章 4: Beginning of the Test
"Screech" The huge gates of the academy opened.
A middle aged man wearing a white long coat with silver adornments stepped out.
"Look, it's an instructor."
"Silver adornments means he is a senior instructor. A level 6 circler!"
"How strong is he compared to you?" Adrian asked Rosalyn.
She thought for a moment before answering, "I can't tell. Even though I am confident against ordinary level 7 circler, he is not an ordinary magician considering he is an academy instructor. Moreover, I am at the initial stage of level 6 and he is at the late stage. So, without an actual battle, it is impossible to tell."
"Welcome everyone! I am Micheal Northfields. I am in charge of leading you to the testing grounds. In 5 minutes, I want all of the examinees here in front of me. By examinees, I mean ONLY examinees." The instructor of the academy spoke. Strangely enough, everyone in the field could hear him loud and clear no matter how far they were. And it seemed that he was speaking normally, without shouting.
"Hmm, looks like he has taken 'Sound' as his second property." Rosalyn commented.
"So, on paper, I am supposed to be the stronger one as 'Twister' is my second property." She continued.
"I am sure you are." Adrian commented.
"Anyways, I am going." He said gesturing Isabella to follow.
"All the best!" Rosalyn cheered.
As they were quite close to the gates, it did not take much time to join in with the others. Close to a thousand examinees swarmed in front of the instructor. Of them only a hundred could get admitted.
After five minutes passed, the instructor waited for another two minutes. When he saw that no one else was coming, he clapped twice and attracted the attention of everyone present.
"Okay everyone, follow me. Don't make any unnecessary noises and don't fall back." He declared and began to walk into the gates.
The examinees followed the instructor with contained excitement. The first thing that came into their view as they went past those massive walls was a humongous building which was not anything less than the Royal palace. Four tall attached towers held the four-storey building together. It's olden appearance did not diminish it's beauty at all; rather, it gave it an archaic vibe.
While the examinees were lost in the sight, the instructor clapped his hands again. It awoke all of the examinees. When the examinees at the front saw that the instructor was not moving anymore, they halted. But the examinees at the back could not respond in time and as a result, there were tens of cases examinees running into the ones in their front.
When the instructor saw that the situation calmed down, he began to speak.
"Those of you who are thinking that the examination will take place in the main building, you are wrong. Only the worthy can set foot in."
His last sentence added oil to the flames in their heart. The examinees were even more determined to get in. Only a few of them remained calm, one of them being Adrian.
"The open field you are seeing at your left is the southern field and the one on your right is the northern field." He used his hands to point towards his left and then his right.
The examinees followed his hands and saw a large field on their left. Trees bordered the whole field. And on their right was also a field identical to the field on their left. But a relatively large tent was set there. They did not even notice it before as the main building drew all of their attention.
"Everyone of you will position yourself in the southern field and when your name is called, come here in front of me along with your family medallion or letter of invitation. When I give the signal, you will enter the tent. Once your test is finished. You will find yourself a place in the northern field and position yourself there. You are not allowed to leave the field until the end of the examination. You will find toilets at the corner of the fields. And I don't want any dramas like fighting for a spot. I have the right to expel you from here."
"I will call in names according to your application or invitation dates. So, those of you who thinks that you have applied earlier than others can stand closer to the tent. And as the nobles will go earlier, the commoners can relax for the time being."
"I will give you 5 minutes. You can go now." The instructor finally gestured them to go to the southern field.
In the field, the examinees were busy finding a spot for themselves. Adrian simply didn't care. He took a random spot at the northern end of the field under a tree. Though Isabella was a commoner who could stay far from the tent, she did not dare to leave her newly found young master.
She had something going on in her mind. She wanted to ask but could not because of the order of silence from the instructor. This was just an excuse though, she simply did not know how to ask this question. Still, she mustered her courage.
"Young master-"
"What is that strange connection you feel, right?" Before she could say anything, Adrian spoke as if he read her mind.
She was surprised. Though this was not exactly the question in her mind, this was what she wanted to know. Did he feel the same connection? Maybe that's why he decided to take a nobody as her as his maid.
But before he could answer her question, he along with everyone heard the instructor's voice.
"Adrian Darkheart"
In response, Adrian began to walk towards the instructor. The instructor was now sitting on a chair in the middle of the road. There was a desk in front of him and on top of that was an open register. A uniformed male student was standing beside him; the blue linings on the shirt meant that he was a second year.
Adrian was quite sure that he would be the first. So, he did not even bother to sit unlike the other examinees.
"Sir!" Before he could reach the desk, another examinee stepped forward. His extravagant clothing and gentlemanly demeanour conveyed that he was a noble, a high ranked one at that.
"I believe there is a mistake somewhere. Aren't I supposed to be the first?"
"Let's see, you should be Dolf Ironcross. There are no mistakes. You will be called right after him."
"But I applied three years ago." The examinee retorted.
Though there were not many benefits for being the first to apply, it was still considered an honour by the upper echelons. So, the nobles applied for the academy as early as possible to grab a spot. Even though there was a rule that one could not apply before one year of their admission year, nobles could apply earlier provided they made a hefty donation to the academy- the earlier the application, heftier the donation. And the Ironcross family, one of the three duke households of the Kingdom of Nemphis, spent quite the sum to apply three years earlier.
"Well, his application is thirteen years older than yours."
Dolf Ironcross was gobsmacked. Not only him, the other examinees who were expecting a show were also surprised. That was the case even for the student who was standing beside the instructor.
"Doesn't that mean his family applied for him 16 years ago? It must have cost a fortune." An examinee commented.
"Kid, don't be too surprised. His mother is special, so the academy had no choice but to accept the application. And being the first to apply barely means anything. Only true power matters." Though the instructor said that, he remembered making the same face when he first heard about it.
The young noble from the duke household clenched his fists feeling defeated. 'So the fortune my family spent amounted to nothing? Being the second is the same as being the last. Adrian Darkheart, this is not the end, let's see how far you can go with your mother's aid.' He thought and glared at Adrian for a moment before returning to his original place.
Adrian watched everything as if he nothing to do with this matter. He just smiled when his eyes met the young noble's glare.
'Just when I thought this day could not get any luckier after meeting Isabella, I made an enemy outof a scion from a duke household. It would be a shame if I am not placed first today.' He thought while he reached the desk.
He reached his pocket and brought out a crystal medallion. The instructor took the medallion and inspected it.
"Hmm. The insignia of the Darkheart family and its 'Corrosion' property aura. It's authentic."
These medallions were made of top grade magic crystals. And the insignias were engraved using the household secret property. As a result, it was almost impossible to create replicas without knowing the secret property. Besides, showing of the medallion was only a formality.
"You can go in. Your mother is a senior I look up to. Don't disappoint her."
"I don't intend to." Saying this, he stepped into the tent through the curtains.
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