[No. 91 Yustia Rosenhart - Overall B-]
[Failed]
“……Ah.”
A short gasp escaped Yustia’s lips.
On the screen, the three red letters spelling “Failed” stabbed into her like a dagger.
The surroundings fell silent in an instant.
“Hey, did you see? Rosenhart failed.”
“She got full marks in destructive power, didn’t she? Then why?”
“Her mana score is 0. She doesn’t have the basic qualifications.”
“Serves her right. Dragging in some person and making a fuss about summons and whatnot.”
The murmuring surged back in like a wave.
This time, it was mixed with blatant mockery and sneers.
Yustia could not say a word and simply stared blankly at the screen.
Her shoulders slumped.
“This… makes no sense.”
She muttered in a trembling voice.
“The written exam… was perfect too.”
Tears welled up in her eyes.
Not knowing what words of comfort to offer, I only moved my lips uselessly.
That was when it happened.
“A B-? There must be some mistake!”
Yustia pushed through the crowd and rushed out.
She ran toward the platform where the examiners were gathered.
“Wait, student! Calm down and….”
“Please check my score again! My destructive power was impossible to measure, and my written exam should be full marks. How could I possibly get a B-?”
She shouted in a voice choked with desperation.
The professor sitting on the platform adjusted his glasses with an awkward expression.
“Mm… Miss Yustia. Calm down.”
The professor cleared his throat and shuffled through the documents.
“Your grades are destructive power A+, written exam A… yes, very excellent.”
“Then why on earth!”
“This year’s incoming students scored higher than expected. You were simply unlucky.”
The professor clicked his tongue as if troubled.
“If you had been able to use even a little mana, things might have been different. But a mana value of 0 is a fatal disqualification for a summoner. No matter how powerful your summon may be, if you lack the mana to control and maintain it, then it is only half complete.”
The dean’s words were polite, but their contents were no different from a cold death sentence.
“…….”
Yustia could not say anything and bit her lip.
Her shoulders visibly shrank.
***
A café near the academy’s main gate.
We sat in a corner seat with cold tea before us.
In contrast to the lively atmosphere around us, only a silence like heavy storm clouds hung over our table.
Yustia toyed with her teacup and stared blankly into the air.
Her eyes were empty.
The vitality that had shone so confidently until just moments ago had vanished as if it had been a lie.
I moistened my dry lips and watched her carefully.
It was a familiar atmosphere.
When I lost a match and shut myself inside the locker room, the gym master would pat my shoulder and offer comfort in a calm voice.
‘You worked hard. Get some rest, and prepare for the next one.’
At the time, I had no idea how much I hated hearing those words.
Because to a loser’s ears, any words sounded like cowardly excuses or pity.
But now that I was in the position of offering that comfort myself, my lips refused to part as if they had been glued shut.
‘It’s okay. You can do well next time.’
What comfort could such a cliché possibly be to her?
For someone who had come here bearing the honor of House Rosenhart, this failure was not a simple setback, but an indelible stain.
“Um….”
I struggled to open my mouth.
But before I could finish speaking, Yustia raised her head first.
“Mr. Taesan. Could you help me a little longer?”
“Yes?”
My eyes widened at the unexpected response.
The look in her eyes had changed.
The despair and emptiness from moments ago were nowhere to be seen. In their place was a cold, sharp reason.
Like a commander facing an important operation, her eyes had sunk into a deep calm.
“Eternoa Academy’s entrance exam is relatively early compared to other academies. There are still many other academy exams left.”
She began drawing imaginary lines on the table with her finger, as if spreading out a map.
“In the northern region, Harse, which values military might, is prestigious. In the east, there is Benedict, known for traditional summoning arts. In the south, though they deal with alchemy and magic as well as summoning… Chester is also a prestigious academy.”
Her voice was quick and firm.
“Harse focuses on practical combat, so they will value your abilities highly, Mr. Taesan. Chester also places importance on talents besides mana, so there is a chance. Benedict is a bit difficult, but if I cover it with my written exam score….”
Yustia muttered without pause.
Inside her head, it seemed the shock of failure had already been erased, and a new battle plan was being established.
‘That mental recovery is terrifying. If it were me, I’d have gone looking for soju first.’
I clicked my tongue inwardly.
That tenacity of making the next move without even taking time to swallow the bitter taste of failure.
It was like watching a vicious fighter who got knocked down, only to press his hand against the ring floor and rise again.
