The sweet treat hit just the right spot, and she returned home with a smile. However, there were individuals waiting for her. She told the maids to bring a set of tea as she entered the parlor room where her guests were already waiting.

Three men stood up, dressed in dim gray robes, and bowed to her. She waved her hand and said, "I don't need such flattery, please be comfortable." She said this more because she was too relaxed to worry about such things herself; after all, she had eaten quite a bit of food. Having expected to sleep after coming home she was slightly annoyed at them.

The man in the middle spoke, his voice gravelly as though his throat were scorched. "It is a pleasure to meet the young child of Ravenshield. My name is Kevin Gracewell, a student of the Tower Master, Amir."

"A pleasure," Ravina replied with a nod. "As you are aware, I am Ravina Ravenshield, and I am curious as to what brings you here."

"My lady, earlier today you expressed interest in learning from the tower. However, the receptionist failed to recognize your grace and sent you away without the proper respect."

Ravina blinked at the words ‘proper respect,’ finding them strange. Laughing internally at such a thing that could rarely be found here. After all, in the last couple of days she had spent at the academy, such things as respect didn't exist.

"I see," she said. "Then I assume this pertains to my request to attend classes."

"Yes, my lady. While the receptionist likely informed you that you need a letter from a sponsoring noble or a note of recommendation from a tower representative, she neglected to mention that a noble individual simply needs to take a test to determine whether they can utilize mana."

"I see," Ravina said with a nod. "That makes sense. After all, if a noble..." She thought… I'm an idiot. Why on earth didn't I think of that? She decided to blame everything on the potato of a crown prince.

Kevin continued, "Yes, as you might be aware, not everyone can use mana. Those who can often..." He hesitated nervously. "Well, that is to say, if an individual does not commence training within a certain year, they may never be able to learn mana manipulation and thus not use magic."

"I see. I am actually aware of this. If I recall correctly, an individual cannot learn mana manipulation after the age of sixteen. Is that correct?"

Kevin's eyes widened for a moment before he nodded. "Yes, that is correct. Once an individual reaches that age, it becomes almost impossible for their mana veins to properly adjust."

She nodded. "Yes, I know about this." She ran a hand over her stomach. "I can assure you that my mana veins have already opened."

Kevin narrowed his eyes. "You are saying you have already opened your mana veins? But how can you be certain?"

Ravina smiled softly and replied, "I am quite certain."

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Understanding dawned on Kevin's face. "My lady, did the count, that is, His Grace, force you to open the veins?"

Ravina shook her head. "No, he did no such thing."

"My lady, you must know that forcing an individual to open their mana veins has been illegal for centuries. If His Grace had compelled you to do so, he would have broken not only the kingdom's law but also the law of the heavens." There was a pleading look in his eye, and Ravina did not like it.

"As I said," she replied, her voice colder than she intended, "the count was not the one who did it. So you will move on."

"Of course, I meant no disrespect. It's just..." Ravina cut him off.

"Move on," she repeated firmly.

"As you wish. Then we shall expedite the preparations to test your mana ability. If everything proceeds as expected, you will be able to join the class. I must say, my lady, this is very encouraging. Few people find magic as fascinating as it once was."

"Really?" Ravina questioned. "I would think that the ability to produce something from nothing is quite exciting."

The man smiled and chuckled softly. "Unfortunately, one cannot create something from nothing, but I appreciate the sentiment. In truth, it requires a great deal of skill and determination to learn how to use magic. It is not as easy as one might hope. Additionally, there are many new inventions that reduce the need for mages altogether, such as these air conditioning devices." He nodded toward a square cut into the ceiling of the parlor room. The device kept the room at a constant temperature. Ravina had been pleasantly surprised when she first encountered such a thing, as it maintained the temperature more effectively than an air conditioning unit.

"I see," she mused. "I believe you are right. Such inventions would indeed replace mages."

"Yes," the man agreed, looking down. "It is quite disheartening, but there is a small silver lining. Only those truly dedicated to the craft join now. It is wonderful to see, though it is sad that so many dismiss mages these days."

"Well, on that somber note," Ravina said, standing, "I must attend to a few more matters. I shall see you tomorrow, I presume?" sleep was seeping into her bones, her stomach was full, her mind at peace. It was time to sleep…

The men rose with her. "Yes, my lady," Kevin replied. "We shall have everything ready for you by tomorrow. Please come sometime in the afternoon."

"Very well. Please sit, enjoy the tea, take your time, and relax a bit. I know it is quite busy out there."

"Thank you, my lady," Kevin said with a grateful nod.

With that, Ravina left quickly, making her way to her room before she jumped in excitement. "Magic... people are sick of magic? How could that possibly be?" Sure, there were tools like magic lanterns, lights, air conditioning units, and fridges. Even the toilets were considered magic tools here, and yet people were sick of being able to do magic themselves? That's ridiculous. These people don't know how well they have it, Ravina chuckled.

Soon, she'll be a mage, a madwoman flinging spells left and right. She laughed as she fell onto her bed, gripping her stomach tightly. She was suddenly breathing very heavily. Soon she'd be a mage, a madwoman flinging spells left and right. She shivered at the thought. Taking her thoughts away, she thought about how this little piggy went to the market and this little piggy went all the way home.

She repeated herself over and over again as she forced herself to breathe steadily. "Steadily, steadily... breathe in, breathe out. This little piggy went to the market... breathe in, breathe out. This little piggy went all the way home. Breathe in, breathe out... breathe in, hold it, hold it, breathe out."

She lay on the bed, wrapping the sheets around her in a cocoon. "Breathe in, breathe out."

She continued to do this as slowly as she could until eventually, she drifted off to sleep. A feat that took hours.