novelraw Chapter 12
Chapter 12
Chapter 12
“Time’s up. Unfortunately, you weren’t able to manifest anything.”
“Teacher! Just five more minutes! No, one more minute! I can do it! Please…!”
The first student to take the test ultimately failed to manifest anything within the time limit.
The student, on the verge of tears, tried to grab onto Reji’s trouser leg, but he firmly instructed the student to return to their seat.
“It’s only a midterm evaluation anyway. There will be another one in about two months, so don’t be too discouraged.”
“…Yes.”
‘The more I see Teacher Reji, the more I like him.’
Class 0 only had one teacher—Reji.
And the reason I liked him was simple.
He was a mage whose nature suited the profession of a teacher perfectly.
Even just now, when he sent the student back, he deliberately chose words suited for children instead of difficult ones like ‘don’t be disheartened.’
‘I’d be happy if more high-circle mages were like him.’
It was the kind of consideration that came from genuine kindness.
Completely opposite from the authoritative, prideful high-circle mages I knew.
That was exactly why I liked Teacher Reji even more.
Thus, not a single student passed during the morning exam.
After lunch, the afternoon test began.
“Hoon, please come forward and give it a try.”
It was now one of Russel’s group’s turns.
“Russel! I’ll be right back!”
Hoon stepped forward confidently—but fifteen minutes later.
“Next, Eiel.”
No surprise there.
Just like the morning student, Hoon also failed to manifest anything.
“Teacher, could I please have just a little more time…?”
“No.”
“…Yes, sir.”
Hoon slumped back to his seat, and Eiel stepped up next—but the result was the same.
Just like Hoon, she failed to manifest anything.
“Now it’s your turn, Russel. You already showed us your magic during the first class after the term began, but we still need to test you formally, right?”
“I suppose so.”
His attitude toward Reji was still insolent.
Russel strode confidently to the podium and finished his test in five seconds.
Flash—!
“Passed. As expected, from the House of Mihael, masters of light magic, right?”
Russel ignored his words and returned to his seat.
“Next… Hei, is it?”
“Yes, Teacher!”
Finally, it was our turn.
Hei was a fire-elementalist.
He’d already mastered it during the vacation, so he just needed to show it freely now.
Hei descended to the podium with a slightly stiff expression.
“Phew…”
He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
No need to be nervous.
Just do exactly what we practiced together in the garden during the break.
Time started to pass—an unbearably tense moment for Hei.
One minute, two minutes…
Even after five minutes, he hadn’t manifested anything.
‘Looks like he’s too nervous.’
Well, it was an evaluation, after all—it was understandable.
When I’d helped him awaken his element, I told him not to close his eyes but instead to paint his favorite color on a blank sheet in his mind.
But since he’d closed his eyes now, things weren’t going his way.
I thought I’d better help him a bit.
First, I needed to get him to open his eyes.
What could I do…
Ah, that should work.
Rustle.
I opened my book and ran my finger along the edge of the page—intentionally cutting myself.
“Ow! That stings!”
As my exclamation echoed through the quiet classroom, Hei opened his eyes.
At the same time, the other students’ attention all turned to me.
“What’s wrong, Artel?”
“Ah… I cut my finger on the edge of the page.”
“Oh my… Artel… blood…!”
Kiena, sitting beside me, was startled when she saw the bleeding finger.
“Are you badly hurt?”
As Reji stepped down from the podium toward my desk, I glanced at Hei and subtly pointed toward the book.
Please, understand…!
Paint your favorite color on the blank page!
That’s how you manifest magic!
Soon, Reji reached me and inspected the bleeding finger.
“It’s not bleeding much, but it’d still be best to visit the infirmary.”
I kept my eyes fixed solely on Hei’s face.
If he understood, his expression should change…
Hei’s mouth formed a silent “Ah!”—a look of realization dawning on him.
Good. Success.
“No, Teacher. Since it’s exam time, I’ll finish the test first before I go.”
Even as I replied, my eyes stayed on Hei.
‘You can do it, Hei.’
I sent him that message through my gaze, and he nodded back.
“Artel, it must hurt. Maybe you should do as the teacher says…”
Kiena asked anxiously, but I shook my head.
“You should go right away.”
“It’s fine. After Hei, it’s your turn, then mine, right? It’ll be over soon anyway.”
That was another signal to Hei.
Hurry and manifest your magic—you can do it.
“Teacher! I’ll try right now!”
With renewed confidence, Hei shouted to Reji.
“Hm…”
He still looked worried about me.
“Teacher, Hei says he can do it.”
“Well, since it’s not bleeding badly…”
“Artel, give me your hand.”
Just before Hei’s evaluation resumed, Kiena spoke.
“Why?”
“Just give it. You’re bleeding.”
When I gave her my hand, she wrapped my slightly bleeding finger with her uniform sleeve.
“What are you doing? You’ll get blood on it.”
“It’s red anyway, who cares? Let’s just watch Hei’s test!”
When I tried to pull my hand away in surprise, she gripped it even tighter.
It was a pure-hearted attempt to stop the bleeding, so I let her, pretending to resist but not really.
‘The more I see her, the less she seems like a kid—more like a mom.’
When I turned my gaze, I met Russel’s eyes.
He was glaring at Kiena’s hand wrapped around mine—but when our eyes met, he hurriedly looked away.
‘Heh, cute.’
Was he actually jealous of me?
I brushed it off and focused on Hei’s test.
Hei kept his eyes open this time, focusing his mind on the book of the student sitting closest to him.
