[612] The Hottest Place (1)
At noon, once the participant forms were collected, the Association attendants went from room to room where the students waited and announced the next schedule.
"At two we'll have lunch and then tour the Association Museum. The dining hall is in the annex on the first floor, so all students please move promptly."
"Does that mean we have free time until two?"
"Yes. You may rest or look around the building. However, causing a disturbance will be punished according to Association regulations, and leaving the premises is prohibited."
Being allowed to wander freely was a fairly generous concession, but no one here was likely to misuse it.
"Let's just get some food. I'm starving."
As Iruki and Nade followed the procession toward the dining hall, Shirone said, "You two go ahead. I have somewhere to be for a bit."
Shirone had been staying at the Association for over two months, so there were many people he needed to greet.
"Alright. See you later."
He walked against the flow of students and headed to the desk in the middle of the third-floor corridor.
"Shirone, long time no see."
An Association employee greeted him warmly.
"Hello. How have you been?"
"Heh heh, Association work is always the same. Make sure you pass this time."
Shirone's casual conversation with the staff drew surprised looks from the students heading to the dining hall. An outsider staying at the Association for months was still unusual—even if Gaold, the former head, had arranged it.
"I'll do my best. By the way, where's Chief Plu?"
"The chief? She's probably resting at the staff dormitory. She worked herself to the bone for two days straight."
It was likely the staff, not the students, who had the roughest time during the inspection.
"Go say hello. She talked about you a lot."
"Okay. See you later."
Shirone bowed and made for the staff dormitory.
'Probably there, of course.'
* * *
"Ah, I'm exhausted."
Plu pushed open the door of the dormitory she used for all-nighters and, relaxing, shrugged out of her uniform with a relieved expression.
She'd spent a week cooperating with other departments to check every security device across the Association; there had barely been time to sleep.
'I should rest my eyes for a moment.'
In comfortable clothes, she slid off her skirt and moved to the wardrobe.
"My trousers…"
She opened the wardrobe and pulled out her pants, bent over to put one leg in—and the door swung wide.
"Senior! I'm here!"
"Eh—oh—"
Startled, Plu's balance wavered; hopping on one leg, she toppled sideways.
...
Shirone clenched his fist and fought back laughter while Plu, eyes narrowed to daggers, scrambled to her feet.
"Hey! Do you want to die? You barged in without knocking while I was changing!"
"Ah, I'll turn around."
"Don't bother. You saw everything and now you act like you have manners."
"I'm sorry. I didn't think— I was just so happy to see you…"
Plu understood that feeling herself.
"Yeah, it's been a while. You finished preparing for the exam properly, right?"
The first question, as expected, was about the graduation exam.
"Yes. During the break Miro trained me. My condition's fine."
Plu had gone straight to the Association after returning from the Heaven project, and she'd picked up a lot through her channels.
"I heard you gave up on the evaluations. I think that was the right call."
Although the Heaven project hadn't been publicly acknowledged, its effects had rippled across the world.
"How's Senior Plu doing? We broke apart like that before… I was worried."
Because Plu had been part of Gaold's personal guard, the Lupists had viewed her harshly.
"I'm fine. I clashed with the former head, but the current head judges by ability alone. Thanks to that, Isabel was reinstated."
Shirone had heard what sacrifices Isabel, the head of the magic library, had made for Gaold.
"That's a relief."
"For me, yes. But the problem is you. Be honest—are you really confident about this graduation exam?"
Shirone shook his head.
"I don't know yet. Miro told me the strategy, but whether it can actually be executed…"
Given Shirone's situation, simply passing the graduation exam wouldn't guarantee many organizations would take him in.
'At least they should be on the Association's level.'
Plu made a decision. "It's lunch break now, right? Come with me. Let's go to the fourth floor."
"The fourth? Why there all of a sudden?"
"I want to introduce you to someone."
Shirone followed Plu to the fourth floor and into an office whose sign read Mage Personnel Management Department.
Because the graduation exam was imminent, staff were frantically sorting paperwork. They threaded through the bustle to the conference room at the far end.
"Haven't eaten yet?"
Three people sat at the rectangular table reviewing documents.
Shirone glanced and saw profiles of Alpheas School of Magic students and the participant forms they'd just filled out.
The man in the head seat had black hair and a prickly, pessimistic look; to his left sat a calm woman with long eyelashes; to his right, a freckled woman with brown hair in pigtails.
"What is this? We're in the middle of a meeting."
The man snapped, but Plu led Shirone forward without hesitation.
"I brought a junior to introduce. Shirone, say hello. This is Baikal, the evaluator who'll be observing the Alpheas graduation exam as a scout."
'Scout!'
Shirone snapped to attention. "Hello. I'm Shirone Arian, a graduating student of Alpheas School of Magic."
Plu introduced the two women as well. "This is analyst Elizabeth. This is records officer Lala."
Freckled Lala flashed a grin and waved. "Hi. It's my first time meeting you, but I've seen your files a lot."
Baikal scowled at the sight of a graduation exam participant. "What are you doing? Bringing a participant in here—this isn't lobbying, is it?"
"It is lobbying. Give me generous evaluation scores for the exam. I'll buy the meal."
