Chapter 2: Dark Horse

────.

“It’s been a while… Sistie… I’m so happy to see you again…”

“What!? Really, Ellen, you got picked as a representative candidate too!? That’s amazing!”

“Yeah! Sistie, I might not be suited for this stage… but I worked hard, you know? Ehehe…”

“Alright then, let’s both do our best to make it as representatives, Ellen!”

“Yup, let’s do this, Sistie!”

────.

“Sen—sei! Sensei! Sensei! Are you even listening!?”

“Gah!?”

The shrill, irritated voice of a girl pierced his ears, snapping Glenn back to reality.

“W-w-w-what’s that, White Cat!?”

When Glenn glanced beside him, there was Sistine, pouting with an exasperated expression.

Ahead of them, he could see the backs of Rumia and Re=L, chatting happily as they walked.

They were in the quiet streets of Fejite, still shrouded in morning mist.

The familiar crossroad and the sloping path leading upward were part of the usual route to the Alzano Imperial Magic Academy.

“Jeez! Were you even listening to me?”

“Uh… yeah, yeah, I was listening, I was listening…”

Last night, Sistine had run into Ellen on her way home and ended up deeply disheartened.

Today was the morning after that awful night. Having rested for a night and regained her composure, Sistine was in the middle of explaining the situation with Ellen to Glenn.

“She was your childhood friend, right!? You and Ellen, even before you met Rumia!”

Glenn frantically dredged up his recent memories, trying to cover his tracks.

He felt like he’d just glimpsed some impossible memory, but he brushed it aside.

“Yes… that’s right.”

Though still miffed, Sistine decided pursuing it was pointless and continued.

“You know how, when I was a kid, I used to play a lot with Leos, who died in that incident, right? Every vacation, I’d go to the Kleitos territory to hang out…”

“Uh, let’s see… your dad, Leonard-san, and Leos’ dad, Graham, were friends, weren’t they?”

“Yes, exactly. So, naturally, I ended up playing with Leos’ younger sister, Ellen, too… though this was when we were really little.”

Sistine let out a heavy sigh.

“Leos and Ellen were incredibly close as siblings. But while Leos was blessed with a talent for magic… unfortunately, Ellen, even looking at her generously… well…”

“…I get it. The gap in natural talent is a tough thing to overcome.”

Glenn nodded with a certain weighty understanding.

“Unfortunately, the Kleitos family is a newly risen house of magicians. Because of that, they’re completely obsessed with talent… and it seems everyone in the family treated Ellen coldly. Some relatives even said she wasn’t fit for the Kleitos name and should be sent away as an adopted child, or that they didn’t need her since they had Leos… But her father, Graham, the head of the family, and her brother, Leos, did everything they could to protect her from the family’s pressure.”

“…Leos, huh? So he was a good big brother to his sister.”

Leos Kleitos. Glenn had always thought of him as an insufferable, self-centered narcissist… but people are complex.

Perhaps part of the reason Leos had pursued Sistine so aggressively was to solidify his position by aligning with the Fibel family, thereby protecting his vulnerable sister, Ellen… It could’ve been one of his motivations. The truth was lost to the shadows.

If they’d met under different circumstances, maybe he and Leos could’ve been good friends.

“But then Graham-san passed away early from illness… and Leos, who was likely Ellen’s only emotional anchor, died in that incident… The burden and heartache Ellen must have endured are beyond imagination…”

“I’m starting to get the picture. With Leos gone, Ellen’s the only one left of the Kleitos main family’s next generation. Naturally, she’s the heir to the headship… but then there’s Levin from a branch family, a real wildcard. Sounds like a family feud brewing—arguments over who’s more suited to lead.”

“That’s why I can’t stand nobles…” Glenn muttered, exasperated.

“For Ellen to grow into someone worthy of representing the Kleitos Academy, and to throw such bold words at me… she must have worked tirelessly. She’s probably been through hell, all to prove she’s worthy of being the next head of the Kleitos family.”

