The news of the civil war began to spread through the media.
At first, everyone used restrained expressions such as “a disturbance by the Beastkin slaves” or “a small warlord’s rebellion,” but the situation changed rapidly.
All four castles in the Southern Colony suddenly fell into the hands of the rebels.
Moreover, Duke Lorraine Philip declared the formation of an independent state called the Southern Republic.
– Civil War! Where is the blade of Duke Lorraine, with his 30,000 strong army, headed?
– Why did Duke Lorraine choose rebellion?
– The Imperial Knights will suppress the rebellion in the colonies…
Every newspaper was filled with stories about the civil war.
Eventually, the Imperial Knights, under the Emperor’s orders, organized a suppression force.
It was reported that around 2,000 troops were composed of over 1,200 knights, volunteer soldiers, and mage mercenaries.
On the other hand, the rebels’ forces numbered 50,000.
One might think that they were sending an astonishingly small number of troops, but that wasn’t the case.
The Imperial Knights were evaluated to have combat power that didn’t lag behind even a single division of the Imperial Army.
Sending the Imperial Knights to face a rebel army mostly consisting of Beastkin slaves, the Emperor might think he has over-invested at this point.
But indeed, making a big show of moving the army and framing the rebellion as something that would be settled with just a knightly order was probably very important to him.
Even though that one knightly order was quite large.
“Are we all set, Hainkel?”
“Yes, it’s all set. But why is Emilia so flustered?”
“Hehe… I’m a bit nervous.”
Today is the day for the Midterm Exam in Elemental Magic.
Tomorrow is for Battle Magic…
I had studied enough since I roughly knew the format and problems, but I couldn’t help feeling jittery.
Who knows how things could change due to the butterfly effect?
Emilia nervously adjusted my clothes with her trembling hands.
What else is there to do?
“That’s enough, Emilia. I’m off now.”
“Ah, okay. But…”
“What?”
“Don’t you think it looks too far away? Can’t we call each other more closely now…?”
“For example?”
“Like, Emilia-?”
“Then I want to call you Hainkel oppa?”
“……!”
I said it jokingly, but I noticed Emilia seemed flustered.
Although she’s technically a spy watching me, we have spent quite a bit of time together, which has indeed brought us closer.
But I mustn’t forget.
Emilia could stab a knife into my neck while I sleep at any time.
I turned around and grabbed the doorknob.
“Shuh, Hainkel oppa.”
“……?”
Did I just mishear something?
“Ah, no! Just pretend you didn’t hear that!”
“……”
With a *thud*, Emilia dashed off into the distance.
Is she adding a clumsy character to her image now…?
Or is it a mistake due to not remembering her character?
Feeling a bit confused, I stepped out of the house just as—
“Oh, hey? What a coincidence.”
“……”
Again, I had to feel dizzy.
Standing in front of the mansion was Erica.
She was leaning against the wall and quickly stood up, which was not the best concept for running into someone.
“Heading for the exam?”
“That’s right.”
“Our paths are crossing, huh? Not that I intended to walk with you. We just bumped into each other. By coincidence.”
Erica chattered away and continued to follow beside me.
Even though it was clear we were walking at different paces, she was forcing herself to speed up.
This was clearly not just a coincidence.
I almost asked her what her business was, but I held back.
It would be obvious what I’d say—
“Huh! Hmph? I didn’t come looking for you; I’m just walking next to you by coincidence!”
It seemed clear I wouldn’t get any different response.
Oh. Maybe I could accurately guess that without changing a single word.
I was about to ask for a matching answer sheet but decided against it.
If she had something to say, she’d probably just say it.
“……”
But even after a long time passed, Erica didn’t say anything to me.
Still, it didn’t seem like it was just a coincidence that our paths crossed.
She must have intentionally picked a slightly roundabout route to the exam room, yet was now awkwardly following me around.
Meanwhile, she kept glancing around suspiciously.
What kind of situation is this?
