“Welcome, applicants. I am Gerbilius Rodentia, headmaster of Beaumont Academy and known to the public by the undeserved title of the Yellow Archmage. On this fine day, I sincerely thank all of you who have traveled a long way to take the entrance examination for your passion.”
The headmaster on the podium rambled on with pointless remarks. Most of them were boasts about himself and the Academy.
It was certainly worth boasting about.
This was still an era in which wars, great and small, never ceased.
Knights and mages were core forces, comparable to tanks and missiles in modern warfare.
Naturally, the Academy that trained knights and mages had to hold a high status.
In particular, important positions in knight orders and mage corps were granted only to Beaumont Academy graduates, which made Beaumont Academy all the more special.
As I let his words go in one ear and out the other, I looked around to find that everyone wore a similar expression.
The ten-year-old children gathered for the entrance examination were struggling desperately not to fall asleep while listening to the boring speech.
Among them, there was exactly one girl sitting with perfect posture.
Lucia Hayes.
A reincarnator who had received the Blessing of Magic.
Even through the headmaster's lengthy speech, she did not waver in the slightest. She was the picture of a model student.
Moreover, considering the social skills she had shown in the headmaster's office, she was not rigid either.
Someone who stood out even by adult standards could not help standing out among children.
“......”
Perhaps sensing my gaze, Lucia looked my way.
I gave her a greeting with a light wave, but instead of returning it, Lucia gave a slight jerk of her chin.
When I turned around as directed, Kyle was closer than I had expected.
“......Hmph.”
When our eyes met, Kyle fiercely frowned at me, then stretched in a threatening manner.
Did he think that would scare me?
A sigh escaped me at the pathetic sight.
I was beginning to wonder what he had even done in his previous life.
“......Time has passed once again, and the time has come to welcome new students. As you all know, the enrollment quota at Beaumont Academy is not so large. In other words, the great majority of applicants gathered here are fated to turn around and return the way they came.”
As I was getting acquainted with familiar faces, the headmaster's words, which had felt eternal, finally drew to a close.
“It is regrettable, deeply regrettable, but only those who are qualified may cross the threshold of Beaumont Academy. That is why the name Beaumont Academy holds value.”
Life returned to the applicants' bodies, which had been dying on their feet.
Tension filled the entire space.
“Therefore, show all the abilities you possess. Do not miss the opportunity to become a member of glorious Beaumont Academy.”
At the moment the atmosphere reached its peak—
“I hereby declare the beginning of Beaumont Academy's entrance examination!”
Thunderous applause erupted.
The headmaster stepped down from the podium, and several people who appeared to be teachers began giving orders here and there.
Before long, the crowd split into two.
They were being sorted into the Department of Martial Arts and the Department of Magic according to the department they had applied for.
This stemmed from Beaumont Academy's distinctive nature.
Ordinary academies specialized in training either knights or mages, but Beaumont Academy alone was an exception.
Apparently, its two departments were encouraged to pursue greater achievement through competition with one another, or something like that.
“I'll see you later.”
Kyle tossed out another remark as he passed me.
Kyle was naturally in the Department of Martial Arts.
For the time being, I had to part ways with him because I had chosen the Department of Magic.
Before I could reply, Kyle disappeared into the crowd.
“Everyone is in such a hurry.”
Lucia, who had chosen the Department of Magic as well, was already nowhere to be seen.
Not only the reincarnators, but the other applicants were hurrying too.
It made sense. If everyone here took the examination in order, it would take an entire day.
If their turns came late, they were bound to grow tired from waiting. If they ruined the most important examination of their lives at such a young age because they were not in good condition, they would regret it for the rest of their lives.
“I should get moving too.”
My admission was guaranteed, but it was not particularly enjoyable to sit around waiting blankly.
***
The admission standard for the Department of Magic was quite simple.
Show talent for magic.
It sounded easy, but the ‘talent’ demanded by a prestigious Academy meant that one had to be gifted enough to be called a prodigy by the public, at the very least.
The several hundred people gathered here were talented individuals who had come with the confidence that they could enroll.
“......Excellent.”
Even so, before the real thing, every one of them became mediocre.
The moment Lucia performed magic, the examiner let out an exclamation. The difference in talent was utterly overwhelming.
“That one is definitely a reincarnator......”
“Right. Otherwise......”
The other applicants watching the examination beside her noticed at once.
She was fundamentally a completely different kind of being.
It would have been harder not to recognize her.
The star of this entrance examination was practically decided from the outset.
After completing their examinations, applicants lingered nearby, hoping to exchange even a few words with that remarkable reincarnator while waiting for the final results.
And shortly afterward.
Cheers rose from the direction where the Department of Martial Arts examination was taking place.
It seemed it was Kyle's turn.
“All right, next.......”