“Still, what’s with her hostility toward you? Is it just jealousy or resentment over your talent?”

“That’s…”

Sistine fell silent, lost in thought, before murmuring softly.

“She probably… resents me. I’m one of the reasons she was pushed into that hell… one of the reasons Leos died…”

Sistine gave a dry, lonely smile.

“Hey, White Cat, that’s—”

Glenn tried to reprimand Sistine, who was sinking into self-blame.

“…I know, I know it’s irrational. I know it’s pointless to dwell on it. But I can’t help thinking… if Leos were still alive, Ellen wouldn’t have to…”

Sistine let out a dark, heavy sigh.

“…Honestly, her words yesterday really hit me hard.”

“White Cat.”

“She was right about everything. Deep down, I didn’t believe Ellen could ever make it as a candidate. All that talk about being rivals or having a fair fight… looking back, it was just empty, superficial words. To be blunt, I was looking down on her.”

“…”

“I… I got cocky again without realizing it… I couldn’t imagine the struggles Ellen’s been through, and I hurt her with my careless words…”

Glenn placed a gentle hand on the dejected Sistine’s head.

“Yeah, maybe you’re right.”

“…Sensei?”

“Not noticing how your casual actions or words can hurt someone… that’s tough, isn’t it? But being able to recognize it afterward and reflect on it—that’s more than good enough. Nobody’s perfect. …You’re doing great.”

Sistine’s cheeks flushed as Glenn ruffled her hair.

“…D-don’t treat me like a kid!”

“Heh, what’s a brat like you talking about?”

Chuckling softly, Glenn continued.

“It’s cliché, but… maybe the first step is to acknowledge Ellen’s feelings.”

“Acknowledge her feelings…?”

“Yeah. From what I’ve heard, Ellen’s been training herself to the brink to surpass you, to carve out her own future. But even so, are you gonna throw the fight and let her win? Are you gonna hand over the Main Wizard spot?”

“T-that’s…”

“No way, right? That’d be the ultimate insult to someone as desperate as Ellen—treating her like a charity case, like you’re above her. If you did that, you’d be done for good. Plus, you’ve got your own reasons for not wanting to lose, don’t you?”

“…”

“Give it everything you’ve got. Face Ellen head-on with all you have. …Then you can talk.”

Sistine stared at Glenn’s profile in a daze for a moment…

“You’re right. Got it! Thank you, Sensei!”

She smiled brightly, her doubts dispelled, with newfound resolve.

“But… you’ve really changed lately, Sensei. You’re almost like a real teacher now.”

Sistine teased, as if getting back at him for treating her like a kid earlier.

“I am a teacher, you idiot!”

Glenn reached out to grab Sistine’s head, but she dodged with a playful laugh and ran ahead to catch up with Rumia and Re=L.

“…Geez, cheeky little…”

Though he glared after her, Glenn couldn’t help but smile wryly.

Not bad. Lately, spending time with his students like this really wasn’t bad at all.

(But—what’s this?)

Suddenly, a strange unease bubbled up from the depths of his heart, making Glenn frown.

There was something off about Sistine and Ellen’s situation.

On the surface, it seemed like the conversation he’d just had with Sistine summed it up.

A clash between the haves and have-nots. In a way, it was just a typical page of youthful drama for students—nothing more, nothing less.

But—something was wrong.

It felt like a deeper issue… like there was some unfathomable malice lurking beneath it all.

That sudden feeling hit him out of nowhere—

After arriving at the academy, Glenn parted ways with Sistine and the others for a while.

As he dealt with various assigned tasks and paperwork, the time eventually came.

Glenn headed straight to the outdoor facility in the northeastern part of the Alzano Imperial Magic Academy’s grounds—a coliseum-like structure known as the Magic Arena.

The first test of the selection process was the “Mana Measurement.”

Today, sixty representative candidates would gather at the Magic Arena for the mana measurement.

The academy’s instructors would take turns serving as measurement officials.

