She Professed Herself The Pupil Of The Wiseman (WN)
chapter-39

The man in white gave a brief explanation of the rules. It was mostly meant for the guests watching the examination unfold.

Each representative was given five minutes to display their skills.

Offensive skills would have to be targeted on the armored mannequin, that was wearing armor reinforced for the occasion.

The referees of the event were members of the country’s instructors committee, nobles that invested in Arkite Academy, expert researchers and the principal. Apart from them, members of the student council, academy staff and graduates could also watch.

The scoring system took into account the difficulty of the spells, their efficiency and casting speed, recently they had also started scoring according to appearance as well. The basis for that was that many spellcasters only had a shallow understanding of their spells, so even if they could cast a high level and difficult spell, if they were unable to show it off nicely then it was clear their understanding was lacking.

The examination would determine which areas of the spellcasters’ education would get more focus, as well as give an idea on how to divide the budget available between faculties. Hinata had also mentioned they decided who could use the training facilities and for how long, but that was only a secondary effect of giving strong faculties more priority.

Influential nobles, merchants and adventurers were invited to the examination. If someone showed a lot of promise with their skills, there was also the chance of gaining a sponsor from them, who would provide hefty financial support moving forward.

Representatives for the examination would get selected by recommendations, and if there were multiple candidates, the representative would be chosen through an exam. If there was no one qualified, then an instructor would take the place of representative. In other words, Hinata had been the representative so many times because there was no student who could qualify. This time, Mira had entered through Hinata’s recommendation.

Any spellcaster was able to use Concept magic, so that department had a fixed budget, which also meant that Concept magic was not included in the examination.

「Now then, the order of participants will be decided by the scores of the last examination, going from high to low. First representative, please walk forward.」

The man wearing white was in charge of running the examination, so he invited Kairos to step forward. A moment later, Kairos walked to the center while saluting the audience. At the same time, clapping erupted from the guests. Everyone’s eyes focused on the red robe, those who knew him were excited wondering what he would show them this time, those who came for the first time out of curiosity wanted to know what would happen.

「Last time, he scored an overwhelmingly high score after a magnificent performance of water magic. He’s the representative of the wi’s faculty, and I myself, am looking forward to what kind of spells he’ll show us today.」

After directing those words to the audience, the man in white began walking towards the edge of the hall. Halfway there, Kairos called out and stopped him.

「Wait a moment, not just ‘last time, he scored’, but ‘just like always, he scored’, right?」

「Y…yes. That’s right. I’m sorry for the inconvenience.」

「Be careful next time.」

That interaction was done in a low voice, so neither the audience nor the other participants were able to hear it, but from the man in white’s face Mira was able to guess it was something completely worthless and felt pity for him.

Kairos muttered ‘that’s why I hate commoners’ under his breath as he turned to face the armored mannequin. His magic was mostly focused on offensive fire spells. In raw numbers, the fire he could produce was top class amongst other spellcasters. All that magic would end up directed at the armored mannequin.

「I’m Kairos Beltran, representative of the magician’s faculty and most prominent representative of the academy. I’ll show you all I have for this examination. Thank you for taking the time out of your busy lives to come here.」

Kairos bowed politely to the audience as he said that. There was no one who really knew why he pretended to be the representative of the academy, but the other representatives had already given up on that since he always did that, while Mira paid no attention to that at all.

(Maybe I should call Alfina then? But no, she will act all sulky if I treat her like a museum exhibit. In the worst case she might even break through the ceiling…)

「Ngnhh….」 Mira kept thinking about which of her high level summons would look showy enough for the examination.

「Now bear witness to the true form of magicians!」 Kairos raised his voice, slid his left foot half a step back and pointed his right palm to the mannequin. The magic power he had developed concentrated on his palm as a magic circle floated in front of it.

「Consume anyone who dares stand in your path, hellfire from the heavens!」 As he said that, the magic ring began glowing red, then a small crimson flame sprouted from his palm and gradually grew bigger. When the mass of fire was as large as a head, he released it towards the mannequin as the tips of the flames trailed behind.

