A:N - the Flame Dragon Incident was never publicized thus there was no hit on lives placed.

The Conference

The Rondel Conference. That was the shortened title which many places used, but the official name was the Rondel Academic Degree Board of Examination.

It had a long history, stretching back about 3000 years or so.

The Academy City had originally been founded as a place to test the worthiness of apprentices to learn from the libraries of various Sages who had gathered there to conduct research.

In the Special Region, where there were no communal libraries, rare books were almost always in the care of various famous Sages. From time to time, the powerful and the wealthy might forcibly gather books like that in one place, but these collections would invariably be destroyed or lost due to changes in the government, war, fires, and so on. In addition, there were those people who were appointed as librarians that selected and discarded books at their own judgement as well as burning books in the name of tidying up their collections. These occurrences repeated over and over, and in the end, books containing important knowledge vanished from the public domain.

Ever since, the Sages resolved never to relinquish control of their libraries again. If anyone wanted a book, they would have to write it themselves, or pay someone else to write it for them at a high price.

As a result, people who wanted to further their learning had no choice but to come here and knock on the teachers' doors.

However, if they allowed just anyone to come in and read those books, their valuable libraries would be worn out in short order.

Anyone without the requisite basic knowledge would not be able to understand the contents of those books, which meant that the books would be useless to them. Therefore, the teachers had to verify that any supplicants had the required level of knowledge before permitting them access to their archives.

And then, this test of an apprentice's learning became a measuring stick for good students.

'This time, I'll finally be allowed access to the archives!'

'Ha, then you'll be able to properly begin your research life. Good luck!'

'Huh, my browsing clearance is higher than yours, Teacher.'

'That's great. You must have really worked hard. How about it, want to take what you've learned and work for a lord?'

Conversations like these had been heard in Rondel for over 2000 years, until now.

The copying of rare texts had produced enough books that there was less of a need for access to archives, but conversely, it had become more and more important to show the fruits of one's studies. As a result, there were rigorous examinations to earn the academic titles of 'Bachelor/Graduate', 'Master', 'Expert/Doctor' and the highest-ranked position of 'Archmage/Sage'.

The various academic degrees and the examinations needed to obtain them were as followed:

The first was the bachelor's degree. To attain it, one needed to become an apprentice.

Through various connections and searching for a scholar of above bachelor level, one could find somebody to teach them basic knowledge. After that, if the prospective student had the right attitude, was serious, and possessed good grades, they would receive a recommendation and be given the right to call themselves a pupil of a Sage. And thus the long life of an apprentice began.

After that, they needed to undergo an interview with two other Sages aside from one's own master. If they passed, they could officially use the title of 'Bachelor' for their own, becoming part of the academic community. Lelei and Tsunami had traveled to Rondel for this reason some time ago and for the Conference, got Cato's letter with vouching from two others who judged them worthy of the Master title.

People with that title could access the archives of the school to which their master belonged, as well as earning the right to give private tuition of basic knowledge to children. So they were able to become Teachers in Alnus part-time. Tsunami teaches at night because she had to get tutoring during the day. She was jokingly called a Cram School Teacher by the JSDF because she teaches adults who wants an education but has daytime jobs...

The Master's Degree required an oral examination involving at least two other Sages from different schools before they were allowed to use the title. Anyone with that title was allowed basic access to the archives of any other Sage. In addition to reading privileges, they were also allowed to directly pose questions to other Sages. In other words, they could begin compiling knowledge from various masters.

In addition, they could release research results, and they were acknowledged as substitute teachers in place of Sages by scholars of Bachelor-level and below.

After that was the Doctorate, which was considered a hurdle in the academic's career. Doctorates for Researchers and Experts for Mages who achieved new heights with magic. Arpeggio is a Doctor with the rare expertise in minerals and jewels used in magic.

First, a prospective Doctor had to present a thesis before a board of examiners in Rondel. Then, they had to obtain the unanimous approval of all the examiners.

However, once one became a Doctor, they had unrestricted access to archives of all the Sages. In addition, they could expect preferential treatment in the courts of many nations, in deference to their titles. Of course, actually being called Excellency was a privilege reserved for nobles, ministers, and generals, but someone as versed in academics as the former group were in their respective fields could expect treatment of a similar standard.