Naturally, Glenn was one of those officials, and with Rumia and Re=L as his assistants, he trudged reluctantly toward the venue.

“Ugh… now begins the dreaded monotonous work…”

“Haha… hang in there, Sensei.”

Glenn sighed at Rumia’s encouragement.

“Uh, White Cat’s already at the venue, right?”

“Yes. All the representative candidates seem to have gathered early. You know, they need to do things like mental focus, mana circulation breathing, and other warm-up preparations before the measurement.”

Glenn and Rumia chatted as they walked.

Re=L followed behind, nibbling on a strawberry tart.

Soon, the massive bowl-shaped Magic Arena came into view, filling their field of vision… when suddenly—

Whoosh! Someone stepped in front of Glenn, blocking his path.

“Hmph. I’ve been waiting for you.”

“Geh, you…!?”

The man, exuding a gloomy, downer vibe, was familiar.

He was the one who’d barged into the emergency faculty meeting the other day, making outrageous demands of Headmaster Rick—Fossil Lefoy Ertoria, the academy’s professor of magical archaeology.

“I’ve heard about you. You’re Glenn, right? Come on, hurry up. Follow me.”

Before Glenn could react, Fossil rudely grabbed his collar and tried to drag him off somewhere with surprising strength.

“Huh!? Wait, hold on, Fossil!? What the—!?”

“When I asked who the best instructor for rough stuff was, everyone pointed to you. I’m appointing you as my assistant. You should feel honored to assist me.”

“No, that’s not—!”

“What, you want payment? Fine, I’ll give you a signed copy of my book later. You’ll love it, right?”

“I don’t want it! And that’s not the point—listen to me!”

In front of a stunned Rumia and Re=L, Glenn was being forcibly dragged away by Fossil. Managing to wrench Fossil’s arm off, he leaped back.

“Explain from the start! What’s with this rudeness!? What are you trying to do!?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Fossil sighed, as if Glenn were the slow one.

“We’re sneaking into the forbidden sealed archive of the academy’s library without permission. They didn’t grant me access, so I need your skills for this rough job.”

“Officer, over here—!”

Faced with yet another breed of eccentric unlike anyone he’d met before, Glenn could only clutch his head in despair.

“Don’t try to make me an accomplice to your crime! Are you trying to get yourself killed!? Without a viewing permit, you’ll be prey to the labyrinthine otherworld and countless magical traps!”

“Hmph, that’s exactly what I’m hoping for.”

“You’re hoping for it!?”

“If it means unraveling the mysteries of ancient civilizations, it’s a worthy death. That’s just how humans are, right?”

“Don’t lump all humans into your twisted worldview! And wait—you’re supposed to be under house arrest for all the stunts you’ve pulled!”

“No problem. I am the law.”

“You’re an utterly hopeless human being, you know that!?”

This was only Glenn’s second encounter with Fossil, but he already understood the man painfully well. Despite his gloomy, downer aura, his actions were recklessly aggressive and upbeat. In a word, he was trouble.

“I need to analyze this statue I stole as soon as possible. If I’m stuck at home, I can’t access analytical grimoires or ancient texts. Do you get that?”

Fossil thrust a bizarre statue in Glenn’s face, who roared back.

“You’re the one who doesn’t get it! And you stole that thing!? Didn’t you return it—?”

“Hah. I swapped it with a fake. Those idiots didn’t notice a thing.”

“The idiot here is you!”

Glenn was already desperate to avoid any further involvement with this man.

“Whatever. Let’s go. I’m giving you the honor of helping me uncover a piece of the greatest mystery of ancient civilization—the truth behind The Celestial Taum. You’re thrilled, right? Come on.”

Completely ignoring Glenn, Fossil grabbed his collar again, trying to drag him off—

Glenn sighed, grabbed Fossil’s arm, tucked Fossil’s head under his armpit, hoisted him upside down, and fell backward—

“Here we go!”

“Gyaah—!”

He slammed Fossil’s back into the ground with a spectacular thud.

