novelraw Chapter 93 : A New Exam (1)
Chapter 93 : A New Exam (1)
Chapter 93: A New Exam (1)
My nose stung.
At this level, it felt like someone who had been committing slaughter until just moments ago.
And it wasn’t the blood of just one person.
At the very least, dozens.
It was the moment I started wondering what on earth had happened in this auditorium.
“Alright, let’s end the welcoming here. We’ll begin a brief meeting. You were probably told in advance, but since the professor’s position is vacant, I, the Vice Headmaster, will be filling in.”
Former spoke.
But since everything felt suspicious to me, there was no way my gaze toward him could be kind.
Perhaps Former noticed, because instead of avoiding my eyes, he asked directly.
“Why do you look like that? For a look directed at the Vice Headmaster, isn’t it a bit too full of killing intent?”
“Killing intent?”
“…….”
All I did was point out the word he himself had said, yet Former’s expression visibly stiffened.
At this point, there was one thing I could determine for sure.
Something had happened in this auditorium.
What kind of incident would be severe enough to kill someone—that was something I would have to find out from now on.
“Why is the professor’s seat vacant? You did the same thing in the 1st Class too. For someone who’s the Vice Headmaster, you seem to frequently fill in for relatively trivial positions.”
“You were like this last time too—needlessly curious. I can’t tell you every detail of the school’s internal affairs, so just take it as that.”
Former completely shut down my question.
Thanks to that, I could tell it was a question he couldn’t easily answer.
“Now then, starting from the 5th Class, a new type of curriculum will be waiting for you. There will be no student ability evaluations like the ones you had in the 1st Class and 3rd Class.”
He began explaining as if I no longer existed.
“Does that mean there won’t be any student ability evaluations…?” Kiena asked.
“It means there will be no duels. Naturally, there are no points either. From the 5th Class onward, just like during Class 0, all facilities can be used freely and without charge. The 5th Class is where you’re recognized as advanced mages, so there’s no need to weigh students using mere numbers.”
Kiena and Hei focused only on the fact that there were no points and that facility usage was free, smiling with delight.
‘This can’t be all there is.’
A school that had been obsessed with expulsion suddenly started acting benevolent from the 3rd Class onward.
Behind a smile of kindness, there was always unjust treatment waiting.
There was surely a difficulty at the end that couldn’t be easily overcome.
“Then how will student ability be evaluated, and what will determine qualifications for the 6th Class?”
I asked, my words still sharp.
“You can hear that from your assigned teacher now. This meeting is merely meant to inform you that things will be different from what you’ve done so far.”
Wasn’t this less a meeting and more a one-sided notice?
Even so, I still couldn’t figure out what kind of injustice was hidden within this freedom.
“I’ve already taken care of all the dormitory assignments. Check them via the Mob. Then, do your best living your 5th Class life.”
Former was about to leave the auditorium like that.
“Vice Headmaster.”
“What is it now, Artel?”
“Did you cook something in the auditorium? There’s a sour smell permeating the place—it’s stinging my nose to death.”
The uneasy aura and the smell of blood that had seeped into the auditorium.
And Former, who reeked especially strongly of blood.
I had to know what had happened.
I deliberately said “cook” because of the blood smell coming from Former’s body.
Unless someone enjoyed slaughter, there was no way they’d give off that kind of blood scent—and those who enjoyed slaughter often referred to it as cooking.
And the sour smell was referring to the smell of blood.
‘Alright, show me your reaction.’
“I don’t know. But who cooks in an auditorium? Where would the cooking tools even be?”
Former replied indifferently and left the auditorium.
“What smell? I don’t smell anything,” Kiena said.
“Sniff sniff. I don’t feel anything either,” Hei said, exaggerating his sniffing sounds.
“……It’s nothing.”
I wanted to find out, but since I couldn’t, I gave up quickly.
‘I’ll find out eventually while living school life.’
Why slaughter had taken place.
That was what interested me.
‘Surely the injustice hidden at the end of this kindness isn’t something like death, right?’
No matter how much the school hated its students, I doubted it would go that far.
As Former walked down the corridor, he pressed the Mob he was wearing tightly against his nose and sniffed.
‘I definitely erased the smell, and I cleaned everything up perfectly. So how…?’
No matter how sharp someone’s sense of smell was, these were scents that could never be detected.
So how did Artel notice it immediately, as if he had the nose of a beast?
Former felt his heart drop for a moment, but barely managed to maintain his composure.
‘Artel, the more I learn about you, the stranger you become. But that very strangeness actually helps us.’
He was a student into whom Etar poured all his attention.
Seeing such a student constantly display extraordinary qualities left Former unable to help but feel pleased.
‘The Headmaster will like this.’
Banshi was in the middle of an interview with Ed Sparkle, the 2nd Class professor.
‘Etar’s dog….’
The 2nd Class professor was a mage of the Ed Family.
A female mage with long red hair, just like herself.
Banshi scanned her appearance with her eyes.
It wasn’t to judge her looks, but to assess how much magical power this professor possessed.
There was only one reason she had sought out the professor.
She was dissatisfied with the 2nd Class curriculum.
“So, student Banshi, I told you, didn’t I? There is no such thing as a special admission track in the 2nd Class.”
What she wanted was precisely that special admission track.
If there was one additional demand, it was that if someone met sufficient qualifications and passed, they could advance to the next class during the semester without waiting for the graduation ceremony.