Before long, it was my turn to take the examination.
“Lawrence Reed.”
When I gave my name, the examiner's eyes narrowed.
“Show me the magic you are most confident in.”
The examiner said this while pretending to be unconcerned and scribbling with his pen.
“The magic I'm most confident in.”
Lucia had made a bird shape out of flames.
Then.......
I took out my wand and swung it as though wielding a whip.
A small fireball shot from its tip. Changing its shape was impossible for me, so all I could do was send it flying into the air.
Even that did not go far before scattering in midair.
Even setting Lucia aside, no one among the applicants had shown magic as unimpressive as mine.
“Is that all?”
The examiner's gaze wavered.
He seemed to want to ask whether that was really all, or whether I was trying to hide my ability.
Having seen Lucia's exceptional magic earlier, he seemed to expect that I, another reincarnator, would show something extraordinary as well.
“Yes.”
Regrettably, reincarnators were people too.
The combination of a Privilege and experience from a previous life produced results beyond common sense, but in other respects, reincarnators were not much different from ordinary people.
My Privilege had nothing to do with magic, and my previous life had been in a world without magic.
I had only awakened to my previous life a short while ago, so I had not had time to learn step by step.
I had somehow learned basic magic, but it was only natural that I lagged behind among gifted children gathered from across the country.
“Pfft.”
Someone burst out laughing. That was the beginning.
“With skill like that, he thought he could challenge Beaumont Academy.”
“That's an automatic failure.”
“Where did that country bumpkin come from?”
The whispering reached me clearly as well.
What a pack of ill-bred little brats.
Seeing them look down on others with their pathetic magical skills, it was clear they had not been taught properly at home.
Yet even after hearing their rude words, I was not particularly angry.
My admission was guaranteed no matter what my magical skill was like.
Half of those bastards mocking me would have to go straight home.
I can't wait to see the expressions they make when I get in and they fail.
“Next.”
The examiner turned away with a displeased expression.
That was the end of my examination.
“What exactly are you?”
As I was leisurely moving to a spot in the shade, Lucia spoke to me.
Lucia had ignored everyone who approached her until now, so the people around us stirred at the sight of her approaching me first.
“Why? Is something wrong?”
She had not even acknowledged me earlier, yet now she came to pick a fight. Displeased by that, I tilted my head to one side.
“You're applying to the Department of Magic with just that level of skill?”
“The Department of Martial Arts suits me even less.”
Lucia lowered her voice so no one would hear, and I kindly answered her.
If I entered the Department of Martial Arts with this frail body and had to make do with physical strength, I'd end up with a lasting illness.
Magic at least carried less risk of injury, and it was more useful in various ways. Choosing the Department of Magic was several times better.
“What were you thinking, saying you'd fight Kyle?!”
Lucia squeezed her eyes shut as if she could not believe it.
“Why are you talking as if I'm certain to lose? That hurts.”
She was a fellow reincarnator, yet instead of trusting me, she kept saying things that took the wind out of me.
“Your Privilege isn't specialized for combat, and your magical skill barely reaches the lowest rung of a mage. Even you say it's better than the Department of Martial Arts, so you'd have to be out of your mind to think you can win!”
Lucia's attitude did have clear grounds.
“Before you suffer a crushing defeat and humiliate yourself in front of everyone, go to the Headmaster now and ask him to make the spar as though it never happened!”
Lucia fired each word at me in turn.
“Why should I?”
She seemed to be speaking seriously, but since she looked like a child, it did not quite sink in.
No matter what, she only looked cute, and I almost grabbed her cheeks without thinking.
“People will dislike you just for enrolling with shabby magical skill because you are a reincarnator. What do you think will happen if you even lose the spar?”
“A glorious life will begin.”
Losing to Kyle, a reincarnator, would be enough for the other new students to see me as a joke.
If someone they disliked seemed like an easy target, what followed was obvious.
I had not experienced group bullying even in my previous life, but if I experienced it after being reincarnated, that would be a comedy in its own way.
“That's why.......!”
“I just have to not lose.”
Predictions like this were premised on me losing.
“My Privilege isn't specialized for combat, but it can be used in combat too.”
Conversely, if I won, even those who disliked me would not take me lightly.
“You're impossible to talk to. I warned you.”
Lucia let out a deep sigh and turned away.
It seemed she had been worried about me.
Considering how much she cared despite the fact that we had barely even spoken properly, she clearly had a very kind nature.
She was capable and skilled at handling people, and she was kind too?
Even for a reincarnator, her overall qualities were excessively high. If this world had a protagonist, it would be her.
“Compared to her.......”
Far away, I saw Kyle, busy swaggering.
That bastard had clearly died before becoming an adult in his previous life.
***
The entrance examination did not end until dusk.
As the yellow light shone, the headmaster climbed the podium again.