Was noble blood just built different?
“Lady Yustia!”
Yurica, who had come running while gasping for breath, stopped in front of our table.
“The dean is looking for you. Both of you.”
“Us? Already?”
I quietly raised my head.
Was he perhaps going to reverse the failure?
Or reconsider the mana score that had been processed as 0?
A small spark of expectation bloomed.
“Why is he calling us? Could it be….”
But Yustia poured cold water over it.
“He said he would report the matter of a human summon to His Majesty the Emperor. Don’t you remember?”
“Ah, right. He did.”
Feeling the wind go right out of my sails, I stood up.
Yustia was already straightening her clothes.
There was even a sense of solemn determination in her back.
Guided by Yurica, we headed to the dean’s office.
***
“Ah, come in.”
Dean Koklak welcomed us.
“Have you already made the report?”
“Yes. The report is done. Though I don’t yet know what the result of that will be.”
Yustia asked hesitantly.
Deep down, I was anxious that the emperor might have ordered this bizarre summon to be taken away immediately.
The dean stroked his beard and gave an ambiguous answer.
‘But what can an emperor even do about it?’
I tilted my head crookedly.
Surely he wasn’t really going to capture me, right?
Use me as a test subject, or sell me off to a circus troupe.
My imagination spread only in ominous directions.
“I heard you failed this entrance exam.”
The dean continued speaking.
Yustia’s expression instantly darkened.
She bit her lip tightly and dropped her gaze to the floor.
“Looking at your grades, full marks in strength, full marks on the written exam.”
There was a subtle nuance in the dean’s voice.
‘Huh?’
In that instant, Yustia’s head snapped up.
Without realizing it, I pricked up my ears too.
“But a failure is still a failure. Your overall score was B-. It falls short of the standard admission criteria.”
“Ah….”
Feeling the wind go right out of me again, I grumbled inwardly.
Then why did you bother building it up? Are you playing with people?
The dean adjusted his glasses with a mischievous smile.
“If we are speaking only of regular admission, that is.”
“Yes?”
Yustia and I asked back at the same time.
“There is a special admission track. You could say it is a system that allows professors to personally scout students with potential.”
The dean’s eyes flashed.
So wasn’t that basically a legal backdoor admission system?
I stared blankly at Yustia.
Her eyes were shaking violently once again.
“I will recommend Student Yustia for the special admission track.”
The declaration that came from the dean’s mouth sounded like an angel’s gospel.
“The final acceptance will be decided after a faculty meeting. But with destructive power scores and written exam results of this level, you have more than enough chance. The fact that you fell during the speed measurement can also serve as proof of your potential. It means you were so fast you could not control it.”
The dean stroked his chin and smiled gently.
“Ah…!”
Yustia covered her mouth.
It was the moment when the despair that had dropped her to the depths of hell turned into joy.
Tears of happiness welled up in her eyes.
“Thank you, Dean! Truly… thank you so much!”
She sprang up from her seat and bowed her head.
I also awkwardly got to my feet and bowed along with her.
‘Wow, that actually worked? I guess life really does come down to one big shot.’
I cheered inwardly.
The dean looked at us with a satisfied expression, then suddenly furrowed his brow as if lost in thought.
“But it is strange.”
His gaze fixed on me.
“Even with mana-enhanced physical reinforcement, it is commonly accepted that the human body has limits…. The fact that you recorded such numbers with pure physical ability alone is academically impossible to explain.”
In his eyes, pure scholarly curiosity was mixed with suspicion.
He looked just like a scientist with a rare test subject before him.
“Mr. Taesan isn’t an ordinary human!”
Yustia cut in.
Her voice was filled with conviction.
“He really is a summon that came out of a summoning circle! I summoned him myself!”
She pointed at me and shouted proudly.
I cleared my throat in embarrassment.
The dean tilted his head and adjusted his glasses.
“Hmmm…. A mana-less human of monstrous strength who popped out of a summoning circle. Fascinating. Very fascinating.”
He pulled a thick folder from a drawer and set it on the desk.
“Very well. For now, I will prepare the recommendation letter. You will be notified of the meeting results within a few days. Until then, wait quietly.”
“Yes! Understood!”
Yustia answered energetically.
Life had returned to her face once more.
We left the dean’s office.
As Yustia walked down the corridor, her steps were light, as if she were walking on clouds.
She clutched my arm tightly and whispered.
“What a relief, Mr. Taesan. Truly, what a relief.”