Kays Translations

Chapter 41: The Practical Exam Begins, but...?

After the written exam concluded, there was a short break before the practical exam. The practical exam took place separately for each department.

Rest was taking the exam for the Magic Department. Following the instructions of the examiners, they moved to the school grounds.

"Hohoho. Now, we'll conduct the practical exam for the Magic."

Greeting the hundred or so examinees who had moved to the grounds was an elderly man in splendid robes. He had a long white beard, and his head was bald. Although he appeared to be over seventy, his posture was firm and he exuded a sharp and robust impression.

"My name is Velroid Hearn. I am the acting head of this academy."

"Velroid Hearn... Why is a sage and the head of the academy...?"

One of the examinees exclaimed, unable to contain their surprise.

Velroid Hearn. Rest was familiar with that person. There was a description of him in the books he had read during exam preparations. A member of the "Council of Sages," the world's preeminent magical society, and the strongest magician in the country. Despite being of commoner origin, he was influential not only among the nation's elites but also had connections with royalty from other countries. He held the title of "Honorary Duke," making him one of the most powerful figures, second only to royalty.

"Originally, another faculty member was supposed to supervise the exam... but that person had urgent business and had to leave the capital. Apparently, something like, 'My cute sister got a boyfriend. No time to be supervising exams!' Well, that's the situation. Quite troublesome, I must say."

Velroid Hearn stroked his beard while laughing, but his eyes showed no amusement. It seemed he was quite upset with the subordinate who abandoned their duty.

"Well, regardless of who the supervisor is, the tasks remain the same. Let me explain the content of the practical exam."

Pointing with the staff he held, the headmaster indicated a spot a little distance away. White lines were drawn on the ground, and a circular target-like object was set about ten meters away.

"Now, stand on that line and attack the target. The target has a function to measure the power as a numerical value, and the displayed number becomes your score."

This was the same as the information Rest had heard in advance. It was the same as in previous years.

"However... you can only attack once, but you can use multiple spells. Consider carefully what magic you will use."

Most of the examinees tilted their heads in confusion at the headmaster's explanation. It was an incomprehensible explanation: you could use multiple spells, but you could only attack once.

(Oh... I see.)

However, Rest nodded inwardly.

(In other words, it's acceptable to combine multiple spells to attack.)

Combining multiple spells to perform compound magic was an advanced magic technique. It was said that even among court magicians, there were many who couldn't accomplish this. In the first place, performing multiple spells simultaneously was challenging. It was a difficult skill to master.

(But... as Dibble-sensei mentioned, even with lower-level magic, the power could surpass higher-level magic depending on how it's combined.)

Dibble, Rest's mentor, had also mentioned that he couldn't use high-level magic. Dibble became a court magician because he was exceptionally skilled in using magic, particularly in combining multiple spells. Of course, Rest had been taught how to use compound magic during his year of training.

(It's a perfect fit for this exam... Having an excellent mentor is truly invaluable.)

"Now, each of you will cast magic in order of your examination number. First up is Jack from the Rosand Village."

"Y-Yes!"

A modest-looking boy stepped forward and, after taking a deep breath, activated his magic.

"[Wind Blade]!"

Released was a lower-level wind attribute magic. The wind blade shot straight toward the target, hitting it accurately.

"Um, 57 points."

A white number appeared on the target. The floating letters in the air were likely an application of illusion using light magic.

"Next, Cersei from the Royal Capital."

"Yes..."

A examinee called out by the headmaster stepped forward, and one by one, the examinees cast their magic. Judging from the scores of more than half of the examinees, the average was around 60 points. Most of them used lower-level magic, but a few cast intermediate-level magic.

"Next... Yuri Catreya-kun."

"Yes!"

With an exceptionally lively response, the girl Rest had met before the exam, Yuri, stepped forward. Despite mentioning the prestigious Catreya Marquis family associated with knights, it seemed she chose the Magic Department, contrary to Rest's expectations.

(Her physical abilities were on par with mine when he used [Body Strengthening] without magic earlier... Could it be that she's also skilled in magic?)

"Hey, Catreya..."

"Oh, from the Marquis family..."

"Why did you choose the Magic Department... No, why are you even taking the exam as a commoner?"

A murmur arose among the other examinees.

Rest felt like pointing out that if she wanted to keep her background a secret, she shouldn't have mentioned her family name.

"Alright then, here I go! [Stone Bullet]!"

Yuri waved her hand to activate the magic.

She used [Stone Bullet], a lower-level magic that involved hurling pebbles at the target.

"Haaaaaa!"

Yuri focused for quite a long time, and slowly, very slowly, stones began to materialize in the air. It took more than five minutes, but eventually, she created a small stone that could fit in her palm.

"...Seriously?"

Rest unintentionally muttered. It was clear she didn't have enough magic power. To create such a small stone, Yuri had exerted all the magic power from her entire body. Not only the quantity of magic power, but the activation speed and output were also below average. With this performance, there was no way she could pass the entrance exam for the Magic Department. If anything, entering might bring more difficulties.

(With this situation, it's impossible for her to pass...)

Rest shook his head sympathetically.

However, right after that, something unexpected happened.

"Alright... here goes!"

"Huh!? No way!"

Seeing an unbelievable sight, Rest's voice trembled. Yuri grabbed the small stone generated in the air and threw it with all her might. The thrown stone made a sharp cutting sound as it hit, creating a significant crack in the previously unbroken target. The displayed score on the target was... '175'. It seemed that the upper limit was not a perfect score out of 100.

(W-What incredible strength... Wasn't this supposed to be a magic exam...?)

"I did it! The highest score!"

Leaving everyone dumbfounded, Yuri raised her victorious fist high into the air.

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