I dove into my deductions considering Erica’s character, the setting of the Imperial University campus, and the timing of the Midterm Exam.
‘Is she begging me to let her copy answers?’
That was the first thought that came to mind, but I quickly shook my head.
Erica’s strong pride wouldn’t allow her to cheat.
Especially against someone like me, a commoner.
That leaves me with only one reasonable conclusion.
“Erica.”
“Huh?”
“Thanks for the escort.”
“Wha, what? What do you mean?”
“I don’t think it’s worth explaining.”
“Seriously, what are you talking about?!”
Her feigned ignorance was too clumsy.
In short, Erica’s here to watch over me.
There used to be frequent instances of group lynching towards commoners who entered the Imperial University…
I hadn’t encountered such cases since I showed considerable strength on the first class in Battle Magic.
But during the midterms, things could change.
If I were to lose out on being the top student at the entrance ceremony, some would likely try to sabotage me desperately.
And indeed, they will. It’s a 100% probability.
In the original work, even Hertlocker couldn’t avoid attacks all day on the day of the midterm exam.
And now, Erica’s here to protect me.
Not physically or magically.
As the eldest daughter of one of the three great magician families, the Lichtenburg family, she is protecting me in her official capacity as the successor.
To attack me here would mean disturbing the Lichtenburg family.
No one would dare to take on the Lichtenburg.
It would be suicidal to fight a family that doesn’t bat an eye at paying exorbitant fees for a certain Jin’s services.
“That’s not the case! I told you it’s not!”
“What are you denying?”
“Whatever you’re thinking right now. You’re all wrong!”
“Got it.”
“Do you understand? I’m saying it’s not!”
“Sure, I get it. Still, thanks.”
“Augh!”
Seeing Erica’s face flush in embarrassment made me smile.
Indeed, this girl was the Erica I knew.
Rude and rough, but ultimately kind-hearted and not straightforward.
I wondered if there were times she helped me without me knowing.
Or maybe not.
“Hey? Isn’t that Sergey’s assistant over there?”
“Looks like it.”
“Who’s that next to them?”
When I turned my head, Sergey’s assistant was indeed having a conversation with someone.
At first, I didn’t recognize them, but upon closer inspection, it was Alexia’s aide.
I couldn’t quite remember their name… Yusek, right?
I didn’t recall their surname.
Maybe it wasn’t mentioned in the original work.
Seeing Alexia’s aide left behind suggests they are gearing for quite the rough journey.
You can’t exactly fly supersonic with a human like Yusek on your back…
The sound of their conversation couldn’t be heard from this distance.
But when I concentrated on my mana, I could make out some words despite the muffling.
“It’s the perfect time now that Chairwoman Alexia isn’t present. We need to act immediately…”
“No, we must wait until orders are given…”
Ah…
I see what they’re talking about.
“Should I say hello?”
“Do as you wish.”
“No… I haven’t taken Battle Magic, so shouldn’t you say hello?”
“Forget it. No need.”
“Rude…”
“What did you just say?”
“I didn’t say anything!”
I didn’t want to intrude on their conversation.
While they were conspiring quite fearsomely…
Well, it’s something that will happen later, so I decided to stay back for now.
In fact, pretending not to know allows me to precisely predict when things will unfold according to the original work.
By the way, while I knew Yusek was behind these dark dealings, I never expected Sergey’s assistant to be involved too.
The original author, myself, didn’t even know that secret.
That’s a bit funny.
Thinking back, it wasn’t out of place or an unreasonable setup either.
The details will be revealed when things happen anyway…
“Whoa, we’ve arrived? I’ll head in first. You come in later.”
“Why the heck…?”
“Just.”
As we arrived at the exam hall, Erica looked around cautiously and said that.
Didn’t she just announce she was following me all the way?
Now she doesn’t want to go in together?
What kind of goldfish-level intelligence is this?
I couldn’t fathom the rationale behind Erica’s thoughts.
“Why are you following me?!”
“I never said I would listen to you.”
“You serious…?!”
