Chapter 67
Chapter 67
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: Dragon Hole Field Preliminaries
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“It's huuuge...!”
Kasena's eyes sparkled as she shouted. This spot—the assembly point—was Dragon Hole Field. A massive dome-shaped arena built in the northern district of the school.
“You're really taking the exam here?!”
At a glance, she didn't seem like a kid at all. Even for Rain, the place brought back fresh emotions, and for good reason.
“Young master.”
The hulking figure approaching now, muscles twitching all over his body, was none other than Logan, the senior disciple from Chaihak Academy—the same guy he'd clashed with at the start of the semester right here.
That time, though, the crowds hadn't been this thick. The tension in the air hadn't been this palpable, and the stands hadn't been packed quite like this.
“Oh, Logan! Ready for the exam?”
“Umhahhat! No need to tell me twice, or you'll be nagging. You should be a bit scared yourself, young master.”
As they bantered and laughed, a prickling gaze hit him. Turning around, Kasena was staring expectantly, waiting for an explanation.
“This is Logan. Senior disciple from Chaihak Academy.”
“O-One of the Eight Great Academies?”
“Yeah. No need to be so wary. He's the one who taught me Close Combat Arts, which ended up helping the young lady a ton. You should at least say thanks.”
He couldn't spill the details thanks to the gag order, but... Kasena seemed to catch on right away. She blushed faintly and turned her head.
“Th-Thanks...”
Logan, however, ignored the thanks entirely and fixed his gaze intently on Kasena. More precisely, on her legs.
“Those legs aren't just lacking body fat—they've got none at all. You can't even be a proper mage with legs like that.”
“???”
“You should drink this Magic-Protein to build some up.”
With that, he handed her a flask dangling from his pocket. Kasena took it, utterly clueless.
“But the most important thing is exercise! Once you feel like working out, come to the fitness room with the young master!”
“O-Oh!”
Overpowered by Logan's enthusiasm, Kasena yelled back in kind without understanding a word. Hmm, both so straightforward—they'd probably hit it off in no time.
“Don't get too smug. This is your last chance to grin like that, Rain Ludwig.”
As he thought that, clay blobs suddenly dropped from the sky, one after another—five in total—smashing flat into the ground. Tiny feet proceeded to stomp them one by one.
“I'm gonna crush you flat in this final exam. Just like these!”
As expected, she wouldn't be her if she didn't show up around now.
“One thing I've always wondered: where do you even get that clay every time?”
“Of course, the young lady has her attendant buy it from a stationery shop outside the gates. All for this one moment to chat with you, young master. Ahh, such devoted affection!”
Gertrude Fenton jumped in with exaggerated theatrics. Christa, face flushed red, immediately grabbed her by the collar.
“Wh-What does that matter?! What matters is I'm declaring war on you right now!”
The heirs of the great houses chattered away merrily, but the expressions of the top talents from the Eight Great Academies and Sixteen Mid-Tiers glancing their way weren't so cheerful.
‘Hmph, heirs of the great houses.’
‘Time to put 'em in their place.’
‘Three prime targets from the great houses ripe for smashing♪’
A few minutes passed like that. At exactly 10 a.m., the center of Dragon Hole Field rose up like a tower. Atop it stood the greatest mage of the era, her leather longcoat flapping imposingly.
Madelia Page.
In the silence broken only by collective gasps, she addressed the cadets in a commanding voice.
“Dragon Hole Field has never been just a place for final exams since ancient times. It's closer to a battle arena where lives hang in the balance.”
“?!”
“Why? Because it's where the magical knowledge, experience, and ingenuity you've built up so far clash, shatter, and bleed against your rivals'!”
She was spot on. Christa nodded at the chancellor's words.
‘The final exam is the moment when everything a cadet has accumulated over the semester is laid bare.’
Just working hard isn't enough. That's how it's structured. You have to excel enough to overwhelm the others.
“Only thirty raw gems will shine in this battle arena! And among those thirty, just one who holds the peak through graduation will earn the honor of having their name engraved here at the ceremony!”
The tower's walls bore actual magical engravings. From the first class's top graduate to the 1385th.
[Aisoll Page]
......
......
[Lyart Warden]
......
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[Skalji Ludwig]
......
......
[Madelia Page]
[Kevn Ludwig]
......
[Doran Slade]
......
[Kyle]
......
......
[Lunene Diperchu]
Sure enough, Grandfather and Father had both been top graduates.
A strange tension settled in.
To meet Rista, he had to get his name up there.
“Tch...”
From the stands, Elin Ludwig gazed longingly at the stone slab. If not for that detestable Kyle, her name would be there too.
‘But you...’
Her eyes shifted to the black-haired boy standing amid the cadets. Her beloved nephew. A smile formed.
