Entrance Exam (2)

Episode 12. Entrance Exam (2)
‘Phew… Still, I need to confirm it.’
I kept my eyes on Lloyd as he walked toward the reception desk.
If my memory is right, someone should appear around the time Lloyd and I step into the reception area.
And sure enough, a few seconds later, someone blocked Lloyd’s path.
“What a joke.”
“Hm?”
The attention of the people nearby turned toward Lloyd and the unknown figure.
A person in a ragged cloak with a hood pulled low over their head—making it impossible to discern their identity.
“And who are you?”
“Does it matter who I am?”
A woman’s voice—refined and elegant.
It carried an odd tone, a blend of maturity and youth.
But I recognized it immediately.
“What matters is that someone using forbidden magic has caught my eye.”
Lloyd frowned.
“…Hah! So you’re from the Holy Empire, huh?”
“And what if I am?”
“How arrogant.”
Lloyd narrowed his eyes, magic rising in both his hands.
The hooded woman raised her right hand in response.
A golden glow shimmered in her palm.
“You’ve got some nerve. Calling dark magic ‘forbidden’ right to the face of someone from one of the Four Great Houses.”
“And you, using corpses and souls like tools—what makes you think you’re in the right to talk so loud?”
“Progress in dark magic requires sacrifice. That’s a necessity, not a fault.”
Their confrontation was heating up fast.
“…Tch.”
“Haa…”
But soon, both withdrew their power.
No matter how bad things were between the two empires, this was Sancternim—a neutral zone.
Starting a fight here wouldn’t just get them disqualified from the entrance exam, they’d be kicked out of Sancternim entirely.
While the other applicants sighed in relief and averted their eyes, I calmly moved toward the woman in the hood.
“…I’m sorry. That must’ve looked unpleasant.”
She bowed her head slightly, expecting I might question what had just happened.
“……”
When I didn’t respond, maintaining my silence, she tilted her head and looked up at me.
“Um… is something wrong?”
“No. My mistake.”
“…?”
“Applicant 353, please step forward.”
“…Yes.”
She passed me, brushing lightly by, and finally pulled down her hood.
Her shimmering, golden-brown hair fell to her waist.
Her eyes were clear, a vivid amber.
Good. She’s enrolled in Sancternim this round too.
Yulia Jupiter.
Despite being only seventeen like me, she’s known across the continent for her exceptional command of holy power.
She’s also a gifted swordswoman, even earning the title Sword of Light—a true prodigy.
And… she’s the one who passed her stigma to me right before my regression.
Originally part of the Holy Empire, she had already completed all of its teachings at a young age.
Wanting to refine her skills against demons and monsters, she requested enrollment at Sancternim under the condition her identity as the “Sword of Light” remain secret.
‘So the stigma hasn’t disappeared.’
When she lowered her hood, a faint golden shimmer passed over the back of her right hand.
Most people would mistake it for leftover divine energy, but having seen her wield the stigma dozens of times in my past life, I was certain that it was still there.
I had worried that by passing her stigma on to me, her own had vanished—but it seems I was wrong. Thankfully.
I glanced at her back as she registered, then headed toward the examination hall myself.
My reason for enrolling in Sancternim Academy wasn’t just to learn holy magic.
There was another, much more important reason.
Because the war between the Holy Empire and the Dark Empire had begun from within Sancternim.
‘A demon was summoned inside the academy.’
Demons were originally known to manifest only through a contracted host—but the summoning incident at Sancternim shattered that belief.
The demon wasn’t channeling through a contractor.
It had been summoned directly.
Naturally, the nations—including the Holy Empire—began to suspect that the Dark Empire had orchestrated it, intending to destroy Sancternim.
After all, the Dark Empire was known for its mastery of dark magic, including demon-summoning spells.
‘But it wasn’t the Dark Empire. It was just a bunch of idiots using dark magic recklessly.’
Dark magic, in itself, isn’t evil.
The problem lies with the people who use it irresponsibly.
But there was no way the other nations—already wary of demons—would understand that.
And so, the misunderstanding deepened…
Eventually leading to a full-scale war between the two empires.
‘Back then, the Sword of Light and I… we were out for each other’s throats.’
Recalling those days, I let out a bitter smile and looked down at the back of my right hand.
