Chapter 16
“Did you finish setting up?” Lucian questioned, making his way over to Axton.
“Yeah, we’re finished.” Axton rose to his feet, brushing the dirt from his hands.
“After all, it was mostly me who did the work.” He shot a scowl at the woman nearby, who only hummed to herself with a carefree expression.
“You’re a man, aren’t you? This is why you still haven’t found someone yet,” Seris playfully retorted.
Lucian rubbed his face, letting out a tired sigh as he stepped between them.
“Please, the exam is about to start.”
“Relax, Lucy. I know better than to start a fight here—unlike that muscle head.” She raised her arms, acting innocent.
“Whatever you say, woman,” Axton said, rolling his eyes. “So, first impressions on this year’s students?”
Seris stretched her arms lazily with a bored yawn, “Outside of Lyra Evermoon? Unremarkable.”
“Why am I not surprised?” Axton shrugged, “What about you, Lucian?”
For a brief moment, Lucian’s expression faltered, as if something had crossed his thoughts.
“Hm…”
Seris’s mouth dropped open. “Someone actually caught your eye? Color me surprised.”
“Come on, don’t leave us hanging, tell us who it is!” Axton chimed in.
Lucian only shook his head.
“You’re imagining things, forget it.”
“How long are you planning to stare at me?” I asked, crouching down, idly tracing a meaningless drawing into the dirt.
“Who said I’m staring at your ugly ass face?” Kaelon spat.
“This is exactly why you have no friends,” I muttered quietly. “Did you awaken your core?”
“What do you think? I wouldn’t even be here if I hadn’t.”
Kaelon’s eyes drifted to the sword on my back, narrowing slightly.
“And what’s the deal with that sword? No way, you actually want to fight with that.”
“Oh, this? Just something I picked up. Thought it’d be fun,” I said with a shrug.
“I don’t know why you even bring a sword to a magic exam,” he muttered, shaking his head. “Speaking of which, I just thought of something—let's compete on who can score higher on the spell evaluation”
“Yeah, no thanks,” I replied instantly. I might’ve considered it if it weren’t for my current condition.
“That was a quick response… Don't tell me you’re scared?” His mouth curled into a sly grin.
“Think however you want,” I said nonchalantly.
Professor Lucian’s voice suddenly projected across the courtyard, silencing everyone at once. I stood up, stretching and brushing the dirt off my hands.
“Since everyone’s here, we’ll begin the first half of the exam.” He looked over the gathered students.
“In case any of you have forgotten what I explained last week, this portion will evaluate your spellcasting ability as well as your control over mana. Your performance will be graded on a scale of one hundred points.”
Gesturing toward the front, he continued, “Three students will be called up at a time to perform any spell of their choosing.”
The moment he said that, I began to start praying inside.
‘If there is a god, please end this misery quickly.’
“Are there any questions before we proceed?” Professor Lucian asked. After waiting a few moments, he continued, “If not, we will begin the exam.”
“70 points.” Professor Lucian’s eyes scanned the student briefly before he looked down to jot something in his notes.
“Though your casting was decent, the mana flow in your spell was uneven. You struggled to maintain consistency and your control was lacking as a result.”
Professor Axton and Seris, sitting next to Lucian, nodded in agreement while making their own notes.
“That would be it. Please return to your spot,” Professor Lucian instructed
I watched as he made his way back to his friend, fist pumping in excitement.
“Hey, did you see that? I wasn’t actually expecting to get 70!” he exclaimed, patting himself on the back.
“Just wait, I’ll beat your score,” his friend shot back, grinning.
I lamented quietly to myself. With every three they call up, my public execution inches closer and closer.
"It must be nice being able to properly use spells.’
“Would the following students please come up: Solis, Zack… and Lyra,” Professor Lucian announced.
My face habitually faced forward, my eyes fixed on the front.
‘Right, how did I forget about her, miss S rank?’
Lyra, as always, wore a calm expression and walked toward the testing area. Unlike last time, she was accompanied only by her maid today.
All the eyes were on her, as she was the only student with an S-rank mana affinity, everyone was curious to see how she would perform.
“Tch. What a show-off.” Kaelon muttered beside me.
‘Why not go up there and tell her that to her face?’ I responded dryly.
“Urgh—like hell I would. I already have enough enemies, I don’t need another.” Kaelon said, scratching the back of his head.
“Weren’t you the one who lashed out at her when her carriage overtook yours.”
“Shut up. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I couldn’t help but laugh quietly to myself as I turned my attention back to the front.
“Whenever you’re ready, feel free to begin,” Professor Lucian instructed, tapping his pen lightly against the desk.
WOOOOOOOSHHHHH
The moment Lyra extended her hand, three different spells manifested into existence all at once. A massive ball of flame, then a swirling sphere of water, and finally a razor-sharp current of wind that coils around both, all forming effortlessly.
The sheer magnitude of her spells completely overshadowed the other two students beside her, their own magic faltering as they stared in disbelief. People started murmuring amongst themselves.
“What the hell… is this what they call a genius?” someone from the crowd mumbled, their voice tinged with defeat.
“She’s a monster…” another whispered.
‘Can you even call those basic spells at this point?’
Even the three professors looked taken aback.
“Ha… I knew she had an S-rank affinity,” Professor Axton said with a bewildered chuckle, massaging his temple, “but still, I wasn’t expecting this.”
“She really does live up to her father’s name,” Professor Lucian remarked.
Professor Seris leaned forward, resting her face in her hand, a grin tugging at her lips as she finally began to show interest.
“So then… what’s our final verdict?” she drawled.
“Full marks,” Professor Axton said without hesitation. “Not many people could pull off what she just did at her age.”
“No objections here,” Professor Lucian added with a curt nod. Clearing his throat, he straightened his posture before announcing.
“Lyra Evermoon—a perfect score of a 100.” He continued, “simultaneously conjuring multiple spells while maintaining perfect control demonstrates exceptional mastery and precision. Not many in history could’ve achieved what you just did. That said, don’t get too complacent; there’s always room to improve.”
“We hope you continue to work hard in the future while at Ascalon.”
Lyra nodded, her expression unchanged, as if this was only natural.
“If there aren’t any questions, we will move on to the next group of students,” Professor Lucian said.
As she returned to her spot, her maid hurried to her side, quietly offering congratulations.
“You’ve done admirably, Lady Lyra. I’m certain your father would be proud.”
“No… not yet. There’s still the second half.” Lyra said, her gaze drifting.
After Professor Lucian finished with the other two students, he began calling the next set. “These following students: Caelith, Dorian, and Sylas, please step forward.”
Now then, time to put on a “show” of my own.’
