Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Commemorative Short Story #1: Viola and Exam Studies
It happened not long after Rest had been taken in by Marquis Rosemary.
In the garden of the Rosemary estate, Rest was training in magic together with Viola.
“There are several departments at the Royal Academy,”
Viola explained, raising a finger.
“The one we’ll be applying to, the Magic Department, has a practical magic exam.”
Usually, Viola wore elegant dresses, but today she was dressed unusually casually in pants that made it easier to move around.
“You see that target over there? They’ll probably be using something just like that in the practical test.”
“It’s just a normal target, right? Nothing strange about it.”
Rest said, tilting his head.
It was a round target painted with black and white rings. Nothing about it seemed unusual.
“Watch this… [Fireball]!”
Viola cast her spell at the target.
A sphere of flame shot through the air and struck it.
Then, a number—“57”—appeared above the target.
“Eh…?”
“Impressive, isn’t it?”
Viola said proudly, puffing her chest.
“That target can measure the power of a spell.”
She smiled with satisfaction at Rest’s surprise.
“It’s a magic item, developed long ago by a mage once called a Sage. It measures the magic power of the spell that hits it and displays a number using light magic. One of my ancestors helped in its development too!”
“That’s amazing… simple, but really useful.”
Even if two people cast the same spell, its power could differ greatly depending on the caster.
Being able to measure magical strength made it a convenient tool for gauging a mage’s skill.
“Can I try it too?”
“Of course! I had it set up for that reason.”
“Then… [Thunderball]!”
Rest launched a sphere of lightning.
It crackled with purple sparks and hit the target—just a little off-center.
Again, numbers appeared above it.
“‘52,’ huh…”
“I win. Though it’s just a small difference.”
Viola said with a teasing smile.
“So, what’s the passing score?”
“It’s different for nobles and commoners, but if you want to pass comfortably, you should aim for over 90 points.”
Viola raised her hand toward the target again and cast another spell—this time, a mid-level spell, [Fire Cannon].
The number displayed was “120.”
“100 points is the maximum. Anything above that just gets rounded down. They say you need at least 140 total points when combined with the written exam to pass.”
“I see… so I should aim for full marks on the practical then.”
Rest mused.
He had no plans to slack on the written portion, but to guarantee a pass, he’d need a perfect score on the practical part of the exam.
“That means mid-level magic or higher is essential.”
He pointed his hand at the target again.
“[Lightning Cannon]!”
A sharp bolt of lightning fired toward the target—this time hitting closer to the edge.
“Mm…”
“‘89.’ Even though it was a mid-level spell, your score dropped because it didn’t hit the center,”
Viola explained.
“So the closer to the center, the higher the score… So not just power—accuracy matters too.”
If he focused on power, his aim worsened.
If he focused on aim, the power dropped.
A dilemma. Achieving both would take serious training.
(Even if I have limitless magic power, that doesn’t matter—it’s all about how well I can control it…)
“Can I borrow that target for a while?”
“Of course. Use it however you like.”
“Thanks.”
Rest took aim again, firing spell after spell at the target—testing various types of magic, experimenting over and over.
(Normally, mid-level spells would be best… but maybe a well-boosted low-level spell could score even higher.)
He remembered something his mentor, Dibble, once told him: you could raise the power of a basic spell by layering [Amplify] or [Compress] magic on top of it.
That technique, combining multiple spells at once, required advanced control—but could produce destructive power exceeding even higher-tier magic.
(It might not count toward my score, but showing off parallel casting might impress the examiners.)
“Ah… shoot.”
While he’d been experimenting, more than two hours had passed.
What about Viola? Had she gone back to the mansion already?
“Oh my, are you finally done?”
Viola was still nearby—lightly exercising, sweat glistening on her skin.
“Sorry, I kind of forgot you were there.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
Viola said with a bright laugh when Rest apologized, looking guilty.
“I’ve been getting a bit out of shape lately anyway.”
“Still…”
She added, tilting her head curiously.
“Your magic reserves are incredible, Rest. You haven’t run out yet?”
“Yeah, well… if there’s one thing I can brag about, it’s my magic power pool.”
“I see. In that case, how about some sparring? You can use Body Enhancement, can’t you?”
Viola beckoned him playfully with her hand.
A skilled magician wasn’t just a master of spells—they also trained their body. Primula wasn’t very athletic, but Viola seemed to have decent physical ability.
“Of course, I don’t mind, but… ah.”
Rest was about to agree without hesitation, when he suddenly noticed something—and quickly turned his face away.
“Rest? What’s wrong?”
“Uh, well… um, your clothes are see-through.”
“…Ah!”
Viola gasped and crossed her arms over her chest in a fluster.
Because she’d been sweating from the exercise, her clothes had become slightly transparent, revealing the red undergarments beneath.
She was… more developed than her age suggested, the fabric clinging to her curves.
“D-Did you… see?”
“…N-No, I didn’t see anything.”
“That’s a lie…! W-Well, it’s not like I’m embarrassed or anything!”
Her face flushed bright red, Viola put her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest defiantly.
“I-I can’t lose to Primula! If you want to look, then go ahead and look all you like!”
“Please, spare me…”
It would’ve been a lie to say he didn’t want to look—but this was way too embarrassing.
Red as a beet, even more than Viola herself, Rest desperately searched for something to drape over her shoulders.