After finishing the practical exam, the Magic Department candidates were moved from the training grounds to the auditorium. They were told a brief interview would follow, and Rest now sat waiting for his turn to be called.
"Hey... is that him?"
"Yeah, it’s unbelievable. Over three hundred points..."
"Do you think he's a noble? Maybe the illegitimate child of some famous mage?"
I might have stood out a bit too much, Rest thought. Though I didn't exactly plan on holding back.
The conversation swirling among the examinees in the auditorium was, predictably, centered on Rest and his record-breaking score. While the average for the other candidates hovered around sixty points, Rest had achieved a staggering 387. He had scored more than six times the average. By clearly demonstrating such a vast difference in caliber, he had inadvertently drawn a problematic amount of attention to himself.
"Dammit... Why? Why did I—I, who carry the glorious blood of the Count Brute House—lose to a shabby commoner!"
While most of the examinees looked at Rest with a mixture of awe and curiosity, Celery Boy alone directed a gaze of pure, unadulterated hatred toward him. He looked as if he were trying to curse Rest to death with his eyes, clearly unable to handle the frustration of his defeat.
His jealousy and sore-loser attitude are exactly like my foolish brother's, Rest noted internally. Does a similar name mean the personality is bound to be just as nasty?
Perhaps there was some truth to the art of onomancy after all. Rest made a firm mental note: if the day ever came when he had children of his own, he would think very, very carefully about their names.
"Man, that was incredible back there! How do you get that much power out of a basic Fireball?"
Breaking through the tension, Yuri Catreia sat down next to him and struck up a conversation. Perhaps because they had met briefly before the exam, she was acting remarkably familiar.
"It looked like you were activating multiple spells at once. Is there some kind of secret to it?"
"Well... yes. Something like that."
"That's amazing. It's an honor to take the entrance exam alongside a mage like you! Are you the descendant of someone famous?"
"............"
Despite it being their first real meeting, she barged into his personal space without the slightest hesitation. Still, for some reason, Rest didn't find her presence unpleasant. It was likely because he couldn't sense a shred of malice or an ulterior motive from her.
She’s either incredibly innocent or just high-spirited... she doesn't seem much like a noblewoman.
She carried the name of the Marquis Catreia House, but was she really a high-ranking lady? Despite sharing the same rank as Viola and Primula, she was a completely different type of person.
"Um... Miss Catreia, why did you apply for the Magic Department?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Well... to be honest, I felt like the Knight Department would have suited you much better."
She had kept pace with Rest earlier while he was using Physical Enhancement—and she hadn't been using any mana at all. Then, during the exam, she had scored over a hundred points simply by throwing a rock. No matter how he looked at it, her physical capabilities far outstripped her magic.
"Ah... the Knight Department is under the heavy influence of the Marquis Catreia House."
"?"
"There are people there who used to be my father's subordinates, so it makes things awkward. Or rather, there's a chance I'd be failed out of some misguided 'consideration'... anyway, there are a lot of reasons. Circumstances, you know?"
"I see. I apologize for prying."
"Let’s have a real heart-to-heart when we get the chance. You can tell me the secret of your strength then, too."
"Right... if there's an opportunity."
Rest wondered if such an opportunity would ever actually come. If they both entered the academy, there might be time to deepen their friendship, but it was still up in the air whether both of them would pass.
I know I’ve passed. Almost certainly...
He had answered more than ninety percent of the written exam correctly, and he held the highest practical score of the day. There was no reason for the school to reject him.
But... what about her? I feel bad thinking it, but I have a feeling she failed.
He found it hard to believe that attacking a target by throwing a stone was a valid way to pass a magic exam.
Maybe since she conjured the stone with magic first, it counts as a magical attack? No, normally that would be a disqualification...
"Next: Yuri Catreia. Please proceed to the back room."
"Oh, that's me. See you later!"
"Yes... later."
It was time for Yuri's interview. She waved to Rest with a bright smile and disappeared from the auditorium.
She was acting strangely friendly, Rest thought. Did something really happen to close the distance like that?
He had saved her from falling off the tower, but that was it. It was the same as when he had saved Viola and Primula from the wolf. Perhaps, to a girl, these were just incredibly significant life events?
Yuri Catreia... she seems to have some complicated circumstances. I should probably report this to the Marquis. As for Viola and Primula... what should I do?
For some reason, he was afraid to bring it up, yet he was equally terrified of keeping it a secret only for them to find out later. If he told them he had happened to save Yuri and she had essentially taken a shine to him like a friendly dog, how would they react?
They'll be mad... no, I haven't actually done anything wrong. Right?
Despite having his own interview looming, Rest felt a sudden, mysterious chill run down his spine.