Chapter 77

Chapter 77

Freshman Class Assignment Test (1)

Keep your distance from me.

What?

Dont come within this range of me.

It was the day I was supervising the freshmens exam.

The winter break was well on its way, and I had grown accustomed to living without the use of magic. Preparations for expanding the cabin were also in their final stages.

Essentially, all the major tasks that needed to be completed before the next semester were already taken care of. This meant if I could just wrap up supervising this exam successfully, there would be no further issues to worry about.

With a sense of urgency to finish up quickly, I gathered my strength and headed to Assistant Professor Claires research officeit was time to start the day. It seemed I was the first among the academic scholarship students to arrive, as Anis was the only person visible, busy checking magical engineering supplies in a corner of the office.

As I tapped her on the shoulder to greet her, Anis jumped like a grasshopper, instantly putting distance between us, all the way over to the window behind the professors main desk. She then looked at me with a gaze intense enough to bore holes.

Why so sudden? Whats going on?

Umm Its just, you smell. I really dislike the smell of sweat. Please, keep your distance.

The school places significant emphasis on appearances, as much as to have a clause on maintaining dignity in the school regulations. Cleanliness is strictly managed. At least, I had almost never received any remarks about the state of my clothes or appearance.

Though its been relaxed due to the vacation, I sniffed my sleeve to check but didnt notice anything unusual.

I dont smell anything.

And theres this look in your eyes? Or an aura? Something about it just doesnt sit right with me. Anyway, please stay away.

Aniss sudden defensive behavior was more baffling to me than anything. As she usually has her reasons for everything, I simply shook my head and moved on to clean up the research office table which was in disarray.

If I didnt at least tidy up the basics before Assistant Professor Claire arrived, it felt like the office would descend into chaos once again. Aniss failure to sort this out implied she was too busy to take care even of such basic matters, so I decided to help out without being asked.

Mostly, I dealt with documents that had expired processing deadlines and were therefore to be discarded. Gathering various documents together, I picked up a binder that had been left lying in a cornerits volume was quite substantial.

Bang!

Before I could properly file away the documents, the door to the research office burst open, and Assistant Professor Claire strode in confidently.

Hellooo-!

More lively than the students themselves, Claire greeted the morning with cheerful vigor and placed a box of snacks on the table.

Want a scone?

After spreading snacks on the table, Assistant Professor Claire asked Anis to make her some black tea. As Anis was in the middle of checking the magical engineering supplies, I extended my hand to help. Startled, Anis reached out with one hand, keeping a firm distance and holding the other hand to her chest, as if she was hand-feeding a wild animal.

I casually accepted the documents handed to me. The task of checking them was familiar enough not to require additional explanationit was a simple review process.

Ah, Clevius and Yenika have arrived too! Now that the examination management team is all here, we can get things organized and head out!

Biting into a snack, Assistant Professor Claire then plopped down in her chair, unfolded the finalized exam plan on the table with a thud, and began to go over it.

The exam location, as previously announced, is Mount Orun. Since our academic management team consists of four individuals, well each take one of the allocated cardinal directionseast, west, north, and southand conduct our inspections. In the case of an accident or detection of cheating, use the communication equipment provided in advance to report to me. For cheating judgments follow the instructions given in the distributed documents, but I doubt the freshmen will be able to carry out any significant and organized cheating Just remember, you cant go easy on them just because theyre cute juniors!

With that said, she resumed nibbling on her scone.

Leading the group, Assistant Professor Claire was at the forefront, followed closely by Anis. Behind her came Yenika, a senior, and then it was me and Clevius trailing behind. Claire was burdened with a heap of grading papers, while the rest of us were lugging around cumbersome magical engineering equipment. Due to the equipments sensitivity to magic, transporting it via telekinetic magic was strictly prohibited. Although most equipment wouldnt actually suffer damage from such handling, the precaution of manual transport was preferred to avoid any potential issues. Even though the climb wasnt particularly steep, the weight of the equipment made the journey challenging.

The male members, all academic scholarship students, managed to carry their loads without much trouble, but Anis seemed to be struggling, gasping for breath under the weight. Hey, if its too much, hand some over. Youre falling behind, I offered, noting the significant weight of each large, half-dome-shaped piece of equipment. Even the men were breathing heavily from the climb; it was evidently too much for Aniss slighter frame.

