บท 20: Illusion Formation
The children burst into loud cheers. All of them were incomparably excited. After all, Clover Academy was the best institute for learning magic in the entirety of the southern part of the continent.
In this part of the continent, every kid who aspired to be a Magus would dream of one day attending the prestigious Clover Academy. That dream had finally come true for all the children present at the square today.
Adam was no different. The moment he learned that he had been admitted to the academy, he raised his hands and jumped in joy. He even gave Edward a tight hug and began jumping around in sheer excitement.
Professor Godfrey loved seeing this scene every year when she welcomed students into the academy. Their childlike curiosity and the way they yearned to learn magic made her very gratified.
She looked at all the students present at the square. Her gaze then landed on a girl who had blonde hair and green eyes and was wearing round black-rimmed glasses. The girl, unlike the other kids, was standing in a cold manner as if it was a given that she'd be accepted into the academy.
Professor Godfrey's gaze then shifted to a blond youth with blue eyes who was standing with his arms crossed and had an extremely smug look on his face. This boy was none other than Jeffrey!
So these two have A-grade aptitudes… she thought inwardly.
Finally, her gaze landed on Adam who was hugging a fatty and jumping around like a monkey.
Seeing his actions, Professor Godfrey couldn't help but chuckle. And this is the prodigy with the monstrous comprehension ability… No wonder Berger has taken an interest in him.
She let all the children enjoy this special moment and only after everyone had calmed down did she start speaking again, "Everyone follow me into the auditorium inside the main building. There you will participate in the combat assessment.
"This will determine your rankings for the first year. Additionally, the students who come in the first, second, and third place, will receive exceptional rewards. Please keep in mind that these rewards are very precious and rare. Therefore, I want all of you to try your best."
The children then followed behind the dozen Magi who were, in fact, professors. They entered the main building in an orderly fashion and soon arrived at the auditorium.
Just like everything else on campus, the auditorium was also humongous in size. On the far end of the auditorium was an elevated stage. The rest of the auditorium consisted of around 120 octagonal sitting mats that hovered a few inches above the wooden floors.
All the professors, including the Headmistress, got onto the stage and then looked at all the students present.
Professor Godfrey solemnly said, "These mats that you see in front of you have all been inscribed with an illusion formation. Once you sit on it, your mind will enter a simulation where you will fight. This is how the combat assessment will be carried out!"
The children exclaimed in surprise. Without a doubt, most of them if not all of them, had thought that they'd have to physically duke it out with other people for the combat test.
But who would have thought that they'd be fighting inside an illusion?
"Now, all of you may wonder," Professor Godfrey began. "Why must Magi engage in direct combat when we can simply cast spells from afar? Well, let me tell you. That is simply flawed thinking!"
Professor Godfrey's tone became more solemn and her voice turned up a notch. "There will be times when your spell-casting will be interrupted by your enemies, or something else might happen that could prevent you from using mana. What are you going to do then?
"A Magus should always be prepared for everything. To embark on the path of a Magus means to fight against the natural order of the world. It is true that as Magi we are scholars, but we are also brave warriors!
"To become a Magus means to pursue the truth and also to fight against all odds and firmly stand tall in the face of adversity. We are arcane scholars. We are warriors. We are Magi. And this is our path of magic!"
"OHHH!!" All the children raised their fists and screamed in unison. A raging fire had been lit up in the depths of their hearts. The Headmistress' words thoroughly resonated with every student present.
Adam clenched his fists tightly as his eyes shone with newfound determination. The words of the headmistress kept repeating inside his mind. We are scholars… We are warriors… We are Magi!
A new group of Magi appeared inside the auditorium. They were wearing olive-colored cloaks. These Magi were students, more precisely, they were final-year students. They were here to help accommodate the new students inside the illusion formation.
One of these students, a beautiful young lady with black hair and blue eyes, suddenly walked up to Edward and warmly hugged him from behind.
Edward was clearly startled, but when he turned his head and saw who it was, he blew a breath of relief and then grumbled.
"D-Don't scare me like that!" He then softly added, "Also, don't hug me in public. It's weird."
The girl smiled warmly and then pulled Edward's chubby cheeks. "Congratulations, Edward dearest. I am very proud of you."
Hearing sincere praises, Edward smugly laughed while repeatedly nodding. "Hehe, thank you, thank you!"
The young lady looked at Adam and then asked Edward, "Did you make a new friend?"
Edward nodded. "Yes! This is my friend, Adam. He also has a B-grade aptitude just like me!"
"Hello, Adam." The young lady stretched her fair arm. "I'm Elaine, Edward's elder sister."
Adam was completely mesmerized by her. He had never seen such a beautiful girl before. Hence, he was slightly blushing when he shook Elaine's hand. "H-Hello Adam… I-I'm Elaine."
Shit! Adam instantly regretted the words that came out of his mouth, and his face turned redder than a tomato.
Elaine covered her mouth and began giggling. "You're adorable." She then bade the two farewell and began assisting her classmates.
While the the first batch of new students were taking their seats on the illusion formation, Adam asked Edward with great doubt, "Edward, you sure you're not adopted?"
"Huh?" Edward squinted his eyes. "Why would you say that?"
"Well, you're sister is so charming and pretty…" Adam then carefully thought of the right words to say, but couldn't. So he just decided to be direct. "While you… you're just round and ugly."
"Hmph!" Edward snorted so hard his chubby cheeks were jiggling. "I'm just waiting for my growth spurt. Just you wait!"
Just as the two friends were bantering with each other, a third of the new students had already hopped onto the illusion formation. And within a minute, half of these students were ejected from the formation.
Clearly, they had already been defeated inside the illusion. All of them had terrified looks on their faces and some had even passed out from excessive fear.
However, something very interesting was happening currently inside the formation. One of the students, the girl who had an A-grade aptitude, was doing something extraordinary.
Even the professors were astonished.
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