Chapter 1

Episode 1: Practical Exam

In the practice room of the Gilbert Kingdom Crawford Magic Academy, Rina Resutia, a faculty member, was intently watching the movements of a male student.

The student’s name was Shion Kurosaki, a member of Class C in the second year, which Resutia was in charge of.

He slowly raised his right hand and pointed his palm straight at a target 18.4 meters away.

Then, a mist-like white light began to emanate from his outstretched palm. The light gradually gathered and formed a clear outline, eventually creating a magic circle about 30 centimeters in diameter.

“Fireball.”

As he chanted the spell, a fireball about 30 centimeters in size shot out from the glowing orange magic circle toward the target.

The fireball flew straight and slowly, hitting the target directly. It dispersed with a soft “whoosh” before quietly vanishing.

After observing the entire phenomenon, Resutia wrote a “C” under the “Fire Attribute Magic” section on the paper in her hand.

Magic evaluations ranged from S (highest) to D (lowest), and the “C” given to Shion Kurosaki’s fire attribute magic indicated that he was capable of handling basic magic.

He then proceeded to perform water, earth, wind, and lightning attribute magic.

Resutia evaluated these as C, C, C, and B, respectively.

Shion Kurosaki’s overall evaluation for the exam was a C.

When Resutia informed him of the result, he simply bowed and said, “Understood. Thank you,” before turning on his heel and heading toward the exit of the practice room.

“……”

Resutia watched him leave with a look of suspicion, as if she wanted to say something. His demeanor showed no joy or disappointment—it was as if he had no interest in his own exam results.

──”There’s something about Shion Kurosaki,” Resutia was convinced of it.

His calm and quiet demeanor was unusual for a boy who had just turned seventeen. With black hair and eyes, he appeared plain at first glance, but upon closer inspection, his features were well-defined and handsome. Occasionally, his gaze seemed to pierce through others, revealing a depth that was hard to fathom.

Over the past two years, Resutia had come to feel that the aura surrounding Shion Kurosaki was distinctly different from that of other students.

He was always calm, unfazed by anything, and his cool demeanor and mature attitude only added to his mysterious aura.

But the biggest reason Resutia suspected there was more to Shion was his performance in the practical exam.

There was nothing unnatural about the magic he used or the results themselves.

However, having seen many magicians and their magic over the years, Resutia had a near-certain suspicion.

──He was holding back during the practical exam.

The way he performed the magic, his expression, and the lack of effort were all too obvious.

Even someone without Resutia’s experience might have noticed that Shion Kurosaki was simply going through the motions without putting in any real effort.

But if he really was holding back during the exam, it would be extremely unnatural.

After all, in a magic academy where strength reigns supreme, it was unheard of for a student to deliberately aim for a low evaluation.

With four classes in each grade—A, B, C, and D—students who performed well in exams could move up to better classes with superior facilities and dorms. Their final grades would also significantly impact their future career paths.

Moreover, in a school filled with prideful individuals, lower-ranked students often faced ridicule and disdain.

Given these circumstances, most students aimed to climb the ranks, and it was unthinkable for anyone to deliberately stay in a lower class.

Every student in the academy gave their all during practical exams, either to move up or to avoid being demoted.

There was no benefit to deliberately receiving a low evaluation, and holding back during the exam was utterly unnatural.

So why was Shion Kurosaki holding back during the practical exam?

Perhaps…

“(Maybe it’s just my imagination…)”

After staring at the practice room exit for a while, Resutia nervously began preparing for the next student’s exam.

◆

“Lightning attribute got a B… Controlling the power output is still a bit tricky.”

After leaving the practice room, Shion muttered to himself in the hallway.

His tone suggested that he had unintentionally performed a B-rank level of magic, failing to hold back as much as he had intended.

If Resutia had heard his muttering, she would have thought, “So he really was hiding his true strength during the exam!”

…However, that would have been a complete misunderstanding.

He was merely acting as if he were hiding his true strength.

What does that mean?

In short, he was pretending to be someone who was concealing their true power.

His muttering was just part of the act, making it seem like he had accidentally performed a B-rank level of lightning magic while trying to hold back.

There was no special intention or reason behind his actions.

To put it simply, it was all just a hobby for him.

He found immense pleasure in living out the fantasy of being an SSS-rank powerhouse who was hiding his true abilities from everyone around him.

Leaving the practice room and muttering to himself in an empty hallway was just another part of his performance, allowing him to fully immerse himself in his delusion.

In essence, he was just an eccentric.

However, as his homeroom teacher Resutia had mistakenly believed, Shion Kurosaki’s delusional behavior made him appear enigmatic to those around him.

But that, too, was a result of his unwavering commitment to maintaining a cool and composed demeanor.

During the practical exam, he had given it his all—not in magic, but in acting. He truly could only perform C-rank level magic, but he strained himself to make it seem like he was holding back, all while keeping a completely expressionless face.

If he had actually held back during the exam, he would have easily ended up with a disastrous result, likely being demoted from Class C to Class D.

Fortunately, his full-bodied act had succeeded in fooling Resutia.

“Huff… huff… huuu…”

And now, as proof that he had truly given his all during the exam, sweat was pouring from his body as he leaned against the wall, gasping for air.

Despite his pitiful state, he had managed to deceive Resutia, who had seen countless magicians and their magic. In that regard, his performance was impressive.

A peculiar magic student who reveled in the delusion of being an SSS-rank powerhouse while pretending to be a C-rank student.

That was Shion Kurosaki.

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