How to Raise a Dumb Wolf - Chapter 32

“Route Three, Anna Georgeson. Please enter the examination venue.”

“Route One, Reginald Kolodov. Please enter the examination venue.”

“The magical beast at the second checkpoint on Route Four has been seriously injured and is being replaced. Estimated delay: fifteen minutes. Candidates assigned to this route, please wait patiently.”

“Route Three, John Dunrodo. Please enter the examination venue…”

As the examination official announced more and more names and updates, Aisha grew increasingly nervous. She was not alone. A tense, oppressive atmosphere blanketed the entire waiting room. Hardly anyone spoke. Everyone wore a grave expression as they silently reviewed the key points of spells, combat techniques, or examination precautions again and again.

Aisha mentally recited every incantation she could remember three more times, then reviewed the essential movements and the weaknesses of all the wild animals and magical beasts covered by the examination syllabus. Once she could think of nothing else, she took a slow, deep breath, rested for several seconds, and looked around.

She did not know anyone there.

Aisha could not help feeling disappointed, though it was only natural. Almost everyone she knew well lived in Philray, and few people from a small town like Philray ever came to Wold for entrance examinations. Even after several months in Vitas, the only person she knew well enough to speak with was Princess Elizabeth, with whom she had survived danger.

It was easy to feel lonely and helpless in an examination hall, especially as time ticked by. Candidates hurried into the examination venue one after another. Some passed through and never returned to the waiting room. Others came back in tears not long afterward and left through the main entrance. As the room steadily emptied, the pressure on Aisha only grew.

But there was no one she could talk to, and everyone around her was studying. It would be rude to disturb them, so Aisha lowered her head and resumed her silent recitation.

Just as Pal had said, the entire route was only one kilometer (about 0.6 miles) long, which meant the checkpoints were spaced less than two hundred meters (about 650 feet) apart. Strong candidates passed quickly, while those who could not pass failed just as swiftly. Examination routes were constantly becoming vacant, and names were constantly being called.

Pal had said the entrance examination was easy, but by Aisha’s count, at least three times as many people failed as passed. Such a stark proportion made the hearts of those still waiting race uncontrollably.

Aisha had no idea how long it would be before her turn. From time to time, she looked up to see how many people remained. Seeing no sign that her name would be called, she was about to lower her head and resume reviewing when the official suddenly checked the list in his hands.

“Route Six, Aisha Byrd. Please enter the examination venue!”

Aisha practically sprang from her seat. She snatched up all her belongings and rushed toward the entrance.

…

“The boy on Route Two has an excellent attacking rhythm. I believe he deserves a high score.”

“Agreed. And this candidate on Route Four chants very quickly and chose an excellent strategy, but she seems far too timid… Hmm. Deduct points for fluency.”

“The candidate on Route Five has exceeded the time limit. Inform the official to end the examination, then have the sand magic serpent return to its position.”

The circular auditorium was in chaos. The nineteen examiners constantly exchanged comments, impressions, and opinions on the students’ strengths and weaknesses. Every so often, they also had to make appropriate adjustments to the scoring standards.

All of them could unquestionably be counted among the finest warriors and mages in the world, but expertise in one’s profession did not mean one could handle every situation with perfect ease. This was the first collaboration between the Tower of Magic and Wold Warrior School, and the first time they had used an entirely new examination format. Having to monitor six screens at once inevitably left everyone scrambling.

That was why no one paid much attention when a female examiner from the warrior school announced that a new candidate had entered Route Six. Everyone merely cast a practiced glance at the ribbon tied around the back of Aisha’s head before returning their attention to more urgent projections.

…

Aisha now stood inside the examination venue.

She had imagined that her nerves might exist only before the examination and that she would calm down once she entered and focused. Reality proved her completely correct. She was not nervous at all. Her hands were merely… trembling violently.

She drew a long breath, then released it slowly. Gathering herself, she tried to steady the hand holding her wand. Then she unfolded the map and began determining her route.

The course might have been only one kilometer (about 0.6 miles) long, but it lay within a forest. Wold Warrior School had deliberately increased the difficulty by creating many forks. Candidates had to rely on their maps to find the correct paths, pass the checkpoints, and activate the magic arrays. The exercise primarily tested judgment and navigation; anyone who remained lost too long might even exceed the time limit.

