Chapter 51 - Exam (2)

 

Author: Dawn

The morning exam began.

Ethan sat in the spectator seats with his two escorts, observing the exam.

“Wow-!”

“That guy better choose our department!”

“Don’t talk nonsense. Just look at the way he wields the spear. He should join our division.”

The enrolled students cheered as they watched the new applicants proudly display their skills.

Among the students watching them, there were quite a few department heads from the Academy’s special activity department.

If they could recruit talented individuals from among the new students, it would be an opportunity for their departments to flourish.

So, they had to keep their eyes peeled and find the promising ones. If they couldn’t take them in, other divisions would.

That would be the flourishing of another division, so they couldn’t afford to miss out on this great event.

“This is no joke, really.”

“The level is truly high, Young Master.”

Schudlen couldn’t take his eyes off the new student exam.

The age of new students entering the Academy wasn’t very high.

The minimum age was 14, and although there was no upper age limit, students over 20 rarely entered, so most of them were in their mid to late teens.

“I heard there’s an implicit age limit, but that guy looks like he’s in his forties?”

“Don’t judge a person by their appearance.”

Ethan found the nearsighted boy interesting as he watched him.

‘I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere before.’

Ethan narrowed his eyes and observed closely.

He was definitely familiar. A serious case of presbyopia [1] that made him look like he was in his forties, had a rough impression, and an average height. 

Swordsmanship skills infused with swordplay.

‘Ah.’

Ethan remembered who he was.

‘Oliveira.’

He was the most important character and the catalyst for the downfall of the Holy Empire in Chapter 1 of the main scenario.

The question was…

‘Why is a member of the Royal Family here?’

The person who appeared to be in his forties was a member of the Royal Family, but his real age was 18, contrary to his appearance.

Oliveira Sacred, the hidden prince of the Empire who possessed all the information of the Holy Empire and sacrificed himself for the Magic Empire.

As a result, if you started from the side of the Holy Empire, capturing Oliveira was the conclusion of Chapter 1, and if you started from the side of the Magic Empire, protecting Oliveira was the goal of Chapter 1.

He held the key to transitioning to Chapter 2, making him an important character.

‘The perspective is a bit ambiguous.’

Ethan had no intention of interfering deeply in the main scenario until he met the Saintess.

However, as an important figure, he couldn’t help but think about various things.

‘When I entered Ivecar, Oliveira didn’t exist. That means I’ll be staying in Ivecar for the next year or so.’

Ethan smiled to himself.

‘If that’s the case, I can effectively use it for my survival.’

Having cleared MePan so many times, Ethan had played various characters and factions.

And among those plays, there was even a playthrough where he sided with the main villain, the Follower of the Moon.

It was considered practically impossible, but Ethan had unlocked that route and had gone almost to the end.

‘I can use it as a means to align myself with the Follower of the Moon.’

* * *

Finally, it was afternoon.

Afternoons at Ivecar Academy garnered much more attention than the mornings.

And for a good reason. The newly admitted students from the morning session were eagerly awaiting the announcement of the teachers who would pass the afternoon exams.

Furthermore, many new faces joined the crowd, faces that were absent in the morning.

They were the parents.

The admitted students had the privilege of inviting their parents inside the premises of Ivecar Academy.

Most of them brought their parents to witness the afternoon exams for new teacher recruitment.

In essence, this was considered the main event.

* * *

New Teacher Recruitment Exam Waiting Room.

Since it was a closed-door exam, the new teacher applicants were waiting on the first floor before heading up to the second floor.

Ethan observed the crowded waiting room filled with various individuals.

Just like yesterday, it was filled with impressive candidates. However, the most eye-catching among them was the blond young man from yesterday.

Ciron, the Shortsword Saint.

Though he might not be officially recognized as the Shortsword Saint yet, it was only a matter of time.

Soon, he would be acknowledged as a Shortsword Saint user and reveal his true abilities.

‘Hmm, there doesn’t seem to be anyone else worth paying much attention to.’

The waiting room was so large that each new teacher applicant managed their own routines to keep their composure.

“Hoo, hoo, hoo.”

Right next to Ethan, there was a well-dressed woman breathing heavily as if she was overly nervous.

She seemed to be quite tense, and Ethan was surprised as soon as he saw her.

He thought there wouldn’t be any more outstanding talents, but there was one more.

‘Nadia.’

Nadia von Tschernkastel.

The Tschernkastel family was one of the Twelve Stars Families that supported the current Holy Empire, and Nadia was the granddaughter of the current Chancellor’s youngest daughter.

