Chapter 84

◈ Chapter 84: First Test (3)

Ding ding ding.

The bell signaling the end of the exam rang.

“It’s over. Everyone, stop writing. If you’re caught fooling around here, I’ll consider it cheating and give you a zero.”

Rudger’s warning was effective.

The students immediately stopped writing.

Rudger was the kind of person who would really tear up the exam papers on the spot and give a zero if he wanted to.

“Sedina.”

“Yes.”

When Rudger called her name, Sedina stood up and hurriedly collected the exam papers from the students.

“Good job.”

Rudger picked up the exam papers.

“Everyone worked hard on their first exam. There are still two more days of the first test, so don’t overexert yourselves and try to stay in top condition.”

Of course, even if he said this, there would still be students who would cram at the last minute.

But as a teacher, he felt it was necessary to give advice to his students.

With those words, Rudger left the classroom.

“Phew.”

This was the first exam since entering Seolren.

Although it was just the first one, Rine felt as if she had overcome the biggest obstacle and even felt a sense of relief.

‘No, that’s not right. There are still many exams left. Don’t get complacent so soon.’

Still, she could think so positively because she believed she had done quite well on the exam.

Out of the 20 questions, she had not left a single one blank.

It was thanks to her consistent review.

At first, when she saw the exam questions, she thought they were incredibly difficult, but upon closer inspection, she realized they weren’t that bad.

She got so into the flow that she solved the problems in a trance, and before she knew it, the three hours had passed.

‘Lucky. At least I didn’t run out of time and leave any unanswered.’

Rine turned to look at her side with a slightly relieved heart.

She was planning to ask Erendil how she did.

‘Still, she’s a princess and a senior, so she must have done better than me.’

Unlike Rine, who was initially flustered, Erendil had immediately started solving the problems.

As a senior and a member of the royal family, Erendil must have found this exam relatively easy.

However, Rine had to pause her question for a moment.

“Senior?”

“Huh? What? Why are you saying that?”

“Ah, no, it’s just that… you look very flustered.”

“Huh? Really?”

It was true, as Rine said.

The confidence she had before the exam was nowhere to be seen, and after submitting her exam paper, Erendil was fidgeting.

She was shaking her legs and stuttering.

That reaction was like someone who had definitely failed the exam…

‘No, that can’t be. There’s no way a senior like her could fail, right?’

Rine tried to ignore the negative thoughts creeping up in her mind but couldn’t help asking.

“Senior, did you… did you fail the exam?”

“…”

Erendil, who had been answering confidently, suddenly clamped her lips shut.

“…Senior?”

“…”

She even turned her head away to avoid Rine’s gaze.

Her ear, visible through her lustrous blonde hair, was flushed red.

Erendil was feeling embarrassed.

“Senior, you couldn’t have… really failed, could you?”

Rine felt like her question was almost insulting, but she couldn’t help asking.

“Did you… really fail the exam?”

Erendil’s shoulders trembled at Rine’s question.

Ah.

With that clear reaction, Rine realized it.

Erendil, the third princess of the empire, who was called everyone’s idol, had failed the exam.

“…Really? No, that can’t be. Senior, were you just in a bad mood today? Or maybe you’ve been thinking too much about the future of the country? Something like that?”

In fact, Erendil didn’t look like she was in a bad mood.

She had been more focused on the exam than anyone else.

But Rine’s mind was so confused that she had to believe something like that.

After all, the princess she thought of was a great person who always excelled in any field.

“Ahem. Rine, my junior?”

Erendil, who had somewhat composed herself, cleared her throat and spoke.

“People have their own strengths and weaknesses. If you’re good at something, you’re bound to be bad at something else. So what I’m saying is, no one is good at everything. Do you understand?”

“Um… so, Senior, it’s not that you were in a bad mood or unusually tired today… you just didn’t do well on the exam?”

“Rine, my junior. Instead of saying I didn’t do well, just say I didn’t do as well as usual.”

“…Senior, just out of curiosity, what was your ranking last year?”

As far as Rine remembered, Seolren had over 800 students per grade.

Of course, the number of students decreased as they moved up to higher grades due to dropouts and failures.

But every year, a similar number of new students entered.

Erendil was in her second year this year.

So, if she was in her first year, it wouldn’t be strange for her to be ranked at least among the top 800.

“…Why are you asking about my ranking? Rine, my junior, I hope you’re not judging people by their rankings or anything like that?”

“Surely not 500th place or something?”

“…!”

Erendil’s eyes widened when she turned to look at Rine.

It was just a joke, but…

Erendil, who seemed to be a model student, was actually not good at theoretical studies!

It was quite a shock.

Only then did Rine realize that the noble image of the princess she knew was gradually being shattered.

