I Swear I'm Not a Demon Masquerading as a Human

The conference room, with its soft, light-colored walls, was bathed in bright, natural midday light. The greenery arranged on the spacious windowsills added a touch of vitality and life to the space. However, the atmosphere in the Sages' College’s conference room was one of utter disarray. A heated debate had suddenly erupted over a controversial topic.

One teacher sighed. "Compared to that candidate from the Knights’ College, whose wisdom and character scores were practically zero, ours seems to have scored too high."

Another teacher interjected, "It’s almost excessively high."

Most of the faculty were shocked and flabbergasted by Lance’s exam results. They discussed this statistical outlier with a sense of bewilderment that made them question their own understanding of things.

Some teachers were frowning in thought, occasionally glancing up at the replay playing on the magical screen. What kind of mindset did this kid have when he took the exam? They couldn't fathom it.

Right now, the faculty had to juggle their usual teaching and research duties, review the exam, and, urgently, manually evaluate every candidate's performance. Clearly, Lance had presented them with a conundrum: how exactly should they grade him?

One instructor commented, "You have to admit, the guy has a really strong grasp of the law. A normal examinee wouldn't immediately go to check the legal code in a situation like that."

Amid the argument, another teacher slammed the table and shouted, "Hold on! Our university recruits mage professionals, as people proficient in using magic, not those who want to be lawyers!"

"Maybe he’d be better suited for a referral to the Hutton National University of Finance, Economics, and Law," commented another instructor.

"Whoa! Hold your horses!"

Just the thought of a guy like Lance becoming a judge someday made every teacher in the room think the exact same thing: I never want to see him in a courtroom in this lifetime.

Documents, charts, and notes lay scattered across the conference table. The clock on the wall ticked incessantly.

Associate Dean Ron remained silent, jotting down key points representing various perspectives on the paper before him as he tried to organize his assessment of the examinee. Dean Lawrence was currently getting thoroughly scolded over at the College of Magical Engineering. That left him to preside over the meeting in the other’s stead.

No one from the Sages’ College wanted to go to the College of Magical Engineering and face Professor Boralo, as he was a man with a notoriously eccentric temper. He would be absolutely furious that the activation terminal for the artificial Shadow Realm had been broken. Unfortunately, their hands were tied. The terminal was essential for the third round of the exam.

Someone brave had to ask Boralo to bring his technical team over and rush the repairs within the next two days.

Sigh... If I were Lawrence, I’d probably just drag this Lance kid straight to the College of Magical Engineering.

Their dean was simply too honest and kindhearted. With that thought, Associate Dean Ron finally tapped the tabletop twice. It was a signal for the faculty to return to the matter at hand.

"Regarding the core of the test, he seems to have offered a different interpretation of a 'benevolent and righteous heart.'" Ron sighed as he spoke, reluctantly acknowledging the significance of Lance’s success. "Perhaps fighting violence with violence, or evil with evil is also an effective way to do good."

It wasn't just combat-oriented challengers who studied and explored Shadow Realm dimensions. Theologians, historians, and philosophers were frequently involved as well. The stories that were unearthed and analyzed by these scholars helped Challengers clarify information and broaden their strategies for conquering future dungeons.

Over time, the Sages’ College incorporated a wide range of academic research into their understanding. A prime example was the Introduction to the Shadow Realm, which was a mandatory course for all incoming students and the most widely accepted theory regarding the Shadow Realm in the present.

This theory claimed that the Shadow Realm was a miraculous magical construct created by the gods before their disappearance. It automatically recorded pivotal historical moments from various worlds and alternate realities, preserving these fragments as projected images.

Whenever a realm evolved, through cycles of destruction and rebirth, to the point where it possessed the strength to access the Shadow Realm, a connection was established between the two. The inhabitants of that realm could then enter the Shadow Realm and, guided by its central tenet, reenact these historical projections.

For any living being, these historical projections, spanning diverse timelines and realities, served as an invaluable educational resource and treasure trove of knowledge.

