Dream Life Vol II Chapter 21: “Announcement of Acceptance”

　August 10th.

　Today is the day of the acceptance announcement for Tyria Magic Academy.

　The announcement was to be made at nine in the morning, so under the midsummer sun that had been shining since morning, we headed to the academy on time, wiping our sweat off our faces.

　As we entered the Old City, a large number of children, who appeared to be students preparing for the entrance examination, were walking toward the academy, accompanied by adults.

　As we approached the academy, the number of people gradually increased, and a line had already formed in front of the academy’s gate. I suggested that we go back to because there were so many people.

“Isn’t this too crowded? Shouldn’t we go somewhere else to kill some time before going back?” (Zack)

　When I said that, Liddy said, “Well, I guess so.” Liddy agreed with me, saying, “Well, you’re both going to pass the test anyway.” Sharon, however, is looking down with an anxious look on her face.

　It seems that she is worried about the exam results and wants to know the results as soon as possible, but maybe it is difficult for her to object to me, so she remains silent.

　I put my hand on Sharon’s head, who looked anxious,

“Are you worried Sharon? Then let’s go ahead and take a look, even if it’s crowded.” (Zack)

　She shook her head and whispered, “I’m fine. We can go later.”

　With a wry smile on my face, I told Liddy and Guy, “I guess we’d better check the results first,” and we got in line at the back of the queue.

　I’d always hated waiting in line, even in my past life. It seemed like a waste of time, and in my few experiences, it was rarely worth it.

　This time, too, after an hour or so, the number of examinees would probably decrease, and since the results would be the same whether I saw them now or later, I figured there was no need to bother waiting in line. But seeing Sharon’s anxious face, it would be a pity to waste time with her being anxious for an hour, and most of all, if Sharon can’t enjoy herself, we won’t be able to enjoy ourselves either.

　Liddy nodded her head in agreement, and the four of us headed for the back of the line to the bulletin board where the names of the successful applicants were posted.

　The bulletin board was in front of the school building, and we approached it slowly, taking about twenty minutes. After thirty minutes, we finally reached a distance where we could read the letters.

　Around me, there were people who were fist-pumping with joy and others who were hugging their parents and crying, reminding me of the announcement of acceptance exams for university entrance examinations.

(It reminded me of the announcement of my university entrance exam. I guess the announcement of acceptance is like this in any other world. Well, in my case, I didn’t even go to see it because I took the entrance exam of the place where I was sure to be accepted…) (Zack)

　Then we stand in front of the bulletin board and slowly look up.

　The board was quite large, about three meters high and five meters wide, and on it was listed the examination number and name.

　As I was looking for my name, Liddy told me in a cheerful voice, “There it is,” pointing to it.

　I looked in the direction she pointed and saw my name on the left side of the board and at the top of the list.

“I knew you were first. Sharon’s name is also under you on the list, of course, you are the top and second runner-up.” (Liddy)

　Just as she had said, “first place” was written in front of my name, and it seemed that the names were listed in order of performance.

(First place, huh? I guess it’s not so surprising if I ask Liddy, but when I look at it with my own eyes, I find it surprising. Well, I guess I would think so because I have never been at the top in my previous life.) (Zack)

　A closer look at the bulletin board showed that the rankings from first to fortieth were written, and the other one hundred and sixty were posted in order of examination number.

　The number of students who passed the entrance examination for Tyria Magic Academy was two hundred, and were divided into a class of forty students, that is, from class 1 to class 5.

　Of these, only class one is the elite class, where the top forty students in their grade are gathered, while the second through fifth classes are randomly assigned to those in the forty first through two hundredth places.

　It is said that whether one is in class 1 or not at the time of graduation makes a big difference in one’s evaluation after graduation, and some of the successful applicants were in tears of frustration at not making it into the top 40.

　However, the system has been designed in such a way that there are ample opportunities to turn things around in the future. Even if you are in class 2 or below, you can still move up to class 1 if you finish in the top 40 in the overall ranking of the year.