“Compete. Prove yourselves! And in three years, engrave your names here! On this slab that holds a thousand years of history—and will hold a new thousand!”
Buoyed by Madelia's stirring speech, the cadets began roaring one by one. The stands erupted in fervent applause.
“All cadets except Group A, please exit!”
“Group A stays; everyone else, this way!”
The assistants bustled about, guiding the cadets.
The top thirty in Group A would take the preliminary exam first.
While Groups B, D, C, E, and F tested all at once, only Group A got this individual treatment.
‘It might seem disadvantageous, showing your hand first, but it's just another trial for those who lead.’
Watching Rain head to his assigned spot inside Dragon Hole Field, Brim Ludwig swallowed a tense breath.
‘Embrace that weight with joy, like your father did.’
* * *
At each position assigned to Group A cadets stood mobile podiums, each stocked with a hundred sheets of parchment infused with exceptional mana.
To allow maximum workspace, the seats were paired closely, backs to each other.
Rain's neighbor behind him was Weiber, from the same class and Rohwinen Academy's senior disciple.
“Oh, Weiber! Let's both give it our all.”
“Are you provoking me right now?”
Weiber had never gotten along with Rain since their first meeting, so he reacted sharply to the greeting.
“Not at all. But if you pull any of those rotten pranks like at the start of the semester, I won't let it slide. I'm serious this time.”
A chilling pressure crawled up his spine. But this would be the end of it...
He'd always waited for this moment.
The moment to face this guy head-on and smash him decisively. He hadn't expected the chance to come so soon.
“Hm?”
Steeling himself with a glance back, he unintentionally caught sight of the magic array Rain was drawing on his sample parchment.
“A square...? Planning to make an earth-element scroll?”
“Yeah. Back before school, I made something decent like this, and it worked well. Should do the trick again.”
Weiber scrutinized the array again, narrowing his eyes in utter confusion.
‘Giving up the top spot?’
Or was he so clueless about academics that he didn't even grasp the exam's essence? With this, he wouldn't even pass prelims?
[Attention. I will now explain the preliminary judging.]
Associate Professor Kyle's voice rang clear and resonant through the arena via amplification magic.
[First, let's review the definition of a scroll. A scroll is not a 'product' that only archmages can create. It is an 'obligation' that archmages must fulfill.]
A shift in perspective—fair enough.
[As you all know, the progenitor of magic, Emita Page, spoke of the mage's duty.]
For some reason, he could almost hear the academy director auntie's voice from Lin's days, drilled into him endlessly.
- Mages must command the winds and summon rain to enrich the people's lives, wield fire and raise earth to bring peace to the masses.
As a child, he hadn't pondered those teachings deeply, but now... something stirred within.
[This exam will definitively assess the resourcefulness of you future leaders of a new era.]
It would gauge how much the cadets cared about the common folk. And the evaluation would be utterly objective. Naturally.
[Allow me to introduce the judges.]
Rain blinked in surprise. The judges entering the arena... there were so many. An incredible number.
From nobles in fine robes to travelers in tattered cloaks.
Not just across ages and genders, but spanning every social class—countless people streamed in.
[From palace retainers serving the crown prince to village chiefs from the smallest hamlets, these individuals have been granted the right to purchase up to three of your scrolls each, as needed.]
As expected of <Delaiten>. Even this setup was meticulously thoughtful. Christa Warden smirked confidently, arms crossed.
‘Similar to old scroll grading, but it pierces right to the core.’
Other magic schools left judging to teachers, ultimately.
But this?
Letting actual buyers choose maximized the practicality of scroll sales metrics.
[The judges here will only take what they truly need in real life. I'm sure you cadets grasp the implications.]
Kyle snapped his fingers, and lights shimmered in the air, unfolding into illusory text. Each cadet's name appeared, all marked with a zero.
[And from here! Only the top five cadets who sell the most scrolls will qualify for the main tournament!]
Someone unfamiliar with magic academies might wonder here.
“But only Glados (4-star) rank mages and above can make scrolls, right? How can these rookies do it?”
The super guest of this exam—Lida Eijin, young crown prince of the Eijin royal family and current imperial crown prince, just sixteen this year—voiced the question to his palace retainer.
“Your Highness, do you see the paper there?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Those are scrolls stamped with mana seals by Chancellor Madelia and Chief Professor Marhena.”
In other words, the parchment was already a completed scroll, minus the magic array. Preparing this many took two Glados mages about a year.
“Tch, still just fledgling mages. How impressive can their magic be?”
“This year's <Delaiten> first-years are called the golden generation. It will surely be entertaining amusement and fine study for you.”
As Lida eyed it suspiciously, Professor Kyle finished his explanation and thrust his hand forward with a bold shout.
[Exam time is 90 minutes! Begin the exam now! Start your inscriptions!]