CH 15

The day had come.

It was midterm exam day.

Liberion Academy doesn't spread the exams over multiple days; instead, they cram all the exams into one day.

So I had to give it my all in just one day.

"Rudy, good luck on your exams!"

Luna greeted me and headed to her classroom to take her exams.

She had worked incredibly hard up until now.

She thoroughly reviewed and prepared every single day without rest.

There hadn't been a proper day off since I transmigrated.

It was nothing but study.

-Sigh...

With a nervous heart, I entered the classroom.

Surely, the position I had to take was the second seat.

However, I had no intention of just claiming the second seat.

It was the determination to aim for the top seat only.

That's how I could at least secure the second seat.

"Everyone, put away what you're looking at, and leave only your writing instruments on the desk."

The professor in front of the class explained the exam guidelines and handed out the test papers.

"Alright, let's start the exam."

And with the professor's words, the exam began.

I went through and solved each question on the test paper.

It was a first-time experience.

I knew every question on the test paper.

It felt almost too easy.

And so I turned the pages, solving the questions one by one.

That's how I completed all the general education exams.

After a brief break, the most critical exam began.

Magic Studies.

The Magic Studies exam was a long process divided into two parts: practical and theoretical questions.

And all the professors involved in the classes came up with questions in their own style.

The most challenging question I had encountered when studying the test papers was undoubtedly Professor Cromwell's.

Even though it was a first-year test paper, it asked about intermediate magic-related knowledge and was impossible to solve.

It seemed like a question one shouldn't even try to answer.

I remembered that fact and continued solving the questions.

Then I found what was unmistakably Professor Cromwell's question.

"Ah..."

-Describe the principle of Silent Magic and the characteristics when engraving the magic circle.

The only professor who ended the question with a noun.

It was Professor Cromwell's question.

But the question that came up gave me a headache.

"Did he put this question for me to answer...?"

I muttered to myself so that no one could hear.

I wondered if it was alright like this.

Silent Magic itself is a peculiar magic, so ordinary students wouldn't be able to solve it.

No students would have focused on intermediate magic while studying; they only concentrated on beginner magic.

I held my head.

Should I solve this, or should I not?

An ordinary first-year student wouldn't be able to solve it, but ranking students might be able to.

Compared to other years, the difficulty of the questions was relatively easy.

As Silent Magic is such a peculiar magic, there might be someone who has heard its content at least once.

So I couldn't leave it blank.

"Just... just write half."

I decided to write only the content Professor Cromwell had taught.

Honestly, I could write everything since I had created a magic circle, but I decided to write only what I had been taught.

"Please... Evan, just write it all down."

I muttered to myself and moved on to the next question.

***

Raei  Translations

***

"Everyone, you've worked hard."

The long exam time had passed. With the professor's words, everyone got up and left the classroom.

'Am I going to be the top student?'

A mixture of anxiety and happiness filled his heart. It seemed that his efforts had not been in vain, which was satisfying.

"Let's take a break today…"

His whole body felt drained. He had been tense throughout the days leading up to the exam, not allowing himself to relax. But after taking the exam, he felt a sense of relief as if it had ended. 

It wasn't truly over, but it felt like he had passed the first hurdle. His legs trembled, making it difficult to get up from his seat.

"Rudy! How was your exam?"

As soon as he got up, Luna entered the classroom where he had been.

"I think I did okay."

He thought he had actually done well, but he saw no need to brag about it.

"Today, Riku, Ena, and I have planned to go to Picassie Bakery. Do you want to come along?"

Picassie Bakery was a famous cafe at Liberion Academy. It was a place where commoners and lower nobles would go, rather than high-ranking nobles. The prices weren't that affordable, but the atmosphere and taste of the desserts were said to be fantastic. 

It was so popular that reservations were hard to come by, but they had apparently managed to get one.

"I'm going to rest today."

He wanted to try the place at least once, but joining them would be awkward. He was sure Riku would give him a sullen look. And it wouldn't be tactful for him to join the three girls. 

Luna might not mind, but the other two would certainly feel uncomfortable with his presence.

"Really? That's too bad… Let's go together next time!"

"Alright. Have fun."

Dragging his exhausted body, he headed towards the dormitory. There was no one around the dormitory area. It seemed like everyone had gone somewhere else since the exam had ended. 

However, there was one person, just like him, dragging their body like a zombie.

"Rudy Astria?"

It was Astina. She had dark circles under her eyes, and her hair was unkempt. Her face showed signs of extreme fatigue, similar to a modern-day office worker leaving work around 10 pm. 

Despite her exhaustion, Astina's beauty was not hidden. It actually gave her a decadent charm.

"Hello."

"Don't… Don't look at me!"

