Chapter 15

(4)

7.

Around the time Ulan was facing the twin-headed dragon.

At the forge of the western blacksmith, the ‘Enchantment’ exam, a specialized field of craftsmanship, had just ended.

“Shante Arb. B-Rank.”

“Orti Delzi. A-Rank!”

“Rakan Yupeld. Impressive. To engrave such intricate runes flawlessly. S-Rank!”

“Thank you!”

The boy named Rakan had a flushed expression.

And for good reason. Out of over a hundred examinees, this was the first S-Rank awarded.

On the other hand, there was also a completely opposite result.

“Noa Darshen. D-Rank.”

“……”

It was Noa. She hung her head low, as if she had expected the result.

“Wow, someone actually got a D-Rank.”

“Why did she even choose this exam?”

“Let’s go. We won’t see her again after enrollment anyway.”

“Someone like her is definitely failing.”

Mockery poured in from all sides. Noa’s ears turned bright red as she tightly gripped the hem of her clothes.

Noa had chosen Enchantment because she thought it was the only exam where she could achieve a meaningful result.

Enchantment was a test to select those with the talent of a craftsman, and Noa was somewhat confident in her drawing skills.

Moreover, since all she had to do was complete the engraving by any means necessary, Noa had planned to use sorcery to carve the runes.

‘But……’

The problem arose from the very beginning.

The exam was to engrave runes on plate armor or a shield, but the catch was that the examinees had to choose and carry the item to the exam hall themselves.

This was because the examiners believed that selecting the quality of the item to be engraved was also part of a craftsman’s talent.

Other examinees had no trouble moving their equipment and starting the engraving. But not Noa.

‘A character born with terrible stamina.’

Despite possessing sorcery talent that ranked among the top three of the main characters, she was pitifully lacking in strength and stamina.

And there was a penalty on top of that.

Even if she acted the same as others, Noa’s stamina consumption was much higher.

‘Probably about five times?’

For example, if she were to carry a 5kg object, Noa would feel as if it weighed 25kg.

This was the penalty given to ‘Noa Darshen’. It was similar in context to the ‘blockhead’ penalty given to Ulan.

And the result.

Just carrying the smallest shield took half of the allotted time.

To make matters worse, the shield she brought was of poor quality, and carrying it drained her stamina significantly, causing her concentration to drop, ultimately ruining the exam.

‘Ugh, I didn’t know this in the game……’

Who knew carrying a shield like this would be so exhausting.

Back in the prairie, when doing odd jobs, there was no need to rush, so she didn’t notice it. When chopping firewood, she would take a 10-minute break after each log.

I guess I need to get my hands on some treasure that boosts stamina.

Noa made a sullen face.

‘It’s okay. There’s still a chance.’

At least she avoided an F-Rank.

If she gets S-Ranks in the remaining exams, she can safely enroll.

Moreover, the remaining two exams are where Noa’s talents can shine.

She will somehow get an S-Rank here. Noa’s eyes sparkled with determination.

‘Ulan must have done well, right?’

He has nothing to worry about.

Just looking at the main scenario, he’s a monster who passed the Trial of the Hero as the youngest of the seven heroes. Of course, he must have gotten an S-Rank.

After organizing her thoughts, Noa left the exam hall.

Staying here any longer would only make her feel more embarrassed.

“Let’s see, the time now is……”

11:30 AM.

There was still some time before lunch.

She could have gone to the fountain first to wait for Ulan, but she didn’t want to. It would look pitiful to others.

“Maybe I should check out the next exam hall early.”

Noa’s second specialty exam.

Talismans starts right after lunch. So, let’s find out the location of the exam hall in advance. Noa turned her direction north.

At that moment.

Someone caught her eye.

“Huh? That person……”

Long, flowing light golden hair.

Tied tightly with a black ribbon, a beautiful swordsman walking by. Noa’s eyes widened to the size of lanterns upon seeing her.

It was a familiar face.

Noa quickly blinked three times.

━━━

[Name]: Ivella Elea’ad

[Age]: 17

[Rank]: S

[Trait]: Blessing of the Sword

━━━

As the brief information appeared.

Noa’s speculation turned into certainty.

‘As expected, it’s the Sword Princess!’

Sword Princess, Ivella Elea’ad.

One of the main characters and a genius in swordsmanship.

And a key member of the seven heroes’ party alongside Ulan, responsible for the vanguard.

She is also an essential party member when facing the Lord of the Abyss, 『The Wailing Eye』.

Whether the Sword Princess is a comrade or not can make the difficulty of the strategy swing between heaven and hell.

In any case, having her as a comrade is no loss.

So Noa pondered.

‘What should I do?’

Should I talk to her now?

What if she gets wary if I act too familiar? While Noa was deep in thought, the Sword Princess had already disappeared.

‘Let’s just greet her after enrollment.’

