Time rewound slightly, in the conference room of the Royal Academy.
"Ho ho ho, this year turned out to be quite the bumper crop, didn't it?"
Clutching the exam results for both the noble and commoner quotas, Headmaster Verroid Hahn laughed heartily.
The conference room was filled with other faculty members as well, all wearing complicated smiles.
"The written exam average came in ten points higher than usual, and several students put up impressive results in the practical exams as well. Next year's first-years look to be quite the batch."
"The Magic Department in particular is incredible… To think a commoner-quota examinee actually made it into the top ranks…"
One of the teachers spoke with a sigh mixed in.
In the young female teacher's hands was a document listing overall rankings and scores.
—————— Magic Department Qualifiers 1. Noble — Celestine Crocus — 200 points 2. Noble — Primula Rosemary — 196 points 3. Noble — Viola Rosemary — 193 points 4. Commoner — Yuri Cattleya — 191 points 5. Commoner — Rest — 190 points .
.
.
—————— It is extremely rare for commoner-track examinees to place in the top five of the entrance examination.
This is because nobles, who boast superior bloodlines and receive elite education from a young age, hold an overwhelming advantage.
For reference, the exam was scored out of 200 points, with the written exam and the practical exam each worth 100 points. The passing threshold was 70 percent—140 points.
In the Magic Department, the practical exam consisted of target shooting, with the score counted as-is and capped at a maximum of 100 points.
"Rest's practical exam score was effectively the highest. If it weren't for the rule that anything above 100 points was capped, he would have been the top of the class."
"Thank goodness he didn't end up valedictorian… Can you imagine what the noble students' reactions would be if a commoner-track examinee gave the opening address at the entrance ceremony…"
An arrogant noble might even harass Rest, unable to stomach the thought of losing to a commoner.
In principle, exam rankings and scores were not made public, but the top-scoring student was required to deliver a speech at the entrance ceremony.
"Crocus, the young lady of the Duke Crocus family—a prodigy even called 'the Kingdom's treasure'—will handle the valedictorian's address without a hitch, I'm sure. Thank goodness there won't be any major trouble."
"There are quite a few nobles who wouldn't stay silent if a commoner came out on top. That's for the best."
"Rest was recommended by Marquis Rosemary… That gentleman is the Chief Court Magician, so perhaps he's a personal apprentice or something?"
"Perhaps he's being groomed as a marriage candidate for one of his daughters?"
"Hahaha, surely not!"
The faculty members laughed and joked among themselves.
"However…" one of the faculty members said, his expression clouding over as he brought up another student's results.
"It seems there are a few problematic students among them. What should we do about her—Yuri Cattleya?"
One of the faculty members said, looking troubled.
Yuri Cattleya, who had taken the Magic Department entrance exam under the commoner track, ranked fourth overall by test results alone. She had reached the passing score, but her approach in the practical exam was somewhat problematic.
"She was using thrown stones to attack the targets rather than magic… Should we really count that as a valid score?"
"I object! She should be disqualified without question!"
He raised his voice and stood up.
He was a burly, powerfully built man—a teacher who served as the head of the Knight Department.
"Miss Yuri Cattleya's test results are clearly deficient! We cannot allow such an unjust candidate to pass!"
"But... her score meets the passing threshold. There shouldn't be any problem under the rules, right?"
"Using brute force to clear a test designed to measure magic defeats the entire purpose of the exam! Such cheating should not be tolerated!"
"Mr. Anagoia, please calm yourself."
The academy headmaster regarded the furious, brawny instructor.
He admonished him.
"Regardless of the method used, we cannot fail someone who achieved a passing score. Miss Yuri Cattleya has passed, and that is that."
"B-But, Headmaster..."
"I was also present during her practical exam. That there was no misconduct is self-evident. In any case, as a Knight Department instructor, you have no grounds to meddle in the Magic Department's exam results, do you?"
"...Surely the fairness of an exam has nothing to do with which department it belongs to?"
"Indeed. But press this matter too hard and people will start to suspect that Marquis Cattleya has been putting you up to this, won't they?"
"...!"
The Knight Department instructor fell into an awkward silence.
It seemed the headmaster had hit a sore spot.
Nearly all the Knight Department's faculty were alumni of the knight order, and many had close ties to Marquis Cattleya, who served as knight commander.
He didn't know the full story, but it was entirely possible that Marquis Cattleya had instructed this instructor to ensure his own daughter failed.
"Perhaps... she had sensed as much, which was precisely why she had chosen to take the Magic Department exam in the first place."
«............»
The Knight Department instructor sat in silence.
Now that it had been exposed that he was receiving instructions from someone outside the academy, he could no longer insist on failing Yuri Cattleya.
The atmosphere in the room grew heavy, and another instructor spoke up, trying to smooth things over.
"Ah, well then, what shall we do about him? You know — Cedric Eberun!"
"A-Ah... His score hasn't reached the passing mark, but he did manage to cast an advanced magic during the practical exam. His ability as a mage seems more than sufficient, but..."
Cedric Eberun's score was 116 points.
While his practical exam score hadn't been bad, his written exam had severely dragged him down, and with the deduction for violent conduct against an exam proctor, he had fallen well short of the 140-point passing threshold.
Even so, had he not made the wrong choice of magic during the practical exam, the result might have been different... but he was still far from the passing mark.
"Looking at the scores alone, he should fail... but in the past, there have been cases where students were given special exceptions despite not reaching the passing score. What shall we do about Cedric?"
Cedric Eberun was from House Eberun, an honorary viscount family of court magicians, and was a boy renowned as a genius.
The fact that he had demonstrated the advanced magic "Thunderstorm" during the exam made his talent undeniable.
There were even some instructors who believed it would be acceptable to pass him despite his insufficient written exam score.
"Hmm... I believe it is fine for him to fail."
However, the academy headmaster shook his head.
Several instructors tilted their heads in surprise.
"Why is that? Is it because of the score?"
"That is part of it, but... I conducted his final interview myself, and the impression he left was not favorable. The 'Crystal of Possibility' hardly lit up at all."
"Is that so?"
The Crystal of Possibility was something that all applicants from every department touched during their interview — an artifact that measured the future possibilities of the person.
Students who lit the crystal brightly were more likely to leave their mark in the future, regardless of their renown or infamy.
"It appears Cedric was merely precocious. His future growth potential doesn't seem that significant. We can't bend the rules to admit him if it means reducing the number of qualified commoner applicants."
If the number of noble candidates who passed increased, the number of commoner candidates who passed would decrease by that amount.
The Royal Academy was fundamentally an academy for the next generation of nobles. Noble candidates were prioritized, and commoners were only admitted from the remaining slots.
"Understood. Then, Cedric Eberun is marked as having failed."
"If he himself has the motivation, he'll likely try again next year. If his personal drive increases, possibilities may open up. Let's have some hope for that."
The eligibility age for the magic academy entrance exam was between fifteen and eighteen for both boys and girls.
Even if he failed this year, he could take the exam again next year.
Of course... taking the exam after repeating a year meant the passing standards were set higher, and even if he passed, he would often be looked down upon by other students.
If Cedric Eberun had the will to endure that humiliation, he would challenge next year's exam again.
"Oh, and also... Celeric Brute, a commoner applicant, has declined his pass. It seems it's due to the circumstances of Count Brute, his recommender."
"Hmm, it can't be helped. Then, handle it as such. Now, let's move on to the Knight Department exam..."
The discussion of the Magic Department exam concluded, and the topic shifted to another faculty.