NOVEL NEXT Chapter 90
EP.90 The Echoing Scream Practical Exam (1)
Victory is sweet.
Defeat is bitter, but it teaches you a lot.
Lac, in the North, you have already learned a lot. Among kids your age in the North, there’s no one who can match you. You are an excellent warrior.
To have a decent fight with you, to teach you about defeat… it inevitably means my warriors must step in. But, it’s only natural that they would defeat you. Don’t you think so yourself?
They have lived as warriors for decades.
Losing to them is not shameful. It’s not frustrating. Rather, it’s an honor to fight them.
But that shouldn’t be, Lac.
Warriors learn from defeat. Learning from defeat means feeling frustration from having lost.
Frustration from defeat.
The passion to seek ways to win.
The confidence that next time I will win.
That, truly, is a warrior’s driving force. And, the frustration from defeat… can only be felt against someone on equal footing as you.
In the North, there is no one who can provide you that.
So, go to the Royal Capital.
Meet many people, lose, win again, and learn from it…
“…”
Eryhal von Grace.
As he recalls the words of his father, a great warrior and the Duke of the North, Lac looks around.
It was an open training hall.
There weren’t many students watching the duel, but there were enough. They were holding their breath, looking at Lac.
More accurately, they were looking at Lac’s neck.
Lac lowered his gaze. A dagger had stopped just in front of his throat. Though it was just a wooden sword mimicking a dagger, its position in front of Lac’s neck remained unchanged.
In comparison, how about his axe?
It was only at shoulder height.
Far off. It was a long way from striking the opponent’s neck. The moment he made the slightest move with the axe, the dagger would surely plunge in.
‘So it is.’
Lac opened his hand that was gripping the axe.
The wooden axe clattered and fell to the ground. Dropping his weapon signifies surrender.
Shameful, but something a warrior must do.
Lac raised both hands above his head while leaving the axe behind. Then, he spoke to his opponent.
“…I lost.”
Only then did the opponent withdraw the dagger.
He exhaled sharply and took a step back. His black hair swayed.
“Victory for Belnoa.”
The professor standing beside him announced the result of the match. Belnoa strode away. Lac remained still, staring at the axe on the ground.
‘Dropping the weapon is acknowledging defeat.’
The warriors of the North called it a shameful act.
‘At the same time, they said it was something that had to be done.’
Shameful but necessary.
Not acknowledging defeat is disgraceful.
‘Why?’
However, Lac had never once thought of it as a shameful act.
‘Isn’t losing just losing? What’s there to be ashamed of?’
That’s how he had always thought.
But now…
“…”
Staring at the axe on the ground, he felt inexplicably itchy. Something was unsettling. His mind was filled with thoughts of how could he have done something differently back there.
Whether that was disgraceful or not, he couldn’t tell.
Frowning, Lac pondered over that unfamiliar feeling.
‘…I don’t get it.’
It was still a feeling difficult for Lac to comprehend.
“I will announce the results.”
Just as Lac was about to return to his seat, the professor began to announce the results.
“I will start from the lowest ranks.”
The professor recited the ranks. One by one, the ranks were announced until it reached the final one.
“Lac.”
The last name announced wasn’t Lac’s.
There was a name that came after Lac.
“Belnoa. That’s all.”
—
Rosel set down his coffee cup.
With a thud, the table trembled slightly as the coffee cup was placed down. Instantly, the girl sitting opposite him shivered.
“So,”
Rosel started.
“Did you handle the matters well, Raniel?”
“Yes, yes?”
“Do you know? Raniel? I insist that my Trias family remains politically neutral. I know that mages interfering in politics isn’t good. Because of that, I don’t hear many rumors about the royal family.”
That was true.
The rumors reaching Rosel were just the usual news that every noble would know.
“But, by coincidence…”
Rosel smiled slyly.
That smile carried an unsettling feeling, making Raniel slowly lower her gaze.
“I heard a rumor.”
“Th-that so?”
“Yes, quite coincidentally, it was just after you finished the First Princess’s Escort Mission when the rumor started circulating.”
“Wh-what a coincidence…”
“Exactly?”
Rosel squinted his eyes.
