"What the Church believes in is science. Using science to realize human limitations and know the greatness of God—that's their fundamental doctrine. They even say things like, 'When the children of men wield magic, it's as if they're trying to take God's place.'
"As the royal capital developed through the power of magic, the Church in Ulm was pushed into a tight corner. People lost their faith, and donations were steadily dwindling. They ran out of money to maintain the cathedral, and it got to the point where the nuns could barely put food on the table.
"The one entrusted with rebuilding the Church was Sister Sophie. She's a devout woman of the cloth, but at the same time, she's a pragmatic manager. Sophie appealed to His Majesty the King for aid and started taking on state contracts. Since she didn't need to pay high wages to the nuns, she could undercut the nobles and take jobs for far cheaper.
"Being entrusted with running the mage examination was part of that. Apparently, there was fierce pushback from within the Church, but Sophie forced it through anyway. Back then, the Church was still in the middle of rebuilding, so people actually sympathized with them. They'd say things like, 'To think the Church has fallen so low that they have to oversee mages—a practice fundamentally opposed to their faith.'
"I think they were fools. Not the Church, but the crown. In truth, managing the mage examination was a massive pain, a real headache of a job. Hearing that the Church would take it off their hands for next to nothing, they just dumped the work on them without a second thought. But—that was their mistake.
"Sophie's true aim was to plant faith into the hearts of mages. She required all applicants to swear an oath to God. Then she'd show mercy to those who failed the exam and draw them into the Church's fold. That girl you saw... Lisa, was it? She fell for the exact same trick. That's how the number of believers grew among mages and failed mages alike.
"Having watched Ulm become completely steeped in magic, the Church was terrified that the wave would spill outward—into the countryside. Veiled behind the rise of the preparatory schools, the Church quietly began moving to weed out examinees from outside Ulm. An unwritten rule, if you will. Lad, didn't you have to tear your exam slip when you applied? I hear that was Sophie's idea.
"You probably understand by now. The thing the Church fears most is an examinee like you, lad. Someone who breezed through the written exam in first place without ever setting foot in a preparatory school, then cleared every test after that in rapid succession. It wouldn't be strange in the slightest if you made it all the way to the final exam.
"A court mage wields immense influence. Even a single additional mage hailing from the countryside is an existential threat to the Church. Ulm has already been consumed by magic. If it spreads to the provinces as well... the Church will lose what little support it has left.
"Lad, have you ever heard of the Heldt Eve Festival? Right. 'Let us pray at Heldt Square to share in the blessing of a brilliant examinee who once offered his prayers there'—sounds like the exact kind of pious story the Church loves to spin, doesn't it? But that tale was fabricated entirely to overwrite what happened to Leonard... your uncle.
"I believe Leonard was attacked purely out of petty jealousy. His Majesty the King was furious over the incident, too. That was when they started branding examinee numbers onto arms, and court mages began patrolling the streets throughout the exam period. It killed two birds with one stone, since it doubled as a way to keep an eye on the examinees.
"But this time is different. This was a calculated strike by the Church to eliminate you, lad. There are likely court mages in league with the Church who intentionally drew their patrol routes away from the square. They cleared the area of bystanders without drawing attention, and they almost certainly cast soundproofing magic over the place.
"The ones who actually laid hands on you and your father were strictly non-mages. If word got out that the Church had hired mages to assault people, it would ruin them. To the world, the Church must remain an assembly of saints.
"Now, don't get the wrong idea. Most of the nuns aren't harboring such wicked schemes. They're just earnest souls studying science out of devotion to their faith. The only ones plotting evil are the leadership and their hit squad.
"His Majesty the King has surely caught wind that the Church is up to no good, too. But he can't simply strip them of their role in running the mage examination. If word spread that the king distrusted the Church, there's no telling how the people in the provinces—who remain deeply religious, unlike those in Ulm—would react. This kingdom isn't held together by Ulm alone.
"All you did was take an exam, lad. You haven't done a single thing wrong. Paying five million belgs for the sake of future generations back home was an admirable gesture, too... but to the Church, it was an intolerable provocation. I'll say it again: you're not at fault here. But—you stood out far too much.
