A/N: Hey guys, author here! Wanted to put out a couple of things. First off, I would like to thank CPT Ratchet for PRing this chapter. Also, someone makes a special cameo appearance in this chp! For those who frequents the RRL chat, it should be easily identifiable as to who it is :P
Once again, I would like to greatly thank all of you readers. Knowing that many people read and enjoy my story gives me a lot of motivation and fuel to try to harder. If your enjoying the story, please don't hesitate to leave a comment or review ;) Well then, that enough from me. Enjoy the story :)
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“So what do you think of Byranze son?"
"It's a lot bigger than I thought it would be for a city so far away from the capital. There are so many people that we can barely move forward"
"That would usually be the case son, but Byranze is a city located on the major trading route between Raxim and Nifl. Since merchants from both kingdoms constantly flow through the city, it has naturally expanded from the trades made here"
Byrael and Azrael were currently walking through the streets of Byranze. The people were crowded so tightly that every five steps they were bumping into someone. The city of Byranze were very diverse, with people coming from all over the continent to trade.
Seeing the difference between people interested Azrael. Ever since he had been born in this new world, he had never seen any other type of people except for those in the village, let alone been there. Even by just looking at them, he could figure out where they came from.
The people from Raxim had snow like skin. Maybe it was because the sun didn’t rise as much up north, but their skin was pale enough to mistake them to be almost albino, even more so with their red hair.
The people from the south, on the other hand, all had tan skin due to the exposure of the sun in the desert to match their brown hair. They wore sleeveless shirts and short pants, with the females also having no sleeves on their dresses.
The people from the Rhostez Kingdom, though not to the extent of the southern people, also had tan skin. Even though they paled compared to the people from the north, all the people were well muscled from their work in agriculture. They wore mostly modest clothes, even the nobles who had guards protecting them. Their distinct aqua green hair color seemed to radiate with energy.
And finally the people from the Fersia Kingdom. These folks, compared to even the people from the Sunder, were the most distinct. With their blonde hair and Pentagram holy symbol, they seemed to carry themselves with an air of superiority. Seeing these folks, Azrael feels a little disgusted. The churches in his previous life were the ones who led the charge in discriminating against the demons, saying they were their god/goddesses’ enemy.
On both sides of the street, merchants were yelling to the pedestrians from their stalls, attempting to garner their interest in their wares.
"Madame! This necklace over here would look gorgeous on you! It's only five silvers!"
"Dear sir! Please come over here and look at my wares! I have just received a new batch from the West!"
"Special discount sale today! Everything is fifty percent off if you buy more than three items! Hurry and come! The items you want will not last long!"
The assortment of goods that the merchants were selling truly was a large variety. Products from all over the continent were displayed here. Swords and armor from the Sunder Kingdom, crops from the Rhostez Kingdom, jewelry from Raxim, and even potions from Nifl.
Behind the stalls of the merchants were a long line of houses and stores. The building types were similar to my old world, where they were created out of wood and some basic stones. Some of the buildings were only one story while others rose up to three to four stories. With the mismatching heights, they looked like they were numerous hills back to back, creating a saddle like shape.
While enjoying the sights and sounds of the busy street, something catches Azrael’s eyes at a stall. After tapping his dad’s shoulder and making sure he saw him, Azrael went toward the stall. Being curious to what interested his son, he follows along.
While heading to the stall, the two don’t notice the large amount of people gathering in a circle not too far from where they are. Inside the circle, currently a group of women were stomping on an old man. Seeing this, one of the spectators attempts to step forward but the others grab him, slowly shaking their heads.
“Die you damn old ero sage!”
“M..M’lady….”
“A pervert at such an old age…it’s so creepy”
Back at the stall, Azrael was currently looking at a pair of jade bead wristbands. Even though they weren’t made from high quality, they were pretty and would be a nice present. Seeing his son pick up and pay for the two wrist bands, Byrael ruffles his hair while smiling. Even though he had come to a city for the first time and was going to take a test, Azrael still thought of his younger siblings and bought them a present.
Byrael and Azela really couldn’t have asked for a better son. Not only was he kind and courteous to others, he loved his family and always looked after his younger siblings. Not once had he acted up or been rebellious towards them.
After leaving the store, they walk for another ten minutes before arriving at the Magician Guild’s headquarters in the middle of the city. The headquarters was a large four story marble building that stood out from all the other buildings in the area. As if to intimidate visitors, large marble pillars stood on each end of the door.
In every large city around the continent, the Magician Guild and Warrior Association built a branch for their members. Not only are these headquarters for members to relax in, they also sell equipment and goods for a cheaper price. Bi annually, these headquarters hold a qualification test for children to see their strength and potential.
During these tests, all the academies send representatives out to all the headquarters so that they can scout talented children and potential gems. Between the three Magic Academies and three Warrior Academies, there was always a fight to procure the most talent. If someone famous graduated from their school, it would bring prestige to them so no academies held back in their attempt to win one over.
