The summer’s last rains had finally receded, and the still warm night air returned.
“Huh….”
I leaned back in my chair and let out a deep sigh. The creaky backrest hugged my back comfortably, making me feel at ease.
The extinguished lamp had grown cold, and the sun, which had set slightly earlier than usual for summer, failed to illuminate the room. The only light came from the scented candle recommended by Professor Moritz for its calming effects, which sat softly lit on my desk.
‘…It’s tough.’
Gazing blankly at the shadows flickering in the candlelight, I rubbed my tired eyes and roughly picked up a stack of about ten sheets of paper from my desk. The letters sprawled across them danced before my eyes, making it hard to focus.
It was the exam paper for the first-year A-class students in the Department of Theology. It was a draft.
The exam paper I had created earlier had become stained with exhaustion to the point that I could hardly read it, so I had to start from scratch to re-make almost all of the questions.
To some extent, I could stumble my way to completion relying on the memories that still lingered, but filling in the empty spaces left behind was not such an easy task.
“Ha….”
I exhaled a short sigh. Suddenly, a feeling of tightness in my chest became difficult to bear.
Taking a cigarette from my pocket, I placed it between my lips and effortlessly lit it with a match. It was a cheap brand of menthol cigarette that had become inseparable from my life.
As the refreshing menthol filled my lungs, the thoughts muddled from intensely working on the exam questions began to cool down slowly. I closed my eyes comfortably and savored the refreshing taste of the cigarette.
‘By the way….’
However, that small moment of happiness was fleeting.
A feeling of unease and discomfort rushed in like a tidal wave. I pressed my fingers to my temples and pushed aside the stacked exams on my desk.
“…No.”
This isn’t it. The exam I wanted isn’t like this.
What I desired brushed tantalizingly close to my fingertips, evading capture just out of reach. It was unavoidable to feel discontent.
In truth, the fundamental framework of the exam was somewhat established.
I wanted the students I taught to avoid becoming trapped in their own thinking and to make choices beyond a one-dimensional scope. That was a wish born from my regrets.
– Regrets come from the past.
“…….”
While I stubbornly smoked the cigarette, my mind was far from clear. I ground the remaining stub in the ashtray to extinguish it and pulled back the exam paper I had set aside.
I had to take another look at the exam sheet. Regardless of my feelings, at the very least, it was something I had worked hard to prepare during the summer break….
– After all, those buried regrets might eventually be unearthed.
Even while I was bleeding from the effort put into creating it, my intent was to produce an exam that reflected that….
– Hence, we continue to live. By any means necessary.
“…Hah.”
With my mind still cluttered, I couldn’t grasp the task at hand. The refreshing feeling only came briefly while smoking the cigarette.
I was still racking my brain over how to speak to Sofia Sub-priest. Although she hadn’t broached the subject yet, if she were to ask me to explain why I had taken her to the Imperial Cemetery…
‘I don’t know.’
I pushed my chair back and distanced myself from the desk. It was about time to take my medication.
– Clatter.
I took out the pill bottle, opened the lid, and swallowed a white tablet. Unlike before, when blood had been expelled in a gruesome manner, I felt an increase in the urge to urinate, though it was not painful.
They had said that the remaining residue would be very minimal, and it was now likely to be expelled in the form of urine…. That much was definitely true.
In any case, it was a relief that the method of expulsion had changed. Last time at the Imperial Cemetery, Laura, Chloe, Elin, and even the Adelhaid Duke had seen me vomit blood, which had forced me to struggle to explain myself since then.
I didn’t want to subject myself to the exhausting task of giving others the wrong impression anymore. Even as I swallowed the medication with water, those various thoughts crossed my mind.
“…Tch.”
There was no time to waste resting like this. If I didn’t notify the students about the exam soon, it was plain to see how they would regard me.
However, taking the exam with the questions I had just prepared… still didn’t sit well with me. Although the exam paper was a basic theology test based on scriptural content, it still felt rigid and inflexible, listing concepts that were practically useless for anyone outside the Department of Theology.
How could I bring the subject of ‘theology’ closer to the students and create beneficial impact for everyone…?
“……”
A beneficial impact for everyone….
I hurriedly opened the Bible. The rustling pages hurriedly scattered my thoughts.
At last, a sentence caught my eye where the turning pages had come to a halt.
[Do not lead us into temptation.]
So, yes.
“…This is it.”
This was exactly what I wanted.
*
In the Main Building of the Caldera Imperial Academy, in one of the classrooms.
Thirty-two students stood out among the first-year students for their exceptional abilities, positioned all around the classroom. They were the students of Class A.
– Scratch, scratch.
The classroom, filled with the thirty-two students moving harmoniously, soon became enveloped in the sound of writing something down.
On regular days, they wouldn’t be so focused on taking notes, and no matter how essential the subject, there would invariably be students studying other materials during the class.
“By this point, I believe you’ve all finished taking notes.”
Of course, it was impossible to do that now. The students each stopped writing and turned their gazes toward the front of the classroom.
A stern expression, sharp and fatigued eyes that didn’t suit that demeanor, bloodshot irises, tousled hair, and haphazardly worn glasses….
All those features combined created a man capable of dramatically drawing out the concentration of the first-year A-class students.
“…That would be all for today’s class.”
It was the theology class of Professor Lucio Antorelli.
As Professor Antorelli placed the chalk down and slowly walked toward the podium, the gazes of the students who had completed their notes naturally fell to the clock hanging on one side of the classroom.
The current time was 11:20 AM. There were still ten minutes left until class would officially end, and Professor Antorelli was not someone who spoke about matters unrelated to class.
