Chapter 124 - Magic Academy Entrance Exam (Part 2)
"I'm a bit nervous," Chloe said beside me.
"When are you not?" I teased.
"Very funny..."
We entered the grand building, surrounded by a sea of students our age. The place was packed with faces full of anticipation. We were dressed casually, walking side by side. I glanced at my cousin and noticed how she was blossoming into a beautiful young woman.
Focus, Nathan! Don't get nervous...
"Can I hold your hand?" she asked suddenly.
"What?!" I responded, surprised.
She blushed. "It's just because I'm nervous..."
Now I'm the one getting nervous.
I felt my body gradually transitioning from the mind and biology of a child, but the problem was that now I was being influenced by teenage hormones.
Damn hormones...
"Better not, or we might draw attention. Everything here is being evaluated, even our behavior."
"You're right," Chloe agreed.
We joined the other students being guided by a few monitors. I noticed that all the monitors were common elves. Unlike my teacher, they didn’t have silver hair, pale skin, or that distinct, elegant beauty. Common elves looked more like humans, just with pointed ears, although they were still considered quite attractive.
Everywhere I looked, there were only elves, holding clipboards and guiding us through the process.
Following the line of students, we arrived at a large auditorium.
"We should try to sit near the stage," Chloe suggested, and I followed her.
We spotted some free seats, but just as we approached them, a soldier stepped in front of us.
"Sorry, but those seats are reserved for the royal family," he said.
We were surprised by that.
Good to know they go through the same process as everyone else.
"Can we sit here?" Chloe pointed to some nearby seats.
"You can, but please refrain from trying to talk to them," the guard responded.
Chloe and I sat down and looked at the stage.
There are many nobles here, but also commoners, which is a good sign.
Thanks to my lessons, I had learned how to identify someone's status by their attire. It was a skill I found rather useless at first, but my aunt insisted that every noble had to be well-dressed and wear fine fabrics, especially those like us, who came from political nobility. Through these tedious lessons, I discovered that there were two types of nobles. There were those who had the right to be called nobles due to their wealth—successful merchants or wealthy families. Then there were the nobles with political titles, who not only had money but also held a social position in society. My family fit into the latter, as we were Dukes, which meant our public image always had to be perfect.
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"There are elves coming onto the stage," Chloe whispered to me.
"Why do you think there are only elves here?" I asked.
Before she could answer, more soldiers began to walk past us.
"It's the royal family!" someone shouted from the row behind us.
A sudden silence fell over the room as two girls walked in.
“It’s them!” said the boy behind me.
“They’re gorgeous,” added another.
I tried to look, but I didn’t want to irritate Chloe, so I stayed quiet.
I still have to deal with another phoenix girl who's upset about being left at home. I definitely don't want to upset these women any further.
The guards cleared a path, guiding the girls to seats near us.
“Princess Melina and Lady Alice,” greeted an elven monitor.
They gave a polite nod and took their seats.
The guards stepped aside, and the room dimmed until only the stage was illuminated.
“It’s starting!” someone whispered excitedly.
Chloe and I exchanged a glance, our anticipation growing as we waited for what was to come.
Suddenly, a gigantic yellow horse appeared from behind the curtains, rearing up on its hind legs with a powerful neigh.
“An invocation!” someone shouted.
“A perfect and lifelike summon!” another added.
I recognized the horse immediately, and so did Chloe. She looked at me.
“Is that the professor?”
Before I could answer, the massive horse of golden light exploded into countless shimmering particles, filling the hall with a stunning display of lights.
“That’s beautiful,” Chloe whispered, and I nodded in agreement.
In the middle of the glowing particles stood a familiar and stunning figure. She was slender, with silver hair, wearing a red coat and black gloves. In her hands, she held a silver sword engraved with runes and adorned with a red gem in the hilt. I knew exactly who she was—my teacher and master of magic, the High Elf Adrihna.
“Who is that woman? She’s gorgeous,” people around us began to murmur.
“A High Elf,” someone said, and the word spread like wildfire.
“Impossible! A real High Elf?”
“I thought they were just myths.”
The whispers only grew louder.
“She looks like a goddess,” a boy said, awestruck.
“Is she single?” asked another.
That woman is twelve times your age… Don’t be fooled by her pretty face.
Adrihna gracefully swung the silver sword, sending a golden wave of energy over the crowd. Instinctively, everyone braced themselves, channeling mana in defense, but as the energy touched us, it did no harm. Instead, it felt as though it infused us with a sense of calm and confidence.
A long-range healing attack?
“Consider that as something to help ease your nerves,” she said from the stage.
Professor Adrihna approached the edge of the platform, her gleaming silver sword in hand.
“All of you are fortunate to be here for this ceremony. From today on, you will undergo an important exam that will define the future of your lives,” she said, pacing the stage and making eye contact with different sections of the audience.
I noticed her voice echoed through the hall. A small sound stone was attached to her outfit, amplifying her words through other stones placed along the walls.
“Being here today means you have a very special talent. Few in the world are given the chance to dedicate years to studying magic like you, and of those few, almost none have the opportunity to study at Apsalon. Remember, studying at this academy means carrying the weight and responsibility of the future of the three kingdoms.”
Adrihna raised her silver sword high.
“You must be wondering why you’re seeing elves here,” Adrihna began. “Know that this represents the Magic Academy of Apsalon—a cooperative union of races. At this very moment, the same presentation is happening in the other two kingdoms. In each kingdom, we have assigned a team from a different race, and here in the human kingdom, it is the elves.”
She held her sword high. “This sword is connected to two others, which right now are in the hands of professors delivering the same presentation. I am a professor of this academy, and this sword in my hand is called Aurora. It once belonged to the former king, one of the founders of the academy. Its name, Aurora, symbolizes the hope and bright future of the new generation.”
The sword began to glow.
“The three swords are linked, shining together in unison,” she said, raising the sword high before pointing it toward us.
“May the light of Aurora represent the bright future awaiting you all. Good luck in your exams, and long live the city of Apsalon.”
A blinding light enveloped the room, forcing me to close my eyes. When the light faded, Adrihna had vanished.
That was incredible...
“She didn’t even seem like the same woman who’s always reading,” Chloe whispered to me.
“Yeah, for a moment, she seemed like a normal person,” I whispered back, laughing.