Entrance Exam 2: Crushing the Fourth-Year Loser☆
Because I've been holed up at home my whole life, I didn't know much about the common sense of this pathetic☆ world, but I did know one thing: once you accept a duel, there's no backing out.
Probably, if I'd just taken the White Badge exam as scheduled, some random decent student council member from the 1st or 2nd years at the Imperial Academy would've come out for the spar. That alone shows how rare it was for a 4th-year student to show up in the entrance exam arena. And surprisingly, the guy I'd poked happened to be one of the top 4th-years, which drew all the attention.
"No way, Gail actually challenged an examinee to a duel?"
Starting with the classic "No way?" that works even in this world,
"Aigoo, if you call Gail girly or sissy-like, he flips out... wonder if the examinee will be okay."
"Hey, watch out. You might get beaten to death by Gail's fan club 'Egailra'."
Whispers that were basically gossip from people out of sight,
"Who's the examinee sparring with? Oh, Le Armo... isn't that from that family?"
"In the world, even at 7 I couldn't hold a wand properly, let alone cast magic."
"Poor thing..."
Even people worrying about me.
I was used to drawing public attention. Back in my previous life, there'd been plenty of murmurs about me too. That's just... the harsh life of a genius. Heh heh, you idiots☆.
My home tutor, who graduated top of the academy, had his magic crushed by me multiple times without even chanting. The family had tried to keep my skills a secret as much as possible, and up until now, it might've worked.
Kuk... but now that I'm at the academy, I can't hide my power forever.
The more the public opinion painted me as reckless, the more excited I got. Quick graduation, quick return home. That's exactly what I wanted☆.
"Miss Kesera. Can't you reconsider one more time? This is for your own safety."
The professor from earlier approached me as I sat waiting in the arena prep room. He seemed to be mediating the duel-cum-entrance-exam.
But... now that I look at him, doesn't this professor seem familiar~?
To mediate the White Badge exam, he'd have a pretty high position, so maybe he'd visited our house now and then. Names of professors don't matter anyway.
"Ahaha☆ Idiot. You think I'd lose to some mere 4th-year~?☆ Worry about the guy who's gonna get wrecked by me and cry like a baby. Okay? Professor old man."
"If that's your will, then no choice. But surrender anytime, and I'll spare you."
The fairly handsome professor couldn't hide his anxiety, stroking his mustache over and over. Watching him made me anxious too, so I started absentmindedly fixing my nails.
Anxious that I might not overwhelmingly crush some puny 4th-year?☆
**
The massive academy arena, shaped like a colosseum, was already filling up with examinees who'd finished their tests, lower-year students, and upper-year ones drawn by the rumors. You could tell the upper-year folks apart just by their taller heights and more mature faces—they were all hitting that growth spurt age.
This world's year has 850 days, so the skill gap between grades is like heaven and earth. Age differences translate directly to absolute power gaps.
In the Imperial Academy, which had stood alongside the Millennium Empire for a thousand years, it was historically rare for a 4th-year to challenge an examinee to a duel—and even rarer for the examinee to accept. Of course, the upper-year always won in those cases, but if there's no precedent, I'll just make one.
We were each handed wooden training wands for the duel. Not real wands that could unleash destructive magic even in simple spells—this was more like wooden sword sparring. But even wooden swords can kill, and the same went for these wooden wands.
Using one was like writing with chalk on a blackboard in my past life. It was like a game where you posed problems to each other in front of the board and solved them, but magic couldn't be tricked with nonsense answers—you had to provide the solution and process together for it to work properly. Plus, there was a real difference in how much damage you could inflict on your opponent.
That's why I don't like the losers of this world, but I do love magic.
A mustachioed gentleman professor stepped into the center of the arena. His voice boomed across the stands every time he spoke—probably some amplification magic.
"I, Joshua Le Jerna Ashanterieur, stand here as the mediator of the sacred duel between Gail Le Sorden Ksharanthelis and Kesera Le Armo Ascentrius. But once more, I ask the parties involved. A duel with such a clear gap in skill is hardly fair. In hopes that you might duel formally after a few more years of age and growth, I ask: do you truly wish to proceed?"