“Guh… that was a splendid brainbuster, Glenn-sensei… as expected of the man I chose… urk…”

“God, what is wrong with this guy…?”

Glenn looked down at the sprawled, white-eyed Fossil with a gaze reserved for garbage.

“Um… Sensei, are you and Fossil-sensei acquainted?”

For some reason, Rumia asked.

“…? Nah, I only met him the other day. Why? Do you know him?”

“Well, yes… he’s kind of Sistie’s nemesis.”

“Nemesis?”

Glenn tilted his head, and Rumia gave a wry chuckle.

“Yeah. Sensei, do you remember when you went with Professor Arfonia to explore the ruins of the Taum Celestial Temple?”

“Of course I do.”

How could he forget? It was the journey where Glenn and his group first faced a Demon General Star.

“A little before that, Fossil-sensei was recruiting for an exploration team for another ruin. Sistie volunteered, but Fossil-sensei found all sorts of faults with her and rejected her… That’s why Sistie was so eager to join your expedition.”

“Oh, so that’s why White Cat was acting so weird back then?”

Glenn looked down at the unconscious Fossil with exasperation.

“Also, every time Fossil-sensei publishes a paper, Sistie diligently reads it, agreeing, criticizing, praising, or tearing it apart… To Sistie, Fossil-sensei is like a sparring partner. Even though they’re decades apart in age…”

Glenn recalled Fossil’s tone-deaf ramblings about magical archaeology from the other day.

(So that’s where I recognized that vibe from…)

They say birds of a feather flock together.

It all made sense. Utterly trivial, but it made sense.

“Whatever. If White Cat were here, they might’ve hit it off, but she’s busy right now. Let’s just get to the venue already.”

Leaving Fossil behind, Glenn started walking.

“Oh, right.”

Rumia quickly cast a healing spell on Fossil, then took Re=L and followed Glenn.

“Alright… today, you lot are doing the mana measurement.”

Upon arriving at the plaza within the Magic Arena, a large crowd of students was already gathered.

A total of sixty representative candidates from the Alzano Imperial Magic Academy, St. Lily Magic Girls’ Academy, and Kleitos Magic Academy, all fully prepared.

At the measurement site, three massive glass cylinders filled with a mysteriously glowing blue liquid were arranged at the vertices of a triangle.

Within each cylinder’s liquid floated a small crystal, and beside each cylinder was a monolith-type magical calculator directly connected to the cylinder via a magic circle drawn on the ground.

The students from the three academies were gathered around these glass cylinders.

“You’ve all done this regularly at your respective academies, but we’re taking the latest data today.”

“Hey, Glenn,” Re=L asked curiously from beside him.

“We’re… measuring mana, right?”

Re=L poked at the glass cylinder, tilting her head.

“How do we do that?”

“You… you’ve had your mana measured with this Mauzer-type Mana Measurement Device tons of times in the military… Whatever, I’ll explain it for the students here as a refresher on how it works.”

Glenn tapped the glass cylinder and addressed the surrounding representative candidates.

“This is a Mauzer-type Mana Measurement Device, the standard mana measurement device used across the empire. It can measure both mana capacity and mana density at once. Now, mana capacity and mana density—what are those? Let’s see… Colette, you answer.”

“Huh? Uh…”

Colette broke into a slight cold sweat, fumbling for an answer.

“Which is which… Okay, mana capacity is the total amount of mana a person’s body can hold… and mana density is the density of the mana refined into magic… right?”

“Correct. Not bad, Colette. Even you can handle a question from the first-year curriculum. Impressive!”

“Yes! Sensei praised me! Hah, take that, Alzano Academy losers!”

“You’re being mocked, you know,” Wendy sighed with a deadpan stare at the smug Colette.

Ignoring the noisy bunch, Glenn continued.

“Normally, the body takes in mana from the outside world through breathing and other vital activities, storing it as internal mana. However, there’s a limit to how much mana can be stored. Once that limit is reached, excess mana is expelled from the body. That limit is called ‘mana capacity.’

