Ch.24First Semester Evaluation (1)

The Academy operates on a four-year system divided into four semesters.

At the end of each semester, students must undergo written evaluations, mock battle assessments, and evaluations for each of their enrolled subjects.

Whether subject evaluations are conducted as practical tests or written exams is up to the professor, but honestly, being my first time, I wasn’t sure how to approach it.

So I invited four veteran professors to a dinner meeting to ask for advice, but…

Professor Leonhart.

“You won’t be drinking? Because Anette will whine about it? Then I won’t be attending,” he refused.

Professor Febric.

“Ah, I promised to take my child out today. I’m sorry,” he declined.

While Professor Febric’s excuse was understandable, Professor Leonhart seemed a bit excessive.

Since when did dinner meetings become just about drinking?

It’s supposed to be about chatting and socializing.

At least Professor Anette gladly accepted, so now she and I are having our dinner meeting.

Without alcohol, of course.

“Wow… Professor Crow, are you really okay with this?”

“Pardon? With what?”

“What do you mean ‘with what’? Coming to a place like this and ordering so much food, of course.”

Professor Anette made a circle with her thumb and index finger.

“This is what I’m asking about.”

“It’s fine.”

This place isn’t exactly cheap.

But since I had originally budgeted for four people, it wasn’t particularly burdensome.

“Should we split the bill anyway?”

Professor Anette still seemed concerned.

But since I called this dinner meeting for my personal request, it would be embarrassing for me if we split the bill.

“It’s really fine.”

“You must be rich?!”

Wait, do people normally ask that so directly?

As for money, I’ve saved up quite a bit during my adventurer days, so I’m not poor, but I wouldn’t say I’m wealthy either.

If anyone’s rich, it would be Professor Anette.

She’s a marchioness, after all.

But looking at her attire reminds me of my days in a C-rank party.

Cheap but neat clothing with just a robe thrown over to give that wizard vibe.

Exactly that feeling.

A marchioness who prefers to live frugally.

There are truly incomprehensible people in this world.

“Well then, shall we eat?”

“Ah, yes. Please go ahead.”

Professor Anette began wolfing down her food.

As if someone had been starving her.

Come to think of it, she always ate like that at dinner meetings.

“Professor Anette, is someone starving you?”

“Not really. I just find eating bothersome. Buying clothes is bothersome too. Everything is bothersome.”

No wonder she’s still single…

I believe I heard that Professor Anette is the same age as my master.

My master described being 28 like this:

‘The Maginot Line for an unmarried woman before the word “old” gets attached.’

Isn’t that cutting it rather close?

Well, whatever, that’s her business.

I have no reason to concern myself with that.

Once I noticed Professor Anette’s eating pace had slowed down a bit, I brought up the main topic.

“Professor Anette, have you decided how you’ll conduct your subject evaluation?”

“Ah, yes. I have. Have you decided, Professor Crow?”

“Well, being my first time, I’m not quite sure.”

“Then do a practical test. Practical tests are easier. Grading written exams later is annoyingly tedious.”

That wasn’t the kind of answer I was hoping for.

Though I was already leaning toward a practical test.

In Black Magic, handling mediums is important.

The only way to assess that is through actual combat experience.

Plus, except for alchemy courses and magical tool crafting, almost everything is trending toward practical evaluations.

Come to think of it, there wasn’t much to worry about.

I’ll just consider this as treating Professor Anette to a meal.

* * * * *

Subject evaluations are held the week after written evaluations and mock battle assessments are completed.

This is to allow students sufficient time to recover from the physical strain of mock battles, as most subject evaluations are practical.

Of course, for students taking multiple courses, there’s a risk of evaluation dates overlapping.

In such cases, they can arrange for individual evaluations with their professors.

Yet Lael hasn’t approached me for such an arrangement.

Since that day, after having tea with my master, Lael has been acting strange.

She acts normal at the Academy, but deliberately seems to avoid situations where we might be alone—like during morning commutes or when I’m in my office after hours.

I wonder if she got a taste of my master’s discipline.

It’s incomparably spicier than mine.

