Chapter 5: Entrance V

This is a work of fiction. All characters, events, organizations, and settings depicted are entirely fictional and created for storytelling purposes.

Yosen High,

Entrance Exams, 

A couple of months ago.

 8:00 AM. Helia standard time. 

On this day were Yosen Magic Affiliated Freshman's Entrance Examinations.

Inside the staff room, a relatively long room that looks to be the combination of about two standard classrooms put together, with a larger space and clustered desks together.

This year, the number of applicants had skyrocketed—more than any previous year.

Yet, despite the influx, it's well known that only a select few would earn a coveted spot within Yosen Magic Affiliated College.

A dark blue-haired woman sat in the faculty room, casually flipping through a stack of applicant profiles while puffing on a cigarette.

Her eyes scanned each document with a particular disinterest until a low mutter escaped her lips. 

"A Tendou... Beastfallen... even those easterners managed to slip in. No surprise."

She exhaled a plume of smoke, watching it swirl above her.

After that, she rubbed her temple, the dull pressure building behind her eyes as she sifted through pages of names and data.

"I swear, every year it just gets weirder. But this one…"

She glanced over the files again, her lips curling into an involuntary smirk. 

Celeste threw the stacked, stapled papers back onto her desk as she slumped back into her chair, closing her eyes.

"Though I must say, this year will certainly be interesting. A lot of these kids look interesting. A lot of attention this time. Probably that girl's influence, however,…"

Celeste blinked open her eyes as she turned her attention to a pair of her fellow instructors in the corner of the staff room, murmuring between themselves.

One leaned slightly closer.

"Things did change the moment she enrolled. She's even part of the boards, not that the higher-ups (upper board members) likes it."

Celeste shot them a brief, lazy glance but said nothing. It wasn't her business to chime in, even though she thought the same as them. 

And even then, there was no use.

It's simply a hassle. "Fuu." She exhaled almost irritably as she ran her hand through her hair in thought.

Like most instructors here, they don't have any big names attached to their names. 

Students of Yosen, however, have a bright future even if they're not that powerful.

Simply graduating from Yosen earns one a spot working with the Affiliates. 

Hence, with all the big names like Beastfallen, Tendou, Rosebell, and Echress, this year was certainly going to be interesting.

But then, her thoughts changed immediately. When going over the files, she suddenly paused.

"Hm?"

'Quadruplets?'

Her cigarette paused midway to her lips as she scanned the files more closely.

There they were—four applicants, all sharing the same last name.

"Creed?"

She studied their photos. 

At first glance, they looked nothing alike—different builds, different postures, different expressions, and different attitudes, just by looking at their profiles.

Yet, at a glance, she could tell—

"....Damn." 

She muttered as her cigarette hung from the corner of her lip.

However, before she could dwell on it further, another instructor leaned through the doorway, calling out.

"All instructors report to the main facility. The exams are about to begin."

Celeste sighed deeply, running a hand through her messy hair. "Fuu... More work already?" 

With a flick of her wrist, she stubbed out the cigarette and rose to her feet.

The instructor's offices were located on the first floor of the administrative building.

They had been instructed beforehand on their gathering location, which was in the main facility beside the auditorium; that is where the practical test would take place.

But before that, the entrance exams would begin with a two-hour written test starting at 9:00 AM.

After the written exams, there would be a one-hour break, during which students would prepare for the practical (physical and magic) assessments.

And it went as planned.

Written tests were merely to test students' knowledge, and there were a few questions included that students would not be able to answer.

But this is standard.

Many didn't focus on the written test as much as they did on the physical and magic assessments. 

You could say that's something every student knew beforehand.

And by the time instructors began reviewing the students' scores after the exams finished…

"Look at this," one instructor murmured, reviewing early results on their data tablet.

"As expected of a Tendou. Top-tier magic control, and her physical scores aren't far behind."

"No surprise there." Another instructor chimed in.

"But in terms of raw strength? That Beastfallen boy crushed her record by a large margin."

"Hm. I think it's only natural, given his family's motto is brute force."

The other instructors muttered in amazement while comparing the students' data. 

Most of their focus centered around students vying for a spot in [Special S]—the elite of the elite.

However, … "This… this is…"

Celeste muttered under her breath, her brow furrowing as she rechecked the results.

"What is it?" a colleague asked, walking over to her desk.

The results were shocking, to say the least.

The top four positions in the practical and written exams were unexpectedly swept by a single name: Creed.

"Unbelievable."