And then, there was the final stage of Sage/Archmage. People at that level could found their own archives. That in turn meant that supplicants would come before them, which effectively meant that they were a one-man university. In the Special Region, the beings known as Sages were people which commanded the power and prestige of such an institute. And Cato has TONS OF BOOKS in his possession. Books Lelei will inherit one day, Tsunami could not, for obvious reasons. But Lelei must EARN the right to get all of Cato's books for when he finally croaks from old age. Otherwise, in possession she may be of them, but if lacking the right credentials, those tomes will be taken away from her whether she liked it or not if found in possession of the books without a license.

Naturally, the examinations to become a Sage were exceedingly ruthless the higher levels you go.

To some people, it was compared to a public execution, or perhaps a lynching.

This was a difficult hurdle to cross, which had caused many prospective challengers to withdraw in disgrace. Therefore many people stopped at the Doctorate stage. For instance, some of these people were landless second or third sons of nobility who could not inherit. People like that, who went into academia to make a living, often felt that reaching a Doctorate was enough. They would receive the respect due to them when they returned to their homes and be treated well. There was no need to subject themselves to repeated misery for the sake of advancement.

However, today, two young girls had come to contend for such a position. To people who had determined to make a life out of this path, academic degrees were not a goal, but merely one of many necessary steps which had to be taken in the endless quest for knowledge.

There were many aspirants around who wish to be promoted.

They looked to see who their rivals would be, and did a double-take at seeing two young girls aiming for promotion?!

Daemon watched the young heiress. Since taking up Sagehood around first week of December and it's been months since...she indeed, has qualifications as she tackled both past and future knowledge to catch up real quickly.

Soon, it began as some lion dude called out, 'THOSE WHO WILL BE APPLYING FOR DOCTORATES AND EXPERTISE, COME THIS WAY!' from another side was 'THOSE SUBMITTING NORMAL REPORTS, THIS WAY!'

Mustering up their resolve, the two girls went towards the lion-man.

The rest headed to get some seats. Rory scored them a seat behind the Judging Panel as it's the closest they can get to the stage.

'It is once again time for Rondel's Degree Certification Exam!' a man declared. 'Over on the other shore, the Empire opened the Gate and started a war. But as they say, the Pen is Mightier than the Sword, so let's begin!'

The conference began after the person in charge of the conference greeted them.

The lectures and dissertations on new discoveries and fantastic findings came one after the other.

It was fascinating. It was like the era of discoveries for humankind all over again, brought to life by these people.

It was breathtaking, even for those with modern-day knowledge.

After that, the Doctorate placement examinations began, with the candidates surrounded by the board of examiners on all sides. This was a tradition which had been handed down through the ages.

Their group can hear the Sages chattering and joking about.

'You can't wash this out no matter how hard you try.' said a bear-like Sage to his human friend with dark glee. 'You should use this brand for this event!'

'I ain't gonna lose!'

'Says you, your aim sucks!'

'Ahahaha...they're getting stuff ready to throw over...' Itami sweatdropped.

'So much ink bottles just for that?' Daemon sighed in exasperation. 'In my day, ink was as precious as paper, what a waste of money.'

'Meh, Sages and Archmages are rich, they wouldn't care.' Rory chuckled. 'Money by the gold coins rains on them every month by their patents. Many people aspire to become a Sage or Archmage for a comfortable life.'

Tsunami was the first to present.

The mentors carrying out the examination were already palming and fingering the ink bottles which they would throw if the presentation was a poor one. It made the two men wonder if this was an actual, rigorous examination, given the air of playfulness with which they did it.

Tsunami introduced Ice Magic. She answered all questions and took intimidation tactics and distraction tactics as if they were nothing, and calmly answered and refuted with sheer dignity and professionalism that got her approved of and awarded her Doctorate in Experthood, becoming a legend in her own right that she was the youngest to obtain Expert rank at age 14.

'Where do you currently reside? We reckon for life conveniences, people will come to you to learn Ice Magic!'

