Chapter 77 Entrance Examination ② Entrance Examination Part Two, ...
In the tavern, amidst the bustling crowd, only the bard's voice stood out. After one story after another, they didn't hear the expected rumors, but they did hear a lot of interesting anecdotes, including one about the hair and eye color of the people here.
After observing the diverse crowd in the tavern, Barbara noticed that only the locals had strikingly red hair and blue eyes. Perhaps not blue eyes, but definitely red hair. Barbara had a decisive advantage in this regard, as it seemed that all the locals were exceptionally honest with red hair.
The interesting thing is that it's completely the opposite when it comes to black hair.
This situation inevitably brings to mind the story of the descendants of the Duke of Aledre, who are said to have lost their former prosperity after that incident.
Back at her temporary lodging, Enid cast a soundproofing spell and leaned back wearily in a recliner, unusually unladylike. She glanced at Barbara's red hair, then at Tim's black hair, and finally at her own white hair, her expression filled with excessive confusion.
“It’s very strange… Well, actually, there’s no record of the Duke of Aledley’s hair color. It’s not in that book, and there’s no book in the city that has it, not even a portrait…” Even the portraits don’t show any hair. It’s too strange.
"There's no record of the hair color of the hero the king later sent to appease all the slaves in the area," Tim replied softly.
Combining the two people's statements, Barbara's expression became somewhat serious. The convenience brought by her hair color allowed her to obtain more information. On the way here, Enid also discovered that all the plants along the way could be used to concoct a red hair dye potion, which, combined with historical records, made perfect sense.
“Perhaps…” Barbara thought that the red hair was not the “hero’s” hair color, but the hair color of the descendants of Duke Aledley, and even the survivor’s hair was like that. She thought for a moment and looked at Enid: “Are there any other places where the hair color is red? What are the weaknesses of red hair dye?”
"No, there is no other place where the hair is red. The weakness of the dye is water, not ordinary water, but blessed water."
"Two days later is the day of blessing, and everyone must be present to receive the blessing."
As soon as Enid finished speaking, Tim's voice followed. She looked at Tim and Barbara and exchanged glances, as if confirming some guess, and then raised her hand with some curiosity.
"So, is there a problem with bestowing blessings?"
"It's to wash off the hair color, after all, red hair dye is afraid of blessed water, and they're checking for hidden outsiders."
Barbara's voice was gentle, and Enid suddenly understood. She tilted her head and looked at Barbara and Tim, blinking her eyes. Actually, she was a little confused but didn't know how to express it. However, seeing that they didn't seem to have any intention of explaining, she didn't say anything and continued to lie back down.
Tim noticed Enid's emotional change and looked at Barbara, his eyes questioning whether they should explain the speculations about the behind-the-scenes events to Enid. Barbara hesitated as well. They didn't think it was a good thing for her to know too much about the historical conspiracies and the backlash from the lust for power; it was too early, at least for now.
Their eye contact wasn't hidden from Enid, and Enid knew what was going on, but since they didn't say anything, Enid wouldn't ask, because if she should know, she would.
"Actually, I'm not that curious. If Timmy and Barbara think it's better not to tell me, that's fine too. Just tell me what you need me to do!"
“I’m sorry, Fia.” Barbara looked apologetic. “We didn’t mean to hide it, but perhaps it’s too early for you to know now.”
Enid nodded and gave her usual bright smile. She trusted their judgment and decided not to press further, instead changing the subject.
"So, are we going to the blessing ceremony tomorrow?"
“No,” Tim shook his head, “we’ll go somewhere else, to see their most vigilant positions.”
They were protecting the last surviving descendants of Duke Aledre, while he, with his black hair, was an outsider. Wherever he went would be under the highest level of surveillance, which would ironically expose their location. Coincidentally, he was adept at distinguishing between surveillance and disguise. Enid clapped unconsciously for some reason, then puffed out her cheeks.
"You guys are so smart! I'm starting to worry about how the other students will get through this stage, but... if they don't take the Witch Course, they should be able to pass 3 to 7 stages out of the total. I hope they will."
There are a total of twenty exams. The Witch Course requires passing twelve to gain admission, but the ranking for admission is determined by a combination of the scores from both exams. Enid had a vague feeling that it would be quite difficult, and she was more worried about whether her classmates could pass than about herself.
Tim, however, showed a relaxed expression. He had actually noticed from the very beginning that Enid's test questions were different from everyone else's, and the colors used to mark them were different.
