Before the Awakening

How can one gauge the success or failure of a research report presentation?

“Please, please!”

“Ah, I think I made a mistake…”

At least at Astrakhan Military Academy, there was a system in place to help easily assess this.

I made my way through the bustling crowd to reach the bulletin board set up in the middle of the square.

“The Magic Tactics Planning Department is… Ah, I found it, Yena!”

I turned my head following Erika’s finger pointing somewhere on the wooden board.

[Magic Tactics Planning Department Evaluation Results]

[List arranged in descending order according to grades]

[Yena Freud]

[Erika von Rosehild]

[Reichs von Kapfen]

[Hans von Hiller]

[Lina Victoria Wilhelm Hohenzollern]

[Degré von……]

There it was.

There’s no hiding of grades. The military academy, for the sake of transparency, posted the grades of all departments and all cadets belonging to them on the bulletin board in the middle of the square.

The Magic Tactics Planning Department was no exception.

Today, about a month after the end of the research project, the military academy, as announced, released the list along with other departments.

Erika and Lina showed different reactions after checking their grades.

“Wow! I’m right after Yena!”

“……”

2nd and 5th place.

It was a difference that could be considered small or large.

However, if asked whether these figures were incomprehensible, that wasn’t the case.

“Good job, both of you. Erika, you wrote an excellent report and gave a great presentation, so you received a deserved reward. You can be confident.”

“Yes!”

“Lina, you expected this, right?”

“…Yes.”

“5th place is still a good level. You worked hard.”

Erika’s topic had a freshness that caught attention, and objectively, she demonstrated a high level of presentation skills that few cadets could match.

It was a score beyond dispute.

In contrast, evaluating Lina’s research project, while the materials were abundant and flawless, the topic itself was the issue.

It must have been difficult to score high points.

The flaw was that her stance of confronting the instructors was blatantly visible. Even for Derian and Rommer, they had no choice but to deduct some points.

“I’m satisfied.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

Lina seemed to have been fully aware of this when she did it, as she accepted it without showing any particular reaction.

After all, it was a controversy limited to the competition for rankings at the very top, and in any case, it was thanks to achieving a rank that ordinary cadets couldn’t even dream of.

Well, considering the additional points for each department, it’s not that serious a blow, is it?

[The scores obtained from this ‘First Half Research Report Presentation’ will be converted into additional points for the qualification review. The application ratio varies depending on the department, with a 5% reduction based on the 《Magic Tactics Planning Department》. For accurate information, please refer to the department list below…]

This was the notice prominently displayed in the center of the bulletin board. The reason why candidates prepared their research projects with their lives on the line was clearly stated here.

If we consider the ranking with all candidates as the denominator, both Erika and Lina recorded grades worthy of being in the top ten.

Then what about me?

“Yena, I feel like people are gradually gathering around…”

I looked around at the surroundings I hadn’t noticed while focusing on the results sheet.

“Is that Yena Freud?”

“Isn’t she the one who even received a medal from the Prime Minister?”

Starting from those who were enviously looking back and forth between the nametag on my chest and the score on the bulletin board,

“How can she be good at studying too?”

“But I heard her mana grade is low? She probably can’t fight?”

“Hey, don’t you know that rumor? Wolf disappeared because of her…”

“Aren’t those kids next to her also from the Magic Tactics Planning Department?”

“Y-Yeah?”

The scene was filled with students who were startled upon recognizing my identity, and even those who were casting envious and jealous glances at Erika and Lina beside me.

I wanted to pass by quietly, but was that too much to ask?

“Erika, take this hand.”

“Ah, okay.”

“Lina too.”

I moved to avoid the crowd that was gradually forming a circle and surrounding us.

Somehow, the back of my head felt hot.

If you ask candidates about their most desired dream right now, a hundred out of a hundred would say they want to be formally commissioned as officers and continue their military academy life.

In the end, for them, we who received the best results in the top department were objects of envy. With this level of additional points, passing the qualification review would be a breeze.

Even just being a member of the Magic Tactics Planning Department attracted subtle glances, so how would they react to seeing us who were leading among them?

And what about me, who achieved the most outstanding results?

Whether the person in question wanted it or not, we were inevitably bound to become the center of attention for the candidates.

Click, click, click!

“We should be able to rest here.”

Only after walking for about ten minutes and escaping from the crowd did we stop moving.

We sat on the bench next to the cafeteria, where we always stopped to chat, and took a break.

“Phew─, I was almost out of breath.”

“Hoo…”

The stuffiness was considerable when people gathered. Perhaps because it was early summer, even though there wasn’t much intense movement, our backs were damp with sweat.

“It’s already late May.”

