The Golem's Silent Scream
Gasp!
"We have finally arrived."
Having safely completed the unofficial "0th" entrance exam conducted under Drin's lead, I followed her guidance and arrived in the 1st District. Now, it was time to take the actual first entrance exam for the academy. It was a shame, but it was time to part ways with Drin. Still, once I passed the academy exam, I would have plenty of opportunities to tease her—no, plenty of opportunities to meet her, so let us say our goodbyes with a light heart.
"Dame Drin. Thank you for guiding me. If not for you, I would still be wandering that dark, filthy demonic realm where powerful entities roam."
"Anyone listening would think we just cleared a dungeon."
"You might not know, Dame Drin, but I faced a formidable villain in those back alleys."
"Are you referring to me, by any chance?"
"Ah! No, of course not! I meant it for real this time!"
"This time? For real?"
"Now, now, let's leave it at that. Dame Drin, let's smile! We are about to part ways, so shouldn't we say our goodbyes with a smile?"
Haha! I forced a laugh to set a parting mood, but Drin remained completely indifferent.
"What do you mean, part ways?"
"Pardon?"
"Did you not say you were on your way to take the academy entrance exam?"
"I did."
"The same goes for me. Let us go together."
Ah, now that she mentioned it, Drin was also participating in this entrance exam.
"Oh, don't tell me! Were you so worried about me taking the exam alone that you suddenly decided to enroll—"
"Sillon. I say this out of genuine concern, but you need to shed some of your self-conceit. Me, taking an unscheduled academy exam because of you? Do you truly believe that makes any sense?"
Drin spoke with a completely serious, worried face, without a single trace of sarcasm in her voice.
"Oof, that hurts. Your pure, unfiltered reaction hurts so much..."
"What are you talking about now? I truly worry for this man..."
Ein Academy's facilities were spread across the entire city of Arien. Among them, the highest concentration of facilities—including the main building and dormitories—was located in the 1st District, the heart of the academy. The place Drin and I arrived at was an exam venue temporarily converted from one of the academy's facilities. A long, sluggish queue of people stretched out from the entrance.
As Drin and I lined up at the back, other people immediately queued up behind us.
Well, the line isn't actually that long.
In accordance with its founding philosophy, Ein Academy allowed anyone to freely take the entrance exam without any restrictions on qualifications or conditions. Graduating from Ein Academy was a guaranteed ticket to a life of luxury. Anyone who heard about the open nature of the entrance exam would naturally assume the venue would be a chaotic mess, swarming with people thinking, 'Let's just give it a shot.'
Yet, while there were indeed many people gathered, it wasn't nearly as bad as one would expect. Knowing the reason behind this, I spotted the cause and nodded in understanding.
"Are you thinking that there are fewer people than expected?"
Suddenly, Drin entered a slightly smug mode and barked up the wrong tree. She clearly assumed I didn't know the reason and was eager to graciously enlighten me. It was the perfect setup to tease her, but she was looking at me with such a heartwarming expression. It was like a child looking at an adult to ask, "How big is the sun?" No, actually, to my eyes, she looked like a child practically begging, "Please ask me how big the sun is!"
"Ah! How did you know?! With so many people here, I was wondering!"
Unable to bring myself to throw cold water on her mood, I gave her the exact reaction she wanted.
"Anyone who has heard of the entrance exam thinks the same. They worry, quite reasonably, that the venue will be paralyzed by the sheer crowd."
Drin pointed toward the long queue.
"But despite that, the line isn't that long. It's almost short. Do you know why?"
"Ooh... Why is that?"
Drin pointed to the very reason I had noticed earlier. It was a two-man—or rather, one man and one machine—combination consisting of a crudely built golem and an examiner.
Several of these pairs were stationed at the entrance of the exam venue, greeting the applicants. As the applicants stepped forward, light seeped from the grooves carved all over the golem's body.
When red light seeped from the golem, the examiner would coldly announce the failure to the applicant.
When blue light seeped from the golem, the examiner would announce the pass and assign a candidate number.
This entire process, which took about thirty seconds on average, was the academy's first entrance exam.
"In other words, in that brief moment, one person failed and another passed. Because the processing speed is so fast, the crowd is kept at a manageable level despite the massive influx of people."
Having finished her passionate explanation, Drin looked at me with a face that practically screamed, 'How's that?'
"Ooooh... My curiosity has been completely satisfied. You are incredibly knowledgeable, Dame Drin!"
"You exaggerate. Well, I am glad to have been of help."
Drin spoke with a calm, composed demeanor, as if it were no big deal. But to my eyes—the eyes of a creepy, squinty-eyed stalker who closely observed her every move—the faint, smug satisfaction radiating from her face was plain as day.
This has its own charm...
Pampering Drin. It had a different flavor compared to teasing her. Note to self.
"Dame Drin, did you know?"
"Know what?"
"The speed at which this line is shrinking. It is incredibly fast. I am telling you this because I figured you, having never stood in a line in your entire life, wouldn't know."
"What do you mean, I have never stood in a line—"
Drin, about to protest, suddenly paused as her pupils darted to the upper right corner of her eyes.
"Oh? What is with that reaction? I was only joking, but don't tell me you actually have never stood in a line before? Because your status is just that noble?!"