Thus, when he announced that he would end the class ten minutes early, it brought a common thought to the minds of the students.
‘Is it something important?’
It was likely a matter related to the class. And certainly, for Professor Antorelli, who efficiently utilized every minute, it must be of significant importance if he was willing to forgo ten minutes to discuss it.
Responding to that cue, Professor Antorelli continued speaking.
“As you all know, the theology course for our first-year A-class is a common required subject.”
As Professor Antorelli stated, the theology course is a mandatory subject that every student in the Caldera Imperial Academy must take. This means it must be attended without exception, regardless of which department one belongs to.
“And, these required courses only have one exam each semester.”
While the tests for subjects within one’s own department are conducted twice per semester, common required subjects only have one. This is to avoid placing excessive burden on students’ academic lives.
“The midterm academic assessment will be in September, and the final assessment will be in November. I can choose one of these two periods to conduct the exam.”
Although there might be situations where this wouldn’t be allowed due to the Academy’s circumstances, typically, common subject exams would be split into midterms and finals based on the opinions of the professors.
The students displayed attentive faces as they focused on Professor Antorelli’s words. Being the first exam they would take since entering, it was always a source of tension when hearing related discussions.
“The theology exam for first-year A-class will be held during the midterm.”
Several students sighed in relief. Given that dates were already set for other required subjects, it had been anticipated by students that Professor Antorelli’s theology exam would also be conducted during the midterm.
Telling them about this fact just a month before the exam felt rather callous, but it was unavoidable. Students should always focus on their studies, and if they hadn’t been lax during the summer break, they should have ample time to prepare.
However, if I had to point out a downside, it was the fact that the exam questions would be prepared by Professor Antorelli himself.
Professor Antorelli paused briefly before taking a deep, steadying breath and surveyed the classroom. A few students flinched as their gazes met his.
“It seems that some dissatisfied students can be seen.”
As Professor Antorelli observed, the students’ expressions were certainly not favorable. Some students who had been lax in their theology studies were frowning, even if it were just for a moment.
“Is the one-month deadline too short? Or is there another reason?”
Yet, no one took the initiative to voice their complaints. The classroom fell into silence.
“Is it that the subject of theology still feels too vague? Is it hard to grasp the hidden intents and meanings within the Bible? Or perhaps….”
Professor Antorelli trailed off. He tapped his fingers on the podium while eyeing a few students before speaking again.
“After all, the theology exam is inherently favored for theology students.”
His words were chilling to the bone. Some students visibly flinched at his statement and quickly averted their gazes from him.
Even if they didn’t visibly react, everyone seated in the classroom was secretly harboring such thoughts.
Isn’t it burdensome to study theology just because it’s a mandatory subject, even if one’s major isn’t in theology? To read the complex and challenging Bible, attend tedious lectures on scripture interpretation, while also managing core subjects from their own departments and dealing with the requirement of studying theology and taking exams?
Naturally, this breed discontent. And slowly, that discontent aimed itself toward the few theology students seated in the classroom, who bore earnest expressions.
If required to take the theology exam, it would undoubtedly be an exam extremely advantageous to theology students.
This fact was not lost on the Academy, which had stipulated that if non-theology students performed poorly on the theology exam, it wouldn’t affect their advancement to the next academic year…. Yet, it would still influence their overall scores to some degree.
Although Antorelli’s theology course received excellent evaluations, with no students underselling it among the first-year A-class, this positive assessment was, quite frankly, because it benefited them.
Professor Antorelli seemed to nod slowly, as if he understood the students’ grievances.
“I get it. For those not majoring in theology, there might be students who wonder why they should take an exam on theology.”
Several students nodded in agreement once again. The remaining students hesitated to follow suit, glancing around.
“However, do not worry. This upcoming exam will be somewhat different from what you expect.”
As Professor Antorelli casually began to organize his materials on the podium, placing the Bible and theology texts into his bag, he added one more comment.
“This midterm academic assessment’s theology exam will allow you to bring anything relevant to theology.”
“…….”
A hush fell over the classroom. The students’ expressions remained unchanged. They merely chewed over Professor Antorelli’s words with the same serious demeanor.
And after some time passed, as a few of the students began to grasp what Professor Antorelli had just said, they could not contain their shock.
“What, what…?”
“Did I hear that wrong?”
“Wait…. An open-book exam?”
The murmurs among the students grew louder. Some students, taking his serious expression to heart, tried to interpret Professor Antorelli’s words, while others scratched their heads, pondering the underlying intent.
Amidst those students, a single straight arm rose slowly. All eyes turned toward that arm.
“I’m Owen de Value, from the Combat Department, Professor.”
“Please, go ahead.”
“If we can bring anything related to theology… would it be okay to bring in the theology professors as well?”
The expressions of the students were once again painted with shock. The question itself was alarming, but the audacity of asking a seemingly ludicrous question that would surely elicit a negative response from Professor Antorelli was astonishing.
However, Professor Antorelli responded.
“Yes, that is permissible.”
“…Huh?”
“However, I’ll allow it only as long as it doesn’t cause inconvenience to other professors.”
This brought an even greater shock to the students’ faces. The lively classroom fell silent, with barely a breath escaping.
“Just one piece of advice….”
Turning to the students, Professor Antorelli noted,
“Simply bringing ‘theological things’ might not be very helpful for this exam.”
He spoke nonchalantly, tossing out words that made little sense in a mocking tone.
– Ding—. Ding—.
“That’s all for today. I’ll see you on Friday.”
The bell signaling the end of class rang, and as Professor Antorelli shared his regular farewell and left the classroom, the students merely stared at each other blankly.