The gods intended for living beings to reflect upon these vanished historical fragments, gain experience, and engage in cross-world learning, thereby making their own dimension more stable and prosperous. Thus emerged a dual-world system where the present realm and the Shadow Realm were intertwined, much like a physical object and its shadow.

After Associate Dean Ron took the lead, the atmosphere in the conference room returned to that of a standard academic review session.

At the round table designated for the healing mages, Theresa reviewed Lance’s file as she softly said, "We could perhaps publish a journal article discussing Lance’s solution to the artificial Shadow Realm scenario used in the entrance exam. I think he possesses a greater aptitude for being a researcher."

Even during the admissions process, she had sensed that while the young man lacked talent as a combat mage, his composed, gentle, and refined demeanor marked him as a natural-born scholar.

Individuals of this type, provided they were willing to apply themselves to their studies, were often highly regarded by various academic societies. After all, administrative and research roles, such as conducting post-mission analyses or working in logistics, were just as vital as frontline combat.

"Indeed. He possesses the right temperament, the intellect, and the moral character to match." Many of the instructors voiced their agreement.

Associate Dean Ron tapped his index finger lightly against the tabletop. After a moment of hesitation, he summarized the situation. "In short, his rank is ahead of Lady Hyperion Aransar, placing him first. We are all in agreement, right?"

Since a definitive score couldn’t be assigned, they would have to settle on a ranking order for the time being. This would directly determine the groupings for the test that was occurring the day after next.

Upon hearing this, many of the teachers present either nodded or remained silent. Their attitudes were somewhat nuanced, even carrying an air of wanting to avoid the appearance of impropriety.

A hesitant, stammering voice came from the round table where the healing mages were seated. "Although he cleared the course very quickly, he barely hit any of the designated scoring targets. Based on the scoring algorithm originally set by the College of Magical Engineering, his score might not necessarily be particularly high..."

The associate dean looked over and saw it was Theresa who had spoken up.

At a table on the other side of the room, a young instructor who was resting his right arm on the back of his chair turned to look at Theresa and cut her off, "That’s not really fair of you to say, Instructor Theresa. He deserves to be first; that’s an indisputable fact."

Theresa pursed her lips, unable to say anything more. Deep down, she knew her argument didn't hold much water. But she genuinely wanted to help Lance, because, in this year's entrance exam, taking first place was by no means an enviable position.

In truth, the most troublesome applicant for the university was neither Frey nor Lance. It was Lady Hyperion, Duke Aransar’s daughter. The vast majority of the faculty preferred not to get involved with her.

The reason the duke’s daughter hadn't held back during the second trial was her fear that a poor ranking would result in being paired with puppets who were arranged by others in the third test. Only by securing a high enough ranking could she hope to be assigned powerful teammates whom the university’s hostile factions couldn't easily manipulate to sabotage her.

As things stood now, if Lance happened to be placed in the top spot, it would likely suit many outsiders, making it a foregone conclusion that he would serve as the tool to drag the duke’s daughter down during the practical combat test. After all, he showed no signs of possessing any outstanding combat ability.

Ron cast a deep, meaningful look at the young teacher who had interrupted Theresa earlier, then said, "Ferrat, I’m not in a position to say too much. But regardless, please do not overstep yourself. Otherwise, Lawrence won't stand idly by."

The young teacher named Ferrat stood up and bowed gracefully to Associate Dean Ron before smiling confidently. "Naturally. Barring any surprises, I am the one responsible for assessing the top-ranked students according to the established rules. I will do my utmost to weed out unqualified candidates—all for the sake of their future safety."

Associate Dean Ron silently turned the page in his hand, wishing to end the conversation.

As a White Mage, Lance Wilford possessed only a mediocre aptitude. In reality, he wasn't suited for the Sages’ College to begin with. Navigating a Shadow Realm beyond Level 1 required not only intellect, but also significant practical combat ability. No matter which group he was assigned to, he would likely be eliminated in the third round.

In a sense, it was simply fate that had him teamed up with the duke's daughter. No one could be blamed for dragging the other down. After all, if the two of them were separated, neither stood much chance of admission anyway.

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