With Rossa’s guidance or more accurately, interference, Sylvester and Artian made huge leaps in progress with their respective subjects while Estelle learned the dark ways of a Vanicarean noble. Admittedly, from the outside it looked like a hellish boot camp rather than a group study session.

Soon the fateful day of the tests arrived, but now Sylvester didn’t feel anxious and was brimming with newfound confidence.

He eagerly greeted the morning sun as he rose from his bed and rushed to the shower to freshen up and prepare for the day.

As usual he and Artian went and ate breakfast together and greeted the twins on their way out.

“Good luck on your tests today Mr Sylvester and Mr Artian.” Nitri and Tinri gave the pair words of encouragement.

“Thanks, but it seems we ain’t gonna be needing it this time.” Artian cheekily replied as they exited the premises.

Before the two of them go and face their own separate battles, the two share a fistbump and a few words of encouragement.

“You better Ace that goddamn test man, or else little miss duchy is gonna be all up in our faces again.” Artian joked.

“Unfortunately, I’m in the same class as her.” Sylvester replied in the same playful tone. “I have a feeling I will never hear the end of it if I somehow mess this up.” He said as he let out a light laugh.

“Still it seems like she placed so much expectations on us for some reason. With her suddenly acting all bossy and shit. At first I really fuckin hated it but in the end she did help us a lot.” Artian pondered for a while.

“Really now, who cares about what she’s thinking. Anyway, time for me to head out. See you later man, same time same place.” Sylvester said as he walked the other direction.

“Aight, have fun man and knock their jaws down to the floor.” Artian smiled as he gave a thumbs up.

“You too dude.” The two then went their separate ways.

Because Sylvester woke up a little too excited, he ended up getting to class a little earlier than usual. Even still, he found that he was still only the second person to enter the classroom as he saw the familiar figure sitting by the window.

This sight has been a constant for Sylvester, this time however, things are just a little bit different.

“Good morning Ms Rossa.” Sylvester greeted in a polite but mischievous tone, in other words, his normal temperament.

“Good morning to you too Mr Sylvester, I trust you had a good night's sleep? I hope you remember all those lessons you learned, I do not wish to see my time and effort go to waste.” She replied in a stern and expectant tone.

“Ah she’s beginning to sound more like a high and mighty noble.” Sylvester thought to himself. Suddenly Rossa’s eyebrow jerked upward as she glared at Sylvester’s figure.

“You, you thought of something rude didn’t you?” Rossa declared as if reading his mind.

“No I absolutely did not!” Sylvester quickly defended himself and shot down Rossa’s accurate accusation.

“Hmm. Alright then. Still I have high expectations for your performance.” Rossa continued.

“Oh ho, is that a challenge my dear lady?” Sylvester egged on in response to Rossa’s words.

“Not at all, think of it as words of encouragement.” Rossa replied.

“I see. But still, it felt like one. Tell you what. I promise I will put on an act so amazing you would be compelled to clap.” Sylvester declared with confidence and a hint of provocation.

During these past few days Sylvester felt that he was being dragged around at Rossa’s pace, not only was he able to get a reaction from her, she also kept answering him in a straightforward manner. In his very petty mind, he felt that it was time to act.

To him, this test was the perfect time for a payback.

“Oho?” Rossa then smiled a menacing yet dignified smile. “Well then sir Sylvester, I will take you up on those words. Impress me.” Rossa then agreed.

Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work!

Somehow, the distance between red and blue that seemed to span between two worlds was shortened to a table’s length.

Soon, the students started trickling into the lecture room one by one and just like that, the once silent room came to life the sounds of youthful chatter and noise. Surprisingly enough, their professor, Bridget Bishop managed to arrive in time.

“tch typical, when it comes to tests these guys will never be late.” Sylvester complained in his head.

She looked around the room to check if everyone was present before she began speaking.

“Good morning class! I trust you all are well prepared for the test. Now let us hurry and start the test!” She said as he took out the cube once again and separated the seats.

