Ark wouldn't stay at the mansion any longer, so he decided to make the most of his last few days playing around with the two maids who had stayed behind with him. He enjoyed bathing with Lilian. Her enormous breasts had a unique scent. After a day's work, the sweat underneath carried a different kind of feeling. Her large breasts were warmer beneath, and they stuck slightly to Ark's hands. It reminded him of making bread with his mother. The way the dough clung to his fingers felt somewhat similar.
Amora had smaller breasts, but they still smelled good. However, they lacked that same warmth underneath, and there was no sticky sensation. Her nipples were a bit harder. He still liked to nibble on them lightly. It reminded him of when he was breastfed. But larger breasts were better. They felt more nostalgic and even brought back memories of something he had never experienced.
But that wasn't all. Those worn panties smelled like childhood. When he played in wet soil, that scent of earth mixed with decaying leaves made tears stream down his eyes. It was unique, alive, and at the same time a little gross. But that was the point. Living without caring about dirt. Adults had lost that feeling. Our excessive cleanliness had driven us away from true childhood.
Ark didn't want to leave, but it was his only option. If he stayed, his parents would get angry and would certainly make things hard for him. In the worst-case scenario, he could still sell one of the relics and live out his days in comfort with no work at all.
The exam would take place in two days in Academic City, the smallest city in the Empire. Besides being the neutral city, at least that's what Count Adamastor liked to say. He always presented himself as a neutral ruler in political matters, which had been key to the city's success as an intellectual hub throughout the Empire. But at the same time, it was something the Emperor didn't like very much, since at times it seemed like a place where he had no power. But that wasn't really the case. Still, no one needed to know.
The city was close to the Archduke's domain, just a two-hour carriage ride.
Ark wasn't impressed by the school. He just walked straight ahead while his brother stood gazing at the size of the place, as well as the architecture.
The other candidates were also staring, but it was all just an overreaction. Ark didn't care for such things. He just wanted to finish the exam and leave that place forever. He was carrying an item bag filled with plenty of food, enough to last several days, more than enough to reach the Imperial Capital and still have leftovers.
A boy shoved Ark, but Ark did nothing, said nothing. He just kept walking. The boy didn't like his lack of reaction. He used fire magic to create a sphere, gathered magical power, and hurled it toward Ark. His brother screamed, and a teacher quickly appeared. But Ark wasn't hurt. The spell hit him, but nothing happened, all thanks to the special-rank relic.
The teacher stared at Ark. Lian stared too. Then both of them looked at the boy. Lian laughed out loud.
"What are you laughing at?" the boy asked.
"I thought you were going to attack, but it's a good thing you didn't."
"What do you mean? I did attack," he said angrily.
The teacher noted down the student's name. That would certainly cost him points.
Lian hadn't realized it, but that attack definitely would have caused some damage. Still, it was better this way. But Ark hadn't noticed anything that had happened. He had only seen the fireball appear and had no time to dodge. He hadn't even tried.
The exam hall was huge, very large. All the students stood in line and entered one by one.
Ark hadn't studied at all. He didn't even know what to answer. But it didn't matter. He would answer anyway.
Most of the questions were multiple choice, except for the math problems. For the standards of this world, the questions were considered difficult, but to Ark, they were child's play. He solved all of them with calculations. They felt just like the questions he used to answer at school.
For the other questions, he just marked randomly. There was no pattern. He answered however he felt like.
After about twenty minutes, he finished. He raised his hand and asked to turn in the test, but the teacher in the room told him to wait another twenty minutes. The other candidates thought Ark was joking and not taking the test seriously. And that was exactly the case.
The teacher kept an eye on Ark. He noticed Ark was nearly falling asleep. He wanted to grab the test and send the boy away as soon as possible, but he couldn't. He waited the twenty minutes, which felt like an eternity. That teacher hated this kind of behavior. He hated people who didn't take education seriously.
When Ark was finally allowed to hand in his test, the teacher read his name and memorized it. He planned to use Ark as an example of the kind of student they should reject even before the exam.
Ark left the place, took out a map, and walked straight toward one of the city gates. He asked if any merchant was heading that way. Luckily, a merchant was traveling to a nearby town. For eight copper coins, Ark climbed onto the cart and went with the merchant and some adventurers.
In the next town, he wasn't as lucky. No merchants were at that gate. So he decided to pay twenty-two copper coins for a night at an inn, which included food. He felt as if his tongue was dancing with a crowd of night women. The taste of the soup was out of this world. Mushrooms gave it a unique flavor, and orc meat made it richer and more nutritious. All the vegetables were cut into very small pieces. They were soft but still chewy. The sensation was incredible. The bread served was soft, very different from what he ate at the mansion. The warm milk served as both hydration and nutrition.
Ark was curious. How could just twenty-two copper coins pay for all that? The soup alone was worth the entire price.
The bed wasn't very comfortable, but it was still good enough to sleep in.
He couldn't resist. He paid for another night just to eat that food again. He didn't like soup, but that wasn't soup. It was pure pleasure in liquid form. The flavor and texture were the best things he had ever tasted. No worldly pleasure could surpass it. Not even the nights spent caressing and biting Lilian's breasts could compare to that taste. And unfortunately, he had to leave. But it was something he would never forget, because that had been one of the few moments when he truly felt the joy of being alive.
The next day, he stood at the gates, but no merchants were there. So he decided to go alone. Even if it took longer, he just wanted to get away before his parents could find him and force him to work. It was better to run than to have them change their minds.
He followed the dirt road, then went into the forest and got lost. He didn't know where he was, but he accepted death. And death never came. No monster could harm him. He remembered what the old man had said. The relic could nullify all damage, as long as it had mana charges. So he was safe. But food began to run out. The supplies that were supposed to last at least a month didn't even cover three meals. Someone had forgotten to stock the item bag.
He was lost and without food. But he was safe, because the monsters wouldn't attack more than twice. When they saw their attacks were useless, they fled.
It started to rain. Ark ran to a cave. A glow drew him in, and he decided to go all the way to the back.
At the same moment, at the Simon family mansion, a messenger was walking in.
Bruce Simon was planning the story in his mind. His son had taken a carriage and it had been attacked by criminals. Something simple and plausible. At least he thought it would be an easy story to sell.
"Your son came in first place. He did something rare. He aced the entire exam."
"I was sure Lian would do it."
"I'm talking about your older son. Lian came in twenty-sixth. Ark placed first. The Count himself is going to give him a medal at the auditorium, and all the parents will see that you have a very intelligent son."
The Archduke didn't know how to react. How could someone who spent all day lying down accomplish something like that? There was no way to cheat, since the system would catch any trick a candidate tried.
He quickly changed his mind and decided to abandon the idea of faking Ark's death. That medal would bring more prestige to the family and would certainly improve the Emperor's view of them. But there was a problem. They didn't know where Ark was at that moment. He knew the boy had told one of the maids that he was heading to the Capital.
In the teachers' lounge, the exam proctor was kneeling, defeated. All the speeches he had rehearsed meant nothing now. The student he had wanted to humiliate had come in first.