Genius Wizard Conceals His Origins

T/N: This bonus chapter is sponsored by Ruminas (2/2). See my Ko-fi if you want more bonus chapters.

Oslovya, Frauzen, Berleu.

While the three federal states have prospered in their own ways, the hierarchy between them was not so equal.

The fact that Berleu, which was responsible for major industries such as livestock farming and had the lowest population density, had a small foothold was evidenced by the name of the Frauvian Federation.

In the case of Oslovya, where various industries were flourishing, although it led the war against the Empire to victory, that military achievement alone was not enough to secure itself as the capital of the federation.

The birthplace of magic studies.

Regardless of geopolitical characteristics or international affairs, that short and concise title alone was enough for Frauzen to stand as the center of the federation.

At the center of that prestige is the city of Frauzen.

…And in the city of Frauzen is the Federal University of Magic.

There are many magical education institutions within the federation.

If one simply wishes to study magic, there’s no need to insist on the Federal University of Magic in Frauzen.

However, the founder of the Federal University of Magic was Jean-Pierre Auchlimé, the father of magic studies.

It was natural that the level of students gathered to become direct disciples of Auchlimé was incomparably higher than other universities.

The Federal University of Magic is a kind of sacred place.

It’s the pride of the federation and the sanctuary of magic students.

As if to prove this, the Federal University of Magic had a gateway.

The so-called Gate of Knowledge.

Although it was called a gate, it was just two massive granite pillars.

On the left pillar was inscribed: [Let those who wish to learn enter here]

On the right pillar: [Let those without the desire to learn not approach]

Except for the inscriptions said to have been hammered by Auchlimé himself with a hammer and chisel, they were just plain stone pillars.

But the twenty-foot-high Gate of Knowledge was a majestic symbol in itself.

Also, in terms of function, it was like a gateway to an iron fortress.

The Gate of Knowledge has not allowed entry to any Imperial citizens since the war.

“It’s raining this early in the morning. Take an umbrella.”

Susan advised.

I stood by the living room window, looking up at the cloudy sky.

The pattering rain.

It was ‘Imperial-like’ weather I hadn’t seen in a while in Frauzen, in the central part of the federation known for its dry climate.

As I kept staring out the window, Susan seemed to interpret this as a bad omen and sighed worriedly.

“How are you feeling?”

“I think I’m feeling quite good.”

“Did you sleep well?”

I nodded, but Susan’s expression remained dark.

“Really… the timing is so delicate. The weather is usually mild, but the temperature drops sharply around this time every year, and it’s even raining on top of that.”

Susan was worried that I might fail the exam because of the rain.

November 1st. The day of the entrance exam for the Federal University of Magic.

Susan was one of the few people who knew how determined I had been in my studies for the past two months, which made her even more concerned.

I can say confidently.

It’s a needless worry.

I shook my head.

“You don’t need to worry.”

“Huh?”

I had been staring out the window endlessly simply because the scenery of the Empire came to mind.

The rain wasn’t a bad omen. Rather, it was a good sign.

Who am I? I’m the guy who endured the rainy season under a bridge, gleefully pulling out magic books to practice magic whenever it rained.

I summarized this in one sentence:

“I concentrate best when it rains.”

“…Haha. I see. I suppose you need that level of confidence to apply to the Federal University of Magic.”

Susan smiled lightly and approached me to hand over an umbrella.

“Good luck!”

It was still early in the morning.

The time was more suitable to be called dawn, and the clouds were blocking even the sunlight.

The twins would be in dreamland, and Lena, who had been focusing on stabilizing the Eastern Telegraph Bureau for nearly a month, would also be sound asleep from fatigue.

Still, isn’t it a great happiness to have even one person to see you off?

“I’m off.”

As I said that and was about to open the front door…

Bang!

There was a loud noise from the stairs, and then shadows of people burst out.

There was the mischievous twin, Ellie…

…and Sally and Lena, who seemed to have been dragged along by her hands.

“Brother! Good luck with your exam!”

Ellie greeted, waving both hands vigorously.

Sally, still drowsy, just slightly waved her hand without even opening her eyes.

I waved back in response.

And then.

My eyes met directly with Lena’s, who was standing awkwardly, wrapped in a blanket like a cloak, looking as if anyone could tell she had just woken up.

It seems like it’s the first time I’ve seen her so disheveled.

Just as I thought that, Lena seemed to have a similar thought as color suddenly rushed to her pale cheeks.

“……”

“……”

An awkward silence lasted for about three seconds.

I waved my hand first.

“I’m off.”

“Ah. Um.”

Her already large eyes grew even wider.

Lena shook her head and waved her hand with a slightly gruff air.

“…Have a safe trip. E-Eugene.”

I naturally smiled.

I opened the umbrella after closing the door.

Holding the umbrella in one hand, a bag containing writing materials and submission documents in the other, and wearing Mrs. Diemann’s hat on my head…

I stepped out into the rain.

I admit it. I have a poor sense of direction.

I thought I was good with geography because of my memories of navigating the alleys of Leman, but after arriving in the federation, I suffered many times.

If I were to count the number of times I got lost, even both hands wouldn’t be enough.

It’s different now.

Two months into settling in Frauzen.

While the entire city might still be too large, I had thoroughly memorized the geography around the Oslo family’s neighborhood.

