"He is still a growing boy! Do you want him to turn into a battle maniac at the ripe age of ten!?" She shouted, but her words just went in one ear and out the other.
"Seems pretty old to me," I smirked, and Amelia's forehead had a vein about to pop out of it.
"You know, everybody who is ten now will have to go to school next year. We don't send you guys to elementary school because you're young and have fragile minds, so you should be thankful that we haven't sent you off yet," Amelia said through gritted teeth.
"Heh…"
"Don't give me that smug face!" She shouted before chasing me throughout the entire orphanage and backyard until she collapsed with exhaustion.
She panted and heaved for air while still trying to crawl toward me.
"HEY! STOP BULLYING, MOTHER!" One of the kids shouted from across the backyard, and I just rolled my eyes before walking back into the orphanage.
Seems I won't be bored for the next year or so…
…
An entire year had passed, and I was about eleven and a half years old, meaning I was ready to be sent out into the world… not really, just a middle school, but we have to actually prove our worth in order to get into a school.
There are no public schools that you can just instantly enter, but there is a competition where you can display your strength, brains, and magic.
Kids from all over the city and slums come to participate, and even though it favors the rich kids more, poorer kids still have a chance at attending some of the lower-ranked schools.
And if they are exceptional, then they might even get a scholarship.
"Alright, you four better behave. Also, make sure to check up on Jake if you get the chance. He stopped sending letters a few months ago," Amelia said with a proud smile as we waited outside of the large building.
The other kids had been left in the orphanage while I, Asger, Mira, and Petra were ready to take this exam.
Amelia really wanted us to do our best but to be honest. I wasn't trying to draw any attention because not only would that bring suspicion upon me, even though I made my hair even a darker blue than before with some leftover dye, but also Petra and Mira.
Damn… It was a surprise hearing that they came from a wealthy family, and they weren't even that aware of it.
They never directly told me, but when they described their rooms and houses, I knew they came from the high society, and I assumed drawing too much attention would be troublesome for them as well.
Asger, on the other hand… he's still as weird and silent as ever, but he's opened up to us with a few more things, but nothing about his family.
"Alright, you girls and guy know the plan, right? Asger, don't go too hard on the physical exams, and Petra and Mira, don't go too hard on the magic exams…." I explained after waving Amelia goodbye and following some kind of attendant into the large building.
It was completely made of fancy white stone and metals, and it was on the very edge of the city and slums, so of course, there was conflict.
Some of the richer kids who grew up arrogant would pick on the poorer kids… so damn cliche that it made me want to throw up.
"This is sad… I kind of wanted to beat somebody up," Asger muttered, and I swear I saw puppy ears droop down from the top of his head.
"Well, we don't want to become big shots yet… or ever," I chuckled before walking into the first exam room.
It was crammed with kids around the age of eleven and twelve since that was the testing base-line
"Alright, we'll bring in a few more kids, and we'll start the physical test," The man who brought us here said before exiting the room.
We all sat down on some of the metal benches, but due to our tattered clothing, I could already feel the hungry presence of these rich kids around us.
Seems this is going to be harder than I thought.
"Hey, you all stink of mud. Also, you're blocking my, and my boy's seats," A boy with long brown hair tied into a ponytail said with such an arrogant tone that we all cringed.
As the three lackeys behind him cracked their knuckles, we all looked up at them like they were stupid.
Fighting now would just disqualify us all, so it's obvious they let these seats be open and then try and strike fear into us so their matches are easier later on.
Well, that's what I assume they're trying to do now because it's not like we'll be fighting each other.
Round three or four is about where we could get into a decent school without drawing any attention in the slightest.
All of that studying in that damn dusty old local library was worth it…
As I patted myself on the back, the kids before us were growing angrier and angrier, and I could already feel Asger growing restless.
"Seal… I have an idea," I heard Asger mutter, and when I caught a glimpse of his face, I saw that same crazy smile that he always did when he got super excited.
"Just sit still," I replied before taking out a pack of gum and gesturing to Petra while asking if she wanted some.
"Thanks," She replied before snatching the entire pack instead of the stick I had just presented to her.
"Seriously…" I sighed, but when I turned back around to check up on Asger, I noticed he wasn't sitting beside me anymore.
"Well, shit, I guess they're dead," Mari muttered as Petra handed her a strip of gum.
Mmmmm… I wouldn't be so quick to say that…
"If he really were going to kill them, I would've already stepped in… Also, did you know, last year when we took that final test with the library grandma… he got 85 out of 100. Way above the average score,"
"Pffffttt… Huh? You have to be lying," Mari grumbled as she took another piece of gum since she had just spit her previous strip out.
"I'm not,"
"But... that was to test your battle IQ and how well you can interact with oth-... wait,"