0. 1st and 2nd Place
“The first place is Ivan. Ivan Kontadino.”
Carlo wasn’t particularly surprised.
It was a fact he had already known.
“The second place is Carlo, Carlo della Cascata.”
The hundred examinees stirred greatly.
Ivan took first place, and Carlo came in second.
In other words, the final results of the central magic academy entrance examination revealed that a commoner took first place, and the eldest son of the house known as the First Pillar among the Four Pillars of the Empire, House of Cascata, came in second.
As for Carlo, who was directly involved, there was little reaction.
Nevertheless, his tightly set face indicated that his mood wasn’t serene, and the bulging veins in his clenched fists suggested that reason barely restrained his primal instincts.
“Third place, Wilhelm von Mittenburg.”
The young man with short-cropped hair possessed a very solemn demeanor.
Perhaps satisfied with third place, the slight tremor of his upward-turned lips indicated barely concealed excitement.
“Fourth place, Lucas von Scheiskel.”
The blond youth furrowed his brow upon hearing his name.
“To think I’ve been outdone for first place by some commoner… It’s disgraceful.”
At that moment, a small voice emerged from nearby.
“Didn’t we all just see how he followed the path that Carlo cleared?”
Upon hearing this, Lucas’s face crumpled.
Swinging his visibly trembling fists about haphazardly, Lucas shouted,
“Shut up! You mongrels wouldn’t have even made it here if the monsters hadn’t blocked your path while you were following!”
Despite the minor uproar, Albina continued, opening the grading sheet once more.
“Next, fifth place, Zofia von der Chauver.”
“Kyaa!”
The brown-haired girl couldn’t help but jump slightly, letting out a shrill cry of joy.
However, upon receiving the envious and admiring glances of those around her, she quickly lowered her head, hiding her face behind her bangs.
“Sixth place, Liam Puco.”
“Such a pity.”
The short blond-haired giant clenched his fists tightly as he muttered dejectedly.
“Seventh place, Kiara di Servitore.”
“Phew.”
The woman with long black hair sighed deeply in relief.
“Eighth place, Regina Parma.”
“Ah!”
The girl named Regina Parma smiled brightly.
“What a relief…! Now I’ll get to see you again, Ivan… and Carlo.”
“Ninth place, Michele Bricone.”
One of the Four Pillars of the Empire, the House of Bricone.
Michele Bricone rolled his tongue while muttering about the trouble that was going to continue.
“Last but not least, tenth place, Emil von Aufschtik.”
Thus, every member of the Four Pillars had been called out.
Still, a significant stir arose, for an unheard-of commoner had taken first place, the great noble Cascata had come in second, the less powerful but still prestigious Shaiskeil took fourth, and the other two houses had claimed ninth and tenth respectively—an outcome that could be seen as a massive embarrassment for the nobility.
Emil, on the other hand, considered himself fortunate.
He had been certain that he would surely fail and had been bracing himself for his father’s harsh reprimands and physical punishment.
The fact that he passed meant that at least he hadn’t disgraced himself in front of his father.
Considering that passing itself was akin to a miracle, Emil offered a heartfelt prayer of gratitude to God.
With the results announced, there was nothing else left to do.
If there was anything left, it was trivial; since the academy was located in the imperial capital, perhaps the only thing left was sightseeing around the capital.
On this day, those who liked gossip would be busy.
The examinees had witnessed the remarkable performance of the commoner who caused an uproar, and storytellers in taverns were certain to spend a good deal of money to hear the tales firsthand from the students.
As these thoughts crossed their minds, Carlo mingled among the dispersing examinees.
Amidst the dancing regrets and the singing joys, someone approached him as he quietly moved away.
“Carlo della Cascata, are you one of the successful candidates? You should come with me to collect your orientation paperwork. You’ll need to sign as well.”
‘How tiresome.’
Reluctantly, Carlo followed the man.
His mood was at its worst, and he had realized today that all his efforts over the last ten years were useless against the extraordinary talent of a genius—useless even with shortcuts. Today, Carlo felt utterly exhausted.
After signing carelessly at the registration desk near the podium, Carlo took the stack of enrollment guidance documents. Though he wanted to throw them away carelessly, doing so would likely be misconstrued as disrespecting the academy.
Unwilling to risk that, Carlo bundled the stack and stepped out of the hall, heading toward the carriage waiting for him.
‘…How tiring.’
It had been a day full of events.
Deciding that he should return to the mansion to rest and resume his practice from tomorrow, just as Carlo was thinking these thoughts, someone snatched the orientation documents from his hand.
“That name of the first-place winner sounds familiar.”
“…”
Carlo glared silently at the man who had spoken.
An older man heading into middle age—Enrico della Cascata.
The current head of the House of Cascata, and father of Carlo della Cascata.
“That’s the lowly boy you used to play with as a child, isn’t it? Ivan, Ivan Kontadino.”
“Yes.”
“And you lost to such a boy?”
Carlo didn’t respond to his father’s words.
Here, anything he could have said would just be an excuse. Losers lose because they lose; whatever reason one might give is just an excuse and nothing but a poor attempt at self-packaging for the defeated.
Hence, Carlo remained silent.
“Is this boy really your firstborn? Tch, tch…”
That remark stuck with Carlo.
A fiery rage instantly surged within him.
His eyes brimming with that fiery rage, Carlo turned to face Enrico.
“Did I say anything wrong…”
“It’s only the beginning.”
Carlo abruptly cut off his father’s words.
“It’s only the beginning, so don’t speak so casually.”
On the way back to the mansion with Enrico, the closer they got to the estate, the closer the family pride of Cascata—the magical waterfall and the ruinous temple above it—came into view.
Watching the waterfall and ruin, Carlo thought again.
He had done everything possible for effort.
Herbal medicines, training techniques, top-tier education, relentless training without a single day’s rest—add to that the great costs he paid to invoke God’s power.
And yet, if all that ultimately led to failure, then there was no other explanation but that Carlo lacked talent compared to Ivan.
“…I’ll give it. I’ll give it another try. Whatever the cost, I will pay to defeat you if I can get the strength to do so… no matter what, I will give anything.”
Flames of jealousy and envy burned fiercely in Carlo’s gaze, spreading throughout his body.
I will pay anything.
I will definitely obtain the power to defeat you.
Over and over, Carlo firmly vowed to himself, he would surely beat him.
