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Chapter 39: Professor. You can evaluate me.
Chapter 39 – Professor. You can evaluate me.
Six days until the tournament.
After dinner, I suddenly received a call from Violet. It wasn’t just me, but all the A-grade students.
[ * A-grade students are to gather at the tower square ]
That was the announcement delivered through Trivia.
It wasn’t the usual classroom meeting. We gathered at the first floor of the tower, the essence of the magic department.
It was already dark outside, since it was late. Violet appeared out of nowhere and approached us.
“You’re all here, right? One, two, three… Four. No one’s missing.”
Violet nodded her head after checking the number of students.
The guys around me all looked puzzled.
It was understandable. We were only told to gather, but not why.
But I had a feeling I knew the reason.
Finally, Violet opened her mouth.
“From now on, we’re going to use the tower’s facilities for a physical examination.”
“Wow, we finally get to do it.” “I really wanted to try it!”
Violet’s words elicited a strong reaction from everywhere.
Was physical examination such a rare thing in this world? I was thinking about that when I smelled cotton.
“Flan! Flan!”
Yushia flew towards me with her snow-white hair, trying to hug me. Of course, I dodged.
“Huh?”
She looked blankly at the empty air for a moment, then suddenly straightened up and raised one hand.
“Flan! I missed you!”
“Yeah.”
I felt a strange sense of discomfort from Yushia again. I was unusually tolerant of her.
…I need to find out the reason soon.
“A physical examination at the tower! Aren’t you excited, Flan?”
“What’s so exciting about it?”
I was amazed by this. Normally, I would have said something like ‘Shut your noisy mouth if you’re not excited’.
Yushia clenched her fists and sparkled her eyes.
“The tower’s facilities are so famous, you know! They can measure your aptitude, affinity, mana flow, attribute… And most importantly!”
She pointed her index finger at the top of the tower.
“Having a physical examination at the tower means that we also get to stay at the tower’s hotel for one night! That’s the most important thing!”
“Is that really that important?”
I was curious about Yushia’s curiosity. Also, since she was the third princess, her words sounded ambiguous.
Did the tower’s hotel have better facilities than the royal palace, or was she interested in the commoner’s experience?
I honestly didn’t care about the examination or the hotel. The tower of this world was too shabby compared to the one in the previous world.
Yushia was still jumping around.
“Of course! I might get to share a room with you, Flan! I was so excited that I brought this with me!”
Yushia took something out of her backpack. It was a rectangular box.
[ Glow-in-the-dark puzzle ]
There were only four letters on the surface.
“Flan! This is really fun when you turn off the lights! You just fit them together perfectly!”
But then, someone pushed their way between me and Yushia.
“Wh-what do you mean by turning off the lights and fitting something? And sorry, but the rooms are assigned by gender, you know?”
It was Becky. She squeezed herself between me and Yushia like the filling of a sandwich, but somehow managed to endure.
“Oh, Becky! Nice to see you!”
Yushia reached out her hand, but Becky ignored it.
“Not really.”
“Huh? Aren’t we friends?”
“I thought so, but you just destroyed our friendship.”
“Huh? I don’t understand what you mean!”
It sounded like two sparrows were chirping next to me. I was about to frown when Violet spoke.
“So, today we’re going to sleep at the hotel inside the tower, and tomorrow morning we’ll have an evaluation.”
The bright atmosphere nearby turned gloomy in an instant. Just because of the two words ‘evaluation’, sighs erupted from everywhere.
“They’re giving us an evaluation out of the blue? I messed up the quiz, so I have to do well on the evaluation…”
Becky wrapped her head with her hands. She wasn’t the only one who was desperate. Everyone had a similar expression.
Violet calmly continued.
“By the way, it’s an absolute evaluation. How about that, no sighs now.”
Violet was telling the truth. Right after she said that, the students’ sighs disappeared like ghosts.
“Next week, at the tournament. We’ll select the first-year representative for the combat event again.”
At Violet’s words, Becky’s eyes widened.
“The representative will get some special benefits, too.”
“Benefits?”
Yushia tilted her head. It seemed that Violet heard her mutter.
“Yes. Benefits. There are various kinds of support, not to mention a recommendation letter for the magic presentation… Well, I’ll tell the representative student about that later. Any more questions?”
“Professor Violet.”
Someone raised their hand. It was Hailey.
“Wasn’t the first-year representative for the combat event already decided as Louis? Why are you selecting again? I don’t understand.”
“That’s a very good question. It’s embarrassing to say this as a professor…”
Violet said with a serious expression.
“The magic department has been neglecting the tournament for a long time. We’re going to fix that from now on. We’ll make it less shameful.”
I nodded quietly.
I felt a bit of satisfaction, because Violet said what I had been waiting for.
‘So she’s still sane.’
The result of the meeting was that the magic department would withdraw from the tournament. If she had said that out loud, I would have seriously left the academy.
Hailey still looked somewhat anxious.
“Then how are you going to select…”
“I was about to explain that. Pay attention.”
Violet flicked her finger, and a wide mana barrier unfolded in the air, acting as a blackboard.
“There are 24 events in the tournament, and the representatives of each faction are revealed on the day of the match. But.”
The professor flicked her finger again. Then, a face of a knight appeared on the blackboard.
“The knight department has already announced their first-year representative for the combat event. They’re saying they have no confidence in us.”
Black short hair and black eyes.
I didn’t know her, of course. But everyone else seemed to know her. There was a loud buzz around me.
