Chapter 30
Chapter 30
‘I need to do more than simply inspire her. I have to improve Joanna’s skills, too.’
Improve her skills in the mere few minutes of an exam?
It was ridiculous.
And yet, it was possible.
“This time, I’ll demonstrate First Star Rank Light Magic.”
Katrinne stepped forward, her face filled with unwavering resolve.
As if to focus herself, she closed her eyes and drew in a brief breath before casting her spell.
Fwaaaash!
A cluster of light bloomed.
But it was… underwhelming.
The professors let their words trail off.
“Hmm. Not bad, but…”
“The light source is somewhat lacking.”
The brightness of the light was the most important factor when judging First Star Rank Light Magic.
However—
“My score is ten out of ten.”
“!!”
Everyone wore expressions that said the score was absurd.
“Come now, Lord Ban. What nonsense have you been spouting this whole time?”
“You gave Lady Joanna’s Shine Dust a three, and now you’re giving that weak little light spell a ten?”
Whether the professors protested or not, I looked at Joanna.
“Joanna, what do you think?”
“!!”
“Even you think Katrinne’s Light Magic looks inadequate, don’t you?”
Joanna clenched her fists tight.
She was an arrogant villainess, but she wasn’t a dullard.
On the contrary, she possessed a talent that placed her among the best of the sixteen protagonists. There was no way she could fail to recognize the true value of the spell Katrinne had cast.
I opened my hand.
Flash!
Lines of mana, arranged in the shape of a star, rose into the air.
“Look. This is the star that applicant Katrinne just created.”
“!!”
“Though the light source leaves something to be desired, that is only because of her relatively small quantity of mana. The shape of the star itself is exceedingly solid. A star refined with precision through the utmost mastery of the fundamentals. Isn’t this exactly the ideal form of star that an entrance examination should demand?”
Silence fell over the room.
Katrinne could create a star like this because she was a dullard.
Without any talent, she had practiced the most basic spell, Light Magic, over and over again.
Countless times.
More than anyone else could imagine.
‘Joanna, by contrast, was intoxicated by her own talent. Instead of building a proper foundation, she was in a hurry to rack up achievements.’
That was Joanna’s problem.
One that would greatly hinder her growth in the future.
Still, she was a protagonist overflowing with talent. As long as she realized what the problem was, she could improve her skills considerably.
The problem was—
“…Coming from a piece of trash like you.”
She gritted her teeth and glared at me as if she meant to kill me. Then—BANG!—she slammed the door shut and stormed out.
It looked as though I’d made a complete enemy of her.
‘…Uh, um. It’ll be, it’ll be fine, right? I’m a professor. I outrank Joanna, a student.’
As I broke into a cold sweat, I realized there was an even bigger problem than Joanna.
Katrinne.
‘…And why are you looking at me like that?’
Katrinne was glaring at me as if she meant to kill me, too.
But it wasn’t hostility.
Quite the opposite.
She was biting down hard on her lip.
Trying to hold back the emotions surging inside her.
I realized my mistake(?).
‘…That was the first praise Katrinne had ever heard in her life.’
Katrinne had practiced Light Magic more than a thousand times.
Starting when she was so young she hadn’t even come of age.
All because she wanted her family to acknowledge her.
But all she had ever received in return was contempt and disregard.
And now, for the first time, I had acknowledged her hard work.
“No, don’t misunderstand. I—”
But I couldn’t finish what I was saying.
I felt another powerful presence at my side.
“This time… it’s my turn.”
It was Libel!
He growled as though burning with a desire to compete with Katrinne.
“I, too… will make sure I receive Professor Ban’s praise.”
I took a hesitant step backward.
‘…Is this really going the way it’s supposed to?’
Along with an ominous chill that ran down my spine, the fateful day of the Practical Examination arrived.
The Practical Examination was held on different days for each faculty.
On the day of the Magic Faculty’s Practical Examination,
it took place in the old research building on the outskirts of the Academy.
It was a lonely building, like an abandoned mansion. A new research building had been built, leaving most of the rooms empty and desolate. A middle-aged man with a stern expression was walking through it.
It was Professor Bernstein.
When Ban demonstrated how to overcome the fractal structure, Bernstein had lavished praise on him. He was the head professor of the Magic Theory department, and if Ban was appointed as a Temporary Professor in the future, Bernstein would become his direct superior.
