Chapter 3
“Haaa…how did I end up here?”
The man sighed deeply in his empty office.
He was Benedikt Kuhn, the renowned scholar and instructor for some of the Empire’s finest individuals. Now, thanks to the meddling of members from the noble faction, he was stationed in the branch campus of a military academy that bordered the allied kingdom of Soleo.
It all began when he proposed the formation of a new class for academy students that he would personally manage. The idea was to foster hidden talents early in life. An obvious idea, yes, but one that is easier said than done.
After all, how do you spot a diamond in the rough without wasting a lot of time and effort? It was a problem most people could not resolve.
However, thanks to his Gift, Eyes of Discernment, Benedikt was capable of spotting these talents at a glance.
His proposal was approved, but instead of being able to set up in the capital as he intended, he was moved to this campus to “test the proposal’s feasibility before official implementation.”
Of course, he was no fool. He knew the real intention was to move him away from the great pool of talents in Kronenstadt in the hopes that he would fail and his influence would falter. He would be lucky to find enough talent in this place to justify forming a new dedicated class at all.
“Although… there are some I’m looking forward to.”
He stepped away from the window overlooking the courtyard where the new applicants were currently gathering and sat at his always-tidy office table.
The entry forms had already been reviewed and stacked up neatly, but he had left a handful of papers out for those that caught his eye.
Eyes of Discernment only functioned when Benedikt looked at someone in person. He could not just look at these papers and pick out who would be suitable for his class. However, he was not a man who relied entirely on his Gift. That was considered a weakness in the Black Crown Empire after all. Thus, he put in the effort of reviewing all applications for anything of note.
“Zachariah and Bridgit Sol Proudmane… Axel Lionheart… Lloyd of Redwater…”
He murmured the names of the applicants that had caught his eye based on their results in the theoretical exams and mana testing.
“Hmm… three of these are from Soleo…”
He leaned back in his chair and polished his glasses before letting out another long sigh.
“I suppose the Redwater kid has potential at least.”
Benedikt supported the idea of maintaining positive relations with the Soleo Kingdom, but he still felt a sense of national pride. Maybe it was because of this, but he secretly wanted to have an even number of Kronenvolk and Soleans.
Thwiiiii!
The distant sound of a whistle drew Benedikt’s attention back to the window. He could see the crowd forming up around a podium, where this year’s instructors had gathered to begin the physical testing portion of the admittance exam.
***
Rose of Redwater stretched her arms from side to side, making sure she was appropriately warmed up.
She was somewhat annoyed that she even had to do this portion of the tests, considering she was only aiming for a supporting role in the Empire.
Regardless, she had done well in the written exam last week, so meeting the minimum standard should be enough to get her into the IMA. Still, she would try her best, even if it was exhausting.
Most of the physical tests were exactly as one would expect: run a certain distance within the time limit, do a set number of consecutive push-ups, plank until the instructor tells you to stop, etc.
The part that had her concerned was the combat portion coming up next. Each applicant would need to participate in a 1v1 duel with another applicant to demonstrate their abilities. For Rose, who was more interested in economics and held no great combat ability, this might as well be a humiliation ritual.
The upside was that applicants were allowed to choose their opponent, so long as both sides agreed to it.
To avoid potential embarrassment, she looked around the training field in the hopes of finding someone feeble-looking.
Since they were not officially students yet, nobody was in uniform. Instead, they were allowed to wear whatever was most comfortable for their needs. Rose’s simple shirt and shorts should be the norm here, but she could not help but notice how many oddballs were there.
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One person was covered head to toe in weird bandages with foreign symbols all over them and a purple robe over the top. Another guy had been shirtless since he arrived and had muscles that definitely did not suit his age. Then, there was the eerie presence she had been feeling for a while.
“...”
His silent stare could be felt wherever she went. Rose had to wonder if this guy really thought he was being subtle, considering he was right next to her.
“Hey… I've been meaning to say this for a while now… is there something you need from me?”
Rose kept a respectful tone and turned to face the man.
