Chapter 107: Child created entirely from uniqueness
Magic has always been one of the most highly valued fields of study, both in the past and in modern times.
If there is a method to manipulate reality itself, it is only natural to develop it.
Under that premise, the study of magic has advanced to an unpredictable level.
Therefore, this exam is considered quite important in the modern magical society.
If you win, you not only earn 1 million gill but also qualify to participate in the International Magic Tournament.
Winning the Academy Magic Competition and then advancing to the International Magic Tournament surely fuels the competitive spirit of young children.
It’s much like the gladiators in the ancient arenas.
Endless competition.
Still, having a goal is a good thing.
People cannot grow without goals, and competition can provide a simple and clear standard for setting those goals.
Though, the fact that you have to step on others to rise isn’t particularly romantic.
***
“Luke, wake up now. We’re almost there.”
“Ugh… Are we there already?”
Luke rubbed her eyes and stretched.
Living with Diana recently had left her mentally exhausted, making it hard to stay awake.
The steady noise and jolts of the vehicle at a tiring moment were like sitting in a comfortable chair with a lullaby playing.
How could Luke not sleep in that situation?
“That’s the Magic Tower.”
Luke turned her head in the direction Dighton pointed and nodded.
“The Magic Tower, it’s been a long time.”
Luke recalled an old memory of irritating the Magic Tower with a statement that wizards who don’t try to understand the world itself are not true wizards.
As a wizard born with practical magic skills, Luke could never understand the wizards who stayed in the tower all day doing nothing but research.
Moreover, she loathed the Magic Tower’s extreme information control, never sharing the information they discovered with others.
How could knowledge develop if one’s knowledge is never shared?
Luke believed such selfishness hindered the progress of magic and aimed to spread this belief while running her academy.
Though the Magic Tower slowly loosened its secrecy, they still didn’t view Luke favorably.
“The Magic Tower probably doesn’t remember me from back then.”
Luke chuckled.
“Why are you so excited?”
Dighton found it difficult to understand Luke’s amusement.
Well, people usually get very nervous before an exam, but Luke showed no signs of anxiety.
She even slept peacefully before she got into the car.
“If it were me, I’d be too nervous to sleep.”
It was the first time Dighton had seen someone genuinely excited about taking a test.
Though Luke wasn’t an ordinary kid to begin with…
“Did she get brainwashed into liking studying or something?”
Honestly, that seemed more likely.
If brainwashing someone to enjoy studying without any side effects were possible, it would make a fortune from countless parents.
***
“This is the Magic Tower.”
“…”
The Magic Tower, which they reached guided by Dighton’s hand, was astonishing, to say the least.
A towering structure, surrounded by large and small buildings in a circular formation, with a sign at the entrance reading ‘Fria Magic Tower Society.’
On ordinary days without special events, these buildings served the Magic Tower’s functions.
“Wow…”
Luke, looking up at the towering structure, was genuinely impressed.
The Magic Tower soared vertically into the sky, almost seeming to touch it, much higher than it had been 5,000 years ago.
“It’s much more impressive in person than it was when I searched it on the computer.”
That tall Magic Tower had a charm that couldn’t be captured in photographs.
Originally, the Magic Tower was a tall structure.
Due to the nature of magic, which requires the positions of stars, mana, and calculations intertwined with them, it naturally had a deep connection with astronomy. The higher you were from the ground, the clearer the sky’s mana you could observe.
Therefore, for the past 5000 years, Magic Towers were built as high as possible, using all magical knowledge available.
To capture a clearer celestial image in the crystal ball.
“If it’s that tall, you can get incredibly clear picture.”
“Well, I suppose so.”
Dighton answered nonchalantly.
It’s the rooftop, they’ll take care of it.
Ordinary people are generally not very interested in what happens in the Magic Tower.
The facts uncovered they don’t immediately change the lives of the masses.
But Luke was not an ordinary person; she was a wizard.
Naturally, her interest in the Magic Tower was vastly different from Dighton’s.
What to do, I’m more interested in the Magic Tower than in the exam.
But for now, it’s right to hold back.
Currently, due to preparations for the magic competition, they must be short on manpower.
“Where should we go to take the exam?”
“I don’t know. Go and ask at the information desk.”
As Luke walked towards the information desk, the receptionist who had been watching her with a pleased expression smiled warmly and asked,
“What brings you here, little lady?”
“……”
Little lady, it was always such an uncomfortable term to hear.
I’m not little, and I’m not a lady.
How could they get it so wrong?
“I’m here to participate in the magic competition… I have a recommendation letter. Where should I go?”
“Oh my, is that so? And you’re so young, with a recommendation letter? That’s impressive~.”
The staff member answered Luke with an exaggeratedly sweet voice, smiling widely.
