The Fallen at the Gate

Simon sprinted until he reached a spot with a clear view of Meilyn's screen. The cheers of the crowd were ringing out right beside him.

On the screen, Meilyn was facing the old priest all by herself.

Cleverly, she had laid down sheets of ice in every direction to create physical obstacles, then rode the ice forward in one smooth glide, shaking off her pursuers entirely.

Even just from her expression, it was clear how utterly exhausted she was. Looking ready to commit murder, she came staggering through the gates of Kizen's campus, gasping for breath.

The announcer boomed out:

"Hey, you Kizen lunatic ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠bastards!"

The curses came flying the moment she appeared.

Her raw, unamplified voice was slightly drowned out by the crowd's cheering, but she huffed and shouted again anyway.

"Are you people even human, huh? You set ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠out to kill your own students, didn't you! And you're telling me THIS was a performance evaluation! I'll right this—"

Click!

Click!

Click!

The flashes of mana cameras bursting out from every direction made Meilyn clamp her mouth shut at once.

Reporters swarmed in, and behind them came scouts dispatched from various organizations. There were even people from the Ivory Tower itself.

Ugh.

Only then did Meilyn grasp exactly how the situation was unfolding.

"Meilyn! A word on passing as one of the academy's top scorers, please!"

One reporter shouted, camera raised. The pack of journalists pressed in closer and closer while the crowd chanted her name over and over.

Her dazed moment lasted only an instant. Meilyn smoothed down her sky-blue hair with her fingertips, straightened her posture with her legs together, fixed her rumpled uniform, folded her hands delicately in front of her, and broke into a radiant smile.

"Hello there~ I'm Meilyn Villenne, from Class A of the first year."

At that voice, gentle as a spring breeze drifting by, Simon, who had been watching, burst out laughing.

She went on about how hard she'd worked, how it was all thanks to the magic she'd learned at Kizen — a completely different tune from the cursing she'd done mere moments ago. The way she waved at the mana cameras with that smile plastered on her face almost radiated a professional polish.

Finally, having finished even a brief interview with the announcer, she trudged down from the stage, sighing heavily.

"Ugh, damn it. So annoying…."

"Congratulations, Meilyn."

Simon, who had been waiting for her, welcomed her with applause. Meilyn only noticed him then and gave a small, sheepish wave, her face going red.

"You got here first again, huh. So what place did you come in?"

"First."

"Wow, you really…."

She gave an exasperated laugh, then quickly continued in an excited voice.

"Hey! Anyway — when you first saw that Holy monster made of Prima Materia, didn't it break your brain? Seriously, that was way out of line, wasn't it?!"

Simon nodded along with a smile.

"Yeah. It was vicious."

"Right? Exactly! These sadists! Pulling this on the very first day back crosses the line!"

Only after venting a torrent of complaints, as if she'd been waiting for the chance, did she turn back to the screens with a much lighter expression.

"Where are Kami and the commoner kid?"

"No need to worry too much about them."

Simon briefed her.

"Both of them joined up with large parties and are moving with them. They're the core of their parties, and Dick's basically acting as the leader outright."

"He does love showing off, doesn't he."

Meilyn smirked.

"Isn't he just getting catharsis out of a commoner bossing nobles around?"

"Maybe."

Simon shook his head.

"Whenever Dick forms a team, he always starts at a disadvantage because of the wall of social status. But in the end, everyone comes to trust him and follow him. Isn't that his real strength?"

Meilyn blinked.

"Wow, you're spinning it awfully generously. What's he paying you?"

"No, I honestly think that."

"Hmph, of course you'd take his side. You're always hanging around together."

She gave a dismissive snort and looked at another screen.

"And our Kami goes without saying."

There had been a time when Dick took one look at Camibarez and said she wouldn't last long at Kizen — her athletic ability was poor and her heart too soft. But now she was fighting admirably as a full-fledged Kizen student.

