Arriving in Veras, Leonard accompanied the three boys to the academy aboard what he called "Roborse"; Erwin, in addition to being fascinated by the speed of that strange object, was completely stunned by the surrounding landscape, and on his face you could see the astonishment and joy of having discovered a place like Veras;
Elaine, although she tried not to show it, she was also fascinated by the beauty of the structures and the ambiguity of the technologies she saw, which seemed to her to come out of a science fiction book, by how weird, but at the same time, ingenious they were.
Brenin on the side, although he came from the poorest districts, did not seem particularly surprised by what he was seeing; Erwin, looking at the boy, seemed that the latter was very bored with everything he saw, and judging by the way Brenin looked around with a bored expression, it was clear that he felt no interest or emotion in front of so much beauty.
"Well Guys" – Leonard began, addressing Erwin and Elaine – "Tell me a little about you're story, so we can get to know each other better" – concluded the professor, curious to know the story of the two boys who for him, at that moment, were complete strangers.
At that moment, Erwin wanted to answer, but some rules imposed by Ron came to his mind: one of them, was not to reveal the fact that he was the son of Artemisius, under any circumstances; he did not know the reason for this rule that seemed stupid to him, and that he could break as or when he could; but he decided to follow this "advice of his", since anyway, since he lived with Ron, the latter was always right.
"Well... I grew up in Hakvill; I don't know who my parents are, nor if i'm a native of Hakvill; I was raised by a gruff old man named Ron, and it was the one who taught me everything I know.."
Elaine, listening to Erwin's words, saw a certain note of sadness in her eyes, and somehow, she could partly understand what Erwin was feeling; she didn't know that Erwin was lying at the time, but the fact that both of them no longer had parents in life, somehow caused Elaine to see herself a little more in Erwin, although she was not particularly sympathetic to the boy.
"I'm sorry..." - replied the elderly gentleman, who for a moment felt guilty for bringing up the subject, then trying to make up for it – "However, the fact that you found a man so kind as to raise you as if you were his son, is a really admirable thing."
"In fact, it's like that... although in truth, I see him more as my grandfather, hehe." replied Erwin, who because of Ron's appearance, he just couldn't see him as a father, it was difficult for him, also because in reality, in his mind, only one persone could be his father.
"I understand... And let's hear, what is the age at which you 'Awakened', Erwin?" Leonard asked.
Erwin hesitated for a moment, before answering; he would have liked to follow Ron's line, that is, to lie about everything, but since they would notice his lack sooner or later, he thought well that perhaps, telling the truth now, was the right things to do.
"Well...I underwent the awakening process two years ago..."
"WHAT?!" Elaine and Leonard exclaimed in unison, shocked by what the boy had revealed; Leonard was shocked that Erwin, who had shown excellent instincts for fighting and had considerable control over his mana, had awakened only 2 years ago, going against what was said about awakened people, that is, those who awakened after the age of 10 had no type of talent/ lack control over their mana.
Elaine instead was even more surprised: she hated to admit it, but she knew that Erwin had a great talent, which only flaw was the fact that he was not akin to any magical element; in support of his thesis, there was the incredible victory obtained against Rudolf, who was much stronger and more experienced than him.
The young princess, believed that her adventure partner was lying, but as soon as she saw that innocent boy look, she began to convince herself that at that moment, Erwin was really telling the truth.
Brenin, who until then looked bored, did not turn away, but began to be curious about the guy in front of him.
"You're not lying, are you?!" Leonard said, grabbing Erwin with his big hands, looking at Erwin as if he had found a diamond at that moment.
"Maybe I shouldn't have said that..." Erwin whispered scratching his head, believing he had made a real disaster. - "Anyway... no, i'm not liyng. Then, thanks to Ron, who was interested in mana and the awakened, he gave me a huge hand in training and perfecting control over mana."
"Oh, so Ron is the name of your teacher..." - said Leonard, managing to find out at least the name of this mysterious person, although that name at that moment, told him nothing, thus remaining intrigued as to why so much secrecy on Ludwig's part - "And tell me, is he also an awakened one?"
"Y.. N-no! ... I can really call him teacher, but... he's just a very curious man." Erwin replied nervously, who was almost about to break another of the rules imposed by Ron, which is not to say anything important about Ron.
Leonard noticed this little defaiance, suspecting that in truth, this person called Ron was a "awakened"; slowly, he began to grow some curiosity about this figure, but he felt that perhaps, it was better not to investigate further, as he had promised Ludwig a few days earlier.
"Uhm... He did a great job anyway, to be a normal person." - replied Leonard, effectively ignoring the boy's nervousness - "And tell me, what elements can you use?"
"Umh..."
Erwin at that moment found himself again in an uncomfortable position, this time, even more than before: he was aware of the fact that by the time he would face the test, everyone would become aware of his serious deficit, but he did not believe that this would happen even before he arrived at the academy;
".... That's a secret." said Erwin, making a more than forced smile; Leonard noticed this smile, remaining quite skeptical of the boy's response.
