The third round of the examination was a practical test, where students could attack the teacher with either magic or melee weapons.
The examiner for the third round seemed to be a Male Knight, who appeared to be in his 20's. He looked steady and powerful.
However, this test was merely to gauge the students' abilities; generally, one or two moves were enough, and there was no need to determine a winner, making the examination very fast.
But I felt a pang of sympathy for this teacher, as I could already foresee the cliché plot where he would be 'one-shotted' by the future male protagonist.
"Next..."
Similar to the second test, students whose names were called stepped forward one by one to confront the teacher.
"Fireball!"
"Water Flow Impact!"
"Wind Blade!"
Many students had already received private magic lessons at home, so they could successfully use basic magic.
"Alright, next."
Basically, as long as they could successfully cast a spell, they passed; the Noble School did not seem to be too harsh on 12-year-old new students and would likely give full marks easily.
"Can you use Earth Magic?"
I couldn't help but ask Toke, who was beside me.
"No, nobody taught me. What about you, Robert?"
"Me neither."
Since Toke couldn't, then I should also 'not be able to.' When it's my turn, I'll just casually spar with the teacher using swordsmanship.
"Next, Shinika."
Hmm? Shinika? Could it be Shinika Arnold?
So she also enrolled at the same time as me? I must have been chatting with Toke during the second test and didn't notice her presence at all.
With beautiful long black hair and an outstanding appearance like someone from a bishōjo game, although she was still just a 12-year-old girl, her aura was clearly extraordinary; one could tell at a glance that she was trained.
One of the heroines in the novel, she was set to have studied swordsmanship since childhood, and at the beginning of the story, her swordsmanship was already top-tier.
Her main magic attribute was Wind, and with Auxiliary Magic of the Wind Attribute, she was incredibly powerful.
Of course, that was a few years later; her current strength should not be that exaggerated yet.
Although I am also practicing swordsmanship now, I am not confident I can beat her in pure Swordsmanship.
Master Belius told me that the Arnold Style is one of the most famous offensive styles in the country; she must have learned a lot of various sword techniques, which is a scary thought.
In the novel's plot, the male protagonist was the only one who could easily defeat her, and from then on, Shinika began to take an interest in the male protagonist, until she realized her feelings for him.
Indeed, do beauties only belong to the strong? If someone asked her what her standard for a beloved was, she would most likely answer a man stronger than her, and then all the boys would back down.
Too terrifying to even try.
"Please guide me."
Shinika held a wooden sword and took a stance, seemingly intending to take the test purely with swordsmanship.
"Oh, come at me with all you've got."
Shinika darted forward with an arrow-like rush.
So fast! Even without magic, she felt incredibly fast; truly worthy of an offensive style that emphasizes speed.
Clang, clang—
The teacher blocked it.
"Alright, that's enough."
Then, he instantly declared the end.
The students watching were all dumbfounded; they had expected to see an exciting sword duel.
"Eh? But it just started."
"Shinika, please consider that I alone am responsible for testing so many students; if I were to indulge each student's boundless enthusiasm, how could I possibly endure it?"
The teacher shook his head helplessly.
That's true; there were many students still waiting in line, if he took Shinika seriously, he wouldn't be able to handle the rest.
"Anyway, I already understand your strength; don't worry, I'll give you a fair score."
"I understand, thank you, teacher."
Shinika left with a somewhat regretful expression, likely due to her youthful exuberance and strong desire for a satisfying battle, a true battle maniac.
If possible, I don't want to get involved with her.
"Could it be that she is Shinika Arnold?"
"Arnold? That famous martial arts noble family? I've heard of them."
"No wonder."
"She's also very beautiful."
Some of the students watching seemed to have recognized her true identity; indeed, the Arnold family was quite a famous noble family in the country.
"Next, Toke."
Oh, it's Toke's turn.
"Go for it."
"Mmm, thanks, I'm going."
Toke, who was beside me, seemed very nervous, which was understandable; he couldn't use magic and had no martial arts experience, and facing the teacher while enduring the pressure of onlookers, he probably had no idea how to start.
I watched him walk forward with concern.
Toke, like Shinika, took a wooden sword; he had no other choice.
Then, he clumsily imitated Shinika's stance from earlier, trying to make it look like something.
"Hehehe."
Seeing him like that, some students couldn't help but laugh.
It was the kind of laughter that mocked him.
I was powerless to do anything about it; after all, this was his individual test.
The teacher's expression was serious, and he said nothing, seemingly having already gauged the level of the nervous Toke.
But even so, he couldn't just end it like that; he had to fulfill his duties as a teacher.
"Yaaahhh!"
As if to embolden himself, Toke yelled and charged forward.
