After the magic power measurement, Yorbi led the students through various tests.
Although the evaluations on the first day of enrollment did not affect their grades, the students, without exception, threw themselves into the tests with fierce determination.
When all the tests were finally over,
in the first-floor cafeteria of the student dining hall,
"Phew."
Chenbi, looking disheveled, slumped onto the table.
"I never thought my level would be this pathetic..."
He looked as if he were on the verge of death.
In just one day, dark circles had formed under his eyes, though the day's activities were not physically strenuous.
It was more of a mental issue.
'It's understandable, though.'
It's not hard to understand.
This is the Jenion Academy, the top educational institution in the Eastern Continent, and the level of the enrolled students was also top-notch.
They were all individuals who had been considered outstanding in their hometowns, but once they entered and enrolled, they realized something different.
'They've come to realize how vast the world is and how many talented people there are.'
It's an inevitable situation.
When you gather a group of high achievers, there will always be those who stand out and those who fall behind.
The key is whether they can accept this reality and move forward, or get stuck in self-deprecation and continue to fall behind.
Chenbi was at this crossroads.
On the other hand...
'This guy is an exception.'
I looked at Damian, who was sitting across from me, deeply engrossed.
Damian was generating magic power at his fingertips, repeatedly clumping and dispersing it, constantly changing its form.
Shape transformation.
One of the methods to test a mage's ability to manipulate magic power, the more skilled the mage, the more complex and intricate shapes they can create.
It was one of the tests conducted in the afternoon, and he seemed to be thoroughly enjoying it.
'They said the average for freshmen is an octahedron.'
From a tetrahedron to an octahedron.
For reference, Dinaig's Furyon created a dodecahedron.
However, what Damian demonstrated in the test was...
- Dragon!
That's right, a dragon.
Although it had disproportionate wings and a bulky body, its fierce face and the scales on its skin were unmistakably a dragon.
The important point here is that he implemented the scales through shape transformation.
- Impressive...
By this point, not only Assistant Professor Yorbi but also the students of Class M3 were no longer surprised.
At first, some of them, as peers and potential competitors, tried to gauge Damian's level and burn with ambition, but they eventually acknowledged it.
He was simply in a different league.
'Even I was surprised.'
How much more so for the others.
In my line of work, I've met quite a few geniuses from my younger days.
Whether mages or knights, I've chased, been chased, and killed many of them, but among them, those who could be compared to Damian...
'None.'
There were none.
If I had to find someone...
Yeah.
'Phaehern.'
Perhaps the head of the Deculan family could be a match.
But even that was uncertain.
Regardless of the size of their talent, the paths they took and their inclinations were different.
As I was thinking this,
"Friend, how about it? Is this good enough?"
Damian showed me the completed dragon and asked.
The form created by blue magic power was closer to a dragon.
Of course, I've never seen a real dragon.
They only exist in myths, and their forms are described differently by different people.
However, there was a generally accepted form: a wyvern enlarged several times, covered in scales, and with a horn on its forehead.
That's exactly what Damian had created at his fingertips.
I quietly observed the form and said,
"That seems good enough."
"Then, this will be the second version of the dragon."
Damian proudly said.
When he said that, I couldn't just let it go.
"Try to make it more dynamic. Make it look like it's about to leap forward, spread its wings more, and open its mouth. You know, like a lion statue?"
"Yeah, we have one at home."
"Opening its mouth is pretty cool, right?"
"Right."
Damian then focused on the shape transformation again.
"...It's so easy for him."
Chenbi, watching Damian, was once again lost in the difference in talent.
Seeing this, I had a sudden thought.
'If...'
If I hadn't regressed, would I have been discouraged by Damian's talent?
In other words, if I had been born into a more ordinary family with average talent and an environment where I could work hard...
Of course, it's a question without an answer.
I've never lived that life.
But from my experience, from being a homeless orphan to becoming a troubleshooter for Deculan, I knew what was important.
Instead of envying what I don't have and feeling inadequate, I should focus on what I have and what I can handle.
In my case, for now, on a small scale...
'Karahen's subspace.'
Comparing my growth in this life to my previous one, I'm quite satisfied.
But after seeing Karahen and Professor Falun, I realized something deeply.
I shouldn't base my growth on my previous life.
I need to adjust to the standards of the people I'll face in this life and enhance my objective strength, not just my growth rate.
And there are a few helpful things in Karahen's subspace.
'Even without a grimoire, it's fine. The equipment and potions are things I can't easily obtain now.'
This is the small part of what I have.
And the big part is...
'The Fire Seal.'
Unraveling that secret.
At that moment, Damian's voice reached me.
"Friend."
"What?"
"Today at the academy was fun. I think it was a good decision to come."
I looked at Damian steadily.
It wasn't a particularly special statement, but considering Damian's usual behavior, it was quite unusual.
He's the type who wouldn't notice if someone carried him away when he's deeply focused.
"That's good, then."
I replied nonchalantly.
Damian didn't say anything more.
As the day at the academy drew to a close,
* * *
At that time, in the first-year faculty meeting room of the academy.
Fifteen faculty members were seated around a U-shaped table.
Three classes in the magic department (M1 to M3) and five classes in the combat department (E1 to E5).
All the homeroom teachers and assistant professors of the eight classes were gathered.
