"Surprised, aren't you…?"
What fell to the ground was not the pen Makoto had imagined, but nothing more than fragments of stone scattered across the floor. The pen itself remained in the instructor's left hand.
"I already cast a spell on my left hand the moment you started making that steam. Separating the nerves was difficult, but I managed to cast it just in time…"
Makoto's face filled with disbelief.
"Don't look so shocked. I've accumulated plenty of combat experience over the years."
"There's no way I'd let my guard down in a situation like this…"
Makoto's body began to sway. His vision blurred. The impact of the thorns, and the excessive drain of mana beyond his limits all piled onto his body at once, crushing him mercilessly.
The instructor's voice gradually faded away.
"With this, the examination has concluded—"
His consciousness cut to black once more.
When he came to, he found himself lying on a white bed, wrapped in the cool, comforting touch of clean sheets. A strange scent filled the air like a hospital, heavy with the smell of alcohol and disinfectant.
He slowly opened his eyes to see a white ceiling above him, and a window to his right letting in the night breeze. Beside the bed stood a small table on, which his folded uniform rested.
"Crap my exam!"
The white curtain beside his bed was drawn open slightly, revealing an elderly woman.
Makoto shouted in shock. "Ms. Eldra!?"
The old woman walked over to the head of his bed. "Well now, kid. Never thought you'd end up passed out in the simulation room of all places…"
"What happened? Why am I here!?"
She looked him straight in the eye. "You forced too much mana through your body. A normal person would've gone into convulsions on the spot."
"But you're a strange one. You just knocked out."
Makoto clenched his fists. "Then what about my exam? Did Instructor Apathel say anything?"
"Nope. That idiot didn't say a single word," she replied, clearly displeased.
"That new instructor just loves pushing students past their limits…"
Makoto frowned. "New instructor?"
"Never mind that. If you can stand, hurry back to the dorm. You've still got classes tomorrow."
Makoto smiled faintly and raised an eyebrow. "So you came all the way here because you were worried about me, didn't you?"
She laughed. "What, do kids these days really think they're that important?"
"Don't be ridiculous… I'm the doctor here, you know—"
An angry female voice suddenly shouted from the neighboring bed. "You useless old hag! Come check on me already! If something happens to me, you're fired for sure!!"
Makoto glanced at the curtain beside him, his expression stiff with surprise. Eldra sighed deeply and shook her head.
"Kids these days really don't respect their elders…"
"Anyway, get back to your dorm quickly!"
With that, she walked over to tend to the other patient, pulling the curtain shut and leaving Makoto behind.
Makoto let out a small smile and thought to himself.
"(Sorry Grandma…, but I think I might get expelled after all.)"
"(Come to think of it… nothing makes sense right now.)"
"(What even happened after the exam…?)"
He tried to get out of bed, but before he could steady himself, his body collapsed back down, barely managing to sit. The pain from exhausted muscles and the recoil of countless thorns still clung stubbornly to every part of him.
"(Damn it… what kind of state am I in right now…)"
He muttered internally, bracing himself against the bed with both hands.
Turning his gaze toward the window, he watched pale moonlight spill through the outside, the night sky was pitch-black, yet eerily quiet—so silent he could hear the wind brushing past the tree branches.
"(…That's right. What about Rin and Ardent?)"
"(How far did they get? Did they pass? Did they make it out of that room safely?)"
He grit his teeth and tried standing again. His legs trembled violently, but this time, he managed to force himself upright.
"Ow… so this is what she means by overusing mana beyond the limits."
He walked over to the table and reached for his folded uniform. His hands still shook slightly as he grabbed it and began changing.
The instructor's final words echoed endlessly in his mind. "(With this, the examination has concluded…)"
"(I have probably failed.)"
"(No… it's too early to decide that.)"
Once dressed, he carefully made his way to the infirmary door, gripping the doorknob tightly.
From the neighboring bed came another furious shout.
"You hag!! Can't you even treat me properly!?!"
Makoto chuckled softly and opened the door, stepping out into a familiar sight—the grand hall at the front of the academy building, the place he had first arrived.
Chandeliers lined the ceiling, illuminating the corridor, yet beyond the hall, not a single soul could be seen.
"Around here, huh…" He looked around in mild amazement.
Pushing open the building's doors, a cool night breeze rushed against his face. The quiet atmosphere, paired with a thin veil of mist, relaxed him.
"Nighttime always has the best atmosphere…"
He walked onward, recalling everything that had happened since enrolling here. After training magic with Reina until evening, he often came out to the outdoor training grounds at night, practicing alone in silence.
Whether it was refining his control over magic or experimenting with gear—just like the first time he had succeeded, those quiet nights had become routine.
As he walked peacefully, a girl followed behind him, her expression filled with surprise.
She thought to herself, "(What a coincidence…)"
"(I didn't think he'd really come here…)"
"(I should say hi!)"
"Makoto!!"
Makoto froze.
He turned around. That voice—he recognized it more clearly than anything else. It was so familiar that it sent a strange shiver down his spine the moment he looked back.
The face approaching him left him utterly confused.
"Midori!?"