Chapter 84: Midterm Exams (1)

Maximilian, who had endured Carl’s interrogation and even Bloodburst, soon regained his normal condition.

He stopped the early-morning training that had been pushing his body to its limits, and naturally began skipping breakfast, perhaps to make up for the lost sleep. There were even times when he nearly arrived late to lectures.

Regardless, time flowed on, and at last, the first regular exam period of Bayern arrived.

Understanding of Combat I

Considerations on Magic I

History of the Empire I

Fundamentals of Administration I

International Affairs I

Introduction to Bayern I

These six lectures were the required courses for Bayern’s first-year students.

Students could also choose additional lectures according to their preferences, and Carl had signed up for an extra liberal arts course: Application of Practical Magic.

Which meant that during the two-week exam period, he would have to take seven tests in total.

Considering that a single test could last as short as three hours or stretch over a day or two, it was a rather tight schedule.

True to Bayern’s prestigious reputation, the difficulty of the exams was also among the highest.

Thus, a solemn atmosphere lingered on the faces of the cadets walking around campus.

“The top student is Nerian, right?”

During lunch, Gale lowered his voice slightly and glanced inward.

Nerian was also sitting with his group over on the opposite side.

“Of course. Combining theory and practice, he’s overwhelming. That’s why everyone’s aiming for second place.”

“Then I suppose it’s only Miss Laysis who has it rough.”

“Theory-wise, Carl. No problem there, right?”

“We’ll have to see once I take it.”

Carl replied with a faint smile to Amy’s words.

If Nerian reigned supreme when theory and practice were combined, Carl held the throne in theory alone.

Even with his current scores, he was ahead of Nerian, and most believed that if he performed well in the exams, he could solidify his position as the top in theory.

Especially with the bonus points he’d earned from the achievements in the Ancient Ruins Exploration Club, he had widened the gap with second place beyond recovery even before the exams began.

“……”

In the middle of the meal, Maximilian nodded off while chewing his food.

It wasn’t the first or second time, so the others didn’t even bother reacting anymore.

They figured that as long as he was healthy, it was fine for him to be a little sloppy now that he was back to his usual self.

“Sigh, to think we have to do this for two weeks… depressing.”

“What else can we do? It’s our first exam, too.”

Gale, who was stronger in practice than theory, pulled a grimace. Pozers shook his head.

“Pozers, are you done studying?”

“I never cared much about grades anyway. As long as I stay in the upper ranks, that’s enough for me.”

“…True, since your goal is the Magic Tower.”

Carl continued eating while listening to their conversation.

Not just them, but the other cadets were also deeply invested in their own grades.

Would the top position in theory hold until the end of the regular exams?

Some called it a stroke of luck, while others claimed Carl would inevitably lose to Nerian and be dethroned.

But any cadet who had taken a lecture with Carl even once knew just how laughable such blind jealousy was.

“I’ll be heading off first.”

“Oh? Not studying for the exam?”

“I’ll join you later. I have an appointment with Miss Yuria.”

“Ah, I see.”

Pozers nodded knowingly.

He’d already heard that the two were studying together on Spiral Dynamics and Mana Manipulation Method.

‘Didn’t think they’d still be at it during exam week. Guess the top ranks really do have room to spare.’

Receiving Pozers’ envious gaze, Carl cleared his tray and left the cafeteria.

The Bayern campus was bathed in warm sunlight.

At the entrance exam, at the Erendal practice…

Though the bloodstains of the fallen still clung stubbornly to various places, the cadets bustled with life.

‘In a way, perhaps this place is even more ruthless than the Central Plains.’

Here, endings and beginnings were sharp and cold.

At least, that was how it felt to Carl, who had lived in both worlds.

Knock knock.

The Bayern facilities included rentable private research rooms.

Aside from use for academy projects or research, one could apply to use them personally.

Of course, the competition was fierce, so you had to reserve at least two weeks in advance.

Clack.

After knocking on the private lab’s door and waiting a moment, someone emerged from inside.

Wearing goggles pushed up onto her head, Yuria looked up at Carl with a tired expression.

“Oh, you’re here? Sorry, the experiment ran a bit longer than expected. Come in.”

“Excuse me.”

Carl stepped inside, glancing around the room.

On the table were countless beakers and flasks filled with unidentifiable liquids.

Judging by the faintly bitter smell in the air, she had been in the middle of an experiment.

Catching Carl’s curious gaze, Yuria shrugged.

“Those from the Magic Tower take separate exams, you know.”

“Is that so?”

“We don’t sign up for liberal arts courses, right? Instead, we have different exams to earn credits. The difficulty’s higher, but the points per time invested are stingy, so most people don’t like them.”

This was news to Carl.

Mages from the Magic Tower were generally superior to regular mages.

Perhaps this was a way to balance fairness.

Clatter.

Yuria took off her goggles and began tidying up her materials. As she was about to approach Carl, she paused, realizing something.

“Hold on.”

She promptly gathered her mana, cleansing herself and ventilating the air in the lab.

