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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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“Out of 871 examinees in the second exam, 184 have passed.”
“There’s a surprising number of exceptionally talented individuals.”
“Quite a few have already mastered magic or are unconsciously utilizing it.”
“Contrary to our initial prediction that the majority would be of noble birth, the actual ratio is about half. It seems our goal of attracting hidden talents has been successfully achieved.”
The examiners’ voices buzzed with excitement at the unexpectedly positive results.
A little distance away, three individuals stood facing each other.
Istal, the woman with hair the color of blood, spoke first.
“So, what brings you here? You’re not just here for a casual stroll, are you?”
The sharply dressed gentleman with slicked-back black hair replied to her question, which was ambiguous in its intent.
“Naturally, I’m here to observe. I contributed to the development of the combat dolls, and more importantly, these are the students I’ll be teaching.”
“There’s still the third exam left.”
“That’s just a formality, a simple interview.”
“Now, now, both of you, calm down. We’ll be working together for the next few years, so there’s no need to be hostile.”
Surprisingly, the one who intervened between the bickering man and woman was a young boy who looked no older than ten.
Bright, round eyes and flawless skin. Even his snow-white hair added to his mystical charm.
Despite the pretty boy’s words, which would normally make anyone who adored cute things want to hug him, the two adults remained unmoved.
“And you, do you really intend to teach looking like that? Frankly, I think it’s a crime.”
“Act your age, old man. Do you enjoy deceiving children?”
“Huh? What do you mean…?”
The two adults clicked their tongues at the boy’s seemingly innocent blinking, then moved on to a different topic.
The gentleman with the slicked-back hair spoke first.
“Over ten examinees defeated the combat dolls without relying on the rings’ enhancement effects. I didn’t see many proficient in spellcasting, but that’s fine since we’ll have to re-teach them everything about magic anyway.”
“On the other hand, there are quite a few who excel in martial arts and physical abilities. They’ll become strong quickly once they learn how to use ‘Reinforcement’ properly.”
“I’m very pleased to see so many outstanding students from the temples. By the way, did any particular students catch your eye?”
Istal answered immediately.
“That girl, Regret. I’m taking her. It’s already impressive that she destroyed a combat doll barehanded without using any magic, but the fact that she did it while under a penalty is even more remarkable. That Crow Vein kid seems promising too. And that muscular fellow over there isn’t bad either.”
The man with the slicked-back hair continued,
“Hmm, in terms of sheer talent, there’s no one else besides her, the one who received the highest score in the preliminary exam. But in terms of teaching potential, that Chrom Midas boy seems interesting. After all, adaptability is key to magic. Other than that, those twins from the Morian Kingdom seem worth teaching.”
The white-haired boy, who had asked the first question, finally spoke.
“I’ll definitely be taking Akasha, the youngest paladin. And since that girl, Fiore, is from the temple, I should take her as well. And that green-haired girl, and the blue-haired one, and, hmm, that black-haired one too—”
“We were supposed to choose students we want to teach, not girls we want to hit on, so please restrain yourself.”
“No, go ahead, old man. It’ll give us a legitimate excuse to throw you in jail.”
“Honestly, you brats and your foul mouths… Uh, ahem. What are you talking about! I’m perfectly respectable!”
The three professors’ discussion about the Academy’s first students, their future disciples, continued for quite some time.
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During the break after the second exam, the surviving examinees listened intently to the announcement from the examiners.
[The third exam will consist of individual interviews. Please proceed to the designated location as instructed—]
Regret, who had received a scolding from me for breaking several high-quality weapons, muttered,
“…Do they intend to call us in one by one and make us fight one-on-one?”
Fiore, who had barely survived her group, which unfortunately included several examinees from the Sphero Kingdom, thanks to the help of a fellow paladin from the same temple, added,
“They might teleport us to some mysterious dimension with a magic circle and tell us to find our way back.”
Lotto, who had been forced to perform an impromptu striptease when his clothes got caught on a branch while being chased by a combat doll, spoke in a serious tone,
“Chrom-nim, could I borrow some poison? The strong kind.”
Sighing at the pervasive atmosphere of distrust, I said,
“No, this time it’s just a normal interview, so you don’t have to be so nervous.”
“Is there anything truly ‘normal’ by this Academy’s standards?”
Uh… well, when you put it that way…
I was momentarily swayed by Lotto’s question, but I didn’t expect any more dangerous tests.
