Chapter 213
“P-Professor Bahil…!”
Recon dropped to his knees before Bahil, his former advisor. Trembling, he pointed to his chest with a shaking hand and spoke.
“Y-you remember me, right?”
“Of course, Recon.”
A soft smile curled at the corner of Bahil’s lips.
“I heard a voice from afar, and knew it had to be you, so I came.”
Recon’s face brightened with hope.
“P-please! There must’ve been some kind of mistake for me to be expelled from Keyzen! If you say something, Professor…!”
“Ah, actually the reason I came…”
Bahil’s smile disappeared.
“…was to say goodbye.”
“…What?”
Bahil casually adjusted the brim of his hat.
“You’re a somewhat competent student. If it were a normal curriculum and not this integrated second semester, you might have survived for quite a while. Maybe even made it to second year.”
“Y-yes, exactly! I still—!”
“But ultimately,”
Bahil’s voice came out flat and emotionless,
“A necromancer who cannot fight priests is of no use to Keyzen.”
At those words, Recon’s face stiffened.
“It’s fortunate we weeded you out here. No matter how skilled someone is normally, if they wet themselves at the sight of holiness, then a unit led by that person would only become prey to priests on the battlefield. Ahh—truly.”
Bahil’s lips curved into a devilish grin.
“By eliminating you, we saved many lives.”
Thud.
Like a curse spoken with the tongue, those words struck Recon’s heart with cruel precision.
As he sat in despair, his head lowered, Bahil gestured to his assistants. They grabbed Recon’s arms and dragged him out of the courtyard.
“……”
Silence fell over the surroundings.
“Mocking the defeated is a victor’s right.”
Bahil pressed his fedora down tightly as he looked around at the students who had gathered to sneer.
“But mocking without proper skill or qualification, merely out of petty jealousy, is the most disgraceful thing of all.”
The silence grew heavier. Some students flushed with embarrassment.
As Bahil turned and began walking away, a hesitant female assistant hurried to catch up.
“Professor Bahil…”
“You’re under disciplinary action, Assistant Arita.”
She flinched.
“To let personal emotions cloud your judgment and fail to properly handle this mess, was this something I had to take care of myself?”
It was extremely rare for a professor to reprimand an assistant in front of students.
But she seemed prepared, swallowing hard and bowing her head.
“I’m sorry. I’ll accept any punishment—”
“I’ll send a letter to the public necromancer school in Moyran.”
She looked up in surprise.
“Recon is a fairly good talent. Moyran would likely be happy to take him in. Whether he pulls himself together and returns to Keyzen as Moyran’s top student, or breaks down completely, depends on his own mindset.”
The assistant’s eyes filled with emotion. She bowed deeply.
“Thank you, thank you so much, Professor…!”
Bahil raised a hand lightly in acknowledgment and continued walking.
As students heading to the main hall parted to let him pass, Bahil paused briefly and spoke in a gentle voice.
“I’ll see you in class.”
Simon lifted his head in surprise. But Bahil had already turned his back and was striding into the auditorium.
As soon as he disappeared, an explosion of voices erupted from the students. Unsurprisingly, the main topic was Bahil.
“From now on,”
Dick clapped his hands together with a resolute expression.
“I’m majoring in Katarology—urk!”
“Grow up, you idiot!”
Turning around, he and Simon saw that Maelyn and Kamibarez, now in new uniforms, had arrived.
“When did you get here?”
“Just now, after hearing all the commotion.”
Kamibarez replied with a smile. Dick excitedly nudged Simon with his elbow.
“Hey! Hey! Did you see that? You heard it too, right? Professor Bahil told me to see him in class! Isn’t that a clear sign I’m gonna be his direct disciple?!”
Simon turned his head without comment, and Maelyn let out a sigh. Kamibarez, apparently believing it wholeheartedly, kept repeating, “Really? Really?!”
“Alright, students! Please head into the main auditorium quickly!”
The assistants came out shouting.
“The opening ceremony is about to begin!”
* * *
Simon, feeling the thrill of a good start to the semester, entered the grand, towering main auditorium.
‘Coming here brings back memories of the entrance ceremony.’
Even now, it was nerve-wracking to think about. Sitting clueless, only to be called up as Special Admission No. 1, Simon Follentia, and made to give the student representative oath, it still made his heart race.
“Now, please take your seats!”
“We’ll begin the event shortly!”
