Chapter 31. Freshman Adaptation Period
The auditorium was a mess with seawater.
"Everyone, move!"
An ordinary-looking person appeared and gathered the students in one place.
The man in a brown robe skillfully chanted a spell and swung his wand, and the kraken's leg and the seawater that had poured into the auditorium were quickly cleaned up. Radel was impressed by that.
'Magic is convenient.'
At first, he had aimed for the academy to survive.
But now, his mind was changing. He wanted to learn magic to live more comfortably in the future.
'If I do well, can I just lie down and not lift a finger?'
As he thought about how he could use it in his daily life, he began to look forward to the classes he would be taking.
"Now, all freshmen, come this way! We will now be moving to the temporary dormitories."
The faculty member who had cleaned the auditorium using magic called the freshmen together.
He looked to be in his 30s, but it was often difficult to guess the age of a magician by their appearance, so it wasn't certain.
“I am Thomas Arcane, a professor at the Imperial Magic Academy.”
He, who had briefly introduced himself, led the successful applicants.
'He's holding something.'
Radel, following Professor Thomas, discovered an empty birdcage in his hand.
Just then, Inette whispered to Gusto and Radel.
“It starts now.”
"What starts?"
When Radel asked, Inette raised her nose and boasted.
"You really don't know anything. The academy doesn't end with admission, you know? There's a freshman evaluation in a month. If you can't endure until then, your admission is canceled."
Inette looked around and then lowered her voice to tell them the information she had heard from the 3rd Imperial Consort.
"Mom said that you can't talk about what happens inside the academy outside. So it's apparently difficult to get information."
According to Inette, the academy was a place where you couldn't let your guard down even if you passed the entrance exam.
After the entrance exam, there was a one-month freshman adaptation period to re-evaluate whether they were talented enough for the academy.
The entire process was conducted strictly according to the academy's internal regulations, and even if their admission was canceled, they couldn't protest.
“This is all I know. Anyway, you’ll find out this much once you pass the entrance exam.”
Inette spoke as if it were no big deal, but there was a big difference between knowing even this small piece of information and not knowing it at all.
It was an advantage for Inette, whose mother was from a wealthy ducal family of the empire.
'It certainly doesn't seem like just anyone can survive at the academy.'
A difficult entrance exam.
And on top of that, a re-evaluation through a freshman adaptation period.
The academy's will to not allow learning to those who were not qualified could be seen.
It was an attitude befitting the empire's best magic educational institution.
“Anyway, if you survive after a month, you become a real academy student.”
It was just as Inette had said.
The students who had arrived in front of the temporary dormitory building received guidance from the professor about the freshman adaptation period.
And there were many freshmen who, like Radel a moment ago, were hearing for the first time that they could be eliminated.
"No way……!"
"But we passed!"
Professor Thomas Arcane, seeing the horrified freshmen, felt no particular emotion. It was because the same thing had been repeated at the entrance ceremony every year since he was appointed.
He swung his wand and distributed consent forms to the freshmen.
“Please examine them carefully and sign the consent form. If you read it and do not wish to, you may leave the academy immediately.”
Radel quickly looked over the contents of the consent form.
Follow the academy's rules.
If warnings accumulate, admission is canceled.
What happens during the freshman adaptation period will not be discussed outside.
There was also a clause that the academy would not take any responsibility if a problem arose with one's personal safety due to not following the professor's instructions during a lecture or personal carelessness.
'It's not that bad.'
On top of that, if a case of violence between students was discovered, admission would also be canceled?
Radel, thinking of Leon, quickly signed.
However, some of the freshmen had expressions full of dissatisfaction.
Naturally, they were nobles.
Those who had been called geniuses in their respective families or regions. They had almost never felt that there was something they couldn't do.
So they didn't like the current situation.
“Now, then, we will begin the temporary dormitory assignments. The students who are called, please come forward.”
Professor Thomas read from the list he was holding in his hand. Gusto and Inette's names were also on it.
“These are the top 20 students who entered first during the entrance exam. You will be using a single room.”
Next were the 4-person rooms.
The people who came in after that were in 6-person rooms.
After calling out the people who would be in the 6-person rooms, the faces of some of the freshmen were seen to be flushed with anger.
They were the nobles who hadn't gotten a single room.
Professor Thomas knew why they were like that.
The academy was strictly based on merit.
No matter if they were nobles, if they came in late for the entrance exam, they were unconditionally given a 6-person room.
There was no difference in status at the Imperial Magic Academy. It was the first wall they had encountered, who had always received the best treatment.
“Is this, is this even possible?”
Someone shouted at Thomas.
“How can we share a room with commoners! I will not use the dormitory. As long as I attend the lectures on time, it shouldn’t matter, right?”
“I will do the same!”
Professor Thomas found it strange that nobles who said the same thing every year came out.