They say people who act kind give themselves away, but those who are genuinely good at heart are recognized in the end. Watching people gather around her like she was their center of gravity drew admiration out of anyone.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

And so Simon and Meilyn chatted about this and that until they reached the student waiting room.

The seats were mostly empty — everyone had presumably gone to wash up. Hector was absent, and Chatel, Special Admission No. 3, had also stepped away.

Sitting down, Simon and Meilyn murmured back and forth about this and that as they cheered Dick and Camibarez on.

"Whoever planned this exam is a genuine sadist. An absolute sadist."

Watching Camibarez dodge the priests' attacks, Meilyn still hadn't cooled off, grinding her teeth.

The ranks were filling up fast.

Camibarez's final rank: 347th.

Dick's final rank: 420th.

Unlike the elite top scorers like Simon, Meilyn, and Hector, who had charged through on overwhelming individual skill, the two of them had operated within large teams and lost a bit of ground for it. Even so, it was a comfortably secure middle-of-the-pack finish.

"Simon! Meilyn!"

Camibarez, caked head to toe in dirt, came barreling over on the verge of tears. Simon and Meilyn soothed her, telling her she'd done well, and patted her head.

"Kami! Thank you so much for today!"

"See you in Rochest later!"

The teammates who had fought alongside her, bonds forged in battle, waved at her.

Camibarez waved back at them, then turned to Simon and Meilyn again.

"I'm so happy I get to keep going to school with all of you!"

She grinned brightly.

"Aigo, look at you, smiling like a fool. My heart. It hurts, it hurts."

Crouching down in front of Camibarez, Meilyn examined the wounds on her knees and feet.

How brutal the fighting must have been — one of her shoes was missing entirely, and dried blood had crusted along the elbow of her uniform.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Let's hurry and get you treated before those scars set in."

"Okay!"

Meilyn took Camibarez's hand and led her off to the medical office.

And a short while later, Dick — who looked remarkably unscathed — came ambling toward Simon from far off, waving his arm in loose, lazy sweeps. His easygoing gait and laid-back grin were brimming with his trademark mischief.

"Good work out there, Dick!"

"Basic requirement~"

The two boys bumped fists in celebration of their victory.

Dick stretched with a loud groan, then belatedly looked around.

"Where are the girls?"

"Medical office. You not going?"

"Nah, I'm at the spit-and-shake-it-off stage."

Dick wanted the rundown on the situation and any intel before treatment, so Simon explained everything he'd heard from the TAs.

"So they gathered up all the reporters for pure showmanship, huh? Very Kizen of them."

"You don't look too surprised."

"Course I expected it! Honestly, grown-ups all think the same way. They'll trample profit and face over anything in any situation. In a way, they're simpler than kids."

Before long, the last of the lower-ranked students trickled in, and the opening exam came to an end.

They said final scores would be calculated by combining entry order with crisis response, mental fortitude, long-distance travel methods, and — most important of all — one's handling of Holy power and combat against priests.

As an aside, the Underworld Whale was reportedly safe and sound.

The corpse of the dead whale and the sea of red blood had been a massive-scale illusion spell, crafted with even the Crows mobilized to help. Plenty of students had their minds shatter at the sight, so as a piece of theater, it was a resounding success.

The students who had safely finished the exam were given one hour of free time before the opening ceremony.

The communal bathhouse was packed with students. And once they washed themselves clean, a fresh set of Kizen uniforms was waiting for them.

There were no big design changes. Dick, ever interested in magical items, read the care instructions first and said the resistance to Holy power seemed slightly strengthened.

Having changed into crisp, fresh-smelling new uniforms, the students now headed for the Great Auditorium. Meilyn and Camibarez had gone through the girls' dormitory, so they'd meet up at the hall.

Simon and Dick were walking through the crowd, chatting idly, when—

"They're really just sending us off like this? This has to be a joke!"