The assistants walked around, guiding the chattering students to their seats.
After a moment, the curtain behind the stage was drawn back, and a man appeared, walking slowly.
“Silence.”
Students craning their necks to get a better look gasped in recognition.
Sunken eyes, heavy dark circles, an expression devoid of any will, and hair so unkempt it was nearly wild. Simon’s lips curled into a deep smile upon seeing him.
‘Long time no see, Professor Aron!’
Still, perhaps because it was a formal event, he was dressed sharply in a proper suit, unlike his usual scruffy appearance. The sight of Aron in a rare clean suit made the female students in front squeal with joy.
“Do you not understand the meaning of silence?”
With that single sentence, the entire auditorium went dead silent.
The students stiffened in their seats, hands on their knees, eyes darting. Aron trudged forward and stopped at the center of the stage. An assistant set up a microphone embedded with a sound amplification crystal, then stepped back.
“Ah. Ahem.”
Adjusting the microphone volume, Aron began to speak.
“First, congratulations on passing the semester exam. I’m glad to be spending a new semester with all of you.”
Students hesitantly clapped a few times. Seeing that, Aron lifted just the corners of his lips in a faint smile.
“Doesn’t seem like you’re very happy?”
WAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!
A thunderous cheer erupted, as if they’d all been waiting for it.
Simon and Maelyn covered their ears. Some students twirled their ties, others clapped wildly, Kamibarez enthusiastically joining in, and Dick climbed onto his chair to whistle loudly.
“Good. I didn’t plan to start Integrated Semester 2 with a stiff atmosphere anyway. You are victors. If only for a moment, I’ll let you savor the feeling of victory.”
Listening quietly, Simon gave an awkward smile. That word—moment—sounded strangely foreboding.
“Now I’ll explain the exam you just took. I imagine some of you are still confused.”
With a gesture, a large mana screen floated into the air.
“This is the core program that will run through the entire second semester. Its official name is the ‘Black Magic Aptitude Test’. Also known as BMAT.”
Ahem, Aron cleared his throat and continued.
“It replaces the previous first semester finals and second semester midterms. The written test will be evaluated at the end-of-semester finals. Dueling assessments will be less frequent than they were in the first semester.”
The students murmured among themselves. Maelyn sighed with a complicated expression.
“I figured, but they really scrapped the written tests.”
Maelyn’s greatest strength was in written exams. In fact, she had ranked second in the entire school on the last midterm. So this was an unfortunate development for her.
Kamibarez gently tried to console her.
“You still placed in the Top 10 for the entrance exam! I’m sure you’ll do great in the practicals too.”
“Yeah. Thanks, Kami.”
Meanwhile, Aron’s explanation continued.
“The Black Magic Aptitude Test, also called BMAT, is divided into five different trials.”
A new screen appeared, displaying footage of deserts, snowy mountains, and grasslands. Students began standing up in excitement to figure out what the next tests might entail.
“This footage is just a sample, so don’t worry too much about it. To get to the point, you’ll be thrown into five different battlefields and tested on your ability to utilize various black magic techniques as necromancer operatives.”
Students flying clumsily through the skies using all sorts of black magic crashed painfully into obstacles. Simon thought to himself how lucky he was that this was just a sample course.
“Each test has its own theme and evaluation criteria. You’ll be ranked from 1st all the way to 898th. The bottom 50 will be expelled on the spot. Go home.”
Gulps echoed across the auditorium.
Since there were five total tests, that meant at least 250 students would be eliminated just from the BMAT. And if you added in the bottom squads from dueling evaluations and the semester-end exam failures… it was terrifying.
“And the entrance exam you just took is included as one of the five. Its theme, needless to say, was countering holiness, managing mental stress, and overcoming trauma.”
Simon nodded. If this counted as one of the five, that meant only four tests remained in the integrated second semester.
“Let me say this up front, the tests are hard.”
Aron spoke in a grim tone.
“It’s not just about those fifty students. Anyone below standard will be cut. I’ve seen 120 students get eliminated all at once. Being number one is important, but always prioritize survival.”
“Yes, sir!”
The students responded with tense voices.
“Also, the test themes can be rather extreme. A student who comes in first on one test might end up dead last in another. If I were to give you a tip, don’t obsess over just one skill. Improve your overall abilities and raise your level as an elite necromancer. But if you must specialize in a single skill, then refine it to the point that it can handle any situation, no matter what.”
