Thanks to Lily’s instant teleportation, we managed to get to our first class on time.
That was lucky at least…
‘……’
‘……’
‘…It’s over.’
When the class ended and the students began to rise, I was still gazing vacantly at the chalkboard.
Though I believed I’d paid close attention, I couldn’t recall anything from class.
Yesterday’s events kept coming back, making it impossible for me to concentrate.
Then a pink orb entered my field of vision.
Someone tapped my nose gently with soft soles.
-Why are you spacing out, Arthur? Class has ended.
-…It’s nothing.
It was embarrassing to tell the truth.
To make matters worse, every time I remembered, my lower body reacted, putting me in a very awkward situation.
‘I need something, anything, to distract me from this…’
Looking around, I suddenly realized that the students’ gazes were fixed on me.
Lately, I had been drawing a lot of attention, but…
‘Could someone have captured another scene of me on a date with Lily?’
If it was published in the paper again, that would explain it.
Even though I used magic to reduce Lily’s appearance, she was still quite beautiful.
“Arthur!”
A loud, robust voice had me turning my head.
“Hey, Luke.”
“Good morning, Arthur.”
I decided to ask Luke about something I had been wondering.
“Is something up? I can feel the students staring at me.”
“Huh? Didn’t you know? The rankings for the written exam have been posted on the central bulletin board. I was heading there to check them out too. Would you like to go with me?”
Ah, today was the day the test results were announced.
At the Academy, when the results are published, every student receives their grade slip while the top 100 performers’ rankings are posted on the central bulletin board.
If it weren’t for that ranking board, I wouldn’t have been caught byLouis in the first place.
Publicly revealing grades in front of everyone like this — what rudeness!
‘Still, I suppose I won’t be on there this time.’
I rarely looked at these rankings to begin with, but this time I was actually curious.
Who had taken first place? Could it be Ilina from last time?
Or maybe one of the diligent commoner students?
“Alright, let’s go.”
As Luke and I walked toward the bulletin board together, Luke broached a topic with me.
“Arthur, do you really have a reason to check the rankings?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I’ve heard that since you entered the Academy, you’ve never lost the top spot in the written exams. If you’re going to be number one anyway, why bother checking?”
“I think it’ll be different this time. I started studying a bit late.”
“How much did you study for that to happen?”
“A little over a week… a bit more than a month.”
Careful! I almost said I had been studying dark magic this whole time in front of Lily.
I need to be more careful…
“…Is that considered ‘a bit’?”
“Yeah, it’s a bit. Ideally, I should have started studying right after the final evaluation last semester.”
“…Hmm.”
“By the way, Luke, where do you rank?”
“…I’m somewhere within the top 100.”
The year’s most enthusiastic and dim-witted Luke had managed decent scores in his written tests.
I heard he’s good at memorizing things.
Of course, he gets all the application questions wrong.
We could already see a crowd gathering around the central bulletin board.
Some students were seriously checking their ranks, while others simply took interest in the rankings.
I began scanning the ranks from the bottom.
‘If I can make it into the top 100, I’ll secure my dormitory spot.’
While I was calmly going down the list, Luke tapped my shoulder.
“What?”
“…You said you started studying late, right?”
“Yeah? So?”
“…”
Luke silently pointed at the top portion of the ranking board with his finger.
Following his hand, I slowly opened my mouth.
“…Huh?”
First Place – Arthur
…Huh?
—-
I tilted my head while holding the report.
“Huh? Why am I the top scorer?”
To make sure Lily could read it, I lowered the grade slip, and she carefully examined it.
“…Actually, I want to ask you the same thing. How could you not be in first place?”
“With this score, I haven’t seen anything worse.”
“Two mistakes per subject?”
“Ah, three mistakes in one subject.”
Lily stared at me in disbelief, an expression I found surprisingly realistic given that cats can’t actually make such faces.
“Isn’t it strange why…?”
Right at that moment, we heard the sound of flapping wings. Looking in that direction, I saw a blue pigeon flapping its wings with vigor.
Whirr!
The strange bird whistling looked directly at me while flying.
He was holding a letter in his beak.
“Is that for me?”
Whirr!
The pigeon nodded to the whistle and handed me the letter the moment I extended my hand before flying away quickly.
On the front of the envelope…
The Chancellor’s seal was stamped.
…Why is he contacting me?
—-
Huff…
Inside the quiet Chancellor’s office, the sound of a teacup clinking and the occasional sipping of tea was the only sound heard.
Arthur, who was drinking the finest tea the Chancellor had recently brought out, widened his eyes.
Even Arthur, who knows nothing about tea, was amazed at its quality.
Sipping another mouthful of tea, Arthur glanced at Chancellor sitting across from him.
Our eyes met, causing Arthur to quickly lower his gaze and drink some more tea.
Moments later, realizing he had drained his cup in one sip, Lily offered her teacup.
“Have some more.”
Though grateful, Arthur hesitated to drink Lily’s tea, but Lily leaned in close, whispering near his ear.