"Who pulls this crap ON the opening ceremony day?!"

On the way to the Great Auditorium, a commotion had broken out near the back gate, by the teleportation circle.

Dick's face twisted in puzzlement.

"Huh? What are those guys doing over there? One of them's from our class, too."

The students clustered at the back gate were all wearing baggy, lime-green garments — not their uniforms, but something like pajamas.

Ah.

Simon instantly understood the situation and his expression turned to sympathy.

All fifty of them were the failures — the students eliminated from this opening exam.

"Outsiders are not permitted entry."

The henchmen were sweating buckets, blocking the expelled students from coming inside.

"Outsiders? You piece of— You're calling ME an outsider? I'm a student here too!"

"What school in the entire world confiscates your uniform before the opening ceremony?!"

The curious spectacle drew a few students to a stop, watching.

Most averted their eyes and went on their way or observed from a distance, but some students made a point of walking right up to rub salt in the wound.

"Aigo, how pathetic. So pathetic."

"At least leave gracefully at the end. You just had to crawl all the way up to the gate."

They were mostly students with grudges against those who had failed.

"Hey, isn't that Rikon from Class B?"

"And he strutted around like he was so great. Somebody hurry up and teleport these guys out of here."

The winners sneered while the losers wept and hurled curses.

"Are you people even human?!"

"Get lost, commoners. Can't believe you still think we're in the same league."

"And you couldn't make a peep back in class, could you…?!"

Just as the exchange was getting truly ugly, someone slipped through the henchmen's human barricade using Spirit Transformation.

"Spirit Transformation!"

One of the failed students — an aspiring Spirit Studies major — sprinted into the Kizen campus at a terrifying speed.

Thud!

But a woman, likewise holding a blurred Spirit Transformation state, brought him down in a single motion and flattened him against the ground.

"This behavior is problematic, sir."

Naturally, Kizen had personnel stationed on-site specifically capable of countering Spirit Transformation.

She grabbed the male student by the nape and dragged him back outside the campus walls.

"…TA Arita?"

At those words, her steps stopped dead.

"Th-that's right, isn't it? It's me, Rikon! The Rikon you looked after, Professor! The Rikon who scored a 90 in Spirit Studies!"

The male student grabbed at the hem of her trouser leg, shouting as if begging.

"Please, call Professor Umbrella— call Professor Umbra! Something is wrong here! I survived the upper squad in the duel evaluation and my written rank was in the top hundred — and you're throwing me out? And after breaking my mind in the filthiest way possible?"

"…."

"You know it too, Professor! During the Saintess incident I nearly died! And that only happened because I was protecting the ones running away!"

The TA bit her lip slightly, then spoke.

"You are no longer part of Kizen. I will escort you out."

Betrayed by even her, Rikon's face twisted horribly. He used Spirit Transformation once more to slip free of her grip.

"Rikon!"

"Hey! You people!!"

Reverted to his normal form, Rikon screamed at the students.

"What the hell are you all laughing at! You think you survived?! You all squeaked into the upper squads and now you're laughing at me?!"

The gathered students showered him with jeers and thumbs pointed downward.

"Boo~ Pathetic. Get lost, Rikon!"

"Your parents are counts! So what if you couldn't cut it as a necromancer?"

Just as Rikon's eyes flickered and he began to draw up his Jet-Black—

"What is all this commotion?"

A man's voice, neither high nor deep, swept over the crowd and crushed it into silence. The students parted left and right in unison.

A man in a white suit from head to toe, a white top hat pressed down over his hair, was walking toward them.

In an instant, a hush fell so complete that not even breathing could be heard.

He pulled the hand from his pocket, lightly took hold of the brim of his top hat, and tipped it upward, revealing the eyes that the shadow had hidden.

Bahil — one of the star professors who represented Kizen itself.

In truth, he had only just slipped out of the Enforcement Office and was on his way to the auditorium.

"I asked what the commotion was about."