'I normally reside in Alnus Town to be under Sage Cato's tutelage, but now that I have a Doctorate, I will wander the world to hone my craft to become an Archmage, so I guess those who wish to learn under me will have to look for me.'

Then the guy after her wasn't so lucky, several bottles of ink flew through the air, dying the speaker red, yellow, green and other colors before he scampered off on his hands and feet, and moppers came to mop up the mess. Perhaps it was because he had personally witnessed that pathetic sight, but the tall and skinny male Elf cringed and trembled behind the stage. Lelei was as pale as a ghost.

Itami felt some sort of unspoken empathy for him when he saw the man in that state, so Itami, who was accompanying Lelei backstage, decided to address him, in order to help relieve the tension that was knotting him up.

'I heard from one of my companions that Elves don't have mentors. Are there other Elves like you, Flat?'

'No, there's nobody else like me. I'm just a strange person. I don't need a degree, but when I talk about certain things, having a degree is more convincing.'

Flat seemed to have relaxed a little.

However, Lelei did not look good at all. She seemed even paler than before in Itami's eyes. He thought of her a pale-skinned girl under normal circumstances, but somehow she had managed to lose even more color than before. Well, when he thought of someone as very pale, they would probably still have the red of blood under their skin to give them a little warmth. However, the tension of being made to present soon made her look like a white porcelain doll.

Itami looked over to the raucous conference hall.

After the poor soul was running and crying, the moppers went to clean up.

Flat the elf mustered up his guts, and then after the staff who had finished the cleanup gave him the signal, he stepped onto the stage, muttering, '-if a little girl can do it, so can I!'

When the nervous Elf showed his face, the Sages present wondered what sort of baseless speculation the astronomers were going to bring forward again, and went on alert.

In the past, he had attempted to state that 'The world's core revolves around the sun.' or some other nonsense in an attempt to address the flaws in the Heliocentric Theory.

Of course, everyone present had shouted him down, and all he could do was step down.

He had also put forward the theory that the heart of the sun was clouds and the core of the earth was alive and spinning, and had been criticised for the irresponsibility of his words. Still, despite the many hostile glares directed at him, Flat El Coda delivered his half-hour presentation, which amounted to 'so and so existed, thus the earth is distorted.'

The Sages in attendance had been tense at first because they thought it had something to do with the Heliocentric Theory, and then they relaxed. However, most of them had baffled expressions on their faces, as if to say 'What is this fellow on about?' Even if he said the world was twisted, they could not understand what he was trying to say.

'As everyone knows, I have been ceaselessly conducting research on the baseless Heliocentric Theory. Therefore, I have been continuously observing the celestial bodies. However, recently, I mixed up the coordinates of the object I was observing with that of another celestial body. I confused the White Planet with the star Vulpeculae.'

As the Sages heard this, they let out a collective sigh.

A scholar who specialized in astronomy would not do something like confuse one celestial body for another. This might even go so far as to call every single thing he had presented into question.

'However, the reason was because the Vulpeculae went through some unexplainable movements. Please observe.'

The, Flat sketched the results of his observations onto the blackboard behind him with a piece of chalk.

He showed that at the same time of every month (the 5th month, the 6th month…), the Celestial Fox Star was slowly shifting its position with respect to the Big Dipper.

This was a natural phenomenon that accompanied the changing of the seasons.

The rainy season had its own sky, the dry season had its own sky as well. But over the 7th, the 8th, the 9th, the 10th months, as time went on, other abnormalities began showing themselves. As it moved in a direction that was different from the direction in which it should have gone, he accidentally mixed it up with the White Planet.

'And so, once I realized that I had I confused the two celestial bodies, I immediately looked for the original White Planet. And this is what I found.'

He sketched the movements of the White Planet, which had traveled in an abnormal direction, much as Vulpeculae had.

Although the planets were named thus because they moved in mesmerizing ways, their orbits had been clearly mapped out over long years of study. No matter what, they could not have deviated so greatly from their paths.

