Exam. (3)
The chairman of the Imperial University Tower received intriguing news in her private office.
It was a directive from Verhert. Among them, the item that stood out: "Matters concerning Altiegue shall be tabled until the next council meeting."
If it were a bet, most would have wagered millions—or even a hundred million—on "Altiegue suppression."
Yet the outcome was this, and even more astonishingly, it was due to Deculein's vehement opposition.
"What could it mean..."
"Indeed. Quite so."
In the chairman's office sat thirteen professors, including Rellin and Retran.
Professors typically paid their respects(?) to the chairman once a month, but Deculein was the only one who had never once visited.
"So, why are you all here today? Did you meet someone at the mage symposium?"
The professors merely chuckled at the chairman's question.
Factions existed even in this world of magic. There were numerous "schools of thought," and professors affiliated with them gathered at regular "mage symposiums."
However, Deculein alone was unbound by any school. The Yukline family itself was practically a patriarch of the magical world.
"Ruina attended this symposium. We had a chat with her..."
One professor mustered the courage to speak, and the chairman gave a wry smile.
Ruina had once been Deculein's rival for the position of chief professor.
But due to an unfortunate incident—or perhaps Deculein's scheme—she had voluntarily resigned and was now serving as chief professor at a kingdom's magic tower.
"She's returning to the Empire?"
"Hahaha. Well, if her position is guaranteed, of course she would. If that happens, it would be an enormous gain for our tower. Her achievements in the kingdom have been tremendous, haven't they?"
"..."
"On the other hand, Professor Deculein has been... a bit off lately. Defending Altiegue, of all things. To think he'd show such behavior at Verhert..."
It was a pointed remark from one of the professors. The chairman smirked and waved them off.
"I see. If Ruina does return, we can consider it. But for now, off you go. I have work today."
"Yes, Chairman!"
With that positive dismissal, the professors left the office beaming.
"Hmmmmmm..."
Propping her chin on her hand in thought, the chairman pulled out documents from the university tower.
With exams underway, paperwork was flooding in—especially exam questions.
The chairman had no hobby of rifling through exam problems, but...
"How did they come up with this?"
She was stunned by the exam Deculein had created. She solved it all the way to the end and was moved.
"Even gathering all the others, none match this one."
It wasn't flattery; the quality was good enough to use for the Soda Rank promotion exam.
But the chairman wasn't naive enough to believe Deculein had made these himself.
"Hmm... He's hiding it well this time... I wonder who it is..."
Ether muttered softly to herself and giggled.
"Whatever. It's more fun this way."
What if she asked about the exam questions and he fumbled, unable to answer? Professor Deculein acting flustered would be pretty cute.
"I'll tease him later!"
Wednesday.
The day of the 5-credit lecture exam.
As important as combining two or three ordinary exams, Efrin headed to the tower early in the morning.
[ Floor 30 ]
The designated spot was the 30th floor of the tower. An entire floor rented out solely for one exam.
[ Exam Waiting Room ]
She gripped the doorknob of the door labeled "Exam Waiting Room" and opened it.
"Oh my."
Efrin flinched in surprise.
It was only 8 a.m., yet over a hundred people were already gathered.
"..."
"..."
Their quiet chatter halted. Perhaps due to recent events, all eyes turned to Efrin.
For reference, her nickname lately was "clueless commoner"—even though she wasn't one.
Efrin sat near her club members, including Julia.
"Efi, did you just wake up?"
"Nah. Haven't slept."
She'd downed who-knows-how-many cups of coffee.
Exams were always like this anyway. Sleep never came amid the coffee and tension. If anything, she was more alert than ever.
"Efi, wanna see my notes? I wrote down what I realized yesterday."
Julia grinned smugly.
"Sure. I'll show you mine too."
The two exchanged notes and studied. Time passed, and by 11 a.m., Assistant Professor Allen entered.
"Greetings. I'm Assistant Professor Allen. For the midterm of Understanding Pure Elements in Magic, we won't call roll and will begin directly."
Allen read from the paper in his hand.
"First, I'll share exam details. There is no time limit for this exam."
"?"
The mages were momentarily puzzled. Allen tapped his mouth as if correcting a slip.
"Ah, the exam period ends when the tower's exams conclude—that is, next Sunday at midnight."
The mages were even more baffled.
It was Wednesday 11 a.m.; extending to next Sunday midnight meant tackling one exam for 10 days?
As Efrin blinked in confusion, Allen continued.
"Of course, you can take other exams in between, eat outside, sleep at home, shower, or even play to relieve stress. But you cannot take the exam paper outside."
