Then, the time came for Rest to take his interview.
Leaving the lecture hall, Rest followed the examiner's instructions and moved to a separate room.
The room, roughly ten tatami mats in size, had a single chair placed in the center, and at the table in front sat the academy headmaster he had met earlier.
Verroid Hahn was seated there, welcoming him with a gentle smile.
"Come, please take a seat."
"...Yes, sir."
He had expected there would be two or three examiners, but as it turned out, it was the academy headmaster alone.
*(This is actually making me more nervous... I learned proper etiquette at the marquis's household, but I need to make sure I don't offend him...)* "There's no need to be so stiff. I may call it an interview, but I merely want to hear what you have to say as a reference."
Perhaps seeing through Rest's tension, the headmaster spoke cheerfully.
"The results of this interview won't determine whether you pass or fail, so please rest assured. Just relax your shoulders and answer at your ease."
"Understood..."
"Now then, let's begin with the first question. Why did you decide to enroll in the Royal Academy?"
"..."
Had he considered this a normal interview, he should have given a safe, conventional answer — something about improving his abilities, or acquiring skills and knowledge to contribute to society.
*(But somehow, he had a feeling that any pretentious answer would be seen right through.)* The headmaster's gaze was not stern at all.
Yet, strangely, Rest felt as though the deepest parts of his heart were being read.
*(It would be wisest not to put on any act and simply be honest...)* "...I want to be happy. I want to become the kind of person they call a success."
After a long, deep breath, Rest revealed his innermost thoughts.
"Hmm? Whatever do you mean?"
"I am the illegitimate son of Lucas Eberun, a court magician. When I was ten, my commoner mother passed away, and I was taken in by House Eberun. And from then on... I was treated coldly there."
"..."
"I have since been taken in as an apprentice servant by House Rosemary, through a chance encounter... but the inferiority complex from never being loved by my parents, from being mistreated by the very people who should have been my family — it has not disappeared to this day."
"So you wish to prove yourself to your family?"
"Yes, that's half the reason."
Nodding, Rest continued to voice what lay even deeper in his heart.
"And there's another reason — a wish to have a family of my own."
"A family..."
"Yes. A family that cares for one another, that loves one another... a family where they might quarrel, but never mistreat each other one-sidedly — a family that truly understands each other from the heart. As many as possible."
He wanted a family.
And... the power to protect that family.
So that nothing could ever be taken from him again... he wanted to obtain overwhelming power, power that would never be wrested away by the kind of irrational cruelty he had known — the father he had stabbed to death in his past life, the members of House Eberun who had abused him in this one.
"I want the power to protect my family... the strongest power there is, power enough to crush any injustice that threatens me and the people I hold dear...!"
Having spoken those words aloud, he suddenly realized.
*(Was I... thinking things like this all along...?)* It was an unconscious wish that even Rest himself had never been aware of.
In the act of explaining his motivations for enrolling while facing the headmaster, it had naturally spilled from his lips.
"I see. So that is the very core of who you are."
After listening to Rest's words, the headmaster nodded magnanimously.
"I had intended to ask several more questions... but I believe I've come to know who you are from that alone. Let's bring the interview to an end here."
"Yes... thank you very much."
He felt he might have said things that were unnecessary, things he didn't need to say... but the headmaster's reaction hadn't been bad, so he would let it be.
"Lastly — would you touch this crystal for me?"
The headmaster lightly waved his right hand, and the crystal ball resting on the table floated gently through the air toward Rest.
"What is this...?"
"Well now, just touch it and you'll see."
"..."
Rest found it suspicious, but he sensed no danger from the crystal ball.
He lightly touched it with his fingertip, and in that instant, a dazzling light erupted.
"Wah!"
"Oh!"
He hastily pulled his finger away, and the light vanished in an instant.
"H-Headmaster!? What on earth was that...?"
"Ah, this crystal is a magic item with the power to measure potential. It can gauge how much room a person has for growth."
"Potential...?"
"Indeed. To score that high on the practical exam, and now this light... it means you're not simply precocious — you still have enormous room for growth. Truly wonderful."
The crystal ball floated back to the table.
When the headmaster placed his hand on it, the crystal emitted a faint light, so weak it seemed to dissolve into the air.
"As you can see, the potential of this old man has grown quite faint. But... it seems you still have much potential left in your future. Nurture it well."
"...Understood. Thank you very much."
Rest bowed his head.
In any case, it seemed he had successfully made it through the interview.
Rest received permission to leave and stepped out of the room.