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Chapter 11
That night.
I had been called in by the instructor for a final interview.
“Impressive. I never imagined you’d block Sir Lionel’s strike without even a scratch…”
…Wait, is this really an interview?
I’m just sitting here listening.
And the instructor keeps praising me nonstop.
At this point, isn’t this less an interview and more a one-on-one fan meeting?
“When did you start learning the sword? Your master was…”
Just then, some scuffling noises came from outside the door.
Did the waiting students get into a fight or something?
Thankfully, the noise died down quickly.
“…Raising their voices and fighting in a situation like this. They lack basic discipline.”
The instructor glared toward the door with an irritated expression.
Whoever the next student is, they’re probably in for a rough time.
“Ahem. Sorry. I got carried away talking nonsense. Let’s move on to the main topic.”
The noise outside must’ve snapped him back to reality.
The instructor finally got to the point.
“As you already know, your practical exam score is perfect. The written exam results will be finalized tomorrow morning, but in your case, it hardly matters. Since your practical score is perfect, even a zero on the written test wouldn’t be an issue.”
“Yes.”
My written score probably won’t be good.
I don’t know this world’s common knowledge, nor do I understand how magic works.
Thankfully there were a few questions about things like monster ecology that I could answer from the game.
Otherwise, I would’ve gotten a straight-up zero.
“And your attitude score is also perfect. During your clash with Cha-an Belomata yesterday, you never lost your composure. Likewise, when crossing swords with Sir Lionel today. Your responses in both situations were exemplary.”
I only kept a blank expression because I didn’t want to look scared.
Seems he interpreted it positively.
“Your swordsmanship skill score is also perfect. I don’t think I need to explain that one.”
After that, the instructor went through my grades one by one.
The result was, unsurprisingly, almost all perfect scores.
As for physical ability?
Every category was maxed out.
Well, obviously. I blocked Lionel’s full power. If I don’t get full marks, who would?
“In summary, your practical evaluation is A+. More than enough to enter Class A. Congratulations.”
The instructor stood up and approached me.
Then, looking genuinely pleased, he held out his hand.
“Let’s do our best starting tomorrow.”
Judging by what he said…
This instructor must be the homeroom teacher for the Swordsmanship Department and Class A.
“Has my placement in the Swordsmanship Department already been finalized?”
I asked while looking at his outstretched hand.
“Hm? Why ask something so obvious? I told you—your practical evaluation was A+…”
“That’s not what I meant.”
The instructor seemed to think I was asking if I’d really passed.
But that wasn’t my meaning.
“My preferred major is the Magic Department. If my enrollment in Swordsmanship has already been finalized, that would be a bit troublesome.”
“…What?”
I had no intention of entering the Swordsmanship Department.
There were several reasons, but the biggest one was this:
If I join Swordsmanship, my real skill level will be exposed.
Right now, the academy sees me as a once-in-a-generation sword genius.
But I don’t actually possess skills worthy of that reputation.
If I entered the Swordsmanship Department and attended classes, everyone would quickly realize my real abilities were mediocre.
That couldn’t happen.
Because I’m supposed to be the swordsman who defeated a Death Knight.
As long as that achievement remained attached to my name, my true abilities couldn’t be revealed.
That’s why I chose the Magic Department.
In the Magic Department, it won’t matter if my actual ability is exposed.
I’m a sword genius—not a magic genius.
No one would care if my magical talent was lacking.
And the Magic Department barely does physical training. Nobody would discover how weak my body actually is.
Given my situation, the only way to survive academy life safely was entering the Magic Department.
The only problem is that the academy staff definitely won’t want me to choose magic…
I looked at the swordsmanship instructor, frozen in shock.
“W-What… what are you saying? You want to study in the Magic Department…?”
Alright then.
How should I persuade him?
“That’s impossible. Magic? It would waste your talent!”
As expected, opposition came immediately.