At that moment, a hand shot up from the front row.
Aron ignored it and continued speaking, but the hand kept waving persistently, making him frown as he looked in that direction.
“What is it, Jaime Victoria.”
By now, there wasn’t a single professor in Class A unfamiliar with the queen of questions, Jaime.
She stood up and raised her voice so everyone could hear.
“This is Jaime Victoria from Class A! Then, when will the test themes be announced?”
“They won’t be.”
Jaime froze in place, still holding her hand in the air. The other students murmured in confusion.
“You’ll have to figure out the themes yourselves. Class material, assignments, the flow of supplies, rumors among residents, legends and folklore, and so on—we’ll give you hints in many forms. Even the professors’ random jokes might hold clues, so stay sharp.”
As students sat stunned, jaws agape, Dick looked like he was about to scream with joy.
“Insane! Wow! So this is all about information warfare? This semester is gonna be lit! Uhehehehe! Y’all are dead meat now!”
Simon quietly massaged Dick’s shoulder. Survival was key in Keyzen.
“Of course.”
Aron opened his mouth again.
“Expect plenty of fake rumors and misinformation meant to sabotage competitors. Keep those in the back of your mind, but focus most on raising your own abilities. That’s the best approach.”
Simon had a strange feeling Aron was directing that line at Dick. Judging by the sweat beading on his brow and his sheepish grin, Dick might’ve felt the same.
“That was a bit of a long explanation since it was important.”
The assistant standing at the front of the stage, part of the broadcast crew, was waving his hands furiously to get Aron to wrap it up.
“That’s it for the new test briefing. We’ll now officially begin the ceremony.”
Finishing the test explanation, Aron stepped aside and took over as the emcee for the opening ceremony.
Simon had worried Aron might not be good at handling formal events, but he was surprisingly smooth.
The national anthems and school songs of the four kingdoms were quickly glossed over or omitted.
Then came:
Speeches from envoys sent by each kingdom.
Facility maintenance announcements.
Warnings from the Watcher-in-Chief.
And so on, one after another.
“Next is the student representative oath. The named male and female students, please come forward.”
Aron picked up a sheet of paper.
“Normally we’d base this on final grades from the first semester, but due to the unique circumstances, we’ll proceed the same way we did at the entrance ceremony. Special Admission No. 1, Simon Follentia. Special Admission No. 2, Serne Eindark.”
Waaaaah!
Simon stood up with a resigned expression, like he’d been expecting it. Dick, more excited than Simon himself, smacked him on the arm, and Kamibarez clenched both fists and shouted “Fighting!”
“……”
Maelyn, on the other hand, looked deeply displeased. When Simon subtly signaled to them, Dick and Kamibarez quickly sat down.
It was obvious why Maelyn looked so upset, her nemesis and mortal enemy Serne had been chosen as the female representative.
As Simon went up to the stage and waited, Serne passed through the crowd with the poise of a queen.
She climbed one step, stopped, and turned toward Simon, extending her right hand with a charming smile.
She clearly wanted to be escorted.
“…Hey, don’t do stuff like that.”
Simon, flustered, tried to decline, but Serne tilted her head innocently and gently waved her hand again.
As Simon hesitated, the ceremony stalled, and an assistant from the broadcast team cleared his throat loudly.
Left with no choice, Simon took her hand and escorted her onto the stage like a gentleman.
Maelyn, watching this unfold, looked like she was about to explode.
“@#%*%^&$!!! She’s totally doing that just to get under my skin!”
Kamibarez desperately held her back.
But a little further away, another guy was just as worked up, kicking the seats in front of him in a frenzy.
“Damn it! If things had gone normally, I would’ve been the one up there, not him!”
“Calm down, Hector!”
Hector’s faction members were trying to restrain him.
Despite Maelyn and Hector’s outbursts, Aron carried on with the ceremony.
“All students, rise. Join in reciting the oath with the representatives.”
The roar of nearly 900 students standing filled the auditorium.
Simon and Serne looked at each other and exchanged a nod.
Using black magic, an assistant made two floating sheets of paper hover before them, each inscribed with the oath.
The two stood tall, raised their right hands, and began to speak.
“Oath.”
“Oath.”
And from behind, the chorus of 896 students echoed, shouting “Oath!”
Simon took a breath and opened his mouth.
Superb.
When are we getting more free chapters?
Thanks for the new chapters