The Rebirth Of The Hero’S Party’S Archmage [EN]: Chapter 31

31.

On the way to the meeting place, I ran into a familiar face.

“Oh, Logan! You’re already here!”

Logan, who was walking ahead of the other students, his height towering over theirs, turned around and waved back.

“Oh, esteemed young master, you’ve arrived.”

Gertrude Fenton looked taken aback and whispered urgently, as if she couldn’t believe it.

“Is it right to greet him like a close friend?! Do you know who that guy is? He’s one of the top rivals to watch out for in this exam!”

“Rival? He’s my mentor. He even gives me Magic-Protein every day.”

“Does giving you food make someone a good person in your eyes, young master? What kind of idea is that, something a fountain pigeon would think?!”

Lein, briefly recalling his memories from his orphanage days, raised an eyebrow as if it were obvious.

“People don’t usually give food to strangers if they’re not nice, do they?”

Watching Lein and Logan laughing and entering the Great Hall, Gertrude felt dizzy and had to massage her temples.

Main Building, Dragon Pavilion 1st floor, Great Hall.

Finally, a whopping 233 freshmen gathered in this antique space, but no one was chattering noisily like at the entrance ceremony.

“It’s eerily quiet.”

The reactions of the students waiting for the exam briefing to begin were mostly similar.

Their faces were pale, their legs were shaking rhythmically, or they were clasping their hands together and praying… It would be strange if they weren’t.

Christa responded to Lein’s mutter.

“They call it a midterm, but it’s really an event to weed out students without talent, in other words, worthless stones.”

The university department is famous for handing out expulsion notices to as few as 20 and as many as 50 to 60 students during midterms and finals.

‘Don’t be nervous, Christa.’

Christa Warden calmed her trembling fingers with deep breaths.

I will be the best.

Like yesterday, today too. And tomorrow too.

As she clenched her fist tightly, she could sense the uneasy gazes fixed on her from around the hall. She was used to it.

“The children of influential families have arrived.”

“I’ll crush them properly this time.”

“That useless noble is mine.”

The students of the Eight Great Factions, and the sixteen mid-tier factions just below them. The so-called disciples of the Eight Great and Sixteen Medium factions. Christa smirked as if they were pathetic.

“Don’t let your guard down, Lein. The one who will defeat you is me, Christa Warden. If you lose to someone else because you were careless, I won’t forgive you.”

Just then, Professor Caroline, who was in charge of the second year, stepped onto the platform, and even the quietly murmuring voices instantly died down.

“Hehe, welcome. The atmosphere is completely different from the entrance ceremony, isn’t it? Now, I’ll explain the midterm exam.”

“……!”

“The exam will be held until Friday, in other words, throughout this entire week. The exam will be conducted individually or in pairs, and if the professor in charge makes a decision for expulsion, you can pack your bags and go home immediately.”

‘Is it different from what I thought?’

I thought we would sit down, receive the exam papers, and solve the problems… Lein chuckled. They really don’t give you a moment to be bored.

“And traditionally, first-year professors do not participate in the regular exams. There is a concern that they might be swayed by affection. I would like to introduce the head professor who will be in charge of this exam.”

Before those words could even finish, the person who stepped onto the platform left a deep impression even by Lein’s standards.

It was a white-haired old woman with a hunched back, holding her hands behind her back with her right hand and leaning on a cane with her left hand, but the aura of magic emanating from her was extraordinary.

Like a ship moving across the water, with each step she took, ripples of magic spread in all directions, sending a chilling sensation down the spine.

Logan and Gertrude, who were standing next to him, shone with admiration. Only Lein tilted his head.

“Why? Who is she?”

“You really don’t know who she is? Really? It’s Professor Marhena! The current head professor of and the former leader of the Magic League!”

“Hmm, the leader of the Magic League? That hunched-over old woman?”

“She was the leader after your grandfather, Scalzi Ludwig!”

Gertrude chimed in, as if she couldn’t believe it.

The Magic League was an organization that oversaw all matters related to magic in the empire.

The Five Great Families and the Eight Great Factions were all affiliated with the Magic League, and their members often held key positions within the Magic League.

To have been the leader of such a Magic League was the highest honor, recognized by all the magicians living in that era, not only for skill but also for charisma.

“Quiet, you brats!”

Marhena suddenly burst out with a roar.

Her voice contained intense magic, overwhelming everyone who heard it into silence.

“Did you come here for a picnic, huh? Is this year’s freshman class full of idiots who don’t know anything? Huh? This isn’t an exam to see how outstanding you are.”

“……?”

“It’s an exam to weed out the useless ones among you… Heul heul, is there anything more unsightly than a magician without skill? Such people are not needed in and not needed in the world. So, I’ll cut them off right away.”

The world of magicians is always meritocratic, huh… A satisfied smile formed on the lips of the later generation of the Eight Great Factions.

“The fools who will evaluate you this time are not the first-year professors who have been indulging your whims.”

Lein tilted his head.

‘Did Professor Owen indulge our whims?’

“They are the cold-hearted ones who will cut off your heads immediately if they deem you unfit. The professors in charge of the 2nd and 3rd years.”

At that moment, the faculty members stepped onto the platform, and an extraordinary magic power stirred up the hall. The students blankly swallowed hard.

“2nd and 3rd year professors……?”

“The elite faculty who only teach students who have successfully completed the 1st year course……?”

Kyle, a handsome professor with bright eyes, came out first, followed by those who were hailed as the rising stars of the current magic world.

“Crazy, it’s Kyle! The genius among geniuses who graduated at the top of his class in the 1378th class!”