"No, well, that is..."
Yep, teasing her was definitely sweeter. Note to self.
"Fucking hell! I knew it! All that talk about anyone being able to take the exam was absolute bullshit, you bastards!"
Suddenly, a commotion broke out near one of the golems. Startled by the sudden shouting, Drin and I poked our heads over the line to see what was happening.
There were only five people left ahead of us. The one throwing a tantrum was an applicant currently being evaluated by the golem and the examiner.
"Some weak-looking punk like that passes, but I fail? Ha! Bullshit. Explain yourselves, you bastards! What's the reason?! Don't even bother, it's obviously because I look like a lowly mercenary!"
This was the inherent flaw of such a simple and rapid testing method. When people got a 'Beep, you pass,' they would naturally think, 'Oh, I don't know what that was, but awesome.' But when they got a 'Beep, you fail,' they would inevitably think, 'Oh, I don't know what that was, and that makes me incredibly pissed.'
Perhaps because failed applicants throwing tantrums was a common occurrence, the examiner—who appeared to be an academy assistant—merely let out a weary sigh.
"Candidate No. 346 meets the minimum standard of mana sensitivity required by this academy for its students. On the other hand, you do not. It is as simple as that. Your occupation or status has nothing to do with it."
To summarize the examiner's words in one sentence: Your level is too low.
'Come back when you're level 10 like me.'
Well, technically I was level 14, but whatever.
"What the hell are you talking about?! How could you possibly know my mana sensitivity?!"
"This golem has discarded all other functions to optimize solely for measuring a target's mana sensitivity. Its accuracy is guaranteed by the academy. That is why it is stationed here. Therefore, unless you intend to obstruct the exam with your stubbornness, please vacate the spot immediately for the 'waiting candidates.'"
At the examiner's emphasis on "waiting candidates," the mercenary turned around.
A massive queue. And countless applicants glaring daggers at him. I, too, added my own squinty-eyed glare to the mix. The mercenary's face turned pale, and he hurriedly scurried away. No matter how hot-headed he was, he didn't seem brave enough to film 'Screaming Defiance at the Heart of the Academy' today.
"We will resume the exam."
And just like that, the line moved, and our turn arrived.
"After you, noble Dame. Please, escape this primitive 'queue' as quickly as possible!"
"Yes, and I must escape from you as quickly as possible."
Drin shook her head and stepped in front of the golem.
The golem's inorganic eyes stared down at Drin. Immediately, a blue light began to seep from its grooves.
"Passed. Candidate No.—"
The examiner, seeing the light, was about to assign Drin her number when he choked on his words.
The blue light seeping from the golem's grooves was growing increasingly vivid. It grew so bright and brilliant that it eventually began to illuminate the entire surrounding area.
"Huh?"
"What is that?"
The applicants in our line. The applicants in the other lines. The applicants currently taking the exam. The examiners conducting the tests. Everyone's eyes traced the source of the brilliant blue light.
Soon, the light subsided, and everyone in the venue was staring at Drin. While everyone else barely managed to squeeze a faint blue glow out of the golem, this mysterious woman had just put on a spotlight show of an entirely different caliber.
"Is she... a Libringer?"
Someone muttered. That was the trigger.
"Is that a Libringer? Drin Libringer?"
"The genius of the Libringer family who was rumored to be taking the exam this year?"
"That hair, those eyes... it has to be her, right?"
"Indeed, for an applicant to possess such absurd—"
"She's as incredible as the rumors say—"
Convinced that the owner of the blue flash was Drin Libringer, the crowd's attention focused entirely on her.
"Candidate No. 347. Welcome to Ein Academy."
Even the examiner, who had been treating the applicants like cattle, now addressed Drin with a much more polite and cautious attitude.
"Thank you."
Despite the commotion, Drin remained perfectly composed. She gave the examiner a light nod and walked into the exam venue.
Even after Drin disappeared, the excitement in the air did not die down. Amidst the crowd still buzzing over Drin's presence, the only thing paying attention to me was the mana-sensitivity measuring golem.
"Is it my turn now? I look forward to your guidance."
At my words, the examiner finally snapped out of his daze, looked at the golem, and prepared to take notes.
The inorganic gaze of the golem, which had just stared at Drin, now focused on me.
If the golem's reaction to Drin was like a teenage girl bumping into her favorite idol on the street, its reaction to me was like a teenage girl bumping into her dad on the street.
A truly lukewarm, pathetic blue light seeped from the golem's grooves.
"Passed. Candidate No. 348."
Well, a blue light was still a blue light. The examiner assigned me my candidate number. I began to walk into the exam venue, and just as the examiner was about to call the next applicant—
Whirrrr.
Like an old television set shutting off, the light emitting from the golem abruptly died. Not just the faint blue light I had conjured, but even the red light that served as its eyes.
"Huh? What's wrong with it?"
No matter what the examiner did, the golem showed no signs of starting up again. It seemed our dear golem friend had crossed the rainbow bridge—no, the stone bridge of life. And the cause was, in all likelihood, me.
"Well, I shall be on my way...!"
Time to bail!
I made absolutely sure no trace of my mana was left on the golem, then casually slipped away.