* * *

In the headmaster’s office, located at the top of Seolren’s main building, Headmaster Elisa looked down through the window.

“Finally, the first test has started.”

Wilford, who had brought in some refreshments, nodded at Elisa’s words.

“I hope all the students get good results.”

“They will if they’ve worked hard.”

“Right?”

There were four tests per semester.

Since a year was divided into two semesters, the students had to take a total of eight tests a year.

The academic program itself was quite rigorous, so it wasn’t just the students who found it difficult and tiring; the teachers who administered the tests felt the same way.

Moreover, since Seolren was a place to train elite mages, the tests could sometimes be quite intense and aggressive.

As a result, the number of dropouts increased with each higher grade.

The first test of the first semester.

Students who had always considered themselves geniuses would now compete with others who were on the same level as them for the first time.

They would realize how narrow their world had been.

While they might have had a vague sense of this during class, the actual ranking results were a different matter.

Some students, whose spirits were crushed, would leave Seolren after the first test.

“I hope many students can endure this time.”

“That’s why you asked the teachers to make the first test easier, didn’t you?”

“Yes. Of course, even if we do that, some students will still drop out.”

Elisa found it regrettable.

She didn’t view competition itself as bad, but she sincerely wanted to avoid students being destroyed by excessive competition.

As the headmaster of Seolren, she wanted the majority of students to receive excellent education and develop their talents.

“By the way, how are the new teachers doing? It’s their first time setting exam questions. I wonder if they were nervous.”

“Would you like to see?”

Wilford handed the exam papers he had prepared to the headmaster.

The headmaster had the authority to review the exam questions, so this was possible.

Among the new teachers, Brino, who taught Golem Studies, and Chris Benimoor and Rudger Chellisi, who taught Manifestation, had set the theoretical exam questions.

In particular, this test was a match-up between two new teachers who were at opposite ends of the spectrum, setting theoretical questions in the same field, which was quite intriguing among the teachers.

“Hmm. It seems Brino set questions about the magic circuits used to operate golems and the structural mechanics of golems that are easy to operate. The difficulty level seems reasonable.”

“Yes. Given his deep affection for golems, I think it’s fine.”

Elisa quickly skimmed through Brino’s exam questions and nodded in satisfaction.

While it didn’t exceed expectations, it seemed to be at an appropriate level and wouldn’t cause any problems.

“Next, let’s see Chris Benimoor’s and Rudger Chellisi’s questions.”

“Would you like to compare them?”

“Actually, it’s hard not to compare them.”

Wilford nodded with a wry smile.

Elisa quickly scanned through Chris’s exam questions.

“Hmm. Chris set questions on <Magic Emission> and <Elemental Attributes> to show off.”

“Yes. And that….”

“Rudger did the same.”

No matter how different their grades were, setting questions so openly in the same field was like Chris declaring war on Rudger.

“It seems his pride was hurt a lot from losing that sparring match.”

“After that day, the Hugo Brute faction had to walk around with their heads down for almost a week.”

“True. It was really satisfying to see them shut up after all their constant bickering, but it’s a bit disappointing that they seem to have regained their pride.”

Elisa chuckled as she looked at Chris’s exam questions.

“Seems like this exam is Chris’s modest revenge. Or maybe it’s not modest at all? He seems to have put a lot of effort into it.”

As a result, Chris Benimoor’s exam paper was filled with all sorts of difficult terms and professional jargon.

“Really. What kind of test is this? It’s just showing off his knowledge.”

Elisa clicked her tongue and shook her head.

Chris Benimoor’s excessive competitiveness and self-boasting had led to setting questions at an unreasonable level.

Would the students really be able to solve these questions properly?

Moreover, the questions lacked differentiation due to their sheer difficulty.

“I told them to set basic questions for the first test, but to play such tricks already. Especially this theory, which is supposed to be taught in the third year.”

Of course, there were students who knew this third-year material.

The upper-class noble students.

They would have received education before entering Seolren.

But on the other hand, the commoner students wouldn’t have had that opportunity.

The questions were designed in a way that only certain students could solve them.

Favoritism towards noble students.

“Sigh. Really.”

Elisa’s head ached.

However, she couldn’t blame Teacher Chris Benimoor for this.

The exam questions were at the teacher’s discretion, and it wouldn’t look good if the headmaster interfered in such matters.

Even as the headmaster of Seolren, she couldn’t do everything as she pleased.

“Let’s see how Rudger set his questions.”

Given his usual demeanor, Rudger might have set even more difficult questions than Chris.

Or perhaps, due to his overly strict atmosphere, the questions might be monotonous?

With that thought, Elisa looked at Rudger’s exam questions.

“…Huh?”

She opened her eyes wide in surprise.