Editor 88

Final Exams (2)

In the prime seats in front of the lecture hall next to the stands sat Zebedi, Professor Maria, and an external official—Capital Defense Force Magic Corps Commander Thaddeus Yetzkel—as the magic division examiners.

An assistant stood beside them, holding a trumpet-shaped magical device enchanted with [Amplification] magic to conduct the exam. The device functioned like a loudspeaker.

“Student Cleio Asher, please briefly explain the magic you will demonstrate.”

“It’s a single [Light Source] formula, with a dual casting of the compound formula [Attribute Amplification][Disintegration][Dispersal]. I plan to use a snow quartz mana stone as the medium for the dual casting.”

The assistant, somewhat taken aback, repeated Cleio’s answer into the magical device.

Glancing over, Cleio saw Zebedi’s expression as if to say, ‘Why use that spell!’ in disbelief, while Thaddeus’s face remained unreadable as ever. Only Professor Maria looked on with her hands clasped, her face full of concern for the student.

As the assistant’s words echoed through the device, murmurs swelled among the crowd.

‘It’s impressive enough that he’s a first-year at level 4, but he’s going to attempt dual casting?’

‘Will he just embarrass himself by being reckless?’

‘I heard he’s Headmaster Zebedi’s prized student, so let’s see…’

Since Cleio had “Perception” activated to finely control his ether, these ticklish whispers were clearly embedded in his ears.

Unused to attention and excessive praise, Cleio’s ears reddened slightly.

At the window of the lecture hall corridor behind the stands, students who hadn’t yet taken the exam gathered in droves.

Among them were Ishiel, Asher, Chel, and the twins.

‘Doing a stunt in front of everyone really brings reality crashing in…’

But Ezra Sergeyev was a person worth the trouble of recruiting.

Cleio, pulling himself together, deployed his circle at maximum range.

Cleio’s ether level was still 4, so his circle’s range was only 20 meters. Despite his daily efforts at ether circulation, his vessel grew larger, but reaching level 5 easily was not possible.

However, the strength of the ether enveloping the circle was unmatched.

Exclamations broke out not only from the stands but among the students gathered at the lecture hall windows.

‘I’d heard the rumors, but that first-year is incredible.’

‘With ether sensitivity like that, level 5 can’t be far off.’

On the ground where the circle spread, the [Light Source] formula appeared, clear as if printed in a book.

Even among Ezra’s group, the reviews were full of admiration.

As promising wizards, they were more precise than anyone in evaluating Cleio’s circle and formulas.

‘That kid’s formula is as precise as a textbook. At least for accuracy, he’s better than you, Ezra. You misfire one out of three times.’

‘I heard Baron Asher’s second son has perfect recall like Professor Zebedi.’

‘Looks like the rumors aren’t false.’

Cleio closed his ears to all but the magic, chanting the incantation in a clear voice.

“[Let there be light, and here the light and the darkness are divided.]6)”

The [Light Source] formula, together with the incantation, burst into a brilliance so dazzling it was impossible to open one’s eyes.

It was a brightness that would instantly blind all who watched the boy.

Though the magician who created the storm of light only awkwardly adjusted his wand.

‘Uh… did I make it too bright?’

Was it because he’d been too diligent with ether circulation lately?

Since reaching level 4, his adjustments had never been so off.

He had only intended it to sparkle like Christmas tree lights, but instead, the whole parade ground was bleached white as if in a whiteout.

Groans and screams erupted from the crowd.

The knights reflexively cast [Reinforcement], and the magic division students and judges all deployed their circles at once.

‘Well, what’s done is done.’

The [Light Source] spell didn’t cause harm even if it was too strong, and at the first-year level, you wouldn’t get points off for an overly powerful spell, so there was no real problem.

‘Actually, with fewer people able to see the dual casting closely, this might be better.’

Cleio took the snow quartz ring Ezra had handed over from his coat pocket.