Le Jerna in the professor's name meant his family had produced two archmages, while Le Sorden meant one. Only direct descendants got the middle name, so whenever archmage blood mixed in, names like Le Sorden, Le Jerna, Le Cromi, Le Resna, or Le Armo got attached accordingly.
In this world, becoming an archmage meant founding a new family line—marriage didn't change names. So there were only four people alive with Le Armo.
But... Le Sorden? Egege~ A family not even in the records, total nobodies~☆
"Of course~☆"
"I will."
With our agreement, Professor Joshua—who now knew there was no turning back—fell silent and closed his eyes. The silence dragged on until I couldn't stand it and teased him lightly.
"No choice, right~ Professor~☆ Hurry up and start~☆"
"That little brat... dares to mock the professor...!"
I ignored the puny mob fuming with killing intent and stared only at the professor, who finally raised the signal to begin.
The instant it started, Gail's hand moved busily through the air, conjuring dozens of icicle spears. A chorus of "oohs" rose from the watching crowd.
Dozens of icicles formed by multi-casting. To non-mages, those spikes aimed threateningly at me must've looked ready to take my life at any moment~ But to my eyes, they were just a bunch of addition-subtraction problems lined up.
"Scared, kiddo?"
Gail smirked at me. No... not really scared. If anything, it was hilarious.
I might not solve them all with raw calculation power, but nullifying those answers? Piece of cake.
It was so boring I just dropped my wooden wand on the ground.
"Scared enough to drop your wand? Surrender now, and big bro here will go easy."
"Pfft...☆ Is this all you've got?☆"
It was so ridiculous I burst out laughing. Those icicles looked like kiddie quizzes made of basic arithmetic.
Modern magic books said magic could be explained with math principles. From that moment, maybe I'd been waiting for this chance—as a genius mathematician from my past life☆—to show everyone my skills.
But the opponent was such trash.
Seeing my sneer, Gail launched the dozens of icicles. They hurtled irregularly toward me, and I casually cast a spell to nullify that arithmetic.
"Void Shield."
A differentiation spell from the modern magic books—listed as Void Magic, but I saw right through it as calculus.
The icicle spears, built on basic arithmetic, got sucked straight into the Void Shield and vanished.
In that instant, the cheers and jeers from the stands died away, replaced by chilly silence.
An examinee—no, a mere seven-year-old—had casually deployed Void Magic, which even 20-year-old 7th-years racked their brains over, and without even using her wooden wand.
"Wha... what?"
"Puhaha☆ Using something this basic as magic? Pathetic~☆"
With the icicles all gone, I fired off a simple Ice Arc spell—made with trig functions, a basic curve compared to his spears. Again, no wand.
Gail panicked hard. A 4th-year top student should handle this...
"Gaaahhh!"
Hit by the Ice Arc—not even that powerful—the 4th-year ace Gail stumbled back, failed to block, and flew off to crash far away.
Eh~ Boring. Down in one hit...
"Pfft... lol, can't even block this?☆"
Of course, an examinee using Arc spells was unheard of. But still, for 4th-year level, it was basic stuff you had to solve.
The professor rubbed his eyes, then approached the growling Gail on the ground.
"You... you little shit...!"
"Gail, admit your defeat."
As the professor declared, Gail staggered up, spitting blood.
...Did I go too hard? Nah, it was his fault for calling me a "baby." The bear who poked the hive is to blame, not the bees, right?
"Come back after more practice~ You pathetic☆ big bro who only knows how to growl at little kids~☆"
With my victory cry, the crowd finally realized a 4th-year academy ace had lost to an examinee. The frozen arena heated up again, flashes pouring down from all sides—probably the school paper or something.
"In honor of the legacy of our founding president and archmage, Xeron, I declare: the duel is won by Kesera Le Armo Ascentrius!"
With the professor's official confirmation, I—I who'd one-shotted a 4th-year—sauntered proudly out of there.
I hopped straight into the carriage, went home, ate dinner alone like nothing happened, and went to bed.
And that was my entrance exam story.