Coming to a place with few people and finally being able to enjoy a break, various outdoor environments came into view.

Lina, seemingly conscious of the hot heat, squinted her eyes and looked up at the bright sky as she spoke.

“Indeed.”

The weather is already changing. The uneventful passage of time since the research project momentarily made me forget my sense of time.

It’s already been a month.

30 days have passed since we submitted our reports.

The icicles that were slightly present at the beginning of the semester had long since melted away. The time had come when the ever-green fields were beginning to turn colorful.

“Yena, look at this tree! It’s blooming!”

While Lina and I were leisurely looking up at the sky, Erika plucked a fully bloomed flower bud from the garden behind the bench.

“It’s a hydrangea.”

“You even know the flower’s name?”

“Yes, I’ve always been interested in them.”

When I fluently named the fresh flower, Lina raised her eyebrows and turned her head.

Despite appearances, I was someone who liked landscaping.

In my previous life, that is.

When I was really into it as a hobby, I even placed flowerpots on the terrace.

“It smells nice.”

“Right? I feel sorry for the flower, but… I picked it to take back to the dormitory.”

“But if you leave it like that, it’ll die soon.”

“Oh, that’s not good.”

“You shouldn’t just pluck the flower bud, you need to keep the stem alive too.”

“Ah, I see.”

Anyway, seeing the flower that only blooms in early summer made me keenly feel the change of seasons.

We’re now approaching June.

Major events like the entrance ceremony, Sevirpol expedition training, and research project passed by like a panorama. At the same time, I recalled the last picture that would soon be added to the panorama’s photo album.

“Next month is the qualification review, Yena.”

“Has it come to that already.”

The long-awaited exam that candidates cry out for will arrive after just four weeks.

“Are you preparing well?”

“For what?”

“Your mana grade, Yena… it’s still dangerous if it remains the same.”

Lina stared into my heart with her brilliant golden eyes.

“Even if you gain an advantageous position in the qualification review due to additional points, to be honest, the possibility of being commissioned with a 7th grade is very low.”

She was right.

Magic officers ultimately had to show their prowess on the battlefield. No matter how excellent their academic abilities were, if their basic aptitude in mana fell below the standard, they would be mercilessly disqualified.

“Ah, I hope you understand that I’m not trying to rebuke or insult you at all. I’d prefer to continue attending school with you, Yena.

Or if you’re okay with it, how about we try sparring as awakened ones together? I heard there’s something called ‘additional awakening’, maybe we could aim for that…”

“Lina.”

“Yes?”

But that was a story that held true only under the assumption that my mana grade remained unchanged from the beginning of the semester.

“I’m 6th grade now.”

“…What?”

When I told Lina that I had already raised my mana grade by one level through additional awakening, she opened her mouth wide with rabbit-like eyes.

“Ad-additional awakening?”

“You underwent additional awakening, Yena?!”

Even Erika, who had been absentmindedly watching butterflies fly by, was startled and joined the conversation.

“Yes. So don’t worry about me. A 6th grade exactly meets the minimum requirement for magic officers, right? I’ll probably be fine.”

Of course, I had no intention of settling for the low figure of 6th grade.

But for now, it meant I could be at ease.

It’s not too late to aim for further improvement after escaping the status of a candidate, right?

Rather, if we were to name someone who needs urgent attention now, it would be Erika.

“How about you, Erika? Can you handle sparring with Lina?”

“Umm…”

Already half of the remaining period of the Sevirpol expedition training had passed. After just four more training sessions, we wouldn’t be able to have awakened sparring for a while.

“I’m trying hard! But it’s tougher than I thought…”

As evident from looking at the dejected Erika, she hadn’t been able to defeat Lina even once. It was clear that she still hadn’t undergone additional awakening.

In fact, at this point, I doubted whether she could achieve victory even if her mana grade increased.

Even if it did increase, Erika would be 4th grade, while Lina would be 2nd grade, just one step below the highest level. In terms of mana, two grades of difference was literally like heaven and earth.

“I’m sure you can do it, Erika. I guarantee that the day will come when you’ll show your true strength, so keep walking your own path steadily.”

“Yena? I’m listening.”

“Ah, sorry.”

But there was no need to say these things and drive Erika’s already rock-bottom morale down to the basement.

Waiting was the right approach.

The share of success and failure lay with Erika.

Creak─

For now, let’s go check how much she’s grown today.

“Shall we get up now? They should be here from Sevirpol to pick us up.”

“Yes, alright.”

“Okay, I’ll do my best!”

“That’s a good attitude.”

It’s the fifth session of the Sevirpol expedition training. I stepped out with Erika and Lina towards the main gate of the military academy where the vehicle would be waiting.