Professor, You May Evaluate Now.
Professor, You May Evaluate Now.
Six days until the Chejeon.
After dinner, I was suddenly summoned by Violet. I wasn't the only one — all A-grade students were.
[ * A-grade students, assemble in the Magic Tower plaza ]
The notice delivered through Trivia read as follows.
It wasn't the usual lecture hall gathering. We assembled on the Magic Tower's first floor, the very essence of the Magic Department.
Perhaps because of the late hour, it was already dark outside. Violet appeared abruptly and approached us.
"I trust everyone is here. One, two, three... Yes. No absences."
Violet confirmed the headcount and nodded.
The students around me all wore puzzled expressions. That was only logical — they'd been told to gather but given no reason at all. Yet, somehow, I felt I knew what it was.
Finally, Violet opened her mouth.
"Starting now, we will conduct a physical examination using the Magic Tower's facilities."
"Whoa, we finally get to do it."
"I've always wanted to try this!"
At Violet's words, spirited reactions erupted from all around.
So physical examinations are considered rare events in this world. As I was mulling over that idle thought, a sudden scent of cotton wafted over me.
"Lord Plan! Lord Plan!"
Yushia came running, her snow-white hair fluttering, clearly aiming to embrace me. Naturally, I dodged.
"Oh?"
Yushia stood there blankly, arms clasped around empty air for a moment, then abruptly straightened her posture and raised one hand high.
"Lord Plan! I missed you!"
"Right."
Once again, I sensed a peculiar dissonance from Yushia. I am inexplicably, abnormally lenient with her alone.
...I need to find the reason for that, and soon.
"A physical examination at the Magic Tower, of all places! Doesn't it make your heart race, Lord Plan?!"
"In what possible way."
That response, too, is remarkable. Normally, I would have said something like, 'My heart is not racing, so kindly shut that noisy mouth of yours.'
Yushia clenched both fists, eyes sparkling.
"The Magic Tower's facilities are incredibly famous, are they not! A mage's aptitude, elemental affinity, mana flow, attributes... and above all else!"
She pointed toward the tower's upper reaches.
"To undergo a physical examination at the Magic Tower means spending a night at the Hotel of the Magic Tower! That is the most important part!"
"Is that truly so important."
I simply found Yushia's curiosity novel. Moreover, the fact that it came from Yushia, the Third Imperial Princess, lent her words a double meaning.
Whether the Hotel of the Magic Tower's amenities surpassed those of the Imperial Palace, or whether the novelty lay in experiencing something common-folk....
Frankly, I felt not an ounce of anticipation for either the examination or the hotel. The Magic Tower of this world is, to begin with, far too shabby compared to the one in my previous world.
Yushia continued to bounce with enthusiasm.
"But of course! It means I might even share a room with Lord Plan! I was so looking forward to it that I even brought this!"
Yushia pulled something from her backpack. A rectangular box.
[ Glow-in-the-Dark Puzzle ]
Only four words were written on the cover.
"Lord Plan! This is so much fun when you turn off the lights! You just fit the pieces right in!"
But at that moment, someone roughly forced her way into the gap between Yushia and me.
"T-turn off the lights and fit what in?! And sorry to break this to you, but they separate room assignments by gender, you know?"
It was Becky. She stood wedged between Yushia and me like sandwich filling, yet held her ground resolutely.
"Ah, Miss Becky! A pleasure!"
Yushia extended her hand, but Becky ignored it.
"I can't say the same."
"Pardon? Are we not friends?"
"I thought so, but you just destroyed our friendship."
"Pardon? I have no idea what you mean!"
It sounded like two sparrows chattering beside me. Just as I was about to furrow my brow, Violet spoke up.
"Accordingly, you will sleep tonight in the hotel inside the Magic Tower, and tomorrow morning, there will be an evaluation."
The previously bright atmosphere around us darkened in an instant. A chorus of sighs erupted at the mere word 'evaluation'.
"We're suddenly taking an evaluation? I already bombed a quiz, so I absolutely have to do well on this...."
