Chapter 318
Chapter 318
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 318
Chapter Title: One-Third (4)
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“I’m sorry. But I’m so frustrated. I know it’s wrong for me, the one who passed, to say this to you, but…”
“It’s okay. I would’ve felt the same way if I were you. This isn’t the only exam, right? I’m the one who should be sorry. And I don’t think I can go to the party.”
It was a school tradition for the successful candidates to gather for a graduation party after the exam. Anyone could attend, but those who failed never did. There was no need to make an appearance and weigh down the spirits of those who had passed.
“What’s the point of a stupid party like that now? I’m not going either!”
Amy looked at Seriel with loving eyes. Although she herself had been eliminated early, she was proud of her friend who had fought to the end and achieved her dream amidst the chaotic flow of the battle.
“Promise me, Seriel. Promise you’ll go to the party. If you can’t enjoy this moment, I won’t be happy even if I pass next year. I don’t want to take away a once-in-a-lifetime joy from you. For my sake, smile with your head held high.”
Seriel bit her lip and nodded.
This was more important than anything for Amy, who now had to fight for another year. She could easily set aside her own small sense of guilt for her friend’s sake.
“Alright. I won’t think about anything else. I’ll party like there’s no tomorrow and savor my success. So you have to pass, no matter what.”
“Good, that’s the spirit. Thank you, Seriel.”
From the dim distance, a teacher shouted.
“All successful candidates, gather up now! There will be a briefing! Hurry! We don’t have much time!”
The reality of their success would likely sink in only after the sun rose the next morning. Besides, with the graduation party keeping them busy late into the night, there was no better time to get the briefing out of the way.
“You should go. I’ll see you at the graduation ceremony.”
“Okay. You go get some rest, too.”
Before leaving, Seriel looked back at Shirone.
She knew Amy was consciously avoiding eye contact with him. That meant Shirone was the only one who could look after her until the end.
Shirone nodded as if to tell her not to worry. Only then did Seriel, relieved, bid farewell to Amy’s parents and run toward the gathering of successful candidates.
Amy watched her friend’s receding back with satisfaction, then let out a deep breath.
“Phew, I’m exhausted. Mom, Dad, you two should go now.”
“Are you sure you’ll be okay? Why don’t we go out? I can talk to the school.”
“Ugh, it’s fine. I’m not the only one who failed, so why all the fuss? Vacation’s starting soon anyway, I’ll see you at home then.”
Shakora, understanding his daughter’s heart, said.
“Then we’ll be on our way. We’ll send a carriage on the day of the graduation ceremony, so rest well today.”
“Okay. You get home safely too, Dad.”
Isis turned away first. She couldn’t hold back the tears she had been suppressing any longer.
Shakora, following his wife, glanced back at Shirone.
“Shirone.”
“Yes. Don’t worry, sir. You can go.”
Shakora conveyed his thanks with his eyes and walked away. In a situation like this, a parent’s comfort would be of no help at all. He was glad Shirone was there.
Left alone with Amy, Shirone said nothing. If she asked something, he would answer. But if she remained silent, he intended to respect that silence.
“Argh! This is driving me crazy! I failed again!”
“Damn it! What rotten luck! How many times do I have to take this damn exam?!”
A group of silhouettes with unruly gaits emerged from the colosseum. Shirone recognized them as Fermi’s group just from their voices.
Spotting Amy, Fermi changed direction and approached them. Despite this being his seventh time failing the exam, he showed no sign of disappointment.
“Well, well, it’s pretty awkward meeting again as fellow failures. Don’t be too down, little miss. That’s just life. Same for me. How about it? Today, with us…”
Shirone moved to the side, blocking Fermi’s path. As his cold gaze fell on him, Fermi scratched his head and played it off.
“You’ve got a real punchable face. But give me a break today. My whole body aches because of that little miss. This always happens when the top-rankers fight early on. My life is so damn twisted.”
Fermi put up a defensive barrier in advance and watched Shirone’s reaction. But not a single word came from Shirone’s mouth.
At that, Fermi turned back to Amy.
“Haha! Anyway, Amy, what do you say…”
Shirone blocked Fermi again.
This time, Fermi didn’t just stand there. For a moment, his eyes turned cold as he looked down at Shirone with a domineering glare.
Shirone let even that gaze wash over him calmly. Anything he said would only hurt Amy. He just wanted Fermi to stay away from her.
“Having a boyfriend is a nice thing. Right, well… you two have a good time.”
Fermi turned without a second thought and walked away. Rejoining his group, he threw his arms around their shoulders and shouted loud enough for the world to hear.
“Let’s go! Let’s get drunk, you pathetic losers!”
“Pwahahaha! Yeah! Let’s drink ourselves to death tonight!”
Shirone looked back at Amy. She had turned away, gazing into the distance as if she hadn’t been interested in the first place.
“Let’s go, Amy. I’ll walk you back.”
“…Okay.”
A heavy silence hung between them on the way to the senior dormitory.
Amy, who had been staring at the ground as she walked, scowled and turned to Shirone.
“Hoo, I really can’t stand this. Hey!”
“Hm?”
“Why have you been so down this whole time? You’re making me feel weird, too. If you have something to say, say it. What’s your problem?”
“But I don’t really have anything to say.”
“That’s exactly it. I just failed the graduation exam. It’s not like I’m the only one in the world who failed, and even if I were, it’s not the end of my life. So why are you setting such a gloomy mood?”
Amy’s words gave Shirone a bit of courage.
“Haha! You’re right. In any case, does this mean I get another chance?”
