Today, the Academy was more boisterous than usual. It was all due to the discussion about the exam report cards that had just been distributed.
Conversations about who scored highest or which questions were difficult filled the air.
The children received their report cards, worrying, bragging, teasing, and playing around.
Seeing this behavior was so characteristic of children that Luke couldn’t help but smile.
“Luke Ilish?”
As he was observing the children, Luke finally realized that it was his turn to go up, and he got up from his desk.
Receiving the piece of paper from his homeroom teacher, Emma, she added with a slight smile, “I was a bit disappointed, Luke.”
At Emma’s remark, Luke took the report card with a puzzled expression.
Korean Language: 100 points
This was to be expected. The most thorough materials he had perused upon awakening in this era were documents and information on language. Understanding the modern writing systems was essential to read books written in the present age. Therefore, Luke’s knowledge was comparable to that of a seasoned linguist. It would be strange if he hadn’t scored 100 points.
Mathematics: 100 points
The use of magic naturally required mathematics. As the methods of magic transitioned from circle formations to classes, the calculations for coordinate spaces and necessary mana had become more intricate and delicate, making magic and mathematics inseparable.
Thus, this knowledge was also among the subjects where Luke was excessively advanced compared to his peers. However, the exam content was merely on basic arithmetic. It was impossible not to score 100 points.
Magic Studies: 100 points
This, too, required no further clarification. What score other than 100 could the archmage receive?
History: 100 points
This subject was certainly more confusing, but after learning about the ‘Forgotten Battle,’ Luke had immersed himself in history books for a while. His extensive knowledge accumulated from reading numerous history-related texts allowed him to answer questions posed in the introductory academy course without a second thought.
Thus, scoring perfectly in the four core subjects was a natural outcome.
However, the problems arose in the subjects outside of the core four.
Music: 98 points
Art: 97 points
The scores in music and art were a bit subtle. Music wasn’t Luke’s major; he could only produce pleasant sounds through his affinity for spirits and senses. In truth, his musical competence was merely at the level of being able to play from sheet music. Art was similar. Being a person from the past and not a painter, he was unfamiliar with professional artistic techniques, and even if he knew them, he couldn’t accurately understand how they were referred to in contemporary terms.
Nonetheless, the relatively high scores came merely because he had quickly skimmed through textbooks and retained some information from memory. However, since he hadn’t attended school properly, there was bound to be accurate information he didn’t know if he hadn’t attended the classes. Yet, he managed to extrapolate from the historical books he had read in the past.
So, this was understandable.
There could be misunderstandings leading to mistakes, or perhaps he had logically misinterpreted the information.
But this score was strange.
Morals: 86 points.
Luke believed he had made the most efficient and correct decision by recalling his own experiences based on what was written in the textbook.
Yet, an 86?
He found it hard to accept that score.
While he certainly wasn’t the most moral person, hadn’t he always considered justice more than anyone else?
And for all those long years, Luke thought he acted rightly, having accurately recorded his actions on the answer sheet.
Yet why was he receiving such a result?
‘If one subject scored this low, the award for academic excellence this year is…’
It might be impossible.
It was neither a high score in the 90s nor a consistent score in the 80s.
As Luke was looking at his report card with a complex state of mind, he heard,
“Until tomorrow, it’s the period for grade corrections. If any student has discrepancies regarding their scores, please come to the faculty room during the break.”
At those words, Luke immediately got up from his chair.
——-
Displaying an expression that was unusually filled with dissatisfaction, Luke had the answer sheet and the explanation manual shown to him as Emma directly explained why his answer was incorrect.
The question was as follows:
What is the ‘most’ correct action to take at a crosswalk?
1. Raise your hand and look both ways before crossing.
2. If an accident occurs, apologize to the driver.
3. Since waiting is boring, play with a ball.
4. Test if cars hit you by pushing your friend into the street during a red light.
Luke, with a face that clearly found it hard to understand, pointed at option 2 and said, “Wasn’t it supposed to be number 2?”
At Luke’s question, Emma shook her head and replied, “The answer here is number 1. Kids like you might not be seen well by cars, so you need to raise your hand.”
“But if you hit someone, the driver would be shocked. Isn’t it right to apologize?”
Luke was puzzled.
“Isn’t it bad not to apologize for a mistake? How is that not considered the right action?”
At his innocent question, Emma smiled, finding him endearingly naive, as she responded, “While that consideration is quite lovely, Luke, usually when an accident happens, the driver is the one who should apologize.”
“Is that so?”
“Right. If you get hit by a car, you will get seriously hurt.”
At that answer, Luke was slightly surprised.