The more she heard, the stranger—no, more ingenious—it seemed.
"The exam rooms are individual. One person per room; you can sleep inside, but bring your own pillow and blanket. Eating inside is fine—bring food. Reference books or papers are allowed. It's open-book."
By then, Efrin's eyebrows twitched oddly.
Open-book? With a 10-day period? How hard could it be?
No, could they even calibrate difficulty like that? It'd be all zeros or all perfect scores.
"Accordingly, the professor said this."
Allen cleared his throat with a fake cough and mimicked Deculein.
"Should anyone score perfectly, I shall write a letter of recommendation in the name of the chief professor—"
Recommendation letter.
At that word, every mage's eyes widened.
A Monarch Rank mage.
Among the mage hierarchy's "11 classes," it was 4th class—no, effectively 3rd considering 1st was Archmage—and a chief professor's recommendation held immense value.
Exaggerating slightly, it guaranteed passing the Soda Rank promotion interview.
"..."
Forgetting their doubts about the format, the mages burned with determination.
Of course, there was the overwhelming top student Sylvia, but the letter went to anyone who got a perfect score—not just one person.
An uprising from the underdogs was entirely possible...
"Now, we'll assign exam rooms. Front row, please stand and follow me."
The first 15 from the front stood.
This repeated ten times. Sylvia got Room 23; Efrin and her club got Rooms 73-78.
"...Do great, Efi. Fighting!"
"Yeah, you too."
With plenty of time, tension eased instead.
As they exchanged cheers, Allen shouted.
"Everyone, enter!"
Efrin took a deep breath and went in.
The room was slightly larger than a dorm single. Just a desk, chair, clock—and the exam paper on the desk.
Efrin sat and looked at question 1.
1. Compute the circuit of the following formula.
100% theory.
Efrin pulled out a pencil and simultaneously released mana from her finger.
Calculate with pencil, construct circuit with mana—using intuition to compute theory.
"...Whew."
An hour later, the answer emerged. She infused equivalent mana into the answer field.
She turned the page.
2. Infer the core circuit of the following formula and describe its mana flow.
Question 2 was tougher but still theory, solvable with 3-4 hours of pondering.
But the real trouble started next.
3. The above circuit is part of a specific spell. Infer the formula using the conditions below and manifest the spell onto the exam paper.
Efrin pondered every which way.
She thought it'd be easy at first.
But this maddeningly almost-solvable problem refused to yield no matter how much time she poured in...
"Sleepy."
She finally set down the pen and lay on the floor.
"...Yaaawn."
Just a short rest with eyes closed on that hard surface—and a day had passed.
Day 4 of the Understanding Pure Elements in Magic exam.
Knight cadets returned from practicals on Saturday, and ordinary undergrad exams neared completion.
Yet the tower buzzed hotly.
Not just tower mages, but outsiders from kingdom towers, press, knight cadets, and undergrads—all eyes on it.
The reason: Deculein's marathon exam, challengeable for nearly two weeks if desired.
Such marathons had been tried before by other professors, but the chairman vetoed most.
This one, she actively pushed.
"Yes! The exam is still ongoing on the 30th floor!"
Thus, heavy coverage—and the chairman gave interviews.
"What's the difficulty level?"
"Tough, but! When I solved it, it was amazing! Mages will gain insights solving it! It's worth it!"
"Plans to release the questions later?"
"Ask Professor Deculein! But I think even the Floating Island would pay for them!"
The tower area teemed with people.
Undergrads and knights, exams done, came to play; the whole campus opened for the festival and MT starting two weeks later.
"Excuse me, interview—"
"Debutante? Wait a sec—"
Reporters grabbed suspected mages for interviews. Most refused, but Efrin agreed for four coffees and three pastries.
"So, no one's given up yet?"
"Yeah. Probably."
"Why do you think that?"
"Dunno. Me, anyway."
Efrin sipped coffee without answering.
Truthfully, she knew why no one quit.
This exam extended the class.
Like Deculein's seemingly brusque yet kind lectures, it guided self-directed growth.
Reviewing all he'd taught, applying voluntarily, realizing applications...
"But no risk of mages discussing and copying answers?"
At the reporter's naive question, Efrin nearly spat her coffee. She chuckled and shook her head.
"No way. Mages are extremely individualistic. And it'd show anyway. Magic and mana have 'personalities.' They leave traces like fingerprints."
"Ah..."
"Ten minutes up? I'm out."
The promised time: 10 minutes.
Efrin grabbed her remaining three coffees and two pastries and left.
