Book 2 Chapter 11
Episode 35
“Did I hear that right?”
Logan, who was guiding the workout, blinked in bewilderment, muttering. Layne sat up, placing the barbell back on its rack.
“That red-haired girl, what was her name? Lillian, was it? Do you know her?”
“How could I not… But why are you suddenly asking about her?”
Logan gulped.
Lillian is a peerless beauty. If a handsome young man like Layne were to take an interest and make a move… it’s said that beautiful people are drawn to each other, no, it couldn’t be, but on the off chance…
“Yesterday, after finishing the practical, I took a written test, right?”
“That’s right.”
“I thought I solved it faster than I expected, even though I did it a bit half-heartedly, but about a minute after I left? She finished and came out around then.”
What bothered him wasn't so much her talent, but something underlying that talent… hatred? Resentment? It's hard to tell.
Logan glanced around the training room cautiously before speaking.
In the early hours of this already exhausting exam period, these two were the only first-year eccentrics who bothered to come to the training room. Second-years were seen here and there, though.
“Lillian Carine. As Rivendell’s secret weapon… she’s been the subject of many rumors since the moment she joined the faction.”
“Such as?”
“They say she’s been able to cast 2-star fire magic since she was five, and at seven, she made a contract with one of the Four Divine Beasts…”
The Rivendell faction, representing the South, was rooted in the Crimson Peaks’ Flame Spire.
More like devotees worshiping the Red Dragon Legion than scholars researching magic, this faction had explored the essence of fire magic under stricter discipline than even the military.
The faction's secret art involved contracting and summoning fire-attribute spiritual beasts, which had earned them the reputation of the Four Divine Beasts long before the Age of Lynn.
“As you know, redheads are said to have received the baptism of fire, so their innate sensitivity to fire attributes is several times higher than that of ordinary people.”
Though no correlation had ever been definitively proven… it was true. When Red Dragons took human form, their hair color was always red. A prime example was Friya, the Priestess of the Fire Dragon, whose hair was also red.
“Among our eight major factions, if Krista Warden is called a ‘genius,’ Lillian Carine is known as a ‘monster’.”
Logan even once overheard the faction elders saying:
- With that level of talent… the Rivendell faction might produce its second Archmage.
Layne, who had been listening intently to Logan's story, his eyes lit up the next moment.
“You know a lot of detail? Are you actually interested in Lillian?”
“H-how did you…?”
Logan fumbled, his face instantly turning scarlet. Wizards of the Chaihak faction are simple.
“You two would make a good match, wouldn’t you? I’ll root for you, Master.”
“D-do you think so? Really?”
“I’m telling you.”
Nodding to the grinning Logan, Layne fell into thought for a moment. Rivendell’s secret weapon… it really seems like all sorts of interesting characters have gathered.
‘And this is just a hunch, but…’
He had a premonition that he would clash with Lillian in some form or another in the near future. And that premonition proved to be accurate.
* * *
Midterm Exam Day 4.
From before hearing the explanation, it was clear that the fourth day's exam would be distinctly different in scale and difficulty from what they'd experienced so far.
Firstly, there was the location.
A vast barrier was spread from the foot of the Crimson Peaks, where heat shimmered, all the way up to the summit.
“The number of magic circles is four layers…”
“Does that mean 4-star magic…?!”
“Wow, that’s insane…!”
Among the faculty, only one person besides the Dean, Madelia, could freely wield 4-star magic.
“Listen up, you brats.”
It was the old woman currently walking out with a staff, Chief Professor Marhena.
“Today’s practical exam will divide you into groups A, B, and C, each with about 60 students, who will enter and take the exam in a visible illusionary world.”
Illusionary world, huh…
She must be referring to wide-area illusion magic. If his guess was correct, once they entered that barrier, everything would take place within an illusion.
“Any magic you use in there will merely act as part of the illusion.”
“…?!”
“To put it simply, even if you attack an opponent, they won’t actually get hurt. But the pain will be real.”
As the students blinked, a magic device projected a map into the air. It depicted the labyrinthine terrain of the Crimson Peaks. The assistant instructor stepped forward.
“The practical exam will be conducted in a battle royale format.”
“Battle royale…?!”
“Treasures are placed in each region. You will earn 1 point each time you obtain one of these treasures. Oh, hunting magical beasts manifested as illusions also counts.”
From a distance, a sharp-looking female student, Krista Warden, raised her hand. The assistant instructor nodded, inviting her question.
“So, it’s a fight over who catches the most magical beasts or obtains treasures the fastest? In that case, it doesn't really seem like a battle royale.”
“Of course, it would seem that way.”
“?”
“If there weren’t a rule to steal points by attacking opponents.”
The moment the students looked puzzled, for a very brief instant, a sinister smile seemed to flicker in Marhena’s eyes.
“It means that killing or injuring an opponent and taking their treasure is also permitted, you brats.”
“No, is it really okay to do such things…?!”
“As I said, this year’s practical exam format is battle royale. Only the two students who accumulate the highest scores in each group during the exam will ultimately receive an S grade.”
Look at this… from start to finish, have they adopted a competitive system for all exams? Layne raised an eyebrow.
This is the selection for the top student of <Delheit>.
Just as he’d heard at the opening ceremony, it truly is a system that pushes them into infinite competition to foster them. Dangerous-looking individuals here and there reacted.
“Does that mean we just kill everyone?”
“Only the top two get S grades? Does that mean even if we survive till the end, it’s meaningless if our score is low?”
As a commotion arose, Marhena struck the ground with her staff, and the light emanating from the magic device faded, bringing an instant silence.
“Emitsa Page, the progenitor of magic, once said: ‘It is the wizard's duty to enable people to dream, even in a world like this.’”
