Chapter 64.1
Escolleia (7)
The exam ended 15 minutes earlier than expected.
Yuria came out with a triumphant expression, and Rosaria followed her with sleepy eyes.
"Did you sleep?"
"Yeah."
It wasn't a big disappointment since it was expected.
"You did well."
"Give me candy."
"I'll give you some later. I don't have any now."
"Candy~."
Rosaria, who was drowsy, leaned on Reed's leg and tried to fall asleep.
A moment later, the teaching assistant who had finished grading announced the exam scores.
As expected, Rosaria's written exam score was 0 points.
On the other hand, Yuria scored 88 points out of 100.
"That's quite impressive. I don't think I could have scored that high at your age."
"What was your entrance exam score?"
"I got 97 points. I messed up the last marking and lost 3 points."
'It's a remark that would have been a bit embarrassing if it had been said to Reed.'
Reed's written exam score was 73 points.
He had barely passed the entrance exam.
Perhaps this aspect is what led him to hate Dolores.
Yuria stared at Dolores upon hearing this.
When Dolores felt her gaze and turned her head, Yuria quickly turned her head away as if nothing happened.
'She looks at me quite often.'
Since he knew Yuria had a crush on him, he could understand to some extent.
But it started to bother him as even Dolores occasionally glanced at him.
The second exam was a practical test of mana manipulation.
It was a stage to measure how well one could control mana by forming a sphere with a test wand.
In fact, since this practical test was everything, even if one scored high in the written test, it was impossible to enter Escolleia if they were unqualified in the practical test.
"Now, please create a mana sphere with your wand."
Following the examiner's instructions, Yuria held her wand and concentrated.
She had been practicing to create a sphere with a wand since a year ago.
Although she had used it a lot, she did her best with the idea of showing it well to everyone.
She closed her eyes and focused her entire mind on the tip of the wand.
After a moment, a shining mana sphere was created and floated on her wand.
The color was closer to white than blue.
It meant that she had compressed mana while maintaining a certain shape.
"Wow."
"Indeed, she shows the skill befitting her reputation as a genius."
It was a basic skill that old magicians had to master, but it was a spell coming from a girl who was only 9 years old, so they couldn't help but admire her.
The examiner, who had been watching her, immediately determined her grade.
Yuria finished perfectly until the end and retreated with a satisfied face.
"Next, Rosaria Adeleheights Roton."
"Yes!"
Rosaria was called, and she energetically raised her hand and went forward.
There was one problem here.
'Does Rosaria know how to handle a wand?'
A short wand is the best magical tool for handling short spells and low-level magic.
Since she already had outstanding abilities to fold mana columns into spheres, she wouldn't have learned how to use a wand.
Just in case, he decided to ask Dolores.
"Dolly."
"Yes, no, don't call me by that nickname."
"It rolls off the tongue so easily."
"Ugh, really... Anyway, what is it?"
"Have you ever taught Rosaria how to use a wand?"
Dolores shook her head.
"I've never taught her because she can implement magic without a medium at her level."
"That means this is her first time..."
Wand manipulation.
Reed had also used it a few times to check how much magic he could wield.
Wands and staves are magical tools that help gather mana.
They act as a kind of filter and pump, helping to draw in mana from within the body.
However, in Rosaria's case, she was able to freely control not only the mana within her body but also the mana floating in the air, so a wand was rather an inconvenient medium for her.
'Will Rosaria be able to understand the wand?'
A moment later, she began the test.
Rosaria took the wand and tilted her head.
She looked at it from side to side and even smelled it, but she couldn't figure out what to do with it.
She approached the examiner with the wand and asked,
"What do I do with this?"
"Excuse me? You need to create a mana sphere."
Upon hearing that, dozens of question marks appeared above Rosaria's head.
The examiner explained it to her in more detail.
"Like Yuria Frenda did, create a sphere at the end of the wand and float it."
"What Yuria did... Ah!"
Rosaria nodded as if she had grasped the idea.
She moved the wand to her left hand and focused on her empty hand.
Then, in the blink of an eye, a pure white sphere appeared in her hand.
"Gasp!"
"What, what is that!"
The magicians who had admired Yuria's skills looked at Rosaria's sphere with their mouths wide open.
It was on a different level compared to Yuria's.
The color and size of the mana sphere that Yuria created were at the level of a mid-level magician.
However, Rosaria's sphere had a brilliant light that they had never seen before in their lives.
Even Zekeheil, a doting father, couldn't help but stare at the light.
It was so bright that people from other areas who were working also stared at it, mesmerized.
However, Rosaria herself had no idea how incredible her feat was.
She had always played like this with Dolores, and she had never thought her ability was so amazing.
She took the pure white sphere of light and placed it on the wand she held in her left hand.
Like scooping ice cream onto a stick, she moved it and showed the examiner with a bright face.
"I'm done!"
The examiner, who had been dumbfounded, finally came to his senses after hearing her words and determined her grade.
Yuria Frenda was grade 3, and Rosaria was grade 1, with Rosaria claiming victory.
At that moment, Dean Anton, who had been quietly watching, went to the examiner's side.
The examiner was still admiring the magic Rosaria had shown.
"It's been a while since we've had a grade 1 determination, hasn't it?"
"To be honest, it's not even enough to be grade 1. Didn't you see her compressing mana with her bare hands and handling it like a ball?"
"I saw it, yes."
The examiner was still muttering in admiration, but Anton's face was cold.
To be honest, even giving her a score far above grade 1 would not be enough.
"I wanted to play with the spheres like making ice cream."
"Ice cream making?"
"Yeah! Stacking them one by one and playing with it! Do you want to try, dad?"
Did Rosaria know?
The fact that Reed's ability was nowhere near hers.
For him, who could barely create and maintain one mana sphere, it was impossible to stack mana spheres like scooping ice cream.
Reed stroked her head and said,
"I'll try when I'm capable of it."
"Yeah!"
The second test was a landslide victory for Rosaria.
The score was 1 to 1.