Chapter 1 Part 4
Side: Proctor
“Now then, I wonder what this year’s rookies have in store?”
I sat down on a seat provided at the side of the battle stage.
I mean, this is really an appealing job.
It’s like getting rewarded for defeating a few monsters without risking your life, and this proctor job is highly contested among the high-ranking adventurers every year.
And the reason I was able to win this impartial lottery must be due to my good conduct.
Moreover, I’ve observed over two hundred damn kids in my career, and I’ve never seen a single diamond in the rough.
It’s really just a cushy job of watching the kids play.
Good, good, it looks like the battle royale has begun as I instructed.
“……That’s”
I couldn’t help but reflexively clasps both of my hands together in prayer.
For a wimpy guy and a slender girl are being surrounded by the other examinees.
Well, it’s a battle royale after all, so it’s standard practice to defeat the weakest bunch first.
“With this, two people are eliminated now, huh?”
It looks like this is going to be a smackdown for those two.
Perhaps they’ll surrender or get knocked off the battle stage and lose by ‘Ring Out’.
Right then and there, one of the examinees started to make a move on the black-haired boy and—
—The attacker danced.
No, that person—was flying through the air.
Every time the boy swings his sword, people would fly, and when he kicks, people would still fly.
The boy seems to be protecting the girl behind him and didn’t move from his spot.
“Without moving a step…? Is that how overwhelming the difference in ability is?”
This time, several examinees tried to jump the boy, but—as a result, they could only be seen flying through the air.
“What have I just witnessed……?”
That boy…isn’t his swordsmanship and physical ability strengthening techniques even more terrifying than mine?
Such monstrous strength is something that even an A-rank adventurer probably couldn’t compare.
“……Is she…going to activate a Level 3 Magic…behind the boy?”
The girl finished chanting the magic and a Level 3: Wind Blast, Sylphy’s Kiss, was activated.
A fierce gust of wind raged on the battle stage, and the ten or so people who had surrounded them were blown right off the stage.
Hey! Hey! What the hell is going on here? This isn’t the magic of a mere examinee, now is it?
That girl…why is she here to take the Magic Academy entrance exam?
“Anastasia? You can use Level 3 Magic?”
“Um, uh…yes. I’m good at magic”
……I don’t think it’s as simple as being good at it or anything like that. It’s a Level 3 Magic after all, you know? |TL Note: This part is the Proctor’s perspective, so these are all the Proctor’s thoughts|
“I see…but what’s the point of chanting?”
“Eh?”
The girl was surprised as I was too.
The boy however wasn’t surprised at all, on the contrary, it’s like casting magic without chanting is the norm for him.
What…what is it with these people?
“Look, this is what I mean. Level 4: Violent Gale Blast, Sylphy’s Lovers’ Kiss”
Roughly half of the remaining examinees were also blown away.
“Amazing…. Chantless magic…”
The girl sighs in admiration, but I more or less sigh in disbelief.
Is this some kind of a sick joke? To cast a Level 4 Magic right before enrolling!?
“Now then, shall we clean up the rest as well? Parallel Activation. Once more…Level 4: Violent Gale Blast, Sylphy’s Lovers’ Kiss”
Just as the boy said, the rest of the examinees were blown away.
With that, I ended up with snot starting to drip down my nose.
Oi, oi, oi. Wait a minute here—
—Parallel Activation with a Level 4 Magic!?
Where is this famous University of Magic that has announced its findings! How is that even possible!
Parallel Activation is something that the elites of Ephthal School has just started making progress on, you know?
“Well…I’ll teach you some magic next time”
“Ah, yes. Master used a Level 6 Magic back then, right? It was amazing”
Errr……….
I heard something strange just now…but I must have misheard it, right?
Level 6 Magic, she says…. No, let’s just say that I misheard her. I’m rather susceptible to the ‘smell of danger’ due to my previous line of work.
—Don’t get involved with them. No matter what happens, let’s just turn a blind eye to it. And…fade into the distance.
My sixth sense, as a veteran adventurer, is sounding alarms in my head.
So, the boy and the girl who had sent all the other examinees flying around them waved at me.
“We’re done over here, so what’s your verdict?”
