Chapter 119
“Hmm… so we’re supposed to split up the memorization? And these are the questions?”
Creek furrowed his brow and tilted his head in confusion.
“How are we supposed to memorize all this? This doesn’t make any sense!”
“It’s indeed unreasonable.”
“Right?”
The noble brat chimed in as well.
I get that the sheer volume of questions is overwhelming, but they were already sprawled out on the floor like losers. I sighed and glared at Fabian.
“Hey, Necromancy guy. Shouldn’t you be memorizing the Necromancy part?”
“I didn’t really study much in Necromancy… so I’m not sure.”
How the hell did these guys manage to get promoted?
Did they bribe someone or something?
Well, Han Siha managed to get promoted in his first year, so I guess with a noble’s status, anything’s possible.
But that aside, what about Creek?
“Are you getting dumber every time I see you?”
“What?”
Wasn’t this guy in the top 30 of the whole school?
Why does it feel like he’s gotten even dumber than before?
“I’ve always been bad at written exams….”
Creek scratched his head, avoiding my gaze.
“In my first year, I just told the other kids to summarize everything for me. Then I memorized only that, like my life depended on it.”
Apparently, he got the smarter kids to prepare study materials for him and then spent a month drilling just that, barely passing his subjects and focusing on practical courses in his second year.
He was good at practical subjects, after all.
I thought he was acting like a bit of an idiot lately, but I didn’t realize he was this much of one.
This is serious.
Grabbing my throbbing head, I stared at the massive pile of past exam questions that Yoon Haul had printed out.
There had to be over a thousand questions, at least.
With less than a week left until the exam, even if we split it up, each person would need to memorize around 250 questions.
And they had to memorize them well enough to answer correctly within 15 seconds.
Honestly speaking…
A week?
“This isn’t too many questions.”
“…?”
“You can’t memorize 250 questions each?”
There’s more than enough time.
At my words, Creek turned to me with wide, surprised eyes.
“What, what do you mean? How can you say that so easily?”
“Of course, you can memorize 250 questions. In a week. That’s way too easy.”
“Huh…?”
“I’m more worried that I’ll end up having to memorize 750 questions because you guys can’t handle it.”
“No way!”
Somehow, I felt like that worry might become a reality!
My harsh words made Fabian start to squirm uneasily.
“Well, we should be able to memorize at least a hundred questions each… right?”
A hundred questions….
I stopped pushing them since they looked like they might start crying if I kept going.
Considering what they’ve been talking about for the past hour since we gathered, it’s no wonder I’m worried.
I had finally settled into the Magic Department and was on track for promotion.
I also had strong support from my family, and there was still a lot I needed to do.
So, I needed to ensure I passed this promotion exam.
Preferably with high marks.
That meant, whether I liked it or not, I had to work together with these guys.
I mean, they did manage to get promoted, after all.
Although they haven’t been very reassuring so far, I had to trust them for now.
Well, I’ve tutored for years, so….
“Maybe it’s possible?”
Making them memorize stuff wasn’t going to be too difficult.
I handed a stack of papers to Yoon Haul, whose eyes were sparkling.
“You can handle your part, right?”
When it comes to the Theology Department’s section, Yoon Haul could easily do his share, and then some, without me even saying anything.
Yoon Haul nodded with a bright smile.
“I could do more.”
“Help out with the Natural Sciences section too.”
“Sure, I’ll do that!”
“And here’s the rest.”
I handed Creek and Fabian each a hundred questions.
Creek blinked at the thick stack of papers.
“But still, this is….”
“Come on, let’s start memorizing.”
Creek looked startled by my suddenly calm voice.
“Oh, okay.”
And Fabian, who was nervously watching, quickly followed suit.
“You too, noble brat.”
“Uh-huh.”
I’ve tutored a wide range of students before.
I’ve even met kids who made me think, “How am I supposed to deal with this one?”
So, I had some confidence that I could handle this situation too.
Memories of those days came flooding back.
With a smile dripping with capitalist charm, I spoke gently.
“I’ll walk you through the first question.”
Prepare yourselves for the miracle of my memorization techniques.
* * *
I really don’t get it.
Huh?
I seriously don’t get it.
How…?
“How can you not understand this?”
It’s not even an application problem.
You just have to memorize what’s written!
Forget miraculous memorization techniques.
The fact that they even got promoted is the real miracle here.
“What the hell is wrong with you guys?”
I thought maybe they just couldn’t do rote memorization, so I even explained it to them.
As calmly as I could.
Staying relaxed.
“This is a mana circuit problem, right? You heard about this in Professor Grint’s class, didn’t you?”
“I was asleep.”
“Oh, you’re very proud of that, huh?”
“…I was sleepy.”
“Anyway, I explained it to you ten minutes ago. Come on, let’s go over it again. How is the mana circuit of a kobold different from that of a hellhound? See this part near the neck?”
“Uh-huh.”
“The circuit splits into two here.”
“…Why does it split into two?”
“Because that’s how it was born, damn it!”
The more I explained, the harder it was to keep my temper in check.
“Why do you have two eyes, huh?”
“Because… I was born that way?”
“Exactly, damn it! That’s how it was born! Now memorize it! Memorize it!”
Wham!
When I raised the book suddenly, Creek thought I was going to hit him and quickly ducked his head.
Hey, I wasn’t actually going to hit you.
Even though I really wanted to. I forced myself to calm down.
“Whew… Let’s look at it again. How does the kobold’s mana circuit work? The circuit starts near the core, and then it splits into three branches here.”
Yoon Haul picked up his book with bright eyes.
