Tricolor Ring (3)
The second test had 871 applicants. Out of those, 184 had passed.
"Far more outstanding talents than anticipated."
"Many have already mastered the fundamentals of mana manipulation, or they're using it unconsciously without even realizing it."
"Contrary to our prediction that over half would be nobles, the actual ratio is right around fifty-fifty. It seems our goal of drawing in those hidden talents buried in the countryside has been more than met."
The examiners' voices rang out, buzzing with excitement over results that had far exceeded expectations.
A short distance away, three figures stood facing one another.
The woman with hair the color of fresh blood—Istal—spoke first.
"So, what brings you two here? I doubt you came just to kill time."
Whether it was mockery or a genuine question was hard to tell. The sharp-featured gentleman with neatly combed black hair answered.
"To confirm things, obviously. I had a hand in designing those combat dolls, and more importantly, these are the students I'll be teaching."
"We still have the third test to go."
"That's nothing more than a formality of an interview."
"Now, now, both of you, that's enough. We'll be working together for the next several years. What good will come from starting off at each other's throats?"
The one who stepped between the growling pair was, surprisingly, a boy who looked no older than thirteen at most. He had clear, round eyes and skin without a single blemish. His pure white hair only added to his mystical charm. Anyone who loved cute things would have felt the sudden urge to pull him into a hug. Yet both adults responded with lukewarm indifference to the boy's words.
"You're one to talk. Do you seriously plan to teach looking like that? Honestly, it feels borderline criminal."
"Act your age, you old fossil. Is it really that fun to deceive children?"
"Huh? What are you two even talking about…?"
The boy blinked in genuine confusion. The other two clicked their tongues in open disgust before smoothly changing the subject.
The man with the swept-back hair spoke first.
"More than ten individuals managed to defeat the combat dolls without receiving the Ring's enhancement effect. We saw almost no one with any real skill in spell formulas, but since we'll have to retrain everyone on mana theory anyway, that might actually be preferable."
"On the other hand, the children who excelled in martial arts or physical ability were already at impressively high levels. Once they properly learn how to use Enhancement, they'll grow rapidly."
"I'm particularly pleased by how many exceptional students came from the temple. That said, have any of you spotted someone who truly caught your eye?"
Istal answered without hesitation.
"The girl named Ligret. I'm claiming her. The fact that she destroyed a combat doll with her bare hands without using a single trace of mana is already abnormal. If she managed it while under a penalty on top of that, there's nothing left to discuss. The one called Crow Vein seems promising too. That muscular fellow over there isn't bad either."
The man with the swept-back hair continued.
"Hmm. In terms of pure talent, no one surpasses the girl who scored highest in the preliminaries. But if we're talking about who would be interesting to teach, I'd pick the boy named Chrome Midas. Magic, after all, demands exceptional application skills. The twins who came from the Morian Kingdom also seem worth my time."
The white-haired boy who had posed the original question finally spoke.
"I must take Akasha, the youngest paladin. Beyond her, the girl named Fiore is also from the temple, so she'll need looking after. Then there's the one with green hair, the one with long blue hair, and hmm, this black-haired one as well—"
"We were supposed to be choosing students we wanted to teach, not picking out girls to flirt with. Try to restrain yourself."
"No, go ahead and commit, old man. It'll give us the perfect legal excuse to throw you in prison."
"These damn brats and their foul mouths… Ahem. What are you even suggesting! I am a model of integrity!"
The conversation among the three professors—the academy's very first instructors and the future mentors of these students—showed no signs of ending anytime soon.
Rest period after the second test.
The surviving applicants listened carefully as the examiners made an announcement over the broadcast.
Third Test Notice: The third examination will consist of individual interviews. Applicants are requested to follow the guides and proceed one by one to your assigned locations.
Ligret, who had already gone through several high-quality weapons because of me, grumbled.
"...Are they planning to call us out one by one for one-on-one fights?"
Fiore, who had barely survived her group stage after being placed with several candidates from the Spero Kingdom and only made it through thanks to help from a fellow temple paladin, added her own theory.
"They might send us to some mysterious space through a teleportation circle and tell us to find our own way back alive."
Loto, who had been forced to perform an impromptu strip show after his clothes got caught on branches while fleeing from the combat dolls, spoke with deadly seriousness.
"Lord Chrome, can I borrow some poison? The really strong kind."
Watching this parade of paranoia, I let out a long sigh.
"Look, this is probably just a normal interview. You don't need to be so tense."
"Is there anything about this academy that could actually be called normal?"
Well… when he put it like that, I didn't have much of a comeback.
Loto's question nearly convinced me for a second, but according to my predictions, there shouldn't be any more dangerous tests after this. In the original Planetarium, the interview had been relatively straightforward. As long as you didn't give any truly bizarre answers, passing was easy.
The number of accepted students is going to be higher than I thought.
I had predicted around a hundred, but judging from the current atmosphere, it looked like nearly twice that number would pass. It was an unexpected result, but not a bad one. Considering the countless incidents that would occur at this academy in the future, the more diverse and numerous the talents, the better.
If I had to name a regret, it was that I still hadn't identified any other Template holders during the tests so far. Their names and appearances were unknown, so I could only guess based on their backgrounds. The difficulty was high, but still…
Chrome Midas. Applicant Chrome Midas, please proceed to your assigned location.
The broadcast snapped me out of my thoughts.
"I'll be back."
"Go fleece the examiners like you always do."
"You know it. I'll suck them dry to the marrow."
After exchanging those ridiculous goodbyes with Ligret, I started walking. Following the examiner waiting outside the lounge, I headed toward the designated spot. As I did, I saw someone emerging from the opposite end of the corridor.
The person before me?
At first I tried to pass by without much thought, but as the distance closed, her appearance became strikingly clear.
Her face was so perfectly formed it made me think of golden ratios. Within it, eyes the color of sunset glowed with a gentle light. Her red hair, tied in a half-up style, burned like living flames. The dress she wore gave off an overwhelming sense of luxury from its texture alone, perfectly balancing practicality and beauty.
This is…
If it had simply been exceptional beauty, I wouldn't have been this surprised. What caught my attention was something else entirely. I had felt something similar before—back when I was helping with my family's affairs before entering the academy. It was the same sensation I'd gotten when meeting long-established nobles or retired high officials. That certain aura possessed only by those with status, bloodline, and years of experience.
She looked only one or two years older than my current body. Even if you added my previous life's age, she was still far younger. Yet the charisma radiating from her overwhelmed anything I had ever felt before.
My feet stopped without conscious thought. Those sunset-colored eyes caught the motion.
"...Are you the next candidate? I sincerely hope we may learn together at this academy."
Her calm, gentle words of encouragement struck my mind with instinctive certainty.
It's her.
The owner of the Template I had been searching for. The undeniable monster who had single-handedly achieved what should have been impossible conditions.
My tongue moved before my brain could catch up.
"My name is Chrome Midas. If it wouldn't be too forward, may I have the honor of hearing your name?"
"Forward? Not at all."
With elegant confidence, she declared her name.
"I am Lyla Everblaze Barhart. A pleasure, gentleman with the monocle."
The lowest seat of the Barhart Imperial Family. And the inheritor of the blood of the Morian royal family, which had suffered the humiliation of destruction at the hands of that very Barhart Empire.
The Successor of Red and Blue Blood smiled with elegant grace.