I Was Just Having Fun With The Time Limit - Chapter 39

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

I’ve never seen a Beolkkot move with such incredible speed.
How should I even describe it?
It felt like he didn’t just move quickly—he’d used magic to simply vanish and reappear.
“Beolkkot?”
Beolkkot blocked me from riding the spinning carousel I’d been so excited about.
Magical letters materialized above Beolkkot’s head.
They were far larger and bolder than usual.
How to put it… they were subtly threatening.
[Excessive physical contact.]
[Forbidden.]
“Huh?”
[Blocked.]
Beolkkot’s expression was more solemn and serious than I’d ever seen.
I tilted my head in confusion.
“But how did you even get here?”
[Stowaway.]
[Carriage.]
He’d snuck aboard a carriage to get here.
More precisely, he’d been napping in the mane of the horse pulling the carriage.
“You were napping in a horse’s mane?”
It took about three days to get here.
Yet I hadn’t seen Beolkkot for those three days.
That meant he’d been hiding in that mane the entire time.
[Master. Of napping.]
Viscount Biatonn stroked his chin thoughtfully.
“The Imperial Palace horses are thoroughly trained war steeds—they would reject a foreign object like you.”
Beolkkot grinned wickedly.
He pointed at the horse with his finger.
[Friend.]
Flinch.
Was that my imagination? I could have sworn the massive horse’s body just flinched.
It seemed quite intimidated and frightened, but surely that was my mistake…?
[Amicable conversation.]
[Favorable agreement.]
Tremble.
Was that also my imagination?
The horse seemed to shudder.
‘No way. Even with such a size difference, surely Beolkkot didn’t bully his horse friend?’
Viscount Biatonn spoke.
“In any case, Kim Beolkkot, you’re making a grave mistake.”
[Incomprehensible.]
“The Princess absolutely adores my spinning twirls. That makes you an uninvited guest who prevented her from enjoying what she loves.”
Beolkkot’s confident demeanor faltered slightly.
And those pristine eyes gazed up at me—ah, this was truly unfair.
How could I possibly dislike Beolkkot when looking at me with eyes like that?
The cuteness was absolutely lethal.
“Please do it next time, Viscount Biatone!”
“…Are you giving up?”
“Not giving up exactly—more like gracefully yielding.”
I laughed lightly.
Beolkkot’s adorable jealousy wasn’t unpleasant at all.
It was like watching a puppy that only had eyes for me.
“Yielding?”
“Your jealousy is cute.”
“I’m shocked that such pettiness could be considered cute.”
Viscount Biatone muttered something like “How can I become cute too?” but I decided to pretend I hadn’t heard.
Viscount Biatone’s expression turned serious.
“Your Highness is far too considerate and kind.”
“…Yes?”
You just said moments ago that I trampled Reina and all that?
“I mean you could yield a little less. Do you understand? I believe your happiness should come first above all else.”
Viscount Biatone clearly wanted to give me the spinning airplane ride too.
Well, Viscount Biatone was the type of person who found happiness in my joy.
‘This is wonderful.’
It felt truly wonderful to have someone who wanted my happiness.
I felt genuinely blessed by this transmigrated life.
* * *
On the day of the Olympiad.
Before entering the exam hall, Reina sensed something odd.
“Yuri. Have you seen Princess Isabel?”
“I haven’t seen her.”
Yuri’s eyes darted nervously as she spoke.
Technically, she shouldn’t have said “I haven’t seen her.” She was the only daughter of a patron house, after all.
The correct answer should have been “I’ll look for her,” not “I haven’t seen her.”
But with the exam just around the corner, she couldn’t bring herself to say that.
Fortunately, Reina didn’t press the issue.
“That’s strange.”
Each exam hall had the names of the examinees posted, but Isabel’s name appeared nowhere.
“Tch. Why didn’t she come?”
Reina bit her lip.
I despised the sight of Princess Isabel, yet I longed to see Viscount Biatonn.
Merely glimpsing his face seemed to kindle strength I didn’t know I possessed.
‘In any case, the Princess proves utterly useless.’
Reina spoke.
“She must have realized her own inadequacy and withdrawn from the competition?”
“….”
“She certainly lost her nerve. You agree, don’t you, Yuri?”
“…Yes. It does seem that way.”
The Isabel that Yuri knew was not such a person.
Yet she dared not answer “no” to Reina’s question.
Reina’s mood brightened considerably.
“Exactly. What business does a Villorian Princess have with the Olympiad?”