Thus, there was not even a hint of hesitation in my steps towards the Federal University of Magic.

Wouldn’t it be harder to get lost in the first place?

While government offices might be scattered throughout the city, the Federal University of Magic is located on the ‘axis’ of Frauzen.

That’s the vast avenue connecting Frauzen Station, Lapien Square, and the University of Magic.

If you just follow that road, you will naturally reach the main gate of the university.

As I walked through the rainy streets, I started to notice pedestrians around my age.

After passing the square and approaching the University of Magic, the number of pedestrians increased to the point where, at some point, the street was filled only with students.

I clicked my tongue.

Are all of these exam takers?

Considering that the university admits about 700 new students, the number of applicants seemed to easily exceed seven or eight times that.

Moreover, the students applying to the University of Magic were all those who thought they had a chance of being accepted.

“……”

I felt there was a hint of ferocity in the students’ expressions, and maybe it wasn’t just my imagination.

Perhaps I had a similar look on my face as they saw me.

As I kept walking, the grounds of the university began to come into view.

At this point, there was no need to look for the way.

Hundreds, no, thousands of people were forming a single procession flowing towards the reception area inside the university.

I, too, joined the procession heading to the reception.

To take the entrance exam, one needed to go through the process of submitting the application form, verifying their identity, and confirming the location of their exam at the reception area.

This was a time-consuming task, so even at this hour, an hour and a half before the exam started, the reception area was full of people.

“Examinee Number 1217, Ms. Torricelli. Confirmed.” *1

“Examinee Number 2944, Mr. Sartre. Confirmed.” *2

There were five or six staff members, and students lined up in front of them.

Somehow, it reminded me of the scene at an immigration checkpoint.

While waiting for my turn with this sense of déjà vu…

“……”

Inevitably, gazes gather…

…to the point where the back of my head feels hot.

The fact that no one paid attention to me until I closed my umbrella, but now, they’re casting glances, was so obviously because of my hair that it almost made me laugh wryly.

Still, since I was still wearing my hat, only a few people had noticed, but…

The sense of wariness that came through was on a different level.

It wasn’t even just a hint of aversion or mild disgust.

Contempt.

Rejection.

Intense emotions like incomprehension were the main ones.

Even though I hadn’t even crossed the Gate of Knowledge yet, is this how it is just for setting foot on campus?

I understand.

Magic is the pride of the federation. It was a pride that should not be tainted by the blood of barbarians, to the point of imposing a magic ban on the Empire.

How much more so for the Federal University of Magic of Frauzen, called the headquarters of magic?

As long as this is the federation, they would at least think of me as of mixed-blood with Imperial parents or grandparents rather than being an Imperial citizen. Still, I didn’t think it would be this bad.

If it weren’t for my above-average large build and my body trained through sparring with Dorothy and coal mine labor, it might not have ended with just stares.

Even if I wanted to protest against the current state of affairs, I couldn’t.

The source of this immense hatred stemmed from the atrocities committed by the Empire.

With nothing else to do while waiting in line, I was once again caught in an ethical dilemma.

“Next student, please come forward!”

It was finally my turn.

I took out my application form and ID and placed them in front of the staff member.

The staff member, who looked about Dorothy’s age, was writing something clumsily and stamping while speaking.

“We’ll need to verify your identity. It’s a simple procedure. Please remove any decorative items like hats for a moment……”

I did as told.

Only then did the staff member look at my face.

More precisely, they would have seen my gray hair exposed for all to see.

The next moment.

I literally witnessed more than half of the people in the reception area turning their heads towards me.

Where did the commotion of over a hundred people go, suddenly replaced by silence?

The staff member, who had swallowed their breath, slowly spoke.

“You’re here to register for the entrance exam, right?”

I was at a loss for words.

Do they not realize how rude that statement is?

At least the people around seemed to sympathize with them.

Gazes, gazes, gazes.

Sharp and hard gazes fly at me as if to stab.

This is a situation I’ve experienced before.

At times like this, it’s better to be gentle.

[Let those who wish to learn enter here.]

“…!”

I answered with a bright smile.

“Yes, I’m here to register for the entrance exam. Please proceed.”

T/N

Mr. Torricelli seems to reference the Italian physicist, Evangelista Torricelli. He is credited for inventing the barometer (a device that measures air pressure, sometimes with mercury, hence the unit of pressure mmHg) and a unit of pressure, the Torr (~1 mmHg and 1/760 of 1 atm (1 atm =101,325 Pa)), is named after him.
Mr. Sartre seems to reference the French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre. He is famous for his contributions to a field of philosophy called existentialism, i.e., questioning human existence. I don’t know too much about him personally since I’m not a liberal arts student, so if you’re interested, look him up.

That ends the bonus chapters. Sorry for the delay! I just received all remaining chapters for this novel and took the time to split each one in prep for the future. I probably won’t have another time to do this, so I took the chance.

If you enjoy reading and are willing to sponsor more bonus chapters, see my Ko-fi linked at the start of every chapter. Also, if you want to be informed when I release a new chapter, join the GalaxyTL discord and get the role for this novel at #novel-roles-f-j. I ping that role every time I release a new chapter.

That’s all for now, thanks for reading, and see you on Wednesday!