“Now then, is there anyone here who would like to go firs-” Before Bridget could finish her sentence, a lone hand was raised from the second row at the back, next to the window.

“I see, would you like to be the first one Miss Rossa?” She asked just to confirm the other party’s intention.

Rossa nodded and rose up from her seat.

“Well then, the front is all yours” Bridget declared as she gestured to Rossa to make her way down towards the front.

Rossa went down and was given the control cube. Rossa connected to it by simply letting her mana flow into it. Soon the cube lit up and floated in front of her.

With the control of the class now at her fingertips she then spread the class out farther apart then drew them closer and formed what seemed to be a structure similar to a dome.

What followed was a great display of technical skill.

With precise control and planning, Rossa chained multiple 2 chant spells, ranging from flashy spells that covered a large area in a bright and powerful light to powerful chains that moved upon her command. She also carefully manipulated the seats of his classmates, moving them to and fro depending on what spell she would showcase next.

She did all this without wasting even a drop of mana that can occur when one has a lapse in concentration allowing a sudden turbulent flow.

Amidst all of this was an aura of regality that seemed to be more prominent as she continued, it was as if you were beckoned to sit and watch while observing an unspoken rule of silence.

Students were left in awe as their eyes were glued to the impressive display of not only the spells themselves, but her mastery of a skill that was only recently taught to her.

Once Rossa was done with her ethereal performance, the room was taken over by a wave of enthusiastic claps and even a few cheers.

Rossa then did a curtsy bow in return.

“Great display Miss Argentum, splendid indeed.” Bridget complimented the young woman, giving her high marks and declaring that she passed with flying colors.

Bridget then called the attention of the class and smiled.

“Now who would want to be the next to take the test?” She asked and was met with a resounding silence.

After such an almost perfect demonstration of skill, there was a great pressure placed on the next student since they will be directly compared to the first one.

Even if this is just a test, it is still nerve racking to follow up it up.

“No one?” Bridget asked once more.

“Well I guess I’m gonna have to start selecting rando-” Suddenly she was stopped in the middle of her words as a lone hand was once again raised.

The hand was located from behind Rossa, and as Bridget was about to acknowledge the act, the owner suddenly stood up and declared it himself.

“I volunteer to be the next one to take the test, Professor Bridget.” Sylvester proclaimed in a loud and confident tone.

The lecture hall was then thrust into life as whispers and words once again flooded the air.

“Him? Really? Wasn’t this guy struggling really badly for a while? Just because he had a sudden grasp of it a few days ago doesn’t mean he can go showing off already.”

Words of dissent and mockery were thrown about as Sylvester made it to the front of the lecture hall.

“Mr Sylvester, have you finally understood what I meant with visualization?” Bridget asked with a smile as she handed Sylvester the cube to control the lecture hall.

“Yes, it did take a while and then I actually needed a little bit of help.” He paused as he turned to face Rossa, who was now staring at him from above.

“Well now, you certainly look confident.” Bridget paused as she stepped away from the front of the lecture hall.

“Now mr Sylvester Clearsight, Let us begin your test!” Bridget declared.

Sylvester walked slowly and faced the rest of the class. He seemed to look each and everyone in the eye, one by one as if scanning their reactions and emotions.

He then activated the cube in front of him and raised his left hand and then closed his eyes for a few seconds. The rest of the class however seemed weary about his peculiar actions as he didn’t immediately start with his demonstration.

“Huh what is doin-”

Then the room went pitch black.

“What the hell? Who turned off the lights?!” The students were then stirred by the sudden dark when all of a sudden a lone column of light appeared from above and illuminated the front of the lecture hall.

A tophat can be seen falling down ever so slowly, swaying and tumbling down from the air until a hand from the dark grabbed it by the edge.

The figure who took the hat slowly revealed himself as he slowly walked into the light. Wearing a black swallowtail coat and white gloves, his get up mixed well with the academy’s uniform, giving off a classic magician feel.

The figure was Sylvester, smiling towards the silent crowd as he placed the tophat on his head as a misty haze surrounded his person.

“It’s Showtime!”