Following right behind Erica, I saw her face flush red in frustration.
Students coming in to take the exam were now visible in the distance.
We have no choice but to go in now.
I shut my mouth and slipped in right behind Erica, then stood beside her in the end.
Matching our strides along the way.
“Chi…!”
I couldn’t help but find it amusing that she was cursing with her expression instead of words.
This girl is adorable even when she’s mad.
No wonder she managed to gather so much popularity despite all her snarky attitude.
“Huh…?”
But the exam room looked strange.
Wasn’t it supposed to look like a typical lecture room without any dividers?
Then it hit me.
The Midterm Exam follows the original work to a T.
So I casually headed to an empty seat in front.
“What? What is this?”
“I haven’t said anything.”
“……”
Soon, Erica came and sat next to me.
So now she’s going to serve as my escort even in the exam room, huh?
That’s what Ludwig would know to do anyway.
Such a worrywart.
“Seems like it’s okay to sit right next to you, huh?”
“……?”
The awkward silence became stifling, making it hard to breathe.
At that moment, Iris in her nun uniform sat next to me.
She wore her usual gentle smile.
The funny part was Erica’s reaction.
She was so shocked her mouth hung wide open.
She must be wondering why we’re like this right after a fight with Iris.
Actually, it wasn’t a fight.
I wasn’t mad at Iris at all.
I just accepted that her original character was that way.
“I gave you a gift, did you think of it?”
“I had no idea.”
“That’s disappointing.”
“Why do you have a reason to be disappointed?”
“……”
Iris pouted, pretending to be sulking.
But what can I do if I genuinely don’t know?
My reason for wanting to kill Julia.
If Iris was trying to provoke me and she handed me the cross, I’d be glad if it redirected that future.
But honestly, I wasn’t mad at all.
Iris probably wanted to prevent that future disaster in her own way.
I hold zero residual feelings towards Iris.
I’m not that petty.
*Tap Tap…*
Soon the sound of regular, measured footsteps echoed.
As expected, it was Professor Ludwig.
With his typically bland expression, Professor Ludwig scanned the students with a look akin to viewing trash before standing at the podium.
“Is everyone here? Anyone not present in the exam hall at this time will be disqualified.”
I felt a shiver.
Had it not been for Erica’s protection, I might have been ambushed by masked assailants and been unable to take the exam.
“Welcome. To the Midterm Exam of Elemental Magic.”
“……?”
Ludwig smiled wickedly.
It’s rare to see him smile.
When he does, it’s usually when he’s tormenting the students.
“The exam will last for 48 hours.”
“Eh?!”
“It will consist of a total of 10 problems.”
Ignoring the students’ agitation, Ludwig continued his monologue.
In the end, students had no choice but to quiet down to hear him.
“All problems will require specific magical spells. You will inscribe the spells with mana and submit your answers in a form I can see. Of course, if the spells do not maintain their form while I grade them, you may face disadvantages.”
In other words, we must encapsulate enough mana in the spells to preserve them for a long time…
Not using ‘Selection and Concentration’ for mana will make this a quite hefty exam for me.
“Professor! Can we go out during the exam?”
“Of course.”
“Uh… and can we take the exam paper outside?”
“That’s allowed.”
“What about talking to other students during the exam…?”
“Are you planning to live as a mute for three days? Of course, that’s allowed. There will be no additional rules or restrictions. Just remember that the midterms are graded on a curve.”
As Ludwig spoke with a devilish smile.
It hit me. Exactly like the original work.
Ludwig definitely said it.
There would be no rules and restrictions outside of what was just explained.
And he didn’t mention anything about cheating such as sharing answers.
Essentially, it means anything goes for this exam.
He wouldn’t care whether test-takers copied each other’s answers or not.
“Then we will start the exam from this very moment. Answers must be submitted by 9 AM two days from now.”
As Ludwig gestured, the exam papers fluttered and landed in front of the students.
And so, the complete chaos of the Midterm Exam began.