Not an instant later, it split into countless fireballs that rained onto their target. A thunderous blast accompanied the collisions, leaving the mannequin scorched and with a few remaining flames decorating the armor.

The audience raised voices of admiration at the scene they had just witnessed. The loud noise left a ringing tone in Mira’s ears which distracted her, so she frowned while directing her gaze to the center of the hall.

Kairos was looking at the audience while waving his hands, showing his display was barely starting before preparing for his next spell.

This time, he amassed magic power in both of his palms.

「It looks like you enjoyed that demonstration. I invite you to witness my banquet of flames now!」

His mood had been lifted by the audience’s reaction, so he raised his voice even louder as he struck his hands out in an exaggerated pose.

「Armies of fire dazzling in the sky, obey your king and obliterate your enemy!」

Once again, magic circles floated in the air as he spoke, then a fan of fireballs spread out around him, and once they were a determined size they all flew one after another to attack. With a thundering sound, the lumps of fire collided against the ground, wall, and mannequin, creating instant explosions that sent smoke and sparks flying through the entire hall.

(Such an unrefined skill… His aim and timing are completely random. If he wanted to attack an entire area then Magic: Incandescence would’ve been much more efficient.)

Just like Mira had pointed out, Kairos’ magic was quite poor when it came to efficiency. It would have worked with low level monsters, but in an actual fight with real stakes, it would have been useless.

But the judges of the examination were lost for words seeing the firestorm glittering like a meteor shower. It was a scene that no regular human being could recreate, only possible by the skills of a magician. A banquet of flames was an apt description for it. But for Mira, it was just like a party organized by a noble without sparing any expense. If the luxurious parts were stripped off, it would go as well as a balloon filled with gold in a rush of greed.

His magic completely disregarded efficiency or practical use, it only focused on making it pleasing to the eyes. Barely ten years had passed since the Limited Armistice Treaty and this was the current state of the examination.

When Kairos’ display was done, the judges each gave him their scores. They would be tallied later on, together with the scores of the other representatives, and then released as a list, but with one exception, they all gave him almost full points.

Kairos returned to his spot confident and pridefully, only turning to show a smirk to Hinata and Mira. The former was already completely depressed, so her ears drooped down even more. Kairos’ mood improved upon seeing that, so he went to the wall, satisfied.

After that, the remaining representatives stepped forward to the center following the order of the last examination.

The second representative used Monk Magic. In his demonstration he first used Monk Skill: Shield Skin on himself, a spell that negated any attack of a given element, then let the assistant attack him with a spell only to come out unscathed. Afterward, he used Monk Skill: Arc Gate to attack the mannequin, a skill that unleashed a powerful flash of light. It was a quite simple display, but the bright flashes of light left a good impression on the judges.

The third representative was an onmyoji master. The first display was Cosmic Skill: Nature Collection – Bush Thicket and Forest. An instant later, the hall was covered by trees. Afterward, Cosmic Skill: Fire Collection – Madder Foxes was used, which created multiple fox cubs of fire that began running through the forest, drawing many paths before jumping on the mannequin and exploding.

The fourth representative was a Sage, starting off with Sage Art – Earth: Fire Clad, which covered the sage’s hands with flames before a martial arts demonstration while the fire followed the fists, drawing crimson arcs in the air. To finish, a blow was dealt to the mannequin while releasing the flames at the same time as Sage Art – Heaven: Shockwave was activated, at such a close range that caused an explosion that sent the flames scattered all around.

The fifth representative was an exorcist. Taking a bottle of holy water and opening it, it was thrown straight up in the air. As soon as Barrier Art: Exorcist Formation was activated, the bottle was broken into pieces which fell around together with the holy water inside of it. The places touched by the holy water began building up holy power until a thin membrane was formed around. Next, multiple bottles of holy water were thrown at the mannequin while activating Exorcist Holy Rule: Blue Fire of Atonement. Blue flames spurted from the ground and covered the whole mannequin while flickering silently.

