The Academy conference room was filled with emotions of fear and confusion.
The one who broke the silence was the principal, Clifford.
“…. Where is Nemesis?”
“He’s conducting facility inspections in case of unforeseen dangers.”
“How is it going?”
“There are no entangled students, but the facilities are almost destroyed.”
Clifford’s expression visibly stiffened.
“What do we do now? Thanks to Luid’s large-scale magic, we’ve run out of demon seeds for this exam.”
There are always people who lack situational awareness, those who point out the obvious when everyone already knows it.
The professors’ cold stares were directed at him. The man who raised objections spoke in a flustered tone.
“Did I make a mistake somewhere? By the way, Luid’s magic was amazing. I was honestly impressed.”
“Sigh.”
Clifford’s face aged ten years due to the oblivious professor’s words.
“If I knew this would happen, I would have put Luid last in the sequence…”
Everyone was intensely curious about Luid’s magic to control demons. So the professors collectively suggested to the principal, “Let’s put Luid as the first in the sequence and observe together.” They firmly believed they could handle it this time.
And this was the result.
Seventy percent of the Haemuk Plateau’s “Forest of Demons” was destroyed. About 3.11 million gold* worth of property damage. But they couldn’t hold the students responsible for hunting demons.
“Ah, goodness.”
Clifford murmured with a heavy heart, staggering and sitting on the floor.
“Principal!”
“What on earth should we do next year?”
Clifford was already notorious for being moody. The professors pretended to shuffle papers while glancing at him.
“Surely, he won’t cut our salaries, right?”
“That won’t do. We barely had enough research funds this time.”
“Yeah, it’s not like we messed with a genius.”
“That’s right, I hope he doesn’t interfere with us.”
“That brat.”
In the crystal on the principal’s desk, a satisfied image of Luid appeared. He seemed pleased with his magic.
Clifford pointed at Luid while grabbing the back of his neck.
“Ask for compensation from the Windsor family! It’s clearly an excessive response! He aimed for that and did this on purpose!”
The previously oblivious professor timidly objected.
“Isn’t that difficult to do? When hunting trolls, it’s natural to use powerful magic all at once… Besides, that, didn’t it become a subject of enhanced physical capabilities?”
Even if a troll’s neck was cut off, it would regenerate quickly. The only effective way was to obliterate over 90% of its body at once.
“Are you trying to blame me, Demonic Kyeong?”
“Oh, no, not at all.”
“Then, rather than that, we need to come up with a plan quickly, right?”
The professors became serious with someone’s suggestion. It wasn’t the time to admire Luid’s magic or watch the principal’s antics anymore.
If things continued like this, there would be a significant disruption in the exam, and they wouldn’t be able to make a fair allocation.
Clifford, taking a deep breath, glared at Luid as if he could kill him.
“How did that heretic even get into the academy? No matter how it’s magic to control demons, it’s nothing more than a show-off.”
At least in terms of magical ability, he had to give credit to Luid. To use magic, one’s intellect must be sharp.
Did he not understand the level of trolls? There’s no way he didn’t. Luid deliberately used magic to show off.
It was a serious betrayal of Clifford’s magical ethics. Magic should never be used as a means of showing off; it should be used in a just and proper way.
That’s the right belief that students in this academy led by him should hold.
“When the sun rises, expel him.”
Clifford said calmly. Hearing those words, the professors were taken aback.
“What?”
“There’s no point in continuing the exam any further. I won’t say it twice. Expel him.”
“…What about the scores?”
Clifford sighed and wiped his face. He looked very uneasy. But, as the principal, he couldn’t discriminate just because he didn’t like it.
“Hershi Minerva came in as the top student when she entered. Even if we give her a perfect score, everyone will understand.”
However, he mentioned Hershi specifically to save what little was left of his pride.
“Then, what about Luid…?”
The professors were tense. Clifford looked quite displeased and shouted.
“Then, should I give a failing score just because I’m angry with that lazy brat!”
“Hi, hiik! No, of course not!”
The professors breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, it seemed like Clifford still intended to be fair.
“…Anyway, file a complaint with the Windsor family. They’re a wealthy aristocratic family; they’ll fill up the donation for the sake of their beloved son. That should compensate for this loss.”
“And what about the exam?”
In fact, this was the most crucial issue.
The mid-term placement exam wasn’t just for Luid.
Clifford spoke angrily, “Can’t you think of at least that much by yourselves!”
Phenesia flashed a bright smile. She was the daughter of Principal Clifford.
“Principal, we’re at a loss and can’t find a solution. Could you please tell us?” she asked.
Clifford, calming down his anger, turned away from the professors’ gazes and said, “Um, well, try wearing masks or something and see what you can do.”
Even as professors, they were still employees who received their salaries. They made sad expressions when criticized.
**
Hershi tended to become inattentive when faced with overwhelming situations.
——————
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And now was one of those times. There was no magic she had seen in her life that could compare to this.
A magic that summons a dragon? She had never even heard of such a thing. It was a legend that had long been forgotten.
“…Right. It’s Luid after all.”
Hershi accepted it! Luid was not a person to be trifled with.
“The aim was not accurate. I only got rid of some rotten trees.”
Luid scratched his head. His manifestation was much more significant than he had anticipated.
