“It worked! I got accepted as an exam supervisor…!”
Yuri let out a small exclamation as she held the notification letter from the academy.
The Imperial Magic Academy was about to start its entrance exams for new first-year students.
She had applied to be an exam supervisor—who oversees and administers the tests—but had completely forgotten about it.
And now, she had been accepted…!
This year, Charlotte and Julia were taking the entrance exams.
If she was lucky, she might get to see them in action.
Of course, she had no intention of abusing her authority to give them any advantages.
Still, just being able to watch them from a distance would be fun.
Yuri felt her heart pounding in anticipation.
‘If they both pass and enter the Imperial Magic Academy, they’ll be my juniors…!’
It was a strange feeling.
It felt like just yesterday that she herself had entered the academy as a new student.
But now, an entire year had passed, and it was already time to welcome new students.
The realization was oddly sentimental.
After undergoing various supervisor training sessions and rehearsals, time flew by quickly.
Before she knew it, the day of the entrance exam had arrived.
‘Oh? The Young Lady is taking the exam too!’
Yuri, peeking out toward the main gate, widened her eyes.
A familiar face.
The Archduke’s daughter, Merilda, was stepping into the academy.
She was heading toward the building where the Barrier Engineering Department exams were being held.
She had seemed uncertain about her future path, going back and forth on her decision.
But in the end, she had chosen to study barrier engineering.
‘Not the Barrier Magic Department, but the Barrier Engineering Department—how fitting for her.’
Merilda had always said she wanted to dedicate herself to building secure fortress cities.
Of course, a skilled barrier mage could greatly contribute to defending against Monster Waves.
But a single person alone would never be enough to protect an entire city.
Barrier engineering, on the other hand, could allow a small team to construct a defense system for an entire city.
It was definitely a wise choice.
‘I hope she passes…’
It would be great if Merilda got in. Then she, Charlotte, Julia, and Yuri could all attend the academy together.
As Yuri indulged in those exciting thoughts about the upcoming school year, a call came from the exam headquarters, prompting her to hurry over.
“Yuri, you’ll be supervising the entrance exams for the Combat Magic Department and the Spirit Studies Department.”
“…!”
The Combat Magic Department and the Spirit Studies Department?
Charlotte and Julia had kept their chosen departments a secret, but it was pretty obvious.
Charlotte would definitely apply for Combat Magic, and Julia would most likely aim for Spirit Studies.
That meant she would get to watch both of them take their exams!
“Here’s the handbook detailing the exam procedures. Head to the exam site immediately.”
“A-Ah, yes!”
Yuri barely had time to skim through the handbook before rushing off.
She had heard that there were a few last-minute changes directly ordered by the academy headmaster.
But how different could it really be?
She figured she could just follow what she had practiced during training.
As soon as Yuri arrived at the exam site and was about to read the handbook properly, the exam candidates poured in.
With barely any time to prepare, she had to proceed with the exam immediately.
“Welcome, applicants for the Combat Magic Department Entrance Exam. Please proceed to the verification area for identification checks. After that, the first test will be… an advanced magic theory written exam—huh?”
“A written exam?!”
Yuri’s eyes widened as she read through the handbook.
An advanced magic theory written exam?
Why was something like that part of the Combat Magic Department’s entrance exam…?
That definitely hadn’t been in the rehearsal.
“Y-Yes, there will be a written exam. If you score below 80, you will be automatically disqualified, regardless of your performance in the combat assessment… so, please keep that in mind…”
“This can’t be happening…!”
“I don’t know a single thing about magic theory! I’m doomed!”
The exam hall quickly descended into chaos.
As Yuri carefully reread the handbook, a thought crossed her mind.
Why would they suddenly include a written exam, and not just any written exam, but advanced magic theory?
And then, it hit her.
‘Ah! The headmaster! That man is up to something again!’
She recalled that the headmaster wasn’t particularly fond of Charlotte and Julia entering the academy.
Charlotte’s swordsmanship, which rivaled that of a Sword Master, was already well known across the empire.
