Volume 1: Enrollment at Magias Academy of Magical Arts

Chapter 8: We Welcome You to the Faculty

Everyone basked in the afterglow of victory and shared their joy.

I hadn’t expected that exact ending, but I certainly hadn’t expected our first conversation to begin with an argument.

“…I believe I told you that was my prey.”

Mercedes spoke sharply yet maintained her fearless smile as she returned the long sword to its sheath. She’d said the same thing during the battle. In short, she’d wanted to kill the bird alone.

“That’s no way to speak after we saved you.”

“You interfered without permission, and now you make demands?”

Mercedes didn’t even look at Gary. His straight black hair rose slightly.

“You—”

“Gary, is your injury all right?”

“What?”

“An attack grazed you near the end.”

“Oh, this? Yeah. It’s nothing serious.”

The surface of his upper arm was scorched.

I’d only glimpsed it, but he’d probably been injured when the bird began thrashing.

I could stop bleeding, at best.

We should rely on a specialist.

“Filiestra.”

“Yes?”

“You said you’re skilled with medical magic. Can you heal this?”

“Yes. Leave it to me.”

When I asked, Filiestra gave a brief agreement. Pale light shone from both hands as she held them over Gary’s arm.

“…This is going to be difficult.”

Filiestra murmured quietly enough that only I could hear.

A moment later, the injury on Gary’s arm had completely healed.

“That should be fine now.”

“Thanks…”

Gary looked awkward.

Considering how he’d acted at the beginning, perhaps that was only natural.

“If anyone else is injured, don’t hesitate to tell me.”

The three who’d traveled at the rear had no visible injuries.

Mercedes’s clothes weren’t even dirty.

“We’ve all regrouped, so let’s travel together from here.”

“Agreed. We’ll arrive after walking a little farther.”

“An excellent idea!”

Amae answered first, followed by Luluk’s enthusiastic approval.

I wasn’t depending entirely on Amae, but having her rejoin us was a great relief to me.

I’d thank her properly once things calmed down.

“You’re fine with that too, Mercedes?”

“…Yes, of course. It no longer resembles a race. I gave my word, and I shall honor it.”

Her expression remained cool, but she no longer rejected us as she had before.

She’d told us to catch her if we wanted to socialize, so apparently she intended to honor that promise.

“Gerald is the only one missing.”

“That man went on ahead.”

“He did?”

When I asked for details, Mercedes said she’d spotted what looked like Gerald during the battle with the giant bird. He must have chosen to continue rather than join the fight.

“Yes. Therefore, let us hurry. We mustn’t be late.”

“…You’re the one who caused the confusion in the first place. You really get to say that?”

Gary muttered with a dissatisfied expression.

For now, we would trust Mercedes.

If Gerald wasn’t at the destination, we could report it to Professor Blanchard and search for him after arriving.

“…You.”

As everyone prepared to leave, Mercedes spoke within a distance only I could hear.

“I remember you now. You were the single applicant delayed during the examination, were you not?”

I silently nodded.

“Where did you obtain that sword?”

“………”

“Why didn’t you finish the battle immediately?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You could have killed it yourself if you wished, could you not?”

“No. Coordinating with Gary seemed more reliable.”

I answered carelessly, but Mercedes smiled fearlessly as though seeing through me.

Even from that brief interaction, I’d gained a fair sense of her personality.

Unlike the fundamentally straightforward Gary, she was difficult.

“Very well. I leave the guidance of our group in your hands.”

◇

When we arrived at the entrance to Aruan National Park, Gerald stood alone, waiting with his legs planted wide.

“You took your time.”

He simply stood with his arms folded.

Like Mercedes, I hadn’t been worried about him, but I felt relieved nonetheless.

With everyone at the destination, my duty was complete for the moment, even if I hadn’t handled it perfectly.

“My, what an extraordinarily early arrival.”

“Yes. Someone else kindly eliminated the troublesome beasts, allowing me to concentrate on moving.”

Gerald answered Mercedes’s sarcasm with an equally arrogant smile.

“Thus, I arrived first. Meltzeria, do you have anything to say?”

“Congratulations.”

Mercedes looked away with an indifferent expression.

So those two had remained obsessed with the race until the very end.

Come to think of it, Professor Blanchard had said she’d go ahead and wait, but I couldn’t see her.

I decided to ask Gerald.

“Gerald, where is Professor Blanchard?”

“Right here.”

The voice came from behind me.

When I turned, Professor Blanchard stood facing all of us with her usual lethargic expression.

The park entrance was fairly open, yet I hadn’t sensed her presence until that moment. Several classmates looked wary, so apparently they’d noticed the same thing.

“You all arrived extremely quickly. Excellent.”

“Professor, if the place was crawling with magical beasts, you should’ve told us.”

“Yes. I’ll explain that too.”

Professor Blanchard casually brushed aside Amae’s complaint and sat on a nearby boulder.

“Right… As you’ve probably realized, the field trip doubled as an aptitude assessment. Magias prepared the magical beasts along the route.”

“What? You did?”

“You’re funny, Luluk. Everyone should imitate your sense of humor—wait, are you serious? W-Well, never mind. In any case, even within the Emperor Faculty, it’s quite rare for everyone to finish this quickly while exterminating nearly every beast. Well done.”

Clap, clap.