With her spirits lifted, Reina’s steps grew lighter.
Yet the exam itself brought no joy.
‘Why is this so impossibly difficult?’
The only thing she could comprehend was the numerals.
The exam paper was a bewildering maze of numbers and strange symbols.
‘Ugh. I’m lost.’
She glanced sideways at Yuri, who worked diligently on the problems ahead of her.
Yuri was solving them with earnest concentration.
‘This will prove the gap between the Villorian Royal Family and our house!’
Yuri was sponsored by House of Rosild. Yuri’s performance was House of Rosild’s performance.
For reference, Villorian sponsored only children with talent in swordsmanship, and had never placed in the Olympiad even once.
‘Yuri, you must excel.’
This was the exam from which Isabel had fled.
If Yuri achieved outstanding results in this exam, she could surely humble Isabel’s pride.
She believed this with certainty.
* * *
“I hardly dared believe it, but Princess Isabel has truly arrived.”
The man guiding examinees through the hall was taken aback.
This was the 19th Olympiad Exam Hall.
The test where only the most exceptional geniuses—the survivors among the continent’s finest minds—competed.
‘A six-year-old participating in the 19th Olympiad.’
Though by appearance she seemed closer to ten, it was nonetheless astonishing.
Viscount Biatonn spoke.
“We appreciate your guidance. Our Princess is simply precocious, but she is actually six years old.”
Isabel bowed with courtesy.
“Thank you for your assistance.”
Her bearing was nothing like that of a six-year-old child.
The guide paid her particular attention.
“Do well on the exam.”
Isabel sat down in the exam hall.
‘Wow, I’m actually at school!’
This was one of the academies in the Mirotell Federation.
If compared to Earth, it was similar to a school.
‘So this is a desk and a chair.’
Except for the college entrance exam and the essay exam, Isabel had never been to school before.
From her hospital bed, she had dreamed of a normal school life.
Chatting with friends her age, staying late for evening study sessions, sneaking naps with her head down when the teacher wasn’t looking.
The ordinary daily life that was mundane to others had been a fantasy for Isabel.
‘I’m so excited?’
Because this was the 19th Olympiad Exam Hall, the desks and chairs were quite large.
I swung my feet back and forth playfully.
My feet didn’t touch the ground.
Isabel found even that delightful.
“We will now begin the Olympiad.”
The exam papers were distributed.
Isabel examined the test paper carefully.
‘Huh?’
I was a bit nervous because it was the Olympiad, but it was easier than expected.
‘Isn’t this a problem I’ve solved before?’
Isabel thought of the Olympiad from Earth.
The Earth Olympiad had some quite difficult aspects for her as well.
But the Olympiad here was about the difficulty level of a university mathematics essay exam.
There were five problems in total, and they were problems I had already solved before.
‘Starting with the integration method of ancient techniques.’
A very old method.
The method from before the concept of integration was properly established.
From a modern perspective, it was a method of deriving primitive approaches to find the integral value.
‘Then using the method of dividing and accumulating to compare with that value.’
As expected.
That value matched the answer I had obtained earlier.
And next was the integration method of modern concepts.
Very easy.
Any science student from South Korea could easily solve the integration of x².
The answer was the same as before.
‘I was incredibly lucky.’
Because I had solved this problem before, I could find the answer very easily.
The difficulty level was also much easier than I had expected.
‘I should turn it in quickly.’
In the event of a tied score, the person who submitted first would be declared the champion.
Since the problem structure itself was designed to allow for verification upon completion, no separate checking procedure was necessary.
‘It seems talent truly does prevail.’
Aside from the time limit, my possession of this body was nearly perfect in every way.
Of all things, I had to encounter a problem I’d already solved.
“Have you finished already?”
“Yes.”
“…I see.”
Everyone in the examination hall thought the same thing.
Princess Isabel was merely taking the Olympiad as a lark.
Some were displeased.
For some, this was serious scholarship, yet for the Princess of the Villorian Royal Family, it seemed nothing more than idle entertainment—how could one not feel resentful?
When Reina heard the news, she burst into laughter.
“She actually tried to use her brain!”
I understood why Isabel had challenged the 19th Olympiad.
If she couldn’t solve even one problem anyway, it was far better to fail at the 19th Olympiad than the 14th.
She had tried to use her brain, but it only made things worse.
“The Princess makes quite the spectacle. She should never have taken the exam in the first place.”
For the first time in ages, my mood had lifted considerably.
The Olympiad results would be announced a month later.
And a month passed.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————