‘The stigma… a power that can be passed down?’
I can’t use it properly, so it looks pitiful on me, but it’s a power that grows stronger with each generation.
In the previous timeline, the Sword of Light used that stigma to defeat the final demon that tried to consume the Luknica continent.
So yes, it was effective.
‘…Assuming “the Demon of Scorching Karma” really was the last one.’
There might have been more demons hoping for the continent’s destruction.
Even though we defeated that one, both of us were on the verge of death, and the continent was nearing collapse.
That’s probably why I returned to the past.
…Well, no use worrying about that now.
It’s still far off.
Most of the events I remember from that timeline happened while I was attending Sancternim.
If I don’t enroll, my future knowledge becomes meaningless.
For now, getting into the academy comes first.
If I were taking the exam again as Aaron Bayonel, I wouldn’t be so nervous.
But this time, I’m not taking it as Aaron.
________________________________________
* * *
In most academies, entrance exams include both written and practical tests.
But Sancternim—designed specifically to train students for fighting demons and monsters—skips the written portion entirely.
What matters is how useful your skills are in battle.
So, I thought I wouldn’t have any issues with the exam.
After all, it’s a test of pure combat ability.
But I had to admit I was wrong.
“Dummy destroyed. Point deduction.”
“Barely made it. But since the dummy’s intact, you pass.”
‘…What the hell?’
At the center of the exam hall stood a five-meter-tall dummy, seemingly made of some kind of rubber.
In front of it, a steel golem—its body forged with mana-infused metal.
“The dummy in front of you can restore itself when healed with divine magic.”
A female instructor demonstrated by placing her hand on a damaged dummy and activating holy power. It returned to its original form instantly.
“The golem won’t attack anything unless provoked. It targets only the dummy. So your goal is to keep the dummy from being destroyed by healing it with holy magic.”
It made sense for them to have a test like this, considering divine magic includes healing spells.
The problem?
I knew absolutely nothing about divine magic.
‘This is seriously f—ed.’
A dire situation, to say the least.
________________________________________
“Please write your preferred department here.”
________________________________________
Since I intended to learn divine magic at Sancternim, I had written down “Divine Studies” as my chosen field.
And that… was the start of my problems.
Wasn’t this exam supposed to be about raw combat?
In my past life, I applied to the Dark Magic department. The test there was about how much damage you could inflict on the dummy.
So I assumed the same format applied to all departments.
I didn’t know only applicants to the Divine Studies department had a different exam.
“Damon David.”
At the instructor’s call, I stepped up onto the platform.
“Was he from the Holy Empire?”
“Not that I know of.”
“Looks like his holy power only awakened recently.”
The applicants eyed me, but since I was using the Curse of the Mask to disguise my face, no one recognized me.
Any interest quickly faded.
“We’ll begin now.”
Creak! Clank!
The golem’s eyes glowed blue, and metal joints clattered into motion.
I couldn’t use dark magic.
Not after applying for Divine Studies—using it would only draw suspicion that I’m from the Dark Empire.
But if I fail to get in, it won’t just be my problem.
It’s basically handing over the world’s end on a silver platter.
This is insane.
‘No choice, then.’
Of all the spells I can use, this one’s the least suspicious.
________________________________________
Mana Crafting Technique.
Mana Spear: Solo Crafting.
________________________________________
A spear formed in my hand, made entirely of blue mana.
Mana Crafting is a sub-skill of Shadow Crafting, with similar effects—except it doesn’t channel dark magic.
It’s actually quite practical, often used even by regular mages.
The instructor looked a bit flustered at my weaponless approach—just holding mana weapons in both hands—but I didn’t care.
I pointed my spear at the steel golem.
“D-Damon?”
“So… the only condition to pass is keeping the dummy unharmed, right?”
“…Yes?”
I hurled the mana spear at the golem’s chest.
Thunk!
It barely lodged itself into the surface, lacking the force of magic reinforcement.
But it was enough to get the golem’s attention.
Creak!
Its head turned—from the dummy, to me.
Perfect. Now the dummy won’t be attacked.
This is an entrance exam, after all. Just like Leviya showed me a little grace, I should at least make an effort to appear serious.
Standing far from the dummy, I drew two mana daggers.
And with a twist of my foot, I charged the steel golem.
________________________________________