The sixth representative was a Forbidden Arts user. Starting off with Forbidden Art – Vermin: Spider, the physical traits of a spider were transferred to the user, which were used to bind countless threads on the mannequin, followed by Forbidden Art – Demon: Hellhound, which made claws of fire grow from both hands. Those claws burned the threads which served as makeshift fuses that transferred the fire to the mannequin, which was soon wrapped in crimson flames.

The seventh representative was a Necromancer. Necromancer Skill: Stone Doll created a life-sized golem that was sent to attack the mannequin. With the loud noise of the impact, Burial Skill: Rebirth Meld was used to change the golem into a column of fire that scorched the entire area.

After the displays from the other seven representatives, the armored mannequin that suffered so many attacks seemed to remain unchanged, waiting in the hall for the next representative. It was finally the time for the last representative, the summoner Mira.

「Summoner representative, please step forward.」

The man in white called her, his voice echoing through the hall. Hearing that, Mira lifted her face and finally decided what she was going to summon.

(Alright, I’ll go with her. I’m slightly worried… but I guess that’s the most fitting here. Probably…)

「Mira…」

As Mira stepped forward, Hinata watched her with worried eyes. Mira turned back, looking at the anxious Hinata.

「No need to worry. Something like this is mere child’s play for me.」

Saying so, Mira smiled trying to push aside her worries. Her breath caught seeing Mira’s confident smile, before she began scolding herself for looking so discouraged even though she was supposed to be an instructor.

「Okay, I’m counting on you!」

Her encouraging words reached Mira’s back as she walked to the center of the hall.

The man in white moved back to a corner and the eyes of the audience all focused on the young girl. A forced smile overtook Mira’s lips as she was not used to being the center of attention, then she waved her right hand casting Summoning Skill: Binding Arcana Circle in midair.

A stir raced through the audience. Binding Arcana Circle was a high level skill to strengthen summons that only summoners of the upper class could use. Even the summoner instructor Hinata looked wide-eyed at it. She was aware of its existence, but she regarded it as a divine skill that she would never obtain. In other words, that was a skill that no one in the academy could use. Almost everyone present had never witnessed something like it, and Mira had cast it without breaking a sweat.

The principal, instructors, researchers, and graduates all awaited with expectations for her following moves.

Mira lowered her right hand, transforming the Binding Circle into a Summoning Circle. As soon as she was done with that, multiple shrieks came from the audience. The Summoning Circle had begun expelling an insurmountable amount of magic power, which pulsated and wriggled.

「Is that… a Rosario Summoning Circle?!」

Seeing that unexpected scene, the principal sprung on his feet. His eyes were filled with surprise, looking with respect at the young girl effortlessly casting those spells.

「Hey… what’s up with her? Wasn’t she supposed to be a summoner?」

「She should be. I’m not certain, but I think that’s a high level summoning circle.」

One of the nobles asked his butler sitting with him, the butler replied with a trembling voice. The butler had once been present in a battlefield, and he had witnessed Danbulf using high level spells there. His fading memories had been recolored vividly with the scene in front of him. The magic circle he had seen then while they prepared for battle resembled the one he was seeing now.

From other seats, similarly confused voices were raised. On the other hand, Mira faced the summoning circle without a single care as her lips pronounced some lines.

‘If you can hear my voice and if my thoughts reach you, I pray for you to wake up. I want to hear your voice, I want you to sing for me. So I may hear that voice that’s sweet like a bell once more, I wish you to be here.’

Summoning Magic: Diva

As Mira finished her chant, the summoning circle began glowing brightly like the sun, before shattering into many pieces like a pane of glass. The falling shards turned into small stars as they fell, masking the presence that had already appeared there. An ephemeral girl with white skin and clad in thin sky blue clothes, her glossy light blonde hair falling down her back like high-quality silk. Her eyes showed a strong will, a sharp look that contrasted with her cute facial features.