It was clearly treating him like a child.
The sight of a girl in a school uniform holding up a neatly folded recommendation letter while trying to look serious was indeed an amusingly unbalanced sight.
Moreover, her ears and tail were twitching and swaying as if inviting touch, as if they were saying, ‘Pet me.’
But Luke’s expression had already turned quite cold, so the receptionist couldn’t act on that impulse.
Had Luke’s expression been even a bit more relaxed, they wouldn’t have been able to resist.
“Ha…”
Dighton, who was watching from the side, turned his head and stifled a laugh.
Anyone could see he was holding back his laughter.
Luke sighed and said,
“…Stop teasing me and please guide me.”
***
“Everyone, please take your seats.”
Each seat was numbered, and Luke sat down in the seat corresponding to the number she received upon entering.
Although the test paper was already on the desk, the cover stated not to open it until instructed, so she left it as it was.
With nothing to do, Luke looked around while waiting blankly.
‘Hmm, as expected, everyone here is a young adult.’
There wasn’t a single child as small as himself.
She had expected this, but it seemed to draw more attention to her than she had anticipated.
Luke scratched her chin.
Is it really that strange for a child to take the test?
If the regulations were set this way, it should be within the realm of expectation.
Anyway, while enduring many gazes, the proctor who had been checking his wristwatch at the front spoke up.
“Begin when the bell rings.”
A few seconds after those words, the bell rang, signaling the start of the test.
-Ding, Ding –
As if that sound was the starting signal for a race, the children immediately opened their test papers and began solving the questions written on them.
Luke also opened her test paper in sync with them.
Included with the test paper was a grading scroll, an enchanted scroll that could conduct multiple gradings in an instant.
This scroll, which combined simple anti-counterfeiting measures with a tracking spell, graded with incredible precision and coldness.
It wasn’t a person grading the papers; a simple mistake in writing could turn the test taker’s hard work into trash—such a frightening magical tool.
Luke was slightly impressed by the scroll’s precision and ruthlessness.
However, the questions seemed oddly flowery and out of place for such cold precision.
Well, after all, it was for children to solve.
Luke, showing a hint of disappointment, started marking the answers on the grading scroll.
***
The supervisor looked at the children sitting in their seats.
They all looked like diligent children.
Among them, the most noticeable was a small child with the youngest and most unique appearance.
So small and cute that one might wonder if this child could solve such a difficult test, the little Demi-human’s feet didn’t even touch the floor because the desk and chair were too big for their body.
With platinum blonde hair, cat ears perked up, some sort of horn protruding sideways, a fluffy, chubby tail, and heterochromatic eyes, the child was too eye-catching not to draw attention.
The other children were also staring at the unique child.
‘Oh no, I need to give instructions for the test.’
“Start solving when the bell rings.”
Although it was inappropriate, the child’s unique appearance had captivated the supervisor’s attention, causing time to pass quickly, so the instructions were given a bit hastily.
Perhaps the child’s appearance was so mystically charming that it seemed to fit despite the unusual features.
While observing the Demi-human child taking the test, the supervisor wasn’t even sure if proper supervision was being done.
After about five minutes, the child raised a hand.
‘Did they make a mistake on the scroll?’
Mistakes on the grading scroll were not uncommon.
The child looked about ten years old, so such a mistake was somewhat endearing, wasn’t it?
Smiling to avoid alarming the child, the supervisor took a new grading scroll and approached to hand it over.
However, the child, looking flustered, shook their head and said,
“I’ve finished. It seems there’s been a misunderstanding. Here, take it.”
With a bright smile, the child handed over the test paper.
Indeed, the answers were all filled in…
‘Did they just guess?’
It made sense; the test was too difficult for a ten-year-old to solve.
“So, what should I do now?”
“Well, you can sleep or do anything you want as long as it doesn’t disturb others.”
“Hmm… Alright. May I go out, then?”
“Do you need to go to the bathroom?”
Did they guess all the answers because they suddenly needed to use the bathroom?
Unfortunately, it seemed this was the child’s first big test, and they had been overly nervous.
But the child denied it.
“…No, but.”
“Then you can’t leave your seat. During the test, you can’t leave your seat at will.”
“Then why is going to the bathroom an exception?”
“That’s unavoidable. We can’t have accidents in our pants, can we?”
“Oh, then I need to go to the bathroom.”
It seemed they indeed needed to go to the bathroom.
Being a girl, it was probably embarrassing to admit it directly. How cute.
“Shall we go together then?”
“…Do I have to go with someone?”
“Of course. I’m not saying you would do that, but if you don’t, you might go to another class and do something weird.”
“That’s true. It can’t be helped then.”
But what was with that way of speaking?
The child used a mature tone effortlessly.
If there were a child created entirely from uniqueness, it would be this one.