He wanted to insist, but it was enough to look at Erwin to understand that it would be useless to do this, thus settling for the answer, although he did not like it.
"You're pretty boring..." Leonard snorted, in a slight sarcastic tone but also with a slightly disappointed expression.
The professor then turned his gaze to Elaine, intrigued to know her story.
"And tell me, Lucy, what's your story?"
"Nothing special. I was born in Hakvill and I am part of a humble family, made up of a fisherman father and a seamstress mother. At the age of 6 I woke up, and since then, I trained with Master Ron, who despite not being an awakened man, did everything to help me in my workouts." Elaine replied, very calmly; Erwin was baffled by the ease with which Elaine responded by lying shamelessly; he still did not know Elaine well, and began to wonder if all he told a few days earlier were nothing but lies.
"And that's where you met Erwin?" Leonard asked.
"That's right... let's say we're 'brothers.'..." said Elaine, who out of the corner of her eye observed Erwin's reaction, who by just naming the word 'brothers,' pissed him off.
"So... aren't you some kind of couple?"
Suddenly, Brenin, who until then had not opened his mouth but to introduce himself, asked this strange question to Elaine, who felt disgust at just thinking of her and Erwin as a couple, casting a sharp look at Erwin, who had the same reaction as the girl.
"Not a chance!" the two boys replied, annoyed by that question, starting to look at each other in a bad way.
"...clear, understood..."
Brenin began to observe Elaine with a strange look in the eyes; after a few seconds, suddenly, the young swordsman's gaze turned slightly red, forcing him to look away from the young girl.
[T-This idiot....] Leonard thought, who immediately understood the reason for that strange behavior: that boy, who seemed disinterested in anything but his sword, felt a certain interest in Elaine, who noticed that strange look at her; [Why the hell he's looking me?!] she thought annoyed by those strange looks, still trying not to give it much importance.
"A-Anywever... what element are you able to use?" the professor immediately asked, trying to change the subject.
"Well, I control the water element..." - Elaine began, creating a small sphere of water, manipulating it with extreme ease, trying to show her professor her control. - "... And I am able to control the element of the ice." concluded Elaine, who turned the water ball into an ice ball, thus displacing Leonard, who certainly did not expect the girl to have a deviant element*.
Observing that small performance, the professor of the academy immediately gave a quick evaluation of Elaine's abilities, finding an excellent control over the water element, superior to that of her peers, and a good element on the deviant element, thus reaching a first conclusion.
"Probably... you were already born with that element, I'm right?" asked Leonard, thus displacing Elaine, who did not expect such a deduction at all.
"Well, you don't have to be surprised. At your age, having a deviant element is very, very rare... there are two cases in which a little girl like you can get a deviant element: the first, is that you are a genius kissed by the mana and it does not seem the case to me, despite your control of the elements is remarkable. So, it's likely that you inherited that element...maybe, from a distant descendant...." said Leonard, who seemed very intrigued by Elaine's abilities.
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
"Maybe...you're right. Besides, I don't know any other member of my family, so it might be true..." replied Elaine, trying not to show too much of her huge surprise, beginning to believe that maybe she shouldn't have shown her deviant element.
"Well, it's your turn, Brenin!" - said the professor, patting the boy next to him on the arm – "Why don't you introduce yourself to the two guys?"
"... I'm Brenin, I'm 15 years old, I control the element of the wind and one day I'll become the best magic knight in the world...no, in the history." Brenin replied quickly, looking back at the landscape that flowed quickly before his eyes.
"... Wow!" - exclaimed Erwin, who saw similarities between his goal and Brenin's dream – "I, on the other hand, hope one day I can become the best wizard in the world!"
"The best wizard... seems cool!" replied Brenin, who also seemed to appreciate the dream of his peer.
[.. Oh? So Brenin likes these people, huh?] Leonard thought with surprise, but with a slight smile on his lip; he had met Brenin 5 years ago in the 12th district; Brenin, who was an orphan, was a kind of little delinquent, who roamed the city stealing money, food, and assaulting anyone who tried to help him. And it was just that fate brought them together, with Brenin trying to rob Leonard, failing miserably. The latter thought of giving it to the competent authorities, but two things stopped him: the first, the despair in the eyes of that brat; second, that innate talent for the control of the wind element.
So, he decided instead to send Brenin to a small orphanage, where the nuns took care of him; it was not easy, but finally, the boy had calmed down, returning to the right path, but he seemed somewhat bored by everything he saw, not interacting with his peers, both because the kids did not understand Brenin's feelings, and because the latter did not open up to anyone. Moreover, he was very intelligent and "mature" for his age, causing him to move further and further away from those boys; for this reason, Leonard and the nuns decided to send Brenin to the academy of a thousand magical arts, both because he had a great talent, and because they wanted Brenin to finally be able to live his youth to the full.
The fact that Brenin seemed comfortable with other awakened people seemed to prove Leonard and the people in the orphanage who loved him right.
While looking at the three boys, however, he could not help but notice Elaine's look at the two boys; like Brenin, Elaine had that "mature" side that a young person should not have, thus indicating that perhaps, something very unpleasant had happened to her. Yet, in Elaine's gaze, the professor also saw something else; he didn't know what, but it was clear to him that that girl was not telling the truth, and that she must have been through a lot.
