Grade Evaluation (4)
Grade Evaluation (4)
One more turn left until Baek Ha-na's.
-Peep! Pip! Peep!
"......."
Claire gazed at the Fairy with worried eyes. The tiny creature had poked its upper body out of her pocket and was thrusting its two minuscule fists forward.
Inside the transparent glass wall right in front of them, a student clutching a shield as tall as himself was taking the exam.
[Hrk! Hrrk! Hrraaaghh......!!]
[Wooo-ooong!!]
The student's groans and the monster's roar, broadcast from the summoning device, echoed through the Grand Auditorium via the speakers transmitting the internal sound.
[Kuhk...?!]
Im Gyeong-su, a male student barely managing to block the front paw strike of a six-meter-tall Iron Bear.
He was one of the students still in my lecture and the one I'd assigned to Baek Ha-na's group during the last practical session.
'Still pathetic.'
It was with an eye on the future, not the present, that I'd attached him to Baek Ha-na, but even so, watching Im Gyeong-su take the exam was so pitiful it felt like a waste of time.
[Crack―!!]
The standard-issue shield, stress built past its limit, finally shattered.
[You have done enough.]
The dismissal order came, and sweat-drenched Im Gyeong-su trudged out of the summoning device with a grim face before vanishing into the waiting room.
Choosing a shield larger and heavier than his usual one was already a point deduction, but the bigger issue was the boy's total lack of any will to attack.
"P-Professor......."
Watching the summoning device being reset, I turned my head at Claire's call.
She was looking at the Fairy giggling in the pocket with anxious eyes as she addressed me.
"I'm concerned... it might be a little too violent for this child to watch."
-Peep?
Somehow aware we were talking about it, the little rascal turned its head our way and blinked its round green eyes. I answered.
"You're being overprotective."
"......."
A subtle shift passed through Claire's gaze as it touched me. When I turned my head, I caught a flicker of embarrassment in her blue eyes.
"Those tiny hands couldn't hurt anyone if they tried. Fairies like pranks—they aren't the type that enjoys tormenting others."
"......Ah, ah... yes."
I didn't know what had crossed her mind, but Claire chased the worry from her eyes and nodded.
[ Student 62, Baek Ha-na, please enter the summoning device. ]
Baek Ha-na was paged over the broadcast.
"It's Miss Ha-na's turn."
"You taught her yourself; she'll do well."
"...Ahem."
She let out a light cough, raising the hand not holding mine to her mouth.
It was the kind of embarrassment she would never have shown when we first met.
"M-Miss Ha-na has appeared."
"So she has."
I nearly added that the words weren't exactly sincere but decided against it. It was fortunate that Void offset Greed, but if I didn't stay mindful like this, my sense of distance slipped too easily.
I kept my mouth shut and turned my eyes to Baek Ha-na, who had walked out in front of the summoning device.
Her hair, white as first snow and neatly tied, disappeared into the device while she wore the gloves I'd given her.
'She seems to be growing more like Claire.'
Her eyes were fiercer, but on the whole, the Baek Ha-na who stood before others—people other than me—was wrapping herself in the same cool aura Claire once carried.
-Peep!! Peep-peep!!
The Fairy, which had been quiet for a moment, popped out of the pocket the instant it spotted Baek Ha-na and tried to fly toward her. It hadn't seen her since last weekend, yet it was alarmingly attached.
"It's not playtime right now."
-Peep......?
Claire gently cupped the Fairy, which had been flailing against the mana thread, and placed it on her shoulder.
"I'll let you meet her later, so you must stay still."
-Pwoo-oo, pfft.......
The little creature, having learned all sorts of odd things from Baek Ha-na, puffed out its cheeks and stuck out its lips. Claire poked one cheek softly, a faint smile on her face.
[It will begin after a five-second countdown. Please prepare.]
The numbers started counting down through the speaker, and Claire, having soothed the Fairy, turned her head back toward the device.
