The Magic Department examinees who had finished the practical exam moved from the grounds to the lecture hall.
They were told there would be a brief interview next, and were now waiting for their turn.
"Hey... that guy is..."
"No way, right? Over three hundred points..."
"Could he be from a noble family? Like an illegitimate child of some famous mage?"
(Seems like I stuck out a bit too much... Well, I never planned on holding back anyway.)
What the examinees waiting in the lecture hall were talking about was, as expected, Rest—the one who had scored highest on the practical exam.
While the other examinees averaged sixty points, Rest's score was three hundred and eighty-seven—more than six times the average.
By so obviously demonstrating the difference in caliber, he had ended up standing out in an uncomfortable way.
"Shit... how could I..."
"...the glorious..."
"...House Brute, a count's family—how could someone who carries that blood lose to some pathetic commoner...!"
While most of the examinees watched Rest with a mix of awe and curiosity, only young Celery shot him looks filled with pure hatred.
He must have been seething over his loss, because the look in his eyes was practically trying to curse Rest to death.
(Jealous and hates losing, just like that no-good brother of mine... Do people with similar names end up with similar personalities, too...?)
Maybe name divination really was onto something.
He quietly resolved that if the day ever came when he had a child, he would put serious thought into the name.
"Man, that was incredible back there! How did you get that kind of power out of a fireball?"
As the other examinees chattered away, Yuri Cattleya sat down next to him and spoke in a friendly manner.
Perhaps it was because they had met before the exam, but she was awfully chummy.
"It looked like you were casting multiple spells at once — is there some kind of secret behind that?"
"...Well, I suppose so."
"That's amazing! It's an honor to take the exam alongside a mage like you! Could it be that you're the descendant of some famous magician?"
"............"
Despite having just met her, she charged right in without a shred of hesitation.
And yet, for some reason he didn't find it unpleasant — because there was absolutely no malice or ulterior motive detectable in Yuri.
(How should I put it — innocent, or maybe vivacious... She doesn't really seem like a noble.)
She claimed the name of House Cattleya, but was she really a marquis's young lady?
Even though she was the same rank as Viola and Primula, she was a completely different type.
"Um, Miss Cattleya, why did you choose to apply for the Magic Department?"
"Huh? What do you mean by that?"
"Well... honestly, it felt like the Knight Department would suit you better than the Magic Department."
Rest had run alongside her using Body Reinforcement without any mana-based enhancement, and during the exam she had thrown a stone to score well over a hundred points.
No matter how you looked at it, she seemed far more physically capable than magically gifted.
"Ah, well... the Knight Department has a lot of influence from House Cattleya, so..."
"............?"
"There are people there who used to be under my father, so it would be awkward, or rather, there's a chance I'd be deliberately held back out of political consideration... No, well. There are various circumstances. You know how it is."
"I see... I'm sorry for prying into things like that."
"If the chance comes, let's have an open conversation. I'd also appreciate it if you could tell me the secret behind your strength at that point."
"...Yes. If the opportunity arises."
Would such an opportunity ever come?
If he enrolled in the academy, there might be time to deepen their friendship, but neither of them knew whether they would both pass.
(I did pass. Probably, without a doubt...)
He had answered over ninety percent of the written examination correctly.
He had earned the highest score among all examinees who took the practical test that day.
There was no reason for him to fail.
(But... how about her? I hate to say it, but I have a feeling she didn't pass...)
He didn't think the method of throwing rocks at targets would be enough to pass.
(She did create the stones with magic, so it barely counted as a magical attack? No, that would normally be a disqualification, though...)
"Next, Yuri Cattleya. Please move to the back room."
"Oh, my turn. See you again later."
"...Yes. See you later."
The time came for Yuri's interview.
He waved at Rest with a smile and left the lecture hall.
(...She was oddly friendly. Was there some incident that brought us that close?)
He had caught her when she fell from the tower... but that was all.
It had been the same when he saved Viola and Primula from the wolves—could it be that for girls, those were far more significant events than he realized?
(Yuri Cattleya... it seems like there's something going on. I should probably report to my master. As for Viola and Primula... what should I do about them?)
For some reason, he was afraid to bring it up, but staying silent only to have it come out later would be even worse.
What kind of reaction would Viola and Primula have if he told them about how he'd ended up helping Yuri, only for her to become attached to him?
(They'd get angry... no, he hadn't done anything that should make them angry... right? Probably?)
Despite having an interview coming up, Rest couldn't stop his back from shivering with an inexplicable chill.