Chapter 17: A Calculated Silence

“This year’s placement test is expected to involve considerable risk.”

The staff member announced, clearing his throat and shifting the atmosphere.
The professors, seated around the lecture hall and listening to the presentation, had intrigued looks in their eyes.

Enduring their burdensome gazes, the staff member tried to speak calmly.

“As most of you know, the placement test is basically a duel. The goal is to draw out all of the student’s knowledge, skills, and talents.”

In the morning, while the dean and some staff members went out to greet the princess and prince.
The remaining professors gathered to prepare for the procedures after the entrance ceremony.

Naturally, as a new professor, I was also included here.
Moreover, as the next housemaster of the Obsidian dormitory, I was seated confidently in the very front row.

Except for the Jade dormitory, whose housemaster was absent due to acute indigestion, all the current and former housemasters had gathered.

“Ahem, Professor Anastasia? This is an important presentation. Wouldn’t it be better to eat the candy later? It’s not a very good look, is it?”

Lick, lick. As I was sucking on a pineapple-flavored lollipop, the old professor sitting next to me reprimanded me.

Professor Georgios of Practical Magic, the current housemaster of the Topaz dormitory.
He seemed displeased that I was sucking on a lollipop during a presentation.

“Indeed, Professor Anastasia. Even if you were appointed by the dean’s authority, you should still maintain basic etiquette. You are in front of your seniors, after all.”

Professor Dolores of Mystical Zoology, who was in charge of the Carnelian dormitory, backed him up.
Although she was middle-aged, her authoritative thinking was said to be more severe than that of the old professors.

“I believe I told you to leave her be. Professor Georgios, Professor Dolores?”

However, their interference was soon stopped by Professor Bishop, who glared at them fiercely.

“She’s not making any slurping sounds. Is a single candy in her mouth that bothersome? Coming from people who smoke cigarettes in front of parents?”

“Ahem, ahem.”

“No, I mean… you’re making a fuss over something that happens once in a while.”

“Tsk, the frog forgets it was once a tadpole. They were so willful when they were new, but now that they have some seniority, they’re obsessed with disciplining their juniors.”

Professor Bishop, who had snorted sharply, soon turned to me and smiled like a benevolent grandmother.

At this, I gave a slight nod to express my gratitude.

Meanwhile, the staff member’s presentation continued.

“The duels will be conducted in groups, and opponents will be randomly assigned by lottery. The results will then be graded from various angles to give a final rank.”

The explanation was grand, but in reality, it was a relatively formal procedure compared to the entrance exam.
It was only to verify the qualifications of the new students, and the rank determined here was not absolute.

Subsequent academic attitude, personal achievements, dormitory life evaluation, and so on.
It was a fluid grading system that could be changed by all sorts of factors.

In the first place, the subjects of the test were still young, unripe sprouts.
Few professors expected tremendous skills or jaw-dropping potential.

“But this semester, the problem is a bit different.”

The staff member said, pushing up his glasses.

This year was a semester where an unprecedented number of outstanding talents were pouring in.
Even before the entrance ceremony, there was a lot of talk about it being the year of the golden generation, wasn’t there?
Naturally, the watchful eyes on the placement test were bound to become sharper.

In particular, everyone’s attention was focused on the special student who had received preliminary number 1.

‘That kid was the next Hero?’

The girl with the beige ponytail who appeared in the magic video.
Looking at her, I rolled the pineapple-flavored candy on my tongue.

It was certainly unusual that she had the top entrance score, but I never imagined she was a Hero candidate.

‘Then the nun named Pea who was with her…’

This is unexpectedly coincidental from the very beginning.
To have met the Hero and the Saintess as a set before the entrance ceremony.
Even though it was a pineapple-flavored candy, it tasted as bitter as espresso.

‘Well, it doesn’t matter.’

There are plenty of dormitory housemasters who would want to entice the Hero.

The housemasters of the Topaz and Carnelian dormitories, giggling beside me.
Overhearing their conversation, I leaned back in my chair.

“The next Hero will naturally come to our Topaz dormitory. New students who prefer dueling usually choose this side. Wasn’t the winner of last year’s empire martial arts tournament also from our proud Topaz?”

“Ha, that’s ridiculous! The Hero will be taken by our Carnelian dormitory! The Hero’s middle name is Carnelian, and the name of our dormitory is also Carnelian. Isn’t it a fateful connection?”

“You should moderate your greed, Professor Dolores. Didn’t you steal the top-ranking new student with a cowardly trick last year? If you’re an academy professor, you should have some dignity.”

“Oh-ho-ho, cowardly? It’s fair competition, Professor Georgios. Weren’t you the one who was disgraced for openly showing favoritism to a student? It’s ugly if you can’t be objective about yourself.”

What a dirty fight.

I can’t even imagine what a mess it would have been if the Jade dormitory housemaster had joined in.
It also showed how much of a good person Professor Bishop was for respecting my decision not to covet the new students.

Even though the quality of the graduates is directly linked to the professor’s reputation, to think they would have a power struggle even during a meeting.

“Ahem, by the way, Professor Anastasia?”

Georgios, who had been bickering with Dolores, turned to me.
He looked at me with an expression that was easy to read and tested me.

“You must have heard about the dormitory selection. As the new housemaster, don’t you have any new students you’re interested in?”

“Ho-ho, that’s right. I’m curious too. Who exactly is our Professor Anastasia aiming for?”

Dolores, who had suddenly chimed in, also smiled and sneered.
At this, I held the lollipop stick between my middle and ring fingers as if I were smoking a cigarette and replied.

“I don’t have anyone in particular. You two can handle the student recruitment.”

“Hahaha, that’s right. You’re still new, so you probably don’t have a good feel for it. It’s enough to pick good talents after gaining a few years of experience.”

