The time finally came for Rest’s interview.
Following the examiner’s instructions, Rest left the auditorium and was led to a separate room.
The space was roughly ten tatami mats in size, with a single chair positioned solitary in the center. At the table in front sat the Headmaster, whom Rest had encountered earlier.
Verloid Hahn sat there, welcoming him with a gentle smile.
"Come, have a seat."
"............Yes, sir."
Rest had assumed there would be a panel of two or three examiners, but to his surprise, the Headmaster was entirely alone.
(This is actually more nerve-wracking... I’ve learned basic etiquette at the Marquis House, but I have to make sure I don't slip up...)
"There’s no need to be so stiff," the Headmaster said warmly, as if seeing right through Rest’s tension. "We call it an interview, but I simply want to chat with you for my own reference."
He continued in a reassuring tone, "You won't be rejected based on anything you say here, so rest easy. Just relax and answer as you feel."
"I understand..."
"Then, for the first question. Why did you decide to enroll in the Royal Academy?"
"............"
If he were treating this like a standard interview, he would have given a safe, practiced answer—something about wanting to improve his skills or acquiring knowledge to contribute to society.
(But... strangely, I feel like he’ll see right through me if I try to fake it.)
The Headmaster’s gaze wasn't piercing or intense. Nevertheless, Rest felt an odd sensation, as if the man were looking directly into the depths of his soul.
(It would be wiser to speak honestly than to try and play games...)
"...I want to be happy. I want to become the kind of person everyone considers a success."
After taking a long, deep breath, Rest laid bare his inner thoughts.
"Hmm? And what do you mean by that exactly?"
"I’m the illegitimate child of the Court Mage, Lucas Ebern. My mother was a commoner; after she passed away when I was ten, I was taken in by the Honorary Viscount Ebern House. And... I was treated with nothing but cold contempt there."
"............"
"I’ve since been taken in as an apprentice servant by the Marquis Rosemary House through a stroke of luck, but... the sense of inferiority from being unloved by my parents and oppressed by the people who were supposed to be my family... it hasn't gone away."
"Do you mean you want to get back at them?"
"Yes, that’s half of it."
Rest nodded, letting the words from the deepest parts of his heart spill out.
"The other reason is that I want a family."
"A family..."
"Yes. A family that cares for one another, that loves one another... A family where we might have our share of fights, but no one is unilaterally oppressed—a family that truly understands each other at their core... and I want as many as I can have."
He wanted a family.
And he wanted the power to protect that family.
He wanted to ensure that no one could ever take them away again. He wanted to obtain overwhelming strength so that he would never be robbed by senseless irrationality—not like the father who had stabbed him to death in his previous life, and not like the people of the Honorary Viscount Ebern House who had abused him in this one.
"I want the power to protect my family... the strongest power possible, capable of crushing any injustice that threatens me or those I love...!"
He snapped back to his senses the moment the words left his lips.
(Was I... really thinking that...?)
It was an unconscious desire, one even Rest hadn't fully recognized. While trying to explain his motivations for enrollment to the Headmaster, the truth had simply slipped out.
"I see. So that is the core of who you are."
The Headmaster nodded magnanimously after hearing Rest’s story.
"I intended to ask a few more questions... but I believe I’ve come to know your character well enough. Shall we conclude the interview here?"
"Yes... Thank you very much."
Rest felt as if he had said too much—more than was strictly necessary—but since the Headmaster’s reaction wasn't negative, he decided to consider it a success.
"Lastly... would you mind touching this crystal?"
With a light wave of the Headmaster’s right hand, a crystal ball sitting on the table drifted into the air and floated toward Rest.
"What is this...?"
"Well, you’ll understand soon enough once you touch it."
"............"
Rest was suspicious, but he didn't sense any danger from the object.
He reached out and brushed it with his fingertips. The moment he did, a dazzling light exploded from within the sphere.
"Whoa!"
"Oh!?"
He pulled his hand back in a hurry, and the light vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
"H-Headmaster!? What was that?"
"Ah, this crystal is a magic item that measures potential. It gauges a person’s capacity for future growth."
"Potential...?"
"Mhm. To have achieved such a score in the practical exam and still produce a light like that... It seems you aren't just a child prodigy who peaked early, but someone who still has immense room to grow. Truly wonderful."
The crystal ball drifted back to the table.
When the Headmaster placed his own hand on it, the crystal emitted a light so faint it seemed to dissolve into the air.
"As you can see, the potential of an old man like myself is nearly spent. But you... you have a future overflowing with possibilities. You must nurture it carefully."
"...I understand. Thank you very much."
Rest bowed his head.
Regardless of the strange turns it had taken, he seemed to have successfully navigated the interview.
After receiving permission to leave, Rest stepped out of the room and back into the hall.