Chapter 26: The Aptitude Test
THE students all gathered in the entrance hall for the opening ceremony. Iris glanced around. The newly enrolled students were all lined up; standing near the back was Camille du Pont, chatting happily with her new friend.
For a commoner, she was a naturally pretty girl, but she lacked refinement—she seemed oblivious to the fact that her sky-blue hair was sticking up all over the place like a bad case of bedhead. Here among the strictly disciplined daughters of nobility, she was visibly unpolished. That said, others could tell she was a diamond in the rough, and she still attracted her fair share of attention. Iris could see several people shooting furtive glances in Camille’s direction.
Next, it was time for the student council president to give a speech, representing the existing student body. Likewise, representing the incoming freshmen was none other than the second prince, Reseda du Geyer. The girls all swooned as he walked onstage.
As for Iris, everyone seemed to be keeping their distance, probably because she had a naturally unfriendly face befitting a villainess. Plus, they all knew she was a soilpox survivor. Iris let out a quiet sigh. Would she be able to make any friends here? How was she supposed to speak to these nobles? She didn’t know how to break the ice without talking about otome games. And obviously, video games didn’t exist here. “Read any good books lately?” or something, perhaps?
Near the end of the ceremony, each new student would be called by name to perform an aptitude test right there on the spot. Similar to the physical fitness exam from Iris’s past life, it involved a handful of measurements: memory, judgment, strength, agility, stamina, mana, and charm.
Ability was measured on a scale from 1 to 5, with 3 being average. Based on these measurements, students were categorized as scholars, warriors, or mages. And in the event that you scored equally high in the warrior and mage categories, for example, you could study to become a mage-knight.
The objective of the academy’s curriculum was to bring every student’s aptitude scores up to a 3.5 across the board prior to graduation. These scores were announced publicly at the start of each school year. And for those aiming to become the Holy Maiden or a royal mage, naturally, aptitude in the mage category was mandatory.
Each student placed their hand in a bowl of magical water, then pressed their wet palm to a stone slab called the Aptitude Stone. The droplets from their palm would rise into the air, displaying their stats for all to see before they were absorbed into the record books.
Iris’s heart thumped in her chest as she waited. This was the moment she would almost certainly be disqualified from Holy Maiden candidacy. Honestly, how did Iris make it through this part of the game if she couldn’t use magic? It was a total mystery. In HanaKoro, Camille was the only person present for this scene.
The first to be summoned was Reseda. He walked boldly forward, dipped his hand into the water, then pressed his palm to the stone. Moments later, his stats rose up into the air, tinged pink with tiny flecks of gold.
[Memory—4; Judgment—4; Strength—3; Agility—4; Stamina—3; Mana—4; Charm—5; Aptitude—Almighty]
No surprise there. He’s practically perfect already, Iris thought. Next, it was Nigel’s turn. His stats were emerald green, like his hair—the color of a true hero.
[Memory—3; Judgment—3; Strength—5; Agility—4; Stamina—4; Mana—2; Charm—4; Aptitude—Warrior]
Iris was surprised to learn his mana stat wasn’t a zero. Maybe I have more than I thought? I still don’t think I could cast anything, though, she mused silently. She was his twin, after all. Surely they would have the same aptitude.
A short time later, Camille’s turn rolled around. Her stats were an iridescent white color, provoking a murmur of surprise from the teachers; evidently, this was not so common.
[Memory—4; Judgment—2; Strength—2; Agility—2; Stamina—4; Mana—5; Charm—4; Aptitude—Scholar/Mage]
Her stamina score was probably a direct reflection of her determination and spirit, and as the protagonist, she naturally scored high in charm and mana, too. This caused something of a stir. She was categorized as both a scholar and a mage, which meant she met the benchmarks required for a Holy Maiden, just like in HanaKoro.
She really is the Holy Maiden, Iris nodded to herself. Meanwhile, everyone else was grumbling in disbelief that a mere commoner could score so high. Even Camille was having trouble believing it. “Really?” she whispered to herself, looking around the room incredulously.
“Hmmm,” Reseda murmured, intrigued. Likewise, Nigel looked at Camille with curiosity.
Then, lastly, it was Iris’s turn. Swallowing hard, she summoned all her courage and plunged her hand into the water. A chill ran up her arm and down her spine. Then, without thinking, she slammed her palm down on the Aptitude Stone.
There was a low, rumbling sound as a crack formed on its surface. A bright light shot out from the crack, jumbling all the transparent letters and numbers together.
“Wait, what? Huh? What’s happening?”
As Iris panicked, Reseda grabbed her by the arm and pulled her close. Cytisus moved in front of the stone and cast a magic circle over it as a shield. Between them, Nigel stood with his sword at the ready.