NOVPUBTo students, exams are typically nothing more than a bothersome event.
They burn with competitive tension toward one another, caught in an atmosphere of extreme pressure.
It’s exhausting—mentally and physically.
But just like rain after a drought, the sense of liberation that comes once the three-day-long exams are over is something that can’t be put into words.
“Wow! It’s finally over!”
“Ugh. I really thought I was gonna die after these three days.”
The ones cheering the loudest were the first-years, new students of Seorn Academy.
Their first exam. And the first taste of true freedom afterward.
For them, it was something deeply significant.
But that didn’t mean upperclassmen were any more composed in times like this—the sense of relief after exams was a universal feeling shared by all students.
“Hey. How was the test for you this time?”
“Don’t even ask. I think I totally bombed it.”
“Please, just let me land somewhere in the middle of the rankings...”
“Middle? I’ll be lucky if I’m not dead last.”
Across campus, students gathered in small groups, chatting excitedly. And naturally, the hot topic on everyone’s mind was the results.
How did the exam go? Who did well? Which teacher gave the easiest or most manageable test?
If they knew which instructor gave a fair or reasonable test, they’d aim to take that instructor’s class next semester.
“I’m not really into curses and dispelling, honestly.”
“I think I’m more suited to mana release magic.”
“Next time, I’m focusing on alchemy.”
After going through the first round of tests, most students had probably figured it out.
Whether they had picked a nightmare class... or a jackpot one.
Naturally, certain teacher names started to come up.
“Miss Merilda’s exam was pretty good. It was on potion-making theory—really detailed, but solid.”
“Miss Selina’s exam was super easy. You just had to resonate with a spirit and form a contract to pass.”
“Yeah, but that only applies to students who can actually qualify for Spirit Studies. If your affinity is low, good luck with that. Better off doing Golem Studies.”
“Golem Studies is insane, though. All the nerds who obsess over it dominate the top ranks, right?”
“Tell me about it. There’s a whole bunch of guys with glasses who spend the whole class mumbling while fiddling with mechanical parts.”
“What about Magical Beasts?”
“That one’s totally talent-based, isn’t it?”
Among the flurry of gossip about which classes were good or bad, one particular hot topic rose above the rest.
“Did you hear about Professor Ludger Cherish’s exam?”
“Yeah. I heard it was crazy hard.”
“Not just hard—they say it was open book, but people still couldn’t solve it properly.”
“Whoa. That must’ve sparked a lot of complaints, huh?”
“Actually, no. That’s the surprising part. It was hard, yeah—but apparently in a good way? Like, rational? Something like that. Plus, he only asked questions based on exactly what he taught.”
“Professor Ludger teaches in the Manifestation track, right?”
“Yeah. He overlaps with Professor Chris Bennimore.”
Originally, Chris Bennimore handled the first-year Manifestation classes while Ludger taught second-years, so the two had no reason to clash.
But Ludger had accepted first-year students from the start, and now the two couldn’t avoid being compared.
“How was Professor Chris’s exam?”
“Don’t even talk about it. He put questions from stuff he didn’t even teach.”
“Seriously? How bad was it?”
“Apparently it included material that’s usually taught in third-year courses. And it wasn’t just hard—it was pointlessly hard. Total nonsense.”
“Whoa. That’s nuts.”
“I know, right? The exam sheet was filled with technical jargon I’d never even seen before. I tried to scribble something down to get partial credit, but there was literally nothing I could write. Ugh. I seriously regret ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) it. Should’ve just taken Ludger’s class. Didn’t you take his?”
“Yeah. I got really lucky. Someone on <Akashic Record> was raving about him, so I picked the class half out of curiosity—and it turned out to be amazing.”
“Hey, is it true that if you place high in Ludger’s class, he teaches you that Source Code magic?”
“Not confirmed yet, but maybe? Rumor is, if you stay consistently in the top 5, you get to learn the full Source Code spell.”
“Man, I’m jealous. At least you’ve got an actual reward to aim for. Us? We get nothing. Every time, it’s just, ‘Commoners shouldn’t even be trying,’ or whatever.”
Chris Bennimore’s class, with its authoritarian tone and disdain for commoners, wasn’t exactly popular.