Professor Blanchard applauded without enthusiasm.

Mercedes placed a hand beneath her chin and spoke first.

“Our assessment?”

“You all arrived, so all of you possess the required aptitude.”

“What are our individual evaluations? You watched us the entire time, did you not?”

“…I can give them if you want.”

“I would be delighted to hear them.”

Professor Blanchard rubbed her temple with a fingertip, looking troubled.

I’d known the professor was watching us, but facing an evaluation of my actions still made me nervous.

“Let’s begin with Brendan.”

“Yes.”

“I understand that the unexpected start made you feel you had to hurry, but you should’ve departed with the other four students who remained.”

…She was right.

“However, your steady recovery and attempt to fulfill an unfamiliar leadership role deserve recognition.

“You remained aware of the time after encountering magical beasts and constantly monitored everyone’s position and condition. That was good.

“You’re fast, your support was accurate, and you’re strong. Most of all, the Refinement technique you displayed while helping that elderly woman was incredible. I look forward to seeing how you develop as our representative.”

That confirmed what had been bothering me: I should’ve traveled with Amae and the others.

Regrouping with Gary was only a fortunate result.

I should’ve stopped Mercedes the moment she proposed the race, but I hadn’t been able to speak forcefully to classmates I’d have to know from then on.

“Mercedes. Both your mobility and combat ability are faultless. Nearly defeating that large magical beast alone was worthy of a master of the Hinoe Single-Sword Style.”

Her single-edged, narrow sword had made me wonder.

So she practiced the Hinoe school. No wonder she was strong.

“Naturally.”

“However, avoid acting alone during group operations. Watch statements and behavior that deliberately disrupt cooperation. Precisely because you’re powerful, you must coordinate with those around you. And listen to your teacher.”

Mercedes immediately averted her gaze.

She’d asked for the evaluation herself, yet she truly was difficult.

“Gerald and Gary receive broadly similar feedback. You three understand that this wasn’t actually a race, correct?

“Gary, your attitude was terrible, but turning back to help the old woman was an excellent decision. I also rate your powerful unique magic highly.”

Mercedes interrupted.

“Should an evaluation include emotional arguments unrelated to accomplishing the objective?”

“He helped someone and still completed the objective. That’s what makes it praiseworthy. I judged that using his spare capacity for another person is one of Gary’s strengths.”

She could say surprisingly good things.

Gary also looked faintly pleased.

“…Thanks.”

“As for Gerald, your ability is extremely high, but when your classmates are fighting a giant bird, help them instead of walking past.”

“The woman over there proposed the race. I merely accepted her logic.”

“Yes, technically… It’s just… You people are exhausting.”

Looking as though her head hurt, Professor Blanchard pressed a quill against her temple and continued.

“Amae.”

“Yes?”

“I highly value how you organized the rear group and guided the other two safely until you rejoined everyone. Your support for Brendan was also accurate. You’re highly cooperative, and your combat ability is more than sufficient.”

“Thank you.”

Amae offered thanks in her usual flat tone, still looking faintly sleepy.

“Luluk.”

“Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!”

“The advanced flight magic you used to transport the rear group safely was exactly what one would expect from a witch family. We can anticipate stable performance from you, and your offensive ability is extremely high. As for the rest… work on making your judgments a little more precise.”

“Ohohoho! I am honored!”

“Finally, Filiestra.”

“Yes.”

“You gave me the impression that you always calmly considered what you could do. During the large-beast battle, you cast exactly the spell that was needed at exactly the right time. You also seemed to understand that if you fell, no one else could heal the group.

“You didn’t act as dramatically as the others this time, but in the long term, I believe you may be our most valuable member.”

“Thank you.”

Filiestra bowed respectfully.

Despite her unmotivated appearance, Professor Blanchard had evaluated everyone thoroughly.

Monitoring us all required considerable mobility in itself. When we’d split up, she must have traveled the same route several times—or perhaps she used magic that allowed her to observe a wide area.

Either way, she possessed ability comparable to an advanced mage.

“Right. As you’ve now seen, classes in the Grand Magical Emperor Faculty are extremely dangerous. Things like this happen often during lessons, and the public watches you closely. During emergencies, we may also assign you important missions. That responsibility comes with your position.”

Some students maintained indifferent expressions, but the professor’s words still tightened the atmosphere.

“Armed criminal organizations have grown in recent years, so we genuinely don’t know what may happen while you’re enrolled. That’s why we used this format to confirm that you can keep up with the faculty’s lessons.

“Please weigh what happened today against a world-class educational environment and abundant research funding.”

Silence settled over us.

She was no longer speaking jokingly.

This was the first time I’d seen Professor Blanchard wear such a serious expression, even while speaking calmly.

“If you wish to transfer to another faculty after considering that, say so now. We won’t force you to stay. If you want a safe school life, this is your final opportunity.”

No one spoke.

Mercedes smiled fearlessly. Gerald silently folded his arms. Gary remained still with a serious expression.

Amae looked sleepy, Luluk smiled brightly, and Filiestra quietly faced forward.

“No one? There never is.”

At Professor Blanchard’s confirmation, I suddenly understood.

“Then, once again—”

This was the Grand Magical Emperor Faculty’s true entrance ceremony.

“Welcome to the Grand Magical Emperor Faculty of Magias. We’re delighted to have you.”