　Sharon was stunned by the fact that her name was written second on the list, with an expression of disbelief. Guy was shaking his head in disbelief that his daughter had been accepted at the incoming students at the elite class of the Magic Academy.

“Congratulations, Sharon. You now qualify for a waived entrance fee.” (Zack)

　When I said this, Sharon hurriedly bowed her head and said, “Congratulations on passing top of the class.”

　I guess people heard my words, because I could hear whispers around me, “He’s at the top of the class?”

　I felt uncomfortable and decided to leave, saying, “Now that we have confirmation, let’s go check the admission procedures.”

　Inside the school building, there was an explanation room for successful applicants, where about twenty staff members giving individual explanations.

　Although there were fewer people there than at the announcement, all the seats were still occupied, and about ten more successful applicants and their guardians were waiting to hear the explanation.

　We got in line, too, and after about ten minutes, we were seated at the briefing area.

　The briefing staff was a young woman who was preparing a thin booklet like an enrollment guidebook and the enrollment procedure forms.

　The woman noticed that Sharon and I were together and asked, “Are you sure you want to go through this together?” She asked.

　When Liddy replied, “Yes, please,” the woman slowly bowed her head and said,

“My name is Corrine O’Connell. Congratulations on passing this exam. Now I would like to confirm your exam number, name, and orb…” (Corrine)

　After Sharon and I had given our exam numbers and names, we showed her the orb.

　Ms. O’Connell was flipping through the papers in her hand when suddenly she stopped. Apparently realizing that we were the first and second placers, she looked at us and asked in a slightly muffled voice, “You are Zacharias Lockhart and Sharon Jakes, right?”

　When we said yes, she immediately regained her composure and said, “Then let me explain the admission procedures.”

　She opened the booklet and began to explain the admission procedures. Ms. O’Connell seemed like a serious staff member and explained the admission procedures without wasting time.

“The entrance ceremony is on September one. If you wish to stay in the dormitory, you must enter the dormitory by the previous day and pay the admission fee and tuition fee, but since you two are exempt from paying the admission fee, you will only pay your tuition…” (Corrine)

　To summarize her explanation, admission is on September one, and if we wish to enter the dormitory, we must complete the procedures by August 15 and enter the dormitory on or before the day before. No enrollment fee is required, but the monthly tuition fee is 100C (100,000 yen). Tuition can be paid annually, but there is no discount.

　Liddy said, “Neither of them will enter the dormitory. We’d like to pay the tuition annually.”

“Understood. Please bring your tuition to the academy by August fifteen. If you are late, your acceptance will be canceled, so please be careful.” (Corrine)

　Then, the detailed explanation continues.

“Textbooks are included in the tuition fee and will be distributed when you pay your tuition. You will need to prepare your own writing materials, etc. …Regarding the uniforms and capes for the academy students, Mr. Lockhart has all attributes, so you can choose any color you like. Ms. Jakes has two attributes, fire, and wind, so you can choose either red or light blue.” (Corrine)

　Students at the Tyria Magic Academy must wear the uniform and cloak of the color of their respective attributes.

　The colors are red for fire, white for light, light blue for wind, green for wood, blue for water, black for darkness, brown for earth, and yellow for gold. Those with an aptitude for two or more attributes can choose any color from their own attributes.

　When I was struggling with this, Ms. O’Connell smiled and added an explanation.

“The color of your uniform doesn’t change anything. This is so people can tell at a glance which attributes you’re good at, but it won’t affect your class, so you can choose whatever color you like.” (Corrine)

(Black is fine, but the dark attribute has a strong image of the demon tribe. Maybe brown or red that is hard to stain. …I feel like I’m making a poor decision by myself.) (Zack)

　While I was thinking about this, Sharon decided on the wind attribute, saying, “Light blue, please.”

(Wind attribute huh? It’s Sharon’s favorite attribute, so it’s appropriate. Come to think of it, Liddy also said that the wind attribute is her best, and I’m also best at wind attribute, light blue… Putting aside the uniform, the cape is flexible, so there’s no need to buy extra… Oh, I should not think about being poor…) (Zack)

　After I mocked myself in my mind, I chose the light blue of the wind attribute.