“Professor Jeron, who has already built his own magic tower at the age of twenty, is also there!”

“Elin Ludwig is also there. She contributes weekly commentary to 《The Magic Daily》……!”

As soon as the sound of the 2nd and 3rd year faculty members stepping onto the platform and lining up ceased, a quiet silence fell over the Great Hall.

A tense silence where you could hear the sound of your heart beating, a heat of tension swirling hotly inside your body, the students’ eyes trembled.

Marhena raised the corners of her mouth as if she liked that reaction very much.

“Now you look like students taking an exam. Tsk tsk, good. Now, I’ll explain which exam hall each of you should go to.”

* * *

The Page family has exercised vast control over the area north of the Red Mountains, including , since before the founding of the empire.

From there, the Red Mountains, a treasure trove of natural resources, provided numerous environments to . Valleys, caves, mountainous areas…….

This diverse and vast terrain was perfect for professors to test students according to their individual styles.

“Since the midterm exam has started so pleasantly, the exam method should also be fun, right?”

Exam Site G.

Near the Vermilion Peak of the Red Mountains.

Associate Professor Kyle greeted 40 students in front of a cave filled with chilling darkness. It didn’t look like just a simple cave at first glance.

“Now, you will have to conquer this labyrinth. Use all the magical knowledge and experience you have.”

At that, the students looked at each other’s faces, frightened.

“A labyrinth…….”

“Aren’t we going to get hurt?”

‘Of course, it’s not a real labyrinth.’

A labyrinth is not plausible in the Red Mountains, which used to be the sanctuary of the Red Dragon Corps.

This is a virtual labyrinth, and magic engineering in the field of summoning is fully utilized.

“You may get hurt, but there will be no life-threatening problems, probably.”

‘Probably?’

As the students blinked, Kyle winked his handsome eyes as if it was a joke.

“I am in control of all situations, so you don’t have to worry. What you should be worried about is whether you will be expelled or pass, isn’t it?”

“!!!”

“My exam assigns differential grades. I prefer objective evaluation over subjective evaluation. 1st place gets an S grade, 2nd and 3rd place get an A grade.”

Kyle added that 4th to 10th place get a B grade, 11th to 20th place get a C grade… and up to 38th place is a safe E grade from expulsion.

“From 39th place, you may be given a chance for a re-examination, or even expulsion, which is an F grade. But since this exam is in pairs, you can assume that two people will receive an S grade.”

‘Objective evaluation…….’

It seemed fair, but I thought it was a ruthless evaluation method in reality. Lein became curious and raised his hand.

“What is the evaluation method?”

“Of course, it’s based on the time it takes to conquer. Oh, the time limit is 40 minutes. Students who exceed 40 minutes will be immediately expelled without a chance for a re-examination, so please keep that in mind.”

“!!!”

The assistant next to Kyle injected magic power into a mirror-shaped magic tool, and light poured out from the mirror, projecting a string of characters into the air.

“This is the composition of the pairs for this exam. We would appreciate it if those who are teamed up would gather together. The teams were assigned by averaging the entrance exam scores.”

I was about to stretch my neck to see who I was teamed up with when something suddenly blocked my view.

“……Clay?”

The clay was instantly thrown to the ground and flattened by a shoe.

I looked up to see what it was, and I saw a beauty with hair color similar to the clay.

“Hehe, don’t you think the heavens are so heartless? To meet Christa Warden, the provisional first place of the 1388th freshman class, from the very first day.”

That was…… Christa Warden.

‘Why does just thinking about that name make me sigh now?’

“Be prepared, Lein Ludwig. Today is the last day you can act so smug. I’ll crush your nose like this clay.”

‘She has a strong competitive spirit…….’

As I let out a short sigh, a familiar giant strode towards me. This time, I smiled with pleasure.

It’s Logan, the later generation of Chaihark [a powerful warrior clan].

“This one, we are on the same team, I believe.”

“Really? What a great coincidence. Please take care of me, mentor.”

“Uwahahahat!”

It wasn’t particularly surprising.

Logan was in the top 10 in terms of entrance exam results, while Lein was at the bottom of the entrance exam results as a supplementary exam passer.

“Look at that.”

“The Virtue Noble and Logan are on the same team.”

“Didn’t they fight last time?”

As all the attention was focused on the two of them and she was pushed to the back, Christa, who seemed sulky with slightly puffed cheeks, pressed down on the clay with her toe.

“You were talking to me first. Where are you looking now? Don’t you feel anything even after seeing this clay?”

‘Do I have to feel something after seeing the clay……’ Lein scratched his chin awkwardly and looked up at Logan next to him.

“Is graduating at the top of the class important for this exam?”

“Are you aiming to graduate at the top of the class?”

“Somehow.”

“Then the regular exams are only four times a year, so it’s very important.”

In order to graduate at the top of the class, you had to receive top grades in every exam.

If you missed the top grade even once, the result could not be reversed unless a competitor faltered.

It was predicted that the competition would be even fiercer this quarter, with the gathering of the golden generation.

‘Hmm,’ Lein looked up at the sky as if thinking about something for a moment, and finally scratched the back of his head and looked straight at Christa.

“Really? Then I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can go easy on you this time.”

Christa was startled by the sudden chill that ran down her spine and instinctively stepped back. Two emotions crossed in the girl’s mind.

The pleasure that the guy who had always been taking his matches with her with a nonchalant attitude was getting serious… and the wariness of the suddenly changed atmosphere, no, is it fear?

“I have to graduate at the top of the class, no matter what.”

Then Lein finished speaking with a sad smile for some reason.

“A friend is waiting.”