Chapter 17
I don’t recall the last time I’d been in a situation as stressful as now. Maybe back when I tested for my affinity, but even that feels tame compared to now. And of course, Dorian just had to be called in at the same time as me.
Shooting me a disdainful side-eye, Dorian spat, “Wait and see how I completely crush you, trash.”
The same insult again. I’m starting to grow numb—do these nobles know any other word? I ignored him and made my way to the front, finally facing the professors.
Seeing that I paid him no mind, Dorian’s scrawny body trembled as he muttered curses under his breath.
“Whenever you’re ready, feel free to begin,” Professor Lucian repeated.
I sighed, resigning myself. I extended my right arm, feeling the familiar flow of mana streaming toward the front.
A flicker of flame began to form in the palm of my hand, no bigger than a nut, barely sustaining itself as it flickered weakly. I wasn’t surprised in the slightest upon witnessing this.
I tried my hardest to keep the spell up, but I could feel it slowly losing strength, threatening to disintegrate entirely.
My eyes locked onto the professors, sweat trickling down my neck, as I forced myself to maintain a straight face.
“Student Caelith,” Professor Axton asked, raising an eyebrow, “Can you explain what you’re doing right now?”
Professor Seris wore a face of disappointment but didn’t say anything.
“I’m casting a spell,” I said, feeling my arm trembling.
Professor Axton frowned, then exchanged glances with the other two professors.
‘Shit… I don’t think I can keep this up much longer…’
Lucian’s eyes lingered on the black-haired boy, watching as he barely sustained the last remnants of his spell. He had been curious to see what the boy could do—but even he hadn’t anticipated this.
‘Was I wrong about him…? And that sword on his back—Is he planning on using it for the mock battle?’ Lucian thought to himself.
“Student Caelith, are you absolutely sure you aren’t capable of anything further?” Axton, sitting next to him, asked the boy again.
“Nope. This is the best I can do,” he replied, staring into Axton’s eyes with an expressionless face.
Though Lucian was disappointed by the results, he couldn’t help but wonder what that boy train of thought was. Even with a week of preparation, most students would panic if they failed in their spells. Yet Caelith’s eyes held not even surprise, only certainty of this exact outcome.
Finally, the boy lowered his arm, the spell collapsing completely, gasping for air from the effort. The noble next to him let out a mocking laugh.
“Hah! And here I was expecting something, but it turns out you can’t even use magic,” he said loudly, letting the crowd hear.
Murmurs instantly started spreading through the onlookers. Some watched with amusement, while others seized the opportunity to join in on the mockery.
“You hear that? You don’t belong here. You’re nothing but a failure,” the noble continued, his voice dripping with disdain.
Despite all the insults, he simply stood there, quietly letting the crowd have their say.
“Let’s just get this over with,” Seris said, her expression bored and uninterested. “No point in wasting any more time on him.”
Lucian didn’t seem to hear her, his eyes scanning the files as he sank into deep thought.
‘The record says here he has a B-rank affinity… so why can’t he…?’ Lucian’s eyes suddenly widened at a possibility.
“Mana Resonance Deficiency…?” he muttered under his breath.
Seris, overhearing what he had just said, immediately perked up with sudden curiosity.
“What did you say, Lucian? You really think that boy has Mana Resonance Deficiency?”
“I’m not certain,” Lucian replied, eyes narrowing. “But given his performance, it’s the most plausible explanation I can come up with.”
“Let me see that,” Seris said, pointing toward the files in Lucian’s hands.
Lucian handed her the files, and she began skimming through them, coming to an abrupt stop.
“This is impossible. How could his mana affinity be B if he has Mana Resonance Deficiency? That’s completely unheard of.”
“Exactly—that’s the part I don’t understand. If he truly has Mana Resonance Deficiency, he shouldn’t even have that rank, let alone be able to manipulate mana.”
