novelzi Chapter 147: Unexpected Exam (1)
Chapter 147: Unexpected Exam (1)
Chapter 147: Unexpected Exam (1)
Tap—
The black stone clicked into place on the wooden grid. It was the 87th move, and Sophien found herself quietly pleased with the play.
Tap—
The white stone held off the black at the 88th move, keeping the rising tension in her chest at bay. It wasn’t the ideal move, but it was the best she could do. The game had already shifted toward the black stones, and this single effort wouldn’t be enough to change the course.
Tap—
Therefore, the black stones advanced effortlessly, their flow as serene and natural as a breeze gliding over a quiet stream.
Tap—
In contrast, the white stones moved with increasing urgency, each turn burdened with doubt. Like a general trapped in a battle, with no escape in sight.
Tap—
Though the white stones struggled, the black stones advanced, steadily tightening their grip around the large knight. Surrounded on all sides, the white territory began to wither, suffocated by its own isolation.
Tap— Tap— Tap—
The game dragged on, though the result was now inevitable. The black stones moved with calm precision through the endgame, while the white stones could only await their defeat.
Tap... Tap... Tap—
The rhythm of the stones gradually faded until silence filled the board. Black had won by resignation, but for Sophien, there was no triumph. It had been a hollow game, played against herself, leaving only a quiet void behind.
"Sigh..." Sophien muttered.
It had been a solitary game, with both the white and black stones representing different sides of Sophien herself.
"This isn't some foolish game with pebbles," Sophien muttered, frustration welling up inside her. She snatched a handful of stones from the Go box and flung them across the room.
Rattle—!
The stones burst across the room like fireworks, and a smirk played at her lips.
"Hmph. This is far more entertaining."
Reaching into the Go box once more, she grabbed another handful of stones.
Clatter!
And another.
Clatter!
And yet again.
Clatter!
Still not satisfied, she overturned the entire box, scattering stones everywhere.
“... Hmph.”
Bang— Bang— Bang— Bang—
Grabbing the empty box, she slammed it against the board—a burst of childish frustration.
Knock, knock—
At that moment, an eunuch knocked softly on the door and said, "Your Majesty, it is Jolang. May I request a moment of your time?"
"Speak," Sophien said curtly.
"Your Majesty, we have taken the liberty of learning the game of Go, which you have found pleasure in recently."
The door creaked open slowly—not by Sophien’s hand, but through Telekinesis, just as Deculein would have done.
"So, you’ve learned Go, have you?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. Together, we studied it carefully and have now learned the game."
It wasn’t just one eunuch—ten of them stood in a row. With so many minds at work, the outcome promised to be anything but ordinary.
"Good. Take your seats," Sophien commanded.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Jolang was convinced that mastering Go would earn the Empress’s favor, and they had worked tirelessly, day and night, to learn it.
As Sophien gathered the scattered stones with a spell, she said, "Decide. Black or white?"
"I’ll take white, Your Majesty."
"Very well."
Jolang and the other eunuchs, standing before Sophien, began the game.
"Let the game begin," Sophien commanded.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Tap—
Sophien placed her black stone first. Jolang followed, placing his white stone just beneath the start point, settling it in the small corner.
"Oh? It seems you’ve indeed learned the game."
"Yes, Your Majesty. I remain deeply honored by your favor."
"Hmph. Enough with the bullshit."
The eunuchs appeared to have learned the game to a reasonable level, but...
"Tch. Pathetic, absolutely pathetic."
"... Forgive me, Your Majesty."
Fifteen minutes later, the game ended around the 60th move.
Sophien pressed her fingers to her temple and said, "Even with all ten of you, your calculations are painfully slow. It's as if you've gone backward into the negatives."
"... Forgive us, Your Majesty."
"Forgive me, my ass. Your Go skills are a joke, not worth the stones you're playing with. Get out of my sight. You're making this game even more tedious."
"Please forgive—"
"Enough! Stop talking and leave immediately!" Sophien snapped, sending the eunuchs scurrying from the room. She adjusted the bowtie at her neck. Today, she was dressed in a formal tuxedo, a gift from the Yukline family.
"Tsk. How pathetic... How can they be this incompetent?"
Given the circumstances, she had encouraged the spread of Go across the continent. In time, talented players would surely emerge, but the wait was excruciatingly dull.
"... Perhaps I’ll just have to wait for Deculein."
For now, that professor was her only glimmer of hope. With thoughts of his visit in two weeks, Sophien resumed her solitary game.
Tap... Tap...
The soft friction of stone on wood echoed quietly through the still room.
***
"... Hmm."
“... What the hell’s this even s’posed ta be?” Rogerio muttered, voicing what everyone else seemed to be thinking.
The mages, uncertain of their next step, stared down at the stones resting in their hands.
Epherene asked, “So, what exactly are we supposed to do with this?”
Rogerio scoffed, “I know, right? It’s just a stone, ain’t like it’s hard ta control this like it’s second nature.”
She flicked the stone in her hand, trying to activate Telekinesis.
“... Huh?”
The stone remained still.
Her mana had clearly flowed into the stone, but it refused to react. Normally, it would rise or shift, but now it remained motionless. Rogerio frowned and attempted Telekinesis once more, but still, nothing happened.
“Man, this’s pissin’ me off, not gonna lie.”
As her frustration mounted, Rogerio poured more force into her Telekinesis, the veins at her temples throbbing as her mana drained quickly.
“Grrrrrrrrr... Ugh!”
Rogerio clutched her head, her eyes bloodshot as she muttered through gritted teeth, “What the hell’s wrong with this damn thing? Aw, fuck, it hurts!”