There will be plenty of opportunities.

No, come to think of it, there aren’t that many opportunities. Because of the ‘Sword Princess’ character story that Noa remembers.

‘She dropped out just before the second year, right?’

The Sword Princess leaves the academy due to a certain incident. If I want to build a friendship, I need to hurry. That way, when the Gate of the Abyss opens someday, I can rely on her strength.

After finishing her thoughts about the Sword Princess.

Noa headed to her original destination.

After confirming the location of the exam halls for the two exams, she turned around. To head to the fountain where she was supposed to meet Ulan.

On the way.

Noa’s steps halted again.

Just like the Sword Princess she saw earlier, there was someone who looked strangely familiar.

“Ahem! So, that’s how it is.”

A middle-aged man conversing with the examiners.

Stroking his well-groomed beard, he finished speaking and turned around. Noa quickly blinked.

━━━

[Name]: Dirck Ormin

[Age]: 42

[Rank]: B

[Trait]: Grace of the Wind

━━━

‘Ah, it’s Professor Dirck!’

Flow of Magic and Magic Detection.

Professor Dirck Ormin, specializing in the training and application of wind elemental magic. Though not a main character, Noa remembered him for a reason.

‘He appeared as an event boss.’

Professor Dirck turns into a bloodthirsty monster during a specific event at Arsen Academy. The rewards were quite decent, as far as she remembers.

‘Also, he’s Count Dermore’s brother-in-law.’

What else was unique about him?

While trying to recall, a piece of information suddenly flashed through Noa’s mind.

‘Wait, wasn’t he the examiner for Ulan’s《Magic Detection》exam?’

I think that was the case.

His specialty was the Flow of Magic.

Meanwhile, Noa overheard the assistant examiners’ conversation. It was the voices of those who had been with Professor Dirck earlier.

“Professor Dirck is quite peculiar.”

“Why did he suddenly decide to change the exam content?”

“I heard it was leaked?”

“What? Really?”

“Yeah, so he completely changed it, they say.”

The moment she heard the conversation.

Noa’s brow slightly furrowed.

Professor Dirck is a character who is deeply engrossed in his research and doesn’t pay much attention to other things. So, for the entrance exam, he just slightly modified the questions he had used before.

‘But he completely changed the exam content?’

And on the day Ulan is taking the exam?

Is this really a coincidence? No, it’s not.

In the <Chronicles of Arsen Continent> that Noa knows, this never happened.

‘……I have a bad feeling about this.’

I can’t explain it, but I have a foreboding feeling. I should let Ulan know about this. With that thought, Noa hurried her steps.

8.

At the fountain in the exam hall plaza.

Ulan was looking around. Noa was nowhere to be seen. After standing idly for a while, he soon found a suitable spot and sat down.

Planning to eat first.

Just as he was about to open the lunchbox.

“Sorry! I’m a bit late, right?”

Noa arrived.

She immediately sat down next to Ulan.

A barbarian boy with his upper body completely bare and a girl with rare black hair on the continent.

Quite a unique combination, the two attracted the attention of other examinees. Though Ulan and Noa didn’t pay much mind.

“How was the exam? Did you do well?”

“Got S-Rank in both.”

“Wow, as expected of Ulan.”

Just as expected.

Noa honestly admired. Then, the question came back to her.

“How about you?”

“Well, compared to Ulan, it’s a bit low.”

“I understand. It’s not your specialty.”

Ulan nodded.

“So, what rank?”

“……Do you really have to know?”

“I’m curious.”

Under Ulan’s pressing, Noa sighed.

Fine. Since you’ll find out when all the exams are over and the results are out, I’ll tell you now.

With a half-resigned expression.

Noa opened her mouth.

“D-Rank.”

“……”

A moment of silence fell.

Only the sound of water flowing from the fountain could be heard. Ulan’s gaze wavered. Meanwhile, Noa’s ears gradually turned bright red.

How long had it been?

Ulan let out a heavy sigh.

“Noa.”

He called her name.

With a very serious face.

“It was short, but it was fun.”

“Hey. The results aren’t out yet, you know?”

“Say hi to Ajuheuh for me.”

“I said I didn’t fail!”

Noa, who had been sitting still, made a sullen face.

Trying to hide her ears, which were about to burst red.

“Phew, let’s eat first.”

I’m hungry, and there’s something to talk about.

As she started eating, Noa told Ulan about the conversation she overheard from the examiners.

After all the stories were told, Ulan answered with a calm face.

“I see.”

A more subdued reaction than expected.

Noa frowned and asked again.

“……Is that all?”

“What else is needed? If the exam content was leaked, it’s right to modify it, isn’t it?”

“No, there’s definitely something fishy going on!”

A voice filled with strength.

A shout born from strong conviction.

Ulan tilted his head.

“Why are you so sure?”