"Forgive me for dumping such a long, heavy story on you. But take it from me, lad, I'm only looking out for you: you'd be better off heading back to the countryside. If you say it's to nurse your injured father, nobody will try to stop you. Family comes first, after all—"
Having finished his long explanation, the innkeeper let out a quiet breath.
I was at a loss for words. That was my very first reaction. I had truly believed Sister Sophie was a pure-hearted woman of faith who harbored not an ounce of darkness in her soul.
—The royal capital is not filled only with good people.
Those were the words Sophie had told me during application registration. Could she have been subtly hinting at herself? No... after hearing all this, that was more than likely.
In short: What the Church feared was someone like me becoming a court mage and spreading magic to the countryside. What the king feared was carelessly antagonizing the Church and losing the rural populace's loyalty. And beneath that precarious balance, this wretched reality had taken root.
...Even so, to drag my innocent father into this. To resort to such cowardly, underhanded tactics just to force me out of the exam. There was no way on earth I could forgive them.
"Innkeeper. Have rural examinees been attacked like this before, aside from me and my uncle?"
"No, none that I've heard of. Ever since the preparatory schools were built, examinees from outside Ulm have rarely made it far enough in the exams to matter."
"Could it be... that you charged higher rates to people from the countryside because..."
"...It was the only way I could shelter examinees who didn't know any better. If rumors started circulating that this inn was defying the Church, it would've been the end of us."
So resorting to the roundabout tactic of ripping people off was meant to minimize the risk of catching the Church's eye. It was the only shield he could offer to naive country folk who didn't know the going rates in the capital.
"I'm sorry. You stayed under my roof, and yet your father ended up like this..."
"No, please... It's my fault for not handling things more carefully."
"Your father... suffered the exact same fate as Leonard..."
The innkeeper's shoulders slumped heavily. The mystery of why he had been so persistent in urging me to return home was now entirely clear. I had thought of myself as nothing more than a simple country boy who had merely come to take an exam. But to some people, my very existence was a threat that had to be stamped out.
Perhaps it really was best to return home. I was worried about Dad's condition, and I needed to explain everything to Mom and Marie. As for whether I had what it took to navigate the murky waters of Ulm, I still—
"Keegan... you see this exam through until you're satisfied..."
"D-Dad?"
Dad opened his eyes and turned his gaze toward me. Even in a moment like this, his expression remained calm, yet profoundly resolute.
"Earlier, when I saw your staff... I thought to myself, it's just like my brother's..."
"My staff? You mean... the Phantom Staff?"
"Yeah... Brother... he used to summon a staff out of thin air, too..."
I had no idea my uncle had been a user of a Phantom Staff as well. That explained why there hadn't been any physical staff left behind in the barn.
"That staff of yours... it's a rare gift, isn't it...?"
"Yeah. I don't know anyone else who can use one."
"Then... don't you worry about me... You wield that staff until the very end."
"Dad..."
"If taking those hits meant keeping you safe, then I have no regrets... I'm certain Brother Leonard would have done the exact same thing..."
Uncle had been ambushed in the past, and now Dad had been attacked. But because of that, I had come out unharmed....Was that what Dad was trying to tell me?
"If you truly want to go home, I won't stop you... But there's just one thing... I want to ask of you, Keegan..."
"Ask of me? What is it...?"
Dad slowly moved his right arm, reaching out to grasp my hand as I sat beside him. Then, forcing the words through his strained breath... he spoke.
—Could you fulfill my brother's dream in his place?
Dad had never once interfered in my life choices. He had never pressured me to become a farmer, nor had he pushed me to become a mage. Yet now, for the first time in my life, Dad was pointing the way forward....Telling me to reach for the title of court mage.
"...Dad. I'll do it. I'll give it everything I have."
"What's this, Keegan, are you crying? You're still such a child..."
"I'll do it. I swear I won't let you down...!"
Before I realized it, heavy tears were streaming down my face. I had never known that someone's hopes could carry such immense weight. From this moment on, I would carry everyone's wishes on my shoulders as I moved forward. Having come this far, there was only one path left for me: I had to become a court mage.
The fourth exam was now only a few days away.