Aziel walked out of the hall within a large crowd. All he could hear was the buzz of excited examinees and the shouts of desperation of the ones that failed.
Then a loud, female voice broke through.
"The performance of the examinees will now be evaluated. The results will be announced in the grand hall in half an hour."
Thirty minutes…
With nothing on his hands, Aziel decided to wander around the complex.
Stone corridors stretched wide, leading into countless rooms used for training and study. Sunlight spilled through stained glass along the walls, flooding the corridors in a myriad of shapes and colors.
The sight before him was magical, but it did nothing to uplift Aziel's mood.
He was devastated.
So much struggle, but he was still behind.
If it weren't for the help of the mysterious voice, he would have never gotten so far.
After studying relentlessly, he had achieved nothing. Anybody could answer those questions; the real problem was how to get to them.
Just as he turned a corner, the voice spoke.
Don't beat yourself for it. Given your upbringing, you never stood a chance when magic got involved.
Even though I still don't know why they —
Wait! What did you say before? "Given your upbringing—"?! What do you mean by my upbringing? What do you know about me?
I know everything. I have lived inside your body for 15 years after all.
A shiver ran down Aziel's spine. He didn't want to believe this.
You seriously expect me to believe this?
I know about your time at the orphanage, how Grimm took you in…
Aziel staggered, and his eyes widened.
You! Who exactly are you, and what are you doing inside my head?
That is not for you to know at the moment.
What do you mean, that this is not for me to know!? It's my body that you're in.
I know, but it would do you more harm than good since you're way too weak right now.
Argh. Aziel almost let out a frustrated sigh when he remembered something.
Fine, then do you at least know anything about my parents since you said you have been with me this whole time.
Regrettably, I know nothing about your parents. You were all alone when I found you.
Aziel was about to respond when he remembered that it was almost time for the results to be announced.
He quickly followed the signs that led him to the grand hall.
Hundreds had already gathered, and it was just about time for the results.
The hall was circular and wide to the point where Aziel couldn't see the end of it. Even though its width was astonishing, everyone's heads were turned upwards towards a magnificent glass dome which served as a roof.
However, not even the dome was the center of attention. A couple of meters above the others, something was floating in the air.
Aziel frowned. He had to squint his eyes to make out what he was seeing.
It was a tall woman with golden hair that glistened in the sun who caught everyone's attention. She was dressed in a simple yet elegant white robe with leather sandals. In her left hand was something that looked like an ancient scroll.
It was clear by her warm, all-encompassing presence that she was an instructor.
She must be the one who will announce the results of the first test.
Like everyone else, Aziel couldn't help but hold his breath in anticipation. His whole body tensed up, his palms getting sweatier by the minute. The tension was overwhelming, and nobody dared to speak.
Only the instructor remained calm. A slight smile played on her lips as her gaze swept through the room like a whirlwind. It wasn't as severe as Alaric's, but it still left Aziel shuddering.
The instructor didn't drag it out.
A soothing voice spread through the hall.
"Welcome, our dear examinees! I hope you are having a great time at our wonderful academy on such a splendid day. But more importantly, I will now announce the results of the written test.
Then she raised the scroll in front of her and unraveled it.
On it was a long list of names, each assigned its own number of points. The scroll was far away, but, shockingly, Aziel realized he could see the placements clearly.
1. Amy Dravenor — 500 points
2. Lucien Harrowmont — 480 points
3. Gabriel von Drachenfels — 460 points
.
.
.
The first one must be the king's daughter!
Aziel immediately recognized her. In this Kingdom, there was no one who didn't know her. Only the members of the royal family could wear the nickname Dravenor.
If I remember correctly, the other two are from the ten strongest noble families that serve the king.
The Royal Family couldn't rule entirely on its own, so it had ten great noble houses, which also held great power, on its side. Together they presided over the whole Kingdom.
Aziel began down the list, but his face grew more solemn with every moment. His name was nowhere to be seen. Not in the top ten, nor top twenty, nor thirty…
66. Aziel - 300 points
Right…
Aziel had high expectations, but the truth was harsh after all. He thought he could compete with the others solely because he had completed the test, but he couldn't have been more wrong.
Aziel realized that time mattered most. He might have solved the test. But others solved it faster. Significantly faster.
He sighed.
Things have become considerably harder now. I have to perform well on the other two tests if I want to have a spot in the final top thirty.
The problem was that next up was the magic exam, and Aziel couldn't even use magic. Aziel knew about the magic exam beforehand, and he tried to prepare for it, but ultimately, he couldn't. Wherever he looked, he couldn't find any books regarding magic. Of course, nobles wouldn't let commoners get their hands on magic since this was their most valuable asset. The method of becoming a mage was closely guarded, so only those who earned their spot in the academy could become one.
"Attention, everyone!" The instructor's voice cut through the hall, interrupting Aziel's thoughts.
After everyone calmed down, she continued.
"The magic exam will begin in 10 minutes, so please make your way to the clearing in front of the forest."
The snake of people began moving through the hallways until it made its way outside the building and arrived at the clearing.
There, a muscular and imposing man stood in the air so everyone could see him. It was Alaric Quill.
Tsk… Not this guy again.
Beneath Alaric stood a machine that looked like a perfectly broken eggshell. Except that the shell was three meters tall and made of some kind of metal that Aziel, despite having worked for years in the forge, had never seen before.
After everyone had settled, Alaric spoke.
"The magic exam will now begin."