Kapitel 45: Chapter 45: Assessment Time
He understood Noah's personality: ambitious, with high standards and high expectations for herself.
So it was absolutely impossible to say something like "you might fail."
That would be tantamount to denying all the efforts Noah had made before.
"The test for the young dragon division at Saint Heath Academy is notoriously difficult, Noah."
Noah nodded.
"So this will be a whole new challenge for you. Of course, for your mom and me, this challenge isn't small either."
"But no matter how difficult it is, as long as we face it together as a family, we'll get through it. Don't you agree?"
The eldest daughter didn't like being treated like a little kid.
Leon was well aware of this.
So he placed himself and Rossweise on the same starting line as Noah.
What he conveyed was not "Mom and Dad are your strongest shield," but rather, "Mom and Dad will work hard alongside you."
This sense of recognition was what Noah needed.
And Noah's reaction proved that Leon's effort to communicate had been effective.
Her cold little face briefly showed an expression of surprise and delight.
Although it was fleeting, her heart was clearly moved by Leon's words.
Father and daughter sat cross-legged, facing each other.
Leon raised his right hand, gently forming a fist. "I don't know if you understand this cheer-up gesture, but—Dad wants to try it with you."
As he spoke, Leon extended his arm, holding his fist suspended between himself and Noah.
Noah blinked, looked at Leon's hand gesture, then glanced down at her small hand.
After hesitating slightly, she also formed a fist with her right hand, mimicking Leon's action, and extended her arm.
The two fists, one large and one small, gently bumped together.
Leon squinted and smiled, "You can do it, Noah."
Perhaps even Noah herself didn't realize that her tail behind her wagged twice unconsciously.
She lowered her head slightly and, in a soft voice, said, "Thank you—"
Noah seemed to want to add something after that "thank you," perhaps a title, or a name.
But in the end, she didn't add anything.
Just a simple "thank you."
Leon didn't force his daughter to say anything more; as long as she could take in what he said, that was enough.
Lowering his arm, Leon stretched lazily, leaned back, and lay on Rossweise's dragon-shaped back.
"Made me stress out last night, and now I'm going to sleep soundly."
.
.
.
A few hours later, the family of three arrived at Saint Heath Academy.
It was located in the center of the mountain range of the same name, a geographically defensible and hard-to-reach area. Like Sky City, only races capable of flying could reach it.
Landing at the front gate of the academy, Rossweise returned to her human form.
They were accompanied by many other dragon families.
However, it was rare to see someone like Noah, who had "both parents present."
"Let's go in," said Rossweise, taking Noah's hand and stepping toward the academy gate.
Leon stuffed his hands in his pockets and followed closely behind.
Inside the gate, they were greeted by an ancient design style, a spacious campus path, and further in, a massive dragon-shaped stone sculpture.
It was probably built to commemorate some dragon hero, Leon thought.
Walking through the path, they reached the admission registration area for the young dragon division.
Because it was a noble academy within the dragon race, the family of three didn't have to wait long before an academy staff member personally came to receive them.
The staff member led them to an office to fill out basic information.
"Name: Noah K. Melkvei, Silver Dragon Race, Age: one year and... three months?"
Looking at the information on the registration form, the staff member couldn't help but be a bit surprised.
She looked up at Rossweise and Leon, sitting across from her.
"Madam and Sir, while Saint Heath Academy does set the minimum age for young dragons to enroll at one year, after a century of development, almost all young dragons entering are within the four-to-six-year age range. Isn't your little princess... a bit too young?"
Rossweise had anticipated the staff member's doubts.
What she said was true—most young dragons enrolled at four years old or older.
Although a one-year-old young dragon like Noah already possessed basic motor and cognitive abilities, keeping up with the young dragon division's curriculum might still be a bit challenging.
But since Noah had insisted on enrolling herself, Rossweise was naturally determined to support her daughter fully.
"My husband and I have considered the age issue, and we don't think it will matter. Our daughter has no objections either," Rossweise replied succinctly.
The staff member shifted her gaze to the young dragon girl sitting between the couple.
Her youthful face was expressionless, her eyes didn't wander.
She just sat there quietly, listening carefully to the adults' conversation.
