Maydare Volume 4 Chapter 1 - The Final Exams ~The Honor Student Candidates~ (Part 2)

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The fourth day of the final exams, Magical Physical Education——

This was the most worrisome subject for me. 

Although there was a written exam, it didn’t count for much, and the practical exam was the main part of the exam. 

“What are you all looking so nervous for? This isn’t a hard exam at all. It’s just a little game that will test the ‘self-levitation magic’ and ‘magic walls’ you learned in the second semester.”

We were gathered at the school island sports grounds and Francesca Lila, our instructor in a flashy yellow jersey, promptly told us the contents of the exam.

In Magical Physical Education class, we had been studying physical fitness, core building, basic use of magical tools, and the associated body movement techniques. In the second semester, we newly trained in ‘levitation magic’ and ‘magic walls.’ ‘Magic walls’ was the common name for protective wall magic. 

As the teacher said, the most important thing to be evaluated in the second semester final exam was the mastery of these two types of magic. 

“‘Self-levitation magic’ is more difficult than using levitation magic to make objects float. As the name implies, it is a magic used to levitate oneself and fly through the air as one pleases. Witches and magicians used to fly on brooms, but nowadays, we fly with only our own bodies.” 

That’s right. For magicians, “flying” was an ancient and orthodox magic. 

However, the style had changed over time, and nowadays, the spells and incantations had been simplified, training methods had been established, and so there was no need for special magic tools for flying. 

In short, the image of a magician flying on a broom is now obsolete. 

“Also, ‘magic walls’ are spells for protecting your body from magical attacks, strikes, and assaults. It’s essential for those of you aiming to become magic soldiers in the future!”

Professor Lilia declared to the school jersey-clad students through her magic megaphone. She was a former royal magic soldier, and a capable teacher who had produced many magic soldiers from Lune Ruschia.

“So, all of you, float. And keep resisting my attacks.”   

“Huh?”

Before we knew it, there were two automatons standing on either side of Professor Lila.

Laila-sensei explained that the goal of the exam was to keep avoiding the automatons’ “clinging balls” by using levitation magic to keep your body afloat.

Incidentally, although it is not possible to attack the “clinging balls,” using magic walls to defend against them was allowed. 

Basically, the exam was to see how well we could defend ourselves while flying through the air. 

Points were deducted according to the number of “clinging balls” attached to the body, and the final score was the remaining points. However, there was an additional factor. 

“However, you can have points added. If the defence of your magic walls and your aerial maneuvers shine, you’ll get technical points based on my own judgment and prejudice.”

“Eeeeh!?”

“No complaining, or I’ll deduct points. Now, the exam begins. Line up single file!”

At Professor Lila’s call, the students lined up in single file and waited for their turn. 

Nero was the first one to go in Garnet Team 9. 

“I wonder if Nero will be okay. He doesn’t really seem like he’s good at levitation magic.”

“But magic walls are his forte.”

Just as Lapis said, Nero had a “magic wall” that could be deployed faster than anything else.

Nero was floating in the air, not moving a bit, and the sight of him repelling the onslaught of the clinging balls with his countless magic walls was simply surreal. But that seemed to be acceptable.

“Kuh…levitation magic where you don’t move at all is outrageous, but I can’t take off points either. The strength and deployment of your magic walls are outstanding, and you seem perfectly equipped to become a defensive magic soldier…”

Professor Lila’s sunglasses glinted as she scored furiously.

But I doubted Nero would become a magic soldier…

Next, it was Lapis’s turn. Lapis was a good student who was flawlessly able to use levitation magic and magic walls, and just like Nero, there were zero clinging balls stuck to her body. 

“Wow, you’re amazing, Lapis. Just what I expected!”

“It doesn’t look like you’re going all out at all.”

Like Nero said, I felt that she could have aimed for more points because it seemed like she was holding back, but Lapis seemed to be doing that on purpose.

It was like her to not want to stand out because this was an exam where everyone was watching you, but…

“By the way, Frey is being awfully quiet.”

Frey, who would usually tease people at times like these, was being strangely meek this time, muttering something behind us.

“Oh crap…oh crap…”

Because of the demerit of being an【Earth】Blessed Child, Frey was bad at self-levitation magic. Let alone being bad at it, it must be painful for him.

Also, he had been gripping the back of my jersey this whole time.

Nope, I can’t help you even if you cling to me!

“Next, Frey Levi! Come out now!”

Professor Lila finally called him up, and Frey staggered up to the front.

He floated a little, and wobbled a little.

And then, just like that, he fell to the ground with a pale face. 

He immediately felt groggy. It was too pitiful…

“Hm! You would immediately die in a mid-air battle. But don’t despair. Aim to become a foot soldier!”

Even Professor Lila ended up comforting him by patting his back.

Professor, this person is still a prince, more or less…

The names were called one after another and the practical exam unfolded in front of everyone.

Beatrice, from Garnet Team 9, was too cautious and lost her position in midair, resulting in her being attacked by five clinging balls and a large deduction in points. 

Her butler was frantically tearing the clinging balls out of her hair. 

“Next, Makia O’Drielle!”

It was my turn. 

