“Is that guy really the top student?”
“A scruffy-looking fellow like him….”
“Wait, isn’t he the one? The guy who got into a war of words with the terrorist on the ship two days ago…?”
I heard voices murmuring around me as I stepped onto the platform.
…Wait, do I really look that scruffy?
Back in my neighborhood, this was considered quite decent.
“You should wait over here. When it’s your turn, recite the oath.”
“Understood.”
Following the instructions, I stood in a designated corner.
On the platform, besides the man leading the ceremony, there were many other people present.
They were probably the professors of the academy’s ten departments.
“……”
I could feel their silent gazes on me.
Just as Kaisel had mentioned yesterday, they must have taken an interest in me after learning that I was the top student.
And then…
An elderly man sat in a chair with a solemn expression.
I had never seen him before, but I recognized him instantly.
Yosteras, the Headmaster of Ars Magna Academy.
Yosteras was the highest authority in this academy.
Like Kaisel, he was one of the ten greatest magicians on the continent, but his prestige was on another level.
Outside the academy, he was treated with the same respect as a king.
“Everyone, rise.”
The seated freshmen all stood up at once.
Watching from the platform, the sight gave me an odd feeling.
“Headmaster, if you would.”
“……”
Yosteras slowly rose from his chair and stepped forward.
He was over a hundred years old, yet his steps remained firm.
“154.”
At Yosteras’ first words, the students exchanged puzzled looks.
No one understood why he suddenly mentioned this number.
“That is the number of students who failed yesterday’s entrance exam.”
“……!”
A stir spread through the crowd.
“None of you standing in this plaza would know, but outside, there is an uproar. People are demanding to know why we brought students this far only to reject them.”
At those words, the students glanced back.
But from here, we couldn’t see what was happening beyond the plaza.
“Their parents are even more aggressive. Most applicants to Ars Magna Academy come from noble backgrounds. Many believe that family influence or wealth can get them through.
However, that means nothing here.”
Yosteras’ voice was solemn.
“In Ars Magna Academy, external power and wealth hold no value.
Only one thing matters.”
Raising a wrinkled hand, he tapped the side of his head.
“Intelligence.”
“……”
“The brain is what makes you intelligent beings.
That is why we eliminate those whose intellectual capacity falls below our minimum standard.”
I wondered what the cutoff score had been.
It piqued my curiosity.
“From now on, your intelligence will be continuously tested.
Prove that you possess far superior minds than those who were eliminated.”
After saying this, Yosteras swept his gaze over the crowd.
“Can you prove it?”
“Yes!”
The freshmen responded in unison, and Yosteras nodded in satisfaction.
“With my authority as Headmaster of Ars Magna Academy, I hereby grant admission to all 1,021 freshmen.”
“Wooooaaah…!”
A thunderous cheer erupted.
Everyone present had officially become students of Ars Magna Academy.
“Next, we will proceed with the freshmen’s oath. Freshman representative, step forward.”
As Yosteras stepped back, I moved forward.
The oath document was already prepared.
“……”
I could feel the professors’ gazes intensifying on my back.
Kaisel and Horizon were surely staring at me as well.
And it wasn’t just them.
All 1,020 freshmen were focused on me.
This is a first.
For 18 years, I had lived quietly, absorbed in books.
I had never been the center of attention like this before.
But strangely, I don’t feel nervous.
In the novels I’ve read, characters often describe trembling with anxiety when standing before a large audience.
Yet, I wasn’t feeling that way.
Rather, I was calm.
Perhaps… it’s because I have a goal.
Yes.
I have a goal.
Among these freshmen… I will rise to the top.
My first objective was to finish my first year with the highest overall evaluation score.
Achieving that would earn me a reward from Kaisel.
I would gain access to one of the Six Forbidden Tomes.
Kaisel has high expectations for me.
And finishing first in my first year would only be the beginning.
If I continued to meet his expectations, he would continue to reward me accordingly.
In that case… I might as well go for it.
With a steady heart, I raised my hand and began reading the freshmen’s oath.
“Oath.”
All the freshmen followed suit, raising their hands and repeating my words.
* * *
The top freshman class was assigned to the First Student Hall, located in the eastern part of the academy.
After the entrance ceremony, the students of the top class gathered and headed there together.
“Hey, Eriol. You really surprised me. You were so composed during the oath.
If it were me, I’d have been stammering from nerves.”
Cain threw an arm around my shoulder, chatting wildly.
“You don’t seem like the type to get nervous over something like that.”
“No way, I get nervous easily. I’m pretty sensitive, you know.”
“That’s the funniest joke I’ve heard from you so far.”
“I’m not joking!”
Hearing our exchange, Senia, who was walking beside us, covered her mouth with a laugh.
“I also thought you looked really cool staying so calm.
I bet everyone watching was impressed.”
“Well, I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”
I glanced around and saw Monarch walking a short distance away, glaring at me.
A protruding nail gets hammered down.
The more I stood out, the more people would resent me.
“But, you know.”
Lowering my voice, I asked,
“Can I ask you guys something?”
“You, asking a question? That’s unusual.”
“What is it?”
After checking my surroundings, I cautiously asked,
“Do I… really look thin?”
“……”
“……”
Cain and Senia fell silent.