[ 3, 2.......]
The Iron Bear, frozen in its summoned state until now, bared its sharp teeth.
[Wooo-ooong!!]
The moment the count ended, the Iron Bear charged at Baek Ha-na.
-Peep!! Pip-pip-pip!!
Unlike with Im Gyeong-su, the Fairy pointed one tiny hand at Claire's cheek and the other at Baek Ha-na, letting out a relentless string of chick-sounds.
-Peep, p-peep?!
Just before the Iron Bear rammed Baek Ha-na with its head after closing the gap in an instant, the Fairy covered its own eyes with both hands. The polarized reaction made me wonder if this was the same creature that had been thoroughly enjoying the spectacle of Im Gyeong-su getting thrashed moments ago.
[ ――!! ]
-Pyeep?!
An enormous bang slammed through the space via the speakers.
"...Her physical strength has increased a bit more over the past few months."
Just before colliding with the Iron Bear, Baek Ha-na's fist had slammed straight down onto the creature's skull, and the Iron Bear dispersed into particles of mana.
It was a result achieved with a body reinforced by mana alone, without even manifesting her ability.
[ Second stage will begin after a ten-second countdown. ]
A massive praying mantis materialized where the Iron Bear had stood. It was the Mentis—the man-eating mantis Baek Ha-na had faced during the entrance exam.
-Peep......?
The Fairy blinked, bewildered, as if it couldn't grasp what was happening. The countdown continued in the meantime.
[ Kihihihihiik―!! ]
Just like the first one, it spread its wings and rushed at Baek Ha-na.
[ Kihihiiik!! ]
The Mentis closed the distance at twice the Iron Bear's speed and slashed its sharp foreleg down in a diagonal arc.
At a speed no ordinary person could ever hope to react to, Baek Ha-na's eyes precisely tracked the mantis's leg. Then.
[ Kihihiiik?! ]
She caught the foreleg cleanly with her gloved hand, then used her other hand to smash the vulnerable joint.
Still gripping the severed foreleg, Baek Ha-na leaped and drove it straight into the creature's jaw.
The Mentis, judged combat-incapable, turned into particles of mana and scattered as well.
-Peep, peep-aa...!!
The little creature, watching with bated breath, clapped its tiny hands and bounced around.
"Striking the weak point with minimal movement. Excellent."
Claire had begun evaluating Baek Ha-na with a serious eye before I'd even noticed.
Stage three and stage four were cleared without any trouble.
-Incredible.......
-Her public info says she's a Transformation-type.
-S-so she's doing that well without even manifesting her ability?
There were bound to be plenty of students besides Baek Ha-na who passed stage four, but none who did so with such casual ease. That was why the guild representatives who'd earned observer seats were so astonished.
-Should we try to poach her...?
-Stop it. That's not a talent our guild can handle.
-An academy with a global ranking really does have students on a different level.......
-Makes me want to go home.
"Ahem."
Claire, who'd been evaluating Baek Ha-na until a moment ago, coughed quietly again and lifted the corner of her mouth ever so slightly. She must have been eavesdropping on Baek Ha-na's evaluation, same as me.
[ Will you challenge the fifth stage? ]
The observers, who'd been chattering among themselves, shut their mouths and refocused on Baek Ha-na.
Stage five.
The exam's final stage, designed for students who wanted to demonstrate their full strength. It was, in a word, something the professors had inserted on a whim out of curiosity about those one-in-a-blue-moon geniuses who enrolled.
A mid-level Rift monster, nearly impossible for a first-year to handle, would be materialized. The professors who had watched Baek Ha-na evidently wanted to see her true ability.
[ No. I'll stop here. ]
But Baek Ha-na didn't grant their wish.
A sound close to a lament rose from not only the observers but the professors as well.
[ You have done enough. ]
The summoning device's door opened, and Baek Ha-na walked out and headed for the waiting room.