However, one seat was empty.
"Where is Professor Falun?"
In response to someone's question, an assistant professor answered.
"He hasn't returned from the royal knight corps yet. He was attacked by Deculan at both his laboratory and his home last night... And it seems a student was involved."
"Hmm, Pola, right?"
"Yes. It seems she was involved due to a mercenary mission, but I don't know the details."
The professors nodded in agreement.
They had already heard about the attack on Professor Falun's laboratory and home from the royal knight corps investigators in the morning.
They also knew that Pola was involved.
It could have been a serious matter, but the professors didn't seem too concerned.
After all, while they now focus on education and nurturing the next generation, they were once formidable figures in their youth.
Some, like Professor Falun, had served as assistant professors before venturing out to achieve their goals, while others had made a name for themselves outside before settling down at the academy.
A prime example is Jera, the homeroom teacher of Class M3.
To such individuals, conflicts with Deculan were trivial.
The dynamics of noble families, the empire, and the academy's reputation.
When all these factors come together, the outcome of events is clear.
However, why Deculan would involve a mage like 'Karahen' in an attack on Professor Falun...
'Curiosity killed the cat.'
'It's none of my business.'
'...'
The professors each had their reasons for not being interested, or perhaps they were never interested to begin with.
However, the assistant professors were different.
"Is there a chance that something might happen to Professor Falun? After all, the opponent is Deculan... I heard he killed Karahen..."
The voice belonged to Yorbi.
In response, Jera glanced at him and then closed her mouth, as if it wasn't worth responding.
Drauk, the bald combat department professor who had guided Aster and Damian to the student council room during the opening ceremony, chuckled.
"I understand your concern, but Professor Falun, though young, is not an easy person."
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he was about to say something when another voice interrupted.
"Professor Drauk. Yorbi, that sneaky guy, is he really worried about Falun? He's been eagerly waiting for the professor's position to open up."
The voice belonged to Felina, a magic department professor.
She was in her forties but looked in her thirties, and there were rumors that she was actually a 'witch' who maintained her youth through witchcraft.
"Ha, Professor Felina, how could I possibly have such disrespectful thoughts..."
"Stop making excuses. For a mage to be so corrupt and decayed..."
Yorbi laughed awkwardly and tried to defend himself, but Felina ignored him.
Creak...
At that moment, an administrative staff member entered the meeting room with a cart.
"The requested materials are here."
The number of printed documents matched the number of people, exactly sixteen.
Although Professor Falun was absent, his assistant professor had taken care of his materials.
Once the administrative staff left,
"Ahem, shall we start the meeting?"
Professor Drauk stepped in to set the tone, and the assistant professors straightened up.
The topic of the meeting was the results of the overall tests conducted today.
"The freshmen this semester are generally of a high level. They show excellent numbers compared to the average of the previous year."
Based on the data analyzed by the administrative staff, they gauged the students' levels.
They discussed how to adjust the course intensity compared to the previous year and how to conduct the midterm and final evaluations.
While the curriculum framework was set, this was the meeting to fine-tune the details.
After the detailed discussions,
"Hmm, there are quite a few impressive students."
Evaluations of individual students followed.
Of course, they couldn't review all the hundreds of students, and there was no need to do so in this meeting.
Thus, they only discussed a few notable students, and the conversation became more casual.
The first mentioned was Dalia.
"This student... Hmm. All her numbers are excellent, but somehow, she seems a bit lacking compared to the Dinaig name."
"Still, she's the top student among the regular enrollees, right?"
"Being top at Dinaig is expected. Look here. Her shape transformation score is particularly low compared to other categories, indicating a lower talent level..."
"Maybe she's a hard worker?"
"Perhaps."
The second was Damian.
"Hmm, no need to elaborate. Blando's reputation as the most talented is not unfounded."
"This student needs careful guidance. If he goes astray, it could be dangerous."
More names were mentioned, but the subsequent comments were not particularly noteworthy, just rumors and family backgrounds.
In the midst of this,
"Ugh, I can't make sense of this graph. Professor Felina, in this case, the graph..."
Professor Drauk turned to Professor Felina for advice but tilted his head in confusion.
Professor Felina, looking as if she had seen something bizarre, had a serious expression.
Her gaze was fixed on a corner of the document, and her expression was grave.
"Professor Felina? Is there a problem?"
In response to Professor Drauk's question, Professor Felina looked up.
"No, nothing is wrong."
Although she said nothing was wrong, it seemed there was a reason for her reaction.
However, since she wouldn't reveal it even if asked, Professor Drauk dropped the matter.
Meanwhile, Professor Felina's eyes returned to the document.
The word that caught her eye was short.
<Aster>
- Note: Due to an error in the first attempt at magic power measurement, a second attempt was made. The error code value from the first attempt is ... and needs to be checked.
'...An error? No, that's impossible... This exceeds the maximum value set in the standard.'
There are hundreds, even thousands, of error codes for the magic power measurement device.
But Professor Felina was one of the few who knew all of them by heart.
Upon closer inspection, the other values besides the magic power measurement were also suspicious. How could all the values be at the average of the previous year's freshmen?
While such students occasionally existed, Felina couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.
Meanwhile, another professor was intently examining Aster's data.