A few days had passed since then, bringing us to three days before the second exam. Determined not to repeat the same mistakes I had made during the written exam, I had asked Elena and Hermann to tutor me, and both had gladly agreed. However...
"Huh?! You paid five million belg to Groot?!"
"Ahaha! That's way too generous, Bauer!"
Sitting across the table from me, Elena and Hermann reacted exactly as I had expected. We were in Heldt Square in the city of Ulm. A few sets of tables and chairs were scattered around the perimeter, free for anyone to use.
"W-Why Groot, of all places?!"
"Well...because the pies are delicious."
"They are delicious, but that's not the point! You were being scammed, weren't you?!"
"Yeah, but the pies are really delicious."
"I know! They're super delicious, but still!!"
"See, that's why you can't hold Bauer to our common sense!"
Hermann clutched his stomach, laughing so hard it looked painful. He really was an easy laugher.
"Ahaha, man, that's priceless... But my lady, have you ever heard anything about examinees from the countryside?"
"No, never. Isn't that just a convenient excuse to cover up his price-gouging?"
"Did the headmaster mention anything?"
"Nothing. I keep telling him he should put an end to it, but for some reason, Father won't listen to me."
Oh? It seemed neither of them knew the full story either. Well, either way, he had lowered my rate to two thousand belg a night. That should cancel out the amount I had been overcharged.
"More importantly, the second exam. Keegan, how much do you actually know about it?"
"Well, nothing at all. It's...a practical magic test, right?"
"That comes later. Don't worry, my lady, I'll explain."
Hermann pulled out a sheet of paper and placed it on the table. Running his pen across it, he sketched a diagram: five circles in a row, facing a single circle drawn opposite them.
"This is..."
"The next exam is an oral examination. It's conducted as a group interview with one examiner and five examinees."
"An oral examination? Can they test magical aptitude with that?"
"No, what's evaluated in the second exam isn't your magical prowess. It's your character."
"Character?"
Seeing that I didn't quite grasp it, Elena spoke up.
"Skill isn't the only thing required of a court mage. You must also possess a character worthy of shouldering the nation."
"On top of that, your family background and personal relationships are thoroughly investigated. That's why there's a whole week between the written exam and this one."
In other words, even as we spoke, our backgrounds were being stripped bare and scrutinized....Wait, hold on. A noble like Hermann and the headmaster's daughter Elena were fine, but how would my background be evaluated?
"Um, my family are just simple farmers, though..."
"You don't need to worry about that. When it comes to family background, they won't deduct points unless your standing is extraordinarily suspicious."
"Really?"
"Besides, you passed the written exam in first place. Unless you get an exceptionally twisted examiner, the second exam is practically a guaranteed pass for you."
"I see..."
I breathed a sigh of relief. That was a huge relief. Passing a written exam was just a matter of solving the problems, but an oral examination wouldn't be so straightforward. The preparatory school students seemed thoroughly prepared for it, so if I had gone in blind, I felt like I definitely would have failed this time.
"Come to think of it, how many people pass the second exam?"
"Fifty out of the hundred will pass. In short, half make the cut."
"So half of them fail..."
"For many examinees, this is the critical juncture. Even if you don't make it to the final exam, as long as you pass the second exam, there's still a path open to you."
"What do you mean?"
Only five people at most would pass in the end. Even narrowing it down to those who passed the second exam, that was still ten times that number.
"If you pass and make it into the top fifty, you earn the right to be employed as a 'court-appointed mage.' The status and pay are far lower than those of a court mage, but it's still a sufficiently honorable position."
"A 'court-appointed mage'?"
"You could call them underlings to the court mages. In fact, you could say they're the ones who actually keep the country running."
I had wondered how the country could function by hiring only five people every three years... So that was how the system worked. I see. In that case, at the very least, I could aim to become a court-appointed mage—
"Listen, Keegan. Don't get the wrong idea."
"Huh?"
Elena cut in sharply to rein me in. Her expression was stern, her eyes fixed intently on me.
"If you become a court-appointed mage, you can never aim to become a court mage again."
"What do you mean?"
"In exchange for the position, your eligibility to take the mage examination is revoked."
"Then, after passing the second exam—"
"There's no turning back. You have three choices: pass and receive the honor of becoming a court mage, fail and take the path of a subordinate, or choose neither."
"Of course, I personally think being a court-appointed mage is a wonderful path, too."
In contrast to Elena's serious face, Hermann smiled pleasantly. So this was why she had called it the critical juncture. Some examinees wanted to become a court-appointed mage "at the very least," while others wanted to become a court mage "no matter what."
"Man, regardless, I'm really lucky. After all, I'm number '31'!"
"Sigh... I envy you."
"Hm?"
The two of them started another conversation I couldn't follow. Apparently, examinee numbers were important.
"Ah, you wouldn't know, Bauer. The interviews are actually split across ten rooms."
"Oh?"
"Your room is determined by the remainder when you divide your examinee number by ten. Which means I'm '31' and you're '1,' so we're both in 'Room 1.'"
"Wait, but isn't it five people per room?"
"Yeah, they run two sessions of five people each. That makes exactly one hundred people."
"I see."
In other words, examinees 1 through 50 and 51 through 100 were separated into two groups. That was why Hermann and I were in the same examination room.
"Man, getting 'Room 1' is a lifesaver. I hope yours isn't a 'dud room,' my lady."
"Honestly, listen to you, talking like it's someone else's problem..."
"What's a 'dud room'?"
When I asked, Hermann let out a sigh.
"In the end, the examiners from each room are supposed to gather to decide who passes and fails. Supposed to, but..."
"There are examiners who pass almost no one from their room. Those are the 'dud rooms.'"
"What? Isn't that totally up to luck, then?"
"You'll be fine, Bauer. 'Room 1' has never been a dud."
"They do seem to show consideration for the top scorer of the written exam, after all. Ahh, I'm so jealous of you two."
"Ahaha, maybe it's just a reward for my everyday good deeds?"
"'Everyday good deeds' is the concept furthest from a nobleman like you, honestly..."
While Elena held her head in her hands, Hermann seemed exceedingly optimistic. If you passed the written exam in first place, the second exam was practically a non-issue. If his words were to be believed, I wouldn't have any problems either.
After that, the two of them gave me a thorough rundown of past interview questions. Looking back on it now, it terrified me to think I had walked into the written exam knowing absolutely nothing. How on earth had I been reckless enough to pull that off...?
Reflecting on my past self, I earnestly jotted down their words onto my paper. Even if it was just cramming at the eleventh hour, this time I was properly prepared. I was sure it would be fine.
However, it was three days later that I would watch Hermann turn pale the moment he stepped into the examination room.