The Midterm Exam
There is no such thing as goodwill without reason in this world.
Even if it exists, it is not something I should extend to a complete stranger after arriving here.
That was the lesson I learned through my body in this world.
Moreover, I also learned that people with flashy exteriors are more dangerous than expected.
If someone looks off, people are already on their guard from the very beginning.
Those approaching with malice know this well.
In that sense, Fiona McManus is in the ultra-high-risk category.
It is not that I do not know Fiona is not a scammer.
I can tell from her followers alone.
Then she must obviously be from a high-ranking noble family.
"Um… um… you don’t know me?"
"Um… my horizons are rather limited…"
I have gathered rumors here and there that someone entered the training center, but I have not matched a name and face with enough conversations, and I myself have not been particularly sociable.
I might as well have stayed in the training grounds practicing marksmanship or in the library practicing magic instead.
"No! Even if it is, it is!"
A blush of embarrassment and shame perfectly blended stained Fiona’s snow-white face.
Since she could not obtain the answer she wanted, Fiona turned to Leaf this time.
"You… you know, right? Fiona McManus. You don’t know?"
When she had spoken to me, she had stressed the name Fiona, but now she was feigning ignorance and shifting the stress to the back.
Perhaps the family name is more famous than her own.
Leaf let out an "ah…" sound and, as if desperately trying to recall, placed her fingers on both temples.
Fiona’s eyes sparkled with a flicker of hope and anticipation.
I looked at her with a trace of pity.
"Empty hopes…"
That Leaf.
In a team of oddities, she occupies a unique position—do not underestimate her.
"Thaaat… sounds familiar…"
As expected.
"What? How on earth do people who came to Res Limen not know the McManus name? The Grand Duchy that rules Res Limen! Descendants of the great Robald!"
Instead of angering, Fiona shouted in astonishment, and Leaf finally remembered and said brightly.
"Yes! The Grand Duchy family name is McManus! Uh… then maybe…"
"Ha… yes. I am the Grand Duchess Fiona."
Fiona returned to her aristocratic posture, raising a finger to her chest once more.
But her expression had changed considerably from before.
Was she feeling fatigue?
"I apologize. I was rude not to recognize you, Grand Duchess."
"It is fine. If you wanted such deference, you would have brought ladies-in-waiting."
Unusual for a noble—refreshing ease.
Alejandra was the same.
Truly, the true nobles of this world are different from the servants who despise subordinates while speaking of honor and dignity.
Even as the highest noble in the Grand Duchy, she behaves this way.
Well, teaching respect to strangers and using titles is already enough to brand one as non-noble.
The noble conduct I learned in this world was someone slicing a slave’s wrist for daring to touch the dirty hand of his carriage, or ripping out a tongue for daring to answer back.
Knowing how to respect others regardless of status—Res Limen’s future is bright.
But that is that, and this is this.
Knowing Fiona’s great status made me even more cautious.
"You do not need to help me, do you, Grand Duchess?"
"Um… that is…"
She seemed reluctant to say it, so Fiona trailed off.
I guessed she had a reason but could not bring herself to speak.
"From the start, Fiona approached while mentioning Alejandra."
The errand is not about me; it is about Alejandra.
Moreover, now that I recall, Fiona had glared at Alejandra when she spoke to me.
In short, Fiona wants to interfere with Alejandra.
To win by helping me win the bet.
A kind of evil-for-evil alliance.
Is it too grand?
Let us call the enemy of my enemy an ally.
While Fiona hesitated, Leaf suddenly remembered and said without prompting.
"Speaking of which, last time I came here too…"
"Hmm! Hmm! More important than that!"
Fiona cut off Leaf’s words urgently and raised her voice.
"So… so, you do not need my help?"
I do not know what Leaf was about to say, but Fiona’s stammering showed she was quite flustered.
Her speech and posture looked sharp, but she was clearly not at all composed.
I am curious, but privacy must be respected.
A public humiliation is out of the question.
"I will ask Leaf later when we are alone."
Anyway.
"Receiving help is, of course, grateful."
If you receive help, you must return something worthy of it.
Otherwise, it becomes a debt.
At least I clearly did not have that kind of relationship with Fiona.
