Cedric had finished the written exam with a bitter taste in his mouth, but there was no time to vent his frustration. He was immediately ushered toward the training grounds for the practical portion of the evaluation.
As a candidate for the Magic Department, Cedric followed the examiner’s instructions and marched out onto the field.
"Ah...!"
The moment he stepped onto the grass, two figures caught his eye.
One was a stunning girl with golden hair tied in a high ponytail; the other was a graceful beauty with silver hair flowing down her back.
Though they shared similar features, they possessed contrasting auras—like the sun and the moon. They were the sisters of the Marquis Rosemary House.
(It’s... it’s been a year. They’ve become even more beautiful than I remembered!)
Cedric swallowed hard, his throat suddenly dry.
Viola and Primula Rosemary had matured significantly since the last time he saw them. Their silhouettes had softened into more feminine curves, and their once-childlike charm had ripened into a fragrant, alluring beauty. It was as if two tiny buds had suddenly bloomed into magnificent flowers in the span of a single year.
"Gulp..."
Cedric’s eyes weren't the only ones lingering. The men surrounding the sisters were clearly entranced, casting frequent glances their way and looking for any excuse to strike up a conversation.
(What are you looking at?! Those are my women!)
A distorted sense of possessiveness flared in Cedric’s chest. Those girls belonged to him. It had to be that way. It was only right. A chosen genius like himself was the only one worthy of such peerless beauties.
(I should go talk to them. Yes, I have the perfect opening. If I frame it as an apology for that incident a year ago...!)
With a greasy smile on his face, Cedric began to strut toward them.
However, the moment the sisters noticed his approach, their expressions sharpened into blades. They pierced him with a look of absolute vitriol.
"............!?"
The sheer intensity of their gaze forced Cedric to a halt. Viola glared at him with righteous fury, while Primula looked at him with a gaze of sub-zero contempt.
Even for a man as pathologically arrogant as Cedric, it was impossible to ignore the fact that he was being utterly rejected.
(H-Hey, come on... That’s uncalled for. What did I even do...?)
Sure, he had led them into a dangerous situation a year ago. But in the end, they had escaped without a scratch, hadn't they?
In his mind, that wolf had only fled because it was terrified of his genius. They had survived because he was there to protect them. To be looked at with such resentment now was nothing short of an insult.
(Damn it... They’re narrow-minded hags despite their pretty faces. Fine. If that’s how it’s going to be, I’ll just have to show them that I’m a special existence, superior to everyone else!)
Cedric abandoned the idea of a conversation, but he hadn't given up on claiming them. He figured their current dislike was just a lingering result of that "minor accident." Once he put his overwhelming magical talent on display, they would undoubtedly come crawling back to him.
As Cedric’s competitive fire began to roar, a female examiner stepped forward to explain the rules of the practical exam.
"Listen up! You will take turns firing magic at that target. The target is equipped with a special magic item designed to measure the impact and power of your spells. You are allowed only one shot at the target. However... if you choose not to hit the target, I will permit the use of multiple spells for demonstration purposes!"
"............?"
The idea of casting multiple spells as long as they didn't hit the target didn't compute for Cedric. He brushed the strange rule aside almost immediately.
(If I’m going to cast something, it has to be an upper-level spell. I’ll use that secret technique I just mastered and blow everyone here away!)
His written exam scores were already in jeopardy. He needed to make up the difference with a staggering performance here.
(Once they see my magnificent magic, those two will have no choice but to change their tune...!)
"Now then, please come forward in order of your examinee number. First up: Jean Queste, Son of a Baron."
"Yes, ma'am!"
The examinees stepped forward one by one, slamming their magic into the target. Fire, lightning, ice, and wind struck the wood, and numerical values flashed above the target after each strike.
(Hmph. An average of 80 points. Trash, the lot of them.)
They were nobles, so their scores weren't terrible, but they were all using lower or mid-level spells. Not a single one of them was capable of manifesting an upper-level spell.
"Fire Bolt!"
"Ice Bolt!"
When the Rosemary sisters' turns came, the atmosphere shifted. Viola struck for 137, and Primula followed with 129. Both of them smashed through the hundred-point ceiling.