Magicians refine internal mana into magic through mana manipulation to cast spells, so the more mana you have, the more spells you can cast.

But the magic refined from mana naturally varies in quality.

Even with the same spell and the same amount of mana consumed, higher mana density results in a more powerful spell, while lower density makes the spell weaker.

This density or quality of refined magic is what we call ‘mana density.’

If you have high mana capacity, you can cast more spells, and if you have high mana density, you can cast more powerful spells. That’s the gist of it.

Generally, men are better at refining internal mana into magic, meaning they excel in mana density, while women are better at taking in and storing external mana, meaning they excel in mana capacity. So, the common belief is that men can cast more powerful spells, while women can cast more spells overall.”

This was basic knowledge, known to almost everyone.

But many instructors would tell students to learn it from textbooks, glossing over it.

Hearing Glenn’s clear explanation, the students let out murmurs of admiration.

“Now, with that in mind, this Mauzer-type Mana Measurement Device… see the magic circle drawn on the glass cylinder here? When you place your hand on it and channel your mana…”

Glenn placed his hand on the magic circle drawn on the side of the glass cylinder, taking a deep breath to channel his mana. The magic circle automatically activated, beginning to glow brilliantly.

“This magic circle automatically absorbs the mana you’ve channeled. Then…”

Crack, crack, crack…

The crystal floating inside the cylinder began to grow with audible sounds, steadily increasing in size.

“The absorbed mana causes the crystal to convert the special alchemical solution (Alkahest) around it, making it grow. The amount of mana absorbed corresponds to the crystal’s increased mass, and the density of the mana reflects the crystal’s elemental array structure. By analyzing these with the monolith-type magical calculator (Magiputer) nearby… Rumia.”

“Yes, I understand, Sensei.”

Following Glenn’s instructions, Rumia operated the monolith.

As she did, rows of glowing text and structures danced across the monolith’s surface… until finally, a string of characters and numbers appeared at the top.

“This is how it gets output as numerical values in Mauser units.”

211.《Mana Capacity: 1865 MP》

212.《Mana Density: 121 AMP》

““““…””””

The students who saw these numbers wore subtly awkward expressions.

It wasn’t an exceptionally poor value for a mage… but for someone serving as an instructor at the world’s premier magic academy, well, it was, how should I put it, rather telling.

“By the way, a first-rate mage typically has a mana capacity of around 3000 and a mana density of about 150… H-huh? Why do I suddenly feel tears welling up…?”

“S-Sensei! P-please don’t cry! You’re… you know, amazing with your magical knowledge and combat skills! So, please…!”

As Glenn trembled, pressing the back of his hand to his eyes, Rumia hurriedly tried to console him.

Thus began the first test of the Magic Festival representative selection: mana measurement.

The students lined up in front of the three glass cylinders, taking turns to measure their mana.

And so, the excitement began, with students rejoicing or despairing over their results.

“Let’s see…《Mana Capacity: 1643 MP》,《Mana Density: 85 AMP》.”

“Not bad, Kash. You’re growing steadily.”

“Hell yeah!”

Kash struck a triumphant pose at the numbers Rumia read out.

For students of this age, the average mana capacity was around 1300–1400, and mana density was about 50–60, so Kash’s numbers were quite impressive for his generation.

“Man, your mana’s grown a ton in just half a year!”

“Heh! Like you said, Sensei, I’ve been diligently training my mana refinement every day! At this rate, I might surpass you by graduation!”

“Idiot. With your talent, I’d be disappointed if you didn’t surpass me. If I can’t help someone like you go beyond my level, I’d be a pretty useless teacher.”

Among the students Glenn taught at the magic academy, there were several like Kash who he believed would one day far surpass him as mages and achieve great things.

(It’s oddly satisfying… watching these kids grow so steadily.)

Back in his military days, Glenn would likely have felt jealousy or resentment toward those with greater talent, his heart prickling with bitterness… but life is a strange thing.

