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Chapter 34 – Entrance Examination – part 1

「Name?」

「Lute Mclane.」

「What is your Job Aptitude?」

「A Villager.」

「How far can you use magic?」

「I can only use life magic.」

After nodding once, the bearded old man in white robe smiled, and said,

「Fail.」

The athletic grounds of the Altena Magic Academy were crowded with examinees.

According to what I heard, this year’s acceptance rate is 35 times more competitive, which means it’s a very difficult entrance to get in.

And that’s because once you manage to enroll and graduate from the Magic Academy, you will never go hungry for the rest of your life. It’s like having a pretty cheat-like qualification, like being somewhere between a doctor and a lawyer in Japan…

In an extreme case, if you want to establish yourself as an adventurer, if you are a magician who graduated from the magic academy, you will have at least five silver coins as a daily wage.

By the way, the monetary value in this world is roughly one million yen for one gold coin, 100,000 yen for a large silver coin, and 10,000 yen for a silver coin.

So… five silver coins is about 50,000 yen.
Such an amount is really surprising for a day laborer.

When I was in Japan, I heard that if a doctor worked part-time, their hourly wage would exceed 10,000 yen.

And just like that, the athletic ground was filled with ambitions, hopes, and desires with the student’s eyes shining brightly…
And I didn’t even take the exam yet, but the old man at the reception already declared me unsuccessful.

「Wait a minute.」

「I won’t wait. You definitely won’t pass. The exam fee is five silver coins, which is quite expensive. It was set that high to avoid ridicule like you… well, I won’t say anything bad, so just go home.」

There are up to three exams, but the first exam is extremely simple.
Aim at the special target that has anti-magic coating installed on the athletic ground, and destroy it with your strongest attack magic.

That’s all there is to it, but there’s nothing more efficient than this in terms of sifting.

「As is I will go home if you tell me so.」

「No one with Job Aptitude: Villager has passed the exam in the past, So there is no way you who can only use life magic can pass the exam, right?」

「It’s not like I can only use life magic, but…」

「A Villager can only use life magic though?」

「No, it’s magic… but it’s not like magic, how can I say it…」

Senjutsu.
In ancient times, it was classified as the highest level of magic that shouldn’t exist in this world since it could interfere with the world’s balance of powerーa lost and forbidden power.
Frankly speaking, the power is too strong, so if I let it go unnoticed here, it will be nothing but an error.
Even if I kept it to the minimum scale, if it’s a destructive attack magic, the damage will extend to the school building behind the target.

However, that target cannot be destroyed with life magic that doesn’t depend on status at all.

Oh, shi, what should I do?

「With that being said, just go home.」

Even if you say thay, I can’t just go home.

「Why are you just standing there silently? Even though you can only use life magic. Just go home quickly.」

At that time, a man called out to Lilith, who was standing next to me.

「Oi, that girl over there?」

A man dressed in silver armor… a high-quality magic item unique to magic swordsmen.
He’s about the same age as us, maybe about sixteen.

I wonder if he’s also a student taking the entrance exams… and for that reason, I feel uncomfortable with the fact that he’s accompanied by five knights as guards.
The children of nobles are supposed to be enrolled in a special quota with money.

If so, is he a scholarship student?
But, if that’s the case, why is he here for the exam?

…Anyway, the magic swordsman walks up to Lilith.
And he grabbed her shoulder.

「I didn’t expect to meet such an outrageous beauty so soon after entering school. Besides, you are an exam student, right?」

「…Shoulder. Please don’t touch me casually.」

Ignoring Lilith, who is blatantly furrowing her eyebrows, the magic swordsman nodded.
From what he said about just entering school, it seems that he was admitted to the school with the special quota.

「I am lucky apparently.」

Like that, the magic swordsman clapped his hands.

「I have a proposal for you. I will let you pass with bribe money… so how would you like to be my woman?」

He puts his right hand on Lilith’s cheek and makes an ugly smile.

Lilith has a blank expression on her face, and the magic swordsman seems to have misunderstood that.

「Oh, you’re so surprised with your good fortune that you can’t even say thank you huh. Fufufu, and woman, the luck that has befallen you is greater than you think, you know? After all, I amー the son of the younger brother of His Majesty the King of the Kingdom of Fasilia!」

With that, the magic swordsman stretched his palm to Lilith’s behind and grabbed it.

「Because you are so slender… you don’t have much meat. Well, I guess it’s comfortable to touch. But, if you are this beautiful, I can’t complain.」

Lilith was frozen by what happened.
After a while, she finally grasped the situation and her expression immediately stiffened and she glared at the magic swordsman.

「…Unpleasant. Nee, Lute?」

「Hm?」

「…This garbage… If I kill it… is it okay?」

Haa…, I let out a sigh.

Certainly, this magic swordsman is unpleasant to me as well.

「That can be done… anytime, no? Lilith? Just hold on here… there’s no point in standing out unnecessarily.」

Lilith nodded at my words.

「If that’s the case with Lute, then that’s fine. But I’m not happy. So I have one wish.」

「Hm? What is it?」

「Later… after I tried my best to endure… I want you to stroke my head.」

「…Yeah…yeah…」

Lilith then smiled like a flower and nodded.

「For the time being… Err… the son of the younger brother of His Majesty the King of the Kingdom of Fasilia, is it? You… can you get away from my friend?」

Lilith frowned blatantly at the words “My friend”.

「…Not an important person… but a friend?」

「Ahh, yes.」

So… Lilith is dissatisfied with my words apparently, she immediately puffed up her cheeks in dissatisfaction.

Then, the magic swordsman who was watching our exchange called out to me with a provocative attitude.

「I see. It seems like you guys are very close… Are you childhood friends from the same village? But, someone like you… A Villager doesn’t deserve to be this woman’s friend.」

Haa… I sighed a little.
Mixed with a little irritation, my words naturally became louder.

「Deserving to be friends or not… It doesn’t matter what kind of position you’re in.」

The magic swordsman laughed at me with a sniff.

「Only powerful people are allowed to be with a beautiful woman. Money, authority, or pure power. In any caseー A Villager like you is going to fail this first exam here without any help.」

Ignoring the magic swordsman, I asked the old man at the reception.

「Oi, Old man? You’re the exam supervisor right?」

「ーIt is the case for the first test.」

I pointed towards the target that looked like a pistol target lined up in the sports ground about 50 meters away.

「The point is, it’s fine to destroy that target with power mixed with magic, right?」