I began to write my answers on the paper.
A little while after the written exam began, I realized it was a mix of different subjects, and I was solving all kinds of problems.
I was able to solve them one after another. I had only studied for about a week, but if I hadn't, I probably wouldn't have been able to solve any of them.
But that's when it happened.
"You there, stop writing. You're disqualified."
A voice from the front of the room announced a disqualification.
Everyone, including me, was startled and looked at the front.
I was surprised and looked at Annis.
Annis was pointing her finger with an angry expression.
Her finger was pointing in my direction.
"I have detected your use of magic. Leave this room immediately. Take him away."
As she gave the order, two proctors came toward me.
It's not me, it's not me, I told myself.
I can't use magic. I wasn't the one who got disqualified. But her finger was pointing right here... I was worried that I might have used magic unconsciously.
"Hurry up, stand up."
A proctor put his hand on my shoulder and told me to stand.
But he wasn't talking to me. He was talking to the student sitting next to me.
The student, who didn't want to be disqualified, tried to resist, but he was grabbed firmly and dragged out of the room.
The exam continued after that.
I kept solving the problems.
During the exam, a few more students were disqualified for cheating or using magic and were taken out of the room.
They should have studied instead of doing something so dishonest, I thought a little condescendingly as I solved the problems. Then, the 50 minutes were up.
"Stop! Put your pens down and wait for the next instruction."
At Annis's command, the examinees stopped writing and put their pens down.
The proctors began collecting the exam papers, going around to each desk and taking them.
I was relieved when they took my exam paper, knowing I hadn't been disqualified.
I felt pretty confident about the exam.
I had to focus on the next exam, not the one that was over. I pulled myself together and waited for the next instruction.
The other examinees also sighed in relief after the first exam was over and waited for the next instruction.
"I have collected all the exam papers. Now, we will move on to the next exam. Follow me."
Annis gave the instruction to the examinees after all the exam papers were collected.
Everyone stood up and followed Annis again.
We left the room and walked a little to another room.
In that room, there was a strange machine... No, it looked more like a polished stone.
In front of the large, stone-like object, there was a stand for placing a hand.
There were four of these objects in the room.
Annis came to the front again and began to explain.
"Next, we will measure your magical power.
Unlike the other exams, this is to measure your potential magical power.
There are no prohibited acts.
However, anyone whose potential magical power is below the standard will be disqualified immediately and sent back to the dormitory."
She explained the next test, which was the magical power measurement.
It seemed to be different from the written exam; it was more like a test.
"You will measure your magical power by placing your hand on this magical power board.
When you place your hand on it, the stone board will change color. The colors are, from top to bottom, red, blue, green, yellow, purple, and black.
The passing grade is yellow or higher. Anything below that is a disqualification."
She explained the method and the passing grade.
So, a score of four or higher out of six was a pass.
The passing grade seemed lower than I expected.
"Let's begin. A few names I call will come to the front and be measured. The rest of you will wait where you are."
Annis called out the names of the examinees.
Since there were four of the magical power boards, I assumed four people would be tested at a time.
I was glad the passing grade was low. About two-thirds of the people should pass, I thought optimistically. I watched as the called examinees went to the front and placed their hands on the board.
The results came out immediately.
Purple, yellow, green, black... Two out of the four were in the disqualification range.
The two who were disqualified were led out of the room by the proctors.
It might have been a coincidence, but half of the people who were tested were disqualified. Many people, including me, were getting worried.
Still, the test continued. People were called one after another, and some passed, while others were disqualified.
And then...
"Yuin, the result is yellow... Pass. Next, Yuto."
The examinee who was just tested passed, and then my name was called.
The moment my name was called, countless eyes turned to me.
Their gazes were full of expectation. They probably expected me to have a high magical power because I was from another world.
I was getting nervous from all the eyes on me, but I went to the front of the magical power board.
I took a deep breath to calm myself down.
I knew it was just a test and not an exam, but it was still overwhelming to do this with so much expectation.
So I took a moment to calm down.
It's okay. I still can't use magic... but!
I remembered what Dion told me a few days ago during our training.
"Haa... haa... Training is great and all, but there's a magical power exam, right? I can't use magic, so will I be okay?"
I asked, all beaten up and worried after a harsh training session with Dion.
"That's not a problem for now. That's because the magical power exam doesn't measure the magic you can use right now. It measures the magic that's sleeping inside you, the magic you'll be able to use in the future... your potential magical power."
Dion said about magical power and potential magical power.
I vaguely understood that potential magical power had nothing to do with whether I could use magic now.
"Well, it doesn't matter if your potential magical power is low, though."
Dion laughed.
This guy... I'm asking him something important, and he's so carefree... But thinking about his carefree face made me feel a little calmer.
And I placed my hand on the magical power board.
All I could do was hope that my potential magical power was high enough to pass.
I closed my eyes and waited for the result. And then...
"Yuto... the result is green... you pass! Next—"
I opened my eyes when I heard the result and looked at the stone board. It was green, just as Annis had said, and I had passed the test.
Just green, huh... I was glad I passed, but my potential magical power was only the third highest... To be honest, it was a mediocre result.
The other examinees were disappointed with my result, and most of the eyes that were on me turned to someone else.
Just as I thought their expectations of me were gone, I heard a commotion near another magical power board.
I was curious and went to see what was going on.
The person causing the commotion was... Reina.
The color of Reina's board was red, which no one had gotten before, including me. That meant she had the highest magical power.
But the reaction of the people around her was different from what I expected. I thought they would be like, "Whoa! Amazing!!"
But instead, they seemed to be afraid of her.
Still, she passed the exam. I went to talk to her.
"Hey, Reina. Your potential magical power is red? That's amazing. Mine is only green..."
I said to Reina, a little envious.
Reina turned around, and she looked worried and a little sad.
"Yeah... I guess you don't know..."
She said in a sad voice and ran away from me.
I didn't understand what she meant and stood there. Then, someone spoke from behind me.
"Yuto... you're a brave man for talking to her."
I turned around to face the person who spoke.
It was Day. Day was looking at me with a worried expression.
I was curious about what he said.
"What do you mean? Reina didn't do anything wrong, and she passed the magical power test."
I asked Day bluntly.
It was obvious that everyone's attitude toward Reina had changed. If there was a reason, I had to know.
"Her magical power isn't low... it's too high. The best score for this test is blue. Reina's red score means her magical power is so high that it can go out of control if she's mentally unstable. That's why people are afraid of the red score."
Magical power can go out of control if it's too high, huh.
At least I understood why people were afraid of Reina... but.
"...I see. But I don't care about that. I know Reina is a kind person. I won't avoid her for a reason like that. Thanks for telling me, Day."
I replied to Day.
Reina was a kind person who used her valuable time to teach me. I didn't want to avoid her just because her magical power might go out of control.
That kind of thinking might be an anomaly in this world... but that's what I decided.
When I said that, Day's face broke into a grin.
"Yeah, you're right. I knew Reina was a good person when you introduced her. I agree with you, Yuto.
Anyway, let's stop talking about this for now. The next exam is about to begin. Let's go."
Day said to me.
The people around us were still afraid of Reina, but I was glad that at least Day was different.
It seemed the test was over, and we were going to a different room. Day walked ahead of me, and I followed him.
"By the way, what was your magical power?"
I asked him happily.
"Me?... It was blue."
Higher than mine...
I shouldn't have asked.
With that slight regret, I went to the last exam.
The last exam was the practical exam!