So, what can I offer Fiona here?
Winning the bet with Alejandra?
It is beneficial to me, so not really a repayment.
Besides, it is the Grand Duchess herself who is teaching me.
Of course, I cannot offer material rewards.
What, should I grab her hair and say "Teach Roman magic" like the same thing?
I am not the red-haired beautiful girl out there.
That should be Alejandra’s job.
"I have nothing to give you, Grand Duchess."
"Hmph. Did you think I was expecting payment? Teaching the lacking as a student also falls properly under the noble’s duty."
Fiona crossed her arms with a smirk, firm and unflinching.
Her lofty pride poured into every word—she would not lie.
"Ooooh…"
Clap clap clap.
I applauded sincerely this time.
Is this the noble’s duty?
Roughly, the uncivilized must shut up and follow my words—no, the duty to devote oneself to true enlightenment.
I could not stop clapping.
At my applause, Leaf, who had been watching silently in front of me, also joined with a few hesitant claps.
Fiona’s shoulders, which had been as straight as the first time they met, opened fully, and her chin lifted slightly.
"Then, you are truly helping me?"
"Of course!"
Honestly, I do not believe that straight.
Fiona’s motive seems to be feeding Alejandra a big one…
That is something I will handle anyway?
Since I will do it, I will do it properly.
I placed receiving Fiona’s help and rejecting it on a scale and compared them.
Even without Fiona’s help, I have the ability to win the bet.
But.
There is no reason not to accept.
After all, a demonologist is an outsider even in the magic society—why watch the academy’s eyes?
Better to have a reliable Grand Duchess backing me.
Receive teachings, build connections, win the bet.
The more I think, the more it seems nothing but good.
My decision was swift.
"Shall I call you Master?"
§
Leaving the library after a class from Magic’s Top Instructor Fiona, the Grand Princess, and walking toward their respective dormitories, I asked Leaf before they split.
"Speaking of which, Leaf."
"Uh-huh?"
"The thing you were about to say earlier—what was it?"
"Ah~ that?"
Leaf clapped.
"Didn’t you know? I’ve been coming to the library for a few days now. Um… maybe I was looking for the right time to talk?"
The optimal timing to talk?
You seemed so straightforward, but you have such a cute side, Grand Duchess.
"Oh, is this a secret?"
It sounds like an outsider to me at this point.
Well, if I do not know what I know, it is a secret.
"Yeah. Let us call it our private secret."
Now we are secret friends, you and I?
§
A rather monotonous daily life flowed.
Morning academic training, afternoon functional training, followed by a sparring session enhanced by physical strengthening with Ray, then learning magic from Fiona in the library, and finally returning to the dorm for a pleasant magic-making session with Seir.
Indeed, there is no way to fill twenty-four hours more meaningfully than this.
And the day was breaking.
"From now on, we will conduct the graduation certification."
The day of the exam.
Just like during training, morning was the academic exam.
It reminded me of the time when I was attending school again.
The feeling when the teacher handed out test papers.
"Uh… I’m done for…"
The perfect perfect-forgetting-bird who spilled "this exam is ruined" from beside me.
"So, you should have studied."
"I, I tried to study?"
"You did not, in the end."
A vicious one, Ray.
She attacked facts cowardly.
Stand straight, Leaf. Why did you not study earlier?
I, I tried, but thanks to Roman studying magic with Fiona right next to me…
Roughly, that was the conversation.
"Quiet. The test papers will now be distributed. Anyone who speaks after that will be treated as cheating and immediately disqualified."
At those words, Leaf closed her mouth with a "hmm!"
She said she thought the exam would be ruined, yet she did not want disqualification.
Thus, the exam began.
Test papers circulated, and pens were placed.
The pleasant rustle of pen tips filled the room.
Meanwhile, I did not pick up my pen but skimmed the questions first.
And I smiled.
"Luck is on my side."
Everything is known content.
§
While the graduation certification was in full swing, the functional test—the last check for the actual exam outside—was in full swing.
The graduation certification was handled by ecology instructor Mosley.
The other five instructors—all except the dean—were all assigned to the functional test.
