How to Raise a Dumb Wolf - Chapter 115

One and a half years later.

“Jack Melosen.”

“Present!”

“Claire Phil.”

“Present.”

“Andre Wiesen…”

Mid-March was the most comfortable season of the year in Wold, a mid-latitude island. The sun was warm without being fierce, and the breeze gentle rather than sharp. Soft spring air rattled a window whose wooden hinge had grown somewhat loose. A translucent curtain billowed aside, admitting sunlight into the hall. In the bright main hall of Wold’s Comprehensive Magic Assessment Center, the advanced mage Rod Kennis, a man just past middle age, held a parchment scroll and called the candidates’ names one by one.

This was March’s Junior Mage Certification Examination. Although the Mage Certification Examination was held every month from the fifteenth to the twenty-fifth, those qualified to attempt it had all studied for years and been judged by their teachers capable of graduating within the year. The junior mage test might be only the first in a series of examinations, but it decisively determined whether an apprentice was qualified to become a certified mage. Once a candidate received a passing certification, others could formally address them with respect as “Mage.” Even at the junior level, they were qualified to work in magical appraisal offices and magic centers in smaller towns, or even teach broad introductory courses to younger students at ordinary schools of magic.

In short, this was the most important examination in most students’ academic lives, and tension covered every face. Yet while the majority focused upon the officials administering the test, a smaller number observed their fellow candidates.

“…Who is that girl? Is she from our Tower of Magic? Why have I hardly seen her before?”

A young man of twenty-two or twenty-three nudged his companion and cautiously pointed at a girl nearby.

Most candidates for junior mage certification were still students and wore the custom robes of their respective schools, so they naturally gathered in groups. Students from the Tower of Magic were no exception. The Tower was effectively the sacred land of all mages, and the moment its young students appeared, apprentices from other schools looked at them with envy. They were still young themselves. Receiving such gazes so often inevitably produced an indescribable sense of honor, and at formal events, they preferred all the more to stand together.

The young man was pointing toward a girl at the edge of the gathered Tower students. She appeared younger than most candidates. Though not as young as a few prodigies of seventeen or eighteen, she could be no more than twenty and remained very young for a graduating mage. She was beautiful, with long pale-flaxen hair and brown-green eyes. Their unusual, muted coloring made her features appear less sharp and gave her a gentle, tranquil air that attracted notice. At present, she stood quietly facing forward. She seemed faintly nervous, occasionally clasping her hands and breathing softly, but overall remained composed.

Most Tower students graduated after five or six years. Those around them were generally in the same year or one year above or below, and even those who were not acquainted had seen one another. The young man nudged his companion again and asked with curious caution, “Did she enroll the same year we did?”

His companion glanced over. Seeing that the young man wished to inquire but was embarrassed to admit it, he smiled. “No… You traveled around the continent with your mentor for the last two years, so perhaps you don’t know. She’s a mage with unusual abilities and a student from the upper section—the student of Eric on the ninth floor!”

At Eric’s name, the young man stared. “You mean the Eric who challenged the Great Claudia one week ago…?”

His companion nodded solemnly.

One week earlier, during this year’s Tower mage rankings, Eric Green of the ninth floor had challenged Claudia Green, the first-ranked mage who occupied the tenth floor at the Tower’s summit, for the first time. Claudia had held the highest floor securely for decades. During that period, the ninth-floor mage had changed three times. Before Eric and Frey, an extremely elderly mage had occupied the position.

Of Eric’s two predecessors, Frey had eagerly challenged Claudia during his first year on the ninth floor and naturally suffered a crushing defeat. The elderly mage had originally occupied the eighth floor. After the mage above him—who had fallen to the ninth floor after losing to Claudia—died of old age, he naturally moved up from the eighth floor to the ninth. He had neither dissatisfaction nor ambition. Knowing he could not defeat the mage directly above him, much less Claudia, he remained content on the ninth floor until Frey defeated him and returned him to the eighth.

