“Alright then, I will explain the first part of the exam, the physical ability test. Have you all cleaned your ears so you don’t miss anything? Well, even if you do miss something, I’ll quietly tell you the details myself, so don’t worry! In that case, just come to me discreetly so the other examiners don’t notice!”
“Examiner Archet!?”
(What is this farce…)
Bell began to harbor doubts about Archet being in charge of this venue. The other examinees seemed to feel the same way, to the point where they started overthinking, wondering if there was some hidden agenda. Of course, the academy had no such intentions.
“In this exam, you will perform various physical activities, and we will collect detailed data on your running speed, jumping ability, and various muscle strengths. We will also measure your latent magic capacity. This is just a rough measurement of your magic as a status, so it’s fine even if you can’t use magic! Warriors like me, rest assured. Well, I’ll explain the specifics for each item when we get to them… Do you have any questions about what I’ve explained so far?”
“Then, yes.”
One of the examinees raised their hand.
“If you want to check our abilities, wouldn’t it be faster to just check our statuses directly? An academy like Lumiest should have Magic Items that can display statuses, right?”
“Yes, a good question! That’s a great question!”
“Uh, th-thanks…?”
She was incredibly enthusiastic.
“Let me answer right away! Please consider not checking statuses as a consideration from the academy. Did you know that the treatment of statuses varies by country? While some countries strictly prohibit their disclosure by law, there are also open countries where people exchange statuses as a greeting. Especially in this Western Continent, there are many countries of various sizes, and you can understand that this is a very delicate issue, right? Therefore, Lumiest treats statuses within this Academy City in the same way as the Adventurer Guild, which has branches across the country. It’s okay to share your own status, but it’s forbidden to expose the status of others. Also, you know, there’s a lot that can’t be understood from statuses alone. How you move your body, which muscles are developed, what decisions you make in what situations… We want to know your true strength, not just the numbers on your status! …Well, that’s about it. Are you satisfied?”
Archet, with a slight smug look on her face and puffing out her chest, pressed the questioner. Poorly, the questioner was completely overwhelmed by Archet’s momentum.
“Y-yes. Thank you.”
“Excellent! Now, any other questions? None? Really none? This is your last chance!?”
“………”
“Ex-Examiner Archet, the examinees are getting a bit uncomfortable now, so let’s begin the exam.”
“Is that so? I can’t help it, it’s work after all! Well then, everyone, please follow me. Don’t fall behind, keep up with my walking speed!”
With that, Archet started walking, her pace quite ordinary. The other examiners also urged the examinees to follow Archet, so they all shuffled after her.
“She’s quite an interesting person, isn’t she, Teacher Archet?”
“Is that so? Isn’t she just noisy? But she does seem strong. Among the examiners I’ve seen so far, probably by far.”
“Ah, Bell, you thought so too? I was just thinking the same thing, actually~. And besides, doesn’t Teacher Archet resemble Principal Art somewhat?”
“Principal Art? Ah, because of the glasses?”
“A-actually, while she is a beautiful woman with rimless glasses, it’s not just her appearance. Like her talkativeness, her consideration for her students, her inner qualities too!”
“…Her tendency to talk over people?”
“Exactly! Their style and momentum are just alike!”
“Well, perhaps. By the way, Rion, we’re not students yet, are we? Observing the examiners is fine, but let’s get results in the exam first. Even though it’s annoying to be compared to that Principal, let’s aim for a grand result in this second exam that will meet Art’s expectations…!”
“Yeah. Older Kel told me not to hold back either. The Beast King also said that in a one-on-one match, it’s about who can scare the other person first! Alright…!”
“O-one-on-one? Well, if Rion is motivated, then it’s fine. …Is it okay?”
Rion and Bell finished their telepathic conversation. Bell could only pray that Rion’s determination wasn’t too extreme. As they were talking, the group arrived at their destination. There were several white lines drawn on the ground, creating an area resembling a track for athletic events.
“Alright, everyone stop! Stop, or something terrible will happen!”
“………”
Everyone had already stopped by the time Archet said to stop.
“Oh, this year’s examinees are excellent! Usually, I have one or two mischievous kids who try to barge through around this time. Good, good!”
“Examiner Archet…”
“I know, I know. You don’t have to make such a sad face, I’ll do my best! Um, first, I want to check everyone’s running speed. Well, you just have to run at full speed, so I don’t need to give a detailed explanation— Ah, no, I did, I did. I remember.”
Archet, noticing the stern glances from the other examiners, seemed to recall something and appeared slightly flustered.
“A word of caution, this is purely an exam to assess everyone’s physical abilities. You are allowed to use skills that aid in this, but you are forbidden to do things like artificially increase your speed with magic, okay? Before you run, I… Well, I can’t use magic, so that’s that, but these examiners will cancel out any auxiliary effects, and this track has a function that sounds an alarm if magic is used. So, compete honorably, with your bodies alone— Run!”
(She corrected herself…!)
She must have said it in the heat of the moment. Perhaps Archet was the type of person who would get along with Kelvin.
From then on, Rion and the others were called out in order to have their running speed judged, and they would run in groups of five. At this point, Rion and Bell were assigned to different groups, meaning they would run separately. Bell, assigned to the first group, was up soon.
“Go, Bell!”
“Yeah, yeah, thanks for the encouragement.”
Bell waved casually at Rion and entered the designated lane. As for the examinees she would be running with, from Bell’s perspective, they all appeared unremarkable. Tapping the ground with her toes, Bell mused that she might just give a light kick. For her, it was more important to be careful not to hit the examinee next to her with a shockwave than to achieve a faster time. If she simply ran at full speed, the ground would be gouged, and the person next to her would be blown away— no, that would definitely happen.
“Hey, giiirl.”
“…Huh?”
Bell, spoken to in an incredibly casual tone, felt a strong sense of dread and annoyance welling up. She even let out an unconscious sound of displeasure. Turning towards the voice, she saw it was the male examinee in the lane next to hers.
