NOVEL NEXT Episode 13: Short Story: Idle Talk in Alteria Royal Academy
Episode 13: Short Story: Idle Talk in Alteria Royal Academy
Five days after the entrance exam for the Alteria Royal Academy, there was a heated discussion at the academy regarding the treatment of a certain examinee.
“Professor Shipin, isn’t it unreasonable to pass that kid from Arlight?”
“His practical skills ranked first, surpassing even Kurt Terinoa. Isn’t it a loss for both the academy and the kingdom to fail such a talented individual?”
“But he only scored thirty percent on the written test. Is it really appropriate to pass him based on that?”
“He recreated Kurt Terinoa’s [Stone Lance] with a different spell. That alone demonstrates his talent and skill.”
“I get that, but with those grades, can he even keep up with the classes?”
This exchange had been repeated several times over the past few days.
Mine Arlight’s skill was acknowledged by everyone present. He had replicated the magic of Kurt Terinoa, said to be the best of his generation, with exactly the same power and activation speed, using a different spell. How many people here could do the same thing on their first try?
However, his performance in the written exam was dragging him down. The lowest-scoring successful candidate had a correct answer rate of about seventy percent. Mine Arlight scored less than half of that. It was only natural to be concerned that he might struggle to keep up with the classes.
“What does Professor Fermer, who supervised the written exam, think?”
“I don’t think we need to worry too much about his ability to keep up with the classes.”
“Huh? Why’s that?”
“He had an accuracy rate of over ninety percent in the questions he answered. Considering that he finished a third of the test in just twenty minutes, I don’t think his intellect is lacking.”
“But if he’s not stupid, couldn’t he have done better in subjects that require memorization? He practically left the history section blank.”
“Could it be that he didn’t have access to the necessary knowledge?”
“Even though he’s a nobleman’s son, albeit a bastard? I find that hard to believe.”
“Well, it’s possible. The Arlight family values nothing but swordsmanship. It’s entirely conceivable that they didn’t provide a proper education for a child who couldn’t wield a sword.”
“””That’s true…”””
“The ‘sword is everything’ household.” That was the prevailing opinion of the Arlight family in Alteria Kingdom. It had remained consistent throughout history, even before they were called a prestigious martial family. It was easy to imagine that they wouldn’t provide adequate education for a bastard child who lacked talent in swordsmanship.
“Also…”
“What is it, Professor Fermer?”
“He was using [Magic Cloak] during the exam. Very subtly, but he had it on the entire time.”
“What?! At his age?! And for such a long time!”
“If that’s true, he’s an extraordinary talent!”
It’s no wonder the teachers were surprised. There were hardly ten students in the entire school who could handle [Magic Cloak]. It required not only talent but also exceptional effort to maintain it throughout the exam.
“…In that case, we can’t fail him, can we?”
“If he’s such a prodigy, his academic performance doesn’t matter. He should be passed immediately.”
“As for his academic abilities, would it be possible to provide remedial lessons before the start of term? It’s highly unusual, but it might help him catch up to some extent?”
“That might indeed improve his academic performance.”
“In that case, although it’s unusual, shall we accept Mine Arlight?”
“””No objections.”””
Thus, Mine Arlight’s acceptance was decided. While his academic abilities were far below the passing standard, his exceptional skills warranted special admission. Combined with the rarity of a magic department student from the Arlight family, the teachers’ interest in Mine was considerable.
However, the day after the acceptance announcement, there was a request for withdrawal from the Arlight family, and once again, the Alteria Royal Academy found itself troubled over Mine Arlight’s treatment.
“What?! Mine Arlight is withdrawn from enrollment!?”
“It seems they thought there was special consideration for high-ranking nobles in the admission decision.”
“It’s true that it was an exception, but given his skills, it was a natural decision!”
“But the procedures for expulsion from the marquis family were completed yesterday, and he was kicked out of the house this morning.”
“What?! Are they sane to give up such talent!?”
“It’s possible that the ‘Sword Saint’ doesn’t know the true extent of his magical abilities. If he did, he would keep him around regardless of his swordsmanship.”
“Hey, if that guy leaves the country, it’s gonna be trouble, you know!?”
“But we have no cards to play.”
While the kingdom wanted to avoid the situation of losing someone with the highest level of skill to another country, the procedures for expulsion had already been completed. As the mood of resignation began to settle in, a young instructor spoke up.
“Um… Mine Arlight was expelled yesterday, right?”
“Yes, but what about it?”
“In that case, wouldn’t it be impossible for the Arlight Marquis Family to withdraw his enrollment? The request for withdrawal came today…”
“””That’s it!!!”””
“Let’s find Mine Arlight, or rather, commoner Mine, immediately!”
“At this point, let’s also protest to the foolish Arlight! Your demands violate the kingdom’s laws!”
Even the marquis family couldn’t withdraw someone else’s enrollment, even if they were formerly part of the family. This was strictly forbidden by kingdom law to prevent nobles from unfairly monopolizing talented individuals.
The Arlight Marquis Family had been preparing for Mine’s expulsion, assuming he would fail the exam. But to their surprise, he passed. As a result, the procedures for expulsion were completed before the application for withdrawal, leading to the immediate rejection of the marquis family’s request for Mine, now a commoner, to withdraw. Furthermore, the academy lodged a stern protest against the marquis family, citing the kingdom’s laws.
On the same day, searches were conducted throughout the capital, but finding a single boy in such a vast city proved to be extremely difficult.
“Hey, did you find him!?”
“No, not yet.”
“We couldn’t find him either.”
“He might have already left the capital.”
“Damn it! Alert the other cities too! We must find him at all costs!”
Within three days, communications were sent to major cities within the kingdom, and large-scale searches were conducted. Despite their efforts, it was discovered that he had headed west, but sightings of him ceased at a certain point. Subsequent searches focused on the western part of the kingdom, but Mine could not be found, leading to the search being called off.