So this era’s common sense prioritizes pedestrians over everything else.
‘Indeed. Usually, if someone gets hit by a car, that person is in a much more serious predicament…’
If he considered the structure of accidents involving horse-drawn carriages from the past, he could only picture the driver blaming the child who dashed into their path. But it seems the times have changed.
This was indeed much more rational.
Even in his thoughts, it made sense that the value of a life is indeed greater than the worth of a non-living thing, like a carriage, which could be replaced.
‘Certainly, that is the right view.’
With that understanding, Luke nodded.
“So, what’s the next question?”
“Here’s this one.”
A friend is being bullied by a bad child. What should you do?
(Overpower the bully and ask the victim how to handle it. Depending on the severity, hand them over to the authorities.)
“What exactly was wrong with my answer?”
“Alright, Luke. First of all, you shouldn’t just overpower the friend at will.”
“…? No, isn’t it common sense to take immediate action when a child is in distress?”
“Your point is valid, but… you should at least try to talk it out first. There might be a misunderstanding, right? Perhaps they were just playing, rather than bullying.”
“…Talking it out.”
Talking it out, huh?
Now that he thought about it, the word ‘conversation’ was indeed absent from his answer.
However, there are always exceptions to every situation.
“But what if the situation is urgent?”
“In such cases, you still shouldn’t try to overpower them directly! You’d be putting yourself at risk!”
“…Is that so? ‘I’ would be at risk.”
It means prioritizing his own safety over that of others.
He realized that this exam was structured based on the standards of an average child and focused on what kind of common sense one should have.
Thus, it was clear he shouldn’t impose his own personal principles.
The subsequent questions also reflected similar errors.
The incongruity of unbridgeable common sense.
If that’s the case, wasn’t it his fault after all?
Finally, Luke began to comprehend some things.
Yet, now he also felt very apologetic.
In that moment of self-reflection, he had unintentionally blamed Emma for his mistakes.
That was not how it should have been.
As he accepted his score, he deeply bowed his head to Emma.
“I’m truly sorry; it was my mistake. I got greedy over my score and tried to prove you wrong.”
It was a rather cute apology.
He had never seen a child apologize in such a manner before.
Emma, fighting against the urge to pet Luke’s head, felt quite delighted.
“It’s okay. It wasn’t intentional, and I understand that Luke aimed for a high score; it must have been pretty upsetting to get such a low score. The teacher understands. Rather, I’m sorry for having to give you a low score.”
“Ha… Thank you for saying that.”
As Luke sighed and turned his body, he suddenly locked eyes with a girl standing in front of the faculty room.
An elfin girl with charmingly tied light pink hair and slightly sharp eyes that gave her the appearance of having a strong ego.
“Child, do you have something to say to me?”
“Are you Luke Ilish?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Hmph. What a rustic name! It sounds like a grandfather.”
With those words, the girl turned and entered the faculty room.
“…?”
That reaction was quite bewildering.
‘Did I do something wrong to her…?’
Perhaps calling her a ‘child’ was a mistake.
—-
Returning to class, Luke plopped down onto his seat.
He felt somewhat empty inside.
With a slightly dazed expression, Mary approached him, her voice filled with concern.
“Luke, what did they say in the faculty room? Did they say your score was wrong?”
“No, Emma explained it well enough for me to accept it. That was my mistake; that score is most likely correct.”
Mary, on the other hand, responded with an even more glum expression than Luke wore.
“I see… That’s too bad.”
It is indeed disappointing. Because of that score, it seems he wouldn’t be able to receive this year’s ‘Academic Excellence Award.’
‘I’ve become a bit farther from early graduation now.’
“Ha…”
Seeing Luke sigh was rare enough for Mary to think he must have been feeling quite disheartened.
“Luke, don’t be too down. You can do better in the next exam! Even with your score, it’s still much higher than mine.”
“Right. Mary isn’t very good at studying.”
“Y-you barely managed to avoid supplementary classes this time!”
“Still, I achieved my goal.”
Watching the two kids bicker cheerfully seemed to lighten the mood.
Then a sudden thought crossed Luke’s mind as he called out to Shirud.
“Shirud, is my name rustic…? Please answer honestly.”
“…A little?”
“……Huh.”
That Luke Ilish was rustic was something he had never heard before.
To him, names had always been a source of pride.
However, at this moment…
‘Rustic grandfather…’
“Ha ha ha.”
In the midst of Luke’s empty laughter, Mary scolded Shirud.
“Hey, Shirud! How can you say that?”
“I-I can’t lie!”
He had told Luke that if he wanted to use the circle properly, he must never lie.
He was only stating the truth.