For a one-year-old young dragon, such behavior was uncommon; even four- or five-year-old dragon cubs were usually lively and energetic.
But a young dragon as calm and slightly composed as this was rare to see.
"Alright, I was just curious," the staff member smiled, then completed the rest of the form and retrieved a card from the drawer, handing it to Noah.
"Your daughter meets the basic conditions for our entrance test. Please take this test card and proceed to the fourth floor for the test."
Noah carefully stored the test card, jumped off her chair, and said, "I'm off, Mom."
"Okay, good luck."
"Mm-hmm."
Noah ran out of the office.
The staff member stood up, "Little Noah must be a live-birth young dragon, right?"
Rossweise nodded.
"Then please follow me to the third floor for the live-birth family assessment."
Leon and Rossweise exchanged glances and subtly nodded at each other.
At this point, no one understood assessments better than their family.
Leon almost wanted to recount how many times he'd been kicked by his master's donkey as a child to Rossweise.
If they failed again, Leon was ready to don his black-gold armor and "discuss reason" with the test setters in the principal's office.
The staff member led them to the third floor, where two other families were waiting in line.
It looked like they'd have to wait for a while.
After all, Saint Heath Academy placed great importance on family assessments.
"I'll go inside to register for you first. There are two families ahead, so please be patient," the staff member nodded slightly.
"Thank you."
The staff member entered an office ahead.
Leon and Rossweise sat on a bench in the hallway.
Rossweise lowered her head, her tail slightly curling, her hands on her knees, pressing and rubbing her fingernails back and forth.
She looked a little nervous.
Leon leaned back against the bench and glanced sideways at Rossweise.
She had been saying since last night that she was nervous and under pressure—and even used her "classic method" to teach Leon "a lesson."
Afterward, she'd even given an explanation, something she'd never done before.
It seemed she really cared about this entrance test, as it concerned Noah's future.
Leon pursed his lips, raised his hand, and looked at Rossweise's fair hand.
But after some hesitation, his hand ended up on her shoulder instead.
"What's wrong? The stress-relief from last night wore off so quickly?"
Rossweise rolled her eyes at him playfully, understanding he was trying to make a joke to ease her nerves. "That's not comforting at all."
Leon spread his hands, "Then how should I comfort you? Do it a few more times?"
"Go to hell."
Rossweise laughed and scolded him, shrugging his hand off her shoulder.
But the little joke did help her relax a bit.
Rossweise tilted her head back, took a deep breath, and waited quietly for the test to begin.
About an hour later, the two families ahead had finished their assessments.
The staff member guided Leon and Rossweise into the office.
This office was larger and more luxuriously decorated.
Inside, three white-haired elders (dragons) sat in a row behind a long table.
The ones on the left and right had serious expressions, sitting upright and meticulous.
The one in the middle, however, had a friendly smile and wore gold-rimmed glasses, looking scholarly and refined.
The staff member asked Leon and Rossweise to wait at the door while she approached the three elders for a quiet discussion.
Taking advantage of the pause, Rossweise leaned toward Leon's ear and whispered, "Based on your experience, do you think these three are easy to deal with?"
Leon examined the three dragons carefully before replying,
"Easy to kill."
Rossweise blinked in surprise, "Easy… to kill?"
Leon nodded, "Yes, before I was captured by you, I could've taken their heads within fifty moves."
Rossweise sighed, pressing her palm to her forehead, "That's not what I meant. I'm asking if their questions for the assessment will be hard, okay?"
Leon shrugged, "Don't worry. With all the preparation we've done for the written test, we won't mess up."
About five minutes later, the staff member returned with two test papers.
"Please come over here for the assessment. There's no time limit, but no talking during the test. Thank you for your cooperation."
The staff member led Leon and Rossweise to a table and seated them on opposite sides, with an opaque divider in the middle.
The assessment began.
Leon looked at the questions on the test. Most were things he and Rossweise had discussed during their late-night study sessions.
It could be said that their understanding of each other over those few nights surpassed that of many long-married couples.
Answering these questions was smooth and straightforward.
Half an hour later, they submitted their test papers.
The staff member handed the papers to the elder on the left for grading.
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