"It's a shame. I wanted to see Miss Ha-na's skills as well."
Claire let her disappointment show—a rare thing for her.
I smoothed the side of her hair, which the Fairy had mussed up, and said,
"In that case, I'll make sure you can confirm them on the final day."
"Tha-uh, u-uh......?"
She'd been about to turn her head, but the moment my hand brushed her cheek, she froze solid. Then only her lips moved, like a broken machine.
-Pee-aang!!
I'd just fixed her hair when the little rascal watching laughed and pulled at it again.
"I-it's, f-f-fine......."
When I moved to fix it once more, Claire hurriedly swept her hair back with her other hand. My hands had moved out of habit—probably because I'd been brushing and fixing little Baek Ha-na's hair ever since the day I brought her home.
I returned my hand to its place and said,
"It's a bit early, but we might as well go eat lunch."
-Pwoo-oo.......
The Fairy, which had been cackling as recently as a minute ago, drooped its wings and plopped down on Claire's shoulder.
It had been squeaking and throwing punches the moment we came in; its stomach must have emptied fast.
"Yes. That sounds good. Ah, perhaps Miss Ha-na could join us?"
"If you wish."
"I did promise this child a moment ago that I'd let her meet Miss Ha-na...."
I nodded, took out my smartphone, and sent an email to Baek Ha-na.
The first day's exam was over, and after receiving a check-up from the priest waiting in the waiting room, it was fine to return to the dorm and rest.
"Let's go."
"Yes."
We walked out through the same door we'd entered. Namgung Min must have handled things properly; the area was spotless, with no trace of anything.
-Pee-aa!!
The Fairy, which had been drooping weakly, spotted Baek Ha-na waiting for me behind the Grand Auditorium and squeezed out energy it didn't have to express its joy.
"......?"
Just like a few days ago, Baek Ha-na couldn't possibly see or sense me, but the moment I drew near, she turned her head precisely toward me. I placed my hand on the head of this admirable child and infused her with mana.
"......Ah!!"
Now properly able to perceive us, Baek Ha-na's eyes flew open and her jaw dropped. Then.
"Big Sis!!"
She threw her arms around Claire and beamed.
"H-heh......?"
"Wait, you were watching from the start?"
"Yes? Ah, yes."
"Ugh~ I did everything super half-heartedly...."
-Pee-aa!!
"Ah!! You were there too!!"
She carefully stroked the Fairy perched on Claire's shoulder and grinned sloppily. If anyone from the Grand Auditorium had seen this version of her, they'd have doubted their own eyes. That was how utterly goofy Baek Ha-na's expression looked right now.
"H-Hey, Woo-jin......?"
After petting the Fairy for a long while, the kid finally turned her head toward me.
"Are you... not mad anymore?"
"I was never angry. If you ask a question like that, I'll—"
Hug—!!
The kid who'd been glued to Claire leaped over in a single bound and wrapped her arms around me.
"Hehe......."
I neatened her hair and continued.
"Finish writing your reflection letter. Today is an exception, so I am specially granting you entry."
"......Eck."
The grinning kid instantly put on a sulky face and looked up.
"Professor."
While I was peeling off the clinging Baek Ha-na, Claire, who'd been checking her smart watch, addressed me.
"Would it be alright if I stopped by the temple briefly before returning...?"
"Go ahead."
"Ah, well, I can go alone perfectly well. Just this child......."
I took the Fairy from her hand and reconnected the mana thread to Baek Ha-na.
"I shall return shortly."
"Come back fast!"
Claire gave us a slight bow and swiftly vanished from view.
"Woo-jin."
"Get off."
"Tch......."
Baek Ha-na stuck out her lip and shifted her arms from my waist to my arm.
"I want gratin."
"If we have the ingredients."
"Ay-owt...!!"
I lightly flicked the nose bridge of the child whose eyes were sparkling, and we started walking toward the mansion.