Kays Translations

Chapter 32: Magical Studies Test

"So, let's get started with the competency tests. The first test is ──── magic studies."

As Silas sensei steps back, Bianca sensei stands in front of me as if to replace him.

She gave me a friendly look as if she didn't doubt my ability.

Bianca-sensei wouldn't pick a nasty task, so I'm relieved.

I'm confident that I'll be able to do well in any assignment since magic is my specialty.

Whether it's writing or practical skills, bring it!

"I'm Bianca, and I'm in charge of the Magical Studies test. I'm sure you already know who I am, so I won't introduce myself further. First of all, I'd like to talk about the content of the test: ────"

Then, cutting off her words meaningfully, Bianca sensei stuck her hand into the sleeve of her robe.

I blink repeatedly at the mysterious action as she pulled out something from her sleeve.

"The content of the ──── test is the offensive and defensive game that we've played a few times in class."

She put the chess piece on the floor.

There are several desks near the wall, but this time the game will be played on the floor.

Why did she choose a practical skill that is in a battle format?

It is certainly easier to measure my ability that way, but is it okay to win?

Won't the teachers lose face?

I don’t think I'll ever lose.

I look down at the chess pieces with an uneasy look on my face.

I put my hand on my chin and ponder my misplaced fears.

"Your opponent is me. The rules of the game are almost the same as the ones we played in class, but to save time, we'll play a single match. There are no handicaps. Do you have any questions so far?"

I looked up and stared into her reddish-orange eyes, unsure if I should ask, "Is it okay if I win?"

But would be  rude, so I answered, "No."

"Then, I have a question for you. Which do you prefer to play, the attacker or the defender? I'm fine with either, so you can decide."

"Are you sure? If that's the case, I prefer to be the attacker."

If I play the defensive hand, it will take a lot of time, so I want to play the offensive hand, which can be settled immediately.

Bianca-sensei, who was unaware of my thoughts on the premise that I would win, replied, "I understand."

As her hands were shaded by the chess pieces, I raised my magic power, thinking, "Let's end this with one blow."

"So, let's get started with the test. ────Begin!"

Bianca-sensei announced the start, and we both took a beat before opening our mouths.

"Barrier."

"Wind Cutter."

The chanting of beginner-level magic echoed through the room, and barrier magic and wind magic were deployed.

A few seconds later, Bianca's magic was activated first, and a square barrier appeared to cover the area around the piece.

The blade of the wind attacks it, which increased in strength by the shortened range.

With about twice the magical power above normal, it falls from above and approaches the translucent barrier.

The blade easily pierced through.

It breaks through the barrier without difficulty as if there were no obstacles there, to begin with.

And It cut the chess piece in two.

Perhaps because the blade was sharper than I had imagined, it even cut up the floor, but please overlook that.

It's twice as powerful as normal.

My magic power, which contains a high concentration of mana, is truly terrifying.

I think I'm a monster if I do say so myself.

The teachers in the gallery opened their eyes wide at the battle, which was settled in 30 seconds.

They just stared at the chess piece that had been cut in half and were stunned.

"No way… It was so easy…"

"This isn’t at the level of just being good at magic."

"It seems that the rumors of her very high mana concentration were true."

"Isn't this ... too insane?"

The teachers shook their heads in disbelief, comparing the results to this situation where there was no way to tamper with the results.

But now that they had witnessed my ability, there was no room to doubt me.

"I knew I was going to lose, but I didn't expect such a blow… I can't believe it either."

With that said, Bianca-sensei, who shrugs her shoulders, smiles bitterly.

The teachers around her looked sympathetic towards her as she muttered, "I don't even feel regret because there is too much of a difference in our ability."

Unlike when I first came here, I feel that the teachers' eyes ...... or atmosphere has softened.

Does this mean that they recognize my abilities a little bit?

If that's the case, I'm glad.

I was relieved to see that the quizzical stares had diminished, and I patted my chest in relief.

As the air in the room relaxed, as if the thread of tension had been broken, Bianca-sensei stepped back.

I took a glance at the brown-haired woman in the gallery and returned my gaze to the front, where I saw Silas-sensei.

The beautiful turquoise-haired man who smiled was in a strangely good mood.

