Chapter 50
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: Evermoon's Mage (2)
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In the department head's office located at the top floor of the main magic building.
The room was so deathly quiet it could steal your breath away. Its owner, Raymond, was flipping through a thick stack of exam papers one page at a time.
Standing politely in front of the department head's desk was the professor in charge of first-year magic theory, his face haggard and drawn.
His hair was disheveled, his eyelids sunken deep, and his eyes bloodshot.
Anyone seeing him might think he wasn't the one who made the exam but the one who stayed up all night cramming for it.
He looked like he could collapse at any moment.
Yet his eyes gleamed with a pride bordering on madness.
He hadn't always been this diligent and passionate type of professor.
He was the sort content with a peaceful daily life, teaching clueless first-years just enough in the stable job of the Imperial Academy, letting days flow by like water.
But everything changed when some 'advanced mage' suddenly enrolled in the academy.
This was a natural disaster, plain and simple.
No... why was someone he should be begging for lessons from showing up as a student...?
The reversed teacher-student dynamic had stressed him out no end.
So at first, he'd tried ignoring her.
When the devilish newbie skipped class, he'd breathe a sigh of relief. If she showed up and slept through lecture, he'd think it was for the best and not wake her.
When she'd solve a problem he'd assigned as a week-long report assignment in mere minutes, he'd hit peak sage mode, but whatever—it didn't matter.
Just endure this year, promote her to second-year, and done, he'd thought.
Next year, Kyle and the 'protagonist class' would enroll, making her life harder than his, but that was a problem for future him.
Anyway.
The issue started when midterm results were posted—his position began to feel threatened.
The problem was that his botched exam answers had been publicly exposed across the academy.
-Even if Lunaris is an exceptional student...
-Still, as a professor, doing worse than a student raises doubts about qualifications...
-Ahem! Sorry, but you've been flagged for special audit priority. Ah! Not that you've done anything wrong. Just... you know, things are a bit shaky these days.
His iron rice bowl job was shaking?
This was a super emergency.
So the professor pulled every ounce of past and future effort into creating the exam with all his might.
And that result was now in the department head Raymond's hands.
The department head was just as serious.
Occasionally humming thoughtfully, marking corrections with his red-inked quill—the gravity of it all was something else.
Considering his usual self, tossed around by that monstrously talented newbie, this was a refreshingly professional moment.
Yes.
This was exam review period.
All exams taken by Magic Department students required final approval from her, the department head.
Of course, she couldn't review every grade, every magic subject herself—time wouldn't allow it.
So she personally checked only core major subjects for third- and fourth-years, leaving the rest to lead professors.
Personally checking a first-year fledgling's exam was extremely unusual.
But personally checking an exam for a 'grand mage candidate' was only natural.
Raymond's gaze lingered a long time on the final problem written on the last page.
After a long silence, she set down her pen and spoke.
"Problems one through six are top-tier quality, historically speaking. But..."
Her smiling voice carried pure admiration.
"This last one is truly impressive. I almost want to use it for the academy's lead professor selection exam."
Too good to waste on mere first-year fledglings, Raymond praised highly.
"...Thank you for recognizing my hard work, Department Head."
The professor's voice cracked roughly as it escaped.
Feeling the exhaustion of the past month, Raymond sighed sympathetically.
"This one's a 'humbling' problem tailored for that one student, right?"
"Well... I won't deny it."
"Hmm—too good to limit to first-years."
Raymond tapped the exam papers as she continued.
"What if I give other years a chance too, and award departmental discretionary extra credit? That okay?"
"If you do that, it'd be the greatest honor for me."
The professor bowed his head.
This was all about performance records.
It'd get him through year-end special audits smoothly and restore his reputation.
Raymond examined the final problem once more meticulously.
Then, curiously narrowing her eyes, she asked.
"By the way, is this really solvable just from first-year textbook content?"
"Yes. The explanation booklet I provided shows it's fully within the curriculum."
Raymond glanced at the thick envelope on the corner of her desk, as indicated.
The explanation booklet, several times thicker than the exam—practically a whole book—stood out glaringly.