‘Yes, that’s it. For you, keeping your eyes open is actually better than closing them.’
Just before a full minute passed—
Fwoosh!
A small sphere of flame appeared.
“Wow… it’s beautiful.”
The female students gazed at the bright, vivid flame sphere with fascinated expressions.
“Tch, even that guy managed to succeed…”
“Ah, my pride hurts.”
That voice belonged to Hoon and Eiel.
You two are commoners as well—what pride are you talking about, you idiots.
“Oh ho, Hei, that was a splendid success. Congratulations, you’re free for the remaining two semesters.”
“Haha! Thank you!”
Reji sincerely congratulated him.
His tone and expression were completely different from when it was Russel’s turn.
Overjoyed, Hei bounced back to his seat and exchanged a high-five with Kiena.
Then he leaned toward me and asked in a low voice,
“Artel, is your finger okay?”
“Of course. It’s fine.”
“You yelled on purpose, didn’t you? To make me open my eyes?”
“Was it that obvious?”
“Thanks! My mind went blank from nerves, but thanks to you, I could calm down.”
“Now then, next is Kiena. Please come forward.”
And then it was Kiena’s turn.
“I’ll be right back!”
Chirp-chirp—!
Grrr—!
Not even a minute after the test began, Kiena perfectly demonstrated a summoning spell.
The creatures she summoned were a small bird and a wolf pup.
At the end of the vacation, she had managed to summon fully formed creatures, but now her summoning had grown even stronger—their bodies were a little larger.
Just like a person growing from childhood into adolescence, her summoned beasts seemed to be going through a similar stage of growth.
The wolf pup rubbed its head affectionately against Kiena, like a cub nuzzling its mother.
And to summon two kinds of animals at once…
That was an astonishing result.
Normally, the number of creatures one could summon simultaneously depended on the amount of mana possessed.
But since Kiena had summoned two at once, her estimated mana count was at least two.
Considering she wasn’t yet an official 1st Circle Mage, it was truly remarkable.
‘A budding genius in the making.’
That was what I thought as I watched Kiena’s magic.
I’d thought she was only a genius of comprehension, but it seemed she might actually be gifted in every field of magic.
Unfortunately, since she was a summoner, I couldn’t make a precise assessment.
The little bird playfully pecked Kiena’s cheek with its beak.
“So cute…!”
This time, the animals Kiena had summoned completely captivated the hearts of the female students.
“Excellent work, Kiena. Just like Hei, you’re free for the rest of the semester.”
“So that means I passed?”
“Of course.”
“Yahoo!”
Clap!
Proudly passing the exam, Hei and Kiena exchanged another high-five.
It was the moment they finally shook off five years of frustration.
After all the worrying, both of their faces looked bright and relieved.
“Now, the last one is Artel.”
Before I could even gather my thoughts, Reji called my name.
“Artel! You got this!”
“Artel taught us, so he’ll pass easily!”
Kiena and Hei cheered for me from behind.
“You may begin, Artel.”
The test had started.
But there was something weighing on my mind.
It was what Vice Headmaster Former had told me.
That he had “expectations” of me.
But I had taken that as a warning—that he would “watch” me.
It meant that even before I noticed, someone had found me suspicious and had been quietly observing from the shadows.
So, Etar.
I didn’t know what kind of mage you were now, but watching from the dark didn’t seem like you.
Since I’d been reincarnated just before summer break, I hadn’t yet fully understood this era, so I’d hidden my identity for a while.
But now…
Since I had grasped things to some extent, it felt like time to reveal a little.
If I openly displayed something extraordinary, would you really stay hidden and just observe, as you’ve done so far?
Fwoosh!
Finishing that thought, I manifested a sphere of flame.
Clap, clap.
“Artel, you pass…”
No, Teacher Reji. It’s not over yet.
I wanted to use this test to send a message to Etar, who was watching from above.
I was not an ordinary student.
That I was a special kind of mage—that message would reach Former and Etar through Reji’s report.
Once they knew I was special, the school would begin to monitor me closely, and that would mean all the other students’ eyes would turn to me as well.
Then, even walking down the hallway or eating a simple meal would draw their attention.
If Etar had any ulterior motives, what would he dare to do once every eye was on me?
Hiding wasn’t always the answer.
Sometimes, one had to reveal themselves boldly—and I believed that time was now.
Come to think of it, wasn’t the school’s Vice Headmaster from the Draco Family, the one that mastered dark elements?
I manifested one more sphere.
This time, a sphere of darkness.
“…What?”
The students collectively stirred.
The spheres of flame and darkness I had created merged, transforming into blazing black fire.
“How could you…!”
At that moment, Russel slammed his palm on his desk and stood up.
“Teacher! How can Artel control two elements? You said elementalists can only use one!”
One of the shocked students asked.
“…Artel, could you please return to your seat for now?”
Even Reji seemed visibly shaken, his eyes losing focus.
With a calm stride, I began walking back to my seat.
Russel and the others followed me with their eyes like cats tracking a toy, their heads turning slowly.
Right, you of Class 0 wouldn’t understand.
Why I could handle two elements.
Russel’s expression, in particular, was priceless.
He kept muttering under his breath, “Unbelievable.”
Once I sat down, Reji finally came to his senses and spoke.
“I honestly… don’t know how to take this. Artel, you’re a Double Caster…?”
“What’s that…?”
The students still didn’t understand.
It seemed they hadn’t been taught about Double Casters in Class 0 yet.