「Ah, we finally meet again, Master.」

The girl that appeared from the summoning circle said that with a sweet and relaxed voice, instantly recognizing the girl in front of her as her master. Her eyes glistened as she looked at Mira after her polite greeting.

「It’s been a while, Leticia.」

That girl was called Leticia. As the name of the spell suggested, she was a Diva, a high class spirit that ruled over songs and melodies.

「I was so lonely all this time… Master, did you… shrink?」

「Not quite, rather than shrinking it’d be more appropriate to say that I changed a lot…」

「Is that so…? Ah, that reminds me, I finished composing your song.」

Leticia had tilted her head a bit, but she quickly lost interest in the topic, as she began humming while smiling like an innocent child.

「♪ ♪ ♪~」

(Maybe this wasn’t the best choice after all…)

After her long deliberation, she chose Diva, but now she was starting to worry. Leticia had a rather soft appearance, so her presence without context felt rather lacking. Back when this was all a game, she also acted the same way when she was summoned, talking carelessly without caring about her surroundings and humming short songs.

That also reminded Mira of the contract event back then, bringing an ironic smile to her lips.

But Mira aside, the audience was focusing solely on Leticia. There was the large amount of magic power she possessed, but the melody she was humming evoked something they had never felt before, resounding deeply in their hearts.

「Ahh, we can do that another time. Rather, could you play the Green Forest’s Melodia?」

「I’ll do as you request, Master.」

Leticia swayed her body from side to side as she abruptly stopped humming to follow her master’s orders. On the other hand, the audience as well as the other representatives felt like they had been woken up from a dream, as they shot disappointing stares at Mira, questioning why she had thought it was a good idea to stop her.

But the next instant, all of those people who blamed her cursed their own rashness.

Obeying her Master, Leticia formed wings of magic power that looked like rainbows that waved behind her, producing countless different tones. As opposed to the earlier humming, there were layers piled on top of layers of sounds, forming a tightly woven harmony. Leticia added her own voice to that song. Her voice was graceful, but really powerful as it shook the air, as if a goddess was announcing her oracle.

As opposed to Dark Knight or Alfina, Leticia mostly focused on giving support from the rear lines. Her songs had healing, inspiring, and multiple other effects.

The song she was singing now, the Green Forest’s Melodia was a song to recover mana, or in other words, it recovered the soul. In the current world, a relaxing and easing effect was also added to it.

After around five minutes since Leticia began singing, the song reached its conclusion. The guests all stood up and clapped loudly, showing their heartfelt admiration for the two girls in the center of the hall.

(Looks like it was quite a success. Though, that reminds me…)

As the torrent of cheers still showered on them, Mira recalled how the displays from the other representatives went. They first showed something, then they attacked the armored mannequin before finishing. She figured that was how the examination was structured as she watched, so she gave her next order to Leticia, who was waving to the crowd and thanking them for their appreciation.

「Leticia, use the Requiem of Fury on that armored mannequin.」 As soon as Mira said that, Leticia replied with— 「I’ll do as you request, Master.」 —and turned to face the armored mannequin, an unusually low note escaping her lips.

The audience stopped their cheering to watch what would happen. After a moment of silence, they saw the mannequin torn apart with a bursting sound, the remains of it strewn around the hall.

「What… just happened?」

After one of them somehow managed to wring out those words, those who had recovered their sense, or rather, the bare minimum needed to think, turned their heads to the principal in search of answers. The mannequin that had survived the attacks from the other seven spellcasters had been destroyed, leaving no trace of its former appearance. They had never seen a spell with such a large amount of destructive power.

The principal was shivering, unable to contain his emotions any longer as he exclaimed 「Incredible!」, voicing the thoughts of everyone present there.

Another torrent of applause followed, Mira realized her display was coming to an end so she thanked Leticia for her work before sending her back. Before vanishing, Leticia protested that she had not performed her master’s song yet, but Mira said to leave it for another time in a more calming environment, which satisfied Leticia who left after nodding with a smile.