Chapter 71
Chapter 71
Episode 71
"Hoo..."
Alexios took a deep breath. Around him were abundant traces of destruction and melted areas, and their extent was absurd.
"Sorry to bother you while you're busy, but would it be alright to talk for a moment? Alexios."
"I apologize. Was I perhaps too loud?"
"Hmm, as long as you know, that's fine. Just be careful from now on. It's good that you listen well."
Alexios bowed his head. It was likely that he was aware of the fact that he had caused damage to his surroundings.
Tia, as if satisfied with Alexios's demeanor, smiled brightly and nodded her head.
He was different from someone who, when called, would immediately offer excuses.
Of course, there was also one person who didn't like Alexios's attitude.
"A typical case of being strong against the weak and weak against the strong. Why don't you try acting like your usual self?"
"...Just what in the world are you doing. Oz."
Alexios clicked his tongue, looking at Oz who, for some reason, was in a ragged state.
Considering the arrogant and aloof image of Oz he knew, it couldn't help but feel unfamiliar.
Even the [Starry Sky Robe] was torn here and there. There were no noticeable injuries, but it meant he had been roughed up considerably.
"Oz, no matter how I think about it, you seem like more of a troublemaker than Alexios."
"How humiliating. To think I have to be compared to such a thug."
"You should reflect on your actions a bit. You crazy bastard."
"...Just how on earth did you end up becoming such an idiot."
Alexios felt dismal. He hadn't wanted to see such a state from the one he considered both a rival and a wall to overcome.
"Well, yes, since you seem aware that you caused damage to your surroundings, I'll let it end with a warning this time. Alexios. During the exam period, the kids are sensitive, and I'm particularly sensitive, so let's both be very careful, okay?"
"Yes..."
"Yes, I'd appreciate it if you'd be a bit more careful. Alexios."
"Oz, if you run that mouth one more time, you'll never chew food with those teeth again."
Faced with a strange sense of intimidation, Alexios broke out in a cold sweat and nodded.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Professor! Professor! Me!"
"Yes, student Noah. It's not question time yet, but do you have something you're curious about?"
Professor Aira, as if accustomed to Eleanor raising her hand high from the very front seat and asking questions, pointed to her.
Normally, she would have postponed it until later, but knowing that Eleanor, being an attention-seeker, wouldn't give up with just that, she must have had no choice but to allow it.
"If you lose once, is it elimination?"
"The tournament, excluding the winner, is scheduled to proceed further. Because if the skill difference is too severe, it will be difficult to measure grades."
It seemed the plan was to gather those who lost and hold another tournament, and then gather those who lost again and repeat the tournament. Truly inefficient.
"Then, wouldn't that be too harsh on those who lose?"
"Of course, we won't be pushing everyone back into a tournament. We'll proceed by gathering students who are deemed to require additional assessment."
"Then, isn't there no reason for it to be a tournament in the first place?"
Considering her usual attention-seeking behavior, it was hard to believe, but the questions Eleanor asked often hit the core of the matter.
As expected of a protagonist, she was a genius at drawing out explanations.
"The reason it's a tournament is for the special privilege for the winner."
Professor Aira, in a calmer version than usual, who had been calmly continuing her words, said, glancing at me.
"The winner receives a scholarship and can nominate a professor to challenge."
"Setting aside the scholarship, is there really a need for the latter part?"
Eleanor spoke, frowning as if she had imagined herself being tormented by the professors. What an ill-mannered brat.
"It's for education. Seeing the fighting styles of professors whom you are usually curious about but have no opportunity to encounter in class will also be helpful."
"Aha? Then it doesn't matter if I nominate a professor from a different subject?"
Eleanor nodded and sat down. Seeing her eyes sparkle, it seemed she was aiming for the scholarship. Truly an honest brat.
Well, regardless of Eleanor, this could be considered important information for me.
Since there would be no one in the intermediate magic studies class who could handle me, it was obvious that I would be the one using that special privilege.
