Chapter 29
Chapter 29
My proposal was accepted.
Though it wasn’t accepted without resistance.
“Keep this in mind. If any problems arise because of your mistake, I’ll hold you responsible. You’ll fail your appointment review.”
Professor Alif spoke in a tone that made it clear he was bearing down on me.
Even if nothing went wrong, it was obvious he intended to find some pretext to screw me over.
It’s fine. It’s not as though I’m trying to do anything particularly impressive.
I’d been going on and on, acting all high and mighty, but did I really have some noble purpose for the Academy in mind?
I had no intention of pushing myself.
All I have to do is subtly interfere with the exam and fail Katrinne and Libel.
Still, there was a chance some unexpected accident might happen.
Nothing could go wrong, so I prepared some safeguards.
I went to the Guard.
“You want us to provide public-safety support for the Academy’s entrance Practical Examination? Ha ha! If it’s you asking, Ban, I’d be happy to help.”
Sir Gordon, the head of the Guard, whom I’d gotten to know a little while ago, readily nodded.
It was hardly an unreasonable request. When there was a large-scale event, it was fairly common for the Guard to provide support to ensure everyone’s safety.
Other prestigious academies sometimes get the military’s help when they hold their Practical Examinations.
“But why are you suddenly asking for support? Rubiness Academy’s entrance Practical Examination takes place in an Artificial Dungeon, so there shouldn’t be much danger, should there?”
I gave him a vague excuse.
“There was the recent Puppet incident, and I decided it would be best to pay as much attention to safety as possible.”
“Just as I’d expect! Impressive. I knew I hadn’t misjudged you. As it happens, I’ve also been concerned lately because we’ve had reports of suspicious individuals appearing in the city.”
…What was that supposed to mean all of a sudden?
“Ha ha! Don’t worry too much about it. Is it really so unusual for people of unknown identities to show up in the Free City? I expect some assassin has come in to kill somebody or other.”
I frowned.
Just as Sir Gordon said, the Free City was a place where all sorts of incidents and accidents happened.
There was no need to worry about every single one.
Still, something about this feels off.
Was it because of the recent Puppet incident? I couldn’t help feeling uneasy.
Maybe I’m overreacting, but if anything goes wrong, I’m finished.
At times like this, it was better to be overly cautious.
I decided to add a few more safeguards.
“…You want me to send our people? As safety personnel?”
Emily looked taken aback.
“Do you really think the family would agree to your request?”
“I’m not asking the Rapalt Ducal House. I’m asking you personally. The trading company you used to run went bankrupt, so all your guards are sitting around with nothing to do, aren’t they?”
Emily pressed her lips firmly together.
Then she said something I hadn’t expected.
“…Are you looking out for me?”
“??”
“Are you giving me this chance so I can improve my image? So many people will be watching the Practical Examination.”
…No, that wasn’t my intention at all.
I couldn’t afford to set off a flag, so I stated it plainly.
“That’s not my intention at all. I’m just using you.”
“Yes, Ban. You’re still the same as before—you get embarrassed so easily. I understand how you feel.”
“…I said it’s not like that.”
“Yes, I know. I understand.”
She said it in a tone that showed she understood nothing at all.
Whether I frowned or not, Emily went on cheerfully, practically beaming.
“Since you went out of your way to think of me, I’ll do everything in my power to provide thorough support. I’ll make sure not even the tiniest problem comes up during the Practical Examination.”
“…All right.”
I nodded reluctantly.
And lastly—
“Linden, have you finished your graduation exam?”
“Y-Yes, yes, I have!”
“I see. Welcome to my graduate school.”
“W-Wait, what?! I haven’t even had my graduation ceremony yet! What do you mean, graduate school?!”
“You’re starting work early, before you graduate. There’s something you need to do during the entrance examination. If you don’t want to, pay back the 100,000 Pena.”
I thrust a waiver relinquishing his body at him, while Hans chimed in from beside me.
“That’s right, Linden, you good-for-nothing loafer! You should consider it an honor to be put to use as Young Master Ban’s slave!”
“Hans, don’t talk as if this has nothing to do with you. You have something to do as well.”