“Hmph, you should be grateful. I’ll never make a mistake like this again.”
“One mistake is a stepping stone for growth, a second mistake is a disgrace to the family?”
“Of course. And tell your idiot friends this, loud and clear. Next year’s senior class is going to be incredibly brutal. I’m going to crush their spirits from the very beginning.”
To Shirone, Amy’s words sounded like this: *Tell them I’m sorry for letting them down.*
But she had nothing to worry about. Nade and Iruki were confident that Amy would make a comeback.
The two returned to their usual selves, chatting about one thing and another as they reached the dormitory. Although she had failed the exam, it was a relief to be free from the tension that had built up over the year.
“Hah, I’m tired. I should go in, wash up, and get to sleep.”
“Yeah, don’t think about anything and just rest today.”
“Okay. See you tomorrow. Thanks for walking me back.”
With a tired face, Amy bid Shirone farewell and entered the dormitory. The air in the hallway felt distinctly different from the morning. There was even a strange chill to it.
Once inside her room, Amy closed the door and let out a sigh. No matter how tired she was, she had to wash up after sweating so much.
But on her way to the shower, her steps eventually came to a halt. Clear tears streamed from her eyes.
“*Hic!* Hhuk…!”
She was frustrated.
So frustrated she could die.
*Why me? A third of us passed, ten people I studied with are mages now, so why not me?*
*My condition was perfect, so why am I still stuck at this school? Why do I have to go through this hellish year all over again?*
Collapsing onto her bed, Amy clutched the blanket. She couldn’t stop her face from crumpling into a mask of sorrow.
“Waaaaah… Waaaaaaaaah!”
Shirone took his hand off the doorknob and leaned his back against the wall. It seemed he wouldn’t be able to see her again today.
“Waaaaah… Waaaaaaaaah…”
Amy’s cries were ragged, as if she could barely breathe.
“…”
But Shirone simply looked up at the ceiling with deep eyes, keeping his post for a long, long time.
* * *
Long after lights-out, the lights in Alpheas’s annex were still on. Olivia’s furious voice leaked out through the window.
“Does this make any sense? How on earth have you been managing the students?”
Olivia, who had supervised the Alpheas Magic Academy’s graduation exam for the first time, was in shock. As soon as the exam ended, she had gone to the records room and thoroughly investigated the students’ personal files.
“I’m talking about these kids right here!”
Olivia shook the files before throwing them onto the table where Alpheas sat.
The papers stuck to the surface and fanned out, revealing the names of several students.
It was Fermi’s gang.
Alpheas glanced at the profiles for a moment before speaking, his tone indifferent.
“Calm down. The exam is over. It cannot be overturned, nor is there any reason it should be.”
“What do you mean there’s no reason? The participants colluded with each other!”
“Collusion is also a part of strategy. The ability to assess a situation is an important element in battle, is it not?”
“Who doesn’t know that? The problem is that this was collusion separate from any tactical flow. They came in having already taken sides before the exam even started. Why on earth would they do that? What do they gain from it?”
Alpheas couldn’t answer that. It had been happening every year since Fermi entered the senior class.
In a battle royale format, there was no particular advantage to be gained by targeting a specific person for elimination. What was stranger still was that, in the end, they too would be eliminated.
“The graduation exam isn’t just a school matter. It’s a test to acquire a national license. The same goes for the tactical flow. You can’t change the standards for passing based on a single instructor’s judgment.”
Olivia scoffed.
“Do you think I’m blind? Fermi didn’t show even half of his skill in this exam. That kid is more than ready to become a pro. He could graduate from the Royal Magic Academy immediately, so does it make any sense that he hasn’t passed in six years?”
“Then what should we do? Should we just graduate Fermi? If so, what’s the point of a graduation exam? That kind of approach would only provoke backlash from the students participating in the test.”
Frustrated, Olivia paced the room before collapsing onto the sofa with a thud.
“I don’t get it. Why won’t he graduate? What’s so good about staying at the school?”
“I’ve asked him before. He said something about this place being profitable.”
Olivia shot up from her seat.
“That sounds like a graduation broker, doesn’t it? If he’s taking money to help people graduate, this isn’t something that can be resolved with a school-level disciplinary action. That’s a crime against the state.”
“I had him investigated, but there was nothing. Not a single penny turned up.”
Olivia rested her chin on her hand, lost in thought.
If there was no record of him being lobbied, he was innocent, but based on her suspicions, it also meant there was something else going on.
“Fermi is… an Unorthodox Mage, isn’t he?”
Alpheas nodded.
“Most likely. I don’t know how it’s profitable for him, but if it involves unorthodox magic, we can’t uncover it. Not unless Fermi casts it. But in seven graduation exams, I’ve never seen it.”
“Then shouldn’t we start there? Whether he’s taking money or receiving compensation through magic, it’s the same thing. I’m only saying this because we’re alone, but honestly, Sanuel’s performance today wasn’t good. But he passed. Amy should have been in that spot.”
“I had similar thoughts. But it’s something we can only say because we’re alone. It’s impossible without concrete evidence. What if we launch an investigation and it turns out to be nothing? Do you think any noble would stand by while their child is framed as a criminal?”
Olivia leaned back on the sofa and cooled her heated head with her palms.
“So what are you going to do? Do you have a plan?”
“No. Just as we have every year, we held the graduation exam, and the successful candidates will become mages. Whether there was lobbying or not, that fact doesn’t change.”
“But you can’t say their skills were accurately measured.”
“Are you so sure about that?”
Olivia raised an eyebrow.
“What do you mean?”