But there was something strange about Bernstein.
He stopped in front of a shabby research room and said, in a deferential tone,
“I’m Bernstein. May I come in?”
It was a curious sight.
A head professor held one of the highest positions in the Academy.
And yet, he was being so cautious. Who could possibly be inside?
“Come in.”
Creeeak.
Inside, amid a scene of such disarray that it looked like a garbage dump, sat a figure.
An old man with a hunched back.
His expression was gentle, but his deep-set eyes suggested that he was no ordinary old man.
And indeed, an unbelievable conversation passed between them.
“How are you feeling, Director?”
“Heh heh. Haven’t I told you that I’m no longer the Director?”
“To me, there will only ever be one Director: my teacher.”
The former Director of Rubiness Academy.
Honorary Professor Randolf.
That was who the old man was!
And that was not all.
“My condition is still the same. It’s the price I pay for attempting Ascension without knowing my place. There’s nothing to be done about it.”
Ascension.
It meant Level 9.
In other words, this old man had once challenged the realm of this world’s absolute beings!
“I paid the price for recklessly trying to reach the Sun. There’s nothing to be done about it. I should consider myself fortunate just to be alive.”
The old man, Randolf, spoke bitterly.
Once the Director of Rubiness Academy and an eighth-level archmage whose fame had spread throughout the Empire, all of that belonged to the past.
He had lost most of the power he possessed in his prime, and now he was merely eking out his days.
“I’ve lived long enough that I wouldn’t regret dying, but I can’t stop worrying about Rubiness Academy. Once I’m gone, I wonder how thoroughly those jackals will tear it apart and devour it.”
He meant the Rapalt Ducal House and Director Karak.
The only reason they had not yet crossed the line was the shadow cast by Randolf, the academy’s former Director.
“It’s fortunate that there are people like you, Bernstein, but the jackals’ greed has grown too great, and that worries me. Are any of the newly arrived professors worth anything?”
This was the time of year when new professors were recruited, along with First-Year Students.
Every year, Randolf asked much the same question, and Bernstein always shook his head.
There was no way a decent professor would come to a rotten academy.
But this time was a little different.
“Quite a few noteworthy people applied.”
“Oh?”
“Yes. To be frank, several applicants have credentials so impressive that I can’t understand why they chose Rubiness Academy.”
That was unexpected.
It meant that several remarkable people besides Ban were about to be hired as new Temporary Professors!
“That’s the best news I’ve heard in some time. Which one are you most looking forward to?”
Bernstein called to mind the new Temporary Professors who had applied.
There were especially many impressive applicants to the Magic Faculty this time.
One had published a theory that would shake the academic world and become an adopted son of a Prestigious Magic Family.
Another was a War Mage who had received the highest decoration on the battlefield.
Not one of them was a pushover, but for some reason—
The one who came to mind was the man with the most dismal credentials, who hadn’t even been confirmed for the position yet.
“Ban Ecclesia.”
“…Ban? You mean Ban Trash, the one I know?”
“You know him too, Director?”
“Of course I do. Wasn’t he the worst student in the history of Rubiness Academy? If I’d been in office back then, I would’ve expelled him in his very first year.”
Randolf looked as though he couldn’t believe his ears, but Bernstein answered only in his impassive voice.
“You’ll understand once you see him for yourself, Director.”
“Hah.”
Randolf looked baffled.
Even though Bernstein was the one who had said it, it was hard to believe.
“By the way, why did you call me here today? Is it about the Practical Examination?”
“Yes. Come with me and watch. It’s where we select the new shoots of our Rubiness Academy.”
Randolf secretly made sure to attend the Practical Examination every year without fail.
Bernstein nodded as though he had no choice.
“Very well. But if you start feeling worse, you must come back immediately.”
“Heh heh, all right. You’re getting more and more nagging, aren’t you? Is it because you’re an old bachelor? Now that I think about it, you’ve never had a girlfriend, have you?”
“…Let’s just get going.”
And so, the two of them made their way to the Practical Examination grounds without anyone knowing.
Where Ban was serving as an examiner.
‘So this is Rubiness Academy’s Artificial Dungeon.’