After a few seconds, the horse-drawn carriage, commanded by robotic horses, stopped suddenly.
"We have arrived at our destination, gentlemen." said the coachman, catching the attention of those present.
"Oh, I hadn't even noticed..." - said Leonard, who was assorted in his thoughts. - "Here, keep the money."
Erwin couldn't stay in the skin, and so, he looked out in front of the window, invading Elaine's space, who was annoyed by such behavior.
"Hey! What the hell are you doing?!" The girl exclaimed, but received no answer from the latter;
Erwin, as soon as he put his head out, was blown away by what he saw; with his eyes full of wonder, he found himself in front of the majestic Magic Academy of Veras, an imposing structure surrounded by imposing towers and enchanted woods.
"W-Woah..."
Erwin catapulted himself out of the carriage, thus approaching the entrance of the academy, with the entrance gate in gold with strange writings engraved on each bar that composed it; in front of the gate then, there were two magical guards, who as soon as they saw Professor Leonard, stood on the eye;
"Welcome back, Mr. Leonard!" They exclaimed the two guards in unison, as a sign of respect for the man in front of them.
"N-No need to greet me like this..." the professor said slightly embarrassed, as he pulled down his suitcases from the cale with the help of Elaine and Brenin.
Erwin in the meantime remained completely in a state of shock in the face of all that beauty; The imposing stone towers stood out against the sky, adorned with intricate sculptures that seemed to dance in the light of twilight.
Erwin looked around with eyes filled with astonishment. The central courtyard was an enchanted garden, with bright flowers sparking and trees whispering magical secrets to the wind. The flora seemed to respond to the young man's presence, as if welcoming him with a symphony of unique colors and fragrances.
The walls of the academy were covered in stone carved with magical symbols and ancient runes. The windows whispered thousand-year-old stories, painted with images of spells and fantastic creatures.
In some Towers, there were statues depicting the mighty and sinister Gargoyle, which Erwin observed with admiration, but at the same time, with a hint of fear.
"Beautiful, don't you think?" Leonard said, while leaving the boy's bag next to him.
"E-Excuse me, professor!" Erwin exclaimed, who had completely forgotten about his bag, making a slight bow as an apology.
"Hey hey... Don't worry!" - said Leonard, amused by the boy's reaction – "Anyway follow me, it's not the time for you to relax..." Leonard said, thus addressing three boys, who without any hesitation, followed him.
****
The four characters, passed in the middle of the immense courtyard of the academy, which presented impressive and beautiful works of art, and with fountains that gave a breathtaking spectacle of water and light.
As they crossed the courtyard, they come across the future wizards who were part of the academy; many of them, along with their friends, studied in the courtyards, others instead practiced some spells, and others instead laughed and joked with each other; Erwin, who had never had anyone he could consider as a friend, felt that he could begin to have many here, looking forward to being able to interact with all of them.
Elaine, on the other hand, did not pay attention to all this, not even the beautiful landscape in front of her, as the moment she stepped her foot inside the academy, her mentality swithed: right now, her only goal was to become strong, not having the slightest interest in making friends, which she considered futile.
Brenin, for his part, felt the same feelings as Erwin, although his expression might seem like that of a person who did not seem surprised at everything he was seeing at the time.
After a few minutes, they finally entered the mammoth building, more precisely, they headed to the academy secretariat for pre-registration.
"Sit here, guys" said Leonard, who then went to one of the secretaries placed behind a large window; they spoke for a few seconds, in which the three boys didn't hear much; then, the professor went back, taking 3 sheets with him and handing one each to the boys.
"What is it?" Erwin asked intriguedly.
"That's a form for enrollment" – Leonard said, approaching the boy – "You have to write down your details and which courses you would prefer to attend."
"Umh... What courses are there?"
Leonard was somewhat amazed by that question; everyone who aspired to become formidable magicians or magical knights, already knew everything about the academies, from what courses to follow to the most trivial things, and yet that boy seemed to know nothing about certains things;
"Well... There are several courses in the academy, which are distinguished between mandatory and personal: the mandatory courses for all students, are the course of mana theory, the course of alchemy, theory of war and the study of the elements.
Instead, the courses of free choice are courses where you practice what you learn, a bit like a specialization course: in this case, the courses we have here at our disposal are the course for medium-long range magic, the course of defensive magic and divination, the course of magic knights and the course of hand-to-hand combat. When you enroll in the academy, you are obliged to choose at least one of these courses. Is that clear to you now?"
"Oh... Ok!" said Erwin, who began to fill out his form;
After a few minutes finally, when the three boys filled out the form, they handed the papers to Leonard, whom I folded there and put them inside the pocket of his jacket.
"Well, now that we've settled this matter, follow me!"
"Where are you taking us now?" asked Erwin, who was curious about what would happen.
"Oh, well...Now you're going to take your entrance test!"
END OF CHAPTER 20 - BEGINNING OF THE EXAM