“M-Master? But I’m a noncombat mage…”
“Don’t worry. It’s exactly the sort of job suited to you.”
After hearing my instructions, Linden and Hans both turned deathly pale. I, on the other hand, wore a resolute expression.
Now the preparations are complete.
Then came the next day.
The long-awaited Academy entrance examination began.
Rubiness Academy was bustling with countless people.
It looked like a marketplace.
The Academy has 400 places, and well over 1,000 applicants…
Those 400 places weren’t for the Magic Faculty alone.
They included the Knight Faculty, the Humanities Faculty, and the Support Faculty.
With so many faculties and so many applicants, the examinations would be held over the course of a week.
Come to think of it, which protagonists applied to the other faculties?
Since I belonged to the Magic Faculty, I couldn’t get involved in the entrance examinations for the other faculties.
Even if they’re in other faculties, we’ll have so many shared classes that we’ll keep running into each other. Please let the protagonists who show up be well-behaved.
It wasn’t as if knights only took swordsmanship classes, or Humanities students did nothing but bury themselves in books.
The Empire’s education system aimed to cultivate well-rounded individuals who had mastered many fields, not specialists who knew only their own.
So there were plenty of classes and projects shared by all the faculties, meaning we would keep crossing paths.
Please, let me avoid the “Demon Blade” in the Humanities Faculty.
And the “Demon Blade” wasn’t the only one.
There were plenty of other protagonist-shaped time bombs to avoid in the Knight Faculty and the Support Faculty, too.
At least I managed to stop the “Demon Saint,” the Main Protagonist in the Support Faculty, from coming here beforehand.
I shook my head.
This wasn’t the time to worry about the other faculties.
I had to focus on the two most dangerous nuclear bombs of all—the two main protagonists, Katrinne and Libel.
I don’t need to worry much about the written exam. Joanna will come in first.
But then an unexpected upset occurred.
The written exam was graded by Magic Tool, and the results came out that very day. They were as follows:
[Written Examination Results]
Valedictorian: Katrinne.
Salutatorian: Libel.
Joanna’s name was nowhere among the top two!
‘What kind of nonsense is this?’
I stared, eyes wide.
‘There’s no way Joanna could fall behind those two on the written exam!’
Joanna was considered the next head of a Prestigious Magic Family, and had received a rigorous education as a gifted prodigy.
‘If it were the practical or combat exams, maybe—but when it came to the written exam, where they tested knowledge, there was no way she could fall behind anyone.’
‘Even Libel scored higher than Joanna. Libel’s a natural genius, but he’s terrible when it comes to book knowledge, isn’t he?’
Just then, a boy approached hesitantly.
A timid face, shabby clothes.
It was Libel.
“…I-I… studied hard these past few days. I wanted to receive instruction from you, Professor Ban. It’s a shame I didn’t come in first, but….”
Libel’s eyes flashed as he looked at me.
It didn’t suit his shabby appearance at all.
Deep and intense.
“I’ll… make sure to pass and become your student, Professor.”
I was aghast.
And that wasn’t even the end of it.
“Did you see my score, Professor Ban?”
A sharp-featured girl, Katrinne, walked up in front of me and raised her chin.
“Keep watching me from now on, too. I’ll make you acknowledge me.”
…No, I have no intention of keeping an eye on you.
What do you even want me to acknowledge you for?
But I didn’t have time to correct her.
A shocking sight had entered my view.
Clench.
It was Joanna’s reaction to seeing her score.
Joanna had come in third.
It was an excellent score by any measure, but—
‘For Joanna, this must be an unimaginable humiliation.’
According to the scenario, Joanna was guaranteed to enter as the valedictorian.
No matter which Academy Joanna chose, she was guaranteed to claim first place in that Academy’s Magic Faculty. Yet an unexpected turn of events had occurred.
‘What’s more, there’s an unwritten rule that direct-line heirs of Prestigious Magic Families must enter one of the Four Great Academies through special admission.’
Special admission meant entering as either the valedictorian or salutatorian.
If she failed to do so, her family would point fingers at her mercilessly.