“The First Princess is starting to take the heads of each department, they say.”
Thump.
“It seems something has intruded into the Court Mage’s research lab, but there are no traces left behind. They say they’re looking for external personnel to consult…”
Thump.
“They even found a dent, as if someone had punched, in the Royal Quarters.”
With each instance Rosel touched the table, Raniel’s head lowered a bit more. By the time her head was almost touching the table, Rosel burst into laughter.
“You really handled things quietly, Raniel.”
“Ah, ahaha…”
“Don’t laugh.”
“Yes…”
Rosel took off his glasses and placed them down.
He pressed his temples and let out a deep sigh.
“Recently, I’ve been having a suspicion.”
“… suspicion?”
“I suspect that my dear disciple, my one and only disciple, isn’t really paying any attention to what I say.”
“……”
Raniel said nothing.
Only cold sweat formed on her forehead. Seeing that, Rosel couldn’t help but smile bitterly.
“Because of you, I won’t live long, you little rascal.”
This was how it always ended up.
Watching the antics of his disciple only led to sighs. However, he couldn’t just voice all his complaints.
‘At least it gets resolved somehow.’
This time was no different.
Whatever strange feats had occurred, the incident seems to have been resolved, and… no one uttered the name ‘Rania.’
‘Such a puzzling thing.’
He could only feel worry.
Even knowing that it’s meddling, he found himself nagging.
“Phew…”
With a sigh, Rosel lifted the coffee cup towards Raniel, changing the mood.
Raniel stared blankly at the coffee cup before opening her mouth.
“I’ll have that coffee later…”
“I know you’re unnecessarily picky when it comes to coffee. This is coffee I bought from that café you like, so quit the chatter and drink it.”
“Oh…”
Finally, as Raniel took a sip of her coffee, Rosel rested his chin on his hand, watching her.
“So, what kind of person is the First Princess?”
“She’s quite a unique person, I’d say.”
“Unique?”
“She’s so unique that I felt a bit swayed by her.”
Swayed? This girl?
Rosel blinked blankly.
‘…I had heard she was extraordinary, but I guess she was beyond my imagination.’
Just as that thought crossed Rosel’s mind, there was a knock on the door of the professor’s office.
“Who is it?”
-It’s Mackhart. I came to visit briefly because I have something to discuss with Professor Rania.
“Just a moment.”
Rosel quickly turned his head and glared at Raniel.
Raniel immediately understood the meaning behind his gaze.
‘What trouble have you caused now?’
It was a questioning look.
Raniel shook her head vigorously in response.
“I didn’t do anything…!”
That was a voice filled with deep grievances.
—
The founder of the Battle Mage Class.
Raniel van Trias gazes at the professor sitting across from her.
It’s a face she knows well; it’s Professor Mackhart.
‘Professor Mackhart.’
He’s the professor in charge of Battle Magic, the one who had taught her so much.
As she looks at him, Raniel suddenly recalls an old memory.
‘…Now that I think about it, didn’t I get told I lacked the basics by this person?’
Now that she’s learned what the Battle Mage class was, looking back on it brings a lot of thoughts.
‘Damn, a class without fundamentals…’
Since the founder himself lacks the basics, it’s no surprise that people call it a class without fundamentals.
Holding back a sigh, Raniel spoke.
“So, what brings you here?”
“Hmm, can you see this?”
Mackhart pointed to his left arm.
With a splint on his arm, he held it out as if it were nothing, smiling ruefully.
“You remember that time when the Ancient Lich and the beasts attacked Apuria?”
“Yes, I do.”
“At that time, you unfortunately had to fall ill due to the magic. Though, it would be hard for you to withstand the magic without experiencing the battlefield…”
“Yes?”
“It really is a pity you couldn’t display your wonderful combat skills.”
Mackhart nodded as if genuinely regretful.
“Well, I did help the knights in the battle, but… you see, I got a bit hurt.”
“Well, that’s…”
‘If I had told Sara that reckless woman, she would have cured you!’
That thought bubbled up, but Raniel swallowed it down.
“Anyway, because of my arm injury… it seems there will be difficulties with the upcoming Battle Magic practical exam.”
“Practical exam?”