As soon as Ciron looked in our direction, he and her eyes met.

Perhaps Ciron and Nadia knew each other. However, with the upcoming exam, Ciron continued with his own routine.

‘Familiar characters keep appearing.’

Ethan was aware that Ciron was at Ivecar, but he didn’t know about Nadia.

It was surprising to see a familiar character emerge from an unfamiliar place.

‘As far as I know, Nadia has never been involved with Ivecar before.’

That meant Nadia would fail in this exam.

‘But that’s impossible.’

It didn’t make sense.

Nadia, being the youngest of the Twelve Noble Families, had quite remarkable abilities.

“Are you okay?”

Ethan decided to speak to Nadia for now.

There was no harm in getting to know someone better.

However, when Nadia turned her head, her complexion was extremely pale.

“I-I’m feeling very unwell. Maybe something I ate was wrong? Ugh. If I feel like this, I won’t be able to use magic properly.”

It seemed that her condition was not due to nervousness but rather her physical state.

“Can I help you with something?”

“Oh, um, do you happen to have any emergency medicine…? I usually carry it with me, but I forgot it today.”

Probably her escort was carrying it.

Since she would usually have an escort.

Ethan decided to take this opportunity to gain her trust.

“I have some abilities that might be more helpful than medicine.”

“Yes?”

Suddenly, a needle appeared in Ethan’s hand.

“I can treat you with this.”

“…?”

She didn’t say a word, but her eyes conveyed her message.

Wait, is he going to stab me with that?

“It’s fate that we’re taking the same exam. Let me help you.”

“Oh, no, it’s fine. I think I’m feeling better now. Eek!”

As she waved her hands to decline, Ethan accurately pricked his needle into her moving thumb.

She let out a small cry.

However, everyone was too engrossed in their own preparations to pay any attention to their side.

“Huh?”

She was surprised to feel her previously uncomfortable stomach suddenly relieved.

“It feels like something has been flushed out. Like it’s been digested.”

“Do you see it here? This is your blood.”

“It-It’s black?”

“You have an upset stomach.”

And then, a bright red blood followed.

“Now that the discomfort should subside.”

“Is it because of the needle you pricked me with just now that I’m feeling better?”

“Yes.”

Of course, pricking her hand didn’t actually alleviate her condition.

‘If it was truly a physical condition, it would have been resolved. But it wasn’t. Someone like Nadia, who possesses as much mana as she does, wouldn’t have an upset stomach.’

Those who have a significant amount of pure mana don’t experience physical ailments. Even if their physical condition was poor, a single circulation of mana would instantly clear it up.

‘Something was blocking it.’

Intentionally, something was obstructing Nadia’s blood vessels.

Even if the mana circulation had been restored, the blockage wouldn’t have disappeared. The effect of Heo’s Acupuncture was remarkable, easily puncturing through it.

It was a problem that wouldn’t easily yield to ordinary means.

‘The events have already begun, it seems.’

Each character’s events were already unfolding within the Ivecar Academy.

‘As expected, it’s the center of the storm.’

Where major characters gathered, events overlapped and converged into grand events.

‘I have to be alert.’

Those events were ingredients.

From now on, Ethan would need to handle and season those ingredients to create a delicious dish.

‘I’ll devour them all without leaving a trace!’

“Now, I will announce the details of the exam.”

Just as the academy staff entered at the opportune moment, they proceeded to announce the details of the exam to the aspiring new teachers.

“There will be a total of two exams. If you pass these exams, you will proceed to have an interview with the principal. Once the interview is over, you will become a new teacher at our Ivecar Academy.”

The sound of someone swallowing dry saliva could be heard.

Up until now, Ivecar Academy had been selecting teachers through various exams.

“The first round is a written exam. You will be given exam papers corresponding to the subjects you applied for. And the second round is a practical exam. Regardless of the results in the first round, everyone will be able to participate in the practical exam.”

As soon as the academy staff finished their explanation, other staff members entered the room.

“Please proceed to the first-round written exam venue.”

* * *

‘Hmm.’

The teacher in charge of this exam was a person named Claudie Hyde.

As a member of the Hyde family, one of the Twelve Stars Families, Claudie was an exceptionally skilled individual, to the point where there was no one to compare among his peers.

His swordsmanship skills were highly regarded, and there were even evaluations suggesting that he could become the youngest department head of the Knightly Department.

The students felt slightly overwhelmed as they looked at Claudie entering the room.

Claudie and their age were around the same, and there were even older individuals among them.

However, the difference in position was incomparable.

‘So, this is the person.’

Claudie noticed someone who was not looking at them among the numerous applicants.