Even in the original “Planetarium,” the interview was relatively normal, and as long as you didn’t give any ridiculously strange answers, you could pass easily.
‘It seems like there will be more students enrolled than I expected.’
I had anticipated around a hundred, but judging by the current situation, it seemed like there would be almost double that.
It was an unexpected outcome, but not a bad one.
Considering the numerous incidents that would occur at the Academy, the more and varied the talent, the better.
My only regret was that I hadn’t found any other ‘Template’ holders during the exams.
It was a difficult task, as I didn’t know their names or appearances and could only infer from their backgrounds…
[Chrom Midas. Examinee Chrom Midas, please proceed to the designated location.]
Hearing the announcement, I stopped my thoughts.
“I’ll be back.”
“Go fleece the examiners like you always do.”
“Oh, I’ll bleed them dry.”
After exchanging frivolous farewells with Regret, I started walking.
Following the examiner waiting outside the waiting room, I headed to the designated location. I saw someone coming out from the opposite end of the hallway.
‘The person before me?’
At first, I didn’t pay much attention, but as we got closer, their appearance became clearer.
Sunset-colored eyes shone softly within a perfectly proportioned face, the epitome of the golden ratio.
Her crimson hair, tied up in a half-updo, resembled flickering flames, and her dress, which exuded an air of luxury just from its texture, perfectly balanced practicality and beauty.
‘…This is…’
I wouldn’t have been this surprised if it were just her beauty.
What caught my attention was something else.
I had felt something similar before.
While assisting with family matters before coming to the Academy, I had encountered long-standing nobles and retired high-ranking officials.
A certain aura, unique to those with status, lineage, and experience.
This woman, who was at most a year or two older than me, and much younger if you considered my past life, exuded a charisma that surpassed anything I had ever felt before.
My involuntary pause caught the attention of her sunset-colored eyes.
“…Are you next? I wish you the best of luck at the Academy.”
Calm and gentle words of encouragement.
Upon hearing them, an instinctual certainty struck me.
“Thank you for your kind words. I’m quite flattered by such encouragement from a beautiful lady.”
This was her.
The Template holder I had been searching for.
A true monster, capable of achieving the impossible.
My tongue moved faster than my thoughts.
“I am Chrom Midas. If it’s not too forward, would you grant me the honor of knowing your name?”
“Not at all,” she replied gracefully and confidently, revealing her name.
“I am Lyla Everblaze Barhardt, gentleman with the monocle.”
「Two contrasting bloodlines flowed within him (her): that of the invader and the invaded.」
「As one with Imperial blood, he (she) bore immense expectations. Another with the qualities of a hero, following in the footsteps of the Great Emperor.」
「As one with Royal blood, he (she) bore immense expectations. The one who would finally destroy the Empire and avenge the fallen Kingdom.」
「Possessing an overwhelming charisma and a talent for magic that could only be described as the love of mana, the blessed seed of a hero was bound by countless chains from the moment of his (her) birth.」
A minor member of the Barhardt Imperial family.
And one who carried the blood of the Morian royal family which was humiliated and destroyed by the Barhardt Empire.
The ‘Heir of Red and Blue Blood’ smiled elegantly.
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So, it seems like we have some info about relevant characters in the next arc:
Professors:
-Firebrand General with fierce loyalty to the previous emperor, but got sidelined for not playing ball with the politicians, will be teaching the “Martial Classes”
-Gentleman(?) Wizard, not much is known
-(Fake)Shota Priest(?), has ties with the Temple and is a womanizer with a weird fetish
Students:
-Lotto(A.K.A. male comedic relief sidekick), if this was a Chinese novel he would be a fat guy who everyone openly calls Fatty [insert generic Chinese name]
-Kirit- I mean, Crow Vein, dual wielding harem edgelord
-Green Haired girl, has a mercenary mindset, is an archer(?)
-Bookworm(?), struggles with paradoxical sentences and feels indebted to people who advise him about it, seems really strong since his weapon of choice was throwing rocks at people
-Akasha the youngest paladin, we didn’t actually see her
-Muscular Guy(?), was mentioned in passing, might be the Bookworm(?), might be the Proud Barbarian
-Twins from Morian kingdom, good at magic, might be important to Lyla’s character arc
-Lyla, which is our third “Template Character”, with the only other we know being the Proud Barbarian, presumably will be the main mage in the MC’s party to round out the basic roles(Warrior, Thief, Priest and Mage)