“There was one in the 1st Class. Thanks to that, three of my friends moved up to the 3rd Class. So why isn’t there one in the 2nd Class, which is higher than the 1st Class? That’s strange.”
“Ah, seriously! I told you, there isn’t one!”
It was far too strange.
Come to think of it, even the student ability evaluation method was the same system Artel had experienced before coming to the 1st Class, and the 2nd Class was following it as well.
The method where you hold points, gain them by ranking first in teacher-discretion evaluations, and gain them by placing high in the weekly common class duel subject.
Banshi became an honor student who dominated the top ranks just one month after entering the 2nd Class.
“Can’t you even make something like that at the professor’s discretion? Didn’t you do the same thing in the 1st Class? Besides, the 1st Class professor wasn’t even a mage from the Ed Family.”
“That can’t be made by professor’s discretion.”
“Then what was it in the 1st Class?”
“The Headmaster probably gave separate instructions.”
“That’s even stranger. You do it in the 1st Class, but not in the 2nd Class—what’s the reason for that?”
There was no big difference between the 1st Class and the 2nd Class.
Then why were they suddenly trying to abolish something they had been actively doing?
As Banshi thought carefully about that difference, one thing caught her attention.
‘Could it be, Lord Arkis?’
Even in the peaceful 1st Class, the upheaval of duels only began after Artel appeared.
And the 1st Class and 2nd Class, which had no real differences.
When factoring in the existence of Artel, that nonexistent difference became clearly visible.
The 1st Class had Artel, and the 2nd Class did not.
‘Why did they try to make Lord Arkis rise so quickly?’
Since it was said to be the Headmaster’s instruction, it was Etar’s order.
Then for what purpose did Etar make Artel receive a special admission track?
Preparing a special admission track solely for Artel meant having confidence that Artel could pass it.
But how could he be so certain?
Banshi pondered deeply.
And soon, she fell into deep thought.
‘Could it be…?’
Had Etar realized that Artel was Arkis Aimer?
If not, did he think there was some connection and intend to make him rise quickly and then kill him?
That was the only conclusion Banshi could reach.
The one who had even burned down her family, the Emmet Family—the only Flewd family—would he really be unable to kill his own master?
She did not think Artel would lose.
But this was Etar’s den.
If her guess was correct, leaving Artel alone for too long was dangerous.
“Student Banshi, even if such a system were implemented in the 2nd Class, I would oppose it. Why? As you said, suppose you advance to the 4th Class through a special admission track from the 2nd Class. How would you adapt in the 4th Class? That’s the final stage of the intermediate level!”
Sparkle gave sincere advice.
But to Banshi, it was nothing more than preaching to deaf ears and a well-polished excuse.
“I’ll handle adapting on my own, so just make it.”
As a result, her words toward the professor were not gentle at all.
“……What? Just because I agreed to give you an interview, do you think you can look down on a professor?”
Sparkle had approached her gently, but when Banshi came out roughly, Sparkle’s kindness vanished.
Sparkle jumped to her feet and manifested a fire element spell meant as a threat.
But Banshi did not even blink.
Because just by seeing her magic, she could perfectly gauge its level.
‘Not an easy opponent, but it doesn’t seem like I’d lose either.’
“Let’s do this.”
“What?”
“If I win against you, Professor, then apply the special admission track at your discretion and send me straight to the 4th Class. If a mere 2nd Class student defeats a professor, doesn’t that mean I’m sufficiently qualified and capable of adapting in the 4th Class?”
“Hah! This is ridiculous!”
A dumbfounded Sparkle let out a hollow laugh.
“When I keep saying you’re pretty, pretty, you start to—”
“Since when did you dote on me? I didn’t feel that at all.”
“Are you challenging me right now? A mere student, challenging me—a professor and a mage of the Ed Family, the representative fire element family?”
“So what if I am?”
“I’ll have to thoroughly correct your attitude. There are always mages who get ahead of themselves just because they have good grades in the 1st and 2nd Classes. Fine. I’ll suggest it to the Headmaster and make it so that what you said can be done.”
Without hesitation, Banshi stood up, bowed her head to Sparkle, and said,
“Thank you.”
“Now you’re pretending to be polite? If you get hurt, I won’t be responsible.”
“Yes, don’t worry. I won’t get hurt.”
And just before leaving the professor’s office, Banshi left one more remark to Sparkle.
“Oh, right. Please keep the duel between you and me private.”
“What scheme are you plotting now?”
“If you lose, it’ll end up being known to all the students. Then your authority as a professor would hit rock bottom, wouldn’t it? I’m doing this for your sake.”
“……What?”
“Let me know once it’s approved. Goodbye.”
Banshi said only what she wanted to say and left the professor’s office.
‘Lord Arkis, wait for me. I think we need to meet Etar together.’
She earnestly thought so in her heart as she returned to the dormitory.
It was when I returned to the dormitory I had been assigned.
“……So this is the 5th Class.”
The size of the dormitory, even the furniture, was on another level.
At the very least, it was three times larger than the 3rd Class dormitory.
And all the furniture fully flaunted its luxury.
There was even a wardrobe, and when I opened it, there were various blankets prepared so they could be used according to the season.
There was even a private bathroom inside the dormitory room.
“This feels like I came to a hotel.”
Even at the magic academy in my previous life, I didn’t think it went this far. I wondered if it was really okay for it to be this good.
After roughly unpacking my things, a message came flying in through the Mob.
-Hello, student Artel?