novelraw Chapter 94 : A New Exam (2)
Chapter 94 : A New Exam (2)
Chapter 94: A New Exam (2)
When I checked who it was, it turned out to be Ed Nylon, the teacher in charge of the Fire Element.
-Yes, hello.
-Have you finished unpacking? If so, could you come to the classroom? I heard Hei student is coming as well.
-Is it a class?
-No, even 5th Class has no classes in the afternoon, so it’s all free time. But before classes start tomorrow, I think I should explain the class format to you in advance. The Vice Headmaster also instructed me to explain it to you.
Through the message, I didn’t particularly sense any ill intent.
Come to think of it, Ed Balak, the teacher in charge of 3rd Class, had said that the class format of 5th Class would be somewhat unique.
He said it might be tough, or it might feel fun, so it wouldn’t hurt for me to know in advance how things would go.
In any case, 5th Class had even lost sparring sessions.
Preparation was necessary.
-I understand.
I replied like that, then met up with Hei and headed to the classroom Nylon had told us about.
-Father! So please give permission! I’ll straighten out this student’s attitude myself!
While Etar was in the Headmaster’s office, deeply engaged in conversation with Former, the school-issued Mob suddenly rang.
It was a call from his daughter, Sparkle, a 2nd Class professor.
For some reason, Sparkle, in a voice full of rage, abruptly went as far as demanding that 2nd Class also be allowed to conduct a special screening at the professor’s discretion.
Just by listening to the voice bursting out of the Mob, it was easy to picture her veins bulging as she spat out her opinion in a fit of fury.
“……?”
Former merely watched with a dumbfounded expression.
Sparkle was his younger sister, but since she had grown up in the Draco Family from childhood, they had never really met separately.
However, he had long heard that among the Ed Family mages, her temperament was the most fiery.
In truth, calling it fiery was putting it nicely; to be precise and coldly accurate, it meant she was somewhat reckless and childish for someone holding the position of professor.
‘What on earth happened this time?’
“First, calm down. Explain why you’re making such a suggestion.”
Already accustomed to Sparkle’s tantrums, Etar knew well how to calm her down.
Sparkle emphasized the rude remarks Banshi had shown during her interview with her and explained what had happened between them.
At the same time—
The expressions of Former and Etar changed.
“You’re saying that a student named Banshi asked to be sent if she won after sparring with you directly?”
-Yeees! There has to be a limit to being ill-mannered! How dare she challenge a professor to a spar? What was she even like in 1st Class?!
This was practically shouting until her throat would give out.
-I’ll thoroughly fix that student’s attitude! So I need justification! Give me permission! Hurry!
“Sparkle, isn’t it you who needs to fix your attitude? Do you even know what kind of situation we’re in right now? Being swayed by personal emotions like this……”
In the end, Former, unable to just watch any longer, chimed in.
They had never seen each other face to face, but since they had contacted each other a few times, they were at least close enough for him to say this much.
-What? Who are you? You’re Root, right? You think I’ll go easy on you because you’re my brother? I’m this furious right now—did you feed family affection to wild beasts? In this situation, you’re taking that student’s side? Get down here right now!
But as expected, it didn’t get through to her at all.
“Haah…….”
Etar soon covered his face and rubbed it dryly.
There had been no special reason for appointing Sparkle as a 2nd Class professor.
Sparkle had particular difficulty controlling her emotions.
Usually, as one’s Circle rose, one learned how to rein in one’s emotions, but Sparkle failed to do so.
Worried that placing her as an upper-class professor would surely cause friction with students, he had appointed her to the relatively lowest position, that of a 2nd Class professor.
In truth, he hadn’t originally intended to give her even the 2nd Class professor position.
But she had pestered him so much that, in the end, he gave in with a father’s heart.
When Sparkle used magic while enraged, the disparity in her mana depending on her emotions was so severe that even he himself, the head of the Ed Family, couldn’t properly extinguish that fire.
In fact, there had once been an incident where she had burned down a building of the Ed Family’s Main Residence.
“Sparkle, calm down. I’ll hear your suggestion. But don’t go too far. Understood?”
Already suffering headaches from matters outside the school, and now with his unruly daughter acting like this, Etar felt as if his head were about to burst.
-Public or private, that’s my choice too, right?
“……Yes.”
“Hey, Sparkle. Do you even realize what kind of time this is, acting on such personal feelings like that……”
-Shut up!
“…….”
Right now, there truly was nothing that Sparkle could see.
-Oh, right! Father! If that student loses to me, it’s okay to expel her, right? It’s punishment for talking back to a professor.
Former didn’t say anything and desperately shook his head.
It wasn’t about protecting Banshi, but about expulsion being decided purely by personal emotions.
“…….”
Etar also glanced at Former, but in the end, he answered.
“……Yes.”
-Thank you, Father!
Having obtained what she wanted, Sparkle unilaterally cut off the Mob.
“Headmaster! How can you so readily allow that in a situation like this?!”
Now, the target of reproach became Etar.
“……You know Sparkle’s personality too. She’s a daughter who would burn down the entire 2nd Class if I don’t grant her request.”
“Even so!”
“But still, setting aside that Banshi student demanded a special screening…… aren’t the conditions a bit extreme?”
Etar calmly focused on the demands Banshi had put forward.