Becky clutched her head. She was not alone in her despair. The expressions across the board were much the same.
Violet continued, unfazed.
"For the record, it is an absolute evaluation. There, see? Suddenly no one's sighing anymore."
Violet's statement was factual. The students' sighs vanished as if by magic the moment she said it.
"The Chejeon is next week. We will reselect the representative for the first-year combat event."
At Violet's words, Becky, who stood beside me, widened her eyes.
"The student chosen as representative will also receive separate preferential treatment."
"Preferential treatment?"
Yushia tilted her head. It seemed her murmur reached Violet's ears.
"Yes. Preferential treatment. Various forms of support go without saying, along with a letter of recommendation for the magic presentation... Well, the details will be relayed to the representative student in due course. Any other questions?"
"Professor Violet."
Someone raised a hand sharply. It was Hailey.
"Was the first-year combat event representative not already decided as Louis? I don't quite understand why we are reselecting."
"An excellent question. It is somewhat embarrassing to say this as a professor...."
Violet's expression turned utterly serious as she continued.
"The Magic Department has, so far, completely neglected the Chejeon. We will correct that, starting now. So that it is no longer embarrassing."
I nodded quietly.
The words I had been waiting for finally came out of Violet's mouth, and I felt a measure of satisfaction.
'So you are awake after all.'
Had the faculty meeting concluded with 'The Magic Department washes its hands of the Chejeon,' I would have seriously considered leaving the academy.
Hailey still looked vaguely anxious.
"Then by what criteria will the reselection...."
"I was just about to explain that. Everyone, focus."
Violet snapped her fingers, and a wide mana screen unfurled in the air, serving as a blackboard.
"The Chejeon, which boasts a full twenty-four events, fundamentally keeps each faction's representatives confidential until the day of the matches. However."
The professor snapped her fingers once more. A face appeared on the board.
"The Knight Department has publicly revealed their first-year combat event representative in advance. That is how utterly confident they are that we have no chance of winning."
Short black hair and dark eyes.
Naturally, I did not know her. But it seemed everyone but me did. Commotion erupted around me.
"Ivan Rose...?"
"I didn't believe the rumors, but it's really Ivan. This is insane."
Seeing that even Yushia wore an expression of recognition, I asked her.
"Yushia, do you know this knight?"
"Yes. I know her."
Yushia nodded and continued.
"Even within the Imperial Knight Orders, her Inherent Ability has been mentioned more than a few times. With modifiers attached like, 'once-in-a-generation,' 'supernova'... that sort of thing."
"Explain her Inherent Ability. Let's hear it."
"Flash. I've heard her swiftness lives up to its name."
"I see. So the professor is right: they truly have no fear of losing."
If she had been mentioned enough to be remarked upon even within the Imperial Knight Orders, it was certainly no mere bluff. It meant she possessed ability to back it up.
But the more critical fact was that this side also had no fear of losing.
Just how fast is the Flash Inherent Ability, I wonder. It has been a long time since a human piqued my curiosity.
Violet continued her explanation.
"The representative has been revealed. So then, what must we do?"
An octagon was drawn on the blackboard alongside the professor's question.
"What we must do is find a way to win, by any means necessary. We will precisely measure each of you across eight criteria, to see what kind of compatibility you hold against the Knight Department's representative."
Violet's words proved true. At each vertex of the octagon, eight criteria were inscribed: Vision, Resistance, Accuracy, Focus....
...The effort is plain, but it doesn't satisfy me. Barely enough to grant a passing grade.
"Naturally, the more extreme your counter-compatibility against Ivan, the higher your score. We will utilize compatibility to the fullest extent."
Yes. That is precisely why it doesn't satisfy me.
Snatching victory through such methods feels deeply underhanded to me. To put it another way, it is unbecoming of a mage.
"Everyone, keep this firmly in mind: right now, we are to think only of winning."
"Excuse me, Professor."
Hailey raised her hand once more.
"Student Hailey. Speak."
"We have barely six days left until the event, and more than anything, the representative was already decided as Louis...."
"Yes."
"I just wonder if perhaps we should simply stick with Louis. I fear this might only create greater confusion."