“Your body may be dehydrated from yesterday. Drink up.”
Contemplating her words for a moment…
“…!!!”
Arthur silently accepted the teacup Lily offered and bowed his head deeply.
Lily smiled, finding Arthur endearing, and gently petted his head.
“Hem…”
The cozy scene between Arthur and Lily seemed uncomfortable to the Chancellor, who cleared his throat.
“First, congratulations on becoming the top student of the year.”
“…Huh?”
Arthur almost spouted his tea from the Chancellor’s words.
“That’s obvious. You were first in the practical and written exams, thus topping the class. Though, it’s in the context of this term and last year’s final exam combined.”
“Ah, but, the previous practical exam wasn’t really a proper test…”
“Nevertheless, the results were accurately calculated. You and a few others practically rescued the students who fell into Dreamland. If not you, who else would be the top student?”
“Others helped me…”
“The students were safely gathered by you.”
“Lily helped me…”
“Lily is officially your summoned familiar.”
“…”
Arthur scratched his cheek, feeling awkward.
The title of top student was burdensome to him.
Recalling the ranking board he had seen earlier, Arthur spoke up.
“By the way, this written test felt kind of strange.”
“Strange? Why does the top score seem strange to you?”
“Looking at the scores, I don’t understand why I’m first. I always thought if it weren’t a perfect score, I wouldn’t stand a chance at first place. Was this test particularly difficult?”
The Chancellor tilted his head in confusion, then waved a hand and summoned a sheet of paper.
Arthur recognized the contents of the paper as his own grade slip.
“…And you’re claiming you don’t understand why you’re first?”
“Yes, I always thought a non-perfect score couldn’t possibly secure first place. Was the test too challenging?”
The Chancellor alternated his gaze between Arthur and the paper in his hand before shaking his head.
“You seem to be mistaken about something.”
“Mistaken?”
“Do you know who came second in the written test after you?”
“Uh… wasn’t it Ilina?”
“Correct. Ilina Frost. Do you know the average score Ilina got on this written test?”
“No?”
At the Academy, students typically don’t reveal their grades to each other, even to close friends.
Arthur did not know the grades of other students except Reeti.
After the last practical test, Arthur and Ilina had started having normal conversations, but they weren’t close enough yet.
“The average was 75 points.”
At the Chancellor’s response, Arthur’s eyes widened.
“75 points? That’s the average?”
“Yes.”
“Guess Ilina wasn’t in good condition for this one.”
“No, across all written tests Ilina has ever taken, her average score always hovers around the same number.”
“…”
Arthur’s puzzled expression made the Chancellor sigh.
“Ah… to begin with, the written exams at Academy aren’t designed to achieve perfect scores. Since everyone is eventually moving on to practical courses anyway, professors are free to make the questions as they like, and the difficulty shoots up to almost postgraduate level. A 75-point average is already a high score. Let alone a perfect score… I think you get the idea.”
Arthur listened to the Chancellor’s explanation with his mouth agape. His mind became chaotic as his preconceptions crumbled.
Ignoring Arthur’s confusion, Lily opened the book.
“If you’re the top student of the year, shouldn’t you qualify for some benefits?”
“Of course. Ignoring the minor details, the most important benefit would be the dormitory, right?”
“Arthur mentioned earlier that a good grade could lead to a possible dorm relocation.”
“Correct. He’ll be assigned a better dormitory. The reason I called you in today is regarding this. You can choose any day within the next month to move in. Your information has already been saved, and you can check in anytime.”
“Thank you, Chancellor.”
Arthur bowed, and the Chancellor tried hard to suppress a smile that was creeping at the edges of his lips while looking at the bowing Arthur.
“Are we done here?”
“One more thing.”
“What is it?”
“Have you… ever met a candidate for the Holy Maiden?”
—
Arthur and Lily flinched and subtly diverted their eyes at the same time.
Watching this, the Chancellor sighed and clutched his head.
“Ah… be more careful, will you…”
Speaking hesitantly while gauging the Chancellor’s mood, Arthur replied:
“Th… The Holy Maiden approached me first. She said she was a summoner and wanted to see Lily as your familiar.”
“A summoner? The Holy Maiden?”
“Yes, that’s what she said.”
“Hmm…”
The Chancellor began deep in thought. Generally, one would expect a Holy Maiden to use sacred power-based holy magic, but summoning magic?
After some contemplation, the Chancellor came to the same conclusion Arthur had already reached.
‘She already has a familiar, it seems. But how? There’s no way the elders of the Holy Nation would have allowed it…’
—
The agitated Chancellor drew the attention of Lily, who had turned into a cat and stared at him disapprovingly.
“Class is about to start. Shouldn’t you let us go?”
At the sound of her voice, the Chancellor snapped out of his thoughts and nodded.
“Yes, go before you’re late.”
Fact was, sending a letter would have sufficed instead of summoning Arthur directly, but the Chancellor’s desire to see his descendant had gotten the better of him.