“Ivan Rose…?” “I didn’t believe it, but it’s really Ivan. Crazy.”
To my surprise, Yushia also seemed to know him, so I asked her.
“Yushia, do you know that knight over there?”
“Yes. I do.”
Yushia nodded and said.
“He has been mentioned a few times in the royal knight order for his unique ability. He’s called the Flash, the Supernova… something like that.”
“Explain his unique ability. Let me hear it.”
“It’s Flash(閃光)! I heard that his agility lives up to his name.”
“Indeed, just as the professor said, I have no confidence in beating him.”
If he’s been mentioned in the royal knight order, he’s not just bluffing. He must have a solid ability to back it up.
But what’s more important is that I also have no confidence in winning.
How fast is his Flash ability? I feel curious about a human for the first time in a long time.
Violet continued her explanation.
“The representative has been announced. What should we do?”
Along with the professor’s question, an octagon was drawn on the blackboard.
“What do you mean, what should we do? We have to find a way to win, no matter what. We’re going to measure your compatibility with the knight department representative based on eight criteria.”
It was as Violet said. At each corner of the octagon, there were eight criteria written: vision, resistance, accuracy, concentration… and so on.
…I can see the effort, but it’s not enough. It’s barely enough to pass.
“Of course, the more you have a reverse compatibility with Ivan, the higher the score you get. We’re going to use the compatibility as much as possible.”
Yeah, that’s why it’s not enough.
I find it quite petty to win by this kind of method. In other words, it’s not like a mage.
“Remember, everyone, all we have to think about right now is winning.” (f)ree
“Excuse me, professor.”
Hailey raised her hand again.
“Hailey, go ahead.”
“There are only six days left until the match, and more importantly, the representative was already decided to be Louis…”
“Yes.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to just go with Louis? I think it might cause more confusion.”
Violet tilted her head slightly.
“Hailey.”
“Yes, professor.”
“If Louis had the qualifications, wouldn’t he have been selected already?”
“…”
Hailey closed her mouth. Violet’s gaze turned to Louis.
“Louis, how about you? Are you unhappy? We’re going to select the representative again with the new criteria.”
“I have no complaints. I think this is fair too.”
Louis answered calmly.
“The person himself says so. Hailey.”
“…I’m sorry.”
Hailey bowed her head with a dissatisfied expression.
There was silence for a while.
Violet also looked uneasy after Hailey’s question. She made a face and opened her mouth.
“I’m just asking now, just in case.”
The professor rubbed his face with his palm and said.
“Do any of you think like Hailey? That it might cause more trouble, or that you don’t understand why we’re picking the representative again.”
The students around him started to hold their breath.
I can feel it.
Violet is angrier than ever. At least in front of us, it’s the most.
“Or is it something like this? It’s obvious that Louis will be picked again anyway, so you don’t have much motivation? If there’s a student like that, just tell me honestly. I won’t stop you from leaving.”
The students didn’t make a sound. Hailey was completely embarrassed and looked down at the floor.
Violet emphasized again.
“If you’re annoyed by all the changes, and you just want to conform, then do that. But I don’t teach students like that. Don’t be afraid and raise your hand. I’ll just give you a B grade and send you back.”
I’m a bit impressed by her anger.
Violet is a mage to the bone. She resists reality and tries to raise the pride of mages to the top. She has a desperate effort. A desperate will.
She believes that these things are right without any doubt.
But she’s still inexperienced.
There was a student like that among my disciples. He was somewhat lacking in ability, but he had a burning will that was second to none, like Violet.
He eventually became a mage of his own.
Thanks to my advice.
I finally raised my hand slowly. In the air, Violet’s gaze and mine collided.
The professor glared at me and parted his lips.
“Flan, are you the only one? Raise your hand again, don’t be shy. And Flan, go back to the dorm.”
“…That’s why.”
I have to give advice to a remarkable mage.
I opened my mouth and spat out the words one by one.
“Mages always lose.”
The surroundings froze coldly. Violet’s expression also became dumbfounded for a moment.
“What changes by barely winning after a mud fight?”
Everyone looked at me with a horrified expression. I continued to speak to Violet, who was glaring at me.
“A shabby mage. A mean mage. You have no confidence in winning with your skills, and you end up winning by tricks. That’s what they’ll say. And it’s not even wrong.”
“Flan, do you want to say that it’s bad to look for a way to beat the knight department?”
“Yes. It’s better not to look for it.”
I cut off Violet’s words. I didn’t avoid her gaze.
I just added one more thing.
“Nothing changes unless it’s overwhelming.”
Overwhelming(壓倒).
The victory that is needed for change must never be ordinary.
You have to press the opponent so that they can’t move with a power and skill that anyone can’t help but acknowledge, and then change will come.
“Overwhelming…?”
Violet repeated the word. I said to her.
“I heard that Ivan’s unique ability is Flash.”
Competing in many matches means that the skills of both sides are similar. The more matches you add, the farther you get from overwhelming.
“Use magic faster than Flash, and suppress the opponent with one blow. That’s the condition for the representative I have in mind.”
Violet realized my intention and asked.
“…That’s a very idealistic story. But you have to know that there’s a gap between words and reality.”
“Professor.”
I called her.
Something was boiling up from the depths of my chest. The motive of my life that I’ve been pursuing.
“Just evaluate me.”
Innovation, achievement, and…
Proof.
“I’ll be the representative.”