Chapter 42: Mocked, Yet Leaving a Mark
Even after Yuri Cattleya had astonished all the examinees, the exam continued. The targets were replaced with new ones, and the examinees took turns casting their spells. Already, seventy percent had completed their tests, and Rest’s turn was drawing near.
“Next up… Celoric Brute.”
“Yes.”
A voice called out from behind Rest, followed by a forceful shove to his back.
“Ugh…!”
“Get out of the way, commoner!”
The one who shoved Rest was a remarkably well-dressed boy. He had introduced himself by his family name, so perhaps he was a noble?
“I’m from the Brute Count House’s branch family! Don’t obstruct my path!”
(Oh, so he’s a commoner after all.)
Among the old nobility, there are families that have branch families derived from the main house. While branch families often carry the same name as the main house, they do not possess titles or territories, making them legally recognized as commoners.
(He’s acting all high and mighty, even though he’s just a commoner… His name is similar to that guy’s, and he seems like a real piece of work…)
With a sigh at the boy who shared a name with Celery, Rest quietly stepped aside. He had no intention of causing unnecessary trouble while the exam was still ongoing.
“Hmph!”
Celery Boy snorted and stepped forward to the line.
“Watch closely, commoners! Behold the magnificent magic of one who bears the illustrious blood of the Brute Count House! Thunderbolt!“
The spell he unleashed was an intermediate-level magic of the lightning attribute. A fierce flash of lightning struck the target. Given his boastful words, it was a reasonably powerful spell. The score displayed above the target was ’98’, placing him second overall after Yuri.
“Hmph! That’s all there is to it!”
Celery Boy laughed arrogantly, puffing out his chest with pride. He strutted back with an air of superiority.
“Next up… Rest from the Royal Capital.”
“Yes.”
Finally, it was Rest’s turn. As he approached the line, a nasally voice called out from behind.
“Haha! What can a shabby commoner like him do?”
“……..”
The voice belonged to none other than Celery Boy. What on earth did Rest do to earn his disdain?
(Could he be Cedric’s clone or something? He’s really getting on my nerves…)
Shaking off his irritation, Rest steadied himself and stood before the line.
“I’m going.”
Rest took a deep breath and activated his magic.
“Fireball!“
A fireball materialized in front of him. It was a basic-level fire attribute spell that he often used.
“Haha! What can you do with that?!”
Laughter erupted from the other examinees. It went without saying who the source was.
(Laugh all you want… You won’t be laughing for long.)
“Amplification!“
Rest simultaneously cast a spell to enhance the power of his magic. The fireball grew larger, eventually surpassing human height.
“Wha…!”
“Whoa, that’s huge!”
Gasps of astonishment came from the other examinees. Though he hadn’t checked, Celery Boy was surely dumbfounded as well.
(But… this isn’t the end.)
“Compression!“
He compressed the now-giant fireball. Most onlookers wouldn’t understand what was happening, but compressing the flames had significantly increased their power.
(This magic has already been proven effective against fireball spells. And the pièce de résistance is…!)
“Acceleration!“
A spell that increases the speed of an object. While it is often used to enhance one’s own speed, it can also be applied to magical attacks. He unleashed the enhanced strike toward the target, powered to the limit by the Quartet.
“Firing…!”
The accelerated fireball shot through the air, its penetrating force amplified. It flew at near-sonic speed, striking the target dead center and causing a massive explosion.
“Wha…!”
“Unbelievable… what power…!”
“N-no way… that commoner…!”
When the flames dissipated, all that remained was the shattered remains of the target. Though completely destroyed, a number remained to indicate the power of the spell. That number was… ‘387’. Without a doubt, it was the highest score of the exam.
“Maybe I didn’t need the Acceleration? I could have easily achieved a passing score without adding unnecessary speed.”
“No way! There’s no way a basic spell could produce that kind of power! You must have cheated!”
Before Rest could bask in the glory of his victory, protests erupted from the other examinees. Unsurprisingly, it was Celery Boy again.
“It’s cheating! Invalid! There’s no way I could lose to a commoner like him!”
“Be quiet, you there.”
Despite Celery Boy’s vehement protests, the headmaster, who was overseeing the exam, reprimanded him.
“The more you compress magic, the stronger it becomes. Even basic spells can exceed the power of advanced magic when enhanced by other spells. Not to mention, very few can execute magic in a Quartet. It’s quite an impressive feat.”
“Uh… um…”
“Instead of belittling those who surpass you, strive to learn from them. That will benefit you in the long run.”
“……..”
Celery Boy fell silent, looking frustrated. It seemed he had been acknowledged as ineffective.
“I did it… Professor Dible.”
Rest sighed in relief, patting his chest as he reveled in the success of his exam results.