I who got fired from the S class adventure party worked as a support, want to have a slow life by becoming an alchemist - Chapter 21

Translator: NovelMultiverse

After a while, the assembled candidates were led into a large, vertical classroom.

At the end of the neatly arranged desks was a small piece of paper with the exam number and name written on it, along with a quill and black ink. Following that, Slay found a seat and sat down.

Slay’s seat was in the back right corner of one of the five rows. Since it was close to the application deadline, I figured it was probably in the order of receipt of applications.

“…… My number is 82. I’m not sure how many people have signed up for this year’s event. It’s not much, but considering the gathering of nobles from various parts of the vast kingdom, it’s something like this. Transformation techniques are minor compared to magic.”

The young lady with the blonde drill as an example was seated right in the middle of the entire room.

Eighty-five people in total. If seventeen of them were in the middle of the fifth row, the third row, then she was number 43.

From this position, I could only see her back, but her two rolls of hair still stood out prominently.

Did they say that blonde drill lady, the duke’s daughter? …… I wonder where the four dukes live?

There are four families of dukes in the kingdom, all of which have vast domains. And those associated with the dukes are second only to the royal family in terms of prestige.

If she were to show any disrespect, even by chance, it would be a big deal. Or else she might end up being of a higher status than anyone else in this building, including the staff of the Alchemist Society. I don’t think we’ll have a chance with her, but we’ll have to be careful.

For now, I decided to focus on the exam. The second hand on the front wall clock was already pointing to 8:53, seven minutes before it started.　

“‘I will now give you an overview of the alchemist exam, the written section.”

The man in the suit with his blond hair parted into seventy-three parts, standing at the lectern, was familiar. He was Albert, the alchemy society executive who had received the supplements that Slay had brought in and who had lent me the instructional books and question books under executive authority. Apparently, he would be the examiner.

The other woman, a dark-haired woman in uniform distributing two copies of the form each, was unfamiliar. She wore an alchemist’s badge, so there was no doubt that she was a full alchemist.

”I will distribute a portion of the question paper and an answer sheet. You will be given a questionnaire and an answer sheet, and you must remember to write your name and examination number on the answer sheet. The time limit is 90 minutes from 9:00 to 10:30. You may leave the examination after 40 minutes, but in principle, you may not re-enter the room after leaving. …… Any questions?”

Despite the fact that the people gathered were nobles, Albert didn’t show any particular respect, and his tone was the same nonchalant tone as usual. Regardless of the title of each candidate’s family, Albert was a senior alchemist and association executive. It would be a higher status in the alchemist world.

No examiners responded to the questioning. This is because the rules of the exam time and exit were communicated beforehand, and Albert’s statement was almost a reaffirmation.

Soon, the paper was distributed to all the candidates and the second hand pointed to nine o’clock.

”──Now, we will begin the alchemist exam, the written section.”

Sixty minutes had passed since the exam started, and Slay finally finished filling up the answer sheets.

He confirmed that about 20% of the candidates had already left the front entrance.

They may be quite confident, or they may have given up on the written test, or they may have only solved the problems they could solve.

Whoever exited before Slay probably didn’t get a perfect score.

There was only one difficult problem. It was a calculation problem with a complex theory, and it would take a lot of time to solve it. Slay thought that there might not be many people who could get it.

And although it was a difficult question, there was no need to force yourself to take it, since the score was only 4 points out of 100. If you can get more than 70% of the written test, you’ve passed.

Well, there was a time when there were some difficult problems in the past examinations. You dare to include one tricky question.

When Slay finished reviewing the answer sheet again, there were only fifteen minutes left. I could sense that there were still quite a few candidates left in the room.

If they were going to do the difficult questions in the example, they might need this much time.

The young lady in the drill diagonally to the left was still there as well. I wondered if she was trying to solve that difficult problem.

In the end, Slay didn’t leave midway and left the classroom after reviewing it for a full hour. After all, nearly half of the examinees seemed to remain in the classroom without leaving it.

After the exam, the lobby, where they had gathered in the morning, was crowded with candidates who had finished their exams and were taking a breather.

It seemed to be roughly predictable how much of each could be taken out of the spare, sinking, and praying expressions on their faces.

As Slay leaned against the pillar with his arms crossed, as he had done earlier in the morning, the three young aristocrats in the example were chatting nearby.

”It was quite difficult …… to do that. I might fail …… self-scoring, I just got 70%.”

“I’m 90% solid. …… I just didn’t get the last question. What the hell was that?”

“Oh, that. That’s just the way it is. They’re not going to let us take it.”

As I thought, the last question seemed to be more difficult.

”Well-done for your hard work, Miss Frederica. How was the exam?”

A little further away, a hazel-haired woman who seemed to be an escort asked Frederica, who was resting on the sofa.

It’s a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you’re looking for. I’m not going to be able to get a good idea of what I’m talking about.

“I’m not going to be able to get it right. I’d like to say ……. I’ve got a hard time with one question.”

“Frederica-sama also struggled. Judging from the reaction of those around her, it was a very nasty question. So you’ll have to make good on your promise at …….”

“Chloe. I said I was forced to struggle with ・・・・・. It’s not a problem I can’t solve.”

The woman who seems to be the escort seems to be named Chloe.

And although Frederica closed her eyes while smiling, she seemed to have a somewhat anxious look on her face.

After waiting for a while, Albert finally appeared in the lobby with a stack of answer sheets in his hand.

“I hope all the candidates are present. I’ll be returning the answer sheets now. The number of people who passed the written test is 60 out of 85.”

The announcement was met with a murmur from the examiners. Simple calculations showed that a little over seventy percent of them passed the written test, and less than thirty percent failed.

Whether this pass rate was high or low is hard to say, as I didn’t know the pass rate for previous years, but Slay felt it was low.

It must be sad to come all this way and fail the written test. …… There was one difficult question for sure, but if you study diligently, it felt like a solid 70% of the exam.

But it is up to the individual to decide if he or she is serious about it, and there may be circumstances that prevent him or her from being able to devote himself or herself to the written exam. Or you may have had to concentrate on the practical skills. I can’t help but think about each person’s approach to the exam.

In any case, Slay had a firm belief that he was on the side of those who had passed the written test.

“The first person to pass the test gets full marks. Then the names of those who have passed will be read out in order of examination number. With all due respect, I would like to abbreviate the titles of the candidates in this examination. …… number 43, Frederica.”

“Huh. …… Well, of course, it is.”

Frederica, who had a nervous look on her face from earlier, stood up from the sofa with a relieved look on her face, and with a graceful gait, she headed to the position where Albert was and received the answer sheet.

And immediately afterward, there is a round of applause from the examiners.

”Frederica-sama!”

“You’re very good at solving that conundrum!”

“Oh, not only is she beautiful, but she’s clear-headed too ……”

Frederica unfurled her floridly decorated fan and smiled to hide her face.

”…… It’s not that much. Besides, it’s only the practical exam in the afternoon that’s the real deal.”

She looks apparently embarrassed. Slay, too, was clapping along with those around him to be inconspicuous.

However, a situation occurred that counteracted such a mood.

The next name Albert announced was one that surprised those gathered even more.

“…… number 82 Slay. These two are the two people who have passed the written test with perfect scores.”