Chapter 34: Preparation (4)

The first semester’s midterm exam is a group project consisting of two people per group.

Two people are randomly selected from the first-year swordsmanship Class A, and the test is to see how well they can coordinate their teamwork against magical beasts.

First-year students don’t have much experience working together with someone. Before entering the Arcana Academy, most of them would have learned swordsmanship directly from their families.

“I’m the unusual one.”

Usually, people who have accumulated a lot of practical experience like me become Imperial Knights or court mages right away.

In the first place, the reason for attending the academy is to be employed as an Imperial Knight or a court mage, so if you have enough experience, it’s better to skip the academy.

Therefore, most of the academy’s students lack practical experience. Naturally, it would be awkward for them to coordinate with someone.

Combat is not a solo activity.

Just knowing that someone is watching your back greatly increases combat efficiency. If you can fight without worrying about your back, the range of options you can choose from inevitably expands.

This is why adventurers move in groups of at least two. Even I, who preferred to wander alone, always recruited a party when I went into a slightly difficult dungeon.

Therefore, the purpose of the first semester midterm practical exam is to teach students, who are not yet accustomed to working with others, how to fight together.

And today, with only a week left until the midterm exam, was the day to decide the groups.

“Yelena, who do you want to be in the same group with?”

“Of course, it’s you, Sian.”

“We probably won’t be able to be in the same group. There’s only one Stigmata user per group, after all. Besides, it’s hard to evaluate if the two of us are together.”

This midterm exam’s group evaluation is an evaluation to test the ability to coordinate.

If two Stigmata users, especially the next head of the Frost family and a gold-badge adventurer, were put in one group, it would be impossible to properly evaluate them.

There are few magical beasts that can handle two girls that even most Imperial Knights would have to be wary of.

This is the midterm exam for first-years. So the level of the prepared magical beasts is tailored to ordinary first-year students.

After explaining that, Yelena looked around with a disappointed expression.

“…Then, I don’t think there’s any particular partner I want. I’m not the type to talk to others first.”

“How about Yelena getting closer to other children? Aren’t you lonely without me?”

“Not particularly. Besides, do you think the other children will really see me as a friend?”

Yelena’s cool eyes scanned the surroundings.

Various emotions were mixed in the gazes looking at us.

The gazes of those who wanted to get something by befriending the eldest daughter of the Frost family or a promising gold-badge adventurer.

“Oh.”

“I’m not trying to blame those kids. It’s natural to come to the academy for that purpose. But I can’t help but feel uncomfortable.”

For me, Yelena Frost was just a good friend. But for the other children, Yelena would be seen as the eldest daughter of the Frost family.

Unlike me, who was a transmigrator and knew Yelena’s personality to some extent, and was basically a commoner with nothing to lose, most of the students in Class A were nobles.

“The academy doesn’t discriminate based on status, but it doesn’t protect all students after graduation either. So that’s actually the natural response. You’re special for not caring about those things, Sian.”

“Eh, there’s nothing special about that…”

“Hmm.”

Yelena, who was staring at me, gently grabbed my chin. Yelena’s cool eyes approached suddenly.

It is said that if you are too surprised, you can’t even speak.

That was exactly my state right now. I couldn’t imagine that the girl, who was always as cold as ice in front of others, would suddenly approach me like this. A faint smile spread on Yelena’s lips.

Yelena whispered in a small voice that others couldn’t hear, but a voice that was clearly audible to me, whose ears were sensitive.

“You don’t yet know how special it is that I’ve opened my heart to only one person?”

“Uh, eh…?”

A cool yet somehow alluring voice, the opposite of Yelena’s usual image, tickled my ear. In response, a foolish voice came out reflexively.

If I had been a man, I might have thought that Yelena was interested in me.

While my face turned red on its own and my amethyst eyes trembled finely, Yelena murmured.

“Hehe, you look cute like this, too.”

“Augh…”

Seriously, I need to build up some resistance to girls. Now that I’m in a girl’s body, I should get used to it.

“Okay, everyone gather around? Attendance!”

My thoughts, which were digging endlessly into the ground, were interrupted by Elin-sensei’s lively voice.

“Ah, right. Sian and Yelena Frost. Both of you, can you come with me for a moment after attendance?”

“Ah, yes!”

“Understood.”

When I came to my senses, the smile that had been on Yelena’s lips had disappeared.

Looking at Yelena, who had returned to her usual ice princess mode, I even wondered if I had seen things.

Yelena’s hand gently grasped my hand, which was fidgeting under the desk, at a loss for what to do.

“Why did you call us?”

“Hmm, it’s nothing big, I just wanted to talk about the midterm exam group formation. As you know, your skills are exceptional, so it’s hard to apply the same evaluation criteria as other students, right?”

“That’s true.”

This wasn’t me being arrogant.

It was a bit strange to evaluate a girl who had been an adventurer for nearly five years and hunted a baron-class demon, and an ordinary first-year student on the same level.

Besides, Yelena Frost was a talented knight who had already accumulated a lot of practical experience near the absolute defense line in the north.

It was difficult to evaluate Yelena, who had been slaying magical beasts near the absolute defense line at the age of seventeen, simply by catching magical beasts,

“So, I’m thinking of applying a slightly different standard to you guys. What do you think?”

“I’m in favor. I’m already tired of simply catching magical beasts.”

“I like it too. The academy is a place to learn, but I don’t think I can learn anything if the evaluation criteria are the same as other students.”

“Good.”

Elin-sensei smiled and took out two pieces of paper. Holding a piece of paper with the photo and personal information of two female academy students in each hand, she continued.

“Originally, the midterm exam is a two-person team, but I thought it would be difficult for you two to catch them alone, so I decided to change the rules a bit. And change the teammates a bit.”

“Students from Class B?”

“Yes.”

A class is divided into classes A through F, and the students are assigned to each class based on the practical evaluation they took on the first day.

If Class A students are hexagonal talents who are outstanding in all aspects such as swordsmanship, physical skills, stamina, strength, mana manipulation, situational judgment, and crisis response,

Class B students are those who are exceptionally outstanding in only one area.

Some parts protruded outside the hexagon, but other parts went deep inside the hexagon. It’s a place where students with one advantage and one disadvantage gather.

“Originally, the exam content was to catch as many magical beasts as possible within a limited time, but the exam you will receive is a little different.”

“How is it different, exactly?”

“I’m going to see if you can clearly grasp the weaknesses of your teammates, and how well you can adjust to them. I already know your individual skills, so there’s no need to evaluate them.”

Elin-sensei handed us the papers and continued.

“So, I’m thinking of halving the score of the magical beasts you catch. Your role is to help the mages, your teammates, catch as many magical beasts as possible. How about it?”

“I’m fine with it. It’s not like I haven’t done that before.”

Mages are important personnel everywhere. Therefore, adventurer parties are formed around mages.

So, when I was a novice adventurer, I was often assigned to escort mages. As the last shield to protect the mage.

“I’m good with it too. When fighting on the northern absolute defense line, such situations often occur.”

“Good. I thought you would agree, so I called the kids who will be in the same group as you in advance.”

Elin-sensei murmured that and called the students outside the door.

And the moment I saw the girl who was assigned to the same group as me, I couldn’t help but be surprised.

“…?!”

The girl with short, light blue hair and aquamarine eyes was a girl who had never appeared in the ‘original work’ during the thousand playthroughs.