'As I thought about this, I decided to record the activities of all the nearby celestial bodies, and after I observed how they moved over the months, I came to my conclusion,' Flat stated. If the heavenly bodies were like a piece of cloth, the cloth was now crumpled up and pressed together.

When the stars' orbits ran into the wrinkles of the cloth, they would be affected by the distortions and shift toward the southwest direction, and after passing through those wrinkles they would resume their normal orbits. In other words, part of the sky was distorted. This was what Flat meant by 'the world is distorted'.

'I have not found any examples of this sort of behavior within the historical examples I could access. In addition, this distortion phenomenon seems to be growing and expanding with every day which passes. Currently, it can only be discovered through careful observation, but before long, you should be able to see the familiar constellations of the southwest sky bunching up.'

Of course, he was questioned by the floor.

'Could that be because your observation equipment is too old, or broken?'

'Honestly speaking, they are quite old, because I can't afford new instruments. However, I do not think they are the reason for these results. I believe it is something more esoteric than that.'

'Could it have been a mirage of some sort?'

Mirages were phenomena which occurred in deserts an on the sea, where distant cities and islands seemed to appear on the horizon. Everyone knew of these things and research had been done into them.

'For several months?'

Mirages were caused by the weather. The difference in temperature between the earth or sea and the air caused light to bend, so they knew that mirages would not appear in the sky. Similarly, that theory was not very persuasive even if you factored in the effects of the weather and clouds.

'As I thought of what they might portend, I performed various forms of investigations, and then the earth shook. I feel that all these occurrences must be linked somehow. I hope everyone will pay attention to the night sky. If we can explain these phenomena, I feel we will be able to become closer to the secrets of the fundamental forces of the world. Thus I conclude my report...'

And after he was done, Flat returned backstage.

His exit was marked by the sound of clapping. Much of the audience was relieved by his meticulous, calm presentation. As a result, none of them knew that the idea he had put forth, that 'the world is distorted' would soon bring about a tremendous upheaval. And considering what Itami's group found out from Hardy, his report, was chilling.

'All right...it's finally your turn, Lelei.'

As Itami said that, Lelei did not take a deep breath, or coax herself to be brave in front of her audience, but simply walked up onto the stage without any further ado to make her presentation.

She took pride in it and her ability to stay calm.

Doggone she needed it now...

...and in the blink of an eye, it's over that she earned her degree and no bottle thrown at her whatsoever.

At the backstage, her legs went jelly on her.

xxx

'CHEERS!'

Back at the Marina, Lelei and Tsunami now wore uniformed robes of Experts granted to them.

It was a celebratory dinner for earning their degree.

Not only that, starting tomorrow, they are obliged to wander around Rondel to make sure EVERYONE knows who they are, and then travel around a year wearing those robes to gain renown elsewhere. There's no such thing as photos in this world, so wandering around showing yourself off was one way to know who are the newest elites of the Academic World wearing those robes.

However, Tsunami blacklisted Sadera for the Pilgrimage of Fame for those who had obtained a degree for everyone's safety.

'Sadera right now is taken over by Crown Prince Zorzal through a Coup d'Etat after Emperor Molt was poisoned in a party and bedridden. The city gates are sealed, its citizens threatened to swear fealty to Zorzal or be killed by his new Oprichnina Squad dressed as Kobolds. No resources or visitors can come in as city is on a lock down, citizens starving and living in fear while those loyal to Zorzal gorge on food and drink. Many nobles who disliked the Pro-War Faction under Zorzal are either imprisoned or killed. Nobody must travel to Sadera or risk death so soon after earning our degrees we all sweated blood for and spent a fortune over!'

That got the Conference horrified and in no time flat before they left for dinner, word spread like wildfire regarding her words.

Travelers in Rondel naturally heard of it and spread word to anyone they would meet outside.

Come next morning as the newly-promoteds roamed around in their new robes to gain respect, travelers arrived here and there in many small towns, villages and some cities to spread word about the current situation.

This caused ire and dissent.

Current governors and Kings of other Kingdoms sent spies to confirm the news and sadly, it's all real. So the Blacklisting of Sadera by a newly-minted Expert was well-minted.

Now they were plotting on what to do...