Grade Assessment (1)
TL/ED: Lolz
Knight Department exclusive personal training ground.
On the deck connected to the external training ground, Sharon Pierce sat in the seiza position, meditating.
“…”
A distant sound of footsteps.
Unexpectedly interrupted, Sharon’s eyebrows rose.
“Sharon! I brought a letter for you.”
The intruder turned out to be a fellow student from the same class.
She handed over an envelope with a nonchalant gesture.
Sharon accepted it without a word.
An envelope with the Pierce family seal.
An envelope with the Pierce family crest, a letter sent periodically to all family children from the family head.
Sharon’s hand trembled slightly, but her classmate didn’t seem to notice.
Sharon Pierce read the letter.
The exterior was as cold as always, but her inner thoughts were not the same.
Encouraging words were written in a stern script, but, in essence, the content blamed Sharon for her own faltering growth.
“…”
Her mouth felt dry.
The expressionless face showed a faint hint of irritation.
Sharon looked up from the letter.
The girl who still stared at her, despite leaving.
Coldly, Sharon spoke.
“Do you have business?”
“Uhm, Miss Sharon, would you like to have lunch together?”
“Not necessary.”
“B-but… I just want to become a bit closer to you…”
“I’m busy. That’s it.”
A clear rejection.
The fellow student left.
“Phew.”
Sharon let out a small sigh.
Anything that interferes with training is unnecessary. Friends, for example.
Even if they pretend to be friendly in front of her, when she listens carefully behind her back:
– “Honestly, if she didn’t have the skills… she would be just a useless girl.”
– “Hey, lower your voice so she can’t hear….”
– “Hehe! But Miss Sharon is so talented. Isn’t she cool? Hah, I really wish I could hold her pretty hand just once…”
– “You really are a p*rvert, a *ervert….”
Such distancing comments could be heard.
But Sharon Pierce didn’t care.
The Sword.
Only the sword.
Anything can be accepted and discarded for that path.
Ian Blackangers. She took him and discarded him mercilessly.
Even if she had to receive help from him, once he revealed an attachment, she had to cut it off firmly.
But he revived and got entangled with her again.
In that case, she would put him on the judgment seat of the disciplinary committee and wait for the judgment.
Emilia. And Aria.
If she was with them, it wouldn’t be difficult.
Lina Rosewell probably needed to be check again.
“… Focus.”
Why did her composure particularly waver when she thought of Ian Blackangers?
Sharon shook her head.
Grade Assessment.
If she didn’t get good results this time, her family wouldn’t stay quiet.
The family head had only wanted Sharon’s talent.
Quietly, she had recalled the story he had told her when they had been alone.
— Sharon Pierce. You’ve done well.
— Thank you, my lord.
— Don’t disappoint me like your mother did. I expect you to fulfill the role of that woman as well.
— Yes.
She had had to satisfy him.
Grade Assessment would start in earnest in the afternoon.
She had to achieve good results.
Late 4 stars.
When she had reached that point, her family would have also reflected on themselves.
A blue light flickered in Sharon’s eyes.
— Slash!
The training wooden logs fell to the ground.
The cut surface, which should have been neat, was rough.
“…”
But now, it didn’t matter.
◆
First day of the Grade Assessment.
There was about an hour left until the Grade Assessment of the new students, but the Grade Assessment area was bustling with various personnel.
The long and tedious preparations for Grade Assessment were in the final stages.
“Phew.”
The Grade Assessment department head let out a sigh.
It had been several years doing this, but it truly was an event that never went smoothly even once. Of course, for someone like a department head, just receiving reports in a cool office would be enough, but he genuinely liked this job.
As many students as possible found their grades and strived towards the next level, making it not just an act of ‘measurement’ but a goal and driving force for their growth.
Of course, the significance of this measurement went beyond just that.
“Chief. External officials are coming in.”
“Okay. I’ll take care of them.”
Looking at it from a broader perspective, the Grade Assessment served as a showcase for the students.
Scouters dispatched from various guilds, magical towers, government, and other organizations carefully observed and recorded the status of promising students.
While students formally entered society after completing their graduation exams, the Grade Assessment held great significance for making a first impression on the officials.