Aside from a few favored students, most found his class absurdly difficult and outright frustrating.
Students who enrolled thinking they’d benefit from his high-grade course credits were quickly disillusioned, sighing daily at the brutal reality.
“Next semester, I’m definitely taking Professor Ludger’s class.”
“Yeah, good luck with that.”
“Why?”
“There’s way too much competition. Everyone’s going to be lining up to register for his course. Plus, he barely takes on teaching assistants, unlike other professors.”
“Ugh, seriously? I need another Manifestation class next semester. What am I supposed to do?”
“Figure it out yourself.”
* * *
In a spacious faculty office decorated with ornate furnishings—
Chris Bennimore stared at the exam paper in his hand, his face twisting with fury.
“Ludger Cherish...”
He muttered the name with venom dripping from his voice—a name that had haunted even his dreams lately.
Chris couldn’t calm the boiling rage inside him after reading the test Ludger had written.
– Professor Chris, you’ve worked so hard preparing your exam! Here, take this!
The exam paper had been suddenly handed to him by none other than Headmaster Elisa Willow.
Before he could even ask what it was, she had smiled brightly and said—
– You’re also teaching Manifestation this semester, right? I thought this might help you prepare for your next exam. No need to thank me!
Chris instantly knew what he was holding.
Ludger Cherish.
The very test that detestable man had written for the first evaluation.
Rather than wonder why she had given it to him, Chris had skimmed through the contents first.
Chris Bennimore was a mage dedicated to the pursuit of truth.
It was only natural to be curious about what kind of exam another professor—especially one so recently appointed—would create.
He scanned through all twenty questions in ten minutes.
And then, with trembling hands, he crumpled the paper.
“Damn it all!”
He suddenly understood why the Headmaster had given him this.
‘You want me to learn from Ludger Cherish’s exam?’
How could he not read the message behind her words?
She’d practically shoved it at him, saying, ‘Take notes.’
And it wasn’t like she’d dug up some years-old paper—this was an exam made by a new hire who joined at the same time he did.
It was a blatant attempt to rein him in, a thinly veiled political move from the Headmaster, who was clearly critical of his favoritism toward noble students.
‘Damn it! I’m the heir of the Bennimore family—why the hell do I have to suffer this kind of humiliation?!’
Grrrk.
Chris ground his teeth in rage.
He’d grown up as a noble, learned magic, and become an elite figure of the Empire.
He was now a professor at Seorn Academy, the top educational institution for nurturing the continent’s future mages.
True, his family had backed him—but if he hadn’t had the skills, he never would’ve made it this far.
Chris took pride in the life he had lived.
He firmly believed he was one of the pillars of this generation.
That’s why—
To be blatantly compared to someone else... was something his sky-high ego could not tolerate.
No. Being compared wasn’t the problem. What enraged him was that the result favored someone else—that he was seen as lesser.
‘He’s not even someone worth acknowledging! You’re comparing me to a washed-up noble?!’
Even worse, the Headmaster’s tone had clearly implied that Ludger was superior.
If she weren’t a higher-circle mage than him, he would’ve openly challenged her right then and there.
But what truly enraged Chris Bennimore... was the contents of Ludger’s exam.
He didn’t want to admit it—but the questions were undeniably well-made.
‘You’re telling me a failed noble came up with this?’
What made him truly furious... was that in the moment he read Ludger’s questions, he had subconsciously acknowledged them.
That the very person he’d dismissed and looked down on—he had recognized.
That fact left a deep crack in Chris’s pride.
It was unforgivable.
“Ludger... Cherish...!”
Chris Bennimore growled his name like he was ready to tear him apart.
He’d disliked him from the very first moment they met.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
Ever since he was utterly humiliated after foolishly challenging Ludger to a student duel, Chris had come to despise him more than anyone else in the world.
‘I may be keeping quiet for now... but I will repay this disgrace. Twice over.’
The day Chris was fixated on was the upcoming Magic Festival.
When outsiders would be visiting the academy, he planned to utterly crush Ludger in front of everyone, leaving him drowning in defeat.
To do that, he needed to find Ludger’s weakness—or any kind of information would do.
