"Nice to meet you, everyone! I am Jin Rivious, and this is my sister, Jin Iris," Rivious introduced respectfully.
A girl hiding behind him timidly said, "N-nice to meet you, I-I am Jin Iris."
"Iris is just a bit shy, and this here is Malvin, my bodyguard. I am sorry that you had to witness something like this. Malvin is hot-headed, so I am really sorry for what he did. Please forgive us!" Rivious bowed to ask for forgiveness.
"Sir! Why are you bowing to these peasants!-" Malvin yelled, his anger palpable.
"Shut up! All humans are equal! We are not someone to judge!" Rivious Shouted in anger, without lifting his head.
Ric stepped forward and asked, "If you’re truly sorry, why didn't you stop him before?"
"U-uhm I was going to... but when I saw you standing up for yourself! I was fascinated! I have never seen a commoner stand up to a noble, but when you did! You were like a hero!" Jin exclaimed, excitement brimming in his eyes.
"Oh! Talking about a hero..." Ric mumbled to himself.
Ric went near the bounded Malvin and said, "Mr. Malvin, did you know? The hero who saved our world was also a Peasant! So, you better think before you speak, since you're life is also a Peasant's mercy."
After that, Malvin was released, and the assessment started. All the children of 15 years of age were arranged in a straight line. They stood in front of two crystal mana balls.
"Hmm... OK, so there are 10 children," said Chiron.
"Now, I will explain how the assessment works. As you can see, there are two mana balls, one blue and the other purple. First, you should go to the blue ball, place your hands on it, and close your eyes. Then try to feel the mana around you. If the mana ball shines, ✨️ then you have an affinity with mana! And if it doesn't, then don't be upset, as there are many other paths you can take! The brightness of the mana ball determines the amount of mana your body can store. After you're done, go to the purple mana ball and place your hands on it, You may feel some itching as the ball passes mana into your body. The purple orb will show your class in the Magus language. Don’t worry, I will read it for you. Now, if all of you understand, then let's start the assessment."
One by one, the children came forward for the assessment. Some found an affinity with mana and were moved forward, while others did not have an affinity and were sent back. It was not long until Yota's turn came.
"Phew~ it's nerve-wracking," Yota said, a drop of sweat flowing down from his hair, showing his nervousness.
"Don't worry, Yota. Just be calm, and I'm sure you can do it!" Ric exclaimed, trying to motivate Yota.
Ric patted Yota on the back to boost his confidence. Yota came forward and placed his hand on the blue mana ball. The ball started shining, brighter than all the participants so far.
Chiron said, "Oh~ very good, that's a good amount of mana he has!"
Then Yota placed his hands on the purple mana ball, and the ball revealed his class.
"Oh~ it's a flame magician," Chiron said.
"W-WAIT! SERIOUSLY!" Yota asked in astonishment.
"Yes!" Chiron replied, nodding his head in agreement
"YEAHHHAHAHAHAHHAH! RIC! DID YOU SEE MY CLASS?" Yota Screamed, his satisfaction growing off the roof.
"Yeah, buddy! Congrats! Your dream came true!" Ric replied, happiness evident on his face.
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Unable to containhis excitement Yota exclaimed "Yes with this class! i will @!#&#@!% defeat the demons and beat the !@#% out of them and become the hero!"
"Shh-" Ric tried to stop Yota from cursing, but it was in vain. The teacher came behind Yota and said, "Yota my child, meet me at my office tomorrow." His smile gently, hiding the great anger behind it.
"Y-yes, sir," Yota replied, his shoulders slumped in disappointment knowing that he was gonna get a beating.
"Don’t worry, Yota. I will take care of your funeral," Ric responded, comforting Yota.
Chiron said, "Uh... if it's okay, then can the last one come forward?"
"Yes," Ric replied confidently.