Monday morning, Sylvia woke in her exam room and heated food with warming magic.
"Nom nom—"
Eating breakfast while eyeing the paper.
7. When the spell containing the above core circuit satisfies the following four conditions, infer the full formula and implement the spell.
She manipulated mana per question 7's conditions, pondering.
"...Ugh."
She'd struggled all yesterday, but today too, no breakthrough—and time for another exam approached.
"..."
Outside, Sylvia approached the assistant at the elevator.
"Giving up, or heading out?"
"Out for another exam."
"Yes~ Sylvia. Take care."
Then, she took a liberal arts exam at Theo Hall outside the tower.
*
Finishing the two-hour exam in 20 minutes, on her way back, mansion servants waiting near the tower handed her lunch and dinner.
"You got this, Lady! You can solve them all!"
"Future Archmage, fighting!"
Buoyed by cheers, Sylvia returned.
Oddly burdensome. Entrance exams hadn't fazed her.
Perhaps the growing dread of unsolved problems in a corner of her mind.
"No rush."
Recalling the professor's words, she armored her spirit.
[ Room 23 — Sylvia ]
Sylvia's room was a full studio. She'd magicked a bed; blankets, pillow, reference books, papers—all set.
Literally eat, sleep, solve, repeat—in a capsule.
She sat and tackled 7 again.
1 hour.
2 hours.
3 hours.
4 hours...
Monstrous effort matching time's flow.
Not just difficulty.
Problems were tough, but merely so, she'd have complained to Father: worthless trash problems from a trash professor wasting ten days.
This exam wasn't.
Each presented new possibilities, unexpected variations, shocks in application, admiration for embedded flexible thinking...
Especially from 6 onward, skyrocketing difficulty—like mage ascetic training.
A perfect score would elevate her tier. The letter was secondary.
Thus, 10 hours.
11 hours.
12 hours...
"!"
12 hours today, 18 yesterday.
Total 30 hours of struggle.
Finally, 7 solved.
The implanted circuit manifested as spell. Pure magic formed an orb, floating.
Light bathing all. Fire, earth, wind, water fused—a blazing star.
Sylvia lost herself briefly in its beauty.
But checked the clock and sighed.
[ 6:00 PM ]
Time for another exam.
Brushed hair, headed out—took back path amid crowds.
Then bumped into someone.
"Oh, Sylvia?"
Arrogant Efrin.
"...Heading to exam?"
Sylvia walked without reply.
But suddenly, both asked.
"You up to—"
Words overlapped.
Sylvia shut her mouth; Efrin shrugged first.
"...I'm on 7."
Sylvia answered honestly.
"8."
"What? You finished already?!"
Efrin's eyes bulged.
"Working on it."
"...Fast. I'm stuck on 7."
Efrin smiled bitterly, scratching her nape. Sylvia passed without a word.
Yet her gut twisted oddly.
Already 7? Far faster than expected. Just one problem ahead. Lying? Or am I too slow?
...She resented Efrin pointlessly.
The issue was time.
Only one "real exam," yet "fakes" stole too much...
Meanwhile, parted from Sylvia, Efrin hit a café. Exam coffee alone nearly cost a thousand elne.
She scanned inside. Checking for reporters. In her head: reporter = interview = free coffee and food.
"...None."
Tsk. Paid for coffee and bread herself.
Sitting, Sylvia's words resurfaced.
"8... I'm on day two of 7."
These two days felt like illness.
Raged to quit! But a hint sparked melting happiness.
Unmatched bliss.
"...Sigh."
Efrin grew mana at her fingertips. Chewed bread and coffee mechanically, pondering 7.
Wondered what Deculein was doing.
Handing out insane difficulty—where was he?
"I'll solve it, even if I die trying..."
Munching voraciously to fill her belly, she left the café.
Dashing back, she glanced skyward.
Stars.
Glowing stars.
Dark sky, stars dotting like marshmallows with the moon...
"...!"
Efrin's eyes widened. Star reflected in pupils. Insight surged up her spine to brain.
She raced back to her room.
Sprayed mana.
"Yes, yes, this is it..."
Inspiration: night sky stars.
Compute circuit under conditions, infer formula, implement matching magic circle...
"Solved...?"
Fire, wind, earth, water—four elements forming Artificial Star.
Its pure convergence welled tears unbidden.
"Damn, really..."
Efrin clutched her face long. Tears fell.
Thus basked in afterglow 30 minutes.
"Sniff."
Wiping teary brows, turned page.
"..."
Seeing final 8.
Half-page magic circuit and conditions.
"No way, this insane—"
She nearly fainted.