Working in the enclosed space had left her a bit sweaty.

Carl politely pretended not to notice.

After all, a few sparring matches left him just as drenched, so it wasn’t something he considered worth noting.

“All your lectures are done for today, right?”

“Yes.”

“But are you sure this is fine? Won’t you lose study time for the exams?”

Especially since Carl was aiming for the top spot in theory.

She wondered if she was taking away his precious time, but Carl calmly shook his head.

“It’s fine. I’m confident I could score full marks even if the exam were right now.”

“…Annoying. No wonder you broke my record.”

Yuria rolled her eyes.

Carl spoke with such confidence, as if it wasn’t difficult at all, that Yuria found him a little irritating.

“Miss Yuria, are you doing well? I heard you kept taking first place in theory until you joined the university division.”

“I don’t care anymore. I’ve already lost it. What matters is to keep going, but that ended there. I used to resent you, but now I actually feel relieved.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. I have something else that’s important to me anyway. Grades were just a nice extra. As long as I stayed near the top, it was fine.”

“You sound just like Pozers.”

“Pozers? Ah, well. Most mages are probably similar. Aside from their own theme, the rest is just a means to an end.”

Carl nodded.

Even so, Yuria was naturally outstanding, so she would easily place within the top ten.

From the start, she was a different breed from the others.

“Well then, shall we get started?”

Yuria rolled up her sleeves and stepped forward.

The laboratory was divided into an experimental space and a small practice room.

Today’s study session wasn’t for Spiral Dynamics research—it was to teach Carl magic.

‘If you receive something, you should give something back.’

Shaking off her fatigue, Yuria’s motivation burned brighter.

Carl would study theory with her, and she would teach Carl magic.

Once Carl’s skills improved, it would help with her research anyway, so it was a mutually beneficial arrangement.

“How far have you learned magic?”

“I’ve just entered the 3rd rank.”

With circle magic now obsolete, mainstream magic was divided and mixed between class and rank.

In truth, by modern times there wasn’t much difference, but some still insisted on distinguishing them for the sake of form and terminology.

Traditional mages used classes, while the now-dominant new generation used ranks to refer to their magic.

Naturally, the Gray Magic Tower, to which Yuria belonged, practiced rank magic.

“Try using something—anything simple.”

“[Scattering Light].”

Paaat.

A wavering light rose from Carl’s hand.

Scattering Light was one of the most basic and simple spells, with the added benefit of high versatility.

It was perfect for gauging another mage’s level.

“If you took the Practical Application of Combat Magic class, you can use Phantom Bullet, right?”

“I can.”

“Then try hitting this.”

Without warning, Yuria grabbed several plates from the desk and threw them.

Carl altered the nature of the Scattering Light and aimed at the plates rising into the air.

Bang! Bang!

Three out of the five plates shattered.

Carl scratched his head with an awkward expression as two broken plates fell to the floor.

“Their trajectories are all different—tricky to hit.”

“Hm.”

Yuria rested her chin on her hand and narrowed her eyes.

“Want to try something else?”

“Understood.”

Following Yuria’s prompts, Carl tried various spells.

When it came to magic, she was far superior.

If he learned properly from her, it would clearly be of great help later, so Carl showed her everything he could do without complaint.

“Hmmm.”

“……”

“Hmmmmmm.”

“……”

“Hmmmmmmmmmmm.”

Carl gave an embarrassed laugh at Yuria’s repeated thoughtful hums.

Had he done something wrong?

He might not know martial arts, but when it came to magic, he was still far from skilled.

To the heir of the Magic Tower and a so-called genius, his performance must have looked lacking.

“Mmmmmm.”

“What is it?”

At Carl’s question, Yuria’s eyes lit up as if she’d been waiting for him to ask.

“Carl, you didn’t… return to the past or reincarnate, did you?”

“…Excuse me?”

It was so sudden.

The words had come out of nowhere, and Carl barely managed to suppress his agitation.

For a moment, the composure he had built up over decades had almost shattered.

“I’ve talked about this with Laysis a few times too. There’s a bit of a gap between how you appeared to others outside and your actual skill inside the academy.”

“……”

“Well, that’s fine. Everyone has their own circumstances. You might have avoided unnecessary attention since you were already the top theory student.”

“Yes.”

“But magic is different. This doesn’t feel like you’re intentionally hiding your skill—it’s more like…”

Yuria frowned, choosing her words carefully.

“Like watching a master from an entirely different field who hasn’t gotten a feel for this one yet? Your understanding and proficiency in this area are low, but you seem to be compensating with experience.”

“…Hmm.”

Carl tried to appear calm, but he couldn’t hide his surprise at Yuria’s insight.

Of all the countless mages he had met, no one had ever pointed this out or seen through it.

Perhaps even if someone had noticed, they kept quiet out of disinterest or a desire to avoid involvement.

But for a mere twenty-year-old rookie to pierce right through it?

“I…”

Carl slowly opened his mouth, staring into her golden eyes.

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