liar.
“Your eyes are all red and puffy. You look like you’d burst into tears if I poked you.”
Teasing him like it was nothing, I watched him scrub his face with his sleeve and pretend everything was fine.
Trying to act mature… but he was still just a kid.
Raspie pressed down on Rosemary’s head, and the two bowed deeply to me together.
“Thank you. We won’t forget this debt.”
“Good. Grow up to be someone great and pay me back tenfold.”
It felt a little wrong to be squeezing repayment promises out of kids, but Raspie and Rosemary were too capable to let slip through my fingers.
He must’ve taken it as a joke, because he chuckled softly before speaking again.
“May I ask something? That old man who saved me earlier—what’s your relationship with him?”
“…I don’t know him.”
“Oh, if it’s something you’d rather not say, I understand.”
“No, I mean it. We just met in the underground prison and talked for a bit, that’s all.”
“But it felt like you already knew him well, Miss Tania.”
“I don’t really know him. I do have a guess about who he is, though.”
“I see. That’s enough.”
Raspie nodded and didn’t press the issue further.
He had ability and knew how to respect boundaries—exactly the kind of person it would be a waste to just say goodbye to.
I couldn’t help feeling worried.
“Do you guys have a home to go back to?”
“There are some abandoned houses near the shantytown.”
Which meant they were living on the streets, without a proper roof over their heads.
I’d suspected as much, but still… what a rough life they’d had.
“Hey, how about you skip the shantytown and apply to the Elite Ability Training Academy instead?”
At my suggestion, the twins instantly wilted, shaking their heads like it was out of the question.
“If we could pass the entrance exam and get into the Academy, we would’ve tried already.”
“…And even if my brother had a shot, I’m not an Abiliter.”
I knew full well how difficult it was to meet the Academy’s standards.
But if it were impossible, I wouldn’t have brought it up in the first place.
“Who said anything about passing with just your ability? So, you’re not against the idea of enrolling?”
“…No.”
“Then let me help. Just do exactly as I say.”
The House Papiope Elite Ability Training Academy tested three things.
First, the candidate’s ability.
Second, crisis response.
Third, a written exam.
The first test, ability, checked whether the applicant had awakened and evaluated the strength of their Abiliter on the spot.
Raspie had already awakened—and he was powerful enough to one day stand against the entire Empire alone. That part wouldn’t be a problem.
The real issue was Rosemary, who hadn’t awakened yet.
But even that could be worked around if she scored well in the other categories.
The Academy didn’t only accept Abiliters, after all.
Fortunately, aside from the ability portion, I could easily help them ace the rest.
There was just one thing I had to confirm first.
I chose my words carefully, trying not to hurt their pride.
“Hey… can either of you read?”
“…No.”
“N-Not really…”
The two of them looked down, clearly embarrassed, avoiding my eyes.
Even their ears were starting to turn red.
“No need to be ashamed. You just haven’t had the chance to learn yet. That’s all.”
Honestly, it was only natural.
They’d lost their parents and been surviving on the streets. Where would they have learned to read?
I hadn’t learned either until I met Mister Aiden in the previous timeline.
“How about numbers? Can you read those?”
“…Yes, I can.”
“M-Me too!”
I smiled, confidence shining on my face.
“Then we’re good. That’s plenty.”
Now sit back and relax.
Your bus driver’s about to show you what a smooth ride really feels like.
✦ ✦ ✦
In the end, I brought the kids to House Papiope’s Elite Ability Training Academy.
The Academy was known for its near-impossible entrance standards—but the doors were always open. Meaning it was perfect for a pair of siblings with no place to sleep tonight.
I stared up at the extravagant building with an exhausted expression.
Only a filthy-rich family would build something like this not just near the capital, but right in the heart of the empire—where land was the most expensive.
Still, it did save me the trouble of traveling far.
I looked up at the Academy, a towering structure practically dripping with money, and finally spoke.
“Well then, shall we head in?”
Unlike Rosemary, whose eyes sparkled with excitement, Raspie still wore a stiff, wary expression.
“…We can’t even read. I don’t understand how we’re supposed to answer the questions, let alone pass.”
“Hm.”
I didn’t bother adding that even if he could read, he still wouldn’t be able to solve the test problems.
This place gathered the top prodigies from across the empire.
There was no way they’d hand out easy questions anyone could answer. Without scoring-based differentiation, the exam itself would be meaningless.
“Hey kids, can you wait for me outside while I go take the exam first?”
“…Miss Tania, you’re applying too?”
I replied in a light, casual tone, as if I were just going for a walk down the street.
“I always planned to apply eventually, so since we’re here, might as well pick up an acceptance letter. Getting adopted into House Papiope is my end goal, after all.”
My plan was to get accepted first, then wait until Mister Aiden came home and get his approval before enrolling officially.
“…In that case, can’t we go in and take the exam together?”
Raspie sounded like he thought I might vanish and leave them behind at any moment.
I rolled my eyes.
If he’s already got separation anxiety, this is going to be a pain later.
“If we take the exam at the same time, I won’t be able to guide you, right? I need to go in first and gather intel.”
Not that I really needed to convince him.
Deciding to just get it over with quickly, I activated my ability.
[Overwriting Time Slot 1 with current point.]
“Alright, I’ll be back.”
With the twins’ anxious gazes at my back, I stepped into the Academy.
And thus began the grueling gauntlet of ultra-hard test grinding.
[Overwriting Time Slot 2 with current point.]
[Time Slot 2 has Loaded.]
[Time Slot 2 has Loaded.]
[Time Slot 2 has Load—]
[Time Slot 2 has—]
[…]
“Holy crap, this is stupid hard!”
💟 Translator Notes 💟
“Your bus driver’s about to show you what a smooth ride really feels like.” Common metaphor in Korean webnovels where the MC refers to themself as the ‘driver’ of a ‘plot ride.’
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