Axton, following the conversation, jumped in, “Even people below a C-rank in mana affinity can usually sustain a spell more steadily than he did.”
“If that’s the case, doesn’t that mean his true potential is far higher than what’s being shown right now?” Seris asked.
“It’s still too early to say for certain, but yes—it’s possible,” Lucian replied.
Seris glanced at the boy before letting out a disappointed sigh. “If only fate wasn’t so cruel.”
A voice suddenly cut through their conversation, drawing both their gazes to Caelith
“Uh… excuse me? Sorry to interrupt, but can I get my score now?”
I had known I was going to attract attention, but I still wasn’t expecting it to be this bad. The moment I cast my spell, Dorian didn’t hesitate to point it out, shouting loud enough for everyone to hear.
Insults and contempt immediately came hurling my way.
“What even is that spell? I’ve seen sparklers with more fire.” one boy jeered, smirking.
“Seriously, how did he even manage to pass the first time around?” another scoffed.
A noble spat with open disdain, “Does that commoner actually think he deserves to attend Ascalon?”
Listening to all of these insults reminded me of the past—the day of my mother’s funeral, and the day my father abandoned us.
I had just turned twelve back then, standing beside my sister while clutching each other's hand, my eyes were on the coffin, but my mind was numb and hollow.
The whispering and rumors started not long after.
“Hey, did you hear? That man actually left his two kids behind,” one woman muttered, her voice thick with judgment as she shook her head.
“I heard he left his family for some other woman,” another added.
“Shameless. Leaving two kids behind right after their mother passed.” a man grumbled.
“Poor things… what will become of them now?” an elderly woman sighed.
“Sis… did Dad really abandon us for someone else?” I asked quietly.
My sister didn’t answer, only gripping my hand tighter, her silence speaking louder than words.
“What did we do wrong… why are they insulti—”
Before I could finish, my sister gently pressed a finger to my lips and pulled me into an embrace.
“Just… ignore them, alright, Caelith?” she whispered, tears dripping down her eyes
I looked back at the neighbors, and I suddenly remembered the words she always said to me before she died.
‘Caelith remember… .people are kind at their core. If you keep your heart open, I hope you’ll come to see it one day.’ I remembered her gentle smile as said that, her arms wrapped around me.
I stared at their sneers, their cruel laughter—that day, for the first time, I doubted my Mom's words.
Shoving that memory deep inside my mind, I focused on the current situation in front of me. The professors seem to be discussing amongst themselves, completely forgetting about us.
‘Damn, I even got the professors stumped with my fabulous performance. Good job to me.’
I waited for a few more minutes, but they still seemed absorbed in their discussion. In the end, I decided to just go for it.
“Uh… excuse me? Sorry to interrupt, but can I get my score now?” I asked, raising my hand.
That seemed to finally draw their attention. Professor Lucian let out an awkward cough before clearing his throat, giving me an apologetic look.
“I apologize,” he continued. “Based on your performance, we’ve decided to give you a score of 30. While you were able to utilize mana, your insufficient control prevented the spell from maintaining its form, and therefore it did not meet the exam criteria.”
I nodded and made my way back to the crowd.
‘30 points? I was honestly expecting a big fat zero.’
“One last thing!” Professor Lucian called out. “Don’t be discouraged by the result of today’s exam. Just keep practicing and focus on improving your control.”
Though I knew it was nothing more than empty encouragement, I still replied politely,
“I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you, Professor.”
People were still staring and whispering as I walked past them towards the back, likely relieved there was at least someone worse than them. Suddenly, someone stepped in front of me, cutting me off.
“Oh, it’s you, Kaelon. What do you want?”
Kaelon remained rooted, his expression complicated as he looked at me.
“What the hell was that back there?”
“If you’re here to mock me too, go ahead,” I said, brushing past him.
“That’s not what I’m—” His words were cut off as I was already walking away. I heard hurried footsteps behind me as Kaelon ran to catch up.
