# Episode 57. Midterm Evaluation (1)
No matter how heated the topic of conversation in the city may be, with time, it always eventually cools down.
The news of Keru the assistant leaving the Academy gradually faded from memory, becoming nothing more than a minor incident.
There were a few female students who couldn’t come to terms with the departure of such a handsome man, but soon enough, they too found their own new connections and moved on, so it didn’t become a major issue.
Moreover, the midterms were approaching, and the students simply had no time to focus on other matters.
“Basic theory, herbology, ancient languages… Ugh, this midterm is already a hassle, so why are there so many assignments?”
In the Department of Magic, Estia sighed quietly to herself as she looked at the mountain of assignments in her hands.
Even though she was talented in magic and enjoyed it, she had decided to step away from the competition for the throne and forge her own path. However, because of her father, the emperor’s disapproval, she had been reluctantly betrothed to another kingdom.
Unwilling to sit idly by, she accepted her father’s challenge: if she could graduate at the top of her class in the Department of Magic, he would not interfere any further. This was the main reason why she was currently grappling with stress and anxiety.
“Hmph… If only it weren’t for that guy, securing the top spot would have been a foregone conclusion…”
The “guy” she referred to was, unsurprisingly, Rab Netoire.
This man, who had entered the Department of Magic without any special connections, boldly applied for a dual major with the Department of Combat, a fact that quickly spread throughout the Academy.
At first, everyone dismissed him as a clueless fool walking down a path of sheer misery, but as days turned into weeks…
With every passing day at the Academy, instead of faltering, Rab kept showing better and better results, leaving both the other students and even Estia herself thoroughly astonished.
Estia couldn’t help but feel restless each time she encountered Rab’s talents, which in some ways even surpassed her own. It was infuriating to think that this man might steal the top position from her, forcing her into a marriage she didn’t want and sending her far away from home.
In recent weeks, Estia had noticed her lustrous hair starting to thin, as if reflecting her constant worries.
Once, in an effort to steady her resolve, she had planned to approach him and ask for advice, but fate had intervened when he suffered an accident during a combat department field training session, making it hard for her to make that proposal.
Since then, the “Princess of the Boichi Family” had been frequently by his side, making it difficult for Estia to find the right moment to seek guidance from him without drawing attention.
“…! …!”
“…! …!!”
While lamenting her predicament, Estia suddenly heard murmurs coming from around the corner.
Even though she had no romantic partner, she was at an age where relationships were of great interest, and the Academy had no strict rules against romance. However, when she heard the soft whispers in such a secluded area, curiosity piqued her interest, so she quietly peeked around the corner.
“Are you really giving this to me?”
“It wasn’t something I bought; it was part of a bet… but I thought Ria would like it.”
“I’ve only ever seen them in books… they’re so beautiful in real life… thank you so much, Young Master!”
Ah, so this was the reason why the Grayce family’s second son was seen lamenting in the cafeteria, mourning something he’d had taken from him.
Imotic Flowers were known for their peculiar trait of changing color according to nearby emotions, but they were also extremely difficult to cultivate. Even in their natural habitat, they only bloomed once or twice a year, making them exceptionally rare.
This rarity also made them highly expensive and hard to acquire, so MeiTan’s mood after losing one of these flowers in a bet was understandable.
“Is that so? The flower is pink—this color means happiness, if I recall correctly.”
“Ah…”
“If only I had known you liked it so much, I would’ve gotten it for you sooner.”
“Hmm… please stop teasing me…”
“Shit.”
Though she didn’t know why, Estia, the princess, had resolved that this time, no matter what, she would outperform Rab in the midterms.
*
The mid-term and final evaluations at the Academy typically consisted of written and practical exams.
The written exam assessed how well students had internalized the theories taught in class, while the practical exam measured their ability to apply those theories physically. The written portion accounted for 30% of the grade, and the practical for 70%.
Though that didn’t mean the written exams were unimportant; doing poorly on the written exam could still be offset by excelling in the practical exam.
Put simply, the students currently taking the written exams in the Department of Magic were praying that, after wrestling with these impossible questions, they would soon be able to redeem themselves with the practical assessment.
“Dammit! Why is it so hard?”
“Wow, this written exam is ruined….”
All the students groaned in frustration as they stared intently at their exam papers.
Of course, staring at them wasn’t going to magically make answers appear, but what else could they do?
This was a situation that applied to everyone in the room, including Estia.
“That crazy professor… I should’ve realized what she was capable of when we first started class!”
Claudia, who was usually known as an obsessive magic enthusiast, was a natural prodigy.
She had all the necessary credentials, and her character was not bad…
However, her one flaw was a lack of awareness.
She assumed that because she knew something, everyone else would too, so she created test questions of what she thought was a “normal” difficulty, leading to what could only be described as psychopathic-level exams.
In class, if something wasn’t understood, it could be clarified through questions, but during the exam, such opportunities didn’t exist.
As a result, the students could only silently wish for the long life of Professor Claudia.
Magic, at its core, values creativity above all else, so the test required students to apply conventional knowledge in unconventional ways. Rather than mere rote memorization, the exams called for ingenious and creative solutions.
While multiple-choice or pure memorization questions could offer the potential for lucky guesses, 80% of this test was essay-based, leaving little room for error.
If there was anything positive for Estia, it was that her diligent preparation had given her some idea of how to approach the problems.
As time slipped away, Estia strained her mind to the utmost, scribbling out answers as best as she could.
Suddenly, the quiet classroom was disrupted by an unusual sound.
“Uh… Rab? Is there a problem?”
“Hmm? No, I’ve finished and am heading out.”
His response caused all the students immersed in the exam to abruptly lift their heads.
He’d solved everything?
Nah, surely not. He’s probably just giving up and leaving.
The exam only had about ten questions, which wasn’t much in quantity, but each was maddeningly difficult. With barely 20-30 minutes into the exam, there was no way he could have processed and answered each of them immediately after reading.
“Ah… So he’s giving up on the written portion. That’s alright, as long as he gets a good score on the practical, he’ll be fine…”
“Wait… No, I said I’ve finished all the questions. Is it okay to leave after submitting early?”
“Huh… Ah… Yes, go ahead.”
At the supervisor’s hesitant response, Rab calmly walked to the podium, submitted his exam, and promptly walked out.
Since there was no rule to hold students who finished early, the supervising assistant could only stare blankly at Rab’s retreating back.
The rest of the students were no different.
Witnessing this bizarre behavior in an exam that lasted 120 minutes, yet had him leaving after only 20 minutes, had everyone stop their calculations and watch him leave in stunned silence.
The assistant, intrigued, glanced at Rab’s submitted paper.
“…What!”
The assistant gasped in astonishment.
Even if he hadn’t gotten every question correct, it was clear that Rab’s answers were far from anything that could be considered low marks.
“No… This isn’t right!”
With that realization, Estia quickly buried her head back into her exam, forcing herself to focus.
But worries are not so easily dismissed.
They cloud the mind and interfere with thought at the most inopportune times.
As thoughts of Rab’s strange behavior flooded her mind, Estia found herself overwhelmed by tension, worry, and a storm of frustration, anger, and jealousy, making it almost impossible for her to fully concentrate on the exam.
In the final minute, she managed to scribble down answers to the last few questions, barely becoming the last person to leave the room.
