Chapter 98: Entrance Ceremony (part two)

The room where we were led to by the Dynameis is a stone room of about fifty meters square.

The room is a two-storied atrium and the entrance where we came in from is on the second floor.

There is nothing but floor made of black stones on the first floor.

The second floor is made up of a narrow passage circling around the wall and a passage that crosses the center of the room from the entrance to the other side.

It’s similar to a school gymnasium, except for the second floor part which looks as I described1.

At the corner of the passage, there was a staff member of the academy with a bundle of vellum papers and a pen.

Some of staff members joined the student council and the prefects in guiding the new students to line up around the room.

Not only they use papers, but it seems magic tools such as the Historia Electrum will also be used to record the result.

Waiting for the freshmen’s row to go around the passageway, Brad proceeded to the middle of the passage in the center.

Looking closely, the handrail seemed to be chopped only around the middle.

When Brad cast a few words of spell with his staff, a white magic circle like thin film was deployed in the air.

I have seen that magic circle several times. It’s the magic circle of Feather Falling.”

“Some of you may have already judged the characteristics of your own ability in some way.”

Brad cut off his words and looked at the students around him.

“For example, 〈Aquarium Basin〉, 〈Rainbow Strap〉, 〈Dreamlike Incense Burner〉, and 〈Leucrocotta’s Astragalus2〉. It can be said that the comprehensive summary of these is the Judgement’s Room.”

Rainbow Strap, huh.

I remembered the event at Knot Reed six years ago.

That’s a magic tool to measure the inhibition value of alchemists.

I heard there are other magic tools that mages and magical beast tamers use to measure their ability.

I wonder how this Judgement’s Room will measure our magical power.

“Patterns will appear on this Judgement’s Room. If you come from a family of mages, you might remember the ancient magic by heart, but the pattern here represents an individual’s magical characteristics. Well, you won’t be able to understand from my explanation alone. Let’s have the seniors to give you an example. Auguste, come here.”

When Brad called him, Auguste headed towards the center passageway.

The moment Auguste jumped onto the magic circle, light shaped like feathers surrounded him.

His body slowly descended and landed safely on the black floor.

At that moment, light overflowed from beneath Auguste’s feet.

Several lines of light extended towards the four corners of the room and divided the room in four with diagonal lines.

Each section was divided by a smaller set of geometric figures.

In the figures, there were depictions of creature with wings resembling dragons, braids woven like flowers and spiral patterns.

Inside the innermost of the four large squares, a pattern resembling the four archangels drawn on the altar of the Island of Messenger appeared.

“……Beautiful.”

I heard someone muttering in spite of myself.

The students were fascinated by the breathtaking pattern that looked like a graceful and majestic religious painting.

“It’s a very well-balanced pattern. It can be seen that the amount of internal magic power generation is stable and high, and that the conversion ability training is neglected.”

I see.

You can see the internal magical power generation and the ability to convert external magical power to internal magical power.

He also mentioned Rainbow Strap, that means we can also see the inhibition value.

Listening to Brad’s commentary, I tried to observe the floor pattern once again.

Auguste’s ability is telepathy.

Perhaps the pattern of angels and dragons occupying the largest area represents that aspect.

“I expect that the new students will be able to train like Auguste.”

As he said that, I feel like Brad is staring at someone.

In that direction, there are the King’s Scholars like Chloe and Beatrice.

“……but, students with such a high level of education are not likely to appear that often.”

Brad cut off his words and stared at me for a moment.

I straightened my posture in spite of myself.

Why is he looking my way at this timing?

Brad cast Levitate on Auguste and he returned to the second floor.

The moment Auguste’s feet left the floor, the pattern covering the floor turned into particles of light and disappeared.

“Let’s have another example to see a contrasting pattern. Klaus, come here.”

“Aa, but I don’t need Feather Falling or Levitate spells.”

Klaus advanced from among the student council members.

He jumped over the handrail as it was and landed on the floor gently.

I bet he used the magic of the flight system beforehand.

Klaus slowly walked towards the center of the room.

With each step, the light that can be said as a torrent of glow was overflowing.

When he got into place, it looked as if the whole floor had already been wrapped in light.

Light gradually converged in the shape of a pattern.

A circle decorated with a braid was drawn on the place where Klaus was standing.

From there, straight lines extended and drew circles. And then straight, and then circle.

Complicated patterns with braids consisting of small straight lines and circles were also drawn in the comparted figures.

Even when the pattern reached the edges of the room, the growth of the pattern did not end.