"Don't worry, didn't your professor say that this is a path where you won't meet again, but also a path with some surprises? Obviously, your answers are different." They should encounter more obvious clues; as students of the Witch Department, Enid has the fewest clues.
Hearing Tim's words, Enid felt much more relaxed, and even a little happy.
“That’s great, after all, I have you guys, and I’m a student in the Witch Department, how could I possibly fail?” Enid showed a slightly smug expression, which made them chuckle. Barbara even chimed in with a smile, “Yes, you will definitely be number one, after all, Tim and I can’t lose to Damian.”
Last time, when Damian took Enid to participate in the first round of the entrance exam, he helped Enid achieve first place. She and Tim would never lose to Damian, and Tim agreed.
"First place, hmm, that requires solving all the levels, right?"
"Isn't this the proper thing to do?"
Tim's voice was very confident, even somewhat matter-of-fact. If you were to treat this as an RPG adventure game, to achieve the best ending you would have to solve all the puzzles and know the whole truth. Since you've started, you should do your best and give it your all.
“That’s right!” Enid paused for a moment, realizing something. “Indeed, after all, if we miss a step, we won’t know the clues for the next step. I promised to deliver the letter to Mr. John, and I should do that.”
Very well, so the next course of action was decided under these circumstances. They decided to rest well at the hotel and spend almost the entire day traveling at full speed.
After resting for a while, it was almost dinnertime. They didn't eat out, but instead ate their own dinner in their hotel room before heading out. They only had seven days in total. Once outside, Enid followed Tim, while Barbara went on her own.
Sure enough, without Barbara, Tim noticed that the surveillance cameras around him were much more visible, and Barbara also sensed that it wasn't as easy to gather information as before. It turned out that the unfamiliar redhead was suspicious, but this actually helped. Just like Tim's plan, she deliberately revealed some flaws while being cautious. These flaws were suspicious but not completely obvious.
On Tim's side, Enid could only vaguely sense that the others were very wary of them, but not disgusted. She looked at Tim with some curiosity, but Tim didn't say anything. He simply let Enid take his arm.
Walking down the town's main street, at Tim's urging, Enid displayed an expression of wanting to buy everything she saw. Following Enid's lead, they walked almost half the town without buying anything. Of course, the other half wasn't wasted, because Barbara was walking around.
Tim needs them to reveal suspicious details and become objects of suspicion.
As night fell and the candlelight flickered out, they returned to the inn, concluding their exploration for the day.
The first thing Enid did upon returning to the hotel was to half-sit, half-lie on the recliner. Seeing Barbara return, Enid raised her hand and waved, her voice filled with obvious excitement, even though she didn't actually know what Tim had gained: "Great! So, did you find anything?"
“Great, we have a clue. Tim and I will draw the map later. You go wash up first.”
"Okay! I'll go prepare some hot drinks. Would you like some plum blossom tea? We just started growing plum blossom tea recently; it's good for soothing the mind and keeping the body relaxed."
As she spoke, Enid took out a dish of dried moonflowers. Under the lamplight, the moonflowers emitted a pleasant fragrance, and the wrinkled petals did not seem to detract from their beauty. Barbara glanced at them and agreed, while Tim seemed somewhat reluctant to agree.
"Sounds great, have a drink."
"Actually, I'd prefer a Coke, but okay, it'll do alright."
Enid stuck out her tongue, then took the Moon Plum Blossom tea to the side. She used magic to heat the spring water and brewed the Moon Plum Blossom tea. The teacup and teapot were both brought from home. This was a heat-resistant teapot that could withstand Enid's flames and was more heat-resistant than an oven.
When she brought the tea and finished washing up, she found that she had only drunk some of the tea, but the map had been completely drawn, and the equipment she carried was covered with action plans.
"Okay, actually this tea won't affect your sleep."
“I know, but it’s not time to sleep yet, is it?” Tim shrugged, and Barbara on the other side also showed an expression of agreement. “I agree with that. Don’t worry about Fia, we’ll rest later. You should go to sleep first, after all, your magic power is very important for the mission later.”
"Then I'll go with you guys, after all, this is my exam, isn't it?"
Enid glanced at them, then puffed out her cheeks, shook her head, and sat down in front of them, staring intently at the two of them. Barbara couldn't help but smile, a mixture of helplessness and tenderness on her face.
"Alright, you win, Fia. Let's discuss for another half hour or so, then we can all go and rest."
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Author's Note: We should get some clues in the next chapter. Thinking about it, this dungeon is actually quite long... I hope no one will complain!
But actually, it seems like nobody's watching anyway, so I'll just improvise.
sigh.
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