Chapter 65: The First Year at the Academy - First Semester Exam
Chapter 65. The First Year at the Academy – First Semester Exam
The first semester examinations are held over three days.
The first day was a written exam, the second day was a mock battle and magic demonstration, and the third day was dancing and mixing.
For those who had taken only liberal arts and academic subjects, such as Doris, the second day was a day off, and the third day was dancing, which was their specialty.
After completing the written exam without incident, I took on the challenge of a mock battle the following day.
My opponent is the knight son who was with the first crony during the field exercise.
His name is – well, it doesn't matter.
He was equipped with a one-handed sword and a shield, which is the royal equipment, but he didn't seem to have any skills in either of them and was only a soldier. While keeping a serious face, I just fended him off and won.
When I use "Appraisal" he has "Scythe 1".
I'd heard there was one, but this is the first time I've seen it. I wonder if he had a run-in with a goblin while farming. If his agility was high enough, he might be able to change his occupation to a ninja.
In the afternoon, there was a demonstration of magic.
It is not so difficult because all you have to do is to hit multiple moving targets with the magic you choose. The target hides after it moves, so the activation speed is important.
I didn't realize it until I compared it to others, but I have "Multiple Chant" so it seems my activation speed is quite fast. I guess it's only natural because I can handle countless magic simultaneously.
Thus, I cleared the demonstration and finished the second day.
Then came the third day, the most difficult.
Early in the morning, I arrived at the school's ballroom.
I have spent all the days since then practicing dancing.
Elphimia abandoned me halfway through, saying, "Enough, enough," but even so, I continued to practice alone and in vain.
But–I felt as if I lacked confidence.
There were three reasons for my fumbling.
Dancing is not a skill, so "Increased Growth Potential" is useless. There was no need for magical assistance.
Second, dancing was not a creative dance. In my previous life, I think a ball was an impromptu, graceful dance to music. Although I cannot confirm this fact, the choreography of dances in this world was determined for each piece of music. Moreover, some dances could be part of a whole. Children as young as ten years old, dressed in flashy costumes with serious faces, form a big dance. No matter how you look at it, it is a play. It is unavoidable that the heart of an old man violently rejects it.
Finally, there was no recording equipment in this world. The music and choreography are the same, but I could not hear the music. On the first day of the lecture, a band came and played a variety of pieces, all of which were new to me. The nobles looked at me like, "Oh, this is it.
So when I practiced with Elphimia, the tunes were only playing in her head. I had to time the choreography with tempo and my internal clock.
It would be impossible to ask her to dance with this.
So it was not that I lacked in taste.
While I was waiting in the dark, the students began to gather.
Among them were Lambert and Felix, who immediately noticed me.
And as soon as they get close to me, they say
"Thanks to you, yesterday was a mess."
He complained.
"I was desperate too, you know. Unlike the nobleman who dances so well."
"You're a nobleman, too, you know."
"It's okay for me. My mother told me that Alter doesn't have to be able to dance."
"You've given up on that."
And then we both sigh.
"You're still as shifty as ever, you guys."
I look up, and before I know it, Elphimia is standing there.
Lola is standing next to her. It's been a while since I've seen her. I had seen them during the written exam, but this was the first time we had met after the field exercise.
"You practiced properly, didn't you?"
"I did. I did practice."
"I'm extremely anxious. You know what? If you fail, I'm going to lose points too."
"I understand."
Elphimia looked at me with a stern look.
I'm not lying. I just can't help it.
Perhaps unable to see this exchange, Lola offers a helping hand.
"Don't worry, Alter-sama is very dexterous!"
"Thank you, Lola. In return, you'll be my esc-."
"No, thank you."This chapter was first shared on the Ñøv€lß1n platform.
I kicked off the ship as fast as I could.
Lola quickly runs away and hides behind other students.
Why? I could be a knight too.
"You never learn, do you?"
Elphimia shakes his head in disgust.
Then she urges me to stand.
"I'm helping tho!"
"That's not very personable. I worked very hard. I want to pat myself on the back."
"You should have told me after you got the results!"
Without a pause, he denied everything.
I'm sorry, but your children have a very narrow perspective.
"You haven't got that result yet. There's always the next one."
"Next time? What are you thinking......?"
"Leave it to me. Today will be the day history will change."
Yes, I had a trump card.
When unveiled, I'll change aristocratic society to a new stage.
I would be a pioneer.
After a short break, the test resumes.
This time, I dance with my partner.
Immediately, the first students start dancing in unison to the tune.
Everyone's stride is constant, reminding me of a merry-go-round.
We watch the entire group and get the timing and distance into our heads.
After repeating it a few times, it was our turn.
I raise my hand as the students come out.
"Loretta-sensei, may I speak?"
Loretta tilted her head and said, "Go ahead."
With a cough, I begin.
"Generally, a dance is a dance to a tune with a predetermined choreography. And many people dance together to form a single dance. It is a beautiful sight. Especially in a glamorous court ballroom."
I cut off my words and look around at everyone.
They're eating it up well.
"But if you focus on each individual, you could say they just learned the choreography. It's truly characterless, and it's not surprising that they can't dance."
"Which one of you is saying that?"
Shut up for a minute, little girl.
"Can we measure dancing technique with this? I can't help but wonder. Besides, with this method, no matter how many masterpieces are created, they will not be released to the world until the choreography is finalized. That is a loss to the world. What is the essence of dancing? I believe that it is the unbridled outpouring of emotions. Butoh is the outpouring of joy, sorrow, and a wide variety of emotions. Choreography by an excellent choreographer is fine. However, I believe that we should not be bound by such choreography, but rather focus our attention on our inner passion. That is the new dancing, the new world."
I declare in high spirits.
"Therefore, in this dance, I would like to dance the sword dance!"
The room is silent.
Loretta looks at me and smiles.
"No, you can't do that."
◇◇◇◇
I was in a corner of the ballroom, sitting in a gymnasium, crying.
"You're an idiot. Bottomless one at that."
Elphimia's voice comes from overhead.
It's just me and Elphimia left in the room.
Lambert and Felix spoke words of encouragement, and Lola, perhaps without words, slunk out of the ballroom with a pained look in her eyes.
Why? It was a perfect theoretical armament.
And with a "One-handed Sword 6" and high agility and dexterity. It would have been the best sword dance.
"That's discrimination, I'll sue them. ...... Even sword dance is a dance, isn't it?"
"You should learn the basics first. If all you do is swing a sword, then all swordsmen are dancers."
She's hitting a sore spot, this girl.
"And what's a sword dance? The emperor comes to the court ball. There is no way we can wield a sword. How am I supposed to match up with a magician? And what's more, the loss of the world? You're an idiot, aren't you? If it's a new piece by a famous composer, there will be a concert soon. And if you want to bare your emotions, go dance in the meadow somewhere. It's annoying."
Funny, I can't stop crying.
As I continue to cry, Elphimia follows up.
"Well, now my reputation has gone down a lot. I'm going to make sure this debt is paid back."
"...... I have a very bad feeling about this."
"I'll be in touch soon."
After saying this, Elphimia left the ballroom.
The blurred vision reflected her back figure, and then she vanished.
It was here that I finally realized.
She knew this was going to happen.
What is she going to do, that young lady?
