32 – Gateway
After confirming the exam location, I immediately left the registration office.
The grounds of the Federal Magic University are incredibly vast. No matter how big and numerous the buildings are, it is impossible to fill the entire land with artificial structures.
The campus scenery is mostly dominated by lawns and trees.
I noticed students walking alone or groups of students gathered together, engaging in small talk.
As I wore my hat and opened my umbrella, the lingering gazes that followed me gradually dispersed through the raindrops.
Perhaps it was because my hair was physically covered.
But it wasn’t just that.
There was only about an hour left until the exam.
The time to focus on external distractions was becoming increasingly urgent.
Thanks to that, I was able to make my way relatively comfortably into the interior of the Magic University.
After walking for a few minutes like that.
“Is this the place?”
Two granite pillars standing firmly in the wind.
The Gate of Knowledge.
I finally arrived before it.
“……”
I stood in front of it for a moment, gazing up at the pillars.
Twenty feet tall rectangular granite structures. Whether tall or short, it was a symbol that exuded a simple atmosphere.
I somehow felt that this was like Hak-sik’s tower soaring into the sky.
The sensation wasn’t exclusive to me; it seemed others shared it too.
While some exam-takers treated the gate of knowledge merely as an ornament, rushing their steps, the vast majority of them paused in front of the gate at least once.
I tried to guess the reason.
Many of the federal students could smoothly walk the path of learning, thanks to a well-polished education system.
‘Common things,’ ‘obvious things’ lose their value according to economic logic.
So, for federal students, the pure desire for learning is quite rare.
Even for students confident enough to apply to the Federal Magic University.
As if prophesying this, Jean-Pierre Oshleime was asking again from the entrance of the Federal Magic University.
[Those who wish to learn, enter here.]
[Those without the will for learning, do not approach.]
Are you really here for learning?
Do you have the determination to carry on the maintenance of knowledge handed down from the distant past?
“…”
Even the students who were chatting in groups fell silent in front of those two sentences, as if a mouse had died.
Like opening the floodgates of a dam, after passing through the gate once, the exam-takers started to gather again in front of the gate of knowledge.
Truly, a gate without bars.
It was amidst such non-static static that—
Sharp—
Crash!
Two sounds of water echoed.
While hesitating to pass through the door of knowledge, one person extended their legs simultaneously from the left and right of the crowd.
With a crisp sound, it was me who gently stepped into the puddle.
No wonder, I had answered the question about eight years ago.
The only thing needed to pass through the door was respect for magic.
That’s why I cautiously took the first step.
But could there be a confident student who could pass through the door of knowledge at the same time as me?
And that too, splashing water from the puddle without hesitation.
From Noble mtl dot com
“Hoo.”
After completely passing through the door of knowledge, I turned my head towards the direction where the splashing sound came from.
The person who made the splashing sound seemed to be looking at me, so we quickly confirmed each other’s faces.
The next moment.
Without any choice, we pointed at each other and opened our mouths.
“…The weird guy I saw at the restaurant?”
“Oh? The gray-haired theorist! I knew we’d meet again.”
Ambitiously shining black eyes between the exposed black hair on the forehead. Handsome, but with a somewhat shameless face.
Memories of the first day in Prausen came to mind.
It’s clear.
He was the guy sitting next to me who had asked whether light is a wave or a particle.
I couldn’t quite remember his name, but I definitely remembered that face.
It was a strange reunion after a whopping two months.
*
Simultaneously, as the two people passed through the gate, the students who were standing behind them also rushed through the door of knowledge.
The groups that were together gathered again to share stories, while the students who were going alone continued to head towards the exam hall.
And.
By chance, I ran into the strange guy I saw at the restaurant.
“Bernarda. The gray-haired theorist.”
I was on my way to the exam hall with Bernarda.
Until I stepped outside the front gate in the morning, I never dreamed of such a weird companion.
Regardless of my opinion, the journey with Bernarda had begun.
I never expected that we would have the same exam hall.
“Lucky me. I didn’t want to take the test with those fools who hesitate at the door of knowledge, but I’m glad you’re here. The theorist.”
“You must be Eugene.”
“That’s right. The gray-haired one.”
“……”
Either way.
Anyway, no matter what, he seemed to quite like me.
Even though I couldn’t quite grasp the reason, it’s quite charming to be able to start a relationship on a friendly note. There’s no need to push him away.
