Chapter 11
Student Ability Evaluation
“I don’t know the exact details either. I don’t even know his na. It’s just sothing I heard from the Headmaster.”
Forr hurriedly wrapped up his words.
Since he had said the color was a pure, clear white, the students could easily guess what kind of elent that mage might have handled.
But if he had honestly answered that it was a Flewd Elentalist, they might have realized he was referring to Archis Eir.
Looking at the students’ expressions, they seed focused only on the fact that such an incredible person existed among commoner mages—their eyes all sparkled like Kiena’s.
It was probably a glimr of hope that they too might beco soone like that soday.
“The Headmaster hopes that a mage like that will erge from this academy. That’s why expectations are particularly high for students of common birth. So even if it’s difficult, don’t lose heart. Now then, let’s conclude here.”
With that, Forr began shaking hands with each student one by one.
Then ca Russel’s turn.
“I’m Mihael Russel! Pureblood of the House Mihael…!”
Eager to make a good impression, Russel’s unnecessary self-introduction made Forr’s expression harden.
“Russel.”
“Yes! Vice Headmaster!”
“I’m not interested in whether you’re pureblood or not.”
“……”
Intimidated by Forr’s cold tone, Russel imdiately fell silent, looking on the verge of tears.
Leaving him behind, Forr stepped in front of Kiena.
“Kiena!”
Even then, his expression toward her remained unfavorable.
“I see.”
His reply was so indifferent and cutting that it would have hurt even a child’s feelings.
He ended the handshake halfheartedly, and it was Hei’s turn next.
“H–Hei!”
“I see.”
The response was exactly the sa as with Kiena.
Compared to how he had treated the other students, the difference in tone was stark.
‘What’s with him? He seems especially wary of those two.’
It wasn’t as if the Vice Headmaster could be intimidated by two 0th Circle Mages.
I couldn’t begin to guess his thoughts.
Finally, it was my turn.
The mont I stood before him, the tension in his expression smoothed into calmness.
“Artel.”
When he called my na with a faint smile and offered his hand, I felt an inexplicable sense of discomfort that hadn’t been there before.
“Yes.”
“Do you think you could beco a mage who succeeds the clear white?”
“……”
Why was he asking only this question?
‘As I thought, he’s definitely noticed sothing.’
But since everyone was watching—
“Thank you for the complint.”
I simply left a polite response.
“I look forward to seeing what you’ll beco.”
Leaving those aningful words behind, he turned his back to .
Then, taking Professor l and Teacher Rezi with him, he left the dining hall, saying,
“It seems this year, only four students will pass.”
He said it loud enough for everyone to hear.
Four students… Did that number include , Kiena, and Hei?
As soon as Forr left Class 0, he headed straight to the Headmaster’s floor.
When he returned, the sky was blue, and a garden covered in lush green grass welcod him.
Etar seed to be in good spirits.
Without hesitation, Forr went directly to the Headmaster’s office.
“Headmaster, I’ve done as you instructed.”
“Good. How was it?”
Etar asked directly, skipping any pleasantries.
“The student nad Artel… Honestly, I’m not sure.”
Etar’s eyes narrowed at that answer.
“Not sure, you say… What exactly do you an by that?”
“It’s strange. He doesn’t look impressive on the surface, but I can’t read him at all either… To the point that I even doubt whether your concern about him is justified, Headmaster.”
“Is that so? Khahaha!”
Rumble—!
The mont Etar’s booming laughter filled the room, the weather outside the Headmaster’s office changed again.
A night sky with a red moon rose overhead.
Only then did Forr understand what that red moon signified—
Etar was at his peak excitent.
“No, that’s more than enough. If even you—an 8th Circle Mage—find him strange, what does that tell us? The boy doesn’t even have a circle.”
“……”
“Yes, that’s how it is. Hahaha!”
Etar eventually clapped his hands together in delight.
Even Forr, who had served beside him as Vice Headmaster for fifty years, had never seen him like this before.
“Oh, right. Headmaster, there were two other students who seed peculiar as well.”
Forr hesitantly brought it up.
“What?”
Rumble—!
Etar’s expression changed again, and with it, the weather and scenery outside shifted.
The sky turned back to day, but the garden vanished—replaced by a cliff.
Not a good sign.
Forr tensed in response.
“Who are they?”
“Students nad Kiena and Hei. But they were a bit different from Artel.”
“How so?”
“If Artel was simply strange, those two gave off… an unsettling energy.”
“You’re saying you, the Vice Headmaster, felt pressure from two 0th Circle Mages?”
“...Yes.”
“Aren’t they the sa students who entered alongside Artel?”
“Th-that’s right.”
Even Forr couldn’t clearly explain it.
It was hard for him to accept that he had felt such unpleasant energy from re 0th Circle Mages.
“Hm, now how should I interpret this…”
“Please give your instructions for how to proceed.”
Etar thought for a long ti before giving his answer.
“No. For now, let’s just keep watching. What we know so far is enough. Vice Headmaster, you’ll act as usual until further instructions.”
“Yes, understood.”
After Vice Headmaster Draco Forr left, the rest of the day was given as free ti.
I lay in the dorm room without moving for quite a while.
Even as the sky outside turned dark, my thoughts remained a tangled ss.