"Celeste, what's going on?"

Celeste Blackwood's amazement caught the attention of other instructors, who also came over. 

And as they did, "Impossible," was the word other instructors muttered.

But no matter how amazed they were, the final decision was left to the higher-ups.

And they too—the board members—made a fuss about it.

Soon enough, they called a meeting, as any instructor would have expected.

 Yosen Magic Affiliated College—Conference Room.

The conference room was packed with key figures: members of the board, the chairman, the vice-chancellor, and even the student council president.

Normally, entrance exam results did not warrant this kind of gathering. But this year was anything but normal.

"So you're telling me," one board member said, his voice laced with disbelief, "that four siblings dominated the entire entrance exam?"

"Correct," the vice-chancellor replied, his expression calm but tired. "I've reviewed the results myself. There's no mistake."

But this was not a concern to the board.

As another board member leaned forward, frowning deeply, his hands constantly slammed the table between his words.

"I heard a Creed shattered the machine calibrated to measure Enlightened Entropy levels?"

"Yes, that is correct," the vice-chancellor confirmed. "His name is Enma Creed."

"But then, Entropy level quantity does not equate—"

"—To strength, yes. But then he went ahead and scored first in the physical assessment, as he did with the magical assessment."

"What!?"

Murmurs of discontent spread among the board members.

They exchanged uneasy glances. Several leaned back in their chairs, crossing their arms.

It was clear that many were visibly unhappy with the idea of unknowns like the Creeds taking top positions.

The vice chancellor actively restrained them with facts and results, while the chairman and student president remained silent.

Although she was a board member, the majority remained discontent with her position. After all, she held the same standing as them.

"But then, what do you want the Central, HQ, and other families to say? What about the Rosabell's? They won't be pleased, that's for sure."

"Regardless, the results are clear, no? Besides, we've reviewed the recordings—there was no cheating involved."

The vice-chancellor rebutted another member of the board that went against the Creed calmly. 

Having been in this position, he was one of the advocates of equality amongst them.

"But then, what about the Entropy booster? They could have—"

"—Impossible."

The vice-chancellor countered again.

"They were thoroughly checked before the assessments, and you of all people know how strict our screening process is."

"Kuh!"

The arguments raged on until the chairman finally slammed his hand on the table. "Enough!"

The room fell into an uneasy silence as all eyes turned to him.

"Eira," the chairman said, addressing the Student Council President. "What do you think?"

The chairman asked this, and this is when things took a turn.

There was an obvious scowl on the faces of the board; it was clear they were opposed to this—the chairman asking for a child's opinion, to put it simply.

The board all viewed her as someone unfit to be there. They were opposed to her overall standing.

If she were to graduate with her position intact... then their positions would be threatened.

All this shows how much they despised her presence here.

"Disregarding the physical and magical assessments, they aced the written exams as well."

"I reviewed the security footage, and they did it using only their own knowledge. Additionally, the sensors detected no skill or magic being used."

Unlike normal colleges, Yosen is less practical regarding written exams.

However, they have the necessary tools for monitoring.

"Besides, a Creed got the highest mark, surpassing the second-ranked student by a significant margin."

"This…"

Eira Seiravelle's words left them in a perpetual silence that not even one of the boards could retort or push the discussion any longer.

"Seems like there's nothing more to be said."

"Now that everything is settled, I hereby decree—"

The matter was settled.

The Creeds would enter Yosen College with the highest rankings—much to the dismay of certain families and board members.

And that wasn't all.

Additionally, Magic Affiliates had openly shown interest in the four brothers, discouraging other families from openly opposing the Creeds—at least for now.

Back in the faculty offices,

Celeste slumped in her chair, rubbing her temples in frustration. "What a hassle," she muttered under her breath.

The pile of paperwork related to the Creed brothers had grown exponentially, thanks to the uproar surrounding their performance.

As if that weren't bad enough…

"Dear Celeste Blackwood, you are hereby chosen as…"

"...The instructor of Class A…!?"

Celeste's eyes twitched as she read the message, running a hand through her hair.

This was pretty much a death sentence for her, which meant more work.

"Of all the people they could have chosen, they picked me?"

"Damn the higher ups what do they take me for?"

She muttered, with an especially annoyed expression.

But no matter how much she grumbled, there was no way around it.

The decision had been made.

 "Haah. Fine, then."

Resigned to her fate, Celeste stubbed out her cigarette as she slumped back in her chair.

"At least, be worth the trouble, damn Creeds."