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As the faculty representative read the greetings, the freshmen gathered in the plaza snorted inwardly. They did not doubt that they would be the next leaders. Their confidence had soared after fulfilling all the requirements for admission to the Academy and passing the entrance exam. The professor, unaware of their thoughts, continued speaking.

“Of course, some of you must be at the bottom, and some must look down from the top. But if there is one thing you should take away from my speech, it is always to remember that the roles can be switched. Those in the trenches may see the light of day, while those above could fall into it.”

The sudden sarcasm in the representative’s voice turned the faces of the freshmen around. Some were confused, some smiled confidently, some stiffened, and some raised their guard.

“Don’t think for a moment that the Academy will educate you with kindness. The people who will be at the top of the heap are the ones who didn’t even enter the Academy in the first place.”

The professor pointed a finger.

“Do you think the Hero who defeated three Disasters that threatened to destroy the world graduated from the Academy? Or the Northern Archduke, renowned for his strength, wisdom, and fairness? Or Her Majesty the Queen, who is said to be the greatest talent of her generation?”

A smile tugged at the professor’s mouth. The new students, realizing what the professor was trying to say, either paled or turned bright red with anger.

“For you wizards, the Tower Master of the Royal Tower, who has now reached her Seventh Circle, began her journey as a full-fledged researcher in the Tower instead of entering the Academy. When she entered, she made her Third Circle on her power alone. She didn’t receive any of the basic training you’ve had to get here, that’s for sure.”

The professor continued, his voice almost too cold. His mouth twisted into a grin as he saw none of them had gotten the memo.

“Don’t think for a moment that passing an entrance exam that a five-year-old could pass makes you the most competent human being in the world.”

The professor’s voice was icy cold. A tremendous amount of pressure radiated from him. One by one, the freshmen students began to change their expressions as his presence crushed them. They were powerless.

“Don’t look so arrogant. You were never at the top, and you’ll have to work harder to see them.”

The professor smiled as he said it.

“Fight them, devour what they know. Take them by the hand and betray them if you must. If you want to keep up with them, the first step is to be the best in this smaller world.”

The newcomers exchanged glances among themselves. The smarter ones hid their teeth, while the not-so-smart ones bared them.

“The placement test is about to begin. If you still haven’t let go of your sense of accomplishment from the entrance exam, you’ll find yourself right at the bottom.”

The professor finished and stepped down from the podium. Cold water splashed down on the new students, who were still reeling from the excitement of being accepted into the Academy, and they began to follow the staff with dazed expressions.

The professor let out a long sigh and looked at the little ducklings. It was an annual tradition to kill the freshmen’s spirit. Their seniors had the same look, hearing the same words and beginning to realize the reality of the Academy’s process. They’d take the placement test, go through the courses, and then they’d know.

“So, how was it?”

The students filed out of the square. The professor slowly walked toward the Hero, who was sitting in the corner of the room, terrified. He frowned, his gaze following the students as they walked away.

“Interesting fellows.”

Not enough to impress him, but just enough to intrigue him. The Hero’s assessment was similar to the professor’s. A smile tugged at the corners of the professor’s mouth.

“It’s a requirement we do this every year. The kingdom needs sturdy workers, not ambitious people with big dreams.”

The professor paused and looked out at the empty chairs in the plaza.

“Well, the truth is, only those who take that attitude will survive. I can’t tell you how many students return to being cocky only to fall repeatedly.”

“How kind of you to look out for the students.”

The professor smiled, realizing the Hero understood the message of his speech.

“You didn’t try to lull them into a false sense of security with sweet lies nor destroy their pride. You gave them hope that if they work hard, they’ll eventually reach our level.”

The Hero looked at the professor and smiled faintly.

“You’re quite the educator even when you pretend not to.”

“It’s a strange feeling to hear you say that. Is that the viewpoint of someone at the top?”

The Hero smiled bitterly and shook his head.

“It’s something I’ve never thought about. Hierarchy. If this world were to be destroyed by a Disasters, would anyone be left to talk about such platitudes?”

The words were cynical, but that was the responsibility of the Hero. He stood up from his seat. The professor bowed his head in embarrassment.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it that way. I certainly didn’t mean to criticize you.”

The Hero smirked and held out his hand.

“You don’t need to apologize. But if you want to, you should go to the Astronomical Society; they could use more hands.”

With that, the Hero walked away. The professor sighed and rubbed his eyes. When he opened his eyes again, the Hero had long gone.

***

I went to Daphne’s lab. I stared at the image projected by a crystal that acted like a projector. It showed the building where the placement test had just begun. The event caused everyone in the Tower to stop what they were doing and watch.

“It’s another draw. By the way, how accurate is this thing?”

“Depending on how much mana you put into it and who the architect of the artifact is, the accuracy will vary, but I believe they use the same principle. They use magic to rapidly imprint an image and send it to another source. While you could use space magic to link the two together, it would be quite a waste to use it for such a mundane task.”

Daphne was more interested in the crystal’s workings than the new students.

“…Twisting space…what if we could do that for the Sixth Disaster…”

Daphne was pushing herself, and not even by a small amount. By all accounts, Daphne was overworked. She’s been like this ever since the Mist. She’d been working day and night, researching, raising her mana, and learning new spells. She’d already read the spellbooks she’d borrowed from the Holy Land to the point where she could recite them in her sleep.

“Thank you as always.”

I know why she was working hard. Daphne was the only one who could help me against this Disaster.

“…It’s nothing new.”

Daphne said, then turned to me.

“The fact that I can be of use to Elroy is the greatest repayment because you and no one else brought me this far.”

Daphne’s growth, which I had taken for granted, was not as easy as I thought it had been for her. She smiled brightly and leaned her head against my shoulder.

“So, stay where you are, don’t go anywhere, and don’t even think about letting me go.”

Daphne’s hair smelled like lavender. I nodded and looked at her. She giggled and pushed my chin toward the crystal.

“And, for now, we’ll just have to watch them.”

Soon, the view from inside the building changed to a deep forest. The closest thing I can imagine is the forest beyond Evernode’s outer walls. I shake my head, remembering the fierce battles of that time. The monsters there are a far cry from the cute teddy bears and boars of the Capital.

“I wonder if they’ll bring it somewhere close to Evernode’s level.”

“Probably. They will have to start from a lower level so that the beginners even have a chance of fighting.”

Daphne flicked her crystal, and multiple screens of different students popped up.

“Okay, here are all the screens of the students to look out for.”

I frowned and stared at the dozen or so people who seemed flustered. But I won’t watch them for their expressions alone. I observed all of them very carefully.

Then monsters appeared.

The panicked voices of the new students erupted here and there, screams began to rise, and in a blink of an eye, a couple of them were already down. Before I could take a good look, the personalized screens were cut off one after another until all but three were left.

“…I expected it, but that was much faster than expected.”

Daphne murmured. I squinted at the three remaining screens.

“Was I lucky, or did….”

A dark-haired girl stared into the camera as if she knew she was being watched.

“Is that her….”

“Yeah.”

The other two’s screens went black, and I glanced at the list of students.

“Her name is….”

Then, as I looked up, a monster started approaching the girl.

“Natalie.”

Flames rose from her hand, and blood filled the air.