– Student’s Duty (4) –

He had expected that he would get them all correct, but Kleio felt quite relieved listening to Zebedee.

“Is that so?”

“To think that you didn’t come to class all this time even though you could do this well. This boy, really…”

“Somehow, I wasn’t feeling up to it up until now… I will take that as praise.”

“Alright. It is praise, but is school someplace you go to when you want to and don’t go when you don’t want to? Tsk, tsk.”

It was impossible to cheat in Professor Zebedee’s exam because he was a sharply perceptive and outstanding mage. The professor himself was aware of that fact, so he returned Kleio’s answer sheet while suppressing various doubts he had. Kleio was happy about being one step further away from being enlisted, so his expression loosened a little. At his calm reaction, the other students’ surprise grew. Every pair of eyes in the lecture room focused on Kleio in the very back seat.

‘It doesn’t make sense. It’s already a miracle that Isiel got nine questions right, and yet.’

‘How did someone who didn’t come to class even once get all of it right? It’s impossible even if you take all this term’s classes.’

‘How could this be…’

Kleio, who was calmly sitting like he wasn’t even happy over getting all the questions right, felt like an adult who didn’t go through a rollercoaster of emotions over something like grades. Cel stared straight at Kleio from one row over, her eyes filled with interest, and Isiel, who had turned her head toward the back, glared at Kleio with sharp eyes that seemed like they could kill. Kleio didn’t notice the girls’ gazes as he was busy looking over the grading on his exam sheet. Calming down the lecture room’s commotion, Zebedee continued class.

“Now, now, silence. The written exam is over, so now we’ll be taking the final practical exam.”

The lecture room that had been calming down became noisy again. There was a reason why Zebedee’s classes were infamous.

“Exams are given about things you know and practice every day – preparing for an exam isn’t about your knowledge. Now, everyone, bring your practice wands and gather in the military training ground.”

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“For the 30 members of Group 1, I will assess you on your ability to draw a type 2 magic formula correctly on the ground of the training ground, pouring in ether, and activating the function. You all should know, but if you get even one stroke of a magic formula wrong, it won’t function. Even so, if you draw 90% or more of the formula correctly, it will be reflected in the assessment.”

Holding practice wands the length of batons, the kids stood up and divided into their groups. A refreshing breeze blew in so that it wasn’t too warm at all, but a few students have begun to sweat.

“In the case of the ten members of Group 2, you will draw a type 6 magic formula. However, I will only give full points if you open a circle and operate the magic formula.”

“Ooohhh–.”

“What is that reaction?”

“Professor, there are no first years this year who can open a circle yet.”

One of the Group 2 students blathered on while Zebedee’s eyebrows shot up.

“Don’t be a hindrance; just because you can’t do it, does that mean everyone else can’t? If you weren’t lazy in training how to circulate ether to your heart, even first years could open a Circle.”

“So when was the last time a first-year was able to open a Circle?”

“52 years ago. There, enough chitchat. I’ll give a demonstration first.”

Zebedee held up a cane made of rough wood and slammed it onto the ground with a loud thud. The circle that spread out in an instant passed the training group and rushed outside the school border. At the warm golden light that covered the entire school, even students in the middle of class pushed their heads out the windows to see what was happening.

‘It said that the Capital Defense Corps School’s headmaster has to be able to put the entire school, in terms of the outside barrier, inside their Circle, right?’

Zebedee was Albion’s sole great mage, given the title of master. According to Behemoth, Professor Zebedee’s ether level was 8. A level 8 mage’s circle reached a diameter of 1km and had room for eight magic formula slots. Having eight slots meant that you could initiate eight magic formulas at the same time. Promise’s 「Memory」 function started to operate as golden lines of letters floated above Zebedee’s head.

[Level 8 Mage

Title: Endurer of Mercy]

Simultaneously, as the professor’s circle spread out, a magic formula that expanded wide came up from the ground. Kleio’s eyes grew large.

‘[Wind] [Purification] [Refreshing]; all three are magic formulas that came up in the past test. He combined all three at the same time! Even this level is incredible!’

It was the fruits of his backbreaking labor of memorizing. The three formulas overlapped, so the form grew complicated, but he could recognize the components. He unconsciously admired the exquisiteness of the combination. Looking around at everyone gathered, Zebedee shouted out.

“[Blow on over, solace of peace!]”

The leaves on the trees around the school grounds all fluttered at the same time. The birds in the forest were surprised and flew up in large groups a second later. A fresh breeze swept through all of the students’ hair, cooling their sweat and making their bodies feel light. The scale and complexity were different from the magic he had seen before. Kleio was completely dumbfounded.

‘This sort of thing is magic, but they’re not actively developing it and just using it in research?!’

Zebedee did heal Arthur at some dangerous moments in the previous manuscript, but he didn’t have this kind of incredible ability!

‘It’s not just the people and the events that became different in the -Final Manuscript-. The magic is different, too!’