Trying not to provoke them, I nodded and said with my best smile.
“Examinee number 447, examinee number 448…passed the first stage of the exam!”
Side: Ephthal
Well, I finally got the chance to take a proper exam, but the second stage of the entrance exam…or rather, the final stage of the exam is a lecture-based exam.
The venue for the first stage of the exam is part of the sports ground’s facilities.
In fact, the examinees aren’t even allowed to enter the main school building during the first stage of the exam.
Right now, I’m in a lecture hall……but as this is a prestigious school where the children of nobles attend as well, so it’s a magnificent school building.
The lecture hall is brimming with examinees, and the atmosphere is akin to a bustling festival.
As someone who grew up in the countryside, it’s a bit of a ‘culture shock’ for me.
No, I’ve experienced crowds in my past lives as well, but this and that are different.
Incidentally, this is a totally different topic, but in my previous life I was relentless in my pursuit of knowledge, so much so that I was given the nickname, ‘Scholar Emperor’.
Or rather…it’s because I didn’t have any talent, so I had no choice but to develop a lot of innovative magic theories to catch up with the other three Emperors even for just a little bit.
But the new theories that I had discovered would later become obsolete in a few years, too, so in the end, talented people had all the advantages after all….
I sighed. This is not good. The flashback of these unpleasant memories from my previous life is making me feel dizzy.
“Right!”, I yelled as I slapped my cheeks with both hands.
What’s my past stays in the past——and what’s now is now!
“The Academic Entrance Examination will now begin”
And so the four-hour-long exam began.
—Four hours later—
*Ding-Dong Ding-Dong Ding-Dong*. The exam ends with the sound of a bell.
I noticed something quite peculiar as I was taking the exam, there were an awful lot of questions.
But as ‘Scholar Emperor’, those questions were nothing but mere child’s play to me.
Inevitably, I was able to solve them with ease.
But it took me until just before the 4-hour time limit was up to finish all of the questions.
Nearing the end, I was in a hurry, so I skimmed through reading the questions and abbreviated my answers.
Nevertheless, I used to be a scholar.
Well, even when I take into account any careless mistakes and the hastily written and abbreviated answers, in the end…I guess I got about 95 points?
☆★☆★☆★
“How was the Academic Entrance Exam, Master?”
The exam has already ended, but Anastasia still asked me that in the cafeteria.
I mean, her gaze is always looking towards the ground, because of that, her bangs will constantly hide her face. She’s a beautiful girl, but all that beauty is really wasted since it is hidden.
“Well, I guess it was fine? What about Anastasia?”
“Ah, yes. I had received a proper education before…so I was able to do it. Maybe I can score about 270 points”
“Hmm? 270 points? What do you mean? Is the exam not based on a 100-point scale grading system?”
“……There were 200 questions in total, weren’t there?”
“Yeah. That was a lot of questions”
“There were 150 questions for Western Magic and 50 questions for Eastern Magic. It was then further divided into different categories: Offensive Magic, Recovery Magic, Support Magic and even Alchemy for enthusiasts. Overall there were around 20 genres with 10 questions each”
“Yeah. There were so many different genres, from all eras, countries and cultures. I was in a hurry towards the end because I didn’t have enough time. The questions were so easy that it would be my loss if I didn’t answer all of them…so I did my best to solve them with great haste”
Hearing that, Anastasia’s expression turned pale.
“Eh…? You…answered all the questions?”
“Yeah. Pretty much all of them. Though, there will probably be a lot of careless mistakes made due to the lack of time”
“Err…you know…”
“Yeah?”
“This exam uses a selective system, you know? And if you can even answer around 30 percent of the questions…then I think that would be more than enough to pass”
“……Come again? Selective system?”
“Err……the objective for this exam is to solve questions which involve your field of expertise in magic and then answer them. There are examinees who have only been brought up in Eastern Magic oriented families. There are also some, where they were raised solely in using Western Magic…so basically, mages who don’t know any other magic theories outside of their own field of expertise…they could only answer the questions that they know and are good at. That will help them reach a passing grade”
“In other words?”
