Chapter 16: Announcement of Results
“There he is. The bright red one.”
Ronan pointed his finger, indicating the midst of the crowd. Aselle, swaying and struggling through the crowd, looked like a tulip blooming in a field of reeds. With a piece of straw in his mouth, he waved at Ronan.
“Ronan! Marya!”
“That little guy must have aced the exam.”
“Yeah, it seems like it.”
Aselle’s expression was as sunny as the sky overhead. The three of them, done with the practical exam, moved to a restaurant Marya knew. It was renowned in the institution for its exquisite chicken dishes.
“Ehehe…”
Aselle giggled almost drunkenly as he ate. Even mumbling while chewing, his giggles were somewhat lacking, like a child’s. Ronan, who was not as experienced, finally spoke up.
“What did you show them that made them so impressed? Did you use your telekinesis to clean the judges’ seats?”
“Do you want to die?”
Marya threw down the chicken wing she was holding. Aselle, finally recovering, explained what had happened during the exam.
“Darn it, you lifted thirty logs up to the ceiling? And spun them around too?”
“Yeah…”
Among the test takers that day, Aselle was the only mage skilled in manipulating telekinesis. Perhaps because of this, the judges had shown some favoritism, and he managed to showcase his skills without mistakes.
“You really outdid yourself, Aselle. Help us move houses while you’re at it.”
“Is this guy a genius or what?”
Ronan exclaimed, tearing into a chicken leg like a wild animal. Considering how he struggled just to lift a single log, this progress was truly remarkable.
After the meal, the group dispersed to their respective accommodations. With the written exam approaching, there was no time for leisure. While Aselle was reviewing, he asked a question.
“Ronan, can you go through it with me one more time?”
“Like this… or was it from this angle? Hm? What did you say?”
Ronan was mimicking the peculiar sword technique Navirose had used during the daytime exam. Seeing a skill he had never seen before intrigued him. His notebook was tucked away in a corner with clothes that needed washing.
“I know you’ve been working hard… but the questions could be tricky.”
The written exam had fewer points compared to the practical, but it was still significant. Ronan chuckled.
“Come on, let’s not worry. Just ask me anything. I’ll answer.”
“Um… then, what’s the primary architectural style in the western Doranda region?”
“Aresko.”
Aselle’s pupils widened. He continued flipping through his notebook, firing off several questions.
“Then… What are the Three Marvels achieved by Archmage Lorehon?”
“The Spiral Tower, Light Elemental Magic, Boiling Flame.”
“And what’s the name of the fantasy creature known as the Mother of Flames?”
“Red Dragon Navar-Dorje.”
Ronan spoke without looking at Aselle. He had answered eight out of the ten consecutive questions flawlessly. Aselle applauded him unintentionally
“Th-that was amazing, Ronan! Seriously!”
“Just saving time for other important activities, like taking a dump. Isn’t it weird that I didn’t know all this?”
Struggling with the basics, Ronan had resorted to memorizing Marya’s summarized notebook, which he had to share.
Could it be that he only studied the higher-level material? Ronan pondered something like, ‘I only studied the upper half!’ would happen. A bad joke, indeed.
Three days later, the trio sat for the written exams at the Gallion Main Hall. The results of the Philleon Academy’s pass or fail were announced right after the written exams ended.
****
“This life is just pathetic.”
The night was flawlessly clear. Countless people gathered in the square under the bright white full moon, all here to confirm their Academy admission status. Among them, Ronan smoked a cigarette. His keen eyes held a hint of bitterness. Aselle, fidgety, tugged at his collar.
“Y-You mean we should go back to Professor Varen right now? And ask for another recommendation letter? Right?”
“I’d rather stick a sword up my butt and slice a watermelon.”
“But you said you’d even beg if necessary at that time?”
“Can’t I even crack a joke?”
“Th-Then what should we do…”
Aselle’s voice quivered. It felt like a massive serpent of guilt was constricting his heart. Ronan, exhaling smoke again, spoke.
“Why are you worrying so much? If you fail, I’m failing with you.”
“I-It’s my fault… If I had just asked back then…”
“Forget it. Even if we knew back then, we’d still have faced a difficult exam.”
In the end, people are caught in their own traps. Ronan had no idea about the existence of the lower half of the notes. He had tried his best to rely on memory and common sense, but ended up skipping over about half of the questions.
“Hey, don’t worry too much.”
Marya, who had joined late, patted him on the back. Unlike Aselle’s nervousness, there was no hint of concern on her face.
“If you fail, you can just become my juniors next year. Isn’t that good?”
“Thanks for the consolation.”
Marya chuckled. She had said it as a joke, but she didn’t think Ronan would fail. She was certain of his skill, having sparred with him. Even if he scored at the top, it wouldn’t be surprising for his swordsmanship.
Then, in the empty night sky, a blue spark shot up.
-Whoosh!
At a certain altitude, the spark exploded and transformed into the shape of a giant eagle. With widened eyes, Marya grabbed the two boys’ necks and shouted.
