Under the curious and impressed gaze of all the nobles around, Theo's trio becomes the center of attention in the physical aptitude test, leaving with perfect results. As soon as Luke hands Sarah's and Lorien's sheets to them, the trio can leave the line and head to the other side of the square, to another line.
"Are you going to do that trick again?" Theo asks Sarah, and she smiles. "It won't be necessary this time," She comments as she approaches one of the guards in the line and shows the result of her physical test. Upon seeing the parchment, the guard looks at Sarah with an impressed expression and she signals for Theo and Lorien to do the same.
As soon as Lorien shows his result, the guard stares at him with a strange expression, completely suspicious, which makes the boy frown, and even Theo gets a little annoyed. "Something wrong?" Theo is the one who asks, and the guard shakes his head before handing the parchment back to Lorien. "Everything's fine. What about you?"
Theo hands the result of his test to the guard, who is surprised not by the number of times Vera wrote 'perfection' all over the parchment but by the big L at the end of it. He can't help but cast an impressed look at Theo. "A special recommendation from Professor Luke? You must have made quite an impression, right? It's been years since I've seen the old man's mark on a test."
"Old man?" Theo gets confused, remembering Luke's youthful appearance, then Sarah whispers to him. "Professor Luke is not what he seems." Making Theo laugh sarcastically. "No one here is what they seem…" In the end, he also glances at Lorien, who smiles at him with an honest expression.
"You have the best results so far," The guard comments and signals for them to follow him. "Come, I'll put you at the front of the line." Just as he says, he takes the trio directly to the first position in line, only waiting to be the next ones called.
Theo has an idea why, but Sarah loves showing that confident smile of hers before explaining something as if she knows the Academy like the palm of her hand. "It's normal for them to want people like us at the front of the line, after all, the Dragon Riders' classes are the most important. A good result in the physical tests guarantees us priority in the magical test, and the reverse is true as well."
"Makes sense," Theo comments while taking a good look at the arena ahead. It also seems to have a floor made of wood like the physical test arena, but contrary to that one, which was completely open and without walls, this one is surrounded by a large canvas, like a tent, not allowing any view of what's inside.
"What is this magical test like?" Theo asks Sarah, and she quickly responds. "It's different every time, and whoever decides how it will be is the professor in charge. Some prefer duels, others have simpler methods like just measuring an individual's mana power."
"Hmm…" Theo makes a thoughtful expression when hearing Sarah mention the word 'Mana.' Back in the streets of Kriegfall, he knew of the existence of Magic but nothing more than that, unlike most nobles who had studied it since childhood. When Eruina pulled him out of a filthy slum a few days ago, she told him many things, but especially that he would learn about everything involving Magic and Dragons at the Academy, both with her and with other professors.
Thinking about that, Theo becomes eager to learn about Magic, but also worried that his total lack of practice with it will make him do poorly on the test. He ends up looking at the parchment in his hand, especially at the big L at the bottom, and hoping Luke's recommendation will really be useful in case he ends up with a low score in the magical test.
Sarah notices his serious expression and smiles gently at him. "Don't worry, even if you're not used to casting spells, the Mana in your blood is powerful. In case the test is a duel, just say that you don't have any magical practice, and I'm sure the professor in charge will be reasonable. There's no way the Academy would miss a young talent like you."
"You overestimate me," Theo comments casually, but Sarah laughs. "Not a chance! I have good eyes, I know how to recognize a natural talent from afar, and I've never seen someone shine as much as you." He smiles at receiving the compliment, but makes a teasing expression. "Good eyes? And also a good nose?"
Sarah loses her confident posture for a second and blushes, looking away. "Let's not talk about that." She seems really shy in moments like that, and Theo finds her even more beautiful, but before he can enjoy the sight of the shy Sarah any longer, she meets Lorien's provocative gaze, and the two start staring at each other.
"Can't you two get along?" Theo asks, but both ignore him and only turn when they hear someone coming out through the cloth door of the arena. The trio turns and sees a young couple wearing luxurious yellow and brown clothes leaving the arena with proud and arrogant expressions on their faces.