“Wow… he really can’t memorize this. All you have to do is just do it.”
Yoon Haul marveled quietly at Creek’s stupidity. By now, it seemed that Yoon Haul had already memorized more than half of his assigned section and looked quite relaxed.
Given how things were going, it seemed I would have to rely on Yoon Haul to take on more of the workload.
But that wasn’t the biggest issue.
There was someone even more problematic than Creek.
Since earlier, someone had been lying around, complaining about not wanting to do this, and wondering how they were supposed to cram such complicated formulas into their head.
It seemed like this person intended to coast through another year relying on their noble status.
But I wasn’t going to let that happen.
I had to deal with this freeloader.
Fabian, lounging lazily, finally spoke up.
“Maybe… we should take a break. It’s just not sticking.”
The noble brat assigned to the Necromancy part.
Trying to sneak away, are you?
“You haven’t memorized a thing.”
My words made Fabian turn pale as he waved his hands defensively.
“I have memorized it!”
“Alright, I’m going to ask you. Answer correctly.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Recite three forbidden dark magic spells.”
“Uh… um… Cursing…?”
“And?”
“….”
This noble brat doesn’t even know the basic laws of his own country?
“Is your head just for decoration? And not even a good one! Is this what decorations look like these days?”
“How can you say such harsh things!”
“You absolute morons!”
“That’s too much!”
“Even a bird is smarter than you idiots!”
I tried to explain things calmly. But
Wait!
It’s dark outside already!
What kind of person can’t memorize ten questions in five hours?!
Basilus, who had been quietly sitting beside me, cooed in response.
“Kuu… Demon Summoning!”
“See, even he’s got it.”
“….”
Cursing, Demon Summoning, and Mind Control.
These basic three. And yet a reptile had to answer in your place!
Are you even human?
Or just a rock?
Basilus shook his head, as if realizing how serious the situation was.
“Kuu… rock head.”
“You’re so mean… I’m not stupid… I’m not a dumbass….”
Fabian mumbled, burying his face in the desk.
But this time, my usual patience didn’t hold.
Whack.
I smacked the back of his head.
“Ow!”
This little brat.
“What are you crying about? Do something worth crying for!”
* * *
With a sharp slap, Han Siha’s voice rang out.
“Sigh… Memorize it! Stop goofing around and memorize it!”
“It’s not sinking in.”
“You want me to knock it in? One hit and it’ll be force-fed into your brain.”
“…!”
“Shall we give it a try?”
“Aaahhh!”
Since this was a common lounge for Ardel’s second-year students, Solia, Adela, and Lee Han were also sitting not too far away.
“What’s going on over there?”
Murmurs filled the room.
Solia looked over, her eyes wide with surprise, at the neighboring group that seemed to be walking on thin ice.
They were known as the ace group of the departmental unity written exam.
Normally, the groups were mixed by department, but since the groupings were random, this group had three students from the Magic Department and one from the Necromancy Department.
Solia, Adela, and Lee Han—quite a stellar lineup.
The student from the Necromancy Department was quietly following along with the three of them, so they weren’t having any problems.
But that group over there was a complete mess.
Solia quickly scanned Han Siha’s group.
“Sniff… I don’t want to do this….”
Fabian, the noble brat, was sniffling and wiping his nose, still not doing his work while anxiously watching Han Siha.
“Haha, but I’ve memorized 30 questions!”
“You idiot, is that something to brag about?”
Whack!
Creek, who added a needless comment and got scolded for it.
And Yoon Haul, who clicked his tongue at the two of them before quietly returning to his own memorization.
It was a lineup that looked doomed from the start.
“Why is Han Siha so angry?”
Solia couldn’t believe how upset Han Siha seemed.
She had only ever seen him keep his distance coldly from everyone, even from her, when he was rushing off to the cafeteria because he was hungry.
Han Siha was someone who would get angry at injustice, but he never let personal anger affect how he dealt with others.
Or so she thought.
Or was it?
Solia blinked, convinced of her thoughts.
“How bad are they doing for him to get this mad…?”
For Han Siha to be this furious, things must be seriously messed up.
And with both Creek and Fabian in the same group, it would be even more frustrating. It was clear that day that group was in for a rough ride.
“I wish he was in our group.”
Solia muttered under her breath, clicking her tongue.
They had promised to be in the same group, but they still hadn’t managed to make that happen.
At least if she were with him, Han Siha wouldn’t be this angry about his grades.
As she was thinking this, Lee Han spoke calmly.
“They’re including first-year grades in this promotion, right? He’s probably worried since he’s on the borderline.”
“What?”
Solia’s eyes widened at Lee Han’s words.
Adela also looked down with a serious expression.
Both of them had been consistently at the top of their class, so they hadn’t even bothered to read the announcement in detail.
“That makes sense….”
“No wonder he’s stressed.”
On top of including first-year grades, they had to do well on this heavily weighted promotion exam. With things going this badly, it was only natural to be worried.
Lee Han clicked his tongue and tilted his head.
“His grades are pretty shaky… Couldn’t this get him expelled?”
“…!”
Lee Han had said it without much thought.
“No way!”
“That’s impossible!”
Adela and Solia shouted sharply in unison.
“Uh… what?”
Lee Han blinked in surprise at the sudden attention.
Adela frowned and responded to Lee Han’s words.
“There’s no way that would happen.”
“Yeah, exactly.”
It was one thing for the emotional Adela to react this way, but Solia yelling out so suddenly was unexpected.
“N-no, I didn’t mean it like that. I was just worried… Why are you all being so intense?”
Lee Han awkwardly scratched his head as he tried to explain himself.
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