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Chapter 16
After gathering the kids and taking them outside, I quickly got the exterior situation under control.
Outside was just as chaotic as inside the auction house.
Of course it was—after all, we’d brought magical beasts right into town. Naturally, the people living nearby must have been terrified.
We had been very careful to make sure no houses were damaged, but from their perspective, it must have been like a bolt out of the blue.
As proof, the people who had been nearby had already run far away. The whole area was silent.
“Raspi, let’s send the beasts back first. Including our Krrng.”
“Understood.”
Thankfully, magical beast outbreaks are common in the Empire.
Because of that, no one would suspect that someone had intentionally brought them here.
Only after Raspi collected the beasts and returned them to the forest did the twin siblings finally embrace each other, overwhelmed by the joy of reunion.
“Waaah! I thought I’d never see you again, Oppa.”
“I’m glad you’re not hurt, Marie.”
“I—I was honestly so scared I thought I’d die….”
“Sorry I was late.”
“No. You’ve got nothing to apologize for.”
Watching the two of them finally cry like proper kids, a strange feeling welled up in me.
I could use my Ability right now to travel to the future timeline.
But in the future timeline, Raspi has already been executed as a criminal who endangered the entire Empire.
It was indeed the future—but not this future.
There was hope.
Hope that I, too, could protect Uncle Aiden and create a future completely different from the previous timeline.
“Hic. Oppa, thank you for coming to save me even though it was dangerous.”
“Honestly, you should thank Lady Tania more than me. Without her, we wouldn’t have even known where you’d been taken.”
The twins’ gazes simultaneously fixed on me.
Lost in thought as I looked at them, I asked with a playful expression:
“Done crying?”
“Yes!”
“……I did not cry.”
Liar.
“Your eyes are bright red. And you still look like you’re about to burst into tears if I poke you.”
When I teased him shamelessly, he scrubbed at his eyes with his sleeve and pretended nothing was wrong.
Acting mature, but still just a kid.
Raspi pushed Rosemarie’s head down gently, and the two bowed deeply to me.
“Thank you. We will not forget this kindness.”
“Good. Grow up into fine adults, and make sure to repay me several times over.”
It felt guilty to take advantage of children, but no matter how I thought about it, letting talents like Raspi and Rosemarie slip away would be a waste.
He must have taken it as a joke, because he gave a faint chuckle and continued:
“There is something I’m curious about. May I ask what your relationship is with the old man who saved me earlier?”
“……He’s a stranger.”
“If you’d rather not tell me, that’s all right.”
“It’s true. I only met him in the underground prison and talked for a bit.”
“But you seemed to know him quite well.”
“Not well, but I do have an idea of who he is.”
“I see. Understood.”
Raspi didn’t ask further and simply nodded.
He was competent and knew exactly where to draw boundaries—too good to just part ways with here.
And honestly, I was worried about them.
“Do you have a home to return to?”
“In the shanty area, there are plenty of abandoned houses.”
Meaning they’d been wandering around without a proper home.
I’d guessed as much, but these siblings truly had a harsh life.
“Kids, instead of going back to the shantytown, how about entering the Papiope Talent Training Institute?”
At my suggestion, both siblings shrank back and shook their heads as if the idea was absurd.
“If we could pass the exam to enter the institute, we would’ve done it long ago.”
“……Besides, even if Oppa might be able to enter, I’m not an Ability-user.”
I knew well how hard it was to get accepted into the Papiope Talent Training Institute.
But if it were impossible, I wouldn’t have brought it up.
“Who said you have to pass using only your abilities? So you’re saying you don’t dislike the idea of entering?”
“……Yes.”
“Then I’ll help you. Just do exactly as I tell you.”
Papiope evaluates three categories:
First, Ability.
Second, crisis response.
Third, written exam.
The first category checks whether the applicant has awakened their ability and evaluates it on the spot.
Raspi had already awakened—and he would someday fight the entire Empire alone—so that part was no problem.
The issue was that Rosemarie hadn’t awakened… yet.
But in truth, she could make up for that in other areas.
The institute wasn’t only looking for Ability-users.
Thankfully, I could completely cover the other evaluation categories.
But before that, I needed to confirm one thing.
Careful not to hurt their feelings, I asked:
“Can either of you read?”
“……No.”
“N-no…”
They looked utterly embarrassed, unable to meet my eyes as they lowered their heads.
Their ears turned red, as if expressing their feelings for them.
“Don’t be ashamed. You can learn from now on. You just haven’t had the chance yet.”
It was only natural.
Kids who’d lost their parents and lived on the streets would have no way to learn to read.
In the previous timeline, I only learned after meeting Uncle.
“Then can you recognize numbers?”
“……I know numbers.”
“M-me too!”
I gave them a confident, bright smile.
“Then that’s enough. More than enough.”
As a former bus driver, I’ll show them what a comfortable ride really feels like.
✦ ✦ ✦
Eventually, I brought the kids to the Papiope Talent Training Institute.
The institute had a high threshold for acceptance, but the doors were always open.
Perfect for siblings who had nowhere to sleep tonight.
I looked at the extravagant building with an expression that said, “This is ridiculous.”
Putting the institute right in the capital where land prices were the highest… well, that’s what wealthy families do, I suppose.
Not that I minded—it meant I didn’t have to travel far.
Staring up at the ostentatious building dripping with money, I spoke:
“Shall we go in?”
But unlike Rosemarie, who looked excited, Raspi still couldn’t relax.
“……We can’t even read. How are we supposed to solve the written problems and pass?”
“Hm.”
I didn’t bother adding that even if he could read, he wouldn’t be able to solve them anyway.
This place gathered the Empire’s brightest geniuses.
There was no way they’d give out easy questions. If they couldn’t filter applicants by score, the exam would be meaningless.
“Kids, can you wait for me outside until I finish taking the exam?”
“……You’re taking it too, Lady Tania?”
I replied in a light tone, as if I were going for a stroll.
“I was planning to enter eventually anyway. Since I’m here, I might as well pick up my acceptance. My final goal is to get adopted into the Papiope family.”
I’d get accepted first, and once Uncle returned home, I’d show him the acceptance certificate and get his permission to enroll.
“……If you’re going to take it anyway, can’t we go with you?”
Raspi acted like I might abandon them and disappear.
I rolled my eyes.
If he was already developing separation anxiety, that’d be troublesome.
“If we take the exam at the same time, I can’t guide you. I need to get the information first.”
Honestly, there was no need to explain further.
I would just make this quick and come back.
I activated my Ability.
[Overwriting current timeline with Timeline 1.]
“Okay, I’ll be back.”
Leaving the siblings’ anxious gazes behind, I entered the institute.
And then the extreme-level grind began.
[Overwriting current timeline with Timeline 2.]
[Loading Timeline 2.]
[Loading Timeline 2.]
[Loadi——]
[Timeline 2—]
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