Most of the situation settings were the work of illusionist Aaron and senior instructor, barrier mage Marc, but the other two also had roles.
"Davenford, maintain your center position so I can deploy you at any time."
"Understood."
Davenford, the combat functional test’s lead instructor, was responsible for mediating excessive violent clashes among new students.
"Linze, assist Aaron."
"Yup~ that’s right~"
Linze, the alchemist, assisted Aaron and handled test area construction and injured student management.
"Everyone remember. In this exam, you must not make any mistakes. Especially… you know?"
The dean did not mention a name, but the instructors filled in the blank.
"…Graduation certification is over."
Mosley’s mana signal arrived, and the dean said with some tension.
"After lunch, we will begin. Prepare yourselves."
The dispersed instructors.
They had finished lunch beforehand and headed straight to their positions.
Marc and Aaron heading to the control room.
Davenford heading underground in advance.
The dean joining Mosley to take the lead.
Watching their backs, the alchemist Linze muttered with a still-smiling face.
"Yes~ no mistakes~ especially that person."
How many days she had waited for this day.
No mistakes.
Absolutely.
§
The temporary license exam was held underground during the exploratory training.
The structure and difficulty are entirely different.
"Now even here is the last one!"
Leaf shouted excitedly with high tension.
After matching the answer with me, she rejoiced that every question she had circled was correct.
Um, was knowledge given and luck received.
The law of equivalent exchange is active here too.
Maybe alchemy instead of spirit magic will suit her better.
"Roman-chan is acting the same today."
I was silently standing there, and Ray said grumpily.
Since Fiona’s magic lesson, I have been lost in thoughts of making magic.
During training too, except for the first day, I only needed to follow Ray, so there was no need to step in.
This log is not me holding it, is it Ray?
"Hey, Roman. Snap out of it? How long are you going to stay lost in thought. Magic worries are for later—focus on the exam. You bet. You need to hurry."
"No. That’s not it."
But that is only during training.
Even in the exam, I am not so determined that I would lose focus.
"Then what?"
"It is strange."
"What is?"
"It is not possible that it would go this smoothly…"
"Hah?"
Leaf let out a laugh as if Ray was spouting nonsense again.
But.
I am serious.
It was too smooth.
Even the morning academic exam did not test cheating skills or anything.
Even the afternoon exam was only slightly harder than training and ended without any trouble?
That cannot happen.
"Isn’t something going wrong in exams like this common sense?"
"You… what on earth do you think the instructors are?"
Ray looked at me with contempt.
But I am not thinking without basis.
Would I spout nonsense based only on contents I saw in novels or comics?
That is merely the starting point.
The basis is elsewhere.
"I have thought something is off for a while, but it has become clear recently."
"What is?"
"The lizard we caught last time, the cliff basilisk. No matter how I think, it is not possible that we would just pass by like that at that time."
The cliff basilisk only reappeared on the last exploratory training before the exam.
It did not mean we were not supposed to catch it from the first training.
And in the ecology class, the cliff basilisk was taught as the top predator on the first layer of the Abyss, with beginner explorers warned especially about the cliff basilisk that climbs walls and crawls.
We caught one of those on the first day, deliberately.
Yet, without a single mention, we passed by?
"Something is there."
Ray and Leaf’s reactions gradually became serious with my explanation.
"…There is an issue, but we cannot go back now."
"Yeah. We already came in."
"Qu-quicker. Let’s finish right away before anything happens! There is a bet too!"
Leaf also said with a hint of unease at my words.
"Then let us increase our speed."
Ray strode forward as the leader and pulled ahead.
KRRRRRRRRRRR—!!!
The underground floor shook.
The ground trembled, the walls bulged and twitched.
This is not a phenomenon that could occur in a normal exam!
"Everyone gather!"
Buried in my shout, the underground floor faced chaos.
---
La Traviata
The spatial magic Seir granted me activated at the critical moment, warping the collapsing terrain into a stable platform and allowing us to continue forward as if nothing had happened.
Ray’s silver mana claws glowed faintly in the dim light, her restored arm steadying the group.
We pushed deeper into the Abyss, hearts pounding, knowing one wrong step could mean the end of our bet and our lives.