After leaving the test room,
I headed back to the spot where I had been talking with Cain and Senia.
But they were nowhere to be seen.
Instead…
Only one man stood there, drawing the attention of everyone around him.
“Uncle.”
Flawless, impeccable features.
A towering, imposing figure with perfectly proportioned physique.
An air of cold precision and effortless elegance exuding from his entire being.
Kaisel Valencia stood there, waiting for me without the slightest attempt to conceal his presence.
“Follow me, Eriol.”
As soon as he confirmed my face, Kaisel turned and walked away.
I quickly followed behind him.
“I’ll take you to your lodging. Get in.”
Stepping outside the First Research Hall, I saw a ‘car’ parked on the road.
But it wasn’t a carriage.
There were no horses to pull it.
“This is…”
“A magic-powered four-wheeler. It runs on a magitech engine.”
“I know that much. I just didn’t expect it to already be in practical use. And in such a sleek design, no less.”
“It’s a prototype from the Academy’s engineering division. I got my hands on it under the condition that I personally test it. If there are no issues, they plan to start mass production.”
“So basically, you got it for free?”
“That’s right.”
The magic-powered four-wheeler had a different structure from an ordinary carriage.
First of all, it had no roof, and its body was long from front to back.
Its glossy black finish gave it a luxurious feel that matched Kaisel well.
“Sit in the passenger seat.”
“The passenger seat?”
“The seat without the steering wheel.”
Since Kaisel had already taken the driver’s seat, I simply sat beside him.
“We’re leaving.”
With a slight jolt, the magic-powered four-wheeler began to move.
As we sped along the road usually traveled by carriages, the cool wind whipped through my hair.
“Uncle.”
“What is it?”
“The seats are more comfortable than I expected.”
“They should be.”
“Can I read a book?”
“No.”
“…Understood.”
With no other choice, I gazed at my surroundings.
Come to think of it, this was the first time I had leisurely taken in the scenery of the Academy.
It’s certainly… vast.
Ars Magna Academy was a city built atop an island.
It wasn’t just home to students and faculty—merchants and various professionals lived here as well, forming an independent economy.
I’d even heard that there was an entertainment district at the far edge of the island, packed with taverns and gambling dens.
I’ll be staying in the guest lodgings tonight… but starting tomorrow, I’ll likely move into the dormitory.
Just as that thought crossed my mind and I turned to look in the direction of the dorms—
A cold voice came from the seat beside me.
“What were your aptitude test results?”
“Reading.”
“As expected.”
Kaisel didn’t seem surprised by my answer at all.
“Did you already suspect my origin would be Reading, Uncle?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“I’ll tell you one thing, Eriol.”
Kaisel spoke while keeping his hands on the steering wheel.
“A true mage never shows his hand too easily.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Could this be related to that time I accidentally solved a professor’s research problem in a journal?
“This morning’s entrance exam—grading was completed 30 minutes ago.”
“That was fast. How is that possible? Magic?”
“No. We overworked the teaching assistants.”
“…”
I felt a brief pang of sympathy.
“Do you want to know your score?”
“I can check it tomorrow morning anyway, can’t I?”
“Your scores: 100 in the first test, 90 in the second, 100 in the third, and 100 in the fourth.”
“…”
So… 390 out of 400.
“You made a calculation error in the second test—lost 10 points for that.”
“I guess arithmetic is my weak point.”
“Even so, you ranked first in arithmetic, Eriol.”
Kaisel continued, staring straight ahead.
“Of course, you ranked first in all other subjects as well. In other words… you’re the top student overall.”
Top of the class.
A result beyond my expectations.
“Do you want to know why you achieved such high scores?”
“I’d like to.”
“It’s a matter of reading comprehension.”
“Reading comprehension?”
“The difficulty of the entrance exam comes from the complexity of its problems. Most students take nearly ten minutes just to understand a single question. In other words, if you can grasp the question quickly, answering it isn’t particularly difficult.”
Now that he mentioned it… Kaisel was right.
“How long did it take you to understand the questions?”
“I just… understood them as I read.”
“Freak.”
It sounded like an insult, but it was probably a compliment.
“Once this result is revealed, the professors at the Academy won’t stay quiet.”
“You think so?”
“Yes. They’ll all start paying attention to you.”
As another carriage crossed in front of us at an intersection, the magic-powered four-wheeler came to a brief stop.
“As you know, new students are divided into classes based on their entrance exam scores.”
“Yes, I’m aware.”
“But that class division only lasts for the first year. After that, students apply to the department they wish to join.”
“And selection is based on grades?”
“Right. Each department has a set number of openings. Even if you want to enter a specific field, if students with higher grades apply, you won’t get in.”
“I imagine the mid-tier students will engage in a fierce battle of strategy.”
“But that’s not a concern for the top-ranking students. Instead, it’s the departments that will fight over them.”
“A battle over students…”
“Of course, they won’t start fighting over you from day one. It’s hard to judge a student’s true talent based on just the entrance exam.”
“That makes sense.”
“They’ll test you in various ways to determine whether your abilities are genuinely valuable.”
Kaisel restarted the magic-powered four-wheeler.