When Eric reached the ninth floor, nearly everyone assumed he would soon challenge his aunt Claudia. Yet Eric never did. They coexisted peacefully for years, until now.

And he had nearly won—truly by the smallest margin.

According to those who witnessed it, the contest had been magnificent, filled with reversals. Claudia nearly lost several times and turned the situation around only through a slight advantage. Eric’s every step was steady, and in the beginning he exposed almost no weakness. His technique, magical reserves, and control were impeccable. He even used several novel spells. In the end, he lost only to Claudia’s broader experience.

But it did not matter. There would be another year. Many predicted that after losing to Claudia by so narrow a margin, Eric would certainly win next time. Although he remained the Tower’s second-ranked mage, his standing had already changed completely.

Consequently, the status of his student had changed as well.

The surrounding candidates looked at Aisha with a measure of awe and envy.

The young man’s companion continued, “That girl enrolled two years after us. This is only her third year at the Tower… No, she formally enrolled in April, and it’s only mid-March. If she passes this exam and graduates as planned, she may break Wold’s record for fastest graduation. No one paid much attention at first because she didn’t enroll at an astonishingly young age and kept a low profile. Looking back, she’s plainly a genius. She’s also famous in both the Free Arena and the Tower, definitely one of the rising stars among mage students in recent years. Ah, her name is—”

“Aisha Byrd!”

“Present!”

Hearing the middle-aged mage call her, Aisha quickly stepped forward to indicate her attendance. Only after he confirmed it did she breathe in relief, step back, and tighten her grip on her wand.

This examination was crucial to her. Though she believed she could pass as long as she made no mistakes, she remained nervous. Aisha had once secretly dreamed of graduating at nineteen like her mother. But she had enrolled later than Tina, so she had missed it after all. Her birthday had passed the previous month, and she was now twenty. Fortunately, if she passed this examination, she would not be much later.

After every candidate’s attendance was confirmed, Aisha took another deep breath and followed the group into the examination rooms.

The Mage Certification Examination contained several sections because every certified mage had to possess strong overall ability. First came measurements of magical reserves and the mana flower. These were the two most fundamental records for a certified mage and also verified the candidate’s identity. Even if someone altered their appearance to look similar, the mana flower could not be imitated.

Aisha’s magical reserves were tested first. The crystal sphere used for certification covered a far larger range than the one at her enrollment examination and was therefore much more difficult to fill. When Aisha placed her hand upon it, light surged upward through the sphere, shot fiercely past the passing line, and continued a considerable distance before stopping at around ninety percent.

Next came the mana flower. The instant her beautiful, lush spray of baby’s breath appeared, cries of surprise rose around her.

Aisha’s mana flower had always grown extremely well and appeared with remarkable clarity. People who accidentally glimpsed the mana-flower mark at her cuff sometimes exclaimed over it. Still, the voices around her surprised Aisha. Many people seemed to be watching her. She paused instinctively, then quickly relaxed.

Because Eric had almost defeated Claudia, attention had apparently spread even to her. Eric’s reputation had once been limited to mages in related fields, but after battling a mage of the Great rank, he would probably soon become known to ordinary people as well.

Of course, that was her teacher’s achievement, not hers. She needed to accomplish what she herself could.

Aisha drew a deep breath and watched the examiner record the results and stamp her admission certificate. Only then did she slowly exhale, take the document, and silently step aside.

“Amazing. So that is someone from the Tower of Magic… I heard a Tower student say she is Eric Green’s student, and a mage with unusual abilities too…”

Because candidates queued in open areas, everyone could see the results of those nearby. Aisha heard students from another school discussing her enviously.

“But a mage with unusual abilities has difficulty using ordinary magic. Daring to attempt certification after only three years of study is still too arrogant,” someone else whispered.

“I saw her use healing magic at the Free Arena. Her innate magic is certainly outstanding, but the Mage Certification Examination tests overall ability…”