Zenos faced Professor Goldrun’s interview.
Zenos braced himself slightly, meeting Goldrun’s gaze head-on.
“I understand you were introduced by Mr. Becker.”
“Yes.”
“What is your relationship with him?”
“Well… our parents were acquaintances.”
That was the setup, at least.
Zenos had received a fake profile from Becker in order to infiltrate the Royal Healing Institute.
“What did your parents do?”
“They died in an accident.”
“I see…”
“After that, I was taken in by relatives in Rasio and recently returned.”
“The Rasio Federation? Did you train as a healer there?”
Zenos nodded slowly.
The Rasio Federation was a nation far from the Kingdom of Bazes.
It wouldn’t be easy to verify his background in a distant foreign country.
“Hmm… I hear there’s a healer training institute there, too. Of course, it’s not as good as ours.”
Goldrun said this, his voice dropping a tone lower.
“By the way, I hear there is no king in the Rasio Federation.”
“That’s right.”
Rasio was a federation of small states, each based on a tribe.
Becker had told him that its political system was also unique, with representatives from each tribe taking turns leading the country, a rare format.
Then, Goldrun spat out:
“Ridiculous. A country can only become strong when each class fulfills its role under an absolute king. Wouldn’t you agree?”
“…”
Perhaps taking Zenos’s silence as affirmation, Goldrun snorted in satisfaction.
“Well, it doesn’t matter. It was a wise decision to return to our Sun Kingdom, rather than that fragile nation. Now then—”
Goldrun leaned forward slightly.
“Is the reason you don’t have your citizen’s card because you’ve only just arrived here?”
Zenos nodded silently, trying not to betray his slight unease.
Zenos, who came from a poor background, naturally did not have a Bazes citizen’s card.
Normally, it would be required to be submitted when entering the Royal Healing Institute, but this time, special permission had been granted due to the pretense that he had just returned from a foreign country and the paperwork was not yet complete, and because of the powerful guarantor, the special-grade healer Becker.
However, he hadn’t expected the professor to ask about the citizen’s card directly.
Perhaps he was a suspicious person.
Goldrun stared at Zenos silently for a moment, then slowly nodded.
“Very well. Then do your best.”
“So, Professor. Is he accepted?”
The second secretary asked, and Goldrun, about to say “Yes…”, stopped himself.
“—I can’t say that yet.”
“…!”
A glint of suspicion lingered in his eyes.
“Zeno, was it? I want you to draw the magic circle you supposedly drew in class, here, again.”
“A magic circle?”
“I’ve only heard about you from others. I haven’t seen with my own eyes whether you are a useful person.”
That was certainly reasonable.
Zenos imbued his fingertip with magic power and drew on the paper he was given the magic circle his master had playfully taught him.
He didn’t know if this would meet expectations, but he remembered that the lecturer was quite surprised during the magic circle lecture at the Royal Healing Institute. Zenos handed the paper to Goldrun and said.
“Will this show you if I’m useful?”
“Yes, seeing an original magic circle generally reveals the depth of one’s understanding of healing magic. And—”
Goldrun looked into Zenos’s eyes.
“Whether your origins are suspicious or not.”
“…”
Zenos frowned slightly.
“There are various schools of magic circles, but no matter the school, there are fundamental principles and rules that must be followed in the study of healing magic. That should be the same even if you were educated in the Rasio Federation.”
“What does that have to do with my origins?”
Zenos asked carefully, and Goldrun held up the paper with his right hand, showing it to Zenos.
“Don’t you understand? If your magic circle doesn’t adhere to these principles, it means you haven’t received a proper education. Even if it deviates slightly from the principles, a careful examination will reveal whether you deviated with understanding or if you simply don’t know the principles.”
“…”
“And, if by any chance, the reason you haven’t received a proper education is that you’re from the ultra-lower class, then welcoming such a person into our proud research lab is a despicable situation.”
“Ultra-lower class? Are you saying he’s from a poor background?”
The second secretary raised his voice in surprise.
“I said ‘if by any chance.’ I don’t know anything about him, and I don’t have his citizen’s card yet. Fasso, the magic circle lecturer, may have focused only on the function and not checked the principles. This is just in case.”
“…”
Goldrun glanced at the silent Zenos, then turned the paper towards himself and began to examine it.
“Our faction must always be composed of righteous and excellent individuals. The infiltration of foreign elements is not allowed. Especially if I am to become the next director.”
The professor put on his glasses and glared at the paper.
The second secretary looked anxiously between Zenos and the professor. His expression showed his worry that his career would be over if the result was unfavorable.
“P-Professor… how is it?”
The secretary asked Goldrun, who was staring intently at the paper, in a trembling voice. Goldrun, who had been looking down for a while, slowly rose from his seat.
“…This is quite an interesting magic circle. Indeed, I’ve never seen such an application. And—”
The professor put his hand on the door of the room and glared at Zenos.
“It seems your fundamentals are also solid. Come to my lab starting tomorrow.”
With that, he slammed the door shut.
Listening to the receding footsteps, Zenos let out a sigh.
This was the magic circle he had learned from his master.
Zenos realized, belatedly, that he actually knew nothing about his master, whom he thought he knew well except for his name.