Ch.9Class Placement Exam (4)

# Academy Meeting Room Filled with Fear and Confusion

The silence was broken by Chancellor Clifford.

“…What about Nemesis?”

“We’re inspecting the facilities to prepare for any potential damage.”

“How is it?”

“No students were caught up in it… but the facilities are almost completely destroyed.”

Clifford visibly stiffened.

“W-what do we do now? Thanks to Ruide’s large-scale magic, we’ve run out of magical beasts for this exam.”

Sometimes there are tactless people. Like this—the type who points out what everyone already knows is screwed.

The professors’ sharp gazes turned toward him. The man who had raised the objection spoke in a flustered tone.

“Did I make some mistake…? A-anyway, Ruide’s magic was amazing. I was honestly impressed.”

“Sigh.”

At the remarkably tactless professor’s words, Clifford’s face aged ten years.

‘If I had known this would happen, I would have put him last in the order…’

What kind of magic Ruide would use to subdue the magical beasts was a matter of unprecedented interest.

So the professors collectively suggested to the chancellor, “Let’s put Ruide first in the order and all watch together.” Clifford, who firmly believed he could catch Ruide this time, had agreed.

This was the result.

The ancient plateau “Forest of Magical Beasts” 70% destroyed. Property damage of approximately 3,118,000 gold. But since it was for hunting magical beasts, they couldn’t hold the student responsible.

“Oh, my goodness.”

Clifford let out a groan and staggered. He collapsed from his chair and slumped to the floor.

“Chancellor!”

“What am I going to do next year?”

Clifford was already known for being stingy. The professors glanced at him nervously, pretending to flip through documents.

-‘Surely the chancellor won’t cut our salaries?’

-‘No way. My research budget is already tight.’

-‘I told you not to mess with a genius.’

“That lazy bum.”

On the chancellor’s crystal, Ruide’s carefree appearance was visible. He seemed quite satisfied with his magic, judging by his expression.

Clifford grabbed the back of his neck and pointed at Ruide.

“Demand compensation from the Windsor family! This is clearly excessive force! He must have done this on purpose!”

The tactless professor from earlier timidly objected.

“Wouldn’t that be difficult…? It’s natural to use powerful magic all at once to defeat a troll… Plus, that one was even physically enhanced.”

Trolls regenerate quickly even when their heads are cut off. The only way to deal with them is to obliterate more than 90% of their body at once.

“Are you saying it’s my fault, Lord Demonic?!”

“N-no, not at all.”

“Shouldn’t we quickly come up with a solution for what to do now?”

At someone’s suggestion, the professors’ expressions turned serious. This wasn’t the time to admire Ruide’s magic and watch the chancellor grabbing his neck in pain.

At this rate, the exam would be severely disrupted, making fair placement impossible.

Chancellor Clifford took a deep breath and glared at Ruide.

‘How did such a heretic get admitted to the academy? No matter how necessary it was to subdue the magical beast, that was nothing more than a “show-off.”‘

He had to acknowledge Ruide’s magical ability. After all, using magic inevitably requires intelligence.

Could he have misjudged the troll’s level? Absolutely not. Ruide had deliberately used magic to show off.

It was a serious violation of Clifford’s magical ethics. Magic should never be a means of showing off and must be used in righteous and proper ways.

That’s what a proper magician should be, and it’s the correct belief that students at his academy should hold.

“Pull them out at dawn.”

Clifford calmly muttered. The professors who heard him were taken aback.

“Pardon?”

“There’s no point in continuing the exam. I won’t say it twice. Pull them out.”

“…What about the scores?”

Clifford sighed and rubbed his face. His expression showed extreme displeasure. However, his position as chancellor meant he couldn’t discriminate simply because he “didn’t like someone.”

“Hersy Minerva entered as the top student during admission. Everyone would accept giving her the highest score.”

The fact that he mentioned Hersy first was Clifford’s last remaining pride.

“Then what about Ruide…?”

Tension flowed among the professors. Clifford, looking extremely displeased, shouted:

“What! Are you suggesting I should fail that lazy bum just because I’m angry?!”

“Eek! N-no, not at all!”

