—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
[-Attention, examinees. The designated time has ended. We hereby announce the conclusion of the first stage of the main exam. Any examinees who have not yet reached the destination are automatically disqualified.]
[The total number of examinees who have passed the first stage is 872. Congratulations to those who have passed.]
[The second stage will begin tomorrow at 07:00 sharp. All examinees who passed the first stage must be present in the central plaza before the start time.]
[Those who have not yet been assigned temporary accommodations, please speak to the Imperial guards in armor for assistance.]
[Food and medicine provided in the assigned accommodations are free to use.]
Letting the broadcast announcement pass through one ear and out the other, Regret reached for the food storage unit in the corner of the room.
A wave of cool air flowed out as she opened the door, a clear sign that this storage unit was a magic tool powered by magic stones and inscribed runes.
Its official name was something like “Room Temperature Magic Storage Unit,” but ever since Chrom had dubbed it a “refrigerator,” everyone in the Midas mansion had adopted the term.
“Wow, to think they’d put one of these in every room of the temporary accommodations. As expected of the Empire. In the Sphero Kingdom, only the well-off middle class can afford to have one in their homes.”
“A refrigerator?”
“Refrigerator? Ah, what a simple name. Did Regret-unnie come up with that nickname?”
“Your oppa did.”
“Just like him,” Fiore chuckled.
Even Regret, who was generally indifferent to appearances, found Fiore’s ever-changing expressions and snow-white skin captivating.
Her smile was a world away from Chrom’s mischievous grin, which always seemed to hint at some prank. It made Regret wonder if they were truly related by blood.
“What do you think the second exam will be about?”
Fiore tapped her cheek thoughtfully at Regret’s question.
“Well, it depends on how many successful candidates the Academy wants. Judging by the difficulty of the preliminary and first main exams, they seem more intent on selecting students who already possess a certain level of ability, rather than teaching them from scratch.”
“Chrom said they’re probably aiming for around 100.”
“Oppa did? Hmm.”
Fiore closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them.
“…Then it’s likely to be a game of musical chairs. In other words, a competition. Perhaps only a certain number can survive, or you have to eliminate someone else to pass, something like that. It would be the most effective way to reduce the number of participants.”
Regret asked, slightly incredulous,
“Aren’t the successful candidates supposed to study together at the same institution? The atmosphere is going to be terrible from the start.”
“If they cared about that, they would have conducted the first main exam differently. Perhaps the person in charge of the exam has a rather eccentric personality.”
“Well, no one’s as eccentric as your father or brother.”
They both laughed.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
[-Greetings, examinees. Welcome to the second stage of the main exam! By the way, any lazy trash who hasn’t gathered in the central plaza by now is immediately disqualified! Congratulations! Give yourselves a round of applause for becoming stepping stones for others!]
“…It’s hard to say who’s more eccentric.”
“…I agree.”
On the morning of the second exam, Regret and Fiore exchanged looks as they listened to the young woman’s venomous words blasting from the podium.
I didn’t know what they were referring to, but it certainly wasn’t pleasant to listen to such high-strung ranting first thing in the morning.
And unlike the other examinees, who could treat it as someone else’s problem, the reactions of those who had actually been disqualified were much more intense.
“Y-you’re kidding!”
“You can’t disqualify us for something like this!”
“You never even said anything about that!”
About twenty people who had been disqualified without even taking the second exam vehemently protested to the woman on the podium.
These were the examinees who had overslept due to the exhaustion accumulated from a week of traversing the forest, or who had been dawdling and rushed out in a panic after hearing the disqualification announcement.
While it might seem incomprehensible to be late for such an important exam, even in my past life, where I could easily check the time anywhere, there were always those who were habitually late.
And in this world, where wristwatches were considered luxury items and the concept of time was more fluid,
It was a wonder only this many people out of over eight hundred were late.
Even Lotto, next to me, had been about to check his luggage again and again, just to make sure he hadn’t forgotten anything, and I had practically dragged him out by force to avoid disqualification.
[So, you’re objecting to my judgment? I clearly announced yesterday that the exam would start at 07:00 sharp. Am I wrong?]
The woman on the podium tilted her head and asked the armored soldier standing behind her, facing the latecomers who looked ready to strangle her.
The soldier replied firmly,
“We repeatedly announced that everyone should gather in the central plaza before the designated time, but we didn’t explicitly state that being late would result in disqualification, Istal-nim.”
“I see,” the woman called Istal nodded.
Thinking that things were going their way, the disqualified examinees relaxed slightly.
But their hopes were dashed by the woman’s next words.
[Then let’s establish it now. If you’re late, you’re disqualified. I’m in charge of the second exam, after all.]
As she clapped her hands together with a “Ta-da! Problem solved!” gesture, the latecomers’ anger finally exploded.
“What the hell is wrong with this crazy bitch!? Hey, soldier! Stop the bullshit and bring us the real person in—”
The man’s angry outburst was cut short.
The woman, who had been on the podium just a moment ago, was suddenly in front of him, slapping him across the face.
The result of that simple action was far from ordinary.
-Crack!
A sickening sound of something breaking echoed as something crumpled.
The woman’s handprint was clearly imprinted on the man’s iron helmet, as if it were made of clay.
As if that wasn’t enough, the man’s body spun like a windmill, crashing to the ground and bouncing several times before finally coming to a stop.
“………….”
A silence so profound that even breathing seemed to cease descended upon the plaza.
Those who lacked skill were frozen, their minds unable to process what had just happened.
Those with some ability gulped reflexively or their eyes gleamed at the glimpse of the woman’s power.
The soldier who had been talking to the woman earlier spoke in a sigh-like tone,
“Istal-nim, His Majesty instructed us not to kill the examinees.”
“Did I kill him? I was just giving him a little warning for his bad manners.”
At those words, all eyes turned to the man lying on the ground.
Seeing him motionless, his neck twisted at an unnatural angle, they all thought the same thing.
‘Isn’t he dead?’
The soldiers who had gathered around the fallen examinee checked his condition, then straightened his neck, poured a potion down his throat, and carried him away on a stretcher.
They clearly weren’t doing this for the first time.
“Istal-nim.”
“Sigh, yes, yes. Then let’s just give them a warning instead of disqualifying them. No more of this, okay? Understood, everyone?”
The latecomers, having witnessed someone nearly turned into a corpse right before their eyes, nodded stiffly, like wooden puppets.
They probably wouldn’t have objected even if she had disqualified them.
Passing the exam was important, but staying alive was even more so.
I stared intently at the woman as she returned to the podium and grabbed the microphone.
Her asymmetrical leather outfit clung tightly to her body, accentuating her curves. Her long, crimson hair, reaching down to her thighs, resembled flowing blood, but even that added to her unbalanced charm, complementing her striking beauty.
Istal von Levenstein.
She was a significant figure in “Planetarium.”
A woman who had risen to the rank of the youngest general in the Barhardt Empire due to her high status and exceptional skill, but whose eccentric personality had led the other officers to complain, resulting in her being pushed into a teaching position at the Academy, a move that was practically exile.
However, she was fiercely loyal to the former emperor and undeniably capable, making her an “excellent” professor in that sense.
And her notorious personality wasn’t unique to her; all three of the Academy’s representative professors were known for their eccentricities.
‘She’s one of the strongest on the continent and one of the best users of the Three Magic Lights, the “Red Light.” The perfect mentor for Regret. Well, Regret’s going to have a tough time, but…’
Ignoring Regret, who looked at me quizzically, I kept my gaze on the podium.
It wasn’t me who was going to suffer, after all. Good luck, Regret.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