Most of them were nobles from insignificant families, but occasionally there were such freshmen from great noble families. These people were the slowest to adapt and had the strongest rebellious spirit in the academy.
“Denied. According to academy regulations, students cannot go out without permission.”
"No way. If I tell my father!"
Thomas tilted his head.
“How do you plan on telling him?”
"What do you mean by that……?"
"The moment you sign that consent form, there is no way to contact the outside from the academy. I have told you clearly. Examine it carefully and sign the consent form, and if you do not wish to, you may leave immediately."
The expression of the noble freshman who had shouted changed from moment to moment.
"Is that true?"
"I just signed it as soon as I got it, so I don't know."
The faces of the freshmen who had signed without reading properly turned pale.
'They're more naive than I thought.'
Radel thought that everyone would have signed even if they knew the contents.
They had passed the academy entrance exam, so there was no way they would give up the chance to pass because of one consent form.
In other words, what was happening now was a kind of disciplining.
"Didn't you sign it?"
"Ugh! No way! I'm getting out of here!"
Thomas sighed.
A magician's contract is a solemn thing.
It was also the professor's duty to teach the ignorant freshmen the weight of a contract.
“You are not following the professor’s instructions. This leaves me no choice.”
He swung his wand and chanted a spell.
Poof!
At that, the freshman was instantly turned into a toad.
Radel was impressed as he watched the professor put the freshman who had turned into a toad into the empty birdcage.
There was no need to laboriously punish a disobedient person, nor to nag them until his mouth hurt.
All it took was a wand and a spell!
* * *
Cromwell Bondis, the principal of the Imperial Magic Academy, was receiving a report from a faculty member through a communication golem.
“Are the freshman temporary dormitory assignments all finished?”
When Cromwell asked, a reply came from the round golem flying next to him.
- Ckk, yes, Principal. Professor Thomas Arcane is in charge of it now.
Usually, golems were made to human size and used for combat, but Cromwell had modified the golems to be small and used them as his eyes and ears.
"I wonder how long the freshmen will last this year."
Cromwell smiled.
The Imperial Magic Academy was not only in charge of education. It was also the empire's core research institution that researched and developed dangerous and secret magics.
What if a magician who had gained vast knowledge at the academy were to fall into darkness?
That would be a disaster for the world.
Because they knew such dangers, the academy thoroughly verified the freshmen every year.
- Still, there seems to be less resistance this year.
“Really? How strange.”
He had deliberately provided temporary lodging according to their grades during the freshman adaptation period.
If so, there were bound to be those among the proud nobles who could not accept reality. It was also common for commoners to cross the line, relying only on their skills.
The pressure of being behind others. Or the anxiety that they could be dropped at any time.
There were not a few people who dropped out in the middle due to such stress.
How well they could control the dark emotions that could corrupt a magician, such as misguided desires, anger, and jealousy.
A magician who could not control their emotions was not needed at the academy.
Even if they managed to endure until the freshman adaptation period, what about after that?
If their mentality was shaken to this extent, there was no way they could endure the magic classes where mental strength was the most important.
“What about the royals?”
Cromwell asked, thinking of the three royals.
They were individuals that the academy was also watching carefully.
- If you are talking about the dormitory assignments, the princess has been assigned to a single room. And the other princes…… were not assigned.
Cromwell's eyes, which had been wearing a meaningful smile, curved.
It was because he knew what it meant to not be assigned a temporary dormitory.
The situation was flowing in a very interesting way.
* * *
“Unfortunately for those whose names have not been called so far, there is no assigned lodging.”
At Professor Thomas's words, the faces of the remaining freshmen darkened.
Radel, who had passed the entrance exam last, was also included in this.
“Instead, we have prepared equipment for you to camp here, so please take one each.”
Inette and Gusto turned to Radel in surprise.
“Will you be alright? How about you switch lodgings with me……”
“This much is fine.”
Radel was naturally thinking of sleeping outdoors.
Just because there was no lodging didn't mean he couldn't sleep. It was because he had slept outdoors a lot in dungeons that took a long time to clear when he was a Hunter.
“Here you go.”
“Thank you.”
This is better than I thought.
Radel was relieved as he received the tent and magic lamp that Professor Thomas was handing out. It was because he had thought it would be a relief if they just gave him a sleeping bag.
“Hey, what are you really going to do?”
Inette wondered how Radel, who was a royal in his own right even if he was treated poorly in the imperial family, would endure such a harsh situation.
"They're still giving us food."
Inette was frustrated as Radel answered nonchalantly.
As Radel, who was thinking that a tent was better than a 6-person room, looked at the dumbfounded Inette, he felt a sharp gaze.
'What is it?'
Far away, Leon was glaring at Radel as if he would kill him. While holding a tent in his hand.