One of the questions Forr had asked —whether I could beco the mage who would succeed the clear white.
And the words that followed, that he was looking forward to it...
I couldn’t make sense of it.
Instead, my head only throbbed more.
‘No, maybe I should think of it differently.’
I focused on the fact that Forr had ntioned my nickna from my previous life.
For a mage, a nickna carried a special aning.
Etar and all my other Disciples had received nicknas from .
At the ti, each of them had been precious to .
The nickna I had given Etar was “The Light of Justice.”
Among all my Disciples, his skill had been the weakest, but unlike others, the purpose and use of his power had been unwavering, and I admired that about him.
In that era, mages flaunting high-level spells to display their authority had been commonplace.
But Etar had been different.
He never showed off magic unnecessarily, and even when he cast a spell, there had always been conditions—
Either he was being evaluated by , his teacher, or he was facing a genuine threat.
So I gave him that nickna to reflect his firm and unshakable conviction.
Forr didn’t know much about my previous self, Archis Eir.
No—he probably knew nothing.
Everything he said earlier had been what he’d heard from Etar.
That ant Forr’s words could be interpreted as Etar’s.
Etar had ntioned my nickna...
Could it be that Etar wasn’t actually trying to kill ?
If the “Light of Justice” I rembered was still burning within him, perhaps not.
Even in the book that distorted the truth, calling an incompetent Archmage, Etar had still used my nickna.
He had been the only one to witness my death—and the only Disciple who had faced Tyrant afterward.
That thought stirred sothing faint within .
“What’s your true intention!”
I shouted in frustration, glaring up at the ceiling.
Etar—who must be at the top floor of the branch school.
As expected, guessing before eting him wouldn’t get anywhere.
I needed to pass the promotion tests quickly and reach the 6th Circle in the shortest ti possible.
Only by facing Etar directly could I uncover the truth.
“In the end, I’m back to square one.”
I had thought I’d find answers, but my thoughts only kept circling the sa place—it was exhausting.
“Fine. Let’s just move up from 1st Class as planned.”
I’d stick to my original plan.
To build the bridge that would lead to my reunion with Etar.
That was all I needed to focus on.
But I would act cautiously.
Vice Headmaster Forr had said he looked forward to , but I took that as a veiled warning—that he’d be watching.
‘Still, how did he notice anything? No matter how I think about it, there’s nothing suspicious.’
That was one thing I couldn’t figure out, no matter how hard I thought.
From the next day on, the school returned to its usual routine.
Just yesterday, everyone had been excited at the Vice Headmaster’s visit, but the heat cooled off as quickly as hot iron plunged into cold water.
Students attended classes on ti, went to the dining hall in groups during als, and rested in their dorms once the day was over.
A student’s life as ordinary as ever.
Ah, though for , one thing had changed.
“Artel, Russel’s staring at you again.”
During class, Hei whispered that to .
“I know. Ignore him.”
It was that brat from the House Mihael again.
Ever since the Vice Headmaster’s visit, Russel’s gaze toward had turned increasingly hostile.
I knew exactly what that look ant.
During that confrontation with Forr, Russel had tried his best to impress him.
But the one who actually drew Forr’s attention—was .
When Forr had asked whether I could succeed the clear white, Russel must have taken that to an that the Vice Headmaster saw as soone special.
How humiliating it must have been for him—a noble who looked down on commoners as peasants—when the Vice Headmaster had shown all his interest toward one of those very commoners.
I could understand the feeling.
From Russel’s behavior alone, I could tell that the Vice Headmaster was practically his idol.
Still, dealing with him would only tire out, so I chose to ignore him altogether.
Fortunately, aside from glaring, Russel hadn’t taken any other action.
I gradually began adapting to the 0th Class curriculum at Ed Branch.
And there was one thing I was certain of—
The mandatory daily subject, “The History of Mages.”
Since I didn’t know much about this era, I’d thought it was a necessary class to take.
I was wrong.
“The History of Mages” was literally a course about the history of mages.
Aside from the part that called an incompetent Archmage, there was nothing new.
And the lessons repeated every week in the sa cycle.
That is, if the first lecture began on a Monday, by Friday it would reach the end of the chapter—and then the following Monday, it would start over again from the beginning as review.
The sa material, over and over.
All of it glorified Tyrant’s greatness.
The title of Chapter 1 alone was, “The Death of the Incompetent Archmage Archis Eir, and the Successor Archmage Draco Tyrant.”
Despite being a thick book, it contained only that first chapter—the rest were blank pages.
When I asked about it, I was told that Chapter 2 appeared once you advanced to 1st Class.
I hadn’t even known such types of magical books existed.
In any case, after enduring those miserable and tedious lectures, the second Monday of October finally arrived.
“Now, it’s ti for the student ability evaluations! Everyone feeling confident?”
It was the day of the midterm promotion exams.
Classes were canceled, replaced entirely by this test for the whole day.
Each student would take the stage alone and, within fifteen minutes, demonstrate either elental or summoning magic—pass if successful. Simple as that.
“Alright, I’ll start calling the order now.”
In the order that Rezi called out, I was last.
I waited calmly for my turn to co.
Watching as the others took their exams one by one.
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