Arthur released the clenching of his teeth and quickly handed his ticket to the clerk of his line, who was already staring at him.
"Head over to Hall 2-8d. Good luck on your exam."
The same room as that wild person who was just screaming?
Arthur carefully took the bronze card from her hand "Thank you." He said before looking back at the gray-haired man. He managed a crooked smile before heading in the direction Cedric went.
He was looking directly at me! Did I fail already? No, there's no way that can happen… but I did take an unusually long time to hand over my ticket.
That's horrible… I've worked my entire life for this moment, well, mostly just the last month, but still!
He imagined his breath of life leaving with his sigh.
Well, I guess I'll just continue walking for now. Cedric went this way right? The room is probably on the second floor since it starts with a 2.
He takes slow steps up the stairs as people pass him.
Hall 2-8d. A room of seats on different levels that formed a terrace semi-circle around an empty space where a single person stood. It was the same instructor he had seen at the entrance.
"Take your seat. We will begin once the last seat is filled."
Arthur slowly made his way up to the far left corner of the room.
There's one seat that hasn't been filled yet, and it's next to me.
This last person sure is taking their time. I walked as slow as I could to get here.
A person jumped through the entrance as the clock struck Eleven o'clock.
That red hair! No!
He turned his head left and right, but there was no one there with a vibrant hair color. Much to his horror, the seat next to him really was the only seat available.
I don't want to get involved with any nobles. They'll send their army after me the moment I leave the Academy grounds if they dislike me even a little bit. There's no way I'm starting a conversation with him. I'll just avoid eye contact and act like a rock. Yes, I'll survive by being a rock.
Vicktor's body casts a shadow over Arthur as he stands over him. "Hey, I want to sit on the aisle side."
"Hm? Okay." Arthur pushed the seat back, got up, stepped to his right side, and moved into the seat next to him.
Did I sound too confident? Is he going to kill me now because I didn't pamper his ego like a commoner is supposed to? I bet he's glaring at me right now, deciding on how he's going to kill me. Dang it… Why can't I do anything right today?
The instructor snaps his fingers. "Now that we're all settled, pick up the pencil provided, and write your name and place your identification card on the cover.
A single pencil and five pages appear in the same precise location centered in front of each and every person.
"You have two hours to complete your Written Exam. It will consist of 100 Questions ranging from Magic topics to Academia. The test will end at 13:00 and all forms of cheating are prohibited. Good luck."
As everyone else hurries to begin their test, Arthur's hands do not move. His eyes focus on the objects that just appeared before him.
Hm. What kind of magic is this? It can't be true illusion magic, that hasn't been developed yet, and there's no way it's first showcase would be to a group of thirteen-year-old children. It's obviously not Creation magic either… Come to think of it, I hadn't noticed it before since I was too busy sulking, but the room was cold and humid when I entered the room.
I see, it must be a combination of Water magic, Ice magic and the refracted light from the Sun to hide the objects right in front of us from sight. An interesting trick, though I don't know what the point of this was.
Time to move onto the written test I suppose.
"Question 100: How was I able to make your test appear from nothing?"
I see, so that was the reason he put on that magic trick for us; to test our magic analysis capabilities. It's a good thing I analyzed it back when my memory was fresh. Now that the sun can no longer be seen since it's high noon and the ceiling is blocking it.
What's less good however, are this barbarian's test answers. I've glanced over at him a few times to make sure he wasn't copying my answers, and he wasn't, which is good, but all of his answers are wrong… Maybe my impression of him was too harsh. I thought that from his outburst at the entrance, and rudeness toward me, that he was just like any other noble, and maybe he really is, but there's certainly one part of his character that is noble. His handwriting is absolutely terrible though.
He shifted his gaze to Vicktor's hand that was still writing.
Why is he writing with his left hand? There's no way he's left-handed if his handwriting is that bad.
Arthur looked over at his right hand that he kept under the desk, hidden away in the shadows. Several scars could be seen even with the lack of light. Some were straight like they came from a sword cut, some were jagged like they came from a Beast claw, and some stretched across his whole hand.
Vicktor Vulivar, I predict that you will receive a 0/100 on this test, subtracting 35 points from your total score. And though you may not pass this exam, from swordsman to swordsman, you have my eternal respect.
Vicktor's eyes met Arthur's. His eyebrows moved downwards and he placed both his hands on the paper. "Don't cheat off me."
"Commoner." He said after a short pause.
"Ah, I see. Okay."
Arthur turned his head back to his test.
Well respect was short-lived, he's just like every other noble. I appreciate him not telling the instructor that I was looking at his test, but I'm going to fail anyway, so it doesn't matter. Now that the exam is over, I remember all my problems again.
Arthur suddenly felt a strong urge to open his mouth, and his jaw and face muscles to stretch as he took a deep inhale, followed by a long exhale.
Looks like only sleeping five hours every night for the last month has really caught up to me. I have a little more than an hour left before the test ends, so I should be able to take a quick nap. Both the best and worst case scenarios are me failing anyway…