“This year's entrance examination has concluded successfully as well. Applicants, you have worked hard. I will announce the evaluation results.”
In truth, there was no need to announce the successful applicants on the same day. There was still time until formal enrollment.
No one would complain if the evaluations were gathered at leisure and notices were sent by post or some such means.
However, the reason they did not do that was that Beaumont Academy's entrance examination itself was an event for the successful applicants.
Infinite glory to the winners.
If this were Korea, where there was much talk about student rights and such, it would have become a complete fucking mess, but no one here cared about things like that.
At the headmaster's gesture, one of the teachers took the podium and read the list of successful applicants.
“......That concludes the list. One hundred students have passed this year's Beaumont Academy entrance examination. The students whose names were called, please gather in front of the podium.”
The Department of Magic and the Department of Martial Arts. Fifty carefully selected students from each.
Naturally, my name was among them. I headed proudly toward the front of the podium.
“That can't be!”
A shrill voice rang out behind me.
“Why did I fail while that bastard passed?!”
“This is unfair!”
The rejected applicants pointed at me and shouted in shrill voices.
Well, I understood. No matter how you looked at it—forward, backward, straight on, or upside down—my magic was far too lacking to pass the entrance examination.
It was a result that could not seem fair to anyone.
“There is nothing wrong with the entrance examination.”
The examiner who had graded my magic spoke with a tired expression.
“How......!”
The voices of the rejected applicants, dazed with shock, were sweet.
Unfortunately, life was a real battle.
If it pissed you off, get reincarnated yourselves.
“Ahem.”
When the commotion showed signs of growing, the headmaster cleared his throat.
It was a small sound, but enough to draw everyone's attention.
Wondering what explanation the headmaster would offer, the several hundred applicants held their breath and waited for him to speak.
“There are as many as three reincarnators enrolling at Beaumont Academy this year. As you took the entrance examination, you must all have noticed who they were.”
The eyes of those who had applied to the Department of Martial Arts turned to Kyle, while the eyes of the Department of Magic applicants turned to Lucia.
The two had shown such outstanding ability during the entrance examination that it was only natural.
Then, some of the Department of Magic applicants, who mulled over the fact that there were three reincarnators, slowly looked at me.
I was the damned bastard who had passed confidently despite my disastrous skill. They seemed certain that I had received preferential treatment because I was a reincarnator.
They were correct.
I smiled cheerfully and waved to the rejected applicants.
The complaints quieted, but the rejected applicants' expressions became even more murderous.
“The three reincarnators, to the stage.”
The headmaster summoned us before him.
“Thus, this year's new students have been decided. Please offer comforting applause for the students who unfortunately failed, and congratulatory applause for those who passed.”
The applause was weak.
The successful applicants clapped arrogantly and halfheartedly, while the rejected applicants only went through the motions reluctantly.
The Department of Magic applicants who had failed in particular were busy glaring at me with eyes filled with resentment, as though they were certain that they would have passed if not for me.
The headmaster nodded in satisfaction, as if he had expected this result from the start.
Status was divided by position.
Those on the stage, those below it, and those unable to belong to either.
The chosen, the winners, and the losers.
A chillingly thorough class division had been established before enrollment even began.
This was the rule here.
“Normally, the entrance examination would end here, but....... This year, one matter remains.”
In the atmosphere of thin ice, the headmaster shamelessly continued.
“Among the successful applicants, there is one person whose circumstances mean that traditional examinations cannot fully show the ability they possess. If this continues, not only will that student, but Beaumont Academy as well, bear the stigma of having admitted a student with no ability. Therefore, I intend to give that student an opportunity to prove themselves.”
Despite the fact that he had not named me directly, everyone looked at me.
After hearing the explanation, it seemed quite reasonable that the headmaster had been so willing to arrange the spar.
He had to admit me because I was a reincarnator, but after seeing my Privilege, he must have thought it would be impossible to avoid people talking behind his back.
Naturally, the people who had failed the entrance examination would protest, but there was no easy way to calm them.
If even one of the rejected applicants were the child of some important noble family, it would become a long-lasting nuisance.
However, he seemed to have calculated that if I put on an impressive display in a spar against another reincarnator, he could quickly quiet the controversy.
“The format will be a one-on-one spar. Kyle Sanders has agreed to cooperate as the opponent.”
The headmaster made a light gesture.
At that moment, the bodies of everyone, including Kyle and me, floated into the air.
In an instant, everyone's positions changed.
It seemed he had not earned the title of Archmage for nothing.
A circle made of people.
Only Kyle and I were left in its center. It was an arrangement designed so that the progress of the spar could easily be seen from any side.
“Are you ready to be humiliated?”
Kyle grinned.
“I'm ready to humiliate you.”
I grinned back at him.
Let us see what you can do.