Before we knew it the exam hall door had already opened and a man dressed in a black formal suit walked out of it.
He was dressed in a formal luxury black suit along with white gloves. In his chest pocket, there was a red flower that looked very strange. I have never seen this flower before. Over his right eye, he wore a monocle lens that was latched to his ear.
And right now this man was glaring at us with pure contempt.
“I just let you folks wait in the hallway for a few minutes and you guys already started making a racket. No decency or manners, what would you expect from the mere plebeians. You guys are here to have an examination and if you are even a bit literate, then you should know how one should behave.” said the man in black.
What do we have here, another ass of a rail guard?
Although he just openly insulted us unlike those silent coldly staring rail guards at the station.
But this man looked a bit different from the rail guards we came across so far.
This guy was wearing that flower and that monocle glasses which made him stand out from the rest of the guards. Also, this man didn’t seem to have the sword-like all the rest of the rail guards. Even the wagon manager had a cane but this guy was not armed in any way.
This man certainly must be an important figure in this wagon.
The man in the suit looked around the hallway.
Everyone in the hall fell silent despite being crowded to the brim.
The whole room suddenly fell silent after hearing the man’s words.
Some lowered their heads while some glared back furiously at the man in black.
The guy in the black noticed those angry glares,
“It seems it would be better if I just fail every one of you in the mage ascension test. That would be for the best. Mages don't need people such as yourselves.”
As soon as these words came out, everyone’s expressions changed drastically who were present in this hallway. Those even hateful glares turned into a look of shock. The looks from hatred now turned into guilt and shock.
While everyone was silent and dumb, Trisha the leader of the girl’s group stepped forward.
Trisha graciously bowed her head,
“I apologize on behalf of every participant here for creating such a nuisance. I agree that our behavior was uncalled for but the organizers of the ceremony train are equally guilty. The rail guard led all the 458 participants down here in this little cramped hallway which resulted in starting this big commotion. The girls are quite uncomfortable waiting here. And to make matter worse, some of the mischievous boys started acting like wild perverts. Hence why the big commotion occurred. I suppose the Ceremony train organizers in the future would be more careful and prevent such things.”
The man in black glared at her,
“Huh? So you guys are now blaming us ceremony organizers for your uncivilized behavior? You really are getting on my nerves, girl. I think I should just declare every one of you as a failure as a mage, right here and now, and throw everyone overboard from this train at once.”
Trisha suddenly lifted her head and stared back at him,
“I don’t think failing us would sit well with the mage association. They won’t like losing so many potential young mages for the kingdom, just because you feel like it. I hope that you keep that in mind.”
The man in the black’s eyebrows twitched,
“Oh is that a threat? Are you trying to threaten me, young lady?”
“That was no threat. I was just pointing it out for your own sake.”
“You got one heck of a mouth for a mere plebeian. What is your name?”
As soon as he asked it, the blonde girl straighten up and stood upright,
“The name is Trisha Valencia, an apprentice knight of the Vladja household. I am here to participate in the ceremony like any other participant here and wish it goes smoothly. I apologize if my words came across as rude but my intention was that the ceremony could go smoothly without tarnishing your good name. I am sorry if I said too much.”
This Trisha girl has one heck of a mouth.
I mumbled to myself.
The man in the black suit was a bit taken back,
“Oh, we have a knight apprentice among the plebeians? What is a person of your stature doing in this wagon~ Wait a minute, ~ Ah! the infamous Vladja household? Now I see.” suddenly a mocking smile appeared on his face.
“If my memory serves me correctly, the Valencia knight clan were the ones who were serving the Vladja household. It seems the Valencia clan is still serving the Vladja household even after the Vladja house was stripped from their title as nobility for their crimes.”
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This time Trisha brows twitched,
“Us Valencia knights have sworn loyalty to the Vladja household and we stick to our word. Also, I would prefer I would advise you to not slander my master’s household-”
“Oh please don’t mind me. I apologize if my words come across as rude, I was just a bit worried. As for the matter of you worrying about tarnishing our reputation is a sweet sentiment. But you Valencia knights, should be the last one to worry about such things.” replied the man in the black suit with a smug face.
Trisha glared back angrily without saying any words.
Meanwhile, the man in black just ignored her gaze and turned to everyone,
“Hey! You folks making Miss Trisha do all apologizing. Aren’t you ashamed?”
Hearing that everyone bowed their head,
“We are sorry!” said everyone with a synchronized tone and lowered our heads.