“You need to study swordsmanship. Enter the Swordsmanship Department, graduate top of your class, and become a swordsman remembered through history—”
“Excuse me for interrupting.”
I cut him off.
“I don’t believe there’s anything more this academy can teach me in swordsmanship.”
The instructor’s expression stiffened.
“That’s…”
He looked like he wanted to respond but couldn’t find the words.
The instructor knew it too.
There was nothing the academy could teach a student capable of blocking Lionel’s full power.
“That’s why I wish to enter the Magic Department. I want to spend these three years at the academy learning magic.”
The instructor looked offended and opened his mouth to argue—
Then stopped himself.
After a small sigh, he composed himself.
“I understand your point. It’s true the academy doesn’t have much left to teach you.”
Not nothing. Just not much.
That wording carried the pride of an instructor.
“But that’s separate from entering the Magic Department. Three years. A full three years. For a genius like you to waste that time studying something meaningless… it would be a loss to the nation—no, to the world.”
A fair argument.
A legendary sword genius spending the last three years of his teens learning magic would certainly seem wasteful.
But—
“You’re assuming I have no talent for magic.”
My talents aren’t limited to swordsmanship.
My innate constitution is Peerless Talent, giving me 100% compatibility in every field—including magic.
In other words:
Whatever I choose becomes my talent.
If I choose magic, then I become a magic genius.
“I’m not belittling you. Human talent isn’t infinite. Given your swordsmanship talent, there’s no way you also possess magical talent.”
“We simply disagree.”
Again, a reasonable argument.
The instructor was the sort of good teacher who only spoke common sense, which made replying easy.
“I believe I possess talent in magic. Therefore…”
Looking at the instructor’s conflicted expression, I offered what would become the final deciding proposal.
“Test me. Test whether I have magical talent or not. If I do possess talent for magic, then please allow me to enter the Magic Department.”
The academy wouldn’t be able to refuse that proposal.
As expected, the academy didn’t reject it.
“As requested by student Jian, we’ve arranged a way to test your magical aptitude.”
Rather than refusing—
They arranged the test absurdly fast.
“I didn’t expect this to be organized tonight.”
Current time: 11 PM.
The interview had ended around 9 PM.
They prepared everything in just two hours.
“That’s how important student Jian is to Garam Academy.”
The woman standing before me was the vice principal of the academy.
Her name was Scala.
I don’t remember her surname.
She wasn’t a companion character, nor someone who appeared often enough to leave an impression.
If the vice principal showed up, then the principal must really be absent.
The principal hadn’t appeared even during the entrance ceremony.
Seems he truly wasn’t around.
“Hmm. If you’re too tired today, we could postpone until tomorrow…”
“No. Only my body is tired.”
“Then we can proceed.”
The vice principal smiled softly.
“Vice Principal. I’ve brought the two students.”
At that moment, an instructor appeared with two students.
“Junior Jian?”
One of them—
Saint Chloe looked at me with surprise.
“…Sheesh. I was sleeping just fine.”
The other face was familiar too.
Though I’d never seen her in person, I’d seen her countless times in the game.
Top student of the second-year Magic Department. Rozarin.
Saint Chloe.
Princess Aris.
And together with them, one of the three most popular companion characters in Heroic History.
Her class was, naturally, Mage.
A classic mage with solid, dependable performance.
“What is it this time?”
“Sorry for calling you while resting. But there’s really no one else besides Miss Rozarin I could ask.”
The vice principal spoke apologetically.
“The research materials you requested before—I’ll authorize them personally. So please cheer up.”
At the mention of research materials, Rozarin narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
“…For real this time?”
“Yes. Of course.”
“You’re not gonna do what you did before—promise me a Kraken heart and hand me a deep-sea fish heart instead?”
“This time it’s real. Trust me.”
“You said that last time too.”
“This time it’s not just real. It’s really really real.”
“That sounds even more fake!”
The vice principal looked at Rozarin with impossibly innocent eyes.
