Since the transfer exam for the Special Class was scheduled for that very day, I left the room in Alicia’s hands and headed to the designated location.
It was a training building located on the Special Class grounds.
In modern terms, I suppose you’d call it a gymnasium? Actually, the sign out front literally said "Gymnasium," so I guess that settled it.
It seemed that in addition to magic practice, classes for physical skills like swordsmanship were held here. A large number of wooden swords and practice dummies were lined up in the corners of the room.
"Well, it definitely doesn’t look like a written exam."
I had been told to come in the academy-specified gym clothes, so I entered the gymnasium clad in the green jersey designated for first-years.
W-Why are there tracksuits in another world?!
...Actually, I wasn’t going to let that get to me anymore.
This was the Royal Capital, and this was Etherdam Academy—the grand stage of an otome game. It was a shitty place where all sorts of plot conveniences and contradictions crossed paths. For people like us, whose names wouldn't even appear in the end credits, we were nothing more than stage props serving as foils for the romantic drama of the Heroine’s group.
Still, I really wanted to see Alicia in a gym jersey.
Good job, game developers.
I hadn't seen her in her school uniform yet either, but since it featured a skirt designed with plenty of "absolute territory" to satisfy the target demographic’s demand for cuteness, I was looking forward to it immensely.
I had zero interest in seeing a handsome guy in a uniform, though. Ptooie!
"Are you Laguna Ver Brave?"
"Yes, that's me."
"For a Noble of the Abandoned Land, you certainly keep a Special Class instructor waiting."
"My apologies. Since it was my first time here, I got lost along the way."
Standing in the center of the gymnasium was a teacher with a remarkably high-handed attitude.
I was already tired of hearing the phrase "Noble of the Abandoned Land." Since it was the standard greeting here in the Royal Capital, I didn’t even feel a sting anymore.
"Tch. Why do I have to be the one to examine something like this...?"
My hearing was quite good, and he was spitting out his grievances in a voice that made it clear he didn't care if I heard him.
Yeah, just as I thought—starting from the negatives. I had confidence in a contest of skill, but when you were starting from a bottomless pit of prejudice, things were difficult no matter how much effort you put in. I had a feeling that would be the case.
But well, if I was already in the negatives, I figured I might as well just lean into it.
"I can hear you, you know. Why don’t we just get this over with quickly?"
"Tch."
Another tongue-click. If he wanted to finish quickly, he should have just started instead of complaining at every turn.
"First, we will conduct the Basic Magic Test."
The examiner, clutching a binder, used his pen to point toward a black, monolith-like target designed for anti-magic training.
"Fire your maximum output at that."
"Are there any specific requirements for the magic?"
"Tch, don't talk back. There are no specifications. Just do it."
Since he told me to just do it, that’s exactly what I decided to do.
"Alright, here I go."
As I spoke, I casually punched the empty space in front of me.
A dull impact shook the entire gymnasium. In an instant, the anti-magic target sitting ten meters away was obliterated, reduced to tiny smithereens. The momentum didn't stop there; it carried through to the wall behind the target, punching a massive hole through the stylish, sturdy stone masonry of the building.
That was the first time I’d really put my back into it since I punched Onyx.
"How was that, teacher? Do I pass?"
"...Wha—? What? Eh?"
When I turned back, the examiner was standing there in a daze. The aftershock of the strike had left his clothes tattered and shredded.
"Was that not enough? I suppose a target like that didn’t have the durability to measure my true maximum output..."
"No, that's... that's enough. That's enough."
Hah, this was hilarious. And I felt refreshed.
I was used to being looked down on, but annoying people were still annoying. I didn't want to get expelled, so I was acting humble, but as long as I pushed right up to the line, there shouldn't be a problem, right? This was a test, after all, and I had simply done what I was told.
For the record, all I had done was create a small barrier in front of my fist and punch it, launching it at the target at speeds exceeding the speed of sound. I had mastered all basic magic and could use it with tactical-grade power, but since barriers were my specialty, I chose that.
And just to be clear, there was no such thing as a "secret inheritance" of magic in House Brave. My father specialized in physical enhancement magic, while my two older brothers were specialists in healing and resistance magic, respectively. We were all completely different. Moreover, we all used non-attribute systems that pretty much anyone could learn.
"So, teacher, do I pass?"
"...There are still other parts to the exam."
He looked like he had just swallowed a bitter bug. He clearly had no intention of letting me pass. I bet the Duke’s family was pulling the strings behind the scenes.
"Then let's move on. You want to get this over with, don't you?"
"N-Next is the Swordsmanship Test."
"Swordsmanship in a nation famous for magic?"
"Precisely. You'll understand once you look at the practice dummies, won't you? No matter how excellent your magic is, it is meaningless if the physical body serving as the foundation is weak. The Academy incorporates this training to build such foundations. The Sage was the God of Magic, yet he was a master of the sword as well."
Perhaps thinking he had found a weakness, the examiner became as lively as a fish in water and began his lecture.
Looking back, the game’s protagonist got into the Special Class, but he wasn't exactly a master swordsman... The intent to fail me at all costs was palpable.
"If you can defeat me, you pass."
"Excuse me?"
"Being proficient in both is a basic requirement for a noble. I cannot allow someone who indulges in one while neglecting the other to enter the Special Class."
Whether he was overconfident or simply looking down on me, the examiner made the declaration as he took a stance with a wooden sword.
I was honestly astonished. Did he not know why the Abandoned Land was called that? Monsters appeared in droves, and wars broke out constantly. That was why it was the Abandoned Land. To be ignorant of the nature of House Brave, who grew up in such a place, meant he was either a rookie teacher or a fool who believed every rumor he heard.
"I just have to defeat you, right?"
"Hmph, yes. But using magic is strictly forbidden."
"Understood."
I took a stance with the wooden sword I had been handed.
"Conversely, the moment I defeat you, you fail. For the sake of your ambition to join the Special Class, I shall give this my all."
"Right, sure. Come at me whenever you're ready."
"Take this!"
With a short cry, the examiner lunged forward, a vein popping on his forehead. He swung for a vertical strike.
Perhaps he had some modicum of skill to back up his arrogance, as his initial step was reasonably fast. However, the movement was far too linear and clumsy. It was the swordplay of someone who had never been in a life-or-death struggle with a real blade.
"Hah! Gofh!?"
I dodged with a simple sidestep and struck him across the temple. He immediately collapsed, his eyes rolling back into his head.
"Too weak."
As the examiner lay there twitching—and even wetting himself—I picked up his wooden sword and snapped it. As I suspected, there was an iron core hidden inside.
I knew it. I figured it would be something like that. My own wooden sword had snapped the moment I struck him; if I had tried to trade blows with him head-on, I certainly would have failed when my weapon shattered.
Guys like this always waited until your sword broke to declare you the loser, claiming you couldn't fight without a weapon.
Honestly, Alicia’s prediction that they would try to expel us at every opportunity was proving to be completely correct.