The flow of magical power which was blocked by the wall returned to the inside again, and a pattern of a nesting structure was further made in a small pattern.

Eventually when the escape place for magical power disappeared inside the pattern, sparks began to scatter alongside the wall.

Huh? Somehow it seems that the pattern of the braids is climbing up the wall.

However, the pattern drawn on the wall stopped about 10 cm tall.

If the black floor was wider, of if the wall was made of the same material, how far would the pattern have expanded?

The freshmen were looking down breathlessly at the prospect of the pattern that Klaus drew out.

Although it wasn’t spectacular, it overwhelmed those who saw it with precision and power.

Klaus should have a high ability to convert external magical power into internal magical power.

Perhaps the braids represent that aspect.

“Some of you may have thought that it was as expected of the son of the Duke of Hafan.”

Hearing Brad’s voice, the freshmen gradually raised their faces.

Brad pushed up the bridge of his glasses, paused for a moment and continued once again.

“This is not the result of his talent, but the result of pure discipline. Although the gate is open to everyone, there are few people who can pass through it. Believe in yourself, it can be said that only those who can keep on making constant efforts can reach this stage. Those who intend to take up magic among the new students, it will be good to make this your goal.”

As Brad explained it, Klaus returned back to the second floor.

“In this way, Judgement’s Room will reflect your training. You are going to visit this room many times during your studies, confirming your growth with your own eyes and continuing the dialogue with the sacraments inherent in yourselves.”

Brad cut off his words and looked around at the students.

“Now then, the introduction is over. We will now perform the judgement for the freshmen. Let’s start from the King’s Scholars.”

Before I knew it, the prefects began to guide the row of students.

As far as I can see, the King’s Scholars are likely to be in order from East, West, North, and South.

Beatrice who was guided by the head of the King’s Scholars row was trembling nervously.

Glancing at her with sharply narrowed eyes, Brad said.

“Beatrice Glaw, get down to the first floor quickly.”

“Y-yes!”

Beatrice did not pass through the magic circle, so she hurriedly used the magic of the flight system.

Her expression seemed to be somewhat scared.

Well, Brad’s face looks scary if you look at it from a close range.

When Beatrice landed, the first thing that came out was the braid-type light.

As the braid became entangled in a rose-like shape, it extended like an ivy from every side of it, and similar flowers bloomed.

By repeating that, about 70% of the room was buried by the rose braids.

If I look closely, a part of the flowers was replaced by a spiral pattern.

Overall, it’s a pattern with a simple and gentle atmosphere.

“Such pattern is somehow very plebeian……”

Mutterings and blatant laughter like that could be heard from the black-haired people.

Certainly, it is not much compared to Auguste’s or Klaus’, but I think it’s unfair to be compared to those two.

Because they are cheat characters.

Beatrice was slightly depressed, but when Brad whispered something to her, her expression turned bright.

There seems to be some follow-up or advice.

Brad seems to be strict, but he feels like a good teacher.

Other mage students also challenged the judgement one after another, but theirs were much smaller than Beatrice and only filled about 30% of the whole room.

Oh, rather, Beatrice is actually excellent enough, huh?

As expected, the abnormal ones were the first two examples.

After several King’s Scholars, it became Chloe’s turn.

“Chloe Cloacina, wait a moment. You are from the North.”

“Yes.”

“If you have any snowsilver ore jewelry, leave it here. Or else we will not be able to measure your ability normally.”

“Then, I will leave this to you.”

Chloe handed a necklace to Brad.

It was a necklace imitating dendritic hexagonal snowflakes.

Brad wrapped it in a cloth-like magic tool and put it in his robe’s pocket.

When Brad lowered Chloe to the floor, small helical patterns appeared from her feet in all directions.

The moment a braid, in which the outside was entwined, made a circle, a pattern of a beast reminiscent of a wolf was drawn as if running on the braid.

On the outside of the beast pattern was even more circular braids, and a square section that fit perfectly with the circle.

An elongated rectangular section appeared outside the square section, wherein many wolves were leaping inside.

The elongated rectangular section was made on the outside more and more, and the pattern expanded.

Chloe’s pattern left a space of about one meter from the wall, covering most of the floor.

When the expansion stopped, braided cords and small spirals appeared and entwined with the patterns like thorns, filling the gaps between the patterns.

Certainly, Chloe should be aspiring to be a healer, so she should be able to use healing ability.

Perhaps the wolf pattern is the unusual power of the North.