Slowly opening his eyes, Claudie observed the others in the room.

Claudie was aware of the rumors as well.

There was someone peculiar among the applicants for the swordsmanship department.

This person had paid a whopping ten million gold coins for admission and expressed a desire to become a genuine teacher, not just an honorary one.

Curious, Claudie had paid attention, but his expectations had been quite low.

‘Doesn’t seem to be anything special. His body is not robust, and his eyes appear sunken.’

If we were to talk about appearance, he was fairly handsome, but when seen as a swordsmanship teacher at Ivecar Academy, he didn’t seem to fit in.

He was probably around the same age as himself, but his physique appeared incredibly weak.

Furthermore, his mana was faint.

The swordsmanship department was the pride of Ivecar Academy.

Therefore, among the various departments, it was the most difficult to become a teacher in the swordsmanship department. If one became a teacher in the swordsmanship department, it was only natural to be accepted into other departments since the difficulty was exceptionally high.

Moreover, the students they taught were also of high caliber, matching their level.

Therefore, if one wasn’t physically strong, it was simply impossible to teach the students.

On the contrary, there was a high likelihood of being ignored and overshadowed by the students.

Though it was somewhat questionable coming from himself as a swordsmanship teacher, there were quite a number of unlucky and arrogant students in the swordsmanship department.

Character and personality were set aside, and the focus was solely on skills when selecting new students. Because of such individuals, some of the swordsmanship teachers who were accepted with great effort also ended up resigning due to immense stress.

‘Donation-based admission is a good system. However, if one wants to become a genuine teacher, they should at least demonstrate something.’

But so far, he didn’t appear favorable in Claudie eyes.

“We will begin the exam.”

The difficulty level of the swordsmanship department’s exam was always challenging, but this time it was even more difficult.

Though it was only one question, being an essay type, it couldn’t be easy.

-Interpret and provide improvements for the ancient swordsmanship technique, Revinade Swordsmanship.

*Attached is a copy of the Revinade Swordsmanship Manual.

Surely there should have been the sound of a pen scratching on paper, but only the sound of breathing could be heard.

Revinade Swordsmanship was one of the swordsmanship techniques taught to the swordsmanship students at Ivecar Academy.

This Revinade Swordsmanship could serve as the foundation for numerous swordsmanship techniques and was crucial for future lessons, as it could lay the groundwork for mastering other techniques.

The swordsmanship students each had their own family-specific swordsmanship techniques.

Of course, there were also some students who primarily used Ivecar’s swordsmanship techniques rather than their family’s techniques, so they needed to understand this Revinade Swordsmanship as well.

‘At a level where you can teach it.’

Of course, there were occasional sounds of a pen, but they kept writing and stopping, repeating the cycle.

Claudie recalled the time when they took the hiring exam themselves.

Back then, it was interpreting and providing improvements for a different swordsmanship technique, not Revinade Swordsmanship, but it was still quite challenging.

‘And interpretation and improvements aren’t simply about writing about the swordsmanship.’

After all, this exam was to select teachers.

In other words, the answers had to be oriented toward teaching the students.

While everyone was pondering, the sound of scribbling continued.

It was the dry-looking man sitting in front, frantically moving his pen.

‘Ethan Whiskers.’

He didn’t stop and kept writing his answers. Other applicants began to be surprised as they watched Ethan.

‘He doesn’t hesitate?’

Claudie made an impression.

Could it be that he quickly gave up and started writing whatever came to mind?

‘Pitiful.’

After today, they probably wouldn’t have the opportunity to see each other again.

* * *

The written exam was over.

During the grading period, a short break was given.

“This exam seems quite interesting.”

“That was too much, Principal. Revinade Swordsmanship, really? The topic was so difficult that there might not be any successful candidates.”

“Well, it’s a swordsmanship exam. Didn’t we give reasonable exams for other subjects?”

The Principal chuckled and stroked his beard.

“Well, then, shall we begin?”

The grading order was based on the order in which answer sheets were submitted.

“Hmm?”

That was why at the top, there was an exam paper with the name Ethan Whiskers written on it.

The Principal remembered that name. He was the man who donated ten million gold and came to take the exam.

The paper was filled with densely written text.

The Principal started reading the paper as if being drawn in from the first sentence.

Suddenly, the Principal fell silent, and the Vice Principal and the Head of the Knightly Department approached him.

“What’s wrong?”

The Principal quietly handed over the exam paper, and the two of them could do nothing but fall into silence as well.

1. Presbyopia is a refractive error that makes it hard for middle-aged and older adults to see things up close.