Even if most of the spectators’ vision was blocked, the high-level wizards would be watching closely.

‘As long as the examiners and the guy I made the bet with see, that’s enough.’

Cleio floated the compound formula of [Attribute Amplification][Disintegration][Dispersal] over the Sergeyev family ring in his palm.

Even in the already bright light, the newly manifested formula glowed an even deeper gold, clearly distinct from the [Light Source] color.

Though he had only simulated it in his mind in his room, the formula engraved in his “Memory” formed perfectly, rising over the snow quartz mana stone.

Cleio carefully recited the formula he’d chosen after much thought.

“[Oh, slow snowfall

Endlessly enveloping whirl

You swirling dancing snowflakes

One falls as soft as down

Another as hard as crystal!]7)”

Cleio’s long hair and bright ash cape began to whip and flutter.

The newly formed formula swirled atop the snow quartz mana stone.

With a light gesture, as if sending off the vortex in his hand, the dual casting formula, leaving Cleio’s circle range, turned pure white.

Shiiiiiiiiii—

The snow quartz, scattering as it left the circle, burst into tens of millions of fragments.

Before long, the screams and gasps faded.

In the dazzling, whitened vision, only light and silence remained, evoking the uncanny feeling of being caught in a real blizzard.

Ssshh— shirik—

The illusion of snow conjured by Cleio’s magic was less a festive dance of snowflakes for the Festival of Lights, and more a sense of isolation as if stranded in polar snowfall.

Even with their eyes closed, people, blinking in disbelief at the magic they’d witnessed, saw the crystalline brilliance of the snow in their minds.

After what seemed an eternity, the illusory blizzard faded.

Even after the formula ended, silence lingered for several seconds.

A beat later, a tremendous commotion erupted among students and spectators alike.

‘That’s a level 4 wizard?! He pulled off dual casting?’

‘Isn’t it just a trick? It’s all flash and no substance.’

‘That’s throwing a mana stone in the trash. Without the mana stone, it was just a somewhat powerful [Light Source] formula.’

‘But we saw a snowy field before our eyes….’

As Cleio intended, opinions were split on the excessively flashy but hollow magic.

The three judges, who had been discussing gravely, finally nodded in agreement.

Zebedi spoke.

“First-year Cleio Asher, perfect score for the practical exam.”

The assistant, who had been standing dazed, entered Cleio’s score a beat late.

Zebedi added an instruction to the assistant, who repeated Zebedi’s note through the magical device.

“However, regarding the source of the mana stone used as the medium for the dual casting, submit an explanation within three days.”

Cleio, bowing to the judges as was customary, replied calmly.

“I will submit a report.”

Indeed, if that snow quartz mana stone were converted to cash, it would be worth at least 500,000 dinar.

If Cleio had been told to purchase a mana stone, he would never have wasted such a sum on a practical exam.

‘It’s an unimaginable extravagance by normal standards. Even if I’m the youngest son of a rich family. But hey, it’s not like I can pawn someone else’s family ring, and he told me to use it, so isn’t it only natural?’

He had nothing to fear about the source.

Already, Cleio sensed the “source” running toward him as he left the parade ground.

To avoid becoming a spectacle, Cleio quickened his pace.

Crossing the wisteria path quickly, Cleio moved into the dormitory area off-limits to spectators, with Ezra chasing after him.

Commander Thaddeus of the Capital Defense Force Magic Corps was the first to speak as he watched the two.

“It’s been years since we gave a first-year a perfect score for the practical. I hope this time it’s not another student who gets up to mischief.”

“That student who gets up to mischief is your subordinate, and you don’t see him making trouble for a current student right now?”

“Come now, Mage. Can there be a commotion if only one side is to blame? There has to be someone to play along for noise to arise.”

“Cleio is a quiet and passive child. Frankly, he’s even a bit lazy. If he’s involved in something like this, it’s entirely because of the Sergeyev family’s troublemaker.”