“……Yes. That’s true.”
A spar with a professor.
It wasn’t a condition that could come from the mind of a normal student.
“But how could you allow expulsion like that? Looking at Banshi student’s 1st Class grades, she’s quite a promising talent. If raised properly, she could even have been used as a next-generation Sculptor.”
Former’s head was filled with nothing but Sculptors.
He had judged Banshi, along with Kiena and Hei, to be a talent who would lead the next generation of Sculptors.
“I know. That’s why I’ll find out when the schedule is. If expulsion is decided, you go then and end it with a demotion to 1st Class.”
“Even then, wouldn’t the manipulation be discovered after a year anyway?”
“……Then we’ll have to swap professor positions with Professor Nide.”
“She’s already dissatisfied being a 2nd Class professor; would she readily accept being sent to 1st Class?”
“That’s when I’ll have to step in.”
When Etar truly got angry, no matter how much it was Sparkle, she would at least tuck her tail between her legs.
“But what if Banshi student wins?”
As he said that, Etar subtly placed his hopes on Banshi.
“No way.”
Former strongly denied it.
The classroom we arrived at.
Ed Nylon, the teacher in charge, was waiting for us.
The 5th Class Fire Element classroom was different from 3rd Class.
There was a blackboard, and desks for students to sit at were placed plainly.
However, unlike 1st Class, it wasn’t arranged in tiers.
It was an ordinary classroom where the podium and desks were aligned in a straight line.
Nylon greeted us with his hips leaning against the podium, arms crossed.
‘Why are there only two desks?’
I focused on that point.
It felt as if it meant there were only Hei and me as students.
“Wondering why there are only two desks?”
Nylon quickly read my gaze.
“Yes.”
“You’ve got a sharp eye. That’s right, there are only you two as 5th Class Fire Element students.”
“……What?”
Hei was actually more surprised.
I didn’t show much surprise.
The reason was simple.
From 1st Class onward, this school looked desperate to expel students.
And as the class level rose, the total number of students naturally decreased.
It was the same even in the Magic Academy of my previous life, so it wasn’t strange at all.
Besides, this was 5th Class.
A place only for advanced mages.
Since not every student who enrolled in the school could become an advanced mage, and since this was already the Ed Branch School with the fewest students overall, this wasn’t unreasonable.
‘Even so, having just the two of us is a bit much. I thought there’d be at least one more.’
“Alright, sit down for now.”
Still, Nylon kindly guided us to our seats.
Once we sat at the desks, he began explaining while still leaning against the podium.
“Have you heard about me?”
“Yes. Teacher Balak, who was in charge of 3rd Class, told us. He said you’re Teacher Balak’s older brother…….”
Hei answered.
“That guy really does have a knack for saying unnecessary things. Yes, that’s right.”
Nylon shook hands with Hei and me in turn, then took his place at the podium again.
“Alright, I’ll explain my class format in advance. Because that’s how it’ll be starting tomorrow.”
The moment I focused on his next words—
“My class doesn’t exist.”
“……?”
“Yes?”
For a moment, I wondered if I had misheard.
There’s no class?
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
“I mean exactly what I said. I don’t conduct lessons. Or should I say it’s a self-directed class? Check the drawers under your desks.”
Following his instruction, I checked the drawer, and several books were inside.
All of them were books explaining the types and characteristics of Fire Element magic appropriate for the 5th Circle level.
“They’re books for you. You can self-study with those. That’s the entirety of my class. Of course, even if it’s self-study, you don’t have to do it in the classroom. Cafeteria, library, dormitory, wherever you are becomes the classroom, so the location doesn’t matter.”
I quietly raised my hand.
“Yes, Artel.”
“If there’s no class, how do we take the exam to advance to 6th Class?”
“Oh, good question.”
Nylon answered while snapping his fingers.
“Alright, I’ll explain the student ability evaluation as well. My student ability evaluation happens exactly once. It will be held at 10 a.m. on the last Friday of December, when the semester ends.”
The last Friday of December.
That was also the semester end date for Class 0 and 1st Class.
“You’ll self-study with the books I gave you and create magic of your own. I’ll look at that and evaluate it. However, if even one spell is found to be duplicated or similar in nature to something in those books, it’s a failure. How about it, simple, right?”
“…….”
It certainly suited an advanced class.
The magic we had learned so far was all something someone else had already created.
That was why it had names and was widely known.
An advanced mage had to create magic of their own, not just use magic defined by others.
That was the condition for advancing from 5th Class to 6th Class.
But for me, it was an easy task that required no concern, just like in 1st or 3rd Class. The problem was Hei.
Creating magic of his own after only learning magic taught by others would feel to Hei like a task with the same difficulty as creating a world.
When I subtly checked Hei’s expression, my expectation was correct.
Eyes tightly scrunched, cheek being scratched for no reason.
He was already showing how overwhelming it felt.
“That’s all. Even if you’re curious about something, don’t ask. It’s all written in those books anyway. Then I’ll see you at the student ability evaluation.”
Having finished his explanation, Nylon left the classroom just like that.
“……Artel, it’ll be okay, right?”
But Hei looked like he had regained some confidence.
Could it be that magic had already come to him?
“Okay in what way?”
“Wouldn’t I be able to make at least one within five years?”
Damn it…… that won’t do.