Feeling an odd sense of calm, Glenn continued measuring the students’ mana with Rumia and Re=L’s assistance.

As expected, the sixty students gathered here were truly the cream of the crop.

They consistently produced exceptionally high values for their age group, with mana capacities ranging from 1600–1800 and mana densities from 80–100.

And even among them, there were always a few who stood out even further.

“Wendy… Mana Capacity 2024, Mana Density 94… What!? You finally broke the 2000 mark!? And your density is consistently high too!?”

“Hmph! For someone destined to inherit the Nablesse name, this is only natural!”

“Gibul… Mana Capacity 1950, Mana Density 145… Huh!? 145!? When did you…?”

“Hmph. If you’re done, can I go now?”

“Heh heh! Did you see that, Sensei!? My numbers! Mana Capacity 2490!”

“Me too, me too! Mana Capacity 2510! Praise me, please!”

“Yeah, that’s amazing, Colette, Francine. But… your Mana Density is 64 and 62… Don’t you think you’re lacking a bit in focus? …Still, that’s incredible.”

“Hmm… Mana Capacity 3240, Mana Density 125… You’re practically a semi-pro already. As expected of the top third-year, Rize.”

“Fufu, I’m honored by your praise, Sensei.”

“Mana Capacity 2380, Mana Density 131… This is too unexpected… Hey, Jaill, who the heck are you, really?”

“Tch… Just leave me alone, Sensei.”

Whenever a student with exceptionally outstanding numbers appeared, the surrounding students erupted in awe and admiration.

Of course, a mage’s true strength didn’t directly correlate with their mana capacity and density numbers.

But these were the most fundamental of a mage’s abilities.

As a result, the topic of who scored what numbers caused quite a stir at the event.

“Ginny! My loyal vassal! What were your numbers!?”

“Mine were Mana Capacity 1620, Mana Density 83… Well, in this crowd, they’re just average, hardly worth mentioning.”

“True, you’re more of a technique specialist. It can’t be helped.”

And so, the mana measurements continued smoothly.

“There really are some amazing people out there, aren’t there?”

While assisting with the measurements, Rumia spoke to Glenn.

“Yeah, that’s probably thanks to your mom’s—Her Majesty the Queen’s—efforts. It’s an era where talented individuals like these aren’t overlooked and can gather at proper educational institutions to receive top-tier training.”

“You’re right.”

Rumia smiled brightly, as if she herself had been praised.

“Hehe, now I’m curious about what numbers the others will get. Like Re=L or Professor Arfonia, for example.”

“Oh, Re=L’s numbers are something like 6500 and 180, if I recall.”

“What!? That high!? That’s incredible!”

“Yeah, that’s a level even the imperial army would only have a handful of. Probably because she’s always wielding bizarre magic. The problem is she’s not even close to fully utilizing those high numbers yet… By the way, if Celica took this test, the glass cylinder would explode. It’s unmeasurable.”

“Haha… As expected of Professor Arfonia…”

Rumia couldn’t help but give a wry smile.

“Hmm, I wonder what my numbers are like now?”

“Oh, about that… Based on my spiritual senses, I’d say your numbers have gone up quite a bit compared to before. You know, after that whole Fejite’s worst three days incident? With the Ship of Flames.”

Glenn lowered his voice to a whisper as he spoke to Rumia.

“After using the《Silver Key》during that incident, your mana clearly underwent a transformation…”

“Really? Is that true?”

“Yeah. Why don’t you sneak in a measurement later, Rumia? I bet you’ll get some amazing numbers—”

Just as Glenn was making that suggestion to Rumia…

OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!?

Suddenly, the room erupted into a massive uproar.

When Glenn turned to see what was happening, he saw Sistine standing in front of one of the other cylinders.

It seemed she had just finished her measurement.

“Incredible! Alzano’s Sistine is unreal!?”

“Sistine! Mana Capacity 10820!? Mana Density 195!?”

“No way! Five digits!? W-wait… what were Levin’s numbers again!?”

