Arcane Innovator

"Congratulations! You've passed the Trials and have, therefore, been accepted as novices of our esteemed academy!" the old mage proclaimed to the large crowd of successful applicants.

It was sometime after the end of the last Trial, and we were once again gathered in the spacious courtyard before the Tower.

'This is it... after all those years, I've finally fulfilled my long-held dream to became a true mage.' I mused, closing my eyes to relish those precious moments.

Well, technically, there was still plenty of work left before I could call myself that, but at least I was on the right track. 'So why does it all feel so lackluster?' I thought after a while, not quite able to savor the feeling of triumph.

'I guess it mostly boils down to how anticlimactic and abruptly the last Trial had ended...' I threw a covert scowl at Lancia, who was standing a short distance away, and despite trying her best to hide it, I couldn't help but notice the subtle smile painting her lips.

'I wonder what sort of reward she has received...' My only consolation was that thanks to my numerous exploits, I was poised to gain a hefty amount of points and, therefore, achieve a fairly high rank right from the get-go.

I still didn't know how many points I got in the end. We were told we could check the final results on a board somewhere in the Tower's lobby, but I didn't have time to go look yet as we were led directly here after the Trial's conclusion.

'Well, at least I taught him a valuable lesson to not mess with me...' I chuckled, watching Tristan quietly seething in a corner. '...But I doubt the memo got through that thick skull of his, so I'll probably need to watch my back for the time being.'

Resolving not to be an easy target for any would-be bullies, I then continued to watch the conclusion of the Acceptance ceremony, which dragged on for a long time until finally...

"...And with that, go forth, and may Eluvius' blessing light your paths!"

'It ended at last! ...He surely loves his speeches.' I chuckled, watching as the old mage slowly descended from the dias and promptly disappeared inside the Tower.

"Hey! Shall we go check out the results together?"

I turned over to the grinning Gil with a raised eyebrow. 'Why does he still follow me around? Does he think he's my sidekick or something?'

Well, not that I minded per se. Gods knew I was alone for a very long time, so I could use some company. It was just... 'Could he perhaps be a little bit less so annoyingly cheerful?'

I suppressed a sigh and instead gave him a curt nod before we started walking toward the large, open gate in the distance.

Still, this enrolment process was somewhat strange. Why force us through so many difficult tests when, in the end, they accepted almost everyone anyway?

By my count, twenty-one of our group's original thirty applicants were accepted, and looking at that large crowd in the courtyard, the other groups must have fared no less successful.

It could be argued that those who decided to undergo the long and arduous journey across the desolate Plains were already among the finest Aspirants out of their respective countries.

However, this still seemed suspiciously generous for an institution that prided itself on being one of the best on the entire Continent.

'Wouldn't the Tower's resources be stretched thin if they have to accommodate so many new students each year?' I silently wondered, but then a realization dawned on me. 'Ah! Since everyone must pay tuition, it's that type of a deal where the more students they have, the more money they collect.'

So they accept anyone with a bit of talent but then use their ranking system to separate the wheat from the chaff... That was actually pretty clever.

'That's why they told us that maintaining a high rank is of paramount importance in advancing our paths.' I nodded to myself, trying to remember the old mage's words.

Apparently, with higher rank, we would also gain access to better resources and more advanced lessons, apart from the prestige that came with it, which I didn't care much about.

'Well, that's something to think about later when the classes actually start.' I concluded, turning my focus back to the task at hand.

It took us a while before we managed to cross the large courtyard. But when we finally broke free of the crowd outside and got to the Tower's majestic entrance, my shoulders dropped as there seemed to be even more people inside.

The lobby was packed. I could see flashes of green and blue robes mixed in with the mundane clothes of the successful applicants. It looked like the older students got curious and tried to get a peek at the latest batch of novices.

Meanwhile, everyone battled to get close to a large wooden board in the corner. 'There are the results!' I perked up.

The real question was how to get there without getting stomped to death by a crowd of overly excited youths.

'I'd reckon it would be fairly easy to clear a path by summoning a wind blade or two...' I smirked. Sadly, it was apparently forbidden to use magic outside of classes or official training venues.

Feeling overwhelmed, we had to stick to the alcoves along the walls while trying to work our way in slowly. That's why I failed to notice the disaster coming our way until it was too late.

Out of nowhere, I came face to face with a brightly smiling girl. Dressed in a flowy violet dress, she was surrounded by a small entourage of like-minded girls.

It was no other than Margarette - my former fiance-to-be. 'Oh, no!' I paled, desperately searching for a way to escape the undoubtedly awkward reunion, but to my dismay, there was nowhere to go as we were surrounded on all sides.

'What is she doing here?' I wondered while trying to avoid eye contact, hoping that she perhaps wouldn't notice me.

'Well, that's quite a stupid question. If she's here on this particular day... that means she's here for the same reason I was. I'm just surprised that the Count let her come here of all places. Wasn't she supposed to marry someone?'

It was not that I was afraid of her or anything. I could probably beat her if it came to a fight, and we were a long way away from Ereneth, so her status meant nothing. It was just that her personality was simply too overwhelming—and not in a good kind of way.

Unfortunately, it seemed that my silent pleas went unheard, and Margarette had indeed noticed me.

When she recognized me, a flicker of genuine surprise flashed across her immaculate face for a fleeting moment. Still, Margarette wouldn't be Margarette if she didn't shake it off in an instant and behave like nothing was out of the ordinary.

She merrily continued on her way, all smiles. But as she was passing me, she threw me a menacing look as if to convey a simple "say anything, and you are dead" type of thing.

I could only blink in surprise, still too shaken up to muster any sort of reaction. Then, just as fast as she appeared, she was gone, and I was left standing there, my thoughts a mess.

"Who was that?" Gill asked over my shoulder. "You seem like you saw a ghost."

"Ehm, nobody important... Come on! let's go." I said in a hurry, trying to get out of there as fast as possible, afraid she might change her mind and come back.

"Hmm, I wouldn't mind inviting such a lovely lady for a cup of tea..." Gil murmured, turning to see Margarette's group disappear into the crowd.

"Believe me, you wouldn't." I grabbed him by the sleeve and dragged him away before he had a chance to make some grave error that would come to haunt him for the rest of his short life.

When we finally made it to the result board, the lobby had already cleared a bit, allowing us some room to breathe.

I eagerly scanned the board, looking for my name. Luckily, I didn't have to search for long; I was right in the first bracket.

[Name]--------------- [Points]--- [Rank]

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[Darian of Ereneth]--- [280]--- [1491]

Looking at the numbers, it turned out three hundred was the maximum amount of points one could get, and you'd need at least a hundred to get accepted. 'So as long as you have at least a common talent and didn't get eliminated in the last Trial you passed...'

However, I was more interested in the top spots. Out of more than a thousand applicants, only twelve people got the three hundred points, and of course, Lancia was one of them.

Yet despite the stellar performance, the best rank anyone achieved among the first years was [1251]. 'Hmm, it looks like the rank must be calculated for all the years together,' I mused, avidly studying the board.

'Well, let's see how the ranking changes when the classes start; I have a feeling that with so many top rankers, this upcoming year should be quite interesting, indeed...'