The Academy is impressive in a whole different manner compared to the Imperial Palace. It’s not the splendor or size that makes it unique – although both of those are still jaw-dropping – but the location. On a large island just outside the docks, swarming with all kinds of ships sits the small city, within a city.

The largest structure with the dome and towers growing out of it is unmistakably the main building. Houses, a market, docks, something resembling a massive fighting pit, a small forest, and a veritable forest of curious buildings crowd every bit of land, likely home to a plethora of unique activities.

I always believed aesthetics are just a waste of resources but I’d be lying if I said the sight alone didn’t raise my evaluation of this place from ‘mere stepping stone’ to ‘this might be fun’. The only thing missing that would elevate the island to a proper city is a church, although I hardly understand the necessity of an entire commercial district in a place of learning.

From the looks of it, only a single bridge connects the island with the rest of the capital so besides crossing the water that’s the only way in and out. Like a fortress, or a prison. As far as I know, it's a boarding school with education divided into three segments a year, or trimesters.

Unsurprisingly our carriages turn onto the bridge, merging with the bustling traffic streaming onto the island as people arrive to take the entrance exam en masse. At last, I'm here, without any ambush, kidnapping, assessing, or whatever the world is willing to throw my way.

This time we can’t just bypass the line of people both on foot and in incredibly fancy rides. Our little convoy sticks out like a sore thumb with the militaristic design and heavy protection even after the knights escorting us broke off right after we entered the city. I still remember the relief I felt when we skipped the queuing at the city gate, and how we avoided the worst activity ever, waiting. And now it strikes back.

Bureaucracy is the road bump of every process…

***

“Next!” Croacks the voice of an old woman who said the same word probably a million times throughout her life. Even I’m getting tired of hearing her repeat the same thing.

It was good to finally disembark the carriage and stretch our legs after crossing the bridge. That’s when we realized our rides weren’t the only things looking unfit for the place and occasion. We look every bit like the commoners we are and if not for the white-robed mages flanking our little group, the guards might’ve already asked us to leave for looking like lost travelers.

The inside is a bit more functional than I imagined. There is still an obsessive amount of expensive materials, tall corridors, finely decorated pillars and carpets, and all the fancy stuff one could imagine, just toned down a little. Like the palace in Granhall but made to be functional and not just for show. A lot more tasteful.

“Name!” The old hag behind the counter barks without looking up.

“Elyssia.” I gulp and answer as the closest of us six prospective students.

She snorts and adds, “Affiliation!” before raising her gaze and meeting the eyes of her colleague. “Proceed.”

That was weird.

“Our duty as escorts has come to an end.” The same old mage representing the Academy throughout our journey addresses us. “I wish you all luck with the examination and hope you will be able to reach new heights here in Sereban while bringing fame to our humble Academy’s name.”

Why can’t he just say ‘Good luck, bye.’ and be done with it? What’s up with people wasting their breath to say everything so eloquently? That’s the capital for you I guess…

“This way.” A young and much more servant-looking bloke calls out to us and starts walking down a corridor.

Okay, I know I just complained about flowery talk, but he really should’ve attached a please to the end of that sentence. Who does he think he is?

[Mage lvl 202]

That’s what I thought, only about twice my level.

We follow the young man down another unnecessarily spacious corridor, and just two turns later he opens a door to what looks like a waiting room if the other twenty or so kids sitting there nervously are anything to go by.

Most of them are muttering to themselves or the single servant/relative accompanying them. However, there are a few kids with a completely different ‘I have it in the bag’ attitude openly displayed on their faces and interestingly in the company of similarly confident individuals.

[Warrior lvl 71]

[Leader lvl 65]

[Artisan lvl 69]

[Leader lvl 71]

[Mage lvl 74]

…

Nothing extraordinary. Although the confident ones…

[Mage lvl 79]

[Warrior lvl 83]

[Leader lvl 85]

A bit more interesting.

We stick out yet again with our aloof faces and four heavily armed combatants at our backs but nobody notices as they are too preoccupied shitting their pants.

“Please wait here until your name is called. May Laplace guide your thoughts.” Our guide instructs with an attitude on the border of polite and dismissive.

I hop down on a chair with only a single spot next to me since I don’t really care about the other four besides Valka and our escorts won’t stick around for long. I would be lying if I said I don’t feel even a tiny bit nervous.