Of course, very few candidates had ever lost points on this part, and Aisha absolutely refused to fail over something so simple. She checked, as quickly as possible, the map she had already studied hundreds of times in the waiting room. Then she tightened her grip on her wand and began to run.

She soon reached the first checkpoint. The instant her foot crossed its boundary, a trained animal that had long lain hidden in the grass shot out like lightning and lunged straight at her.

Aisha hurriedly formed a shield with the most basic magic. Perhaps because she was a mage with unusual abilities, few ordinary spells she cast ever achieved the effects described in books. Both their strength and duration fell short, so the shield vanished quickly.

“The girl on Route Six appears to have unstable magical power. Her reserves may be very small.”

In the auditorium, a middle-aged female mage who had happened to see the exchange pushed up her glasses and calmly voiced her conclusion. Only after meticulously recording her reasoning and signing her name did she continue.

“Still… her execution is quite proper. Perhaps she is the diligent type. Let’s withhold judgment and observe a little longer.”

Her words attracted little notice. Most of the instructors were focused on a swordswoman fighting the final checkpoint. Only a scattered few heard her and allowed their gazes to linger on Aisha for several seconds.

At the same moment, Aisha got a clear look at her opponent. Her shield had not lasted long, but it had blocked the attack precisely. The creature that lunged at her landed on the ground with a series of squeaks. That brief pause was enough for Aisha to identify it.

A shaggy beast. In its ordinary state, it was an affectionate and adorable animal often kept as a pet. It was easy to train, and larger specimens could assist with hunting.

The examinees were only prospective students, after all. Most were incapable of injuring the checkpoint animals. Once the required conditions were met, training prompted the animals to activate the magic arrays by reflex. The shaggy beast before Aisha was uninjured, but after several battles without a shift change, it was clearly exhausted. Its nose had struck Aisha’s shield, and it rubbed its cheek pitifully with one paw while squeaking at her. It sounded less like a complaint than a plea for affection.

Aisha smiled helplessly at it.

Sorry. In a situation like this, we can only be opponents.

The creature was included in the examination syllabus, and Aisha had reviewed it for a long time. She quickly identified its weakness and the method for passing. After she launched two small offensive spells, the shaggy beast took hits to its key points, rolled twice across the ground, then climbed up and trudged pitifully over to activate the magic array.

The moment Aisha saw her first array light up, the tightness around her heart released. Much of her anxiety vanished. Perhaps the examination was not so difficult after all.

The shaggy beast emerged from the grass after activating the array and stared at her, still looking aggrieved. Aisha smiled. Since the checkpoint had taken less time than expected, she crouched and used her healing ability on it.

Her innate magic had remained stuck at its bottleneck, but she was skilled in its use, and the shaggy beast was small. The treatment took only a few seconds.

“Squeak?”

The creature, unable to understand why it suddenly felt so comfortable, tilted its head and watched Aisha run away before she lost any more time.

In the auditorium, the female mage who had been watching her sprang to her feet in astonishment.

“Wait! The candidate on Route Six is a mage with an unusual abili—”

“A magical beast has crossed over from the graduation examination zone!”

A woman’s near-scream cut her off.

An examination official who should have been inside the forest coordinating the wild animals and magical beasts practically crashed into the auditorium. Her face was bloodless, and her teeth chattered violently. Worst of all, her entire right arm was covered in blood. She was clearly badly injured.

Claudia’s brows snapped together as she rose with authority. She pointed her wand. A spell tore through the air and struck the official’s arm. The woman jerked, then rapidly regained some color.

“What happened?” Claudia demanded.

“The previous candidate on Route Six… was a female beastfolk whose beast form was a medium-sized wolf…”

The official was still badly shaken, her words coming in breathless gasps.

“The candidate appears to be ovulating. She changed into wolf form during the examination, and a giant-fanged black wolf in the graduation zone caught her scent and mistook her for a female in heat. It went into rut and is now charging toward Route Six—”

“How did you fail to contain it?!”

“The current candidate on Route Six… she carries a very strong male-wolf scent!”

The official looked ready to cry.

“The wolf is out of its mind from rut and mistook the scent for a rival. It has completely lost control! Great Claudia, you know… it’s spring…”