"...."
And looking at Professor Aira's strangely resolute gaze, it seemed the target I had to choose was also decided.
No, I did tell her to produce results, but did she really need to prove it against me? I didn't know.
If I chose someone else here, wouldn't she cry? I was very curious about that part, but since I had tormented her a lot usually, I supposed I should obediently accept it.
When I sent Professor Aira a look conveying that meaning, she quietly nodded.
"Then, this concludes the announcements. Are there any questions?"
"Yes! Professor, me!"
"Are there any questions from students other than student Noah?"
"...."
"None? Then, that's all for today's announcements."
One semester was enough time to predict an attention-seeker's patterns.
Professor Aira caught Eleanor's mischievous gaze and smoothly brushed it off.
It would have been a trivial question anyway.
"Ah, and it seems there's a very special prize for winning the comprehensive evaluation. So, everyone, do your best."
Professor Aira, who had maintained a resolute expression all along, finally smiled brightly as usual.
"Then, everyone, good luck on your exams."
With those words, Professor Aira left the classroom.
Just like last time, the start of the final exams became a quiet, hidden struggle.
Meaning, it was the written exam.
"Hmm..."
I was confident I could achieve at least an average score, even excluding my major.
Especially in areas like history, I was confident I could score above average.
In the first place, the sentiment with which I approached it was different.
It might sound like a snarky remark, but it meant studying was fun.
To me, the histories of this world came across like reading a game synopsis.
It's always the case that one might not remember the names of great figures who brought glory to their country, but if asked to name game characters, they could list over a hundred.
It could be called a difference in interest.
In the rest, there wasn't much difference in subjects like arithmetic or literature.
Though I might seem this way, I was a university graduate. Such light problems were simple, given enough time to get used to them.
Of course, it wasn't without problems.
The decomposition reaction of gaseous Veru⦁thus is a first-order reaction, and the rate constant shows the following dependence at each temperature.
400K 0.03(s^-1)
770K 1.36(s^-1)
Through this, find the Askar factor of this reaction.
"I should drop all alchemy-related subjects starting from the second semester..."
Just look at the state of this first-year, first-semester problem.
No, it wasn't that I couldn't solve it. As I mentioned before, my major had been chemistry.
If I substituted that unknown chemical formula of Veru⦁thus and that thing called the Askar factor with modern methods I knew, I could solve it.
However... yes, however.
This was just the first year, first semester, you know? This was the most basic subject.
Seeing it already like this, it seemed better not to take alchemy or whatever from the second semester onwards.
I couldn't even fathom how sharply the difficulty would spike. I was pretty sure I had been memorizing something like the periodic table just a few days ago, had it gone mad?
Most of the exams were like this. While some exams were simple as I had expected, others blindsided me with unexpected difficulty.
And for the intermediate magic studies exam, which was my major, there was a slightly awkward aspect.
"Why is it normal..."
Compared to the midterms, it was an extremely average level of difficulty. It was exactly at the intermediate magic level. I had thought Professor Aira, who had said she would prove her achievements to me, would have suddenly accelerated.
But seeing this, it seemed she was planning to go full throttle in the evaluation exam where combat would take place, and I couldn't shake off the uneasy feeling.
Was she planning to kill me?
If Professor Aira came at me with all her strength, I had no confidence I could win. Tricks or deceptions could only be used when prepared in advance; in a public place like that, in a battle conducted under fair and square rules, it was impossible.
"Did I say something unnecessary...?"
For a while now, I had felt that Professor Aira's research should not be completed.
I couldn't know exactly what its contents were, but there was that sense of incongruity. Had I, perhaps, made a mistake? Well, I'd find out when the time came. If things went south, I could just feign ignorance.
The tournament exam, which was originally supposed to have been conducted as practical training.
It seemed that since they couldn't create stages for each subject, it was being held in the same place.
In other words, this place was quite bustling with people.
In the audience seats were parents and officials from various countries. Honestly, it wasn't my concern.
