Chapter 109
Chapter 109
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: The Practical Exam
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"Hiyah!!!"
*Clang!*
"Yat!"
*Slash!*
"Fireball!"
*Poof!*
"...Hmm."
...Hmm.
Hmm...?
Somehow, it felt... well, it might be a bit harsh to say, but incredibly underwhelming.
No, everyone else was watching the practical exam perfectly normally, so it clearly wasn't at a problematic level. But to my eyes, there was an issue.
Ella was right that it would be weirder if 13-year-old kids showed something amazing here. Yeah, that was normal...
"...Ha."
I'd studied so intensely from a young age just to enter the Academy, but now... I wondered if it had really been necessary.
It was like watching elementary and middle school kids fight, with a high schooler thrown in...?
The written exam had only featured low-tier magic, and it was the same here. Most freshmen fighting the targets in the practical exam venue could only use low-tier magic.
Some were fighting with weapons without any magic at all, whether they couldn't use it or chose not to...
...It was a severe case of cognitive dissonance.
"Ella."
"Yes? What's up?"
"...I want to go grab some water."
"Nerves or... no... hmm..."
...Of course, I wasn't the only one surprised.
Ella, who had been sticking with me, had been shocked to see how much more I'd studied compared to other Academy freshmen.
Hmm... I thought that was normal. I'd really been learning that way since I was little.
"It should be fine if I step out for a bit, right? Our turns aren't up yet anyway..."
"Yeah...?"
"Yes, I'll go drink some and come back."
...For now, I escaped the seats.
There were too many people, and personally, my head hurt a bit... It was just hard to keep watching the exam venue.
"...Sigh."
I'd thought all nobles studied tough stuff from childhood like that.
But now... even noble kids had limits.
It wasn't just myths or legends—we'd gone into details like what happened in specific years of the imperial calendar, the backgrounds, outcomes, and influences of those events. Really in-depth.
For example, in elementary school, an event might just be mentioned as having happened.
By high school, we'd cover how it grew civic awareness, caused a class to decline, and influenced later events...?
"...They said upper-tier magic is only taught to upperclassmen at the Academy."
...Yeah, Ashley had said that.
I'd accepted it at the time, but thinking back... it made sense.
Master mid-tier magic in first and second years, then upper-tier in third year or something like that...
So... hmm...
"...Upgrading my dorm room will be easy."
I decided to think positively.
I'd already done the studying, so no point hiding it or acting like some cool, mysterious protagonist.
Father William had sent me to the Academy to build connections with kids from good families anyway.
"Isn't this basically a good thing?"
Wouldn't a pretty lady from a nouveau riche family who was top-tier in Academy grades *and* rich be better than one who couldn't study and had poor skills...?
Or not...?
"Hmm."
Who knows.
Anyway, I left the exam venue alone, drank some water, and returned.
The monsters used as exam targets were nothing special.
Actually, less monsters and more... mana mannequins created with magic...?
Artificial mana lifeforms powered by mana stones embedded in their foreheads, or something like that.
"Yaaap!"
The current Academy freshmen kids were facing monsters that looked just like mannequins.
I wondered if they should even be called monsters, but since that's what they called them, I went with it.
Bi-creations enhanced with mana...?
"........"
Anyway, they were fighting those.
They didn't look that hard.
"Ella, our turns seem to be coming up faster than expected."
"A bunch of freshmen just forfeited midway through."
"Aha."
"They were scared of fighting, said the monsters looked too scary."
"Uh..."
...Hmm.
"That can happen."
Yeah, I'd just say that. No need to question why or act like it was no big deal.
Plus, they had no eyes, nose, mouth, or ears on their faces.
They were really just like mannequins—joints and nothing else...?
"Hmm... Ella."
"Yes?"
"How far have you gotten in magic lately?"
"Hehe... I learned every mid-tier spell before entering the Academy!"
"Aha... impressive. You only knew low-tier before, right?"
"Hehehe... That's because I worked hard!"
We chatted like that to pass the time until our turns finally came, and we headed to our respective exam venues.
*
"Hmm..."
What should I do?
After parting with Ella, as I headed into the exam venue alone, a bit of dilemma arose.
In my view, I was far stronger in both written and practical than other freshmen, but showing upper-tier magic here felt off.
Not about hiding power as a nouveau riche lady... it would just draw too much attention...
"......."
I'd already scored high on the written exam, and low- or mid-tier magic should be enough for good marks.
No need to use my strongest spells, right?
"Yeah, that makes sense."
I decided not to use anything too strong.
*Click-clack, click-clack...*
I entered the exam venue and picked up a plain wooden sword.
I didn't use swords like this often, but I'd learned how.
"Can I start?"
"When the student attacks first, the opponent begins to move."
"Aha."
After hearing the proctor's explanation, I started the practical exam.
No need to go slow; I wanted to finish quick and leave.
[Low-tier Magic: Ignition]
*Whoosh!*
"Oh."
Setting the mannequin on fire made it start moving, just as the proctor said. It shifted from standing rigidly to assuming a pose like it was approaching.
I had no idea how it worked, but it was intriguing.
*Thud, thud, thud, thud.*
"Oh..."
The mannequin approached me steadily, still burning.
...But how were you supposed to take it down?
It seemed to be taking damage, but it ignored the flames from ignition and kept walking toward me, which made me wonder.
Well... hit it more, and it'd collapse like the other freshmen, right?
[Low-tier Magic: Mana Bullet]
"Hup!"
I formed a mana bullet in my palm and threw it at the mannequin.
I could use mid-tier, but I wanted to see its reaction first.
*Boom!*
"It tries to dodge."
It got hit by my low-tier mana bullet but had made an attempt to evade.
"...Hmm."
This so-called monster-fighting practical exam was basically just hitting a slightly moving target.
I'd watched others, but doing it myself... it was even more boring.
I decided to end it quickly.
[Mid-tier Magic: Grindstone]
I didn't use this often, but I gave it a try.
The mannequin didn't look strong anyway, and it had been a while since I held a bladed wooden sword.
*Shiiiing...*
The magic circle in my hand sharpened the wooden sword's blade.
The mid-tier grindstone effect immediately appeared: a distinctive blue wave of mana.
"Hup...!"
Holding the magic-enhanced wooden sword, I charged at the mannequin.
The initial ignition flames had gone out, and it was still approaching slowly.
From watching other students, I knew you just had to deal enough damage.
*Thud, thud, thud.*
"Hiyah!"
I ran toward the mannequin, and it walked toward me.
When we met right in front, it tried to swing its fist, but I was much faster.
No, the mannequin was just slow.
*Slash!*
Exploiting the opening from its fist swing, I slashed at the mannequin's empty abdomen.
And immediately, I heard something slicing.
Heard...?
"...Huh."
"Exam over."
"......Huh?"
....Wait.
Huh?
Why...?
I'd sharpened the wooden sword with magic, but my strength wasn't that immense.
Other freshmen hitting the mannequin with wooden swords had made sounds like striking solid iron...?
"Why on earth..."
Even I couldn't comprehend what just happened.
Why did it split in half...?
"Number 91 freshman? Practical exam complete. You may leave."
"Uh... yes, thank you."
"Please return the wooden sword to its original spot."
"...Yes."
A bit shocked by how different this was from my expectations, I followed the Academy instructor's words.
Just as I'd watched other freshmen, they must have watched mine.
This was... something...
"...Not at all like my original plan."
But I'd taken the exam normally. Really normally... except for slicing the mannequin in half. It shouldn't be weird.
It'd probably be fine. Probably.