“It’s inevitable. At this point, the only ones who truly understand your potential are me… and Professor Horizon of the Elemental Studies Department.”
“I met him earlier in the test room.”
“Yes, he must have sensed something during yesterday’s incident. He was the one who handled the aftermath.”
“Professor Horizon seemed quite impressed with my aptitude for Reading.”
“What did you think when you heard that?”
“Hmm… I let it go in one ear and out the other.”
That was true.
Professor Horizon had spoken in grand terms, but I had simply replied, “I see,” and left the test room.
“I didn’t have enough knowledge to take his words at face value.”
“Good. That was the right choice for now.”
Kaisel nodded.
“Just remember that you possess a different kind of potential from others. As a new student, focus on demonstrating your abilities freely.”
“If I stand out too much, won’t I become the target of the battle for students?”
“Does that scare you?”
“I was considering reserving a spot in your Principles Department in advance.”
The Principles Department—
One of the ten major departments at Ars Magna Academy, dedicated to studying the fundamental laws governing this world.
Kaisel was the head of that department.
“Ridiculous. Who said I’d let you in?”
“Ah… right, I need good grades to get in, don’t I?”
“No, I only allow students I personally approve into the Principles Department. Even if a student ranks first in the entire school, if I don’t like them, they’re out.”
“Is that really allowed?”
“Remember this, Eriol. The head of a department is the king of that department.”
“I hope we transition to a constitutional monarchy soon.”
“But if you want to enter the Principles Department, you’ll have to be at least first in the entire school.”
“At least first… What if I don’t rank first?”
“Then you’re not necessary.”
Before I knew it, we had arrived in front of the dormitory.
Kaisel stopped the magic carriage and looked at me.
“If I want you, it means you possess a truly unique and irreplaceable value.”
“……”
“If your grades are mediocre, I won’t bother wanting you.”
Hearing his high-handed words, I let out a small chuckle.
“I could achieve first place and still choose a different department.”
“That’s your choice. If you want to join another department, I won’t stop you.”
Surprisingly, Kaisel was quite cool about it.
“But make sure you rank first.”
Kaisel met my eyes as he spoke.
“That’s why I brought you to the academy in the first place.”
“Uncle…”
“Of course, you’ll need a proper reward to stay motivated.”
A reward, huh?
I wondered what kind of reward this man could offer.
“You’re aware that the six Forbidden Tomes are stored in the Deep Library, which only professors can access.”
“Yes.”
“How about this?”
Under the darkening night sky, Kaisel narrowed his eyes.
“If you complete your first-year course with the highest overall score… I’ll grant you access to one of the six Forbidden Tomes.”
At those words, I was speechless for a moment.
But as Kaisel observed my reaction, he smiled faintly.
“Good. That’s the look I wanted to see, Eriol Valencia.”
Kaisel looked quite satisfied.
“I’ll be expecting great things from you.”
For a man like Kaisel Valencia, that was the highest form of encouragement.
The next day.
I headed to the “Main Plaza” in front of the academy’s main building to attend the entrance ceremony.
There were over a thousand new students, plus their families and spectators who had come to celebrate, making for a massive crowd.
I pushed through the crowd and entered the plaza.
When I input my exam number into the artifact at the entrance, it directed me to my assigned seat.
“Hey, Eriol!”
As I searched for my seat, I heard Cain’s voice.
“You’re in this section too?”
“Yeah, I’m…”
I checked the number on the chair and realized—it was the front row.
“Eriol is here too?”
To top it off, the seat next to mine belonged to Senia.
As I sat down, Cain leaned forward from behind.
“It looks like the closer you are to the front, the higher your entrance exam score was.”
“Really?”
“By the looks of it… we’re all in the top-class section.”
It didn’t seem like the seats were assigned numerically, but rather based on exam rankings.
“Eriol, your uncle showed up yesterday, so we had to leave first. He told us to go ahead.”
“I figured as much.”
“But… did something happen to you?”
“What do you mean?”
“I dunno, your eyes… seem different.”
“Oh, now that you mention it.”
Cain and Senia tilted their heads as they studied my face.
“It’s nothing.”
As we chatted, the entrance ceremony officially began.
“We will now commence the entrance ceremony for Ars Magna Academy.”
A young man stepped onto the podium and began speaking in a composed voice.
“First, the headmaster will formally approve the new students. Then, the freshman pledge will be recited. After that…”
Just then, a voice called out from the opposite side of Senia.
“Hey.”
It was Monarch Orson, whom I had met yesterday. Judging by his seat placement, he was also in the top-class section.
“So, you made it into the top class too.”
“……”
“I apologize for yesterday. From now on, as fellow top-class students, we’ll be competing against each other. Let’s get along.”
His tone was casual, but when I didn’t respond, he frowned.
“Hey, are you even listening?”
“Be quiet.”
I replied curtly.
“We’re in the middle of the ceremony.”
“This bastard…”
Just as the agitated Monarch glared at me, the voice of the man on stage rang out.
“The freshman pledge will be recited by the student with the highest entrance exam score.”
His gaze swept over the front row before settling… directly on me.
“Examinee number 321, Eriol Valencia. Please come up to the stage.”
“Yes.”
I rose from my seat.
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