“Well, my instincts say otherwise.”

“Has your instinct ever been right?!”

“I may not be as great a wizard as you, senior, but when it comes to judging people, I’m not behind you.”

“Yetzkel, who says you’re my junior? I never had a junior like you.”

“Oh, are you still arguing over something from half a century ago? If you studied together, you’re a junior….”

Just as the sharp and stern-faced Thaddeus, surprisingly glib, and Zebedi, who looked like a sage but had a short temper, were about to really start bickering—

Professor Maria couldn’t take it anymore and cut in.

“Headmaster Physis, Commander Yetzkel. The next student has entered the exam grounds. Please focus on grading.”

“Ahem, hmm. All right.”

“Oh, is the next student a second-year? Bad timing, to follow a spell like that.”

.

.

.

Cleio’s pace quickened.

He needed to get away from the eyes and ears of the spectators. But Ezra soon caught up at tremendous speed.

Thankfully, they were now completely out of sight from the parade ground.

Cleio, stopping under the shade of a convenient tree, began the conversation.

Ezra, who had been running, stopped exactly as Cleio did.

While Cleio was thinking of how to start, Ezra beat him to it again.

“Woof, woof.”

Ezra plopped down on the leaf-strewn ground, resting on his hands, and looked up at Cleio, mimicking a dog.

“Bark bark. Bark bark bark.”

“…Deputy Commander Sergeyev, I never asked you to act like a dog.”

“I just wanted to show that I keep my word~. So! Sorry about before!”

“Yes, I can see your sincerity, so please get up.”

Even during the exam, Cleio had carefully controlled his ether usage, in case things got bloody.

Though he still had plenty of ether left, seeing Ezra’s antics gave him a headache.

“So you think I won the bet?”

“Win? Junior, you’re the god of ether, a god~! What you just did isn’t even a speck like the dual casting I did at nineteen.”

Even as Ezra spoke, Cleio could almost see a dog’s tail wagging furiously behind him.

Truly, Ezra was like an excited puppy about to leap, unable to keep his limbs still.

“Then my request….”

“Say it. Anything. I’ll do it! Just drop by my lab now and then. I beg you. Or do you want a mana stone? I’m absolutely not asking you to be a test subject, just to visit my lab, okay?”

“…Yes, I have no intention of becoming your test subject. I’ll let you know the bet’s price after I think it over. By the way, is your lab at the Capital Defense Force?”

“Yeah. In the research building! The biggest lab is mine! There’s a lot of fun stuff there~. You can relax and even help with some little things in my research~?”

It probably wouldn’t be little things, but Cleio didn’t ask further to avoid a long conversation.

The Capital Defense Force Magic Corps research building.

It was precisely the route through which Varg’s byproducts flowed, and a perfect place to look for evidence of the Aslan–Defense Force connection.

Cleio had already planned to use Ezra as an excuse to start snooping around there. If he was invited in advance, all the better.

‘If it’s because this guy insists on me coming and going, that’s a good enough excuse for anyone. And I can still demand the bet’s price later.’

“Yeah, come visit right after exams. I’m making Tosuni Beta to replace the Tosuni Alpha you killed last time~?”

‘Tosuni….’

Apparently, last time’s max-level rabbit wasn’t the only one. Ezra looked ready to cooperate with anything, eyes shining, so things were working out as planned.

Yet Cleio already felt everything becoming a hassle and wanted to give up the whole investigation.

‘This is work, this is a job. Sigh.’

“Thank you for the invitation. I’d love to visit your lab.”

“Great!!! No take-backs~!”

Ezra leaped up as if to hug him, so Cleio quickly stepped back.

“I’ll be in touch soon.”

“I’ll be in the capital for a while, so come by anytime~!”

6) 『King James Bible』, “Genesis,” reference.

7) “Snowfall,” Franz Werfel, translated and adapted.