The Magic Tower Entrance Exam (End)
The Magic Debate portion of the exam proceeded with remarkable efficiency. Given how strictly the standards had been set from the beginning, the number of failures poured in like a flood. Some of them refused to accept the results, but every time that happened Riel stepped forward and drove them out, so the commotion died down quickly.
The examinees kept dropping like flies until finally, it was my turn. I sat down across from Andel. He met my gaze and asked,
"I know. I just got thoroughly chewed out a little while ago."
It went beyond a simple scolding. I'd practically been torn apart. When I let out a small snort of laughter, Andel asked again.
"Why? Does it look strange that I'm doing this?"
"Well, I suppose it might."
I nodded.
"But Andel. Haven't you noticed something strange yet?"
"The complaint about a lack of manpower has been around for ages. It's probably been about six years now? That's how long Riel has been throwing tantrums about it. But the number of successful applicants never exceeds ten each year. That means even Riel has accepted it."
In the end, the number of passers always hovered around ten. The results never changed from year to year. Even though Riel had been arguing for years that they were short on manpower, she never tried to change that number. It meant she had come to terms with it to some extent.
"This time, I just dropped them too quickly and caused quite a stir. Objectively speaking, this test was way too easy. I can compromise on many things, but I can't compromise on the 'standards' for entering the Magic Tower. I made a promise, after all."
"Because lately there have been more things to worry about than magic research. I had somewhere I needed to be, so I left my seat for a while and she ended up handling all the work in my place. That's why. Even so, would I really be so irresponsible as to dump work on her for anything other than magic research?"
If I'd been that irresponsible from the start, I wouldn't have lasted long in this position. Riel would have left a long time ago too.
"Of course, I did enjoy myself quite a bit. I accidentally found someone similar to Riel and got a little too excited. In another sense, I wanted to personally select the useful ones. I've already marked about six people. Naturally, I do feel sorry toward Riel. I did dump work on her and act irresponsibly to some degree."
During both the first and second rounds, I had observed the overall situation. Among them, those who caught my eye—I planned to pass them even if they failed a particular test.
"So stop talking nonsense and come at me. Since when have you been so worried about me? Do you think an Archmage is something to laugh at?"
"This time, she really was."
I'd probably need to help Riel vent her anger properly later. She always worked so hard for the Magic Tower, after all.
"Alright~ Let's begin."
Magic Debate. Start.
Since Magic Debate was a verbal magic duel, one might think it was simply a matter of insisting on your own point. But that wasn't possible. The moment both parties began the debate, the envisioned spell structure already formed in both the opponent's and one's own mind.
Using every bit of magical knowledge at your disposal to defeat your opponent. If your level was overwhelmingly higher than theirs, the fight essentially couldn't even take place.
At first I thought about going easy and matching their level, but Riel's face flashed through my mind and I simply crushed them with everything I had, ending it quickly.
Since I was the last participant, the third test came to an end there. I checked the remaining numbers.
'Forty people, huh...'
Ninety people had been eliminated in one go. Not a single person had passed by directly defeating an examiner. At this rate, it would be completely over next time, wouldn't it? It seemed they'd decided to filter people out as quickly as possible.
Riel, whose face had now completely calmed, proceeded with what would essentially be the final test.
Of course there weren't any. Before calling in the candidates, Riel called my name first.
In the interview room—which had somehow become the second Room of Truth—only silence flowed. I glanced around nervously, and Riel, who let out a deep sigh, spoke.
"Yeah?"
"Alright."
With an awkward smile, I sat down beside Riel. Iris, who had been waiting in front, called the next examinee, and a slight silence fell between us. A somewhat awkward silence, I suppose. I'd been scolded by her plenty of times, but this kind of awkwardness was a first. No, more than that—why was I even feeling awkward?
The reason became clear immediately. Riel was sneaking glances at me.
'Why?'
Riel wasn't the type to get angry and then feel sorry about it. She usually just brushed it off coldly, and I did the same. So her current behavior felt a bit strange.
"That's right."
"Ah."
I roughly understood why she was acting this way.
"Why? Does it bother you?"
"Well, you're not wrong. It is true that I irresponsibly dumped work on you and stirred up chaos among the examinees. I know that."
"..."
Riel glared at me with a look that said she was quite displeased.
"What?"
"Isn't this a bit unfair? I didn't say anything, did I?"
Riel slumped forward as if collapsing. She buried her upper body completely on the desk. Then she muttered in a very small voice.
"Suddenly?"
I chuckled and ruffled Riel's hair. Normally she would have snapped at me asking what I was doing, but this time she accepted it calmly.
"Sorry? What are you sorry for when you always help out so much at the Magic Tower?"
"Tsk."
Unlike when she'd been angry earlier, Riel had completely shrunk back.
"Oh? Is this you being sorry or angry?"
Riel pouted her lips and muttered quietly. It wasn't so quiet that I couldn't hear it, though. I gave a bitter smile.
"Life has its moments like this and moments like that. It's my fault for not paying attention lately. Acting so recklessly was wrong too. You didn't do anything wrong, so don't worry about it."
I patted Riel on the shoulder.
"I'm still lacking in many ways. If you didn't get angry and nag me like this, how would I ever come to my senses? If you don't say anything to me, who else would?"
No matter what, Riel was only working hard for me and for the Magic Tower. The fact that she'd scolded me this time was purely out of concern for the tower and me, so I didn't mind it at all.
"The examinees will be coming in soon, so straighten your back. What's past is past. The living have to keep living diligently. If my master were still alive, he would probably clap his hands and tell you that you did well."
Riel straightened her posture again. The gloomy rain clouds that had been hanging over her complexion had cleared considerably. We began the interviews for the examinees who would soon enter.
The interviews were simple. It was about whether or not the candidate exceeded the entrance standards that Riel and I had in mind. The tests up until now had merely been stepping stones to earn this opportunity. Of course, most people who reached the interview stage were still alive and had already surpassed the baseline, so not many would fail here. But with forty people remaining, and although we didn't set a fixed number of passers each year, the number of people who exceeded the Magic Tower's entrance standards never surpassed ten annually.
However, this batch had the six people I had my eye on. On top of that, since Riel had watched the entire exam as well, we ended up selecting a total of fifteen people for the first time.
"It's being updated like this."
It had been quite a turbulent process, but in the end, things had turned out the way Riel wanted. After all, we had gained fifteen outstanding new talents.
If there was one interesting behind-the-scenes story worth noting, it would be Zeon and Erhmia's disciples. Zeon had been shocked once upon seeing me sitting as an interviewer, then nearly fainted from a second shock upon learning I was the Archmage. Erhmia's disciples had reacted no differently. Their reactions were quite entertaining and provided plenty of laughs.
After the rather chaotic entrance exam commotion passed, the newly admitted Magic Tower recruits began their training. I quickly handled all the tasks I had put off. Thanks to that, both Riel and I had quite a bit of free time. All the businesses run by the Magic Tower were proceeding smoothly, and since we'd dispatched mages to handle things, there was nothing urgent to do for the time being.
In short, we had gained some free time. I said to Riel,
"Come on, let's go out!"
"Where else?"
I smiled lightly.
"We're going to eat something delicious, of course."