　The uniform for boys at this academy consists of long black pants, a shirt in the color of each attribute, and a vest of the same color. To this, they were required to wear a short, about waist-length, cloak in the color of their attribute. The girls, by the way, wear skirts instead of long pants.

　The uniform and cloak are to be purchased at the academy’s designated clothing store, and one set costs close to 100C. Later, I was told that even this was quite inexpensive, since it was subsidized by the Magician’s Guild.

“The briefing procedure itself is now over, but since Mr. Lockhart is the head of the class, you will be giving a speech at the entrance ceremony as the representative of the new students, so I would like to ask you to prepare for it.” (Corrine)

　I couldn’t help but ask, “I am giving a speech?”

(Liddy didn’t tell me. She must have kept quiet because she thought it would be funny. That’s fine, it’s actually a hassle. However, if there was a cue card, I would just read it, but if I had to make one myself, it would be a hassle.) (Zack)

“Do you have a specific speech on hand?” (Zack)

　Ms. O’Connell replied with a smile, “No, every year the top freshmen think for themselves.”

　When I remained silent, she tried to end the briefing by saying, “This concludes my explanation, do you have any questions?”

　I don’t think I’ve heard about the Magician’s Guild Orb,

“I heard that we would receive a Magician’s Guild Orb when we enroll, so when will we receive one?” (Zack)

　Ms. O’Connell clamped her mouth shut and then apologized, “I’m sorry.”

“I apologize, I was supposed to do that when I explained the entrance fee, but I had forgotten because of the waived fee. In the case of Mr. Lockhart and Ms. Jakes, it is to be made at the time of payment of the tuition fee.” (Corrine)

　Apparently, the orb fee is included in the entrance fee.

　After that, Sharon asked a few questions, but the explanation ended without incident.

　After we left the briefing room, I spoke to Guy.

“Sharon passed with second place. I don’t see any problem with her enrolling.” (Zack)

　Guy nodded “Yes,” and bowed his head, saying, “I’m sorry to inconvenience you, Master Zack, please take care of my daughter.” Sharon hurriedly bowed her head as well, saying, “It’s a pleasure to be here with you.”

　I said to Guy, “I don’t think Sharon will cause any trouble, but leave it to me.”

　I then asked Liddy, “I’ll pay my tuition today, is that all right?” She planned to do so, too, and said, “I’ve brought it with me. Sharon’s all taken care of, too.” She smiled and tapped the pouch on her hip.

　I had brought the money my grandfather and parents had given me with the intention of paying my tuition and other fees today.

　After paying the tuition and receiving the textbooks and other materials, I went to create my magician’s orb.

　After it took about 30 minutes to be made, I immediately checked Sharon’s level and found that it was almost as Liddy had predicted, with level 17 for the wind attribute and level 10 for the fire attribute, already on par with a graduate.

(As expected, she’s been training since she was about four years old and has even been involved in actual combat. Besides, I heard that the training of a normal sorcerer starts at the age of seven and only feels and manipulates magic power in the body for about a year, and compared to that, she learned magic at an abnormally fast pace…) (Zack)

　Wearing our brand-new magician’s orb, we went to the Old City to buy uniforms, writing materials, etc.

~3^rd Person Perspective~

　Lionel Ruspede came to the magician’s orb production room.

　He was smiling as he looked at the record of the orb’s creation of Zack and Sharon.

(It looks like they made theirs today. Even so, young Lockhart is level 24, and young Jakes is level 17. As far as I know, they are at the highest level. As I recall, the young teacher in their class is about level 20. It’s really funny to think that at only ten years old, he’s surpassed them… It’s really amusing.) (Ruspede)

　Furthermore, he was more amused when he saw Zack’s record.

(As expected, his dark attribute is low, but if you consider the level of his wind attribute, it will soon exceed 20. If he raises the levels of all the attributes, he will be a good assistant to me. Now, how to have him become my assistant…) (Ruspede)

　As he left the room with a smile on his face, the staff there stared at his back as if they were looking at a weirdo. And they felt pity in their hearts for the unfortunate student who had caught his eye.