The buzz in the Grade Assessment area gradually rose.
If the front entrance of the measurement area was for the students, the back entrance was for the external guests.
At the front entrance, subordinates were already rushing out to control and manage the incoming students.
The head of the department stood at the back entrance.
One of his roles was to greet the external personnel.
‘There are a lot of people today.’
Reporters, magazine staff, scouts dispatched from guilds, and representatives from various organizations.
So many spectators had gathered that it felt like it had been ages since the last time.
They were the other protagonists of this Grade Assessment.
The heads’s role was to make them pay a bit more attention to the students.
For example, a casually approaching priest with a friendly impression needed to be treated well.
“Bishop Bacon! How can you take such difficult steps again?”
“Hehe. Head, it’s been a while. It feels like I’m meeting you for the first time since the last graduation exam. As a devout servant of our faith, I must confirm the participation of our saint candidate.”
“Aria, the saint candidate, surely has no room for doubt in her talents. I’d appreciate it if you could also pay attention to other students.”
“Hehehe! Looking closely, it seems like you, the manager, have a deep heart for taking care of the kids. Even if you were a cleric, you would have done well. Just looking at your face makes me want to watch over you.”
Getting a job in the church might be somewhat strict, but it was stable.
It was a good workplace for students in the middle to lower class.
Just by exchanging greetings, even one more student could be observed.
Making even one student receive better evaluations.
That was the satisfaction that the position of department head could achieve in this Grade Assessment.
Of course, there were also entities that have slipped through his hands.
Women with striking fluorescent-colored and orange hair were noticeable at a glance.
They approached each other while they argued.
“This term, we have quite high expectations, don’t we? We need to recruit some magicians to our guild this time.”
“Hmph. It’s a hundred or a thousand years too early for a guild to try to steal talent from the Magic Tower!”
“Magic Tower? Who goes to the Magic Tower these days? Only stupid kids like our pitiful broccoli get deceived into working at the Magic Tower. Poor treatment, poor working conditions.”
“It’s not broccoli, it’s curly! And there is honor in the Magic Tower!”
“Honor feeds you? Why don’t you quickly join the ‘Event Horizon’ where your sister is? I’ll make sure you get treated well.”
“Hmph. There are values that money can’t buy. For example, Miss Emilia will never be recruited by the ‘Mercy’ guild, you know?”
Without giving the department head a chance to greet them, they entered the Grade Assessment area while bickering.
Dealing with magicians could be somewhat challenging, so it was fortunate.
Without a moment to sigh.
This time, the sound of metal colliding and friction was heard.
A knight of large stature wearing relatively light armor.
The plate with the lily symbolizing the empire engraved on it, signifying that he was a knight of the Imperial Guard’s ‘Knights of the White Lily’.
The department head lightly bowed in a military manner, and the other party also showed proper courtesy.
“I’ve come to see Sharon Pierce.”
“You won’t regret the long journey.”
“Thank you.”
After exchanging greetings with key figures.
“Phew.”
As the department head was about to breathe a sigh, a woman suddenly appeared in front of him.
White hair that seemed to extract starlight from the night sky. Deep navy-colored eyes and looks so young that you could almost mistake her for a cadet at first glance.
Deep indigo eyes, and a face so young you could almost mistake her for a student.
“I want to see an unusual ability.”
She spoke in a slow and dreamy voice, almost like speaking to herself.
She was a newcomer, but the golden-bordered name tag around her neck indicated that she was a considerable figure.
As she passed by the department head.
‘…Huh!’
For a moment, he felt a tremendous presence that felt like his heart was being squeezed, and then it disappeared.
The department head had encountered various masters, but experiencing such a sensation was the first time since the principal of Lichten.
In other words, the caliber of this seemingly young woman was comparable to the owner of Lichten.
Such mysterious beings occasionally appeared without warning.
‘…This Grade Assessment is going to be quite significant.’
The department head swallowed involuntarily.
Even looking back over the past few years, there hadn’t been such a large number of external figures attending.
Just then, the voice of the announcer rang out.
“The first measurement of this Grade Assessment is~~! Magic power measurement!”
With tremendous enthusiasm, the Grade Assessment began.
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