“To answer all of the questions…is not even within the expectations of the exam setter. The highest possible mark you can get is 1,000 points…but if I…uh…can score 270 points out of 1,000 points…I would think that I’m already far better than the usual standard”
After that little clarification, I started to think about my predicament here.
I didn’t intend to stand out unnecessarily.
For the time being, I just want to become a student at the Magic Academy. Even if the goal is just to gain access to the academy’s facilities. I don’t want it to become difficult.
I could discreetly sneak out of class or use the facilities like the library after school to research on the magic aptitude and make breakthroughs on it.
That would be my ideal life at the Magic Academy.
Of course, it can’t be helped if I stand out, but I don’t think you can stand out too much by performing well in the entrance exam.
However….
If scoring 270 points is considered above standards and I got about 950 points….
Wow, I thought to myself.
“I…just did something…absurd…, didn’t I…?”
In response to my enquiry, while still looking down, Anastasia said this with her bangs still obscuring most of her face.
“Ah, yes. Probably…I think”
☆★☆★☆★
Inside the Headmaster’s Office of the Magic Academy
Each of the academic staff was holding a report in their hands and was stunned by its content.
“Examinee 448: Anastasia……282 points. This is unprecedented”
The headmaster nodded with satisfaction at those words.
“Even the other brilliantly known examinees only scored about 150 points. She seems to be a genius”
“Yes, I’m a little concerned about her demon lineage—but it appears that she had received an elite education”
“Speaking of the Demons, they are just like the Elves, but with slightly longer ears. Other than that, they are physically not that different from us Humans. Basically, demons are way better at using magic than the rest of us, and we should be thankful that she came to us instead of going to the Demon Academy”
“Even though Anastasia is outstanding…”
“Hmm?”
“There’s one person who is the exception”
“What do you mean?”
Puzzled, the academic staff turned over to the next page of the report.
“Examinee 447: Ephthal. We’ve got ourselves such an absurd student”
“Ephthal? To have the same name as the Emperor of the Thunder God……his parents are rather bold. For those of us who aspire to be mages, this is exceedingly blasphemous……”
“Yes, I agree. However, this examinee might really be the second coming of the Emperor of the Thunder God”
“The second coming of one of the legendary Four Emperors? Haha! Don’t be ridiculous!”
“Don’t be surprised when you hear this, headmaster. This child scored 958 points on the Academic Entrance Exam. It’s the highest score achieved since the implementation of the entrance examinations”
“958 points, you say!?”
“He answered all 200 questions and got over 95 percent of them correct. Of those correct ones, about 40 percent of them have the academic staff trying to comprehend the solutions. It’s just that the only thing they do know is that the answers are correct”
“What…did you just say? He gets more than 95 percent correct? No, that’s not the problem here…but to have answered all the questions…how is that even possible?”
“Yes, I couldn’t believe what I saw either. The handwriting was messy and the answers were almost illegible at the end, so I guess he was pressed for time. Maybe if he had more time, he probably would get them all correct”
The headmaster’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“And as for the first stage of the exam…out of 100 points…”
“How many points did he get?”
“It’s unmeasurable”
“Unmeasurable!? What do you mean by that?”
“Looks like he handled a Level 4 Magic alone”
“That’s already at the level of what the University of Magic teaches, isn’t it!?”
“Furthermore, it was a ‘Parallel Activation’ magic. It seems like he used two Level 4 magic at the same time”
“You’ve got to be kidding me, right!?”
“If we believe what’s written in the report is the absolute truth, then there’s no mistaking it”
“No, no, no, no!! Parallel Activation of Level 4 Magic, you say!? Even if I were to search for all the academic staff here, I doubt I will even find someone who can do that!?”
“In any case, I’ve been informed that his movement was not of any ordinary person during the exam”
“Hmm…well…the examinee 448: Anastasia…can be said to be amazing as well”
“Yes, normally the entire academic staff would be overjoyed for the admission of a talented child such as her, but…”
“That child called Ephthal is giving off some bad vibes…I can’t be excited about it at all”
After a moment’s thought, the headmaster started speaking.
“But…isn’t that…strange? There’s nothing for us to teach this child, Ephthal, is there?”
“……I feel the same way”
And so they all sighed deeply.