The headmaster could have easily predicted that she would apply for the Combat Magic Department.
‘This was a trap! He set this up to fail Charlotte because she’s terrible at studying!’
Yuri clenched her fists, trembling with frustration.
She had always thought the headmaster was a bit of a petty man, but she never expected him to go this far.
Sure, after every incident at the academy, his hairline had visibly receded.
And sure, when Yuri had mentioned that her friends would be taking the entrance exam, he had grabbed the back of his neck and collapsed—later being diagnosed with stage 2 hypertension.
But still, this was just too much.
It was obvious to anyone that this was an abuse of authority targeting Charlotte.
However, since the exam applied to all candidates, there was no concrete evidence that it was aimed at her specifically—only suspicion remained…
‘Huh? But… I don’t see Charlotte anywhere?’
No matter how much she looked around, Charlotte was nowhere to be found.
Did she… not apply to the Combat Magic Department after all?
“Argh! Why is this test so hard?!”
“Damn it… I don’t think I’ll even score 50 points…”
“Alright, everyone. Please line up over here for the next practical evaluation…”
Of course, Charlotte’s absence didn’t mean the written exam was canceled.
As soon as it ended, the test site was filled with groans of despair.
According to the grading officials, only 1% of the applicants managed to score above 80 and pass.
A shocking result that left the department far below its enrollment quota.
‘As long as Charlotte is safe, I guess it doesn’t really matter…?’
With the disastrous Combat Magic Department exam finally over, Yuri had to rush to the Spirit Studies Department exam next.
“Aaah! The headmaster pulled another stunt…!”
Just to be sure, she checked the exam guidelines—
And, of course, the Spirit Studies Department entrance exam had an unexpected physical fitness test added.
Not just any test, but one with an absurdly high cutoff—something even Combat Magic students would struggle with!
This time, the trap was clearly aimed at Julia.
Julia, who barely went outside, let alone exercised—how was she supposed to pass this?!
‘Huh? Wait… why don’t I see Julia anywhere? Oh, there she is—wait, huh?’
Scanning the applicants in a panic, Yuri finally spotted a familiar face.
But instead of Julia, it was Charlotte standing in the Spirit Studies Department exam area.
‘Charlotte…?’
Yuri froze on the spot at this completely unexpected turn of events.
Wait a second.
If Charlotte, who stood tall and confident among the frail-looking spirit mage candidates, was here—
Wouldn’t she crush the physical test effortlessly…?
“Gasp! Look at that girl!”
“She’s doing 20 push-ups already? No—she’s still going?!”
“Everyone else collapsed before even reaching 10, and she’s at 100…!”
Of course, there was no unexpected twist.
.
.
.
“Kuhuhuhu… the entrance exams should be wrapping up by now…”
Watching the applicants leave the Imperial Magic Academy with slumped shoulders, the headmaster stood with his hands behind his back, chuckling to himself.
He knew he would have to take responsibility for the sudden changes made to the exam.
But in exchange, he had successfully blocked an irregular demon-swordswoman from entering the Combat Magic Department
and stopped a spirit mage more skilled than the entire faculty from entering the Spirit Studies Department.
Of course, there would be consequences.
But nothing was more terrifying than the thought of three Yuris running around causing triple the chaos at the academy.
His hairline was already beyond saving, but he needed to protect what little was left…
Just as he reached up to touch the wispy remains of his hair—
“Headmaster, the entrance exams have officially concluded—”
“They’re finally over?! Then, what about the Combat Magic and Spirit Studies department enrollees? No—just tell me, are there any successful applicants named Charlotte or Julia?”
“Uh… yes. There are. A Charlotte was accepted into the Spirit Studies Department. And a Julia… was accepted into the newly established Black Magic Department.”
“…What?”
Rustle.
The last remaining strands of the headmaster’s hair fell to the ground.
Naturally, his exam sabotage was met with severe criticism from the committee.
The written test for Combat Magic and the physical fitness test for Spirit Studies were both nullified, and the missing spots were filled.
As for the headmaster—his punishment was an extended five-year term.