I looked around, impressed.
It wasn’t just a maze carved out underground.
It was a magical Phantom Dream.
‘At this level, it’s almost like Level 9 Miracle Magic.’
The reason Rubiness Academy had such a high-dimensional Artificial Dungeon was that a certain being lay dormant beneath it.
‘A Great Being from Another World, the Lord of the Phantom Dream.’
In the distant past—
Beings from another world known as the “Great Existences” invaded this world.
A horrific war broke out, and thanks to the heroes who rose up to protect the world at the time, all the Great Existences from Another World were said to have been annihilated.
‘It’s like the creation myth of this world.’
Though the Great Existences had been annihilated, they had left behind various traces in the world.
The Demon Realm, Mana Distortion, rifts in Chaos, and so on.
They were all traces left behind when the Great Existences were annihilated.
A trace remained here too, beneath the place where Rubiness Academy had been built.
‘A Fragment of the Lord of the Phantom Dream is buried here.’
In other words, this Artificial Dungeon was a manifestation of the power of the Lord of the Phantom Dream left behind in the Fragment.
‘Since it isn’t a power an ordinary human could wield, it can’t be manipulated artificially, so the same Phantom Dream keeps repeating.’
It wasn’t some grand Phantom Dream.
It was the Phantom Dream of a dungeon where only the lowest-grade Monsters appeared—the kind ordinary people could handle without much trouble, like slimes.
For a while, no one could find a use for it. Then, at some point, they began using it for the entrance examination like this.
‘A Phantom Dream indistinguishable from reality means that if you get hurt here, you’ll be hurt in the real world, too. But only the lowest-rank Monsters appear, so it’s unlikely anything will go wrong. Still, I’d better stay sharp.’
Naturally, I wasn’t the only examiner involved in this test.
Quite a few graduate students and lower-ranked professors had been brought in to oversee the proceedings and ensure everyone’s safety.
On top of that, I’d stationed the guards and the bodyguards Emily had sent throughout the Phantom Dream, so there was no chance of anything going wrong.
‘Now all I have to do is get Joanna admitted and send Katrinne and Libel to another Academy. Then I’ll have succeeded.’
For the record, it wasn’t difficult to make sure Katrinne and Libel failed.
I just had to keep them from placing first or second.
‘If Katrinne falls outside the top two, then, by the unwritten rules of the Prestigious Magic Families, she’ll apply to another Academy. And Libel needs to place in the top two to get a full scholarship, so he’ll have to try his luck at another Academy, too.’
I’d already worked out the whole plan.
First, Linden and Hans would run around among the Monsters, doing their best to harass the students.
I’d have them wear the students down as much as possible.
‘Joanna will probably make it through first. One way or another, she’s the most accomplished applicant.’
Sure enough, it wasn’t long before I heard a sound like someone grinding their teeth, followed by a menacing voice.
“…Young Master Ban the Wretch, prepare yourself.”
Joanna had already arrived, breaking through every obstacle!
Perhaps the love tap(?) I’d given her during the practical exam had done the trick, because she’d made it here at a terrifying speed that exceeded even my expectations.
‘If she broke through this quickly, she must have the highest score, too.’
I looked relieved.
“Prepare yourself. I’ll make you kneel before me and learn your place.”
Fwoooosh!
A fierce aura rose around her.
She looked as though she were about to fight a sworn enemy.
I gazed at her with satisfaction.
‘Good. That’s the kind of spirit befitting first place. Ten out of ten. This professor is pleased to see your passion.’
All I had to do now was put up a decent fight and guide Joanna into bringing out two hundred percent of her abilities.
But then, something unexpected happened.
A chill.
“?!”
I flinched.
A sudden shiver had run down my spine.
‘What is this? Why now?’
I wondered if it had something to do with Joanna, but of course it didn’t.
An overwhelming fear came surging over me.
‘…It’s like last time, with Puppet.’
No—if anything, it was worse.
The fear only kept growing.
As if something terrible were happening.
‘Something even more dangerous than Puppet? What?’
But Joanna didn’t seem to sense anything of the sort. She just glared at me, panting and growling.
“What are you standing there staring at? Do you think I’ll go easy on you just because you’re holding back? It’s too late to regret it now. I’ll make you kneel before me.”