Everyone feels the same way on the matter.
Wondering—
—Why did such a troublesome person come to take the exam….
☆★☆★☆★
The next day.
The announcement of the entrance examinations’ results is to be displayed on the main notice board of the magic academy.
I was on my way to the notice board with a slight feeling of uneasiness……or rather, I was really anxious.
—No matter how I look at it, I definitely overdid things.
At any rate, I seem to have gotten an absurd score in the Academic Entrance Exam.
There’s nothing good about sticking out like a sore thumb, I just wanted to be as inconspicuous as possible….
Well, what’s done is done, right?
“Master is truly amazing”
said Anastasia bashfully, with her head still lowered, and her bangs hiding her face.
“No, it was a mistake. I’ve overdone it. Well, let’s leave that aside, and just check our exam results first”
We arrived in front of the main notice board.
“Let’s see…number 447…number 447…”
Hm?
That’s weird. I’m pretty sure I did well in all of the exams….
Even if I made some mistakes in the Academic Entrance Exam, that shouldn’t result in me failing.
I take a deep breath and try to look for the number 447 again.
This is really weird. I can’t find it at all.
Suddenly, Anastasia spoke up.
“Um, there…there it is. I’ve been accepted as an Honour Student”
Well, it seems like she did well in the Academic Entrance Exam, so that’s to be expected.
And as for me….
“Um……Master?”
“My number……is not on the notice board”
Ah, yeah. That’s it. Looks like I got rejected.
—Despite being one of the Four Emperors, It appears that I have failed.
Is it because I overdid it in the battle exam?
Or did I forget to write down my name during the Academic Entrance Exam?
“Uh…protest…let’s protest it. This doesn’t quite add up”
“No, let’s not do that because it’s rather disgraceful to do that”
Well, maybe I forgot to write my name down or something like that.
If that’s the case, then that’s just the way it is.
Anyway, for the time being, I’ll have to register with an Adventurer’s guild or something to earn a living. While having such thoughts, I could hear Anastasia gasped.
“Hm? What’s the matter?”
“Um…Master…what’s your full name?”
“It’s Ephthal…Ephthal Alcott. Why?”
Then, with a trembling finger, Anastasia pointed to the far end of the notice board—not the part where the examinee’s number is shown…but the part where various details regarding the examinations’ results.
Under that section, a note has been placed—
—It should be noted that Ephthal Alcott, who came first overall in the entrance examination, will pass and due to special circumstances, will become the main representative for Honour Students.
“Ah……”
I couldn’t help but make that sound.
Uh-oh, this is bad.
This will definitely make me stand out.
Unexpectedly, I was mentioned by name that I passed the entrance examination.
☆★☆★☆★
“As expected of Master, but I didn’t expect them to mention you by name that you pass…that’s really amazing”
For some reason, Anastasia said it proudly.
With her modest chest held high, she nods repeatedly to her satisfaction.
As for me, I can’t help but get a headache thinking of the many difficulties that lie ahead.
With that said, right now, I’m heading to the office which handles the registration for Honour Students in the academy.
“Uh…Master? It looks like the office for Honour Students is this way”
The direction Anastasia is pointing to does indeed have a sign that says Honour Students Affairs Office.
“Um…Master?”
“Hm? What’s the matter?”
“The main representative of Honour Students…sounds like it’s a big deal. Please take a look at this”
I took a look at the Admissions Handbook that Anastasia gave me.
“I see. This is fantastic”
It seems that there are several benefits.
・Free Tuition Fees
・Free Dormitory Fees
・Free Meals
・Payment of Wages and Special Allowance
In any case, it seems that the main representative of Honour Students is treated as academic staff.
Apparently, the representative acts as the face of the academy and is compelled to attend other academies’ entrance ceremonies, meet and greet political figures, and other public events.
While they are students, they are also required to perform various other official duties for the academy and that’s why they get paid.
Incidentally, according to the Admissions Handbook, there seems to be no way to decline this position. No, I should be grateful for this, I’m truly grateful.
—But this is far from my original goal. Especially when it comes to being forced to do official duties are a bit…. That just sounds like it would make me very busy.
