# 44
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At that moment, a quick thought passed through my head.
When my room exploded and I returned to Hilderius, Lloyd proudly showed me papers proving that he had bought me a noble title.
Yes, at that time I changed from a commoner to a noblewoman bearing the title of “Countess of Zironia.”
I answered in astonishment: “Yes…” and the magician handed me the test card.
I was in tears at this sudden rise in social status, while I was walking with heavy steps towards the hall. During the test, I heard people whispering around me.
“Xeronia? What remote countryside is this?”
Although I tried to ignore it, their ridiculous words were ringing in my ears.
“It is a miserable rural area. These villagers are trying in every possible way to set foot in the capital these days.”
Is this the racism of the people of the capital?
When I turned to look at them, they quickly looked away.
I tried to go on my way, but the whispering came again.
“It looks like she's trying to seduce some guy to get a place for herself in the capital.”
“Her face is beautiful, why don’t you go and save her? If you make her your mistress, she will happily throw herself into your arms.”
Those crazy people were trying to listen to me.
They were laughing sarcastically as they looked at me.
I tried to respond, but I preferred to remain silent.
I have learned from my long years of work before and after incarnation that “staying away from filth is better than confronting it.”
I was here for the test, and being alone in front of a group, me interfering would make things worse.
You bastards, consider yourselves lucky.
I will return this favor to you in the future.
While I was walking, ignoring them, a group passed from the opposite direction and collided with my shoulder forcefully, causing my test card to fall on the Earth.
The volume of their sarcastic laughter rose.
Ah, this is really provocative...!
I was about to pick up the card, but another person preceded me and grabbed it.
“Oh?”
I raised my head in surprise, and found Iotias extending the card to me.
“Mr. Iotias?”
When did this man appear too?
I thanked him as I took the card, but Iotias's facial expression was strange and sullen.
Iotias said:
“Why are you putting up with it?”
Before I could ask him, “What do you mean?”, it happened.
“Kaaaak!”
The people who were mocking me rose into the air, holding their necks and flailing painfully.
Their faces were turning red, as if they were going to explode.
“Kyaaa!”
People around them screamed in terror.
The tower's magicians rushed to save them, but they stopped as soon as they learned the identity of the user of this magic.
“Mr. Iotias!”
They contented themselves with calling his name in panic, turning away for fear that his wrath would befall them.
Oh, right.
I forgot that your character is “the psychopath who is only kind to his wife.”
It did not appear that Jotias intended to release them.
Looks like I'm the only one who can stop him here.
Since I was confident that he would not kill me, I quickly grabbed his hand and said:
“Mr. Iotias, stop.”
He tilted my head and asked me:
"These bastards insulted you. And yet you're asking me to stop?"
He's really crazy.
Did he do all this for this reason only?
Their words could have been ignored, but it reached the point of attempted murder.
I tried to stop him persistently:
“It's okay. Mr. Iotias, please stop now.”
One of them started to convulse as if he was about to die.
I don't want to see a corpse before the test!
“Please, Mr. Iotias.”
Iotias looked at my face silently, then clicked his tongue in distress, and the people fell to the ground forcefully.
Their faces began to return to their normal color as they coughed.
The magicians rushed to help them.
Iotias looked at them coldly and said:
“Your heart is very kind. These scoundrels must be uprooted so that they do not dare to attack again.”
After these mysterious words, Iotias suddenly disappeared.
All eyes turned to me and people started whispering:
“What is her relationship to the Tower Master?”
Oh, I can hear them, and feel those burning looks...
I escaped from people's gazes and quickly headed to the examination hall.
There were young people talking.
Fortunately, no one here seems to have witnessed the chaos outside.
I just want the test to be over and for me to go home!
But as soon as they saw my test number and name, the whispers came back about me being from the provinces.
What is the problem between the people of the capital and the people of the regions?
Perhaps they are conflicts between nobles.
Aside from that, I was afraid that Iotias would appear again and try to kill them.
Please, stop talking! I am afraid that Iotias will come to kill you.
I ignored their whispering with difficulty and took the written test.
The test ended, and a passing mark appeared on my card automatically.
Then the practical test began immediately.
The test was held in the great hall, and we headed there under the guidance of the therapists.
There were glass balls to test the level of healing magic, and knights were standing firmly on the sides, with wizards watching for any... A case of cheating.
I saw Iotias sitting on a high platform.
Our eyes met for a moment, but I quickly looked away.
I stood in front of the ball bearing my number.
I had to activate the healing magic to keep the ball lit until the applicants were eliminated and there were only fifty people left.
The stronger the healers are, the longer the test time.
In Zeronia, the intermediate test required only lighting the ball to pass.
It seems that the competition in the capital is fiercer.
When the time came, the magician up on the platform began speaking using a magic megaphone:
“Everyone please put their hands on the balls.”
I quickly put my hand down.
“So, let's get started.”
With the sound of the start signal, all the balls lit up.
Some time passed, and the balls began to go out one by one.
The hall was filled with people leaving disappointed and crying.
And suddenly.
"Yes!"
Some people stumbled and fell with a noise.
“Someone...someone pushed me!”
Voices and protests rose.
What's happening? We are in a closed hall and there is no air to blow them away.
“After checking, there was no magical reaction.”
The advancers screamed desperately as the knights drove them out. I looked secretly and found that they were the same people who had been attacked by Iotias previously.
“Stop now. The rest of us are the ones who passed the Imperial Healers Exam. We congratulate you on your success.”
As soon as the magician finished speaking, I took my hand off the ball.
I looked around and found only a few dozen people left.
Did I really succeed?
I left with a certificate of success with a strange feeling.
I knew I would pass, but I didn't expect the advanced test to be this easy.
I remembered my days in Zironia when the bald director of the clinic was harassing me because of this certificate.
Was it that simple to get it...?
While I was walking absentmindedly, I noticed the commotion around me.
“Hilderius?”
“Whoa! Can we really see Miss Dabin?”
“They said Mr. Lloyd is here too!”
“Let's go see them!”
There was a lot of noise around me, and as soon as I left the building, I saw Hilderius' luxury carriage.
"Kai! What happened?"
Dabin, who was talking to Lloyd, waved to me.
Thanks to her, all eyes turned to me.
I ran towards Dabin, ignoring those looks because I needed to take the carriage back.
“I succeeded.”
“Miss Kay.”
Suddenly Iotias appeared in front of me.
He offered me a bouquet of red flowers with a bright smile.
“Congratulations on your success.”
I took the bouquet in confusion, and Dabin shouted as she examined it:
“They are mana stones!”
Looking closely, each flower was made of polished mana stones.
I know that the price of one stone is very expensive...
How did he think about making a bouquet of them?
While I was shocked by this gift, Iotias continued:
“This is the gift of your success.”
Then suddenly, he planted a quick kiss on my forehead and disappeared after smiling gently.
“Apparently they canceled the awards ceremony for the top achievers this year. They said there is no therapist outstanding enough to hold a ceremony. So it ended up being just a certificate. I thought my skill qualified me for first place, unfortunate, isn’t it?”
I tried to speak to break the cold silence inside the car.
After Iotias kissed me and gave me the bouquet, the twins' reaction was terrifying.
Dabin wiped my forehead forcefully with a handkerchief as if there was dirt on it, while Lloyd emanated a dark aura as if he was about to... Going to destroy the magic tower.
Now, there was a painful silence inside the carriage heading to Helderioz.