"Hoo..."
I thought about the schedule while warming up.
The subjects I would be participating in were basic combat skills and intermediate magic studies.
I would probably be able to win both without much trouble.
Magic was out of the question from the start, as it wasn't even at a level to be compared.
When it came to basic combat skills, there was no student who worked harder than me. The amount of practice was different, in addition to the physical abilities I already possessed.
Since I even had actual combat experience, there was no way kids who learned combat skills at the level of self-defense could beat me.
Still, well...
"Haha, it's an honor to face the Successor of the renowned Mage King."
"...."
There were many kids who couldn't recognize the difference in skill. Most of them were from close-combat disciplines. They were looking down on me because I was a mage, even though they themselves were only taking the class because they hadn't even mastered the basics.
To put it in game terms, an extra who would only be around N-rank level.
A youngster, who wouldn't even have a separately displayed name and would merely be indicated as something like [Armored Knight], was provoking me.
"You won't make an issue of it later if I happen to hurt you a little, will you?"
Well, in the end, they were just kids. I had no intention of getting serious against kids like that either. It would be enough to just play along at their level.
But one thing. There was something I needed to address.
"Ah, still, should I go a little easy on you? Since you have your reputation to think about..."
"When do you plan on starting?"
I tried to listen, but there was no end to it. Did he not have any friends to talk to usually?
"Ha, Prince Oz. Even so, considering your reputation, I..."
"Who are you?"
"What...?"
I was asking because I genuinely didn't know.
In the first place, was there any reason for me to memorize the names of every single kid whose skills were at an extra's level? I was busy just trying to live, wasn't I? From the start, just looking at him, I could get a read on him. This wasn't about skill level.
If he had power, even without skill, it might have been different, but this guy simply had nothing. He was, quite literally, a youngster.
The N-rank kids would have been preferable.
"Th-this...!"
Perhaps mistaking the intent of my innocent question, the nameless fellow began to charge at me. Was it the influence of [Contemplation]?
I had thought they would have gotten used to it by now, but it seemed the kids still recoiled from my gaze.
This was truly a deplorable state of affairs.
Well, regardless, the match had begun. Since that underling fellow had started to charge first, I too had gained a justification.
"The standard is just too low."
A justification to stomp this bastard.
Under the notion of crushing a challenger, not tormenting the weak.
Kwajik!
"Keuak!"
So, I literally trampled him.
The basic combat skills exam was no different from what I had expected, and I was able to clinch the championship with ease.
The only fortunate thing was that, perhaps thanks to having crushed him in the first round, there were no longer any fellows who ran their mouths at me.
The battle with the professor was not held immediately, so there was some leeway. In the first place, for a professor to face an exhausted student would have been a petty act.
Of course, I had already decided on the professor to nominate even before the exam was held.
"Judging by your expression, it seemed some special information had come in, hadn't it?"
"Yes."
[SSR Infiltrating Shadow]
Discreet Punisher
The head of Tenebris, who was also the target I had nominated, appeared before me as if a shadow were seeping into the empty air.
"Which one? [Hero] and [Death King].”
If I were to broadly categorize the information I had requested beforehand, it would have been those. Either one was important information.
Furthermore, if it was information he was delivering in person, there was a high probability it was either exceptionally sensitive information or something sudden.
But seeing his expression like that, it seemed as if some incident had occurred...
Was it perhaps the latter?
"It's neither."
"...In that case?"
Even if it wasn't information I had requested, if there was information he needed to convey separately, it would have been something agreed upon beforehand.
Yes, beforehand.
It meant the contract that Oz must have made with them beforehand to escape the Mage Kingdom Spellerge, before I possessed Oz.
A contract I didn't know about.
But whose contents I could surmise.
"Mage King Salem has revealed that he will be attending this exam in the capacity of your guardian."
"That crazy bastard... There's a limit to being shameless."
It concerned the movements of [Mage King] Salem.