“Yes, the practical exam. Since Battle Magic emphasizes real combat, it holds more weight than the midterms. So it’s quite important…”
Mackhart glanced at Raniel.
“Due to a lack of proper assistants, I was thinking of getting a little outside help?”
“Ah, is that so?”
“Me?”
“It seems you have quite a knack for Battle Magic. Of course, I don’t intend to leave everything to you.”
Mackhart began rummaging through his documents.
Then, he laid out some papers on the desk.
“The outline for the practical exam has been roughly set. The structure is almost complete. The only thing left to do is make minor modifications or supervise the exam.”
The papers laid out contained the outline of the exam.
“There are quite a few, huh?”
“I prepared several. You can choose whichever you find suitable.”
Even though Raniel hadn’t agreed yet, the atmosphere felt as if she already accepted.
‘Well, I suppose it doesn’t matter…’
Raniel rested her chin in her hand as she scanned the papers.
She had recently learned that the Battle Magic course was modeled after her.
She didn’t feel a responsibility… but it was certainly not something trivial.
‘And I have a personal interest in it too.’
She did want to observe the students learning Battle Magic up close again.
Thinking that, Raniel picked up a few pages.
“Hmm…”
The exam topics were diverse.
Narrowed down to about four or five topics, each had its examination method described.
“What do you think?”
“Lots of topics to choose from.”
“So I am in trouble. I’m unsure which would be good for evaluating the students and fitting for the Battle Mage class.”
Mackhart subtly asked,
“Professor Rania, what do you think the essence of a Battle Mage is?”
“Well…”
Did it really need an essence…?
Raniel pondered while gently stroking her chin, her gaze landing on one particular topic.
“Survival?”
“Survival? That’s indeed an important topic. After all, it’s for survival on the battlefield…”
“Exactly. Whether you break fingers, cut your tongue, or get your mouth torn so you can’t talk… the pre-stocked circuits will still activate.”
“Ugh, ugh?”
“Quick responses mean it’s useful for survival. So if that truly is the essence, then it’s the essence.”
“W-well, I suppose?”
Raniel lightly flicked the paper.
“What about this?”
Then she asked.
“Can we change it a bit?”
“…Change?”
“It just seems a bit dull. If it goes like this, what’s the point of the practical?”
“Is that so?”
Raniel nodded.
“You wrote about artificially creating a situation where a beast suddenly attacks, and then evaluating how quickly they respond in that tense situation, right?”
“Hmm, that’s correct. It aims to see their quick response…”
“Ah, this won’t do.”
She made a gesture as if she would bend her finger backward.
“Why not just break a finger right at the start?”
“W-what?”
“Create a situation where they can’t draw new circuits and evaluate their responses.”
“U-uhm?”
Mackhart blinked in confusion.
Raniel tilted her head at him.
“Wouldn’t that be better?”
She spoke as if she genuinely believed it.
At that moment, Mackhart thought, ‘Did I choose the wrong person?’
“You did say we could change it a bit, right?”
But by the time those thoughts crossed his mind, it was too late.
The girl in front of him started gathering the papers and stood up.
“Yeah, well. I’ll give it a try.”
“No, you don’t necessarily have to…”
“I hear it’s hard to find someone? I’ll just do it.”
Gulpp.
Mackhart swallowed dryly.
A sense of unease washed over him.
Not just a sense of unease, but a premonition that felt almost prophetic.
Slowly, Mackhart nodded.
“T-then… I look forward to it.”
—
Author’s Note
The subheading says it all about this episode 
By the way, I noticed there’s a functionality called ‘Life Pick’!
Although the exact number of times it has been picked isn’t shown, it seems like quite a few of you have chosen my work as your favorites.
I’m truly grateful.
For my work to become someone’s best choice is a wonderful thing.
I feel very honored.
We’re already at chapter 90.
As we head toward 100, looking back on the past four months, it’s only been a collection of amazing events.
It feels almost like a dream that so many of you read my writing.
I write with gratitude always.
It’s a bit embarrassing to only recall the common saying that the work exists because of the readers.
But I also think that there’s something fundamentally significant in that ordinary, cliché line.
Thank you always.
I will continue to write diligently