‘With Joanna’s pride, only first place will be acceptable. If she can’t come in first, she’ll obviously give up on enrolling and apply to another Academy.’
This was a crisis!
In the end, I decided to help Joanna a little more actively.
I would interfere not only during the Practical Examination, but during the practical skills exam as well.
The next day.
The practical skills exam was held, and I was assigned to attend as an examiner.
“Applicants with numbers one, two, and three, please come in.”
As it happened, they were Libel, Joanna, and Katrinne.
That was how it turned out because the applicants had been assigned their numbers according to their preliminary examination scores.
‘Good. This means I can help Joanna even more.’
Don’t accuse me of being too biased.
As I said before, the scenario could only be cleared smoothly if I got Joanna accepted and sent Katrinne and Libel to other Academies.
It was all for the good of the world.
Truly. Sincerely.
“Applicants, please demonstrate the First Star Rank ‘Light’ spell.”
The practical skills exam task was simple.
The purpose was to see whether they had the basic preparation for their studies and what kind of aptitude they had as mages.
‘Of course, that doesn’t mean you can take it lightly.’
The First Star Rank Light spell was the most basic, yet most difficult, spell.
Anyone could cast it easily, but casting it perfectly was hard.
“I’ll go first.”
Joanna stepped forward with a huff.
Before casting her spell, she shot a sharp glare at Libel and Katrinne.
A gaze that looked down on them, as if they were beneath her feet.
‘…That’s fine, but why are you glaring at me? I’m on your side.’
As if she’d heard my thoughts, Joanna muttered:
“Acting so arrogant for Ban the Trash. I’ll show you what I can do.”
She muttered loudly enough for me to hear.
After giving me a derisive snort, Joanna cast her spell with a showy gesture.
Fwaaash!!
A burst of light erupted, and gasps of admiration rose throughout the examination hall.
“Ooh!! Second Star Rank Shine Dust!!”
“Excellent! To already be casting an Upper Second Star Rank spell!”
The other professors attending as examiners made a fuss like a cheering squad, clapping and gushing.
‘It really is impressive. She’s already Second Star Rank before even enrolling. And an Upper Rank spell, at that.’
Academy Magic Faculty graduates were usually at the Third Star Rank level.
Second Star Rank was usually a second-year level. Those who progressed slowly wouldn’t reach it until their third year.
“Full marks.”
“I give full marks, too.”
The unanimous verdict was full marks.
Joanna lifted her chin at me triumphantly, as if to show off.
I decided it was time to step in.
It was time to give Joanna my “biased assistance.”
“I give it three out of ten.”
“!!”
In an instant, the examination hall fell silent.
All the professors looked at me as if I’d gone mad.
“Examiner Ban, what do you mean by that?”
“Three points after seeing that spell?”
“Did you deduct points for the trivial reason that she cast Second Star Rank Shine Dust instead of First Star Rank Light?”
Naturally, they reacted that way.
I shook my head.
“No. Shine Dust is a Light spell, too. There’s no reason to deduct points as long as it’s cast properly. So, as long as it’s cast properly, that is.”
Joanna’s expression crumpled at once as she understood what I meant.
“Are you saying my Shine Dust was lacking?”
“No.”
I looked Joanna straight in the eye.
The Black Flame Dragon lent me a thoroughly intense air of pressure at exactly the right moment.
“It wasn’t merely lacking. It was terrible. So terrible that it was painful to look at.”
“!!”
Joanna’s face turned pale.
She looked furious.
I couldn’t help it.
‘What Joanna needs right now isn’t applause. She needs a loving smack upside the head. At this rate, there’s no way she can come in first.’
I glanced at Libel and Katrinne, seated behind her.
The two protagonists’ eyes were filled with determination.
The highest-weighted part of the entrance examination wasn’t the written exam or the practical skills exam. It was the final Practical Examination.
Could Joanna actually surpass them in the Practical Examination?
At this rate, it was impossible.
I had to make sure Joanna could bring out two hundred percent of her abilities.
Since I was going to offer her “help” anyway, I decided to do it properly.
“I’ll tell you why your Light Magic is so terrible. Katrinne, this time, you try casting Light Magic.”
“!!”