Currently in front of the Magician Guild’s headquarters, hundreds of children were lined up awaiting their turn. Families all throughout the near area brought their children to take the test. If you think about it, it really isn’t surprising as if a family had a magician in their household, at worse their family would be better off than a regular family since the pay for one was high.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
Sighing at the sight of the long line, the two get in line and wait for their turn. The line was moving slowly, advancing by only inches at a time. Groups of people also started to trickle out.
It was quite simple telling who had passed and who didn’t. The children who came out from the building had either two reactions.
A few of the children came out of the building in explicit joy. Their parents would also be in a festive mood, excited about their child having the qualifications to become a mage and attend a university. Unfortunately, however, they were a minority.
The majority of the children came out of the building with either a gloomy face or in tears. Most of the parents tried to console them, telling them it was alright. There were, however, a few of those utterly disgraceful parents who did not deserve such title that berated their kid, yelling at them for being worthless.
After slowly inching forward slowly for over an hour, they finally arrived inside the headquarters. The inside of the headquarters was neat. With a reception desk at the entrance, there was also wooden tables where members could sit down and relax after ordering a meal. Mages could also be seen going through the general store inside, gazing through their goods for items they required.
At the reception desk, there was an elderly mage who was seated down at a table, jotting down the name of the children as they went to take the test. The mage was wearing a blue cloak that was partially hidden by his long flowing brown hair that was starting to show hints of grey.
After waiting for another twenty minutes in the line, it was finally Azrael’s turn.
“Next! What’s your name son?”
“It is Azrael Celeste sir”
“Which Kingdom are you from?”
“Nifl Kingdom sir”
“Are you his parent?”
“Yes, sir mage”
“Alright then. The two of you go to end of this hall and go up the stairs. Someone will be waiting to guide you there”
“Thank you sir”
After bowing and thanking the mage, Azrael and his dad walks to the end of the hall and go up the stairs. When they reach the next floor, a young lady in a suit is waiting for them with a smile. Greeting them, she then guides them through the door.
“Okay then. From here on out, the child will go through the door on the left. Sir, you can go through the door on the right. From there, you will be able to see your son take the test”
Nodding to her words, Byrael looks at his son and gives him a word of encouragement.
“You’ll do fine son. Show them how great of a genius you are”
“Haha okay dad! See you soon”
Laughing at his dad’s words and his gut pose, Azrael enters the room. When he saw how it was set up, however, he was confused.
The room was huge. Although it was almost the size of the entire first floor of his family’s room, there was only one table in the middle of the room with a crystal ball on top of it. On the left wall, a large glass could be seen from where Azrael could make out numerous people.
Walking forward, he goes to the table and looks forward at the people in the glass. While wondering what he was supposed to do, a baritone voice began speaking.
“Hello there, child. The qualification test will be quite simple. All you have to do is put a hand on the crystal ball. The ball will be able to tell your mana capacity, purity and affinity percentage with elements. Do you have any questions?”
Ah…. So it’s this kind of test huh? By the way, this crystal ball is quite interesting… to be able to tell all of that by simply being touched… While being intrigued by the crystal ball, Azrael puts his hand on the crystal ball.
When his hand made contact with it, the crystal ball immediately began to emit a large quantity of light. Surprised by the sudden brightness, Azrael quickly covers his eyes with his other arm, not daring to break contact with the crystal ball.
After a few moments, the light slowly dimmed and then died. As the blinking lights began to disappear from inside his eyelids, Azrael slowly moved his left hand away and opened his eyes. The room had returned to normal.
“….ma…mana capacity of King ranked wizard, mana purity of Wizard ranked mage, affinity to fire element, ninety seven percent, affinity to water element, ninety seven percent, affinity to darkness element, on….one hundred percent! A tri elementalist!!”
At those words, the other room went into a frenzy. Even though Azrael couldn’t see clearly into the room, the sudden uproar easily came through the window and into the testing room. Not even a minute after the announcement had been made, the testing room’s door was violently opened and numerous people came through, swarming around Azrael.
“Master Celeste! We at Wezdon Magic Academy would like to offer you a spot at our academy. Of course, the tuition will be free!”
“Master Celeste! Resquite Magic Academy will offer you free tuition, board, and a stipend if you decide to honor us with your attendance!”
All around him, people were making offers and counter offers to entice him to join their academy. Being surrounded by so many people so suddenly, Azrael was at a lost about what to do. Desperately looking around, he finally finds his dad at the back of the pack smirking at him. That damn old pop! Enjoying watching me suffer like this!
After being courteous and trying to listen, Azrael quickly gave up and shouted.
“Excuse me please! EXCUSE ME!! Currently I am only a child and do not know much about all of your prestigious academies. Thus, I have decided that I will leave the decision to my father so please speak with him about this matter!”
When Byrael heard what his son said, his face immediately paled. He had been enjoying watching his always calm son panic a little bit due to all the sudden offers, but suddenly it got thrown onto him! Seeing his father’s appalled expression, Azrael inwardly laughs while all the representatives from the academies quickly switch their attention to his father. Using this chance, he quickly escapes from the room while the representatives bombard Byrael from all sides.