The professors breathed sighs of relief. Fortunately, Clifford seemed intent on giving fair results.

“…Separately from that, make sure to file a complaint with the Windsor family. They’re wealthy people, so they might make a donation for their beloved son. Use that to cover this loss.”

“What about the exam?”

That was actually the most important issue.

The placement exam wasn’t just for Ruide.

Clifford angrily replied:

“Can’t you think for yourselves?!”

Fenicia smiled sweetly. She was Chancellor Clifford’s daughter.

“Chancellor, since our dull minds can’t possibly find a solution, would you tell us?”

When his daughter spoke, Clifford calmed down and avoided the professors’ gazes.

“Ahem, well, wear masks or something and figure it out.”

Even as professors, they were still employees receiving salaries.

In their position where they had to do as told, they wore sad expressions.

**

Hersy tended to get a glazed look in her eyes when faced with something beyond her comprehension.

Like now. She had never seen any magic greater than this in her life.

Magic that summons a dragon? She’d never heard of such a thing. And he even commanded that legendary being like a servant.

‘…Well. It’s Ruide after all.’

Hersy decided to accept it!

Ruide was beyond measurement.

“My aim wasn’t precise. I just destroyed innocent trees.”

Ruide scratched his head. It had manifested much larger than he’d thought.

“But thanks to that, the valuable materials are safe. Look at this. It’s a ‘troll’s tendon.’ From the ankle, too!”

Hersy crouched where the troll had been. Everything else had vanished without a trace, but a bit of the troll’s tendon remained. It must have survived because it was naturally tough and from the ankle area.

‘A troll has no waste’ is a famous saying among magicians. Trolls, with their remarkable healing abilities, provide excellent magical materials from their blood to various other parts.

“You can have that.”

“W-what?”

“I don’t need it.”

Ruide watched with narrowed eyes as Hersy carefully collected it as if it were precious.

What use could there be for a monster’s ankle tendon? He disliked it because it looked disgusting.

“But—”

“I said I don’t need it. If you annoy me one more time, I’ll burn it.”

Hersy startled and hid the tendon behind her back.

“From now on, when I give you something, just say ‘thank you’ and take it. Got it?”

“Yes, sir!”

Answering like a new recruit in the Magic Knights, Hersy carefully examined the tendon she had collected.

Her hands were blackened from digging through the ashes, but she didn’t mind at all.

‘Wait…?’

Troll tendons were in extremely short supply compared to demand. Partly because trolls were quite strong, but also because they were difficult to find in the first place.

So whenever a “troll tendon” appeared at auction, the auction house was always packed. Fierce price competitions would ensue.

Coincidentally, Hersy desperately needed this tendon. In the process of making the staff passed down in the Minerva family, a “troll ankle tendon” less than three days old was essential.

She had originally planned to obtain it only after recovering the Phoenix Feather…

‘Does this mean I can make the staff now?’

Hersy dazedly fondled the tendon. Right now, she had all the materials in her hands.

“Um…!”

“Yes?”

“I, well, I know it’s really shameless to ask during the exam, but…”

“Go ahead.”

“…I’ve gathered all the materials for my staff. Could I possibly make it here?”

Ruide nodded readily.

“Go ahead.”

Having lost it once before, Hersy felt anxious. She also wanted to make it while she had all the materials together.

Hersy hurriedly found a flat area. She chose a spot where Ruide’s magical warmth still lingered. Pure mana was pooled there abundantly. The magic circle would work well here.

She held up her staff. She planned to fuse the “Phoenix Feather” and “Troll Ankle Tendon” into this staff.

Hersy began drawing lines without hesitation. A complex magic circle was being created in an instant. She was swift yet precise.

Ruide watched Hersy’s small back of her head and stroked his chin.

‘Is this what a magician is?’

It was fascinating to see a magic circle being drawn in real time.

About 30 minutes later.

The magic circle was complete.

Hersy caught her breath, exhausted from the intense concentration.

She placed the Phoenix Feather and tendon at the vertices of a pentagram, stood up, and waved her staff.

“Rune, Acapelta.”

As ancient runic words burst from Hersy’s lips, the magic circle emitted a bright green light.