It was a truly famous adage.
Many are said to have chosen the path of a wizard due to the profound power of those words.
“And to fulfill that duty, what is most needed is none other than skill! And the world of magic, then as now, is based on skill! Go on, show off your skills to your heart’s content!”
The students straightened their backs, and the promising talents' eyes gleamed with their individual emotions. Five assistant instructors came forward and called out the students’ names.
“Hubert, Group A.”
“Logan, Group A.”
“Krista Warden, Group A.”
Krista, standing next to him, snorted and haughtily folded her arms, casting a glance at Layne.
“Hmph, it seems a task finally worthy of my serious effort has appeared.”
“Oh, weren't you serious last time? You cried when you lost, didn’t you?”
“W-what?! Who cried?!”
Krista, her face bright red, flapped her arms and furiously vented her emotions. But she quickly calmed down and haughtily brushed her hair back.
“Don’t fall behind and get an S grade. The only one with the right to prevent you from getting an S grade is I, Krista Warden. I won’t tolerate you losing to anyone else.”
At that moment, Logan seemed about to approach, but seeing Krista, his eyes gleamed guardedly, and he turned away.
‘Hmm, so in this exam, she's a rival, is that it?’
Group A was scheduled to be deployed immediately for the exam, so they soon lined up at the entrance of the barrier under the guidance of the assistant instructors.
“Gertrude Fenton, Group B.”
“Lillian Carine, Group B.”
“Layne Ludwig, Group B.”
Gertrude Fenton, the tomboyish kid with pigtails who always stuck by Krista's side.
With a youthful face and short stature, she usually wore an arrogant expression, but today she was uncharacteristically nervous, staring at the barrier.
“Are you nervous?”
He approached stealthily and asked, startling her. She recoiled a few steps and then glared at him resentfully.
“Nervous? I, Gertrude, who serves Lady Krista? That’s a truly laughable question, young master.”
“Really? I thought I saw you biting your nails.”
“I was not biting them?! Hmph! Wouldn't it be better for you, young master, to be nervous instead?”
“Me? Why?”
Gertrude’s eyes brightened, reflecting her pleasure.
“Why, you ask? Because you’ve been assigned to the same group as this Gertrude. You might be eliminated on your first encounter with me, you know?”
There was no trace of playfulness in her voice or gaze.
Was such a provocation beneath him? Layne merely stared at her in silence, then suddenly chuckled and waved his hand.
“Nah, the probability of that is zero.”
“Ugh, just you wait, really!!”
She was as short as Celi, making her feel more like a younger sister than a classmate. Layne, who had been chatting, casually looked behind him.
“So, what do you want?”
One could discern an opponent’s presence just from the subtle fluctuations of their magic, but when someone so openly exuded magic mixed with killing intent, it was impossible not to notice.
Lillian Carine.
Her red hair, fluttering in the wind shaking the mountainside, was as menacing as raging flames.
“I have something to say for a moment, if that’s okay?”
Hmm… as the eldest son of a prominent family, since entering the academy, this was the first time he’d been addressed informally by a classmate, excluding Krista.
Even that arrogant Hubert and Logan had maintained a semblance of courtesy.
Perhaps feeling the same insolence, Gertrude glared and stepped forward, but Layne extended a hand to stop her.
“Alright, if what you have to say is an interesting story.”
* * *
“Sandstone!”
The colossal sand giant, Sandstone Golem, rose with overwhelming size and swung its arm, churning the ground and grinding the magical beasts standing in that space into bits of flesh.
“Hmph, that makes it 280pt.”
Even though she was firmly holding first place with an overwhelming score, Krista clicked her tongue, as if dissatisfied.
‘I can’t be satisfied with this score. Not when I know how many points that Layne fellow might get.’
Just then, the bushes rustled ominously somewhere… Krista snapped her fingers, and sand spearmen rushed to the spot, dragging out the unwelcome guests.
“You plan to steal my points?”
The students desperately struggled, their necks held by the spears of the sand spearmen.
“T-that…!”
“We’re sorry, we’re sorry…!”
Krista looked at the scoundrels with displeasure, then folded her arms with a huff.
“Killing you wouldn’t get me many points, and it would just feel dirty… From now on, earn your points honestly.”
Professors, who had been observing all these situations through Chief Professor Kyle's far-sight, each smiled.
“The ability to freely wield 2-star summoning magic at that age, truly a genius that stands out.”
“To be 독보적 1st place just from hunting magical beasts.”
“Hubert of the Lohwinum faction is also quite remarkable.”
Hubert obtained 253pt by utilizing the long skill of wind magic—rapid mobility and control abilities—to acquire treasures.
Logan of the Chaihak faction acquired 249pt simply by honestly defeating the illusionary beasts he saw, without any strategy.
As the three continued their unchallenged lead and professors offered their praises, only Chief Professor Marhena shook her head in disapproval.
“There’s no usable vessel, ugh.”
Hearing that, Elin Ludwig thought.
‘Chief Professor Marhena’s exam clearly demands specific virtues of a wizard from the students.’
Even among wizards, they are not all alike; it is common for parameters to be distributed differently according to their individuality and aptitude.
Is their mobility outstanding?
Is their information gathering ability outstanding?
Or is their combat ability outstanding?
An exam where one can only achieve a high score by accurately knowing one’s strengths and calmly utilizing them in any situation.
‘The results of this exam will later be used as data to provide customized education to the students…’
It could truly be called an exam to determine one’s fundamental talent as a wizard… Elin grinned, searching for her nephew somewhere in Group B.
‘Layne, I'm already looking forward to seeing what talent you’ll use to surprise this demanding old woman.’