On the way here, my excitement was too overwhelming, so I needed some fresh air.
Bernarda didn’t disappoint me and immediately started talking.
“I don’t really care about your name.”
“After revealing your own name?”
“Didn’t I tell you around the last time we broke up? Let’s meet again at the Magic University.”
It seemed like it happened that way.
Whether I answered or not, Werner continued speaking.
“As you know, I am a genius and I will become the best experimental magician in the Federation.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“I’m going to confidently rank first in this entrance exam. But what about you? Statistically speaking, your chances of ranking first and passing the entrance exam are very low.”
“….”
“Gray hair. If you want me to call you by your name, pass the exam with confidence and then make the request. No, raise the requirements. Try to steal my top spot.”
I was genuinely curious.
Where does his confidence come from?
With my eyes wide open and my mouth shut, Werner gave me a cheeky smile.
“So, if we make a bet, it will be on the day the exam results come out. How about it? Isn’t it interesting?”
“Well… it’s interesting. By the way.”
After half-listening to Werner’s sophistry, I glanced around.
People were strangely looking at us with a submissive attitude.
It’s different from the hostility towards barbarians. Since I was wearing a hat and even an umbrella, my ash-colored hair wasn’t visible.
In other words, this gesture was entirely because of Werner.
Is this guy not an ordinary student either?
I adopted his tone, shed pretense, and spoke.
“You. Seems like your reputation is quite bad.”
“Oh, I’m quite famous among Prussian students.”
“In a good way?”
“In a bad way. I burned down the laboratory at the school I used to attend.”
Werner chuckled literally.
“Don’t worry. There weren’t many flammable substances. Just… quite a few metal compounds. The flames had a diverse range of colors.”
Ah.
Only now did I recall our parting words at the restaurant.
This guy isn’t just dreaming of being an experimental magician.
He’s a crazy one hoping to become the ‘experimental magician leading the most dangerous experiments’!
As I involuntarily took a step back from Werner, we finally reached a certain building.
A grand university building with abundant spires.
The scale was quite large, and even if all the test-takers were crowded outside, there seemed to be enough space.
The auditorium. It was our exam venue.
“So, this is the auditorium.”
“Seems like it.”
We folded our umbrellas and followed the guide to the examination room.
About thirty minutes remained until the start of the exam.
Whether it was the students’ nervousness surpassing tension or not, half of the test-takers, with gray hair or bald heads, were either flipping through their review materials or engrossed in meditation for mental stability.
“Werner. Where’s the exam venue? I’m in Hall 1.”
“It’s in Hall 2.”
Internally, I let out a sigh of relief.
If I had taken the exam in the same hall as Werner, it seemed like an ongoing mental battle. Fortunately, we were separated.
Around that time, Werner scratched his chin.
“Hmm.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Bookworm. That hat of yours, it looks familiar. Where did you get it?”
“It was a gift.”
“Hmm. Well, whatever.”
Amidst the tense atmosphere, we faced each other.
Perhaps this time, it wasn’t my turn to speak first.
“Let’s meet again on the results day. I’m looking forward to it. The top spot is mine.”
“hahahaha! Indeed, you’re an interesting friend.”
I turned away without hesitation.
They probably did the same on their end.
The eve had already ended. Now, we were facing the storm.
In the midst of the storm, I had only one thing to do.
Prove that the past two months, and indeed the past eight years, were not in vain.
Thud. Thud.
Without hesitation, I entered the first lecture hall.
“……?”
“What’s up? Gray-haired?”
There were a few people glancing my way, but I didn’t pay them any attention.
This is an exam room.
The answer to my worth will be determined not by words, but by the pen and the test paper.
“Alright. Be quiet.”
Thud, thud, thud!
Three invigilators stood on the stage, holding thick stacks of test papers.
“We request silence from everyone.”
The invigilator on the stage, probably a professor, stacked the test papers on the podium like a tower and started asking various questions to the assistant invigilators.
“How many people have arrived?”
“Just a moment… There are a total of 122 students, and currently 105 are present.”
“Thank you.”
Afterwards, the two assistant invigilators moved to the side and back of the first lecture hall, leaving the sole invigilator on the stage to emit a stern gaze.
“We will now begin this year’s entrance exam for the Prussian Federal Magic University. Everyone, take out your writing instruments. And remember, since the Magician Father is watching, don’t even dream of cheating.”