“Well, that’s……”

Noa hesitated for a moment.

It was hard to reveal the source of her suspicion.

Meanwhile, Ulan narrowed his eyes at Noa, who was hesitating as if in trouble.

“Is this also that ‘foresight’ of yours?”

Noa often displays mysterious foresight.

As if she’s repeating something she’s experienced before or knows what’s going to happen.

“Ugh, something like that. Anyway, it’s better not to let your guard down. Don’t trust Count Dermore either!”

“Why the Count?”

“Just take it as foresight.”

A vague answer came back.

But Ulan didn’t press further. After all, Noa’s foresight has never been wrong.

“But what kind of scheme are they planning?”

“Hmm, my guess is that they’ll try to fail Ulan no matter what. So, they’ll use every trick to give you an F-Rank.”

Though it was a rather abrupt guess, Ulan calmly listened to her argument. As mentioned earlier, Noa’s foresight has never been wrong.

“If this guess is correct, Professor Dirck will try to catch Ulan’s mistake no matter what.”

“Mistake?”

“Yes! So if you get any strange questions, just deny everything. And insist that it’s just a magic I use.”

“Do you think they’ll buy that?”

“They will. If you don’t admit it, they need evidence, and for a forced mistake, they usually don’t have proper evidence prepared.”

A smile bloomed on her lips.

A smile filled with confidence.

“Got it. I’ll keep that in mind.”

Ulan nodded.

It was rare for Noa to speak so firmly. If her prediction really comes true, he plans to follow her advice.

Not long after.

As the meal ended, the bell rang.

The sound signaling the end of lunch.

“I have an exam in 10 minutes, so I’ll go ahead. Let’s meet later when everything’s done!”

“Alright, see you in the prairie after graduation.”

“I said I didn’t fail yet!”

Noa, who had shouted, turned around with a sullen face. Watching her disappearing back, Ulan also stood up.

To take the final exam.

9.

Dirck Ormin.

A professor of the Magic Department and the examiner for the upcoming《Magic Detection》exam. His face, heading to the exam hall, was worn out with fatigue.

The reason was simple.

He had stayed up all night.

Not for research, but to modify the content of the specialty exam, which he usually had no interest in.

So, it was only natural to be tired.

But there was no choice. It was a request from his brother-in-law and financial backer, Count Dermore.

「There’s a barbarian who’s an eyesore. Make sure he doesn’t pass the Arsen Academy entrance exam.」

The reason is unknown.

He didn’t explain further.

He just sent someone to deliver that message out of the blue.

But the Count promised a reward.

If this request is successfully carried out, he would provide additional research funds.

A condition sufficient to make Dirck, who was always struggling with lack of research funds, go all out.

So, he drastically modified the exam content.

To make it so difficult and tricky that someone unfamiliar with magic could never pass.

‘And I also set up an insurance.’

A surefire verification that anyone who hasn’t learned magic will inevitably get an F-Rank.

Thus, the plan was perfect.

Except for one thing.

“Ufufu, I feel a bit excited. It’s been a while since I observed the entrance exam.”

The girl walking beside him.

A cheerful girl with apricot-colored hair, bursting with laughter. She looked like a mid-teen, but in reality, she was at least twice Dirck’s age.

‘Magic Dean, Diplyn Cernio.’

The powerhouse who governs the Magic Department of Arsen.

Beyond the Magic Department, she is one of the top five most powerful figures in the academy. In other words, just being next to her is burdensome.

But that’s not the only problem.

Diplyn was excessively talkative.

“This year, there must be many talented kids, right? No, there must be. Frankly, last year was a bust. Right?”

“……Dean.”

“Well, this time, one of my former students is included, so it must be better than last year. That kid is really amazing!”

“Excuse me……”

“Ah, I can’t wait to meet her. My cute and lovely Ria. Just wait a bit. Your teacher will come to see you soon!”

The conversation itself wasn’t getting through.

Dirck let out a half-resigned sigh.

At that moment.

Suddenly, Diplyn turned her head sharply.

“Professor Dirck.”

“……Yes?”

“Don’t worry.”

“Wh, what do you mean?”

“The specialty exam. I’m not curious at all about why you suddenly completely changed the exam content or what your intentions are.”

Her eyes curved like crescent moons.

But her pupils weren’t smiling at all.

So, it sent chills down his spine. A gaze as deep and dark as an abyss. A murky gaze that made it impossible to guess her true intentions.

But that was only for a moment.

Diplyn’s lips slightly curled up.

“I volunteered to accompany you today just to see a former student of mine. I won’t interfere otherwise. Promise!”

Stretching out her little finger, Diplyn smiled like a child.

On the other hand, Dirck couldn’t smile at all. He just swallowed dryly and nodded with a stiff face.

Not long after.

They arrived at the exam hall.

Chapter 6. My Magic Is Originally Like This

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