Chapter 22
Chapter 22
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Our Ways of Thinking Are Different (1)
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The results of the class assignment exam had come out.
Number one was Resti from the western sector.
She had kept her hand on the mana stone from the start of the exam right through to the end. She was the only one who passed in the western sector.
Number two was Aila from the southern sector.
She had maintained contact with the mana stone for just over half the time. She yielded the remaining half or so.
'Take the rest however you like.'
And with that, she spent the leftover time watching the mages brawl it out. That was how third and fourth place were decided in the southern sector that Aila belonged to.
A passer did emerge from the eastern sector too.
Their contact times with the mana stone were all similar, making it hard to rank them... but since the upper class needed exactly five members, the student who held it the longest was selected as fifth place.
And then, in the northern sector...
Not a single passer emerged.
"What are we going to do about this?"
An ominous tension hung in the air of the conference room where the assistant professors had gathered. Cesar, leading the meeting, raised his voice.
"Assistant Professor Lania, I asked what happened."
All eyes turned to Lania.
"No, what were you thinking disqualifying both of them? We told you to intervene if things got too heated, not to disqualify anyone."
The plan had gone awry. There was no escaping responsibility. Every assistant professor in the room instinctively knew it.
The prized disciples of the Black and White Mage Towers.
It wouldn't have mattered if one of them failed the exam. The Black and White Towers were rivals; if one fell, the other would defend the exam's fairness.
But if both were disqualified...
That was when things got complicated.
'How did she even stop them? The fact that she did is unbelievable in the first place...'
Did they tire themselves out fighting each other?
That seemed more plausible. But that wasn't what mattered to Cesar right now.
'This way, the one taking the blame is me, the overall supervisor of the exam.'
He might even have to step down from this position. That anxiety gnawed at Cesar.
"So, how exactly do you plan to take responsibility for this?"
Desperate to shift the blame, Cesar tore into Lania. But Lania just blinked, showing no particular reaction.
"Pardon?"
Then she tilted her head.
"They're not disqualified, though?"
Her casual remark brought silence to the conference room.
Not disqualified?
What did that mean? The exam results were already reported, and class assignments were nearly finalized. Cesar frowned.
'She's going all out, huh?'
Sneering disdainfully, Cesar opened his mouth.
"That's not something you get to decide on your own, Assistant Professor Lania. The results are already out. Who do you think you are to—"
"I already did."
A chilling voice.
"Got a problem with that? Assistant Professor Cesar."
The assistant professors' gazes shifted to the conference room door. No one knew when it had opened. What mattered was the figure leaning against it.
Rosel van Trias.
He looked at Cesar and spoke.
"Isn't the reason we classify students simple? So we can give them lessons suited to their abilities. And I've decided that I'll teach those kids in the upper class myself."
He asked:
"Any objections to that?"
"...Uh, well... that is..."
"Of course, since they took the exam, it's natural to question its fairness. I understand your concern. That's why Assistant Professor Lania submitted a detailed incident report."
...A report?
The assistant professors' eyes turned to Cesar. He swallowed hard, glancing at his seat.
A pile of reports.
But he hadn't read them all yet.
When those two hadn't made the rankings, he sensed trouble and rushed to call this meeting.
"Looks like you're having trouble finding it. Allow me."
Professor Rosel wiggled his finger.
Suddenly, the reports flipped through the air with a rustle. One sheet detached and landed right in the center of Cesar's desk.
-Northern Sector Supervisor: Lania van Trias.
-Article 2: Competition overheated to the point where one side was at risk of severe injury. Exam temporarily halted at students' request, then resumed.
-Rules requested by students as follows.
-One, between each other... in principle...
It was there.
The report was definitely there.
"Uh, uhum..."
Cesar raised his creaking head. Professor Rosel's cold gaze fixed on him. Even though the renowned professor wouldn't click his tongue, Cesar could've sworn he heard it.
"...I get that you wanted to wrap up the meeting quickly now that the exam's over."
Professor Rosel's finger pointed at the stack of reports on Cesar's desk.
"But jumping to conclusions based on partial information is something every mage must always beware of."
Professor Rosel tossed out the words.
"Isn't that right? Assistant Professor Cesar."
Cesar's face drained of color.
2.
After the meeting.
Rosel was walking through the academy grounds with Raniel.
"What brings you to the conference room, Master?"
"...I was just passing by."
"Oh..."
Rosel sighed inwardly.
Truth be told, he'd stopped by because he figured this would happen. The Raniel he remembered had handled meetings the same way even back in the Ashen Mage Tower.
'I sent them all, though?'
'...Pardon?'
'Didn't you check the documents? I sent them all.'
'Y-yes? No, the documents... uh...'