This scene reminded me of before I was reborn; I once heard that when two children were fighting in a park, there were adults nearby, but no one stopped them, because they all knew that such children's fights were at most playful roughhousing, and it was hard to imagine anyone getting hurt.
Toke's movements gave me that impression.
The teacher symbolically blocked Toke's attack, but Toke wasn't even looking at the teacher; after being defended against, he seemed to lose his balance, stumbling and barely managing to keep his body upright without falling.
"Hahahahaha!"
This drew a burst of laughter from the crowd.
Anyone with eyes could see that Toke was an amateur among amateurs in swordsmanship; his performance would become the biggest joke of this test.
I couldn't laugh.
Toke's face was already red to his ears, but he continued the test, turning around and swinging his sword down again.
However, the teacher calmly took a step back, causing Toke's attack to miss, which made him lose his balance again and almost fall to the ground.
"Hahahahaha, that's hilarious!"
Such an embarrassing display once again drew a round of laughter from the surroundings.
I absolutely... couldn't laugh.
"Enough, that's it."
The teacher's expression wasn't good; he quickly announced the end of the test, as he couldn't let personal feelings interfere with the examination.
However, in just that short amount of time, all the students present must have remembered the name of this student, Toke.
Every time they saw him in the future, they would call his name and mock him relentlessly; I could already see that future.
At least Toke wouldn't have to make a fool of himself anymore; that's all I could think of now.
"Thank you, teacher."
Toke bowed, then, with a dark expression, walked in another direction.
He didn't come back to me, that guy; he must have been worried that if he came back to me, some of the mocking gazes would shift to me, and he couldn't let others know that we had exchanged a few words.
So, in the nobility, there really are such good-natured people.
I clenched my fists.
Think.
What can I do?
If I just show my strength and publicly declare him my friend, Robert Von Anglus, will that shut these people up?
...No.
I can't do that.
I took a deep breath and gazed at the clear blue sky, as if just looking at the sky made everything clear.
The various noises around me continued incessantly; they were completely immersed in their own sense of superiority, using a poor low-ranking noble as a contrast.
The world is unfair; wherever people gather, there will be hierarchies, and I had already experienced this in the Anglus Family.
So I understand their thoughts... I understand.
After a few more students finished their tests, the surrounding noise gradually subsided.
"Next, Robert."
Finally, it was my turn.
I walked forward, picked up the wooden sword placed aside, and took a stance.
"Can't you use magic?"
"No."
"Then attack with all your might."
"Alright."
The teacher should know that I am from the Anglus Family and shouldn't be unable to use magic, but he didn't question it and went along with my wishes.
I took several deep breaths, and repeatedly gripped the hilt of the sword tightly.
Finally, I chose a two-handed overhand grip, intending to thrust at the teacher just like that.
"Yaaahhh!"
I let out a loud yell, and then..
BOOM!
The ground made from extremely tough rock cracked and a violent wind wave blew up into the training ground, causing the students to subconsciously close their eyes.
"Wh-what was that? Who used wind magic?"
"Who blew up the dust? So despicable. I can't see anything."
When the vision cleared up again, the students looked at the training ground.
Click...
The next second, a faint sound spread from the center.
"Th-the teacher...the teacher's sword is broken!"
"What? The teacher's sword is broken!"
"Who is this guy? How did he break the teacher's sword?"
"I have never heard of such a genius in the Empire."
"Unbelievable..."
"He is so handsome..."
The students discussed among themselves. Some were amazed but more speculated.
"That wind and dust just now. Could it be he used magic?"
"Yes, it must be. He must have used despicable method to break the teacher's sword."
"The teacher is a Rank 4 Martial Artist. How could be defeated if he hadn't used despicable means?"
"Despicable, saying you don't know magic but you use magic."
For unknown reasons, the second voice spread louder and louder, overpowering the previous shock and amazement.
I could clearly hear their voices.
Humans are such creatures. When something exceeds their scope of imagination, they refuse to believe it. They believe only what they want to believe.
Originally, I planned to overpower the teacher then use absolute power to threaten everyone to not make fun of Toke. Compared to using family name, the power of one's fist was more convincing.
But now it seems this bad reputation alone can distract everyone's attention.
What a group of idiots? Can't they even tell that the wind and dust blew up because of my strength and speed, not magic.
I don't know who bought up such ridiculous theory. But it's works fine for me. So I will let it go for now.
"Teacher, the test is over, right?"
"Y-yes, the test is over!"
I could see the shock in his eyes as the teacher made the announcement.
"Thank you, teacher."
Now I became an infamous bad guy among the new students, Toke's embarrassment was significantly diminished in others' impressions.
I may not end up into lowest class with Toke. But this is the only way I can think of protecting him.
...