Violet inclined her head slightly to the side.
"Student Hailey."
"Yes, Professor."
"If Louis has the qualifications, wouldn't he simply be selected?"
"...."
Hailey shut her mouth tight. Violet's gaze shifted toward Louis this time.
"What about you, Student Louis? Any complaints? About reselecting the representative under newly established criteria."
"No complaints. I, too, believe this is the fairer approach."
Louis answered evenly.
"The person in question says so himself. Student Hailey."
"...My apologies."
Hailey bowed her head, wearing an expression that was still somewhat dissatisfied.
Silence hung in the air for a while.
Violet, too, wore an expression that hadn't quite cleared ever since receiving Hailey's question. She furrowed her brow and spoke.
"Let me ask you all something, just in case."
The professor swept a hand down her face and continued.
"Do any of the other students think like Hailey? That this will only breed pointless confusion, or that you don't understand why the representative is being chosen again."
The students around me quieted their very breathing.
I could feel it.
Right now, Violet was angrier than she had ever been. At least, angrier than she'd ever shown us before.
"Or perhaps this is your thinking: 'They'll run the tests, but Louis will obviously be chosen again, so what's the point?' If there are students who feel that way, speak up honestly. I won't stop you from leaving."
None of the students made a sound. Hailey, now utterly mortified, simply stared down at the floor.
Violet emphasized once more.
"If all change feels bothersome and you'd rather just comply, then do so. But I don't teach such students. Don't be afraid — raise your hands. I'll simply give you a B-grade and send you on your way."
Her anger. I find it somewhat admirable.
Violet is a mage to the marrow of her bones. A desperate effort to resist reality and hoist a mage's pride to the summit. A desperate will.
She believes, unwaveringly, that such things are righteous.
Yet her methods are still immature.
I once had a disciple of that type. One whose ability was somewhat lacking, but who possessed a burning will second to none — someone just like Violet.
That one, too, eventually became a mage of considerable standing.
Thanks to my advice.
So, in the end, I slowly raised my hand. My gaze met Violet's through the open space.
The professor glared at me and parted her lips.
"Is it only Student Plan? Raise your hands, others. Don't mind the scrutiny. And Student Plan — return to the dormitory."
"...Which is precisely why."
I suppose I had better offer some advice to an admirable mage.
Having opened my mouth, I enunciated the next words clearly, syllable by syllable.
"A mage perpetually walks the path of failure and defeat."
The air froze. Violet's expression went momentarily blank.
"What in the world changes if you barely scrape out a victory in a mud fight?"
Everyone stared at me with appalled expressions. I continued speaking toward Violet, who was glaring at me.
"A petty mage. A narrow-minded mage. 'They had no confidence they could ever win by skill, so in the end they prevailed through underhanded means.' Words like those will pour down upon you. And they won't even be wrong."
"Student Plan. Are you trying to say that seeking a way to beat the Knight Department is a bad thing?"
"Yes. If that is what it comes to, it would be better not to seek such a way at all."
I cut through Violet's words with a single stroke. Nor did I avert my gaze from hers.
I merely added one more statement.
"Unless it is a landslide victory, nothing changes."
Overwhelming.
To effect change, the required victory must never be ordinary.
Only when you pin your opponent down, leaving them utterly helpless through power and skill that anyone would be forced to acknowledge — only then does change finally arrive.
"A landslide victory...?"
Violet repeated the word. I spoke to her.
"I hear Ivan's Inherent Ability is Flash."
Exchanging multiple blows implies comparable skill between opponents. With each additional exchange, you drift further from true dominance.
"To manifest magic faster than Flash, and to suppress the opponent with that single strike alone. That is what I consider the qualification for representative."
Violet belatedly grasped my meaning and asked again.
"...That is the most ideal of arguments. But you must recognize the gap between words and reality."
"Professor."
I called to her.
Something began to slowly boil up from deep within my chest. The motivation I had pursued my entire life.
"You may evaluate me."
Innovation, ambition for achievement, and....
Proof.
"Because I will become the representative."