Rozarin frowned deeply in thought.
“…Fine. One last time. If you lie again, I’m seriously going to go bad!”
For reference, Rozarin’s nickname in the game community was ‘Sucker-rin.’
She complained constantly but always ended up helping whenever asked.
“So, what am I supposed to do?”
“Could you check this student’s magical aptitude?”
Rozarin turned to me.
“Who’s this kid?”
“Oh my. You don’t know? Jian Belomata. The freshman everyone’s talking about.”
Rozarin frowned.
“Jian Belomata? The genius swordsman making headlines?”
“Yes.”
“Then why are we checking the magical aptitude of a sword genius?”
“Student Jian wants to enter the Magic Department.”
“…What?”
Rozarin stared at the vice principal as if hearing utter nonsense.
“Surprising, but true. That’s why we called you.”
“Why would a sword genius need to learn magic…”
Rozarin looked at me intently.
“…I get it now.”
There was something in her eyes.
Hostility.
Anger.
“So the legendary genius swordsman is treating magic like some casual hobby?”
“No, no. It’s not that. Student Jian said he thinks he has talent for magic too, so we wanted to verify—”
“I understand perfectly. Leave it to me.”
Rozarin cut the vice principal off and walked toward me.
“Our junior here seems to think magic is pretty easy.”
“I’ve never underestimated magic.”
“No. You do underestimate it. Otherwise you wouldn’t say things like that.”
Rozarin looked up at me sharply.
…Yeah. I don’t think words are going to clear up this misunderstanding.
“Student Chloe. In case something happens, please provide treatment.”
The vice principal spoke while watching us.
“….”
“Student Chloe?”
“Huh? Ah—yes.”
So that’s why Chloe was here.
Emergency healing support.
“Since even the Saint is standing by, does that mean I can go all out?”
Rozarin asked the vice principal.
“Yes.”
At the permission, the corner of Rozarin’s lips lifted slightly.
“Grab my hand.”
She held out her hand toward me.
“Yes.”
No idea what she planned.
Still, if she says grab it—
I did.
“The test is simple. I’m going to use a spell I developed and pour my mana into your body.”
A strange gleam appeared in Rozarin’s eyes.
“If you have magical talent, nothing will happen. Naturally. A mage storing mana inside the body is normal.”
As she explained, mana began flowing through our clasped hands and into me.
“But if you lack magical talent…”
The amount of mana kept increasing.
“It’ll hurt. The less talent you have, the more painful it’ll be.”
Just as Rozarin said—
As the mana increased, my body gradually began hurting.
Ah… this hurts?
It genuinely hurt.
Like someone was beating my entire body.
“Painful, right? It should hurt a lot.”
Maybe my expression changed as the pain worsened.
Rozarin asked.
“Yes… it hurts.”
But not unbearably.
And not in a disgusting way either.
How should I describe this pain?
Like soreness from suddenly using muscles you never exercised before.
Ah. Right.
Growing pains.
Pain that tells you your body is developing.
Though if it gets much stronger, I might actually lose my mind…
Even growing pains can become severe enough for a hospital.
I was nearing my limit—
Then:
[Pure mana is expanding the body’s internal mana pathways.]
[Mana stat has increased slightly.]
Not just a feeling.
Actual messages appeared telling me I was growing stronger.
This is like marrow cleansing in martial arts novels!
So my intuition wasn’t wrong.
This changed everything.
This is a lucky opportunity. Endure it.
Pain?
I could tolerate as much as necessary.
“As I said, pain means you lack talent. So? Have you accepted reality ye—”
No.
I could endure even worse pain than this.
“If possible… stronger…”
If what Rozarin was doing resembled marrow cleansing—
Then more mana meant more growth.
Filled with longing, I spoke to her.
“Please make it stronger…!”
My voice was probably trembling with excitement.
“…Huh?”
Rozarin’s expression froze.
She looked at me like she was staring at a complete pervert.a