The mention of the Holy Maiden had been a spur-of-the-moment fabrication.
With a final bow, Arthur left the office, leaving Lily and the Chancellor facing each other.
After exchanging silent looks, Lily the cat left the room.
Alone now, the Chancellor leaned back in his chair, lifting his teacup.
Sipping the slightly cooled tea, he recalled Arthur’s appearance from just now.
A small chuckle escaped him.
“Reminds me of when I was raising my daughter.”
Lost in pleasant memories, the Chancellor smiled faintly.
Clunk! Clunk! Clunk!
The sound of knocking on the Chancellor’s office door startled him into jumping up.
Could Arthur have returned?
Checking outside with magic, the Chancellor felt a pang of disappointment when he saw it was an unwelcome visitor.
Nonetheless, keeping his composure as befitting a host, the Chancellor cleared his throat and said:
“Come in.”
The door opened, and in came a man straddling middle age and old age.
“Chancellor!”
Approaching with flushed cheeks, it was clear the man was quite upset.
The Chancellor immediately felt exhausted but maintained his decorum while replying.
“It’s been a while, Dean.”
The person who entered was none other than the Dean of the Magic Faculty.
“Chancellor, is it true that a student is moving into the First Dormitory?”
The information sheet the Dean held had details about Arthur.
The First Dormitory was the one with the best facilities in this Academy, the place Arthur was supposed to move into.
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Please reconsider this decision.”
The Chancellor’s eyebrows twitched.
“Why? What’s the reason?”
“Obviously! This student doesn’t qualify.”
The Chancellor’s hand tightened instinctively.
‘How dare someone question my descendent’s qualification?’
The anger welling up inside him was barely contained in light of his position.
“Dean, Arthur secured top marks in both the practical exam and this semester’s written test, making him a certified top student.”
“But that doesn’t make sense! Chancellor, this student has no mana. How can a student with no mana attend a school that trains magicians? This isn’t logical!”
“Arthur has a familiar, a type of magic that doesn’t require mana.”
“But if it doesn’t require mana, how can it be called magic?”
“Familiar summoning magic is legitimate magic. If anyone has an issue with this, you should take it up with the Imperial Assembly, not with me.”
“But Chancellor, I…”
The Chancellor felt his head throb at the Dean’s continued ranting.
He already knew the Dean, who had achieved his position through family influence, had a penchant for lots of talk. And he knew the Dean disliked Arthur quite a bit after delving into Arthur’s information, but finding him here to personally argue this point was surprising.
‘Too much nobility-driven politics in the Chancellor’s post. Maybe I should’ve set up a private school instead of a royal one…’
Tuning half of the Dean’s words out, the Chancellor realized the conversation was veering into dangerous territory.
“But commoners should not be allowed in the Academy…”
‘How dare you say this in front of me…!’
Unable to contain himself any longer, the Chancellor loudly placed his teacup down.
Clank!
The loud sound caused the Dean to fall silent for the first time since entering the office.
“Dean.”
“…”
Reading the Chancellor’s stern mood, the Dean grew cautious.
“Dean, do you think I support discrimination among students?”
“Ah, discrimination? Never! That’s absurd. I merely believe we should educate according to capacity…”
“And how do you define this ‘capacity’, Dean? By social status?”
“Status is the most reliable guarantee.”
“A commoner starting from nothing and an educated noble have a wide gap…”
“Arthur has already saved all noble students in the last practical test. You should know this from the evaluation report I authored?”
At this, the Dean blinked and shifted his gaze subtly.
‘Didn’t read it, did you?’
“If Arthur had not been there during the practical test, all other students might have suffered damage. So you’re calling this student incapable?”
“But all of it was thanks to the familiar…”
“Are you dismissing familiars as a form of capability? Should I mention this to Professor Recordas?”
“Well, I never said…”
“You did.”
“…”
As his arguments continued to be cut off, the Dean’s face turned a sickly shade of green and red.
Seeing this, the Chancellor decided to deliver the final blow.
“Unless you have an issue with my evaluation methods…”
“It’s not that…”
The Dean sitting before him was not just any academy Chancellor, but a Grand Magus and a man known as a Wise One.
The status of a Grand Mage in the Magic Empire was equivalent to a Duke.
Even high-ranking nobles hesitated to insult someone of such stature.
So the Dean ended up leaving the Chancellor’s office murmuring half-formed sentences.
After the Dean left, the Chancellor sighed and looked into his teacup.
The tea had gone icy cold. Tsking, he pulled out a photo from the bookshelf.
Looking at the face of the person who he first truly cared about in this world, the Chancellor chuckled.
“Really… How does one manage to cause so much trouble to those around them this way?”
If the person in the photo could hear this, they would have retorted:
‘It’s not me, you look just like me.’
Imagining this response, the Chancellor smiled happily and hummed a tune.
“I should tell the housekeeping staff to give extra attention to cleaning the dormitory Arthur will be moving into.”