He was in a green tattered cloak that looked like it had been made from various leaves and sticks held together with twine. He had a black cat that had been firmly clinging to his shoulder throughout each test, including the written exam. And perhaps most strange of all was the wooden mask that covered his face. It had no visible eye holes, and the patterns that had been carved into it looked undeniably magical in nature, not that Rose could identify them.
“...If you’re looking for an opponent, try one of them.”
He had a baritone voice that didn’t betray any emotion.
Rose followed his direction and spotted a group of five girls.
“Why them?”
“They are all lesser nobles, their hands are soft, and their clothing favors form over function. Their performance in the physicals was mediocre as well. What does this tell you?”
Rose felt an analytical gaze measuring her from behind that expressionless mask.
“...That I could beat them?”
Honestly speaking, she mostly understood what he was suggesting, but there was no benefit in showing off her cunning side to someone she didn’t trust.
“Possibly. But you already know that isn’t the point of the duel. It means they aren’t trained in combat, and are probably only here to get a supporting role like you. Unlike you, however, they don’t care about their physical results. An even match is better than an easy win for this duel.”
He sounded disappointed with her response and turned to leave after lecturing her.
She didn’t stop him, but felt a little wronged that this weirdo was judging her like this.
Rose looked back at the group of girls.
“...He’s not wrong, but… how did he know I’m going for a support role?”
She muttered to herself.
Rose watched the cloaked man walk directly to a muscular girl with cat ears. She recognised her as someone who had been consistently in the top 10 for every physical test so far.
Their body language and the girl’s expressions made it clear that he had just challenged her, and she accepted.
“Is he someone worth keeping an eye on?”
Rose pondered whether he could be a useful connection here and then turned to approach the group of five girls who were still chattering and laughing casually.
***
Finally, the duels were about to begin. Benedikt had not been able to get much useful data yet, except for Axel Lionheart, who dominated everyone in everything except the written exam.
But Eyes of Discernment would perform their best when observing a fight, since these kids would be using their magic and Gifts to the best of their ability.
Ironically, this did not prove true for the one person who already passed Benedikt’s standards.
Axel Lionheart was a giant of a man. Standing at 200cm and with a physique that made even experienced soldiers look meek. He stood out in the crowd no matter where he was. And the fact that he showed up wearing only some ripped-up pants only further highlighted his presence.
His fight had finished in the blink of an eye. His opponent had fired an impressively woven fireball right at the start of the battle, but Axel just ran through it and knocked them out in one punch, sending the poor boy crashing into another duel and passing out on the spot.
It was clearly impressive to anyone with eyes, but Benedikt’s eyes in particular showed him that Axel wasn’t trying at all. There was no mana flow at all in his body, meaning he just let a dangerous spell hit him head-on with total confidence that his flesh could handle anything.
Some other noteworthy contestants were found throughout the duels, bringing the total number of students Benedikt planned to scout to eight.
“A nice round number.”
He smiled in satisfaction.
“Professor Kuhn, I was afraid I wouldn’t see your handsome face until I returned home.”
The sultry feminine voice of the woman taking a seat beside him caught him off guard.
“Mrs. Jaeger, what brings you to the border?”
“Miss Jaeger. Of course, I came to see my cute little apprentice’s performance. What else?”
Ada Jaeger was a colleague of his from back in the capital city of Kronenstadt. She was a beautiful young woman who captivated the hearts of many men back home.
She had wavy dark hair tinged with an azure hue that glittered like a starlit sky, the effects of the overwhelming mana in her body had leaked out into her physical appearance. The same was true of her eyes, which shifted from blue to silver depending on the angle she was admired from.
But despite her captivating allure, to Benedikt, she was only viewed as a respected Mage who specialised in the school of illusion magic. He lamented that she would always reject his offers to tutor her, considering her amazing potential.
“An apprentice? You?’
He looked at her sceptically. Few people knew of her pickiness as well as he did.
“You should watch him carefully, Kuhn, even your eyes might miss something if they don’t focus.”
She nodded to the arena, where a female Therianthrope who had been performing well up until now stood opposite a strangely dressed man in a wooden mask.
“What’s her name?”
Benedikt pointed to the girl with the feline features, but Ada just shook her head with a smirk.
“His name is Rex.”
She looked on proudly at the masked man.
“Rex Jaeger.”
