The second day, in the morning.
Under Leonard's guidance, Anvis arrived at the Duke's study.
At this time, Duke Carrot was leisurely sitting behind the large writing desk, playing with a piece of deep blue crystal cluster that emitted a faint silver glow.
Sunlight streamed in from the tall arched window behind the Duke, enveloping his black-gold patterned attire in a pale white glow, outlining a silhouette brimming with subtle radiance and accentuating his imposing presence.
"Father—"
Stepping elegantly into the room, Anvis faced the Duke and bowed respectfully. Behind him, the butler in a black tailcoat closed the door quietly.
The Duke gave him a slight nod, indicating for him to sit on the chair beside him.
"I have two matters to discuss with you, Anvis."
The Duke casually placed the crystal cluster on the corner of the desk, pulled open a drawer, and took out an exquisite invitation, laying it on the desk.
The invitation was in a sophisticated dark blue, with intricate patterns bordering the edges, and in the center was an embossed emblem of a mysterious castle gleaming with a purple-gold sheen.
"The first matter is that the Royal Pamir Academy has sent an invitation. The first day of the Stove Fire Month①, which is a month from now, is when you are to go to the Royal Capital College for further studies."
As the Duke spoke, the invitation on the desk floated up by itself, slowly landing in Anvis's hand.
Anvis had heard of Pamir Academy—it was founded personally by Great Emperor Gloria and was universally recognized as the most prestigious academy in the Empire. Each year, it admits only a few hundred freshmen from across the entire Empire.
Pamir, in the ancient Mannian language, means "Radiance."
Only true geniuses, or noble descendants with a certain level of family status—or those who are both—could receive an invitation from Pamir Academy.
In a sense, this was not just an invitation but a symbol of a certain class. Receiving it is akin to receiving a ticket to high society.
"Father, will Fiona also accompany me to the academy?"
Examining the invitation in his hand, Anvis stored it in his ring. Then, suddenly remembering something, he couldn't help but ask.
"Fiona..."
Repeating the girl's name, Carlos's gaze lowered, his thumb instinctively stroked the engravings on his Secret Silver sleeve button, and then his forefinger tapped lightly on the desk, seemingly a bit hesitant in his heart.
After a moment, the Duke sighed, slightly closed his eyes, and then reopened them, his gaze calming.
"Although her skill is more than enough, her personality is still too immature... Her invitation will be postponed by another year. The Stove Fire Month of next year will be the time for her to go to the academy."
Saying this, Duke Carrot looked back at Anvis, the noble youth's perfect demeanor reflected in his bluish eyes, shining against the light.
"By next year, if Fiona's personality remains as naive... then it will be your duty to look after her at the academy."
"Of course, I will do my best, Father."
Breathing in the unique scent of faint floral fragrance in the room filled with ancient books, Anvis nodded gracefully and calmly agreed.
"Sometimes, it's truly hard to believe that you were born only a year before Fiona."
Hearing Anvis's response, a smile appeared on the Duke's face.
"The second matter, Anvis. How much do you know about the Prediction School?"
With a thoughtful expression on his face, after a moment, Anvis slowly spoke.
"The Prediction School is focused on the study of the Net of Destiny, enabling certain spells to glimpse fragments of future information. It is a very powerful and mysterious profession."
"However, according to the descriptions in books, only individuals with a certain talent can qualify to study prophecy skills. And the occurrence of such qualification is completely unpredictable."
"Well said, Anvis. This is the second matter for today—"
The Duke nodded in satisfaction, feeling quite gratified by Anvis's vast knowledge.
"Do you mean prophecy talent detection?"
Anvis immediately 'understood,' and with a cooperative bright smile on his face, seemed excited about the upcoming detection.
"Indeed! Now your skill has reached the standard for the detection.
Later, the family's Chief Prophet will arrive to test whether you possess the talent of a prophet."
Seeing Anvis's 'excited' expression, Duke Carrot, oblivious to the truth, nodded with a smile, affirming his guess.
After a moment, Leonard opened the door again, and a figure, slightly short in stature, cloaked entirely in a peculiar gray robe, appeared at the door.
At first glance, Anvis thought the person merely had an aura of mystery.
But upon careful observation, Anvis noticed that this person seemed to possess some unusual trait.
It was a slightly distorted and detached feeling, as if there was a layer of illusory membrane between the space he occupied and the surrounding environment.
Light reaching his side seemed to undergo some subtle distortion, causing his figure to appear somewhat dim and out of place with the bright surroundings.
The overlapping hood concealed his head, hiding his face in deep shadow, making it difficult to discern clearly.
"Good day, Chief Prophet!"
Anvis immediately stood up, showing a respectful expression, and performed a standard noble greeting with his right hand on his chest.
The figure in the gray robe seemed to nod slightly, but in the distorted atmosphere, Anvis couldn't clearly see the movement.
"Then, please trouble you, Your Grace."
The Duke directed his gaze towards the gray-robed figure, speaking in a friendly and equal tone.
"I'll certainly do my best, Your Grace."
The figure spoke for the first time, with a voice possessing an unusual melodic and crisp quality, surprisingly the voice of a young girl.
She gently raised her hand, and a colorless crystal ball the size of a human head suddenly appeared, supported in her palm.
That delicate and slender hand further indicated that the Olivendi Family's Chief Prophet was indeed a young girl!
Anvis instinctively showed a surprised expression, seemingly taken aback by the fact that the family's Chief Prophet was a young girl.
To play his part well, he deliberately recalled from memory the expression young Anvis had during this moment in his previous life and recreated the scene.
"I wonder what her true age is... But to reach the Seventh Rank, she must be at least a hundred or two hundred years old, maybe even older..."
Watching the prophet holding the crystal ball, a slightly impolite thought flashed through Anvis's mind, but he quickly extinguished it.
Admittedly, due to the existence of the family talisman, the 'girl' prophet before him shouldn't be able to see through his thoughts, but Anvis didn't want to take any unnecessary risks.
If she had known of the noble youth's recent thoughts, the prophet might have tried to use physical means to embed the crystal ball into Anvis's head and let him perceive it carefully.
.
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①: That is September