novelraw Chapter 11
Chapter 11
Chapter 11
Student Ability Evaluation
“I don’t know the exact details either. I don’t even know his name. It’s just something I heard from the Headmaster.”
Former hurriedly wrapped up his words.
Since he had said the color was a pure, clear white, the students could easily guess what kind of element that mage might have handled.
But if he had honestly answered that it was a Flewd Elementalist, they might have realized he was referring to Archis Eimer.
Looking at the students’ expressions, they seemed focused only on the fact that such an incredible person existed among commoner mages—their eyes all sparkled like Kiena’s.
It was probably a glimmer of hope that they too might become someone like that someday.
“The Headmaster hopes that a mage like that will emerge from this academy. That’s why expectations are particularly high for students of common birth. So even if it’s difficult, don’t lose heart. Now then, let’s conclude here.”
With that, Former began shaking hands with each student one by one.
Then came Russel’s turn.
“I’m Mihael Russel! Pureblood of the House Mihael…!”
Eager to make a good impression, Russel’s unnecessary self-introduction made Former’s expression harden.
“Russel.”
“Yes! Vice Headmaster!”
“I’m not interested in whether you’re pureblood or not.”
“……”
Intimidated by Former’s cold tone, Russel immediately fell silent, looking on the verge of tears.
Leaving him behind, Former stepped in front of Kiena.
“Kiena!”
Even then, his expression toward her remained unfavorable.
“I see.”
His reply was so indifferent and cutting that it would have hurt even a child’s feelings.
He ended the handshake halfheartedly, and it was Hei’s turn next.
“H–Hei!”
“I see.”
The response was exactly the same as with Kiena.
Compared to how he had treated the other students, the difference in tone was stark.
‘What’s with him? He seems especially wary of those two.’
It wasn’t as if the Vice Headmaster could be intimidated by two 0th Circle Mages.
I couldn’t begin to guess his thoughts.
Finally, it was my turn.
The moment I stood before him, the tension in his expression smoothed into calmness.
“Artel.”
When he called my name with a faint smile and offered his hand, I felt an inexplicable sense of discomfort that hadn’t been there before.
“Yes.”
“Do you think you could become a mage who succeeds the clear white?”
“……”
Why was he asking only me this question?
‘As I thought, he’s definitely noticed something.’
But since everyone was watching—
“Thank you for the compliment.”
I simply left a polite response.
“I look forward to seeing what you’ll become.”
Leaving those meaningful words behind, he turned his back to me.
Then, taking Professor Mel and Teacher Rezi with him, he left the dining hall, saying,
“It seems this year, only four students will pass.”
He said it loud enough for everyone to hear.
Four students… Did that number include me, Kiena, and Hei?
As soon as Former left Class 0, he headed straight to the Headmaster’s floor.
When he returned, the sky was blue, and a garden covered in lush green grass welcomed him.
Etar seemed to be in good spirits.
Without hesitation, Former went directly to the Headmaster’s office.
“Headmaster, I’ve done as you instructed.”
“Good. How was it?”
Etar asked directly, skipping any pleasantries.
“The student named Artel… Honestly, I’m not sure.”
Etar’s eyes narrowed at that answer.
“Not sure, you say… What exactly do you mean by that?”
“It’s strange. He doesn’t look impressive on the surface, but I can’t read him at all either… To the point that I even doubt whether your concern about him is justified, Headmaster.”
“Is that so? Khahaha!”
Rumble—!
The moment Etar’s booming laughter filled the room, the weather outside the Headmaster’s office changed again.
A night sky with a red moon rose overhead.
Only then did Former understand what that red moon signified—
Etar was at his peak excitement.
“No, that’s more than enough. If even you—an 8th Circle Mage—find him strange, what does that tell us? The boy doesn’t even have a circle.”
“……”
“Yes, that’s how it is. Hahaha!”
Etar eventually clapped his hands together in delight.
Even Former, who had served beside him as Vice Headmaster for fifty years, had never seen him like this before.
“Oh, right. Headmaster, there were two other students who seemed peculiar as well.”
Former hesitantly brought it up.
“What?”
Rumble—!
Etar’s expression changed again, and with it, the weather and scenery outside shifted.
The sky turned back to day, but the garden vanished—replaced by a cliff.
Not a good sign.
Former tensed in response.
“Who are they?”
“Students named Kiena and Hei. But they were a bit different from Artel.”
“How so?”
“If Artel was simply strange, those two gave off… an unsettling energy.”
“You’re saying you, the Vice Headmaster, felt pressure from two 0th Circle Mages?”
“...Yes.”
“Aren’t they the same students who entered alongside Artel?”
“Th-that’s right.”
Even Former couldn’t clearly explain it.
It was hard for him to accept that he had felt such unpleasant energy from mere 0th Circle Mages.
“Hm, now how should I interpret this…”
“Please give me your instructions for how to proceed.”
Etar thought for a long time before giving his answer.
“No. For now, let’s just keep watching. What we know so far is enough. Vice Headmaster, you’ll act as usual until further instructions.”
“Yes, understood.”
After Vice Headmaster Draco Former left, the rest of the day was given as free time.
I lay in the dorm room without moving for quite a while.