I’d like to deliver such crisp discipline too, but I just can’t seem to manage it.

Anyway, thanks to that, I’ve had more free time, which makes me happy.

When I arrived at the First Written Examination Hall, Professor Anette waved cheerfully in greeting.

“Professor Crow, you’re here?”

“Yes. We do this the same way as the entrance exam, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Being my second time, I felt much more at ease than before.

The method is the same as before.

Walking around the examination hall, detecting the subtle flow of mana in the surroundings.

After thoroughly checking the examination hall and returning to my original position, Professor Anette spoke in a low voice.

“There are only first-years in the Black Magic course, right?”

“Yes… that’s right.”

Since it’s a newly established course, only freshmen could register for it.

“Then you might be quite surprised.”

“Pardon?”

“This time, it’s not applicants taking the exam, but fourth-years.”

The Academy’s written exams are taken simultaneously by all grades, and the First Written Examination Hall is for fourth-year students.

Honestly, I thought, how different could it be? Test-takers are people, and so are fourth-year students.

But as the fourth-years began entering one by one, I understood what Professor Anette meant.

Desperation? No.

Killing intent.

A raw, desperate feeling for survival.

Though they were around my age, they exuded killing intent from their entire bodies.

Professor Anette whispered quietly, careful not to be overheard by the students.

“It’s probably because the Chancellor ordered that anyone scoring below 80 points be expelled to improve the quality of Academy graduates.”

“Is that true?”

“Of course not. Today’s scores will be reflected in their evaluations, but they can take a retest and graduate as long as they score above 80.”

Thankfully, the Chancellor was human, not a demon.

Once all the students had taken their seats, Professor Anette announced the start of the exam.

“Now, we will begin the exam. Time limit is two hours! Start!”

With the sound of papers being flipped, the students began diligently solving the problems.

Watching them, I felt immensely grateful to my master for insisting that I enter as a professor.

If I had stubbornly entered as a student, I would be sitting in their place four years from now.

My master was right a hundred times over.

Master, thank you so much. I’ll bow to you when I get home.

As the two hours of intense pressure nearly elapsed, the exam was about to end.

“Ten seconds, nine, eight… three, two. Exam over! Everyone stop what you’re doing.”

The students all removed their hands from their desks, and after confirming this, Professor Anette dismissed them from the examination hall.

As expected of the Academy’s highest grade, they conducted themselves impeccably from start to finish.

“Professor Anette, shall I collect the exam papers?”

“Yes, please do.”

I moved between the desks, gathering the exam papers filled with dense answers. As I handed them to Professor Anette, I said:

“By the way, you’re also overseeing the mock battle assessment this time, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. I’m planning to deliver these written exam papers to the Basic Theory professor before heading there.”

“Then I’ll go ahead. Take your time.”

“Alright. I’ll be there soon.”

Professor Anette and I parted ways at the entrance of the written examination hall.

I headed toward the practical examination hall where the mock battle assessment would take place.

Professor Anette headed toward the Academy building.

When I arrived at the practical examination hall, I was confronted with a shocking reality.

Unlike the entrance exam, the professors’ seats were assigned.

And as luck would have it, my seat was next to Professor Ophelia—the professor who dislikes me the most.

Why would they arrange it like this?

Everyone knows Professor Ophelia dislikes me.

This is truly maddening.

Since changing seats was impossible, I swallowed hard and sat down.

Then I greeted Professor Ophelia.

She’s a veteran who has held the professor position much longer than I have, so I should show respect.

“Hello, Professor Ophelia.”

“Yes.”

Professor Ophelia didn’t even glance at me, just staring straight ahead.

As if she couldn’t bear to look at me.

If I show courtesy first, shouldn’t she reciprocate?

Is saying “hello” back so difficult?

I felt something rising to the tip of my tongue, but somehow managed to suppress it.

Professor Ophelia is renowned as the Academy’s most capable professor, so antagonizing her would only hurt me.

It would be nice if she could be won over with drinks, like someone else I know.

Maybe I should bite the bullet and invite her out for drinks sometime.