“The results are out!”
“Damn!”
Still groggy, Aselle hit Marya’s arm. Simultaneously, the eagle spread its wings. The names of successful candidates were written on the wings that covered the sky of the plaza. The enchantment enhanced their vision and comprehension, allowing candidates to quickly find their names. Cheers and sighs of relief erupted from various places in the crowd.
“I passed! Woohoo!”
“I-I did too!”
“Aaaargh! No way!!”
It was a moment of mixed emotions. There were girls who burst into tears without reason and idiots spinning around while shouting. There were far more people feeling sad than those celebrating.
“Mar-Marya… over there!”
Suddenly, Aselle pointed towards his right wing. Marya turned her head and froze like a statue. An incredibly familiar name was written there, along with its rank.
[Martial Arts Department / Marya Karabel: Practical 9th, Written 9th (4)]
“Ah…”
It was a score that could also receive a scholarship. She stared blankly at her name. Her days of effort flashed before her eyes for a brief moment, clouding her vision.
“Hey, s-sir.”
Marya wiped her eyes with her sleeve and looked up again. A loud shout burst from her lips as she inspected the list again.
“Hey! Right at the top!”
Aselle was still searching for his name. Marya lifted him up, directing his gaze to the middle of the left wing of the eagle.
“Fifth from the left! Three rows down from the top!”
“Huh…?”
Thunk!
Aselle’s staff slipped from his hand and fell to the ground.
[Magic Department / Aselle: Practical 12th, Written 1st (3)]
“I-I’m… the topper in the written…?”
“Cute little guy! What the heck is this! Huh?”
Marya hugged Aselle tightly. It was an unbelievable result for someone who had only prepared for a month. Even with the advantage of being a telekinesis mage in the practical exam, getting first place in the written meant almost a perfect score.
“But what’s with the (3)?”
“It means there are three others who got the same score as you. One of them is probably Shullifen, and I can roughly guess who the other one is.”
Marya mentioned the girl who had recently entered as the second daughter of the Acalusia family.
A genius who handled three attributes simultaneously. She was probably going to be the head of the Magic Department too.
“I guess I’ll have to call you seniors now.”
At that moment, chuckling sounds came from the side. The faces of the two turned stiff as they simultaneously looked in that direction. Ronan, who had taken his eyes off the list for a while, was smoking a cigarette.
“Hey, wait a moment, Ronan. You don’t have a… name?”
“Hey, don’t mess around.”
“You can just enter next year, right?”
Ronan shrugged his shoulders and pointed to the empty space in the air. It was a gesture implying that they should look for themselves. Aselle, levitating using telekinesis, began searching through the list again.
“Um, it’s not here… really…”
Aselle’s voice trembled. Marya awkwardly chuckled and tightly gripped Ronan’s arm.
“Come on, that can’t be true. It has to be there.”
“But I’m telling you, it’s not.”
“Don’t say that.”
She tried to act nonchalant, but even her breathlessness was hard to hide. Ronan silently sprinkled more powder into his pipe. Both of them examined the list with an attitude that could only be described as desperate.
“This… this can’t be real…”
Ronan’s name wasn’t on the list. No matter how many times he read it again, it was the same.
“What kind of mistake is this? Huh? This is just unbelievable.”
“Marya.”
“Logically, it has to be there! Can you believe this?!”
Seeing Ronan’s eyes glistening, Marya’s eyes widened in surprise. He wore a wry smile and said.
“That’s life, Marya. You can’t predict everything.”
At that moment, another fireball shot up into the sky.
-Boom!
This time, it was a bright red color contrasting with the previous blue. The crowd’s attention focused on the much brighter spectacle.
“What’s that…?”
Among the three, only Marya knew what the fire was. It was a Glory Phoenix, a majestic bird that displayed the names of first and second place. The fireball quickly transformed into the shape of a phoenix, and its wings spread out, covering the sky directly above.
-Whoosh!
The phoenix flapped its wings. The radiance it emitted was so intense that it felt like the sun had risen in an instant. People who tilt their heads upward let out cheers.
“Wow!!”
Aselle and Marya were still searching for Ronan’s name. Reflexively, they looked up, frozen in place. Ronan smirked and looked at them.
“Huh? What’s wrong?”
“R-Ronan… Th-that, th-that…”
“Say it, damn it. Speak up.”
Aselle stumbled over his words like a demented parrot. Marya was no different.
Ronan, growing impatient, raised his gaze. The names of the four of them were displayed in the night sky.
[Martial Arts Department First Place / Shullifen de Gracia]
[Magic Department First Place / Elizabeth de Acalusia]
The letters were large enough to be seen throughout the academy. The names of the top two were displayed in golden letters. Ronan moved his gaze downward. The names of the second-place candidates were in silver, not as grand.
[Martial Arts Department Second Place / Ronan]
[Magic Department Second Place / Pion Chalfine]
The pipe that had been in Ronan’s mouth fell to the ground.