That silence… could it be…?
“Uh, Eriol, I don’t think you look scruffy at all. I actually find it… neat.”
“Y-Yeah. I think it’s a clean look. Compared to the latest fashion trends…Well, you’re about ten years behind.”
“……”
I suddenly felt like dropping out.
“H-Hey, Eriol.
Why don’t we go shopping for clothes after classes?”
“Yeah, there are plenty of stores in the commercial district…”
“That’s enough.”
I shook my head.
“From now on, I’ll only wear my uniform.”
“Eriol…!”
Since the dormitory already had uniforms prepared, I could just wear one of those.
Starting tomorrow, even after school and on holidays, I’ll live in my uniform…
“Ah, we’re here now. This is the First Student Hall, right?”
As if trying to change the subject, Senia raised her voice.
The First Student Hall was a rather antique-looking building that appeared quite old.
“The lecture hall for the top-tier class is… on the third floor, I think.”
We entered the spacious lecture hall.
Unlike the building’s old-fashioned exterior, the inside of the lecture hall had a neat and modern feel.
As we took our seats, other students approached us.
“Are you Eriol Valencia, the one who took the oath as the freshman representative earlier?”
“Nice to meet you.”
A male and a female student with red hair stood before us.
“I’m Charis. I’m from the Morpheus Count family in the East.”
“My name is Milia Morpheus. I’m this guy’s twin sister.”
Apparently, the twins had entered the academy together.
However, aside from their hair color, they didn’t resemble each other much. For instance, Charis had a muscular build, whereas Milia was rather petite.
“And this guy here is—”
“Ah, I’m Cain Trigger. Nice to meet you.”
“I’m Senia Artian. Pleased to meet you.”
We exchanged introductions and greetings.
“It’s the first day today, so I have no idea what classes will be like.”
“Brother, no way they’d hold classes on the very first day.”
“Haha. I just want to check out the dormitory already.”
“I’m curious about the dorms too.”
As we continued chatting, a well-groomed young man entered the lecture hall.
It was the man who had conducted the entrance ceremony earlier.
“Looks like everyone’s getting along already.”
He smiled as he stepped onto the podium.
“Allow me to introduce myself properly. I am Klein Halution, the professor in charge of the first-year top-tier class.”
“…!”
Since he hadn’t introduced himself during the entrance ceremony, I hadn’t realized he was Klein Halution.
“Eriol, do you know anything about him?”
“He’s currently the youngest professor at the academy. I believe he’s twenty-seven this year.”
“A professor at twenty-seven… Impressive.”
Charis expressed his admiration after hearing my answer.
But there was someone even more impressive.
My uncle, Kaicel, became a professor at twenty-three.
“You all must be tired after the entrance ceremony. So, there will be no classes today. I’ll let you go home early.”
“Wow…!”
The students cheered.
Some, like Cain and Milia, even raised both hands and shouted in excitement.
“But, there’s homework.”
“Ehh…!”
This time, there were groans.
No one had expected to be assigned homework on the very first day.
“Don’t worry. It’s not difficult, and you’ll be solving it together as a group.”
Saying so, Klein held up a sheet of paper.
“This paper is filled with text, but it’s written in Ancient Third-Order Spell Language.”
Ancient Third-Order Spell Language.
It was a language used in the distant past when magic was recorded on scrolls to be cast later.
“If you decipher this, you’ll find the title of the material we’ll be using in tomorrow’s lecture. Your homework is to borrow that book from the library.”
“Professor! We can’t read Ancient Third-Order Spell Language!”
“Of course, I know that. But the library has dictionaries for spell languages.”
Klein replied nonchalantly.
“In other words, this assignment is meant to familiarize you with using the library.”
“Ah…”
“To properly study magic at Ars Magna Academy, you need to know how to utilize the library. This task is designed to help you develop library research skills befitting top-tier students.”
It was more of an exercise than a traditional assignment.
It seemed Klein preferred a teaching style where students solved problems independently and learned on their own.
Not a bad approach.
I didn’t know how to decipher Ancient Third-Order Spell Language either.
While its characters were the same as standard academic language, its pronunciation and reading rules were entirely different.
Still, learning how to interpret it through this exercise would be beneficial in the future.
“Now, I’ll distribute the sheets with the text.”
Klein handed the papers to the students in the front row.
The students passed them back, each taking one.
“Professor, do we only need to borrow one copy of the book?”
“Yes. It’s not the kind of book that has multiple copies in the library.”
As the other students asked Klein questions, I took the paper from Milia, who was sitting in front of me.
Instead of blindly searching the dictionary, it would be more efficient to check the basic grammar first. There must be a book in the library that explains the fundamental rules of Ancient Third-Order Spell Language—I should start by looking for that.
While planning my approach to the library, I glanced down at the paper.
It was filled with dense text, even more so than the entrance exam. But since the entire top-tier class would be working on it together, it shouldn’t be too difficult.
“…?”
Then.
I felt a strange sense of discomfort.
“Eriol, what’s wrong?”
Charis looked at me, but I only furrowed my brows and stared at the paper.
Something was off. I had never studied Ancient Third-Order Spell Language before…
‘So why do I understand it?’
Something unexplainable was happening.
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