The knights' visit dragged by like molasses. Ryo spent most of it pretending to practice basic magic in full view of the townspeople, making sure to fail spectacularly at even the simplest spells. Currently, he stood in front of his tavern, supposedly trying to light a candle with magic while a small crowd of regulars watched with mixed expressions of sympathy and amusement.

"Focus, boy!" Old Man Turner called out, sitting on his usual barrel. "You're holding your hands all wrong."

Ryo deliberately twisted his fingers into an even more incorrect position, suppressing a smile. He'd mastered fire magic before he could walk in this new life, but nobody needed to know that. "Like this?" he asked, scrunching his face in fake concentration.

The candle remained stubbornly unlit.

"No, no," said Anna, the town's resident hedge witch who had taken pity on him after hearing about the upcoming evaluation. She was a plump woman in her fifties who could barely manage intermediate-level spells herself. "Here, let me show you again."

She demonstrated the proper hand position for what had to be the hundredth time this week. Ryo watched with an appropriately confused expression, all while maintaining the careful suppression of his mana. It was like trying to stuff an ocean into a teacup, but he'd had years of practice.

"Maybe I'm just not cut out for magic," he said with a dejected sigh, letting his shoulders slump. "The evaluation's tomorrow, and I can't even light a candle."

"At least they can't fault you for not trying," Beth said kindly, bringing out a plate of fresh scones from the tavern. "Here, take a break. You've been at it for hours."

Ryo accepted the scone gratefully, using the moment to scan the area. He'd noticed more unusual traffic through town lately – merchants who asked too many questions, travelers who stayed too long, and at least two people who were definitely disguised mages trying to be subtle about their observations.

The knights' visit had stirred up exactly the kind of attention he'd been avoiding for the past year. He needed a plan for tomorrow's evaluation, and all his current ideas were less than ideal.

"Say, Anna," he began carefully, "what exactly happens during these evaluations? I've never had one before."

Anna settled onto a nearby bench, helping herself to a scone. "Well, from what I remember of my last one, they have you channel mana through a crystal. It measures your potential and control. Basic stuff, really. They're just looking for any unusually strong or dangerous magical signatures."

Ryo nodded, mentally adding this information to his growing list of problems. A crystal measurement would be harder to fool than human observers. He'd need to do something more drastic than just suppressing his power.

"What happens if someone fails?" he asked, trying to sound nervous rather than calculating.

"Fail?" Turner barked out a laugh. "Boy, it's not that kind of test. They're looking for people with too much power, not too little. The worst that'll happen is they'll mark you as magically inept and move on."

That was exactly what Ryo wanted, but he knew it wouldn't be that simple. The crystal would detect something, no matter how hard he tried to suppress it. Unless...

"I think I'm going to close early today," he announced, brushing crumbs from his clothes. "Need to rest up for tomorrow."

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

His regulars began dispersing, offering words of encouragement and support. Ryo watched them go with genuine fondness. These people had accepted him without question, helped him build the quiet life he'd wanted. He couldn't let tomorrow ruin that.

Once inside, he locked the door and pulled down the shutters. Then, making sure no one could see through any gaps, he went down to his cellar. Behind a false wall that he'd constructed with deliberately amateur craftsmanship, he kept his most important supplies – items from his real magical studies that he couldn't risk anyone finding.

"Let's see," he muttered, pushing aside bottles of actual high-grade potions disguised as cheap ale. "There has to be something here..."

His hands found a small box tucked behind everything else. Inside was a collection of rings, each one designed to affect magical flow in different ways. He'd created them during his first years in this world, back when he was still learning to control his overwhelming power.

One ring in particular caught his attention – a plain iron band with complex internal enchantments. It was designed to completely block magical flow, something he'd made when he was first learning to suppress his abilities. He'd nearly killed himself testing it, as it turned out completely blocking one's mana flow was dangerous, but for a short evaluation...

"This might work," he said to himself, slipping the ring into his pocket. "An hour without magic won't kill me."

A knock at his door made him freeze. He quickly sealed the hidden compartment and hurried upstairs, adopting his usual slightly clumsy gait before opening the door.

It was the female knight from before, alone this time.

"Good evening," she said, her sharp eyes taking in his surprised expression. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything?"

"N-no, not at all," Ryo replied, stepping aside to let her in despite every instinct screaming not to. "I was just closing up early. Can I get you something to drink?"

"No, thank you." She remained standing, scanning the tavern interior. "I wanted to discuss tomorrow's evaluation privately."

Ryo's heart rate picked up, but he kept his expression neutral with the skill of someone who'd survived Japanese corporate culture. "Of course. Though I'm afraid I won't be much help – I can barely manage basic magic."

"So I've heard," she said, her tone making it clear she wasn't entirely convinced. "I've also heard about your attempts to practice this week. Very public attempts."

There was something in her voice that made Ryo think she was testing him. He decided to play dumb. "Well, I thought maybe if I practiced enough..."

"Indeed." She turned to face him fully. "Tell me, Ryo, have you heard of mana scarring?"

The question caught him off guard. Of course he had – it was a rare condition where someone's mana channels were damaged, making it nearly impossible to use magic normally. His eyes widened slightly as he realized what she was suggesting.

"I... may have heard something about it," he said carefully.

"It's interesting," she continued, walking slowly around the room. "Those with mana scarring often show unusual patterns in their magical signature. Almost as if they're suppressing something." She paused. "Or as if something is being suppressed for them."

Ryo felt a bead of sweat roll down his back. This knight was sharper than he'd anticipated. She was offering him an out – a perfect excuse for any anomalies that might show up in tomorrow's test. But accepting it would mean acknowledging that there was something to hide in the first place.

"I'm not sure I understand," he said, maintaining his confused expression. "Are you saying I might have this condition?"

She studied him for a long moment. "I'm saying that tomorrow's evaluation might reveal things that could complicate your... simple life here. Things that might draw unwanted attention." She moved toward the door. "Unless, of course, there was a medical explanation for any unusual readings."

With that, she left, leaving Ryo to stare at the closed door. He pulled out the iron ring and looked at it thoughtfully. Maybe he wouldn't need it after all. But could he trust her implied offer? Or was this another test?

He slumped into a chair, suddenly exhausted. In his previous life, the worst that could happen from standing out was more overtime work. Here, the consequences could be far more severe.

"I just wanted to run a tavern," he muttered to the empty room. "No politics, no powers, no complications."

But as he sat there, planning his next move, he couldn't help but wonder if he'd been naive to think he could hide forever. The world had a way of forcing people to face who they really were, whether they wanted to or not.

Tomorrow would prove whether his peaceful life could survive its first real test, or if everything he'd built here was about to come crashing down.