The Quirky Teacher and the Suppressed Exam

“Oh ho ho~ A letter of recommendation from Rudios! This is quite something; that stubborn fellow rarely deigns to write recommendations.”

The teacher inspecting the letter regarded Freyja and Roland with a curious gaze, an amused expression playing on her face.

She then placed her hands on theirs.

Once she received the information about their bone age, her eyes grew increasingly peculiar.

“Tell me, you two aren’t that fellow’s illegitimate children, are you?”

Stunned by such a provocative question, Freyja’s eyes widened.

She could scarcely believe a magic academy teacher would ask something so inappropriate in front of strangers.

‘Please, how could that be? Haven’t you seen my hair? Our bloodlines are clearly different!’

“Ah…” Noticing Freyja’s hair color, the teacher covered her mouth, her voice dropping to a whisper.

“Could Rudios possibly have an elven lover?”

As she spoke, she grew so excited that she began fumbling for a Magic Crystal Ball, intent on capturing a projection.

“Cough, cough—” Roland’s expression darkened as he gently pressed his hand downwards.

“Teacher, we are here to take an exam. Is this really appropriate behavior?”

The teacher’s movements froze, an awkward look appearing on her face.

She then offered a sheepish grin.

“Hahahaha… Oh, right, I’m sorry. When I get excited, I instinctively revert to old habits~”

With a wave of her hand, she deactivated the barrier at the entrance.

A benevolent smile graced her lips, though the hint of amusement in her eyes remained. “Go on in, little ones~”

A shiver of unease ran down Freyja’s spine.

She swiftly pulled Roland along, hurrying inside.

Only when she was certain the eccentric teacher was out of sight did Freyja finally let out a sigh of relief.

“Is this academy even reliable?” she grumbled. “How can just anyone become a teacher here?”

Roland nodded in agreement.

“This is truly ridiculous. While I might look a bit young, there’s no way I could be an illegitimate child. Why did that old woman start gossiping the moment she saw us?”

Roland nodded again, this time a little more slowly.

Freyja continued onward.

Along the path, many other examinees were also making their way, likely having entered via recommendation letters like themselves.

The first round of the test offered two routes: a main road for those without recommendation letters, and a smaller path, which they were currently treading.

She observed numerous examinees sighing with exhaustion by the roadside; some were even sprawled on the ground, drenched in sweat.

Upon seeing Freyja and Roland, their expressions shifted to one of disbelief.

“Hey, hey…” Freyja nudged Roland, turning her face slightly to ask, “Didn’t I already cover my hair? Why are all those people staring at me?”

This time, Roland did not nod.

Instead, he halted his steps.

Sensing someone had stopped behind her, Freyja turned around.

She saw Roland, his face grim and terribly serious.

“You, what’s wrong?”

Roland did not answer immediately.

He closed his eyes, taking a long moment to compose himself before drawing a fresh breath.

“Haven’t you noticed?” he began. “The moment we passed through the barrier, the exam already began.”

“The trees around us, the flagstones beneath our feet, even the air we breathe…”

Roland spread his arms, beginning to circulate the magic within his body.

“All of it emits energy that suppresses our magical fluctuations. If our magical fluctuations cannot constantly remain above Level 20, we will find it impossible to move even an inch.”

He pointed to an examinee who had already collapsed on the ground beside them.

“This person’s magic level should be 21, yet under the influence of the energy here, their magical fluctuations are barely hovering at Level 20.

The longer one stays in this place, the more difficult it becomes to channel their magic. How long do you think they can last?”

“Don’t talk nonsense! I’m definitely going to pass this year… Aaaargh—”

Hearing Roland’s explanation, the examinee, feeling a pang of shame, pushed himself up, intending to retort defiantly.

However, due to a momentary instability in his magic channeling, he was instantly teleported out.

Space warped for an instant.

The next moment, a repeat examinee appeared once more at the magic academy’s grand entrance.

“Oh, so that’s it… huh,” Freyja finally understood.

She glanced at the half-dead examinees around them, then exclaimed with surprise, “Huh? I didn’t feel a thing! Hahahaha~”

She skipped over to Roland, deliberately poking his stomach with her index finger, a mischievous grin on her face.

“Why do you look so exhausted? No way, no way, are you really taking even the first round of this test so seriously?”

With a sigh, Roland nodded this time.

“Hahahahaha~” Freyja triumphantly pulled down the corner of her left eye and stuck out her tongue. “Blegh~ My useless hubby~”

A vein throbbed faintly on Roland’s forehead.

A benign smile involuntarily graced his face.

‘It’s not that big of a deal, is it? Just because resisting these magic-suppressing energies is easy for you, do you really need to be so arrogant?’

“Hmph hmph~ I don’t know either,” Freyja said, taking small steps as she circled Roland, wagging her finger.

“For some reason, seeing you struggle makes me a little happy. It’s similar to the principle behind finding you disgusting before~”

“Hmph…” Roland shrugged, then draped an arm over Freyja’s shoulder, stopping her endless celebratory circling.

“Since you’re finding this so easy, why don’t you give me a lift for a bit?”

Freyja linked her arm with his, a hint of reluctance on her face. “But you’re a bit heavy, you know…”

“I’m not saying I can’t walk; I’m just asking for a casual escort. Aren’t you finding this incredibly easy?”

“Mmm…” Freyja tilted her face up slightly to look at Roland, pouting her lips. “Couldn’t you at least ask me nicely…?”

‘Tsk, this Little Demon Lord is such a pain, even with her memory loss.’

‘Alright, fine. I’ll humor you.’

“My dearest Freyja, I humbly implore you to take pity on my foolish weakness, to grant my insignificant wish. Please, use your mighty Level 30 magic to carry this humble rookie, who struggles even with the first trial—”

Freyja almost choked on her own breath.

She peered at Roland with narrowed eyes, her mind superimposing his current self with the figure she had seen in the illusion earlier.

‘Oh, yes. Heh heh, this feels good~’

As if she had finally exacted revenge for some past grievance, she proudly tilted her head back.

Then, like someone dragging a casualty, she began pulling Roland forward.

“Holy hell! How is that woman so strong?! Aaaargh—”

“This has to be cheating! Aaaargh—”

“I’m going to report her! I’m going to report her! Aaaargh—”

“[Magic Suppressor] must be malfunctioning! How can that woman drag someone along?! Aaaargh—”

One after another, examinees witnessed Freyja’s exaggeratedly effortless demeanor and her act of dragging another person forward.

They were utterly startled, and with a whoosh, the barrier instantly teleported them to the academy’s entrance.

Even after being teleported, they remained dazed, unable to fully recover their senses.

It wasn’t until someone patted their shoulders that they began whispering amongst themselves, recounting the outrageous situation.

“Did the [Magic Suppressor] fail? That can’t be right; we were all suppressed to the point of gasping for air!”

“That woman was too much! I was struggling on that path as if climbing a sheer cliff, yet she walked as easily as if heading out to buy groceries?”

“Did you feel it? That woman’s magical fluctuations were Level 30! And she looked incredibly young…”

“Could she be a talent secretly groomed by some noble family?”

“But her attire wasn’t particularly lavish; she looked more like an ordinary villager.”

“Perhaps she simply prefers to keep a low profile.”

At that moment, Freyja remained blissfully unaware.

Outside the academy gates, through the excited whispers and retellings of the examinees, a new academy legend was already beginning to take shape.