Despite appearances, I was pretty good at self-levitation magic.

I wasn’t that good at magic walls, but there should be no problem if I just moved around in the air to avoid the balls.

Beep, the whistle sounded, and the automatons shot colorful clinging balls at me.

“!?”

Wait a minute. The first one was practically a blazing fastball!

It passed right by me and blew off the grounds.

“Hey, wait a minute, Professor! Aren’t the balls only going that fast for me!?”

“Of course not…I think.”

No no, I’m pretty sure the clinging balls shot from the automatons were too fast! And there were too many for some reason!

Was this that kind of thing?

Was this the professor’s own kind of revenge towards me, who frequently caused problems during Magical Physical Education class?

If I didn't get good marks here, it would affect my overall grade!

“Haa…haa…water, water…”

In the end, the number of “clinging balls” that stuck to my body was three. 

I didn’t know how many points I got, but I couldn’t lose anyway.

“Makia, are you okay?” 

I chugged the lemon water from the bottle Nero offered me and steadied my breathing.  

I was worked hard by Bishop Eska, so I had plenty of stamina, but this time I was moving around a lot in midair, so it was draining. It was extremely draining.

Magic really took a lot of energy. 

“Whoooooa, that’s incredible!”

That was the moment it happened.

I was in the corner, exhausted, when I heard whooping from the center of the grounds. 

To my surprise, Dan Holland, the leader of Garnet Team 3, was not only floating in the air, but also spinning around freely as he dodged the clinging balls.

He descended at an even faster pace, and then quickly snatched one of his team members' beret and spun it around on his fingers. It was like watching an acrobatic act. 

To be honest…there was no other Garnet first-year who could master self-levitation magic to such an extent.  

“Finally, meeting sch an outstanding talent…you’ll definitely become an excellent aerial magic soldier!”

Professor Lila gave a big thumbs up and began to sob violently.

I was still catching my breath when I met eyes with Dan Holland for a moment. He stuck out his tongue triumphantly. 

He must be confident that he got a much higher score than I did. 

I was so frustrated because I had worked so hard as well, but even though he was my rival, I had to admit Dan Holland's movements were impressive. 

This could create some turbulence in the honor student race. 

“Haaaa~~. I’m exhausted. And starving!”

After the Magical Physical Education exam, Garnet Team 9 gathered at the cafe restaurant on the school island. 

We didn’t usually go to this slightly expensive cafe restaurant, which mainly served aristocrats. 

The reason why we came here was that apparently, we got the best marks in our year for the “Potato Report” assignment we did before, so we received meal tickets for this restaurant as a perk.  

And so, we all ordered the lemon steaks served here. 

“I don’t know how I feel about eating a steak after that tiring Magical Physical Education exam…I’d normally eat it happily, but…I don’t feel like eating it at all.”

Frey was staring at his sizzling steak on the iron plate with an indescribable face.

“It can’t be helped. The meal ticket expires today. And it’s only limited to lemon steak.”

I, on the other hand, was the kind of person who ate a lot after a long day of physical exertion. I rarely ate steak, so I took advantage of the opportunity.

Lemon steak was the signature dish of this cafe restaurant. There were people who even came from outside the school to eat it. 

The dish consisted of thinly sliced round beef with little fat, tossed in a sour-sweet sauce made with plenty of lemon juice and grilled. 

The top of the meat was lined with slices of lemon, which was a nice touch, and made it look like a dish from Miladriede, where lemons were a specialty. 

Oh, the meat was still rare and sizzling on the metal tableware... 

I started eating it right away. Even though it was a steak, it wasn’t too heavy thanks to the refreshing lemon sauce, so it was easy to eat. Even Frey, who had complained about it, started to eat more and more. 

Lemon was very good for relieving fatigue. 

My body,  exhausted from the Magical Physical Education exam, soaked up the tasty flavor of the tender meat and the sourness of the lemons. This might be the meal I needed the most right now, as it let me recover from hunger and fatigue in one fell swoop.

Bishop Eska had also told me to eat less fatty meats to build muscle strength, so I didn’t feel much guilt about it.

For side dishes, there was salad, soup, and oven-baked olive bread. 

This olive bread, as the name suggested, had salted olives kneaded into the dough and was a staple in the Kingdom of Ruschia. However, I wasn’t very familiar with it as I didn’t eat it much in Deliafield. 

But it was very tasty. Every time I bit into it, I could enjoy the texture of the large chopped olives and the strong taste of the olives that seeped into the dough.

When I dipped the bread into the olive oil poured onto a plate, it became even more exquisite.

“Aah, this hits the spot. Delicious food really does heal the body and soul, doesn’t it?”

I sighed with regret after finishing the entire feast, and patted my stomach. 

“Lemon steak and olive bread truly are typical Miladriede dishes.”

Lapis said as she wiped her mouth elegantly. Lemons and olives were indeed the specialties of Miladrid, the first things everyone bragged about. 

And then something occurred to me. 

“Oh, that reminds me. I don't know much about the Frezier Empire where you’re from, but are there any famous dishes?” 

