Chapter 26. I Do Not Want to Join the School
After everyone had completed their assessments, John gathered the apprentices and began announcing the results.
“…All of the above have passed this assessment.”
Despite the intense duels that had taken place on the field, quite a few apprentices were actually not accustomed to using swords, or had been preoccupied with other matters and had barely attended the Swordsmanship Class assessments at all.
The apprentices present held their breath.
What mattered to them was what came next. They had worked so hard for so long precisely for this moment.
“Five of you have received an Excellent rating: Fulan, Bella, Mason, Lit, and Lotas.”
When this announcement was made, several apprentices turned pale, as though they could not believe what they had just heard. Their hands and feet began to tremble.
One apprentice from a noble family had already known that his performance had been poor. Even so, he had still held onto a sliver of hope.
But the result struck him deeply.
He had not even received an Excellent rating. That meant the recommendation qualification would certainly not fall to him.
His vision nearly went black as he almost fainted on the spot. Fortunately, an apprentice who had failed the course assessment beside him grabbed him.
“Are you all right?”
“I… I’m… fine.”
His face was pale as he forced out the words, his mind already filled with dreadful thoughts.
If he failed to enter the Sword Chant School through this recommendation slot, the future awaiting him would be bleak.
Most likely, his father would be disappointed in him and stop sending the ten silver coins he received every month.
From then on, he would either slink back to the family territory and rely on his barely adequate Physique to become a knight’s attendant, serving his younger brother or someone else as a humble retainer.
Or he could join the uncertain wars of Antir and gamble on the chance of earning a knight’s title through sheer luck.
He knew there were other ways to enter the Sword Chant School.
But none of them were as simple as this one, and most required connections.
If he could not even obtain an Excellent rating here, how could he possibly succeed through those harsher routes?
“Do not take it too hard. Swordsmanship Class is not even a required course for graduation.”
The apprentice who had failed the course remained surprisingly optimistic. He did not actually know the noble apprentice who had almost fainted, and he assumed the other person was simply upset about failing the course.
“As long as you pass the required courses later, you will be fine. Those Excellent ratings are basically toys for the big shots.”
“Once you graduate, you can definitely find a job in another city.”
The noble apprentice stared blankly at him as he continued talking.
He did not understand what those words meant at all.
Would any of those jobs come with servants attending him?
After finishing the announcement of the Excellent ratings, John continued speaking.
“In addition, I have three recommendation slots that can recommend you to the ‘Swordsman’ Society under the Sword Chant School. I will select three candidates from among the Excellent apprentices.”
As soon as he said this, several apprentices who had not known about it suddenly realized what was going on.
So there were recommendation slots!
No wonder so many people had practiced swordsmanship so seriously.
It turned out that others were simply too strong, competing for the opportunity to become a Senior Apprentice.
It was not that they themselves were too incompetent to even learn the sword properly.
Mason clenched his fists tightly, desperately hoping that his name would be called next.
Long ago, after the very first sparring lesson of the Swordsmanship Class, Instructor John had told him about this opportunity.
From that day onward, Mason had doubled his efforts and practiced sword techniques tirelessly.
Until today, he felt that none of his days had been wasted. Everything he had done had been devoted to seizing this chance to become a Senior Apprentice through this path.
Originally, choosing the Swordsmanship Class had simply been a mistake.
But as the classes continued, the sword gradually felt more natural in his hands, and he had never felt such happiness before.
Yet now, at this final moment, he felt confused.
He knew he had already pushed his swordsmanship to its limits.
However, after Instructor John regretfully told him that physical ability was also a crucial factor in the evaluation, Mason felt powerless.
His finances could not support practicing the Body-Tempering Technique, so his Physique lagged far behind those noble apprentices.
If he had even fifty silver coins, he could have improved his Physique somewhat. It might not match those noble heirs, but the gap would not be so large.
But he did not have it.
All he could do was stand here quietly and wait for the final result.
He had once imagined that John might show him a little favoritism.
But John had made it clear that he would remain fair.
“Fulan, Bella, and Lit have obtained the final recommendation qualifications. I hope that you will…”
When Mason heard the first two names, he was not surprised.
Those two had long since surpassed the rest of the apprentices by too great a margin.
But when he heard the third name, the heart he had been holding tightly suddenly sank.
Only disappointment remained.
His clenched fists slowly loosened.
From his right side came a burst of uncontrollable delight—an accidental cry that sounded particularly sharp amid the murmurs of the apprentices.
Mason tried to take a deep breath.
But the breath refused to come.
“Instructor John, I do not wish to join the Sword Chant School right now.”
The entire field fell silent.
Mason looked toward Fulan in disbelief.
He was certain that the voice had come from her.
A strange premonition arose within him. The heart that had sunk suddenly rose again, and the breath that had been stuck in his chest climbed higher.
“You do not want my recommendation qualification?”
“Yes. I would like to continue looking at other schools and see what their spells are like.”
John found it difficult to accept.
Such an obvious talent for the Sword Chant School was saying she wanted to see what other schools were like?
“But you…”
He paused for a moment before sighing.
“Very well. If you still wish to join the Sword Chant School later, come find me.”
He truly had not expected Fulan to refuse the recommendation qualification.
If he had to choose who resembled a Sword Chant School member the most, he would place Fulan ahead of several people who had already become formal mages.
Yet Fulan had rejected the opportunity.
Was she joking?
For most people, possessing talent for a Breathing Method was already rare enough. Did she believe she would also possess extraordinary talent in magic?
Even if that were the case, the Sword Chant School would still be the place best suited for her.
That was why he told her to come find him if she changed her mind.
He believed that through other channels, people would still offer the recommendation slot to Fulan. By saying this, he was leaving her a convenient path so she would not have to search for opportunities to prove herself again.
“Thank you, Instructor John. I appreciate you respecting my choice.”
“Since you do not want this recommendation slot, I will give you four points instead.”
Then John continued, sounding somewhat pleased.
“Since Fulan does not want the slot, we will give it to the fourth-ranked apprentice.”
The reason he had not tried harder to persuade Fulan was simple.
First, he knew that obtaining such a slot would always be easy for her. With Fulan’s ability, it would be the Sword Chant School asking her to join, not the other way around.
Second, it led directly to another outcome he had hoped for.
“Then Mason will be the final person I recommend…”
Mason nearly jumped with joy.
A few tears slipped from the corners of his eyes.
The tight knot in his chest finally disappeared.