"...But solvable within the time limit, right?"
"That's why, with your permission, I'd set the exam from finals period first morning to last midnight."
"..."
"And allow students to freely enter and exit the exam hall."
"Won't they just huddle outside, discussing answers?"
The professor shook his head with a faint smile.
"No need to worry. For that, I consulted the Imperial Mage Corps vice-captain."
"Vice-Captain Albert?"
"Yes. With his help, we've applied confidentiality illusion magic over the entire exam hall."
"Ho—surprisingly well-connected."
Raymond asked, genuinely surprised.
"To be honest, he approached me first with the offer. And I got quite a bit of advice on crafting the problems too."
Like most people chasing ordinary lives, the professor knew his limits.
He couldn't craft a problem befitting a once-in-a-century genius alone, so he borrowed another genius's power.
"No wonder the quality's so high."
Even gathering all other theory subject exams wouldn't match this one, Raymond smiled in satisfaction.
"Come to think of it, outside discussions wouldn't matter anyway."
He even wanted to encourage group study.
It wasn't solvable by pooling heads in the first place.
Still, laying illusion magic for anti-cheating was to protect the professor's intellectual property.
"Heh... Haha!"
Raymond set down the exam and burst into laughter.
"Lunaris—that student thinks Elterion Academy, and our Magic Department, are a joke."
Far from true.
She didn't care in the slightest.
"This time, we'll show her for sure. That there's something to learn here too."
*
"Finals are next week already~"
Ghost Story Research Club sub-room.
Princess Celestina stretched long over the mountain of reference books.
"Yeah."
A slightly excited tone slipped out.
"Luna, you like exam season?"
The princess tilted her head curiously at my demeanor, smiling faintly.
"Everyone else looks half-dead."
Looking around, the sub-room was a sight.
"Half-dead" was no exaggeration.
Claire, already half-mad, now seemed fully unhinged.
She tore at her hair, muttering incomprehensible chants (probably mnemonic summaries).
Even the usually energetic Vice-President Sylvia was slumped, meekly learning from Sub-VP Thomas.
...Wait a sec.
Those two are from different departments.
Politics Department teaching Magic Department? Makes no sense.
Or rather, second-year teaching third-year?
...Whatever, none of my business.
"You really love exam season."
I flopped back onto the warmed table.
"Legally skip classes, maids leave me alone—how great is that?"
Especially finals over midterms.
After midterms, routine resumes; after finals, vacation.
Imagining 24/7 bed life already spiked my dopamine.
"And I don't have many exams anyway."
"Huh?"
"Magic practical was waived for blowing up half the auditorium last time. Maengineering majors: two waived for submitting artifacts and reports."
Of course, Estelle-senpai wrote the reports.
Free exam pass courtesy of her.
"Haha... Looking back, that scared me."
"Anyway, just a few left: one major theory, one elective theory, one major practical, one elective practical."
Most annoying: the "major practical" magic duel with Department Head Raymond.
So right now, prepping for the biggest hassle.
...Huh? Prepping by napping on desk?
This is condition management.
Need peak form against the department head. Gotta rest up.
"...Still, shouldn't study magic theory?"
Worry tinged the princess's voice.
"Heard the department head said first-year theory exam's insane."
"Pfft, whatever..."
"You might not worry, Luna, but Claire and I do."
The princess clasped her hands carefully.
"So... could you help us study, Luna?"
"Too annoying..."
"Luna! Pretty pleeease!!"
Suddenly, Claire leaped onto the desk.
Whoa, startled me.
"Save one life, yeah? I'm weak on practicals—need perfect written score for Linea Hall! C'mon, study together!"
"All-nighter cram sesh!"
Princess's eyes lit up at Claire's words.
"Studying all night with friends—always wanted to try!"
"..."
"Please, Luna?"
There it was.
The "friend's request" attack, way heavier than "princess command."
"Sigh... Fine, but."
I stared at their pleading eyes, sighing softly.
"In your room, Princess. If I get sleepy, I'm stealing the bed right away."