There’s… not that much on stake. If I fail here then… oh well, I’ll continue the adventuring tour, hopefully with my parents, and grow stronger through experience while stuffing my pockets.

I know this place is supposed to be some kind of golden ticket to a brighter future, but I doubt all the stuff they teach here is knowledge only available within these walls. I could learn cool things here, maybe make some friendships with influential people, or… just soak up all the knowledge, murder everyone here, incite a civil war, and take over first the Empire then Eborned to become Eternal Empress of everything.

Let’s just pass this test first, we’ll see how things go after. I put most of the effort into memorizing the history and geography books since math is pretty simple and Savant can answer any question related to magic. Or at least most of it.

Stolen story; please report.

I keep pondering about what my years in the Academy might hold when heavy and irregular breathing breaks me out of wonderland. Looking to my right I see Valka chewing on her lips and muttering something too fast for me to understand even a word.

“TheBattleofHenrik’sDriftintheyear… oh no…uhm, thegeneralAugustusFranzleadthetroops-” Her words blur into a jumbled mess until I can’t bear with it anymore.

“Stop it already!” I hiss quietly. Even I’m starting to get nervous just from listening to her. “Just remember to hum the songs of battle from that stupid bard, and the multiplying tables. You got this.”

Instead of arguing or berating her for getting nervous, I realize that some encouragement and maybe good advice is what she needs. It also serves as a reminder now that my insides are in a tight knot and my throat feels parched.

Minutes pass slower and slower as names are called and kids are led away down a corridor and through a door.

Everyone even allowed to enter here is either a genius or from upper society with a thorough education from a young age. If those people stress like crazy and feel insecure about the outcome then what about me? I can only recount whatever Martha bothered to teach us, especially the lessons where I wasn't asleep. Can I really…

“Elyssia.” The dreaded voice calls my name.

FUCK!

I shakily get up on my feet and follow the woman down the hallway. The lights seem dimmer and every step is uncertain as I trail after her, silently begging for something to relieve me from this responsibility. I’m not scared of the question or the outcome or even the people… failure is what scares me. The flash of disappointed faces, judging thoughts, the voice in my mind telling me I wasn’t good enough… that’s what scares me.

The woman stops at a regular-looking door, opens it wide, and nods for me to enter. After a deep breath and a long mental scream, I step through the doorway and five faces turn my way right as the door closes behind me.

An elderly elf man, a small, frowning gnome with some weird round glasses on his forehead, the most basic-looking human man I’ve ever seen, an old woman with short red hair and built like most Warriors I’ve seen back in Fort Karon, and lastly a demikin woman in her early adult years. I’m not Kayla to know all kinds of animals, even so, I recognize a wolf ear when I see one.

They sit behind a half-circle table and observe me with eyes just like mom’s at the market whenever she buys meat. There’s a single chair in the middle of the room and it’s not state secret why it is there. I don’t move to take a seat, I know common courtesy even if I hate to use it.

The room is aesthetically a bit toned down compared to the hallway or the waiting hall with warmer colors, relatively simple furniture, a few paintings and plants, and tasteful lines of art carved into the stone walls and floor.

“A pleasure to have you here Elyssia. Please, have a seat.” The old elf takes the lead and motions towards the chair.

I lick my lips and rigidly walk over before sitting down in the most ladylike way I’ve ever done.

[Mage lvl ???]

[Artisan lvl ???]

[Leader lvl ???]

[Warrior lvl ???]

[Rogue lvl ???]

[The general Skill [Identify] has reached lvl 92 >94.]

Yeah, it was naive of me to expect anything else. It’s also reassuring in a sense to see the teachers are actually capable instead of earning their post through elbow rubbing and kinship.

“Just relax child, our duty is not to fail you.” The old elf takes up a friendly tone. “Don’t let the sharp old eyes or the atmosphere take your courage, we’re here to have a little conversation and check the boundaries of your knowledge.”

I’ve heard enough flowery talk and long sentences to be able to dig up the true meaning. This is a test, we are the judges, so be prepared.

“This might be our first time meeting in person, yet we already know a great deal about you.” He continues and taps a piece of paper in front of him. “You are… one of a kind.” That’s one way to put it. “Don’t get me wrong, there’s plenty more we’d love to learn about you, however, we are forbidden to ask you to share your Class or Gods forbid your Blessing with us. Putting that information aside, would you mind introducing yourself?

