After some time, they finally found themselves in front of the main building of the Academy. The school itself occupied a huge area that was divided into several parts. Zonna and Etiene were in the administrative sector, it was the smallest of them all. It dealt with all the bureaucracy involved in the operation of the Academy. Despite the high standards and selection of students, the number of Maji attending this school was enormous. After all, young geniuses from the all of Altea, even Gruns and Dragonites, applied to it.
The second part dealt with educating Maji in all known scientific fields. These included mathematics, entrepreneurship, management, literature or geography. Each field was taught here, and Maji students could choose any subjects they wanted for the duration of their education.
This was one of advantages of the Academy. The students themselves chose what they wanted to learn and in which year of their study. Of course, the Academy had prepared profiles that had subjects selected so that they complemented each other. On top of that, at the time of selecting subjects, they were informed if other classes were recommended as complementary.
Another sector was the combat division. It occupied a quarter of the academy grounds. Here students could learn combat with various weapons and hand-to-hand combat. The teachers here were specialists in swords, blades, spears, axes, daggers or glaives. In addition, various styles of unarmed combat were taught. There were instructors who had their own fighting style. While teaching, they passed it on to their students.
The largest space, one-third, was occupied by a section devoted to magic. Students could learn many things here. This division was so large that it was divided into departments. These were: mana theory, magic theory, combat spells, general spells and magic items.
Mana theory was devoted to the study of the behavior of magical energy, its effects on the surroundings and the creatures living in Altea. Everything devoted to mana training also fell into this category.
Magic theory included all spells and their use, as well as the study of natural magic, as magic caused by an excess of mana in one place was termed. Knowledge of analysis on the interrelationships between spells was also imparted to students. Part of the class was devoted to creating new spells and improving existing ones. After all, magic was a creative field, and the students were geniuses. With the support of professors, they could create new spells, which they could later: share with the academy or leave for their own use, their countries or families.
The departments of combat and general spells dealt with the same thing, but covered different groups of spells. The first concerned spells used in combat. The second, on the other hand, such as those that could be used in everyday activities, facilitating work or used in the treatment of Maji. Both faculties were about the practical use of spells and perfecting their practical application, so they were for mages only.
The last department was magic items. Here, knowledge of their creation and operation was imparted. Students could also develop their own items and, with the help of professors, try to realize their ideas. Successful designs were the exclusive property of the students. Non-magicians could also make their own items. They created an idea for an item and how to make it, and teacher made it for them.
The final part of the Academy was the residences for the students. They had a lower standard than those available outside the academy grounds, but the price of renting them was much lower. In addition, some of them were for students coming from Raalo and the residences were made available to them for free.
In general, the entire academy campus gave the impression of a small city, as there were also stores and restaurants inside that only students could use. The Zonna's group was impressed by the size of the school.
Upon entering the administrative building, the princesses found the person in charge of accepting student candidates. After confirming their identities and completing the fee, they proceeded to take their exams. Each went to a separate room, where examiners were waiting for them. The exam group consisted of three people to avoid bribery. In addition, the answers will be checked later by a special inspector. He will only have the sheet with the student's answers without knowing who he is. An additional check takes place once a week, where tests from the entire week are collected to avoid recognizing a student after the day he or she took the exam.
Such a procedure, combined with the prior selection of candidates, meant that the process of admission to the academy began eight months before the start of the new academic year and ended a week before the start of school. Information from the committee that a person was qualified was sent so that it reached the addressee no later than six months before the first day of school. This allowed students from any part of the continent to arrive on time.
The test itself consisted of two parts. First, the young Maji wrote answers to general knowledge questions, this part took about two hours. Then they talked to the examiners, who recorded the answers. This was to assess the candidate's intelligence. Theoretical knowledge was important, but it did not equal the intelligence someone possessed. One had to know how to use the information gained. Such an interview lasted an hour.
Then the examiners in isolation evaluated the answers from the test and the interview with the candidate. This went on for up to another two hours. When they finished they presented their verdict and informed the candidate. Then one had to wait until the day the inspector checked the answer sheets for final confirmation. Only then was the recruitment process for a particular Maji complete.
After an agonizing five hours, Zonna and Etiene were informed that they had passed the exams. After that, they returned to their hotel to rest after an intense day.