Simon quickly ran to a spot where Mei-rin's screen was clearly visible. The cheers of the crowd could be heard right beside him.On the screen, Mei-rin was facing the elderly Priest alone.Cleverly, she scattered ice to create physical obstacles, while she herself glided forward on the ice, successfully shaking off her pursuer.Her expression clearly showed how exhausted she was. Panting, filled with a fierce determination, she finally entered the Kizen campus.The announcer shouted loudly,-It's not for nothing that they call it the Ivory Tower! Let's give a big round of applause to Mei-rin Billenne, the ninth student to pass...!"You crazy Kizen bastards!"She immediately cursed upon her appearance.Her raw voice was slightly drowned out by the cheers of the crowd, but she huffed and shouted again."Are you even human? Huh? You're trying to kill students! Try to tell me this was a performance evaluation! I'll immediately...!"Click!Click!Click!Suddenly, flashes from magic cameras erupted from all directions, making Mei-rin abruptly stop speaking.Reporters swarmed her, and behind them were scouts dispatched from various organizations. There were even people from the Ivory Tower.‘Ugh.’Only now did Mei-rin grasp the situation."Mei-rin! Please give us a word on passing the exam in the top ranks!"A reporter shouted, holding a magic camera. The reporters crowded closer to her, and the audience chanted her name.After a brief moment of blankness, Mei-rin smoothed her disheveled sky-blue hair with her fingertips, neatly brought her legs together, tidied her uniform, then clasped her hands gracefully and smiled brightly."Hello~ I'm Mei-rin Billenne from Class A, first year."Simon, listening to her voice, which sounded like a gentle spring breeze, let out a hollow laugh.She spoke of how hard she worked and how it was thanks to the magic she learned at Kizen, completely contradicting her earlier insults towards Kizen. Her appearance, smiling and waving towards the magic cameras, even exuded a sense of professionalism.After a brief interview with the announcer, she sighed deeply and descended from the stage."Ah, damn it. So annoying...""Congratulations, Mei-rin."Simon, who had been waiting, clapped his hands and welcomed her. Mei-rin, belatedly noticing him, blushed in embarrassment and subtly waved back."As expected, you were here first. What rank did you get?""First.""Wow, you really are..."She let out a hollow laugh, then spoke in an excited voice."Hey! Anyway, weren't you mentally broken when you first saw those divine monsters made from Prima Materia? Isn't it too much?!"Simon agreed with a smile."Yeah. It was malicious.""Right, right! These malicious people! Doing this on the first day of school is crossing the line!"After pouring out complaints as if she had been waiting, she turned back to the screen with a much lighter expression."Where are Kami and the commoner riff-raff?""You don't need to worry too much."Simon briefed her."Both of them are participating in large parties. They're both central to their parties, and Dick is even acting as the leader.""He always likes to show off, doesn't he?"Mei-rin chuckled."Doesn't he get catharsis from ordering nobles around as a commoner?""I wonder."Simon shook his head."When forming a team, Dick always starts at a disadvantage because of the barrier of status. But in the end, everyone trusts and follows Dick. Isn't that his real strength?"Mei-rin blinked."You're sugarcoating it a lot, aren't you? Did that sly fox give you something?""No, I really think so.""Hmph, always sticking up for him because you're always together."She snorted and looked at another screen."There's no need to even mention our Kami."Even Dick had initially thought Kamibarez wouldn't last long at Kizen, as she lacked athletic ability and was too soft-hearted, but now she was actively performing as a proper Kizen student.They say that people who pretend to be kind are obvious, but those who are genuinely kind are eventually recognized. Seeing people rally around her was admirable.As Simon and Mei-rin chatted, they arrived at the student waiting room.The seats were spacious, as most students had gone to wash up. Hector was also absent, and Shatel, special case student number 3, was also gone.Simon and Mei-rin sat down and chatted, cheering on Dick and Kamibarez."The person who planned this exam is truly malicious, truly malicious."Watching Kamibarez evade the Priests' attacks, Mei-rin still seemed angry, grinding her teeth.-Students from 68th to 75th place are entering!The ranks were quickly filling up.***Kamibarez's final rank was 347th.Dick's final rank was 420th.Unlike top-ranked students like Simon, Mei-rin, and Hector, who entered with overwhelming individual skill, both of them had participated in large teams, which slightly lowered their ranks. Still, this was a stable mid-rank.Simon! Mei-rin!Kamibarez, covered in dirt from head to toe, ran in, tearfully. Simon and Mei-rin comforted her, telling her she did well, and stroked her head."Kami! Thank you so much today!""See you later in Rochester!"Team members who had fought together for a short while waved goodbye.Kamibarez waved back at them, then turned to Simon and Mei-rin again."I'm so happy I can continue school life with you all!"She smiled broadly."Oh my, why are you smiling like an idiot? It breaks my heart, it really does."Mei-rin, crouching in front of Kamibarez, examined the wounds on her knees and feet.It was clear how fierce the battle had been; one of her shoes was missing, and there was blood pooled at the elbows of her uniform."Let's go get treated quickly before you get scars on your skin.""Yes!"Mei-rin took Kamibarez's hand and led her to the infirmary.A moment later, Dick, looking surprisingly fine, approached Simon, waving his hand from afar. His relaxed swagger and sly smile were full of Dick's characteristic playfulness."You worked hard, Dick.""It's the basics~"The two boys bumped