#596 Graduation Test

So what Sensei is trying to say is that Ritheseus would graduate at the same time Shaymiri studies at the farm. 

That means they won’t be able to study together.

“Noo! I don’t want that!”

Shaymiri, who has understood the situation, expresses her rejection with her whole body. You know, by throwing a tantrum like a little kid.

“Aaaaaahahahaha! Poor, poor you! Your ulterior motive was him, after all! Too bad for you, you have no time to be with Ritheseus!” says Eryngear triumphantly.

But...

“Won’t you and Ritheseus also be separated after graduation? I mean, you’re going back to your respective homes, right?” 

They live in different nations—Eryngear in the Demon Kingdom and Ritheseus in the Human Kingdom. 

I wonder if they’ll be so physically far apart that they won’t be able to see each other very often.

“Nooooooooo! I don’t want that to happen!!!”

And now there’s a second person throwing tantrums.

Bah, these children aside, I agree with Sensei.

How long has it been since these students arrived here?

One year? Two years? Hmm, including this year, that makes it three, I guess.

In other words, they’re in their third year.

If this were middle school or high school in my world, they’d be in their final years, preparing for graduation by taking entrance exams or finding a job.

These students, led by Ritheseus, are not just here to learn.

They’re here to gain knowledge and skills to become worthy people who can work for the common good.

If they have matured to the point where they can serve the world, they should return to their respective hometowns and utilize all that they’ve learned.

“Ritheseus has made a public appearance as a subordinate of the Demon Kingdom and has succeeded. We can use that as a basis for judging your improvement as having grown respectably for the world to see.”

But... This is Ritheseus that we’re talking about.

He’s the most talented and gifted of all the students at the farm, so is it safe for us to treat the rest of the students like him...?

“It’ll be all right. They’re students I’ve raised with great care!”

“Pardon?”

“I don’t show any favoritism. Every single one of them is a student I’m proud of!”

“Oh...!”

I could only utter a word to show that I was still paying attention.

I was awed by Sensei’s appeal.

As for his students...

“Ohh...!”

“At last...!”

Though shocked, they’re generally calm about the situation.

Surprisingly, they’re not upset that they’re leaving the farm.

“I knew this would happen someday...!”

“Well, we can’t possibly stay here forever just studying, can we?”

“I get to see mom back home for the first time in so long!”

They’re all so positive.

“NOOOOO! I DON’T WANT THISSSS!!!”

Except for Eryngear and Shaymiri, that is.

We’ll just pretend they don’t exist for now... Sensei, please continue. 

“You’ve all been doing exceptionally well. At first, you were innocent and clueless fledglings, but after a few rigidly productive days, look at how you’ve all grown into such magnificent individuals!”

Um, Sensei?

Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves...!

“Well, we did invite you to assist with the classes at first, but lo and behold, you’ve really taken the lead, Sensei.” 

“Oh, you flatter me, Lord Saint...! Perhaps as backlash for being alone for so long, my days of teaching and learning from these young people have been so exciting to me...!”

And that’s how Sensei has taken a leading position in the farm’s study program.

The days of teaching are like a revolving lantern, recurring in his mind.

“You’ve all done so well coming this far...! I’m so proud of you, everyone!”

“Sensei! It’s too early to shed tears!”

Sensei starts to get sentimental when it involves his students.

“O-Oh, you’re right! Class, you have yet to master all that I’ve taught! One last hurdle remains. I need to see if you have grown enough to convince me!”

Sensei toughens his voice a little.

“Before you graduate, I’m going to give you an exam...A graduation exam, to be precise!”

“A GRADUATION EXAM?”

“I shall test whether you remember my teachings and can make full use of them. I won’t tolerate any half-hearted performance, lest your inadequacy causes problems once you take on the world.”

An exam to determine whether their performance is satisfactory, huh?

“Don’t expect me to go easy on you. The test will be a rigorous one, so you must brace yourselves.”

“YES, SENSEI!!!”

Such a responsive class.

“NOOOOOOONONONONONONOOOOO!!!”

We’ll keep ignoring those love-struck maidens...

“But Sensei, how exactly are you going to test them?”

“Let’s see...”

He hasn’t thought about that yet?

If Sensei doesn’t come up with a test so menacing and hell-like, people might just criticize him for having a soft spot for his students.

“I have an idea.”

Oh, he already has something in mind.

“If they beat Orkubo and Gobukichi, they pass.”

“Okay, mayyybe we shouldn’t go that far.”

Rather than menacing, that’s just plain brutal and mission impossible-level.

Even the cruelest examinations in shounen manga are more humane than that.

“Conducting an exam that no one can pass would be meaningless. Let’s brainstorm to find the perfect balance while lowering the difficulty.”

“Y-You make a good point, Lord Saint...!”

Normally, Sensei is one of the most intelligent and sensible people on the farm, but when it comes to his students, or rather their education, he goes berserk.

“I think an exam to assess the students’ mental growth, as well as the skill and wisdom, is ideal. Those with great power should have the right mindset to utilize it well. Nurturing a powerful individual without the necessary mental capacity is simply a sin for me.”

Though cautious, Sensei is strict with himself and others.

Testing their mind, huh? Would that be something that has misleading choices but are actually the right answers? 

“I believe somewhere, there’s a light that can extinguish the souls of those with an impure heart….”

“Please don’t say that, Sensei.”

Don’t make it seem like their failure will result in their death.

Sensei’s composure is falling apart.

“How about you leave that to me, meow!”

Woah, something appeared.

Oh, it’s a cat.

No, wait, it may look like a cat at first glance, but that’s a Lifeless King and one of the most vicious—Professor!

He’s in his feline form!

“I’ll think of the exam content in your stead, Sensei! As fellow Lifeless Kings, helping each other out is important, meow!”

Ohh, the Professor is unusually showing a sense of camaraderie with another Lifeless King.

“I’ve already prepared a draft of the exam questions! The more ticks they make, the better chances of them passing!”

When I checked the paper the Professor showed me, the questions looked something like this:

• Do all family members agree?

• Do you have enough space to keep pets indoors?

• Do you plan to move?

• Do you have enough time in the day to play with the cat?

• Do you have countermeasures against escaping pets?

• Can you brush the cat every day?

• Can you give the cat a silver vine every day?

“What is this, a checklist for cat ownership?!”

Even if you tick all these, the only thing you’d be qualified for is to own a cat!

“Why’d I even think we could rely on a cat? We have to come up with a proper test structure ourselves!”

Since we can’t come up with decent content in this situation, we’ll dismiss the meeting for now and bring up the topic some other time.

We’re not in a rush to have them graduate, but conducting the exam, deciding whether they pass, and holding the graduation ceremony should be plausible within the year.

This is an important exam that may even determine the lives of the students we’ve been training.

Let’s take our time to think seriously about this.