He stepped forward and placed his hands on the blue mana ball. He closed his eyes and thought, "Feel the mana around me, from what I have read, it should be easy if I think of it like a cup of water. Yeah, first a cup, now I will fill it with water. Yes, it's filled, but why is it not stopping? The water is overflowing? Why? Did I do something wrong? No! Calm down, Ric!" Ric tried to clam himself but the water still kept flowing and started becoming faster. "It's still flowing, and it's becoming faster! WAIT! STOP! NO! IT'S FILLING EVERYTHING! WAI-UGH! I AM DROWNING! HELP ME! SOMEONE!" Unbeknownst to everyone, Ric was starting to drown. The ball slowly started to shine, and it shone brighter.
Meanwhile, Chiron was thinking, "This child! He's smart, intelligent, and has courage! I am curious to see what he will become in the future. Even if he fails here, he has the potential to become the Royal strategist for the kingdom."
Then the ball shone. It was shining!
"Yes! Ric, you did it!" Yota Said, feeling proud that Ric has also awakened.
But the ball still kept shining brighter and brighter. Suddenly, it shined so much that its light was blinding everyone's eyes!
"Ugh, my eyes!" a child complained.
"It hurts!" another one said.
"Wait! If it gets too bright, the mana ball might explode!" Chiron Said, his face filled with concern.
"W-what! RIC!! GET AWAY FROM THERE! THE BALL MIGHT EXPLODE!" Yota screamed, trying to warn Ric.
"IT'S TOO LATE!" Chiron yelled, as he got ready.
"NOOO!!" Yota shouted and ran towards Ric to save him.
"BARRIER MAGIC! PROTECT"
Chiron casted a barrier around the stage to protect the children, which stopped Yota from moving further. Then Chiron casted "HASTE" and jumped towards Ric to save him. He caught him and moved him as fast as he could, but the mana ball exploded, crashing them both into the barrier!
"Ric my son!!" The teacher screamed with abandon. Guilt and grief pushed down all other emotions as his ears rang. His son being caught right in front of him in a blast of azure magic going haywire as he and Yota were desperately hitting the barrier with their fists.
After the explosion, there was smoke everywhere. Then the barrier got undone, Yota and the teacher rushed inside and looked for Ric. Ric, who slowly became conscious, and saw the blurry image of Chiron, who was saying, "Hey! Kid! Are you okay?"
"Huh? Y-yeah," Ric exclaimed, as his vision slowly got better and he got up.
"Thank goodness! If something had happened to you, I would have been in trouble!" Chiron exclaimed, letting out a sigh of relief.
"Why would you even risk your life to save an orphan like me?" Ric asked, suspicion evident on his face.
"Well, that's my job, but don't worry, my clothes are enchanted with magic to protect me." Chiron replied, pointing out his clothes.
"Well, even if the risk you took was calculated... are you bad at math or something?" Ric replied, glancing at Chiron's leg.
Chiron looked at his leg, where his clothes were torn and his leg was injured "Well, looks like the blast was so strong that even with the enchanted clothes, my leg was hurt," he exclaimed, dissatisfaction evident on his face.
"Sigh get up, I will carry you," Ric replied.
He took Chiron's arm on his shoulder and asked him to get up, and they slowly started walking.
"Thanks, Ric," Chiron said, showing his gratitude.
While they were walking, Ric uttered, "Hey."
"Hmm?" Chiron responded, confusion evident on his face.
"Are you that young master's relative?" Ric questioned, his face turned serious.
"Well, he calls me uncle, even though I am 25, so I think I am? Why?" Chiron answered,
"The young master of the Jin family goes out to sightsee during the succession war without any care. Either he is very innocent or... very clever!"
"What are you saying, Ric?" asked Chiron.
Ric ignored his question, his eyes got sharp, his tone changed as he comanded with a domineering voice, "If it's the first, then it's okay. But... if it's the latter, then I am warning you! If you try to use me or any of my brothers here, I WILL KILL YOU!!"
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