"Because Keegan Bauer is simply far too incompetent to pull off cheating."
"Oh?"
"Huh?"
Hermann's declaration instantly shifted the air in the room. He brought a presence that was distinctly different from the three candidates before him.
"Incompetent? What do you mean by that?"
"Earlier, the matter of spies was brought up. What such individuals fear most of all is standing out."
"Mm."
"The same holds true for examinees. If someone intended to cheat, their natural instinct would be to avoid drawing attention and catching the examiner's eye."
"Ah, quite so."
"In that regard, Keegan Bauer's marks were entirely too exceptional. In short, he stood out far too much."
"I see. Continue."
I caught a note of satisfaction in Wittmann's voice. The response was undeniably different from how he had handled the others. Could this actually be the answer he was looking for?
"Furthermore, his examinee number for the first stage exam was the very last one. If he had wanted to avoid notice, he would have timed his registration to secure a much less conspicuous number."
"Mm, and then?"
"What is truly decisive is how he acted after the passing list was posted. Claiming he lacked travel funds, he attempted to return to the countryside before the second exam."
"So, what is your point?"
"He drew far too much attention to himself for a cheat, yet abandoning the second exam over mere travel money shows a complete lack of foresight. If he truly acted with such motives, he would be utterly incompetent... though personally, I do not believe he is so incompetent a person."
"Therefore, the premise of cheating is refuted."
"Precisely, sir. That is all I have to say."
I was caught completely off guard. From Hermann, a man who seemed to drift through life without a care in the world, came a cogent, eloquently delivered argument. He always appeared optimistic and carried himself with effortless ease... but was that actually proof that he was constantly observing his surroundings from a broader perspective?
"...Very well. Number 31, as you say, Number 1 stands out far too much. It is an obvious conclusion if one simply takes a step back to think."
"Yes, sir."
"Besides, when an examinee stands out to such an extent, it is only natural to gather information on him oneself. It seems you have managed to do just that, Number 31."
With that, Wittmann put pen to paper. So in the end, he truly hadn't suspected me of cheating. He had only posed the question to test the other candidates....I really wished he would stop pulling stunts that were so bad for my heart.
Stealing a glance at Hermann, I saw that the panic he had shown earlier was completely gone; he sat in his chair looking remarkably poised. The man really did have nerves of steel.
"Right, very well. Now then, Number 41, another question for you."
"Y-Yes, sir!"
"As one who aspires to be a court mage..."
After that, Wittmann asked several more questions, but all of them were routine. It felt as though pass or fail had largely been decided during that earlier exchange, and he was merely fulfilling the required number of questions as a formality.
"...With that, the second exam is concluded. Are there any questions?"
With the interrogation over, the tension in the room finally began to dissipate. Even so... questions, huh? There was probably nothing to gain by standing out here, but I wanted to ask just to be sure.
"Um, may I ask just one thing?"
"What is it?"
"Did you truly suspect me of cheating?"
"..."
Wittmann fixed me with a silent, steady stare. Thinking he might unleash another terrifying remark, I nearly regretted speaking up... but what came out of his mouth caught me completely by surprise.
"I did not suspect you. However, even if you had cheated, I would consider it a non-issue."
"Meaning...?"
"If you were capable of slipping past the watchful eyes of court mages to illicitly obtain the correct answers to two hundred questions, one would have no choice but to judge your magical prowess as exceptionally high. We cannot fail a talented candidate over trivialities."
"...I see."
"Since there appear to be no other questions, this concludes the second exam. You are dismissed."
We all rose from our seats and left the room together. Relief, despair, regret. A swirl of conflicting emotions hung between the five of us, creating an atmosphere that was hard to put into words.
It might sound strange coming from me, but I hadn't felt any malice from Wittmann or any desire to fail me. Just as Hermann and Elena had guessed, there was likely some degree of leeway afforded to me for placing first in the first stage exam.
If anything, what struck me most was just how deep Hermann's depths truly ran. He had the advantage of learning from the previous candidates' missteps, of course. Even so, being able to deliver an answer that genuinely satisfied Wittmann took real ability.
The capacity to view things objectively and analyze them with a cool head wasn't something just anyone possessed. Looking at Hermann's broad back with newfound respect, I walked down the corridor. And so, the second exam came to a close.
"Man, for a second there, I thought we were done for."
"Tell me about it..."
Having finished the exam, we were waiting for Elena in front of the cathedral. Hermann patted his chest in visible relief.
"I never imagined Examiner Wittmann would be running the room. The moment I walked in, I thought it was over."
"So he really was a 'dud'?"
"You bet. You could tell just from the insane question he threw at us, couldn't you?"
Well, fair enough. It would be far more shocking if someone tried to claim that wasn't a dud room.
"Sorry about that, Bauer. Calling you 'incompetent' and all."
"No, don't worry about it. You were just using a proof by contradiction to show that the idea of me cheating didn't add up."
"Ahaha, thanks. Honestly, I thought about bringing up the rumor that you were napping before the exam too, but I figured it might hurt your standing."
"Come on, you should have just said it. I'm sure the examiners already knew anyway."
"Yeah, I guess that's true."
I wasn't about to get upset over being called incompetent. In fact, if using me as ammunition helped Hermann pass, I would have told him to go right ahead.
"Still, you and I nailed it, didn't we, Bauer? I'm sure we passed."
"I hope so."
"Examiner Wittmann might be a 'dud,' but he's actually a 'jackpot' too."
"What do you mean by that?"
"The candidates he passes have a ridiculously high success rate in the subsequent exams. So we're practically home free from here on out!"
"...Hermann, whenever you get that optimistic, it just makes me nervous."
A bad precedent had already been set, so I really wished he wouldn't jinx us.
"Oh, you waited for me."
"Good work, my lady."
Just then, Elena emerged from the building. Several other examinees were trickling out behind her, meaning Room 2's session had just wrapped up.
"How was Room 2?"
"Well, you see..."
Oh? Her expression was strange. Hermann and I exchanged a wary glance. Could it be there was a second dud room this year? Did that mean Elena had stumbled on her questions too—
"It was an absolute jackpot of a room!"
Huh?
"I mean, guess what the first question was! 'What is your favorite place to eat in Ulm?' Can you believe that?!"
Are you serious...?
"He was such a sweet examiner! He even recommended a few of his favorite spots, so how about the two of you join me after this?"
As Elena beamed with a radiant smile, Hermann wordlessly clapped a hand onto my shoulder....I knew exactly what he was thinking.
"Hey, Bauer... My lady isn't one of us anymore, is she...?"
"Yeah... Let's just go..."
"H-Hey, what is wrong with you two?! Didn't you get a jackpot room too?!"
"Oh, it was a jackpot, all right. A truly massive jackpot..."
"Seriously, there couldn't possibly be a bigger jackpot than ours..."
"Wha—what on earth are you talking about?!"
As we trudged away with slumped shoulders, Elena hurriedly gave chase. In any case, the second exam was behind us. We deserved to take it easy for the rest of the day.
The results were posted the following morning, and all three of us successfully made the cut. While this secured us the rank of court-appointed mage, I had no intention of stopping here.
Next up was the third exam. Which meant—
At long last, the practical magic exam was about to begin.