For some reason, the potted plant of flame spirit grass is held in his hand.

"I have a bad feeling about this."

"The next test is Herbology, which I'm in charge of. I'll be announcing the content of the test as soon as I can. The only thing I want you to do, Miss Charlotte, is to infuse your magic power into this flame spirit plant."

"Eh……?"

Everyone in the room, including myself, was baffled by the content of the test, which was not a test.

I don't know if the test content was not shared beforehand or if Silas-sensei changed it on his own, but the teachers around me could not hide their surprise.

Since it was Mr. Silas, I thought he would present a strange test topic, but it was a bit unexpected for it to come this way.

Because anyone can just inject magic power. At least, I haven't seen any cases where magic power couldn't be injected in a story related to flame spirit grass.

Well, there isn't much research on flame spirit grass, and it's a hard-to-find plant, so I can't say absolutely.

However, even so, the magic injection is strange for a herbology test ... because it has nothing to do with herbology. Shouldn’t you at least give a quiz?

"Ah ...Silas-sensei, shouldn't we at least make the test a little more related to herbology?"

The teachers around me nodded their heads in agreement when I suggested this without hesitation.

While everyone agreed that we should change the content of the test, the beautiful turquoise-haired man had a stern look on his face.

"What are you talking about? Could there be a more appropriate test for herbology? Miss Charlotte's infusion of magic power into the flame spirit plant will help my research progress, which in turn will lead to advancements in herbology. It's a much more meaningful and creative test than a quiz."

Silas-sensei, who emphasizes that "will lead to advancements in herbology," was very serious. I didn't even have the energy to argue.

To be honest, I thought, "Why do we need to do that here?" But I didn't feel like I could win against the mysterious theory of Silas-sensei.

I held my forehead and fell silent, already in resignation mode, and exhaled, "Phew" It's not like I'm being forced to do something I don't want to do. I don't mind as long as it's easy.

"I understand. If you've decided, I'm fine with the content of the test. However, I do have one request."

As I straighten my back and look straight ahead, Silas-sensei lets out a chuckle.

"What? Tell me."

"Then please lend me your gloves to perform the magic infusion of the flame spirit grass──── I'm not comfortable touching it with my bare hands, as you can imagine…"

Even though I know it's safe as long as I don't ingest it into my body, I'm afraid to touch the poisonous plant with my bare hands. I'd like to borrow some rubber gloves.

As a collaborator in the research, Silas-sensei widened his eyes slightly when I made this request.

However, he immediately smiled and laughed out loud.

"Hahaha! If that's how you feel... okay. It doesn't matter. I'll lend them to you."

He shook his shoulders with an exaggerated smile, his emerald eyes narrowing as he looked through the lens and reached into his pocket.

"Here. This is a spare one. They might be a little big, but bear with them."

Taking out a relatively clean pair of black leather gloves, Silas-sensei held them out to me.

I didn't expect to be able to borrow his spare, so I reluctantly accepted it.

After thanking him properly, I put my fingers into the leather glove, which was a size larger than my hand.

The material of the gloves made them difficult to put on and take off, but the large size made them surprisingly easy to put on.

"Do you always carry spare gloves with you, Silas-sensei?"

"Hmm? Well, yes, I do. I always carry at least one spare pair with me because I often ruin them in the course of experiments."

Oh, really? He’s surprisingly meticulous, isn’t he?

To be honest, I'd rather he paid closer attention to us students than to the gloves, but I guess there's nothing I can do about that. All his attention is on the plants and his research.

"Now, are you ready?"

"Yes, I’m ready."

I looked down at my leather gloves, which still had plenty of room at the fingertips, and nodded.

To be honest, it was very difficult to move, but I could bear it for as long as it took to infuse the flame spirit plant with magic power.

"Then, let's get started right away ──── Miss Charlotte, you can start whenever you're ready."

I nodded quietly to Silas-sensei, who held out a potted plant of flame spirit grass in front of me. The flame spirit plant, which had grown a little bit more than before, had a clearer pattern on the stem… It’s still a long way from reaching full growth, but it is steadily growing.

I gently reached out my hand to the flame spirit plant that Silas-sensei had nurtured with great care and raised my magical power.

"I’ll start."

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