The staff floated from her hand and entered the magic circle. An intense light that blinded the eyes burst forth, then suddenly stopped.

All the materials had disappeared.

Hersy’s magic staff was blackened like a dried-up piece of wood.

‘Did it fail?’

Ruide looked at Hersy with suspicious eyes, but…

Hersy smiled brightly.

“It’s a great success. This is just the foundation work.”

Hersy preciously held the twisted, dried branch.

“Now I just need to infuse it with magical power and it’s done.”

“I see? You’ll have to do that after the exam.”

Ruide stretched. He felt sleepy, perhaps from using such powerful magic.

“Let’s go back to sleep.”

Just as he was about to return to his spot…

“…I’d like Ruide to do it.”

Hersy’s face turned red as if embarrassed. She held the staff to her chest and mumbled.

“It’s fate, after all. I was able to get all the materials thanks to Ruide.”

“Well, I’ve never made a staff before. Wouldn’t it be better to leave it to an alchemist?”

A strong swordsman doesn’t necessarily know how to make a good sword. Ruide pointed this out, and it was absolutely correct. Making staves is the domain of alchemists.

But Hersy shook her head. She grabbed Ruide’s collar and pleaded earnestly.

“I’m not looking for performance.”

“What if it fails?”

“The form is already complete, so I can retry anytime. And Ruide is a genius, so that won’t happen.”

“I told you, I’ve never done this before. Anyway, fine. I just need to infuse it with magic power?”

Hersy cleared her throat.

“It would be better if you could think of characteristics that would suit me.”

Not a difficult request.

Ruide took the staff from Hersy.

‘What should I infuse it with?’

The deliberation wasn’t long.

This was temporary anyway. She would properly entrust it to an expert someday.

So, let’s give it characteristics suitable for a female student.

Something pretty rather than practical.

But then a question arose.

‘Hey, but this is the work of the genius magician Ruide, after all?’

Let’s add one small special characteristic.

But this will be a secret from Hersy.

-Whoosh.

Ruide’s high-purity magical power was absorbed into Hersy’s staff.

Like waves crashing, the overwhelming amount of magical power.

Hersy’s pale face was tinged with blue light. She stared at the staff as if entranced.

-Pop!

The staff absorbed plenty of Ruide’s magic. Ruide had poured his magic while imagining two characteristics, and one of them immediately manifested.

Unlike ordinary staves, it glowed softly. Its appearance was also beautiful. Hersy had never seen a more elegant staff in her life.

“Wow, wooow.”

Hersy held the staff and rejoiced like a child. A glowing staff! Any magician who saw this staff would feel envious.

“It’s sparkling because it’s full of Ruide’s magic! Is this Ruide’s magical power? It’s so beautiful…!”

“Something like that.”

Hersy hugged the staff tightly and asked curiously.

“By the way… what were you thinking about when you infused the magic?”

“That’s a secret.”

“What?”

Hersy’s eyes widened.

“You’ll have to find out yourself.”

Hersy made a blank expression. But she couldn’t hide her joy.

“Thank you. I’ll treasure it. I love it so much.”

“You can change it anytime. I didn’t do anything that special.”

“No way. I won’t change it.”

Hersy paced back and forth, unable to contain her excitement. It was rather cute. After doing this for a while, she glanced at Ruide and asked:

“Can I… test it once?”

“Of course. It’s Hersy’s staff.”

Just as Hersy smiled brightly and was about to cast a spell…

[Ruide Christopher Windsor, Hersy Minerva.]

A voice echoed throughout the forest.

[Early pass. Both of you have the highest scores, so leave the ancient plateau immediately.]

**

Ruide rubbed his eyes as he received the exam paper.

Hersy’s paper seemed to have a lot written on it, but his own had noticeably more blank space.

He didn’t care much, but since they gave it to him, he read it.

[Ruide Christopher Windsor]

[Overall Evaluation – ‘Beyond Standard’]

[Note: Ruide Christopher Windsor is judged to have far surpassed the student level. He is permitted to freely attend any class.]

The above is certified.

Imperial Academy Chancellor, Clifford Finance -.