Astina quickly turned her back to him. She tried to fix her hair with her hands, but it only seemed to get messier.

"…What are you doing?"

"Well…"

Astina covered her face with her hands and looked at him.

"I have something important to do, so I have to go!"

After giving a brief greeting, Astina tried to run up to the dormitory. But she stopped in her tracks.

"Rudy Astria! I have something for you to do tomorrow, so come to the student council room after class!"

Astina spoke to him while still covering her face. After finishing her message, she hurriedly ran up to the dormitory.

"…What was that about?"

Watching Astina rush away, he decided not to dwell on it and headed to his room.

***

The next day, the exam scores were posted on the bulletin board. It was surprising that they had graded so many exams in just a day. 

I could imagine the teaching assistants working tirelessly. 

Normally, even with machines grading exams in the modern world, it takes several days to post scores, so this was quite astonishing. It seemed that the teaching assistants were even more efficient than machines.

I checked the scores listed on the bulletin board. They didn't exactly post the scores, but rather the rankings.

"Ah…"

Evan

…

Looking at the rankings, I felt my lips curl into a smile. I was happy not only because Evan ranked first, but also because I managed to secure the second position. 

However, I couldn't show my happiness in front of others. I had to act as if I were upset. After all, I had lost the top position and ended up in second place. I tried my best to keep my twitching lips under control as I walked forward.

"Rudy…"

Luna's voice reached me from behind.

"Ah, hello, Luna."

I greeted Luna while trying my best to manage my smile. My words sounded somewhat robotic, but that was the best I could do.

"Rudy… are you alright?"

Luna asked with a worried expression. I felt fantastic, but I couldn't be straightforward about it, even though I trusted Luna.

"Your ranking improved a lot. Congratulations."

It wasn't something I would usually say, but that was all I could think of at the moment.

"Rudy…"

"I have to go now."

"Wait, Rudy. Are you going to the library today?"

"I don't think I can make it today. I have some work at the student council."

Since Astina had something for me to do, it seemed unlikely that I would be able to visit the library. It was better to say I couldn't make it, as I didn't know what tasks she had for me.

"Ah… the student council…"

Luna's expression stiffened for a moment, but soon she returned to her usual smile.

"Alright, I understand…!"

Luna smiled and waved goodbye. As I watched her walk away, I couldn't help but feel an odd sense of unease.

"…Maybe I'll visit the library if I finish early?"

After class, I headed to the student council office. I managed to keep my smile under control during class. Upon entering the office, I saw Astina sitting in the president's seat, reading some documents.

"Hello."

Astina looked up at the sound of my voice, and upon seeing my face, she frowned.

"…Why do you look like that?"

"Pardon?"

"You seem to have a sour expression."

"Do I look upset?"

I wondered if I had managed to act convincingly.

"No, it's just that seeing you like that puts me in a bad mood too."

Astina held up a mirror in front of my face. 

Looking at my reflection, I understood what she meant. In the mirror, there was an incredibly handsome blond man. A man with sharp eyes. 

However, his lips twitched up and down, displaying a vague expression that was neither smiling nor frowning. It was an off-putting expression that made people reluctant to approach.

"Even I feel bad about this."

"Good that you know."

Astina put down the mirror.

"Besides, things went according to your plan."

Astina's words made the corners of my mouth curl into a smile.

"Hehe..."

I thought I had been good at keeping my emotions in check and acting, but today it was hard to contain myself.

"That's a rather sly expression..."

Astina commented on my face.

"Well, it's better than the alternative. Anyway, what are you going to do now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Your plan worked, didn't it? Someone else took the top seat."

She was right.

"There's nothing special to do. We just need to wait until the temporary school session starts."

"Temporary school?"

Astina looked at me with a puzzled face.

"If you have nothing to do, then I guess I have no reason to help. Let's get back to work."

"Understood."

Astina handed me some documents. I proceeded to complete the tasks she assigned to me. After finishing a fair amount of work, I left the room with light steps.

"Am I too late?"

It was already time for dinner.

"I should drop by the dormitory and have dinner with Luna."

I walked with a happy heart. My worries had mostly dissipated by now. Luna hadn't destroyed the library, and I had secured the second seat without issue. My magic was growing steadily, so there wasn't much to be concerned about.

I looked up at the sky after leaving the room.

"Why is the weather like this?"

Although I felt good, the sky was filled with dark clouds. A gloomy sensation crept in. Things were progressing well, but I couldn't shake off an uneasy feeling. As soon as that unsettling feeling hit me...

-KWAAAAAAANG!!!!

A loud explosion shook the academy.

"What...?"

I looked towards the source of the sound. It came from... the library.

"The library... Luna...?"