Their appearance is definitely above average, and while the girl looks beautiful, the man is almost as tall as Theo and quite strong. The couple also draws the attention of all the nobles in line, who applaud when they raise their hands, showing bright light blue parchments. But Sarah stares at them with a hostile expression, especially at the girl, who casts a mocking look at her as they pass near the trio.
"Let me guess, you also deslike those two over there?" Theo asks, and Sarah nods quickly. "Yep, they're scum, and we should crush them together with the Dalemmars and all their disgusting allies!" Sarah seems truly furious when she talks about those nobles, making Theo even more curious to know what the relationship between them is.
"I see, they're also on our sworn enemies list, right? Someday, you'll let me see the whole list?" Theo asks in a playful tone, but Sarah looks at him with a smile that grows more adorable by the second.
"Our enemies?" She asks, and he smiles too. "Yes, any problem?" He asks, and she shakes her head with a satisfied expression. "You won't want to see the list yet; the size might shock you."
"Hahaha!" He laughs sarcastically. "I think it's too late for me to back away from you now, so let them come." Sarah laughs as well, making them both look like maniacs, while Lorien just shakes his head. "I must be crazy to join you…"
Sarah throws a hostile look at Lorien, but he doesn't even let her say anything. "No, I'm not backing away either!" She shrugs, and Theo steps between the two before they start fighting.
Soon, someone appears at the arena door again, this time a young woman wearing a classic blue mage robe. She looks at the trio with a curious expression. "Are you together?" As soon as Theo nods, the woman signals for them to follow her. "Come in."
Sarah becomes excited again and pulls Theo inside the arena, followed by Lorien. Theo is curious about what's behind the large canvas covering the arena, but nothing he imagined comes even close, leaving him shocked to see that the internal space of the arena is several times larger than the physical test arena.
Despite also having a wooden floor and a circular shape, the magical test arena has more than two hundred meters in diameter, extending not only sideways but also upward, with a canvas ceiling that reaches dozens of meters above the ground. In the center of the arena, there is a table full of parchments and objects that Theo cannot identify, as well as an old man with a long white beard and a dark blue robe with golden details standing beside a large glass orb with a gray light inside.
Sarah notices Theo's impressed look and whispers to him while holding his arm. "Expansion magic. The arena is enchanted to be larger than it looks from the outside." Theo likes Magic more and more. "That's so cool."
The young woman signals for the trio to follow her to the center of the arena, where the old white-bearded man welcomes them with a gentle smile. "Welcome! You are the next young—" He stops speaking and begins staring at Sarah. "Lady Malveryn?"
"Professor Alaric," Sarah bows respectfully, and the old Professor quickly raises his hand. "Such formality is not necessary, my dear. These old bones are truly happy to see my Lady finally reach the Academy's grounds. I still remember the first time I heard about your dreams…"
The old man has a nostalgic look on his face, leaving Theo and Lorien curious. Sarah turns to Theo and quickly explains. "Professor Alaric was one of my first contacts with the Academy; it was he who bought some of my books and also shared some very useful knowledge with me."
"Oh, that was nothing," Alaric says in a humble tone. "Lady Malveryn is truly a genius of incomparable talent. The best books we have at the Academy about the scent of different Manas are the ones my Lady so generously provided us, not to mention the one about lost bloodlines… each copy truly fascinating."
"The scent of Mana?" Theo is now sure that Sarah was not joking when she talked about his smell, after all, she even wrote books praised by an Academy Professor. But instead of her usual confident expression, she blushes when she sees Theo staring at her with an amused smile.
"Yeah, this young lady here is exceptional in every sense," Alaric does not get tired of praising Sarah. "The Duke should grant you free passage into the Academy, not only as a student, but as a Professor as well, and pay you a high salary!"
"Ah, no," Sarah says in a humble tone while remaining at Theo's side, holding his arm. "I just want to walk the same path as any student at the Academy, without any extra benefit, or it may make my future achievements less impressive."
"Hohohoh…" Alaric laughs. "Bravo, my clever Lady, you never disappoint. Well, let us proceed to the test then, I am sure you will give us a beautiful show, as always." Alaric looks at Sarah with a thoughtful expression and then glances at Lorien and Theo. "Or perhaps we should start with one of you, young gentlemen?"
"I will go first," Lorien steps forward, eager to show his magical skills and glances confidently at Theo. "This time I will not lose to her."