“Even Levin was only around 4200 for Mana Capacity and 160 for Mana Density, wasn’t he!?”

“Is this thing broken or what!?”

The students were in an uproar over the utterly otherworldly numbers.

Sistine herself seemed unable to believe the numbers she’d produced, blinking in shock… while Levin, finally losing his composure, stared at Sistine with a stunned expression.

“S-Sensei… That’s… Sistie…”

“Y-yeah… No way…?”

Glenn, along with Rumia, stared at Sistine’s numbers in stunned silence.

(Mana Capacity and Mana Density… I’ve said it before, but these are just one metric of a mage’s power, not a direct measure of their strength. It’s like how much high-quality fuel you have to power the steam engine of magic, nothing more. History is full of mages with mediocre numbers who became legendary through supreme magical technique… But even accounting for that… this is just…)

Glenn gazed at Sistine, who was blinking rapidly in the distance, lost in thought.

In the East, they say one real battle is worth six months of training.

Thinking back on the past six months, what kind of life-or-death gauntlets had Sistine endured?

Surely, something was beginning to bloom. The unfathomable, terrifying talent that had been dormant within Sistine was now, through countless trials and life-threatening battles, finally starting to blossom magnificently.

(White Cat… You…!)

Glenn couldn’t stop trembling.

At that moment, though he didn’t realize it himself, what overwhelmed him was the irreplaceable joy of being able to guide such an extraordinary student.

(If it’s you, you might actually master that spell completely…! Not the clumsy “imitation” I force out using a catalyst… but the real thing, like Celica uses—)

As Glenn thought this, he watched from a distance as Sistine, surrounded by students showering her with praise, tried to respond in a fluster.

After that, the event didn’t see any further excitement.

And that was only natural. Sistine’s utterly exceptional numbers were, quite simply, exceptional beyond compare.

Even if someone else managed good results, compared to Sistine, they’d pale in comparison.

Or rather, there wasn’t a single person who could produce results even remotely comparable.

Thus, the mana measurements became a monotonous task with little excitement.

The testers methodically measured the students’ mana.

And so, it seemed the selection event would conclude uneventfully—everyone thought as much.

…Until that incident occurred.

“Yawn… Alright, next~”

As Glenn rubbed his sleepy eyes while conducting the candidates’ mana measurements…

“…Hm?”

Standing silently before Glenn was a blonde girl with three braids—Ellen. As always, her expression was gloomy, as if she resented the entire world, her demeanor aloof and guarded.

“What? Next up is Kleitos’s Ellen-chan, huh?”

“…”

Ignoring Glenn, Ellen silently stepped up to the glass cylinder.

But then…

“Heh, better quit while you’re ahead, Ellen.”

A few male students smirked as they called out to her.

Their uniforms marked them as students from Kleitos Academy.

“You’ll just embarrass yourself in front of everyone.”

“Why don’t you just withdraw from the candidate list, you disgrace to Kleitos Academy?”

“…”

Ellen froze, her hand hovering just before touching the magic circle on the glass cylinder.

The Kleitos Academy students continued hurling mocking words at her with sneers.

“You already took a mana measurement before coming here, didn’t you?”

“Let’s see… Wasn’t it Mana Capacity 900 and Mana Density 40? Pfft!”

The revelation caused a stir among the surrounding students.

“Huh? 900 and 40?”

“No way… How’s someone like that a representative candidate…?”

To be blunt, 900 and 40 were… low numbers.

They were significantly below the average for students of their generation. While mana capacity and density didn’t directly determine a mage’s ability… these were just too low.

They were barely enough to qualify as a mage, teetering on the edge.

“…”

But Ellen didn’t deny it. She simply stood there, frozen in silence.

“Man, the main Kleitos family sure has it easy, huh?”

“Can’t be helped, Ike. The current head of Kleitos Academy, Gaysorn, is also the head of the main Kleitos family. He forcibly pushed Ellen into the candidate spot.”

“Yeah, that old geezer wants some glory for the main family, doesn’t he? Especially since the branch family has Levin. If things keep going like this, the main family’s position will be shaky.”