Even as the sky outside turned dark, my thoughts remained a tangled mess.
One of the questions Former had asked me—whether I could become the mage who would succeed the clear white.
And the words that followed, that he was looking forward to it...
I couldn’t make sense of it.
Instead, my head only throbbed more.
‘No, maybe I should think of it differently.’
I focused on the fact that Former had mentioned my nickname from my previous life.
For a mage, a nickname carried a special meaning.
Etar and all my other Disciples had received nicknames from me.
At the time, each of them had been precious to me.
The nickname I had given Etar was “The Light of Justice.”
Among all my Disciples, his skill had been the weakest, but unlike others, the purpose and use of his power had been unwavering, and I admired that about him.
In that era, mages flaunting high-level spells to display their authority had been commonplace.
But Etar had been different.
He never showed off magic unnecessarily, and even when he cast a spell, there had always been conditions—
Either he was being evaluated by me, his teacher, or he was facing a genuine threat.
So I gave him that nickname to reflect his firm and unshakable conviction.
Former didn’t know much about my previous self, Archis Eimer.
No—he probably knew nothing.
Everything he said earlier had been what he’d heard from Etar.
That meant Former’s words could be interpreted as Etar’s.
Etar had mentioned my nickname...
Could it be that Etar wasn’t actually trying to kill me?
If the “Light of Justice” I remembered was still burning within him, perhaps not.
Even in the book that distorted the truth, calling me an incompetent Archmage, Etar had still used my nickname.
He had been the only one to witness my death—and the only Disciple who had faced Tyrant afterward.
That thought stirred something faint within me.
“What’s your true intention!”
I shouted in frustration, glaring up at the ceiling.
Etar—who must be at the top floor of the branch school.
As expected, guessing before meeting him wouldn’t get me anywhere.
I needed to pass the promotion tests quickly and reach the 6th Circle in the shortest time possible.
Only by facing Etar directly could I uncover the truth.
“In the end, I’m back to square one.”
I had thought I’d find answers, but my thoughts only kept circling the same place—it was exhausting.
“Fine. Let’s just move up from 1st Class as planned.”
I’d stick to my original plan.
To build the bridge that would lead to my reunion with Etar.
That was all I needed to focus on.
But I would act cautiously.
Vice Headmaster Former had said he looked forward to me, but I took that as a veiled warning—that he’d be watching.
‘Still, how did he notice anything? No matter how I think about it, there’s nothing suspicious.’
That was one thing I couldn’t figure out, no matter how hard I thought.
From the next day on, the school returned to its usual routine.
Just yesterday, everyone had been excited at the Vice Headmaster’s visit, but the heat cooled off as quickly as hot iron plunged into cold water.
Students attended classes on time, went to the dining hall in groups during meals, and rested in their dorms once the day was over.
A student’s life as ordinary as ever.
Ah, though for me, one thing had changed.
“Artel, Russel’s staring at you again.”
During class, Hei whispered that to me.
“I know. Ignore him.”
It was that brat from the House Mihael again.
Ever since the Vice Headmaster’s visit, Russel’s gaze toward me had turned increasingly hostile.
I knew exactly what that look meant.
During that confrontation with Former, Russel had tried his best to impress him.
But the one who actually drew Former’s attention—was me.
When Former had asked whether I could succeed the clear white, Russel must have taken that to mean that the Vice Headmaster saw me as someone special.
How humiliating it must have been for him—a noble who looked down on commoners as peasants—when the Vice Headmaster had shown all his interest toward one of those very commoners.
I could understand the feeling.
From Russel’s behavior alone, I could tell that the Vice Headmaster was practically his idol.
Still, dealing with him would only tire me out, so I chose to ignore him altogether.
Fortunately, aside from glaring, Russel hadn’t taken any other action.
I gradually began adapting to the 0th Class curriculum at Ed Branch.
And there was one thing I was certain of—
The mandatory daily subject, “The History of Mages.”
Since I didn’t know much about this era, I’d thought it was a necessary class to take.
I was wrong.
“The History of Mages” was literally a course about the history of mages.
Aside from the part that called me an incompetent Archmage, there was nothing new.
And the lessons repeated every week in the same cycle.
That is, if the first lecture began on a Monday, by Friday it would reach the end of the chapter—and then the following Monday, it would start over again from the beginning as review.
The same material, over and over.
All of it glorified Tyrant’s greatness.
The title of Chapter 1 alone was, “The Death of the Incompetent Archmage Archis Eimer, and the Successor Archmage Draco Tyrant.”
Despite being a thick book, it contained only that first chapter—the rest were blank pages.
When I asked about it, I was told that Chapter 2 appeared once you advanced to 1st Class.
I hadn’t even known such types of magical books existed.
In any case, after enduring those miserable and tedious lectures, the second Monday of October finally arrived.
“Now, it’s time for the student ability evaluations! Everyone feeling confident?”
It was the day of the midterm promotion exams.
Classes were canceled, replaced entirely by this test for the whole day.
Each student would take the stage alone and, within fifteen minutes, demonstrate either elemental or summoning magic—pass if successful. Simple as that.
“Alright, I’ll start calling the order now.”
In the order that Rezi called out, I was last.
I waited calmly for my turn to come.
Watching as the others took their exams one by one.