Oh, and it seems that all Honour Students share the same benefits as well except that they don’t get paid, but I no longer have to worry about Anastasia’s living expenses for now.
And so, when I was about to walk up to the reception desk for the Honour Students Affairs Office….
“…Master? I think you should head over there”
Hm? I wonder what she means by that?
While thinking so, I looked towards the direction Anastasia was pointing at, and….
—Ephthal Alcott Reception.
A special corner was set up.
“What!!! Ephthal Alcott Reception!?”
Furthermore, the counter for the ‘Ephthal Alcott Reception’ is strangely the only luxurious one.
To add to that, a small banner can be seen hanging down from the counter with, “Welcome to the Magic Academy!!”, on it.
Um, yeah, my reception desk is clearly the only one out of place.
It’s attracting a lot of attention in ‘Who’s Ephthal?’ kind of way.
This is already….
Feeling dejected, I dropped my shoulders.
—Haa…I’m completely screwed….
Well, guess it can’t be helped, so I headed straight for the ‘Ephthal Alcott Reception’ desk.
On the way there, I casually glanced into the office and saw a certain face…………and that made me speechless.
I stopped right then and there. After thinking for a while, I stared at Anastasia.
“Anastasia?”
“Yes. What is it?”
“You’re Merlin’s…no, I mean Merlin-sama’s…”
I guess it’s strange to attach ‘sama’ to my apprentice’s name. Hmmm……what should I call her?
“Anyway, you’re Headmaster Merlin’s relative, aren’t you?”
As one of the best mages among the demon race right now, I heard that she is the headmaster of a prestigious Magic Academy for demons. So this would probably be the best way to put it.
“In a manner of speaking, yes I am”
“There’s a lot of relatives, but how far back does yours go?”
“Um…er…my…ten generations ago, the head of the family was the former Demon King-sama. And since Merlin-sama…is the daughter of the Demon King…so we’re related in a way”
Whoa, that’s so far back, rather it’s so distant that you two are practically strangers, isn’t it?
Then I turned my gaze to the office again and smiled wryly, “If you’re that far away, then you don’t really resemble Anastasia, do you?”
As expected of a half-vampire. She ages slowly, or rather, she maintained her youthfulness for a long time.
Based on the calendar, I’d say she’s about 430 years old, but she looks to be in her early 20s.
Somehow…my heart is beating fast.
Her chest has grown a lot, but she still has the same appearance as that time.
Either way, the person that’s walking around like she’s observing the inner surrounding of the office—that’s Merlin.
“Anastasia? Have you ever seen Headmaster Merlin?”
“Er…I’ve never seen her before”
“Hmm. Then let’s change the question…is it possible that Headmaster Merlin is walking in the office of our Magic Academy?”
“In the sense of friendship between humans and demons, I think it’s possible for them to overcome the racial barriers…and be invited in preparation for the academy entrance ceremony”
I see, so she was invited to the ceremony, and is now touring the academy, I guess.
That’s when Merlin glanced at us—
—She looked at me twice, or maybe thrice, and from there, her eyes went wide and she started to gasp.
Um, yeah.
Well, this is bound to happen.
After all, I do look a lot like I did in my previous life.
I’ve been reincarnated as a descendant of my own lineage, so that’s not strange. And that’s why I think I’m pretty much exactly alike in terms of presence.
People who knew me in the past would know what I used to look like when I was younger. So in that sense, they would get the impression that the current me looks exactly the same as I was in the past.
So it’s only natural that Merlin, who adored me so much in my previous life, would be surprised to see me now.
And that’s when I began to think—
—Now, what should I do…?
If I tell her that I’m the reincarnation of the Four Emperors here, it would be a disaster.
It’s true that I must tell Merlin about the situation at some point.
But this is definitely not the right time and place to say that, now is it?
Merlin came toward us with great haste, and the first thing she says is—
“Let’s get straight to the point. Are…are you…related to the Emperor of the Thunder God?”
In response, I smiled at her and said—
“Eh? What are you talking about? Ah, Anastasia! I’m starving…that’s right! Let’s go get lunch!”
Somewhat……or rather, forcefully, I took Anastasia by the hand and hurriedly ran away from my former apprentice.