Eventually, the wind died down, and the leaves stopped trembling, but the students didn’t even let out their breaths. The professor had a superb ability capable of inspiring people. It was enough to make even Kleio’s heart race, so how much more had it affected these students in their teens? Staring in satisfaction as the students’ eyes filled with respect and admiration, Zebedee opened his mouth.

“Students who correctly drew eight or more magic formulas come forward. I’ll assess you first. Lipi Angellium, Letisha Angellium, Isiel Kision, and Kleio Asel.”

The four who were named stepped forward and stood near Professor Zebedee.

“Who will try first?”

The three girls and one boy looked into each other’s eyes. Kleio quickly took one step forward.

“I will do it first.”

“Alright, Kleio. Will you draw a magic formula, or will you attempt to open a Circle?”

“I will open a Circle.”

He heard Isiel take in a breath behind his back. If it were a situation where she could speak, it was obvious she would have called him a lying jerk. Kleio tried his hardest not to look back as he gripped the practice wand tight.

‘I didn’t want to contradict myself either, but with the situation right now…’

Right now, it was already too late not to stand out. Kleio didn’t have a lot of options. Initially, he was thinking of hiding his strength, but when Behemoth heard that he could only get 50 points at most in the Swordsmanship Basics course, he was furious.

‘This idiot is worse than a scarecrow. You must get 100 points in Magic Basics no matter what. If you don’t, both your savings and my alcohol will disappear!’

Kleio completely believed in Behemoth when it came to his grades. As a result of Behemoth’s short-term hellish training camp, he was finally able to cast a Circle the evening before last night. It was thanks to the cruel training he had with Behemoth. The cat, who could feel the energy of ether, hit him about a hundred times in the solar plexus, back, and shoulders.

‘You have to circulate it correctly for your ether level to go up. It’s not just about sending it around on the outside – you have to send it through your heart each round and then bring it out! Then imagine the circle as you draw a circle around your surroundings!’

Even now, it felt like Behemoth’s loud voice was ringing in his ears. Seeing how it was right after seeing Zebedee’s enormous circle, he felt somewhat discouraged, but he circulated his ether through his heart like he learned to and stretched his wand out forward. A golden circle formed out from under Kleio’s feet. He had tried hard, but the size of the circle he could cast was only about 2.5m in diameter.

‘How far is this, though? Apparently, people can’t even cast one normally, so I should be satisfied with this.’

“Woah…!”

“It’s really a circle!”

“It’s a circle!”

“That’s incredible.”

The Angellium twins twittered admiringly in the same sweet voice, and the buzzing of the other students overlapped over it. It was a noisy racket that didn’t even reach Kleio’s ears as he focused on materializing the magic formula. It was easy to bring up the [Wind] magic formula that he was reciting in his head, but he was a little late in adding [Purification], so it didn’t overlap and bounced out. The figures of the [Wind] magic formula started to shoot out of the ground. Ether seeped in along the form of the formula and let out a flashing light.

The loading had already finished.

‘I can’t help it. It was too much to try combining them.’

But because it was just [Wind], he could figure out a perfect mantra, something he had read in a book in his previous world.

‘I apologize to this great writer, but it is because I have no literary talent. I will borrow a verse.’

“[Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May!]”

The radiant magic formula burned up. The initiated magic wasn’t just wind; it was a tempest. The tempest that had been reduced to one point shook forcefully inside the boy’s circle. His brown strands of hair flew around fiercely, and the hems of his uniform jacket turned entirely inside out. The wind shut in the narrow circle became a golden gust and stretched out fiercely towards the sky. It was like the core of a typhoon had materialized above the training ground. Kleio’s light body was swept up in the wind’s movements, and he was unsteadily held up. It seemed like he would shoot up into the air if something went wrong. Kleio, who had been trying to keep himself steady in the wind, immediately thought of a new magic formula. However, he didn’t have the time to think of a cool mantra.

“[Exclude Skill User!]”

Thump–

The ether’s light was so brilliant it was hard for the others to see his collapsed figure. Frowning because the light was so blinding, Kleio brushed off this uniform that had become dusty again as he stood up like nothing was wrong. The ether tempest continued for a couple dozen more seconds and then naturally stopped. There were no longer any students saying anything. Not only were students leaning out of the closest lecture hall to stare down at the training grounds, but so were the instructors and teaching assistants in the middle of lectures. It was clearly a level 2 Circle. Only one type of magic formula had been properly manifested, but the power of the magic was equal to that of a level 4 mage. It was an incredible talent. Zebedee spoke with a serious tone as his fiery gaze was fixed on Kleio.

“Since the 1st year student who opened a Circle fifty-two years ago, you are the first newly admitted student who has achieved something like this, Kleio Asel.”

“Is that so?”

“That student’s name was Zebedee Physis, and he is currently the Albion Kingdom’s sole level 8 mage.”

‘I mean, this fellow is putting himself up on a pedestal.’

“I should be an alumni senior whose path you can refer to. Your score will be full points. And I suggest you consider taking the year two course starting from the next term.”