“Frezier? Well…the north and south of the country have very different diets. In the north, stews with spices and jams, hamburgers, sausages, bacon, and other grilled dishes are popular. The food in my hometown was like that, too. Everything is generally light brown. On the other hand, the food in the south is similar to that of the Kingdom of Ruschia. Crops grow well and are plentiful because the Holy Land is there. Also, for Frezier as a whole, potatoes are served with everything.”

“O-Oh, potatoes, huh…”

I gulped.

Nero also added onto what Lapis said.

“In Frezier, potatoes are like a staple food. Boiled potatoes, fried potatoes, mashed potatoes…there are all sorts of potato side dishes.”

“...”

The good marks of our Potato Report allowed us to discover this wonderful lemon steak, but that class really was tough…

I was thinking about that when the waitress brought us cups of after-meal coffee. 

“How do you do, Miss Makia?” 

“Eh, Bis Sis Nagi?”

To my surprise, our waitress was the fourth-year girls’ dorm leader, Nagie Medite.

By the way, she was my cousin, and the young lady Frey had his eye on a little while ago.

Thanks to that, Frey was a bit fidgety. Even though he had turned pale at the mention of potatoes just a few minutes before. 

“Why are you here, Big Sis Nagi? You’re dressed like a waitress.”

“Oh, I work here part-time. There’s going to be a lot of expenses after graduation.”

“But why? You’re the daughter of the Medite house.”

“We have a ‘pay-your-own-way’ motto. It’s pretty strict.”

The Medite family was a prestigious family of potioneers in Miladriede, but their magician aspect was stronger than their aristocratic side, and they didn’t like luxurious and extravagant lifestyles. Because of this, it was easy for them to produce excellent and twisted magicians like my uncle, but Big Sis Nagi was also a member of the Medite family. She would soon graduate from Lune Ruschia Magic School and begin her career at the royal palace. 

The Medites were my mother's side of the family, and my love of learning might be due to my Medite blood. My father said he didn't like studying magic very much after all. 

“I heard about it. After graduation, you will work as a court magician at the royal court, right? And it’s at the First Laboratory, where all the elites gather! Congratulations, Big Sis Nagi!”

The other members of my team also looked at each other and congratulated her, cheering her. 

She seemed to be in a good mood after receiving the congratulations of her underclassmen. 

“Thank you. Well, for an heiress to the Medite family, it’s a boring career track.”

“No, it isn’t boring at all. I am sure that Grandfather Medite is proud of you.”

“Ahahaha! That senile old man? Anyways, you should visit us once in a while. That old man is always worried about you.”

It was true that I haven’t seen the elder of the Medite family’s main house for a long time.  

Although I was his granddaughter, when my mother married my father, there was a bit of a spat, and they became mostly estranged. 

I heard from Uncle Medite and Big Sis Nagi that he didn’t care about it much nowadays, but…

The O’Drielle family really didn't have a very good reputation, I guess. 

“Oh, that’s right. All the first-years look exhausted after the Magical Physical Education exam, but the hardest thing for you guys is tomorrow's Spirit Magic Studies exam, right?”

“What?”

“Professor Ulysses’ second semester exams are super hard, both for the written and practical~”

Big Sis Nagi peered into my face with a slightly mischievous expression.

For some reason, other female students also dressed as waitresses surrounded our table. 

“Oh, yes. Professor Ulysses is hiding the face of a strict teacher under that sweet mask.”

“But that's what's so wonderful about him. It’s the carrot and stick.”

“He’s going to marry into the Vabel State soon, I’m going to cry!”

“Me too!”

The female students in waitress uniforms all sighed.

Surrounded by older students, we felt like running away, but we were definitely curious about what Professor Ulysses was going to give us for our final assignment.

Spirit Magic Studies was the signature subject of Lune Ruschia Magic School. Countless students came here to study under Professor Ulysses, who had mastered spirit magic more than anyone else in the world. 

And yet, Professor Ulysses’ tests were always difficult.

Even I, myself, had yet to receive a perfect score. 

Far from a perfect score, several times I had scored at a level that I couldn’t forgive myself for…

“Oh, I’m kind of getting scared…I wonder if I'll be okay for tomorrow's Spirit Magic Studies exam. I don't have time to be sitting here elegantly sipping a cup of coffee…”

“Calm down, Makia. You should drink your coffee and relax,” In contrast to my panic, my rival Nero was calmly sipping his coffee. “If it’s just the written exam, then it’s reasonable, but the practical exam is completely unpredictable, and you can’t do anything about it now. I’m more worried about you being too tired to think straight.”

“Nero…you’re so relaxed…”

As expected of the top student of our year.

He was a prodigy who easily achieved the top grades in any subject even though he didn’t seem to want to be the honor student. In the first place, he was a genius who invented a rice cooker just by listening to me…

However, since my second semester exams had been going well so far, I couldn’t afford to fail Spirit Magic Studies. 

I couldn’t be idle.

Because my rivals for the top spot were Nero, Beatrice from Team 1, and even Dan Holland from Team 3. 

As soon as I finished my cup of coffee, I went back to my dorm room to repeat my review for tomorrow's final exam, and to prepare myself mentally for the practical exam. 

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