I feel like so far, the patterns of animals and magical beasts represent the amount of internal magical power generation.

After the King’s Scholars, it was the East Dorm’s turn to be judged.

There were one or two students about 70% in size, but most of them were less than 50%.

Some students are prone to falling aside from the harsh results.

Finally, the East Dorm is over and the next one is the West Dorm.

I have been watching a couple of people, but I don’t know well what the pattern of alchemy is.

While thinking so, it became Harold’s turn.

“Harold Nibelheim.”

While we haven’t met for a while, Harold has gotten taller.

I guess he is bigger than both Klaus and Auguste.

He looks like an adult, his figure has become rugged and manly.

Burning red hair tied into a ponytail, dark green eyes and a tall figure which stood out among the freshmen.

The criss-crossed scars were his medal that saved his hometown.

His appearance is the same as the Harold of the original game.

Originally, Harold was supposed to be a derisive outlaw with a cynical view of the world.

But, now he is a cheerful wisecrack and a wand store’s brat who was raised in the downtown.

Harold jumped off to the first floor in a relaxed manner as if he was not nervous at all.

The light that expanded from his feet took a straight line and made a set of rectangular boxes arranged in order.

After the rectangle covered about 80% of the room, about 20% of the rectangles were covered by braids.

But that was it.

Contrary to its size, Harold’s pattern had extraordinarily many whites.

Looking closely, there was only one spiral pattern where some freshmen had already drawn several.

I feel that the lacking spiral pattern really represents Harold’s likeness.

Perhaps the spiral is equivalent to the inhibition value.

“Is that really an alchemist……?”

Murmurs like that sounded from the surroundings.

Harold looked up at the puzzled faces of the students of the West Dorm, while smiling as if something was funny.

Harold’s heart, accustomed to being different from others, will no longer shake because of such things.

Huh? If Harold’s like that, as someone who is opposite to him, I wonder if my spiral pattern will be abnormal.

I hope it will not produce very strange results.

I’m not as steel-minded as Harold.

“Erica Aurelia.”

Oh, it’s my turn at last.

I replied and was about to descend from the floor.

At that time, I could see things like a bat’s wings from the hem of Brad’s robe.

“What’s the matter. Erica Aurelia.”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Brad looked strangely at me who had stopped moving.

Is that Brad’s familiar?

While keeping such a thing in the corner of my mind, I jumped through the magic circle.

The moment I touched the black floor, there was an illusion as if there were ripples underneath my feet.

For a moment, many dots of light appeared on the black floor.

The moment when I thought that it was like a starry sky, the stars were scraped off by different patterns.

My countless whirlpools, originating from my feet, covered the whole Judgement’s Room at once.

The helical waves were pushed back by the wall, and particles of light like sea spray were scattered.

Similar to Klaus, a slight pattern appeared on the wall.

The raging vortex generated a small vortex one after another, trying to cover everything without leaving any gaps.

The braid was extended to sew between the braids, and knots were made here and there.

Somehow it was within my expectation. I didn’t expect such abnormal reaction like Klaus’ to occur.

When I was thinking so, suddenly the freshmen began to make noises.

I feel like I heard someone mutter “scary” from within the great noise.

(It’s certainly somewhat unusual, but what’s scary about that?)

Looking around, I noticed something.

There were not only spirals and braids that were drawn there.

There was a fragment of a pattern of a huge monstro.

If I regard the countless spirals as raging waters, the shadow of a huge marine mammal lurking beneath the sea could be seen from the interval of the wave.

Such a terrible pattern, which seemed to be ominous, was drawn out.

I myself thought it was a bit scary, no wonder they were all frightened.

Anyway, be it this time or the time when I used the Rainbow Strap, isn’t the measurement result savage?

While thinking such things, I was floating up to the second floor with Brad’s Levitation spell.

Brad narrowed his eyes sharply and looked my way as if examining me carefully.

Oh, will I get some advice as well?

“Do not get self-conceited. That power, depending on how you use it, it may cause disaster.”

Brad muttered a piece of advice and immediately called out the name of the next student.

It sounded somewhat ominous, but he seemed to be worried.

He has a scary appearance, but he’s a good teacher.

1 This part actually says that the second floor looks like the Japanese character 日

2 Leucrocotta is fantastic creature with a body of a stag, neck of a lion, cloven hooves, and a wide mouth with a sharp, bony ridge in place of a teeth. (source) Astragalus is another name for ankle bone. But as for how can that measure magical characteristics, who knows? (source)

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