(Hmph! As the women who will become my wives, I suppose that’s the bare minimum I expect from them. It’s a bit of a shame they’re stuck at the mid-level, though... but that only makes my magic stand out more!)
At that moment, the Rosemary sisters held the highest scores in the field.
For security reasons, members of the royal family and the Duke houses—such as the rumored genius Third Prince Rodel or his fiancé, the Daughter of Duke Crocus—were taking their exams separately. In this public venue, no one was expected to beat Viola and Primula.
Except, of course, for Cedric himself. He smirked.
"Next... Cedric Ebern, Son of an Honorary Viscount."
"Here."
Cedric stepped forward with an exaggerated, confident stride. Feeling the weight of the other examinees' gazes, he took his position at the line and stared down the target ten meters away.
(Watch closely, you pathetic commoners! Behold my overwhelming talent and despair!)
"Thunderstorm!"
He unleashed an upper-level spell he had only recently acquired. A massive thundercloud formed around the target, raining down a relentless barrage of lightning over a wide area.
"An upper-level spell!?"
"Incredible...!"
"No way... he can actually use magic like that?"
"As expected of Cedric Ebern. He really is the genius son of a Court Mage."
(That’s right! Marvel at me! This is the power of a true genius!)
The sounds of shock and awe from the other students were music to his ears. Cedric puffed out his chest and turned to look at the Rosemary sisters, expecting to see them swooning.
"............"
(Wait... what?)
The sisters were indeed looking at him. But their eyes were cold. They were wearing identical smiles of mockery and derision.
It wasn't the reaction he had anticipated. He couldn't understand why they would look at him like that.
"Cedric Ebern: 86 points."
"............Huh?"
The examiner’s voice snapped him back to reality. Cedric whirled around. Floating above the target was the number 86. It was barely above the average for the mediocre nobles who had gone before him.
"Alright, step back."
"T-That’s a lie!"
"Hm...?"
"There’s no way my score is that low! The machine is broken!"
Cedric’s face flushed red as he screamed at the female examiner. He had used upper-level magic. It was impossible for him to score lower than the Rosemary sisters and their mid-level spells.
"This is a mistake! I demand a redo!"
"You get one shot at the target. No redos."
"That’s... damn it! This is a conspiracy! Someone is jealous of my talent and trying to sabotage me!"
Blinded by rage, Cedric lunged forward, reaching for the examiner’s collar. But before he could touch her, she snapped her fingers and activated a spell.
"Earth Bind!"
"Gwah!?"
Ropes made of dense, black soil erupted from the ground, lashing around Cedric and slamming him face-first into the dirt. He squirmed like a pathetic caterpillar.
"Points will be deducted for an attempted assault on an examiner. Cedric Ebern."
"D-Damn it... Curse you...!"
"You seem confused by the result, but it was the only logical outcome for that spell," the examiner said, looking down at him with a heavy sigh of disappointment. "Your understanding of magic is shallow. Thunderstorm is a wide-area suppression spell. Its individual strikes lack concentrated power. A spell designed to hit dozens of enemies at once is completely unsuitable for a target shooting test that measures single-point impact."
"No... way..."
"Mastering an upper-level spell at your age is a feat, I’ll give you that. But your score stands. Don't blame the equipment for your own poor judgment."
"............"
Cedric fell into an abyss of despair.
His written exam had been a disaster. Now, with a mediocre practical score and a heavy penalty for violence, his chances of passing were plummeting toward zero.
(N-No... This can't be happening. I’m going to fail? How am I supposed to tell my father and mother...?)
"Wow, he really blew it."
"How pathetic. Is he really a noble?"
"A 'genius,' huh? I guess that was just a rumor."
"That’s what happens when a nouveau riche upstart gets cocky. What a disgrace."
The surrounding students' mockery cut through the air, stinging like salt in a wound.
Cedric’s memory of the rest of the day was a blur. He vaguely recalled being led away for individual testing, but his mind was too numb with shock to process it. In the end, he crawled back to the Honorary Viscount Ebern Mansion in a state of absolute, crushing defeat.