'Weird. Didn't you confirm everything? Got nothing to say? I've got a bunch of questions.'
She'd prepare mountains of documents too tedious to read.
Then, slipping evidence sheets in between, she'd hit them with 'But I told you so?' at every meeting.
And she'd keep pressing until the mages, confronted with the very real report, choked up and teared up.
Even more astonishing was that there was no malice in it. None at all, incredibly. She'd just go, 'Why didn't you read carefully?' Their entire way of thinking was different.
'Good thing I stepped in...'
Otherwise, that Assistant Professor Cesar probably would've wiped away tears and quit the academy. Rosel had no intention of wasting what few staff they had.
"Sigh..."
"Why the sudden sigh?"
"...It's nothing. So, what do you think of those kids?"
Raniel hummed, stroking her chin.
She didn't ponder long. Soon, she spoke.
"To be honest, with a little nurturing, I could make a Hero Party out of them."
"...That good, huh?"
"That Belnoa kid used a shamanistic offering ritual."
"...That's unexpected. How well did they handle the cost?"
"Even after shoving it into the mana spring, they only lost a finger. Seems like a natural talent for shamanism. With a bit of polish, they might even handle the Balance."
Rosel listened with keen interest. Raniel had been notoriously harsh in her evaluations since her Ashen Mage Tower days.
'If even she says that much...'
Their talent must be genuine.
"Especially that Rak kid—he could hold his own on a battlefield right now."
"Rak... the Northern Duke's son?"
"Yeah. Instinct, quick situational judgment from it, plus sheer tenacity. Makes me wanna teach him."
As she said it, Raniel added:
"Somehow, his magic style feels similar to mine."
"...Well, those kids are Battle Mages, aren't they?"
"Yeah, so?"
"Huh?"
"What?"
Rosel tilted his head.
Raniel mimicked him, tilting hers.
"Uh... Raniel? You haven't read any books on Battle Mages, have you?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah. They looked boring. I mean, mages should use magic, right? Not fisticuffs. The body is just support—the magic's the main event."
Rosel couldn't help but laugh in disbelief at her response.
"Hmm... that's rich coming from you."
"Huh? What do you mean? Anyway, that Battle Mage thing—I don't like it. What, magic for surviving on the battlefield? Bullshit, if that existed, I wouldn't have suffered so mu—"
What nonsense.
Rosel swallowed the words inwardly.
3.
"Hurry up. Old age got you all hunched over, Black? Can't walk without that cane?"
The White Mage Tower Lord, Celi, was a gentle soul.
Provided it didn't involve the Black Tower.
"Shut it. You chug elixirs to keep your face value, and your mouth never stops, White."
The Black Mage Tower Lord, Yetual, was a calculating man.
Provided it didn't involve the White Tower.
"Hah! Face value? My elixirs just slow aging—I've always looked young..."
"Bullshit, White. Just walk faster."
Aphria Academy.
All eyes turned to the two walking side by side through the grounds. The lords of the color-endowed Mage Towers. Countless mages gazed at them with admiration.
Normally.
No matter that they were tower lords, as outsiders, they wouldn't be allowed entry to Aphria. They could enter only because they came not as 'tower lords' but as 'guardians' requesting a meeting.
"Anyway, that slum kid Belnoa or whatever must've pulled some dirty trick, right? Rak going down that easy..."
"Oh, thanks for the praise. Winning with dirty tricks still counts as winning, doesn't it?"
"You didn't win? It was a draw? Watch your mouth."
Their prized disciples lay unconscious in the infirmary.
They were heading there.
"Over there."
They soon arrived at the infirmary.
Opening the door, only two of the empty beds were occupied. And sitting between them was a woman.
The breeze from the opening door stirred her hair. Ash-gray locks, her signature, revealed who she was.
Lania van Trias.
The tower lords reacted differently to her presence.
"Hm."
The White one smiled with interest.
"Ahem."
The Black one coughed awkwardly and averted his eyes.
"What are you doing here?"
"I was the northern sector supervisor."
"That's why. What gives you the nerve to stand there after failing to manage the kids properly?"
"Ahem, cough! Ahem!"
"...Black, what's with the bullshit again? If your throat's bothering you, go drink some water."
Whether Yetual coughed or not wasn't Celi's concern. Celi strode toward Lania, her heels clicking sharply.
"Do I amuse you? What gives you the face to sit here after screwing up the exam supervision?"
Her words snapped like whips.
Yet ending in that half-polite -yo.
A twitch.
Lania's eyebrow moved at the tone.
'Why the hell does this remind me of that bitch Sara?'
A spell unconsciously gathered in her twitching fingers. Celi couldn't read it. Only Yetual, recognizing it, choked out a harsh cough.