Mabel shook her head with a small sigh and stood up. “Anyway, let’s drop the subject. It looks like everyone’s heading out now. Maybe some announcement will start soon.” She gestured toward the crowd moving toward the exit of the arena.
Arnos and Marcus exchanged glances before following her into the flow of students. The three of them walked together, their conversation shifting to lighter topics as they headed toward the building.
Eventually, Marcus, Arnos, and Mabel caught up with the crowd, which was heading back into the main building toward the auditorium they had come from earlier.
"What do you think they’re going to announce or do next?" Mabel asked curiously.
"They’ll probably divide us into different classes I think," Arnos replied.
Marcus nodded. "That sounds like the most logical explanation."
The crowd of students finally arrived at the auditorium where the inauguration ceremony had been held earlier. They began moving inside and taking their seats.
A few instructors were already on the stage, including Miss Margrave from earlier. However, the headmaster was not among them.
Marcus spoke up. "Should we sit there?" he asked, pointing to the middle rows of chairs.
"I think I’ll prefer being a backbencher this time," Arnos sighed.
Mabel looked at him curiously. "Why’s that?" she asked.
Arnos, imitating a girl’s voice, said, "Oh, look at that blue-haired girl. Isn’t she the one who got a B rank? Look, she’s sitting with the Duke’s son. So full of herself! Shameless, isn’t she?"
Switching back to his normal voice, he added, "These are the kinds of comments you'll probably get. You know what, I might get something similar myself, and you know what, back seats are much more peaceful."
Mabel looked disappointed. "You know what? I love sitting in the back!"
"Back seats are great, no one even notices if you’re there or not," she added with a rather depressed enthusiasm.
Arnos frowned slightly, confused. From what I remember, they weren’t that bad, he thought.
Noticing Mabel’s expression, Marcus grew a little concerned. "Do you think she’s going to be okay?" he asked Arnos in a low voice.
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"I think she’ll be fine. Well then, see you later, Marcus," Arnos said as he and Mabel began walking toward the back.
Marcus moved forward and stopped them. "Hey, what’s with the goodbye? I’ll sit with you both too," he said loudly.
Arnos and Mabel exchanged glances for five seconds before looking back at Marcus.
Mabel gave him a concerned look. "Don’t you think it might cause problems?" she asked.
"It will, for sure," Arnos added, nodding.
"What problems?" Marcus asked, looking slightly annoyed.
"Imagine this," Arnos said in a low voice.
He began imitating an instructor. "Why is the Duke’s son sitting so far from the front? This must be reported to the headmaster immediately!"
Mabel joined in with an old man’s voice. "Huh? What did you say? The Duke’s son acting like a rebel in our school? That won’t work! Inform the Duke right away!"
Arnos, imitating an adult man’s voice, said, "I didn’t expect this from you, son. You’ve really ruined our family’s reputation at the school."
Switching to his normal tone, Arnos looked at Marcus with curiousity. "Do you have any siblings?"
Marcus nodded. "I have an older brother."
Arnos cleared his throat. "Now that I know you don’t care about the family’s image, I’ve decided your brother will inherit everything."
Mabel, using a high-pitched voice, added, "Daddddd, nooo! You can’t do this!"
Arnos, raising his hand dramatically as if giving an order, said, "It’s too late. Guards, take him away!"
"That’s what’s going to happen." Both Arnos and Mabel added in a unison.
Marcus looked at them, with a dumbfounded look. "Has all the teasing finally messed with their heads? They’ve completely lost their common sense!” He added.
Mabel, looking annoyed, said, Hey! What do you mean by ‘lost our common sense,’ huh?"
Arnos, in a calm tone, said, "Let’s just go. It’s for the best."
Mabel glared at him. "What do you mean by that? This kid needs some sense knocked into him!"
Before she could continue, Arnos gently turned her head toward Miss Margrave, who was watching them with a serious expression.
Mabel quickly quieted down and began walking. Arnos and Marcus followed her to the back seats, where they sat down.
Marcus sighed. "You weren’t serious just now, were you? If you didn’t want me to sit with you, you could’ve just said so."
Arnos looked at him with a neutral expression. "I was serious, though." I am quite sure it's an possibility.
Mabel nodded. "Same here."
Hearing this, Marcus couldn’t hold back his laughter. He turned his head away, trying to suppress it.
Mabel, annoyed, said, "Hey! What’s so funny, huh?"
Before she could say more, Miss Margrave’s voice came from the stage. "Students, please be quiet," she said in a stern, irritated tone.
The three of them didn’t say another word. They quietly kept sitting on their respective seats with their focus on the stage.
Taking the stage, Miss Margrave began to speak.
"We, the instructors of Celera, are pleased to announce that we have an exceptional group of promising students this year."
As her words echoed through the hall, her gaze briefly rested on Emily, Marcus, and Arnos.
"This year's mana test has also yielded some unexpected results," she continued, her eyes shifting toward Mabel, Arnos at the back, and Emily in the front.
"Now that we’ve assessed your mana levels, it’s time to classify you accordingly."
She gestured toward a large screen behind her, and as her hand moved, the screen came to life, displaying a glowing chart.