“It’s honestly such a nuisance. There were plenty of people more suited to be candidates than Ellen… but because of the Kleitos family’s selfishness, one slot got wasted.”

All the Kleitos Academy representative candidates directed scornful glares at Ellen.

Ellen remained silent. Utterly silent.

She simply endured the surrounding mockery in silence.

“Hey, cut it out already!”

Unable to stand it, Sistine stepped in.

“She was chosen to be here, so there’s no point in saying these things now! Besides, Ellen must have worked hard to become worthy of standing here—”

But…

“…Shut up.”

The voice that cut off Sistine’s defense, sounding as if it echoed from the depths of hell, came from none other than Ellen herself.

“I told you, didn’t I? I hate that smug, condescending attitude of yours.”

“E-Ellen…!? I-I was just…!”

Sistine’s face twisted in anguish at Ellen’s rejection and denial.

Seeing Sistine’s expression seemed to slightly satisfy Ellen, who let out a dark, chilling chuckle.

“Besides… aren’t you misunderstanding something?”

“Huh?”

“I told you, didn’t I? I’m the one who’s going to defeat you. You’d better keep your eyes on me.”

With that, Ellen slowly… placed her hand on the magic circle of the glass cylinder.

The crystal grew at an astonishing speed—and the numbers displayed on the monolith were—

《Mana Capacity: 9640 MP》

《Mana Density: 186 AMP》

“Wha…”

Everyone was left speechless by the result.

True, it was slightly inferior to Sistine’s… but it was practically within the margin of error.

They were equals. Just like Sistine, Ellen completely outclassed everyone else in the room, standing on equal footing with her—

“E-Ellen… You…?”

As Sistine stared in disbelief at the unbelievable numbers…

“I really can’t stand you, Sistine. So arrogant, so haughty. You think there’s no talent in this world that could surpass you, don’t you? …I despise you.”

Spitting out the words with disdain, Ellen turned her back on Sistine.

“No… That’s not true! I-I never thought—!”

Sistine’s desperate words didn’t reach Ellen.

The venue fell silent, as if doused with water, as Ellen slowly walked away.

“It’s a lie…! It’s a trick!”

Levin was the one who shouted, his face pale as he pointed at Ellen’s retreating figure.

“There’s no way! Just a month ago, you were definitely at 900 and 40!”

“Are you sure about that?”

Hearing this, Glenn questioned Levin.

The Kleitos Academy students around Levin nodded in unison, their faces pale. They didn’t seem to be lying or coordinating a story.

When Glenn glanced at Ellen, she smirked.

“Hehe, that’s right. That’s how it was… But you know, I’ve put in tremendous effort since then.”

Turning back to Levin, Ellen smiled—a chilling, ferocious smile that sent shivers down the spine.

“E-even so… To grow this much in just one month—!”

“You lack imagination, Levin. Yes, I’ve truly made tremendous efforts. I’ve been through a kind of ‘hell’ that you, living your peaceful, comfortable lives, could never even imagine…”

“—!?”

Overwhelmed, Levin instinctively took a step back.

“But… let’s see, you there… Glenn-sensei?”

“…What?”

As Ellen’s gaze turned to him, Glenn responded.

“If you suspect foul play, I’ll submit to a body inspection or re-measurement as many times as you like. And if you think the magical device is faulty, go ahead and inspect it as much as you want… Though it’ll just be a waste of time.”

“…Alright, we’ll do that, just to be sure…”

With cold sweat beading on his forehead, Glenn had no choice but to agree.

He enlisted a female magic instructor to conduct Ellen’s body inspection. Naturally, they also re-measured with a different magical device. Furthermore, suspecting a malfunction, they used magic to thoroughly inspect every inch of the measurement device.

But the results only confirmed the unbelievable truth.

Ellen Kleitos. Her mana, rivaling Sistine’s, was undeniably real.

At that moment, an extraordinary dark horse had emerged—