***

“... and the Great Phoenix of The White Flame, Abellion, disappeared after he aided his partner, the First Emperor, to victory and the founding of Sereban.” I basically recite the history book I read about the founding of Valeria without a hitch. “Emperor Valerion untied the feuding minor kingdoms and created the groundworks of the hegemon that is Valeira today.” I add some healthy flattery towards the end.

I’ve already answered questions about our neighboring countries, high nobility, distinct differences between species, the continental laws and the role of Gods. It went… okay. The stress made me stutter a few times and my mind just refused to remember things I should know but all in all, I did okay. Or so I hope.

“Very good, that is indeed how our great nation came to be.” The elf nods with a gentle smile. “I can attest to that.” He adds with what seems to be a cheeky smile.

No fucking way, just how old is this man? That story is almost two thousand years old.

“Now, as a promising Mage besides being a little master of combat, you must surely have a great deal of knowledge in the realm of mana, isn’t that right?” The basic human template of a man continues my questioning. “Could you explain to me why controlled water always tries to take up the shape of a sphere?”

A weird question… let’s see.

“In nature, the sphere is the most perfect and stable shape, combining that with the surface tensio-” I freeze in the middle of my sentence. So I try again. “The cohesion for- The water molecu- Damn!”

No no no no no! Please don’t do this to me, Savant!

“It’s because the influence of mana is the strongest in the center point and so it draws the water evenly around it from all directions.” The man scribbles something with a few quick flicks. “Not a problem, let’s try something else. Could you elaborate on the correlation between light and dark magic?” He looks up at me with expectant eyes.

“Ah, uh, I- yes.” I stutter.

Of course it’s not the secrets they need, you idiot. Give them the crap you read in those stupidly heavy books. Although Savant is stingy and still hasn’t taught me about those two elements.

“Uhm, they are the projection of the radiant and umbral realm. Their influence seeps into our reality through objects like fire, mirrors, and shadows.” I give the answer I read in a book and scoffed at years ago.

“Indeed.” The man nods. “A mysterious force influencing our reality. Lastly, what are earthquakes?”

The movement of tectonic plates deep beneath our feet.

“Uneven concentration of earth mana exploding and rebalancing itself.” I dejectedly reply without any difficulty.

“No need to feel saddened, two out of three is quite acceptable.” The man nods with a fake smile before writing something down again. “The Academy exists to guide younglings like yourself, and knowing everything would defeat that purpose. I believe we’re done here Elyssia, thank you.” The others around the table nod. “She’s all yours Melena.”

“Very well.” The demikin gets up from her seat and walks over to my chair. “My name is Melena and I’ll be testing your combat abilities. Walk with me!” She says and strolls towards a wall.

The lines carved into the stone I believed to be decoration light up with the distinct glow of mana and soon a portal forms in front of us with lush vegetation on the other side. I’ve seen space magic used plenty of times throughout my life, courtesy of Martha, however, never once did I witness the formation of a portal.

[The general Skill [Savant] has reached lvl 88.]

Yep, this is something new and special. Let’s not even mention that this is probably the work of inscriptions… Oh, I’m looking forward to learning here more and more.

I’m just about through the doorway in reality when I hear some whispering among the professors.

“A half-elf commoner?” “It’s because of her Blessing.” “Remember the incident last year?” “is it her?”

Looks like those pieces of paper really didn’t tell them much about me after all.

Moving through the portal is really no different than stepping through a door, besides the slight change in temperature because of the light of Solaire and the slight breeze that was absent inside the building.

I find myself in the middle of a clearing in a small forest just a little past the treeline. Behind me is a wall standing alone in the grass with the same carvings I’ve seen lighting up back in the room now dimming as the portal closes.

“Kids sent here by the Fist outperform almost anyone every year and the previous batch was no exception. They were ridiculous.” The woman with wolfish ears, fur around her shoulders and forearm, long nails, and a tail switches to a much more casual way of talking now that it’s just us two. “Your level is probably the highest I’ve ever seen for any new student, and I’ve been teaching here for decades, so show me what the best of the children of Krieg is capable of.”

All the tension I felt earlier in that room is carried away by the breeze blowing through between the trees, like a bad dream. This is what I’m good at, more than anyone my age.