Chris Bennimore activated a magical communication orb linked to his family.
“It’s me.”
* * *
Rine walked alone, carrying a lunchbox.
Ordinarily, she would’ve eaten with Erendir after the exam, but Erendir had been especially devastated by how poorly she’d done and had holed herself up in her room, leaving Rine to eat alone.
‘I hope she feels better soon.’
Rine, ever warm-hearted, genuinely worried about her.
With the exams over, she figured she could afford to walk a bit more leisurely. But her light steps came to an abrupt halt.
Of all people—she had to run into them.
The group of nobles she least wanted to cross paths with was now standing directly in her way.
“So I told him right there—huh?”
The noble leading the group spotted her immediately and smirked.
Two guys, two girls.
At the front stood a shady-looking blond male with a mean face. Definitely not someone Rine was happy to see.
Santoni Otmas.
Santoni was a noble from a count’s family. Not long ago, he had confessed to her, been rejected, and had clearly held a grudge ever since.
“Well, well. Look who it is. The ever-so-proud and noble little commoner girl.”
“......”
“What’s wrong? Not even gonna say hello? That’s cold.”
Rine didn’t respond. She tried to step around them, hoping to avoid a confrontation.
But Santoni had no intention of letting her pass.
He snickered and moved to block her path with an exaggerated step.
“......Please move.”
“What’s that? I didn’t quite catch that?”
“Are you still holding a grudge because I rejected your confession? Honestly, it’s embarrassing that someone with the title of noble could be so petty.”
Rine fired back sharply, no longer willing to tolerate his obvious attempt to provoke her.
She wasn’t the kind of person who would bow her head just because someone expected her to.
She had already clashed with Dunema Romli once at the training grounds for speaking her mind.
“Y-You...!”
Hearing his own embarrassing past thrown in his face, Santoni’s expression contorted in rage.
He looked around quickly. This area—an artificial garden park—was remote and rarely visited.
A cruel smile spread across his lips.
“Come with me.”
“W-What are you doing?! Let go of me!”
Santoni grabbed Rine’s wrist and began dragging her deeper into the park.
Rine struggled desperately, but the difference in strength was impossible to overcome.
The other students with Santoni, who had always looked down on Rine, laughed as if they were enjoying the sight of her suffering.
“Isn’t it the noble’s duty to educate an uppity little commoner girl?”
“W-What... Kyaaa!”
Having dragged her to a secluded spot, Santoni shoved Rine roughly to the ground.
She collapsed helplessly, and the lunchbox she had been holding spilled across the floor.
Her carefully packed meal scattered onto the dirt.
Rine glared up at Santoni, eyes sharp.
“......Do you even realize what you’ve just done?”
“Ooh, look at those eyes. Still don’t understand the situation you’re in, do you?”
“......”
Santoni had expected her to tremble and beg for forgiveness in front of him.
But instead, Rine met his eyes with a gaze full of venom.
Facing her unwavering stare, Santoni suddenly felt like he was the pathetic one.
He remembered how he’d once been smitten by her looks—and rejected.
“You dare glare at me?”
A filthy commoner.
He’d gone easy on her because she was pretty—and she dared climb over him?
“This is why commoners need to be educated.”
With a sneer, Santoni pulled a wand from his belt and pointed it at Rine.
There were no witnesses. No one would be coming to this part of the park.
Mana began to gather at the tip of Santoni’s wand—
“What do you think you’re doing?”
The voice came out of nowhere, and Santoni flinched, whipping his head around.
A man was standing there, leaning casually against a tree with arms crossed.
Pale skin, piercing eyes, and dark blue hair.
Santoni, being a noble, recognized him instantly.
“P-Professor Freuden Ulburk?!”
A second-year at Seorn, leader of the noble faction, a man both revered and feared.
He was glaring sharply in their direction.
“W-Why are you here...?”
“How strange. I believe I asked the first question. And I haven’t gotten an answer yet.”
Freuden’s gaze shifted between Rine—now on the ground—and Santoni, whose wand was still aimed at her.
“I’ll ask you once more. What... exactly... do you think you’re doing?”
His voice was colder than ice.
