Originally, Arthlia Academy of Magecraft was a deteriorating public library, which was then revamped into a school. Taking a closer look at the stone that made up its walls, as pale as the scales of a white dragon, it was easy to see that the school was actually a combination of three different libraries. The inside of each building was made sturdy with Dark Matter in order to prevent any magical outbursts from destroying them.
Hm. I shouldn’t be too surprised given how prestigious the school is, but it’s impressive how well this building is built. No wonder it’s famous across the country for its construction.
Currently, Abel and the others were in the B hall, which was on the opposite side of the campus from where they’d taken their practical exam. Sitting there in the A hall with a bored expression on her face and sighing was a certain girl with flowing crimson hair.
Her name was Eliza. With her overwhelming ability and beauty, she was already garnering the scorn of other applicants.
“That’s her, right? The one who defended the commoner.”
“Kinda unpleasant, right? What house is she even from?”
“I’ve never seen her crest. She’s probably from some hick noble family.”
These kinds of baseless rumors had been swirling around the room like a storm, and Eliza heard every last word of them.
Based on their quality, it’s hard to imagine that any of these applicants are in the highest echelons, she thought.
If their only strength was talking behind someone’s back, then there was no need to pay heed to them. As far as she could guess, fewer than half of those gathered in this hall would pass. Regardless of whether or not they’d become alumni of this school, though, she had no intention of involving herself with them in the future, so she decided to ignore them entirely.
“Applicant eighty-six, please step forward.”
“Yes.” Eliza, hearing her number, stood at attention.
“State your name.”
In both the A and B halls, the practical test was conducted in the same way. The only difference was that the proctor here called the applicants up in numerical order.
“I’m applicant number eighty-six, Eliza. Thank you for your consideration.”
The hall began buzzing as they observed her. She had flowing crimson hair, and smooth, porcelain skin. Her eyes shone like polished rubies and were as fierce as fire. She was the epitome of elegance. But what stood out the most was the beautiful way she bowed.
She may have interpreted the chatter as ridicule, but it wasn’t. Everyone there was in awe of her perfect features and posture, which were as dignified and graceful as someone from a storied noble family. Even the proctor had noticed. Despite being a woman herself, she couldn’t help but gasp at Eliza’s beauty.
“May I begin?”
“Y-Yes. Please go ahead.”
After receiving permission from the proctor, Eliza readied her Regalia, which was just as red as her eyes.
“Flame Edge!”
As soon as she did, the air trembled. She’d instantly modified the Regalia’s preloaded magecraft composition in order to increase its damage output, piercing the target.
“Wh-What? She damaged dark matter?!” the proctor cried out with disbelief.
The display of power wasn’t lost on everyone else present either—it was as clear as day how strong she was.
How boring. They must be extremely low-level if they’re making a fuss over this, Eliza thought, exhaling.
But then she noticed that something was amiss. In the back of the venue, about twenty meters away, an instructor had come running in, her face pale.
Body Fortification: Auditory Boost. Eliza strengthened her hearing in order to get to the bottom of what was going on.
“Ms. Fedia, it’s an emergency. Please, come quick!”
A young-looking instructor approached the white-robed examiner who was obviously the exam’s supervisor.
Hm. So that arrogant-looking proctor’s name is Fedia? What’s the emergency, though?
“What’s the emergency? Be brief,” Fedia demanded.
The young instructor grimaced before continuing. “Well...the dark matter targets have been blown to bits by...by an Amber-Eyed examinee.”
Eliza had to do a double take. But the more she listened, the more she began to doubt her own common sense. Apparently, the boy in question had not only blown the targets to bits, but had burned the entire field down as well.
“What’s their name? What family are they from?”
“Well... It seems he’s not a noble, but he’s from the Rhangbalt region, and his name is...”
As soon as she heard the boy’s name, Eliza was struck with excitement and anticipation. Abel. The instructor had said it in a low voice, but without a doubt, that was the name she’d heard. She couldn’t understand how someone with Inferior Eyes, which was supposed to have absolutely no affinity for any elements, could have produced magecraft that would stun everyone in this way. A strong sense of rivalry began burning in Eliza’s chest towards the boy named Abel.