Of course, I didn’t lower my head or say those words. And some of them were of the same opinions as I. This was clearly the ceremony organizer’s fault that this commotion happened in the first place.
Anyway, most of the kids did apologize so the man in black was quite satisfied.
“I’ll overlook your demeanor this one time. Alright come inside the exam hall and let’s begin the test. We are already behind our schedule.” saying so the man in black went inside.
Finally, we were allowed to enter the hall.
This time everyone was disciplined and entered the hall in an orderly manner. All of them were on their best behavior. Maybe the man’s threat did work on everyone.
As I entered the hall I looked around and I saw this was one big wide hall and there was even a stage. It would quite easily hold up about 500 kids like ourselves with ease. Although there was nothing special about this room.
Above the ceiling was a candle-lit chandelier that lit the entire room. It was too bright as there was no furniture except for 5 pedestals with a purple glowing crystal ball placed on the stage. Those things must be important for the ascension test.
We were told to form a long queue and stand in an orderly fashion in front of the stage. The girls and the boys were divided into separate groups. But this time there was more space between us and much more comfortable than before.
Waiting for a few minutes to let everyone get settled down, the man in black walked onto the stage.
Taking another glance at us,
“Well, we are already running out of time, so I shall try to keep this brief. I am Salvador Barnacus, one of the examiners who will be overlooking this test. There was just another test being held just a while ago before you arrived. They were the kids from the wagon B-8. As for the reason for the delay, there were some stubborn kids who didn’t listen to reason and ended up hurting themselves. So cleaning up the mess took some time, hence the delay.”
The room's atmosphere suddenly turned heavy as soon as he said this statement.
Many people’s faces turned white.
The examiner noticed it and chuckled,
“Haha! You needn’t worry. They might be hurt but we have the best healers here. If you don’t wanna end up like those kids, just listen to your supervisors who will be overlooking your tests.”
He continued,
“There will be a total of 3 tests to determine if you actually have the potential to be a mage. If you fail any one of those tests, you’ll deem unworthy of being a mage. But don’t lose heart, even if you fail you’ll still join the ceremony nevertheless. The tests are rather simple and it’s best if you listen to the advice from your supervisors who will be conducting this test. Meet Mr. Hagar and Ms. Thesia.”
Saying so he introduced a man and woman who appeared on the stage.
Mr. Hagar had tanned skin and neatly combed hair. He looked very fit and was wearing a grey shirt and grey pants which looked like a uniform. He stood in attention with a dead serious face when examiner Salvador introduced him.
Meanwhile, Ms. Thesia was pretty and she adorned a charming smile.
She had long brown hair and stood proudly with her hands on her hips. She was wearing also wearing the same shirt and pants as Mr. Hagar but she looked a bit more curvaceous and sexy.
These guys are definitely not related to those railway guards. The uniforms worn by the guards are different and these guys were not armed with swords.
“Alright, I’ll be heading out now. I overlook the third and the final test. If you are destined to be a mage, we’ll meet again. It’s already very late, I still have to overlook the B-8 participant’s final test. Mr. Hagar and Ms. Thesia, over to you.” In saying so, examiner Salvador turned around and left through the door on the stage.
Mr. Hagar and Ms. Thesia bowed their heads respectfully until the examiner left.
As soon as he left, the two supervisors turned their attention to us.
Ms. Thesia stepped forward,
“Alright boys and girls, just sit down on the floor. There are almost 500 participants from B-7 and we only have 5 testing mana neuron crystal balls. It will take some time to test everyone. So until then, it’s better you sit down and make yourself comfortable until your name is called out. It’s better if you guys are relaxed and in your best condition to get the perfect result.”
She then turned to Mr. Hagar,
“Would you like to give some encouraging words, Mr. Hagar?”
Mr. Hagar stepped forward and glanced at us with a deep stare,
“Good luck,” he said and got back to rummaging through pages of a file in his hands.
Ms. Thesia laughed off,
“Well, Mr. Hagar looks a bit serious type but he’s just not very good with words. He’s still a fun guy to be around. Meanwhile, I myself am laid back and cheerful person unlike most of those douche- ”
“Miss Thesia!” Mr. Hagar interrupted.
“Oops, never mind. What I want to say is that you don’t need to be so formal with us, think of us as just a pair of grown-up pals. Anyway, those who clear the test will ascend to the next test meanwhile those who cannot have to go back to their room and wait for further instructions. So before any more delay let’s begin the test before the chief decides to cut any more of our paycheck.”