abcnovels
Chapter 8
Chapter 8
The day after I got the [Alchemy] skill, I came to school to take the school graduation exam.
Originally it was elementary school until the age of 12 and junior high school until the age of 15, but unlike in Japan, it was easy to skip a grade. I have memories of my past life, and so I graduated from elementary school when I was 9 years old.
And today is the graduation exam of my junior high school. Many children don't attend this level of school, since it's basically a preparation for entering a higher school. They are taught the classic arts, advanced arithmetic, the names and coats of arms of royalty and aristocrats, the specialties of each territory, international affairs, and the etiquette of politicians, all of which are necessary to get involved in politics.
However, it's basically memorization and not much in the way of comprehension so if you study hard enough, you should be able to get a perfect score at this level.
Besides, the science content that everyone dislikes is only on the level of arithmetic and isn't difficult at all. Even fractions were called "advanced calculations", so it wasn't hard if you were educated in the modern world.
Furthermore, I even had the cheat called the "appraisal" skill, so there was no way I could fail.
I didn't really cheat, though.
I went into the small room and took a seat, then the teacher came over and handed me the test sheet.
"Good luck, Allen-kun. Do your best."
It seemed like I was the very first person to have skipped grades and graduated this young in the history of the school, so they were regarding me as a boy genius. But to be honest, I think that even most Japanese elementary school students can do this much.
"And so, you have 3 hours to finish the test. Begin."
At the teacher's signal, I start answering the questions. It's the same no matter which one you start with, so filled in the answers from the top of the first page.
Q: What is the full name of His Majesty the King?
Answer: Bartille Manfred von Centraren
Q: What is the full name of the current Crown Prince?
Answer: Karlheinz Bartille von Centraren
Q: Name all three major dukes.
Answer: the Innoburg Family, the Ramslett Family, and the Schlestein Family.
It was just simple rote memorization.
Q: Calculate 22.3 × 11.8
Answer: 263.14
Show 3/4 as a decimal.
Answer: 0.75
Well, any Japanese person could do this.
It took me a while to learn geography, but I've managed to study it perfectly.
Which territory was the largest producer of wheat in the last fiscal year?
Answer: The Duke of Ramslett
Q: Which territory produced the most iron ore in the last fiscal year?
Answer: The Marquis of Wimlet
Well, something like that. Once you read it, it was pretty easy to memorize these facts. There were probably more things you could learn in a standard Japanese elementary social studies class.
And so, like that, I finished answering everything in about an hour and a half.
"Teacher, I'm done."
"Good work, Allen, you did a really good job. I'll let you know the results in a week."
With that, the teacher left. If you just want to graduate, you can just score 60 points in each subject, so it's not a problem.
But I was aiming for a score of 90 or higher in all subjects. With this, I could be recommended to a high school and exempted from the departmental exams.
Though it really was a strange system. Even if you had already graduated from skipping grades, you still had to be 15-years-old to attend high school.
This is my guess, but I think that the system of skipping grades is designed to make it easier for ordinary people to get a job, and to get talented people out into the world faster.
In contrast, high schools are for the aristocracy and the rich, so I think they don't expect some students to skip a grade.
But that system works in my favor. I still had 3 years before I entered high school, and in that time, I could move around as an adventurer in order to get a specific item. I also needed time to practice for the sword and magic entrance exams. I also needed time to get enough money to pay for the entrance exam fee and the tuition.
******
And a week later, I went up to school to see my teacher to hear the results.
"Congratulations, Allen! Perfect scores across the board! Even graduating at the age of 11 was already groundbreaking, but you've also completed a feat no one else has done since the beginning of this kingdom's education system."
It felt like an exaggeration, but I won't say it doesn't make me happy. Of course, I never used the?Appraisal?skill, so even if the content was easy, I still felt proud.
But I can't forget to express my gratitude.
"Thank you. But owe all of it to you, the teachers who taught me.
And so I expressed my gratitude and a slight smile appeared on their face.
"Well, Allen, your grades are such that I can recommend your admission to the High School without a problem. What would you like to do?"
"Please give me a recommendation. I'll do my best to prepare until I'm 15."
"I was hoping you would say that. Then I'll submit my recommendation to my superiors. How should I contact you?"
"Please go to the Adventurer's Guild. My mother is often away from home for work, so there's a good chance you'll miss each other."
"All right. Then I will let you know the results through the Adventurer's Guild. Congratulations on your graduation, Allen!"
The teacher started to celebrate and the next thing I knew there was already a party with the other teachers.
"Thank you, teacher! I'm going to do my best to enroll and thrive at the academy."
Thus, I skipped all the stages up to middle school and graduated.
Shortly thereafter, the Adventurer's Guild was notified that I would be allowed to participate in the high school entrance exam and that I would be exempt from the written exam.
There was only a bit more than three years left before I would need to step on the game stage. Just you wait, I'll definitely change the future!