Shirone's face flushed at the brazen request, but Plu didn't care and pulled out a chair.
"Baikal is a certified level-4 mage. He's been a Royal School of Magic scout for over ten years, and I was recruited into the Association by him."
'Ah, that connection…'
Baikal leaned back, embarrassed. "I only picked the most capable students. After all, I graduated top of the Royal School."
From that exchange it was clear he's not someone who could be swayed by a simple bribe.
"Still, graduation rank and scout evaluation are separate. Either way, since you're in charge of Alpheas this time, Shirone, it won't hurt to make an impression."
"Yes. Please take care of me."
When Shirone answered plainly, Baikal's sour expression softened. "Alright. I'll be watching closely. Do your best."
Raising a scout's expectations could help—but it was a double-edged sword; failure would make the disappointment worse.
"You said you've been responsible for the Royal School for over ten years. Why are you here this time…?"
At Shirone's question, Elizabeth spoke. "This year it's the hottest place in Tormia. The competition is unprecedentedly fierce, and I heard all the students' skills exceed the usual graduating averages. So the evaluator personally requested the reassignment and came to the Association."
It was an honor for the whole Alpheas graduating class, not just one student.
"The decision was based on the documents. But numbers on paper don't always reflect reality. I hope you don't disappoint."
Elizabeth pointed to the profile documents on the table and had Shirone sit in the seat of honor.
"Are these the grades for one year?"
"No. It's every record from enrollment to the present. This is the kingdom's future—we can't judge carelessly. We're trying to be as objective as possible. Have you ever observed a graduation exam?"
"Yes. Last year."
"Then you know what scouts do."
"Ah… about that—"
Shirone had been immersed in last year's brutal contest and still felt the shock of Amy's early elimination.
"It's fine. It's useful to know how scouts evaluate. When the graduation exam starts, analysts like me visually inspect participants' detailed ability stats."
Elizabeth's eyes shone blue, and a target-like mark appeared on her retina.
"…Is that a tattoo?"
"Yes. It's a magical tattoo. The most important thing for an analyst is judging a student's stats in detail—whether a teleport repetition-compulsion range is ten meters, ten meters and one centimeter, or ten meters, one centimeter, and one millimeter—you determine the exact measure."
"…Ah, I see."
Shirone was stunned at the idea that such things could be seen.
"The countless pieces of analyzed data are immediately sent to the evaluator present. The evaluator then grades students' abilities at their discretion—Judgment: B, Neural Transmission: A, that sort of thing. Lala here records the evaluations for all thirty participants."
Lala flashed a V sign, and the stack of dozens of notebooks beside her leapt into the air and fluttered. An equal number of pens moved automatically, pretending to write.
Someone capable of recording in thirty notebooks at once.
Shirone stared in admiration, and Lala shrugged with a pleased smile.
"Being talented isn't the only thing that earns a good evaluation."
Baikal offered his first piece of advice. "The kingdom needs mages who can carry out assigned duties one hundred percent. Most students chase raw power, but from the kingdom's perspective, if one person is insufficient you can send ten. It costs more, but it's replaceable. What we want is talent that can't be reduced to numbers."
Baikal pointed at Plu. "Plu's final overall evaluation at the graduation exam was A. Expand the scope to other nations and you'd find A+ and S grades, of course. But within the kingdom, Plu was truly one of Tormia's best."
"That's a compliment, right?"
Plu protested, but Baikal kept talking. "One reason I rated Plu so highly was efficiency—no waste. Time, mind, psychology, action: she directed everything toward optimal efficiency. That's far more important than casting huge spells or overwhelming someone. Those things can be replaced with money or manpower."
"I see."
They had to accept that personal achievement and what the kingdom required could be different.
'I am also just one among many mages.'
Baikal continued, "If you want good scores, reduce waste. Even if you're smarter than the scout, the scout can still evaluate you. They measure results based on judgment."
Shirone understood why Plu had introduced Baikal. "Thank you. That was really helpful."
Lala clapped her hands. "Well then, it's about time—let's go eat. After all, this is about food, right?"
Elizabeth turned to Shirone. "You haven't had lunch either, right? Eat with us."
"No. I'll eat with my friends. Eating alone feels like a privilege."
Lala froze for a moment, then burst into laughter. "Why would you say that?"
When Shirone's face flushed, Elizabeth covered her mouth and laughed. "The papers don't reflect reality. You're nothing like we imagined."
"Um… what do you mean?"
"We mean you're innocent. Once you become a mage you'll learn what real privileges are. Come on, let's go."
Shirone followed the scouts and had lunch in the staff-only dining hall. He'd used the place often before, so he relaxed quickly and gleaned a lot of information from Elizabeth.
At that moment the dining hall door slammed open. A man in uniform looked around, then came straight to Shirone.
"What are you doing here? Do you know how long we've been looking for you?"
Frightened before he even finished speaking, Shirone set down his utensils. "Ah, sorry. I'll leave right away."
As he rose, the man shook his head. "Not there. Go to the eighteenth floor."
"Eh? The eighteenth floor?"
The man's voice dropped noticeably. "The Association head wants to see you."