fists, celebrating their victory.Dick stretched, making a 'whoosh' sound, and then belatedly looked around."Where are the girls?""At the infirmary. Don't you need to go?""It's just the kind of thing that gets better with a little spit."Dick demanded an explanation of the situation and any information he knew, rather than treatment, and Simon explained everything he had heard from the teaching assistant."Kuh, so it's showmanship, calling all the reporters? Typical Kizen.""You don't seem surprised?""Of course I expected it! Honestly, adults all think the same way. They always act with profit and reputation in mind, no matter the situation. They're simpler than kids, actually."A short while later, the last of the lower-ranked students also entered, and the opening exam concluded.They said the final score would be calculated based on the order of entry, crisis management ability, mental fortitude, long-distance travel methods, and most importantly, their ability to handle divine power and Priests.As an aside, the Netherwhale was safe.The dead Netherwhale's corpse and the red sea of blood were all large-scale illusion magic, created with the mobilization of even The Crows. Many students had their mental fortitude shattered by the sight, so it was a huge success in terms of production.Students who successfully completed the exam were given one hour of free time before the opening ceremony.Numerous students flocked to the communal bathhouse. After washing themselves clean, another set of new Kizen uniforms was prepared.There were no major changes in the design. Dick, who was usually interested in magic items, read the instruction manual first and said that the resistance to divine power seemed to have been slightly enhanced.Students, dressed in crisp, fresh-smelling new uniforms, now headed to the grand auditorium. Mei-rin and Kamibarez were expected to meet them at the grand auditorium, coming from the girls' dormitory.As Simon and Dick walked, mingling with the crowd and chatting, a commotion erupted near the back entrance leading to the teleportation magic circle, on the way to the grand auditorium."Are you really telling us to go like this? You're kidding, right?""What kind of school does this from the opening ceremony!"All the students gathered at the back door were wearing loose, light green clothes that looked like pajamas, not uniforms.‘Ah.’Simon immediately understood the situation and made a sympathetic expression.They were all the 50 students who had failed this opening exam."Outsiders are not allowed to enter."Agents were sweating profusely, blocking the failed students who tried to enter."Outsider? You called me an outsider, you son of a bitch? I'm a student here too!""What kind of school takes away your uniform from the opening ceremony!"Some students stopped to watch the strange spectacle.Most ignored them and went on their way or watched from a distance, but some students deliberately came closer to taunt them."Ugh, how pathetic, how pathetic.""They should have ended on a good note. Why do they have to crawl all the way here?"These were mostly students who held grudges against the failed students."Isn't that Recon from Class B?""He acted so high and mighty. Hurry up and teleport them away."The victors sneered, and the losers cried and screamed."Are you even human!""Commoners, just get lost. They still think they're on the same level.""You couldn't even make a peep in class...!"Just as the level of conversation was escalating on both sides, someone used Spirit Form to slip past the agents who were blocking them with their bodies."It's Spirit Form!"One of the failed Necromancy aspirants ran towards the Kizen campus at a terrifying speed.Thud!But a woman, also maintaining a blurry Spirit Form, instantly subdued him, knocking him to the ground."You can't do this."Naturally, Kizen had also deployed personnel capable of stopping Spirit Form.She grabbed the male student by the scruff of his neck and dragged him back out of the campus."...Teaching Assistant Arista?"At that one word, her steps halted abruptly."R-right? I'm Recon! The Recon that the teaching assistant liked! The Recon who got 90 points in Necromancy!"The male student pleaded, grabbing the teaching assistant's pant leg."Please call Professor Umbra! Something's wrong with this! My duel evaluation was in the upper squad, and my grades were in the top 100, but they're kicking me out? And in such a dirty way, by breaking people's mental fortitude?""...""Teaching Assistant, you know! I almost died during the Saint incident! And I got like that protecting the fleeing kids!"The teaching assistant bit her lip slightly, then spoke."You are no longer Kizen. I will escort you outside."Recon's expression twisted horribly, betrayed even by her. He used Spirit Form again to break free from her grasp."Recon!""Hey! You guys!!"Recon, back to his normal state, shouted at the students."What are you laughing at?! You think you're safe? Are you laughing at me because you're all in the upper squads?!"The gathered students booed and gave him a thumbs down."Boo! Get lost, Recon, you're pathetic!""Who cares if your parents are counts, what's wrong with not becoming a Necromancer?"Just as Recon's eyes flashed, and he was about to draw forth Jet Black.What is this commotion?"A man's voice, neither small nor loud, spread out, overwhelming the audience. The students uniformly parted to the left and right.A man dressed in a white suit from head to toe, wearing a white fedora pulled low, was walking towards them.Instantly, a silence fell so profound that not even a breath could be heard.He took his hands out of his pockets, lightly grasped the brim of his fedora, and lifted it, revealing his eyes hidden in shadow.Bahil, one of Kizen's star professors.In fact, he had just left the execution headquarters and arrived at the auditorium.I asked what the matter was."
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