“Of course, of course. A sparrow will tear its crotch if it tries to follow a stork. This year, you should learn by watching us.”

They seemed happy that I wasn’t interested in the outstanding new students, especially the next Hero.
It was so obvious that Professor Bishop, who was listening to the conversation, couldn’t hide her disgusted expression.

But I was also being sincere.

‘Besides the Hero, I don’t want to get involved with the Saintess.’

The same went for the other students.

Of course, there was Princess Krimhild, who had ranked high in the entrance exams.
And other talented students with impressive potential.

From the perspective of a seasoned housemaster, it might be mouth-watering, but to me, they were just troublesome burdens.

‘If at least Ferdinand had been ranked higher, I would have considered it.’

As expected, Ferdinand von Hohenlaufen was not listed as a candidate with the right to choose his dormitory.

His grades were in stark contrast to his sister’s, who was skilled in both martial arts and academics. It was a result befitting a troublemaking playboy who always liked to play and eat.

Even his older brother, Maximilian, had excellent grades. Was this one just a mutation or something?

In that case, I could only hope that the prince would luckily be assigned to Obsidian.

“As always, the placement test will be held tomorrow after the entrance ceremony. Students ranked in the top 10 according to their final scores will be given the right to choose their dormitory, and especially the top 3 students will be given the honor of choosing their dormitory publicly.”

The staff member explained the detailed schedule as he prepared to finish the presentation.

“Each professor and teaching assistant will be divided into sections to conduct the evaluation… The purpose of the placement test is to test their skills, so please be extra careful to prevent any unfortunate incidents.”

Beep. Stopping the magic video broadcast, the staff member left a final reminder.

“For example, like new students getting overly excited and seriously injuring each other.”

Unfortunate incidents due to excitement?
Was that remark aimed at the next Hero?

According to what I heard while preparing for the entrance ceremony, the Hero, Alber, was a student with a considerable fighting spirit.
It was said to be a kind of wild instinct inherited from her mother, a Gold Dragon.
What if she met a worthy opponent in the duel? She might go crazy and try to fight to the death.

‘But to think I’m in charge of the group that such a person belongs to.’

Chew, chew. I looked at the list of group members assigned to me again, chewing on the lollipop stick.

The list of group members, sorted by their entrance exam scores.
The name ‘Alber Cornelian Tarrasque’ was proudly at the top.

It meant that it was my job to prevent the ‘unfortunate incident’ she might cause.

“…Annoying.”

Crunch. I muttered softly, crushing the candy that had melted into a small bean in my mouth.
Judging by the experience in Lapland Town, she had no manners.

Wouldn’t she pick a fight with me for getting scolded by the Saintess because of me?

“Hmph, whatever. Let’s just get it over with.”

I grumbled, neatly folding the list and putting it in my pocket.

Either way, I only have to deal with her once during the evaluation.
Since the housemasters are already having a power struggle, she’ll probably stay away once the grades are set.

“Alber? What are you eating?”

“Cookies. A lot of packages came for me.”

In the temporary lodging in Lapland Town where Alber and Antiopea were staying before the dormitory assignment.
The Saintess, who had returned from work, let out a chuckle as she watched the Hero munching on snacks.

Alber, who was munching on a cookie with sweet potato cream, offered a piece to the Saintess.

“Want one, Pea? It’s sweet and savory, and it’s delicious.”

“Hehe, really?”

As she smiled and glanced at the cookie bag, Alber looked flustered and hid it behind her back.

“O-one! Just one! I’m only giving it to you because it’s you, Pea! If it were anyone else, there would be no way!”

“It’s okay. Alber, you can have a lot.”

The girl who would never share food was sharing her delicious cookies.
Although it was limited to her guardian, it was satisfying to see that she was learning basic common sense.

By the way…

“They sent a lot.”

Pfft. I muttered, my lips curling up in amusement.

The packages that filled the lodging were all from the academy.
They were gift bundles sent by the housemasters who wanted to attract Alber to their dormitories.

Not only the delicious snacks that the Hero would prefer, but also pretty clothes and accessories.
There were even small toys like stuffed dolls mixed in.

“This is more fun than I thought! It requires quick reflexes, so it seems to be a game that suits my aptitude!”

Thump, thump! Alber giggled, playing with a paddle ball connected to a small ball and racket.
If their goal was to entertain the Hero with bribes, the housemasters seemed to have succeeded splendidly.

Of course, whether Alber would choose their dormitory was a separate issue.

“…But.”

Antiopea’s eyes narrowed as she checked the packages next to Alber.

“Surprisingly, there are no bribes from Obsidian.”

“Huh, now that you mention it, Pea. Only the Obsidian housemaster didn’t send anything.”

“Hmm.”

I heard that the Obsidian housemaster would be replaced by the warlock in question from this year.
Any dormitory housemaster would covet Alber, but for her to be so bold on her own?

Then it would be one of two things.

Either she was so upright that she hated giving bribes herself.
Or she was confident enough to entice Alber without a gift offensive.

‘Either way, it’s interesting.’

Puhuhu, letting out a cheerful laugh, Antiopea pictured Anastasia’s shimmering image.

‘I’ll give you one extra point for your boldness, Obsidian housemaster.’

Although she was a dangerous warlock, she liked that she hadn’t bought a student with material things.

The half-dragon who would become the next Hero, Alber Cornelian Tarrasque.
She didn’t want to instill a bad habit of being swayed by bribes in her.

‘So let’s see what kind of orthodox method you’ll use to capture Alber.’

Why did only Obsidian not send any bribes?

In the heart of the Saintess, who had no idea of the real reason, Anastasia’s score was rising, albeit slightly.