“Still, thanks to that, valuable materials remain unharmed. Look at this. It’s a ‘Troll’s Tendon.’ It’s even from the ankle!”
Hershi squatted where the troll had been. Everything else had disappeared without a trace, but some of the troll’s tendon remained. It seemed safe since it was from the ankle, which was naturally tough.
“There’s nothing useless about trolls,” was a famous saying among magicians. Trolls with incredible regenerative abilities provided excellent magical materials, from their skin to various other parts.
“You take that.”
“Huh, me?”
“I don’t need it.”
Luid looked at Hershi as if she were precious as he said that.
Where would he use something like a monster’s ankle tendon? It looked creepy and he didn’t like it.
“But…”
“I said I don’t need it. If you pester me, I’ll just burn it.”
Hershi was taken aback and quickly hid the tendon behind her back.
“From now on, when I give you something, just accept it gratefully, okay? Got it?”
“Yes, yes!”
Like a new recruit in the Magic Knights, Hershi responded cautiously, looking at the precious tendon in her hands.
Her hands were stained black, but she didn’t even care.
“Huh…?”
The supply of troll tendons was overwhelmingly scarce compared to the demand. Trolls were relatively strong, but the difficulty of finding them was also a factor.
That’s why whenever “Troll’s Tendon” appeared at an auction, the auction house was always packed. There was fierce competition for it.
Coincidentally, Hershi was in desperate need of this tendon. In the process of making a staff handed down in the Minerva family, a “Troll’s Ankle Tendon” less than three days old was essential.
Originally, she was going to try to get it after she recovered the Phoenix Feather…
“If I use this, can I make the staff?”
Hershi held the tendon in a daze. Now, she had all the materials in her hands.
“Uh…!”
“Hey…! I know it’s impolite to talk about this during the exam, but…”
“Speak.”
“…I have all the materials for the staff now. Can I make it here?”
Luid readily nodded.
“Sure, go ahead.”
“Do I? I’ll have to do it after the exam.”
Luid yawned. He felt a bit sleepy after using such a big magic.
“I guess I’ll take a nap again.”
At the moment when he was about to return to his place.
“…I wish Luid could do it.”
Hershi blushed as if she were embarrassed. She held the staff preciously to her chest and mumbled.
“This is fate, too. In the end, I was able to get all the materials thanks to Luid.”
“Well, I’ve never made a staff before. Wouldn’t it be better to leave it to an alchemist?”
He wasn’t good at making a strong blade even though he was a strong swordsman. Luid pointed that out, which was only reasonable. Making a staff was the domain of alchemists.
However, Hersy lowered his head. He held onto Louis’ collar and pleaded earnestly.
“It’s not about performance.”
“What if it fails?”
“It’s already formed, so we can retry as many times as needed. Besides, Louis is a genius, so there won’t be any issues.”
“Well, I’ve never tried it before. Anyway, fine. I’ll infuse the mana, right?”
Hersy made a dry cough.
“It would be better if you thought of characteristics that would suit me.”
Not a difficult request. Louis received the staff from Hersy.
“What should I infuse into it?”
He didn’t ponder for long. After all, this was temporary. He would eventually entrust it to an expert.
So, let’s infuse it with characteristics suitable for a female student.
More aesthetic than practical.
But then, he had a doubt.
“Well, this is a masterpiece by the genius magician Louis, right?”
Let’s add a small characteristic.
However, this one would be a secret to Hersy.
-Shooaah.
Louis’s highly pure mana flowed into Hersy’s staff.
Like waves crashing, an overwhelming amount of mana.
Hersy’s pale face was imbued with a blue light. He stared at the staff, entranced.
-Pot.
The staff absorbed Louis’s mana fully. Louis had imagined two characteristics and poured his mana, but one of them immediately became evident.
Unlike an ordinary staff, it emitted a subtle glow and had a beautiful appearance. Hersy had never seen a staff this elegant in his life.
“Wow, wow!”
Hersy held the staff and delighted in it like a child. A shining staff – any magician who saw it would be envious.
“It’s filled with Louis’s mana, sparkling brightly! Is this Louis’s mana? It’s so beautiful!”
“It’s similar.”
Hersy hugged the staff tightly and asked with curiosity.
“But… what were you thinking when infusing the mana?”
“That’s a secret.”
“Really?”
Hersy’s eyes widened.
“You have to find out for yourself.”
Hersy couldn’t contain his excitement and paced around. It was quite cute. After doing that for a while, he looked at Louis, testing the waters.
“Can I try it once… a test?”
“Of course. That’s Hersy’s staff.”
Hersy smiled and was about to try casting a spell.
[Louis Christopher Windsor, Hersy Minerva.]
A voice echoed throughout the forest.
[Passed the test. Both achieved the highest score. Come out of the Plateau of Hesmuc immediately.]
Louis wiped his eyes and received the test paper.
Hersy’s paper was filled with something, but his own paper had a lot of blank space.
He wasn’t particularly interested, but he read it anyway.
“[Louis Christopher Windsor]
[Overall Evaluation – ‘Beyond Standards’]
[Investigation: Louis Christopher Windsor is judged to have already surpassed the student level by far. Access is granted to any class freely.]”
Certified by the Royal Academy Principal, Clifford Pheinnes.