“Can someone explain what’s happening?” another mage asked.
“What’s going on? What’s wrong with it?”
Epherene, along with the other mages, focused intently on the stone before them. Each attempted advanced manipulation spells like Telekinesis, Orbital Shift, and Wind Resonance, all concentrated on a single goal—moving the stone.
"Oh what, it’s really not working," Epherene said, her confusion growing.
The other mages strained together, giving it their all, but as Rogerio had said, the stone didn’t move an inch.
"I told ya, this thing ain’t budgin’ at all!" Rogerio grumbled, glaring at Deculein’s board. "Sheesh... This prof’s made it so ya gotta study every damn word of his theory before the thing’ll even twitch."
"... Oh? Wait... but hold on a second," Epherene muttered, staring at the blackboard. Suddenly, she remembered something from a few moments ago—something Deculein had done without a second thought. "But earlier, the professor gave all of this to us with magic."
Epherene’s short comment left every mage in the main hall pausing, lost in thought.
***
Winter arrived early this year. By late November, snow blanketed the Yukline mansion, and the gardeners were hard at work, preparing for the season’s demands. They shaped the snow into sculptures—flowers, horses, trees, and snowmen—each one crafted to bring a touch of joy to anyone who wandered by.
"You may proceed," I said.
"Yes, sir," Ren replied.
As usual, after finishing my morning exercises, I got into the car. Ren handed me three newspapers—one from the Empire, one from the Principality, and the Wizard Journal. This had become my routine on the way to the Mage Tower. I started with the Imperial paper.
Her Majesty Sophien Declares Go, the National Sport!
The Empress’s fondness for the game remained strong.
The board game, brought over from the Eastern Archipelago, had captivated the nobility and quickly turned into a widespread sensation...
... Her Majesty, delighted by the growing trend, was expected to host the upcoming Master’s Championship in the near future.
"... Hmm?"
As I read the newspaper, something outside the car window caught my attention—a crowd gathered near the Mage Tower.
"Please, one at a time! I will take the questions one by one!"
A pack of reporters, cameras in hand, had gathered, and at the center of it all, standing confidently as ever... was Adrienne, of course.
"I’m not going anywhere, so please, one question at a time!"
Ren smoothly steered the car onto a side road.
"... Is the exam still in progress?" a reporter called out.
I rolled the window down a notch.
"Yes! Professor Deculein’s exam is underway right now!"
Rumors of an exam spread, though I hadn’t assigned one, so the news took me off guard.
"Is this exam expected to last as long as it appears? It started four weeks earlier than the usual final exam schedule!" one of the reporters asked.
Adrienne nodded confidently to a question that I wasn’t even aware of and replied, "Yes! I think it’ll take a while—maybe two or three weeks. It might even last through the entire winter term!"
"Is the difficulty level really that high?"
"Yes! It’s a huge challenge, both in practice and in theory!"
... Could they be talking about the stones I handed out two days ago? I thought.
"It’s ridiculously simple but incredibly difficult—a perfect challenge from Professor Deculein! It’s one that’ll go down in the history of the Mage Tower!" Adrienne added.
I put the newspaper down and reached for the Wizard Journal. The headline on the front page revealed the full story behind it all.
Rogerio Held Hostage by Deculein’s Exam
Rogerio, along with several prominent figures from the Magical Realm, had been stuck in the Mage Tower for 36 hours, all due to an exam set by Monarch Deculein.
......
Once again, it seemed Deculein had designed a marathon exam for his advanced class. According to insider reports, the focus of the exam was stone manipulation.
Though the task appeared simple at first, even Ethereal Rogerio—renowned for her expertise in ores—had failed to solve it.
The exam’s written material spanned 100 pages, but it only covered the essential theories. To gain a full understanding of the subject, more than 1,000 pages of analysis would have been necessary to...
"I never said they couldn’t go home," I murmured.
I hadn’t set a time limit for how long they had to stay, and I never told them they couldn’t leave either. Of course, I definitely never called it an exam.
"If it takes two to three weeks... could this extend beyond the usual midterm schedule?"
"Yes, of course!" Adrienne said.
Adrienne was definitely behind all this chaos. She probably strolled through the Hall, saw what was going on, and decided to call it an exam. Or, more likely, she thought it would be fun to label it that way. That sounded much more like her.
"What’s the atmosphere like in the exam hall? I understand the mages there aren’t familiar with failure."
"Oh, yes! I have attended it myself. While the atmosphere wasn’t exactly cheerful or collaborative, they were still sharing ideas and making steady progress!"
"Since you attended, Chairwoman Adrienne, did you happen to attempt the exam as well?!"
Even I found myself curious about the question.
"Oh, you mean Deculein’s exam? Are you asking if I passed?!"
"Yes, that’s correct."
"No, I didn’t attempt it myself! I was worried I might break it, given my specialization in the destruction category! Still, I could probably finish it in a day, though!" Adrienne replied.
Adrienne’s response left me a bit confused. She’s an Archmage specialized in the destruction category, after all... Perhaps I had miscalculated the magic distribution, or the theory was just too advanced. Either way...
"This exam could become a major event in the Magical Realm by the end of the year! All eyes will be back on the Mage Tower at the Imperial University!" Adrienne said.
If the mages are putting in the effort, that’s a good sign. After all, they have nothing to lose from this challenge and everything to gain.
"...Ren, you may proceed to the parking lot," I commanded.
"Yes, sir," Ren replied, smoothly guiding the car down a back road toward the lot.