As Anis began to lag more noticeably, I passed Yenika, who was also sweating profusely, and caught up to Anis to help lighten her load by taking some of the equipment she was carrying. Ugh, thank you, Senior Yenika. It was really too heavy for me Aah! Anis, turning to express her gratitude and mistaking me for Yenika, was startled upon seeing my face, nearly losing her balance in the process. She managed to regain her footing but not before dropping several pieces of the equipment.

Clank, clatter! The dropped items rolled down the path but were swiftly caught by Clevius below. His reflexes lived up to his reputation as the top combatant. Shouldnt you be more careful?! What if they broke! he admonished, tossing the equipment he caught onto the pile he was carrying. Despite the momentary lapse, Cleviuss strength was undeniable.

Sorry, I didnt expect you to follow me all the way here, Anis panted, her cheeks flushed with exertion. It was clear she was pushing herself too hard. Noticing her determination reminded me of my own experiences with overexertion and the understanding that sometimes, pushing too hard can lead to unnecessary hardship.

Exhausted to the point her ears turned red, Anis was gasping for breath. Observing her, I couldnt help but frown. It was clear to anyone that Anis was pushing herself too hard. Having spent a few days with her, I could tell Anis Haylan was unusually diligent in everything she did. I understood that mentality; living on the edge makes one fear falling behind at the slightest hint of laxity. Ive been there myself, pushing too hard until I was worn out by overwork.

Reflecting on this, Aniss current state felt all too relatable, stirring a desire in me to help her break this cycle. Rest is part of the work, a fact often overlooked. Without recognizing this, enduring success is hard to achieve.

Take a break. Well start setting up without you.

What, what?

Any objections? I glanced back at Yenika and Clevius, who both nodded in agreement.

Anis was carrying around a dozen magical engineering devices. I took them from her, one by one, tossing some to Clevius and some to Yenika, who caught them effortlessly and stowed them away. Soon, Aniss hands were empty.

Just wait a! Why didnt you ask?

I told you to take a break, I stated plainly. Theres no point in forcing it when youre out of energy; it only makes you a burden.

Adjusting the devices in my arms, I gently pushed Anis towards a nearby rock, urging her to sit. She looked up at me, bewildered and breathless.

Rest when you need to. Its only harming you to do otherwise. After saying this, I signaled the others that it was time to continue.

The mountain we were climbing hardly deserved the name. A few more minutes of ascent would bring us to the top.

Ill scatter some magic stones; you two proceed with setting up the devices in the designated spots. We have plenty of time before the newcomers arrive after lunch, said Claire, the assistant professor, with a smile.

Great work, everyone. Finish the setup, check your assigned sections, and then we can start supervising. The operation isnt complicated, so we should be done in about 30 minutes if we place everything as planned, she continued.

Clevius and I, along with Yenika, had reduced our load by installing some devices at checkpoints along the way. Phew To think these low-tier illusion devices weigh this much Higher grades must feel like carrying boulders, Yenika commented, taking a seat on a nearby rock to wipe his sweat. Clevius seemed less affected, quickly refreshing himself with some water and stretching his body.

Considering his physical strength and skill in swordsmanship, it was ironic how hed panic in actual combat. Remembering his past as the black sheep of the renowned swordsmanship family, Nortondale, it was understandable, yet it was a story for Taely to unfold.

Taking a moment to rest, we admired the view from the top of Orun Mountain. A grand altar stood on the open plateau, marked with indecipherable runes on a massive stele, more a pillar than a stone, its top sheared off.

This was the stage for the final battle of Act 3, The Altar of Change. I closed my eyes, recalling the scene: dark clouds above, a genius archmage looking up, apostles of the god Telos with eagle heads covering the sky. The god declared the end of Acken Island, with mages intent on killing the gods apostles and their companions facing off before the altar. A girl, adjusting her large witch hat, stated softly her disbelief in gods.

Hey! What are you doing there! Whos that! Yenikas shout snapped me back to reality.

What is it, Senior Yenika?

Ah, nothing Thought I saw someone atop the altar Hmm, mustve been my imagination It was unlikely anyone would climb such a grand, neglected pillar.

Mustve been the climb. Seeing things, I guess. Yenika shrugged off his concern.

Lets finish setting up the devices and wrap up the test. Once were done, were free until the end of the break. It was a lot of effort for the final task.

Muttering complaints, we got to our feet, busy with the preparations to welcome the new students on time.

Hey. Yenika, about to start installing a device, paused and straightened up.

Seems like some of these are broken Or not?