Arthur has been at the Light Boar inn for two days now. He doesn't have any problems with the inn; in fact, he is grateful, as he soon learns that at this time, many people are coming here to enter the Academy.
With a lot of people coming, the inn close to the Academy is bound to be full of people because the Academy won't let you enter before you truly become a student there.
The only drawback is that he can't train his sword to gain a skill because there is no place for him to train.
He did once ask the owner if there is any place where he can train. She said that there is, but it might be full of people at this time, for the same reason the inn is full. So, Arthur can only give up training with his sword. Instead, he reads a magic book that he got, trying to gain a skill.
Arthur is still creating an Avatar even at this time, even though he knows that it might be bad for the exam, but he does it anyway.
Now, Arthur is in front of the gate of the Hundred-Saint Academy again. There is a wooden board standing beside the gate. There is a paper stuck there, and also there are a lot of people in front of the board.
There are a lot of people wearing expensive clothes there. Some are even wearing armor made of iron or leather. Some have a sword on their waist while others have a staff or wand in their hand. Arthur tries to go to the front of the board to see what is written on it because he remembers from what the guard said that the information about the exam will be written there.
After struggling for 5 minutes, Arthur can finally read the notice on the board.
Because of some incident, there won't be any practical exam for this year's enrollment. Instead, there will be an interview for the people who have finished the administration process. The interview will be held tomorrow at 9 A.M.
The interview will be with the student candidate alone, and there will be four teachers from the Academy who will assess the candidates.
Arthur lets out a sigh as he reads what's written on the board.
Although he is safe because there aren't any practical exams, being judged by the teachers from the Academy face to face is not an easy thing.
Arthur himself knows that his talent is a big problem here. If it's a practical exam, then he can try his best with sword skills or some magic skills to attack, but with an interview, this might not work.
He doesn't know what the Academy thinks about his talent. It is widely known that the talent, Avatar, is a poor talent. If the Academy also thinks the same, then he might not even succeed in enrolling in the Academy.
'Sigh… whatever I can think about this again if I really failed the exam.'
Arthur finally decided not to dwell on this problem, and if he really failed, then he could just wait until he is strong enough to establish connections with some important Noble later.
"Uhm, hello, do you know what is written on the board? I can't go there to see it my self."
When Arthur finally emerged from the crowd, he heard someone talking to him.
Arthur then saw a girl standing there behind the crowd, looking helpless as she couldn't squeeze herself to the front.
The girl is a little bit shorter than him, about a head shorter. She has brown hair braided behind her back and matching brown eyes with glasses on them. She wears a light green dress with a brown-colored belt holding a wand on it.
"Yes, It's said that there won't be any practical exam because of some incident and instead there will be interview for each candidate alone with four teacher from the Academy."
The girl seemed a little happy when she hears what Arthur told her.
"Thank you! Ah, my name is Allesia Blair. Nice to meet you."
The girl, Allesia, extended her hand as if inviting a handshake. Her eyes looked excited and shy at the same time. Arthur could see that she was a bit nervous and was trying her best just to ask for a handshake.
"No problem. I'm Arthur Reinhart, nice to meet you too, Miss Blair. Then I'm going first."
Arthur took her hand for a handshake and soon let go as he bowed a little before he moved away from there.
Why was Arthur in a hurry to leave?
Well, he remembered something - the Blair family.
In one of the documents that Sebas once gave him about potential partners in the Academy, he saw the name Blair family. It is only a Marques family, but it has a different standing in the south of the empire.
The area in the south of the empire is where war is almost a daily exercise, and this Marques Blair can be said to be one of the figures worthy of praise. The tradition of this Blair family can be said to be a crazy one; for them to be considered adults, they need to bring at least the head of a Demon in a commander rank.
Before they bring the head, they can't be considered adults and need to follow whatever the adults in the family say. The head of Marques Blair, Anthony Blair, once brought 10 heads of Demon Commanders when the ritual happened, and now he is one of the Generals in the South Border.
From the document that Sebas gave him, Allesia Blair is the only daughter of Anthony Blair. She is the precious gem of the head family of Marques Blair.
Whenever someone gets close to her with ill intentions, they would disappear the next day. That's how precious she is to Anthony Blair.
Arthur tried his best to look like a good and polite young man before because he felt a threatened aura the moment he shook Allesia's hand.
'F*ck! That was scary. Good things that I was smart!'
While Arthur move his ways towards the inn, Allesia still standing where she was a little bit disappointed.
"My lady, what happened to you? Why are you sad?"
"Nothing, I just thought that I made a friend there, but suddenly he goes away in hurry I don't know why. Is it maybe because I'm ugly?"
Allesia talking to her servant inside a carriage. After she know about the exam, Allesia went back to her manor in the city.
Unlike Arthur or those low level Noble, Allesia has her own manor inside the city close to the Academy.
"Is it a boy or a girl, my lady?"
"It's a boy, his name was Arthur Reinhart if I'm not wrong."
"I see. Then I'll inform the lord about this and have his eyes taken away and his mouth stitched because of what he said."
Allesia who heard that start to panicked. She know that her father would really do it if the words actually go to him.
"N-No, please! He never said that!"
"It's ok my lady, I'm just joking. But still, maybe that man was in hurry."
The maid said it with a monotone voice and expressionless.
Allesia let out a sigh of relief. She really hope that it was just a joke.
***
While outside the Academy, murmurs and speculations about the cancelled practical exam filled the air, inside one of its meeting halls, a profound discussion unfolded, shrouded in an aura of solemnity.
The room, more akin to a grand hall, boasted enough space to accommodate at least a thousand standing individuals without feeling cramped. A colossal round table, encircled by twenty intricately carved chairs, dominated the center.
As one steps into this chamber for the first time, awe washes over them, a silent reverence for the opulence that surrounds. The cavernous ceiling adorned with a majestic chandelier, seemingly crafted from pure gold, cast ethereal light that danced across the room. Each corner was guarded by towering statues of armored warriors, sculpted from an enigmatic metal, their solemn visages bearing witness to the weight of the discussions held within.
Amidst the grandeur, at the heart of the table, rested a mysterious box adorned with ancient runes, radiating an aura of reverence and significance.
"Headmaster! Why did the practical exam is cancelled?"
One of the man sitting on the chair said with an angry voice as he slams he table. You can say that he is really angry from the force of those fist, but, surprisingly the table was fine like there is no changes to it showing how durable it is.
"Sigh… I can't help it you know. The emperor himself asked me to stop it."
The headmaster saying like he really hopeless about the situation. As he caressing his small to even noneexisting beard.
The headmaster is an old man who appears to be in his 40s or 50s, his hair nearly all white. He bears an easy-to-notice scar right beside his right eye. Despite his age, he maintains a muscular build and wears a suit with the first two buttons unbuttoned, revealing a chest covered in scars that appear to be from sword wounds.
"But still, even if it's an order from the emperor himself! This is an Academy and not a Ro-"
"Enough! Teacher Gilbert the headmaster must have his own reason!"
Before the said teacher Gilbert finished his sentence, a woman voice cut him.
"Ok, let's stop for a minute and please listen here. I do have a reason for why I have accepted this order. But, I can't say it now.
Hmm… Let's just say that, I did this for the Academy and also for this empire. So, just please do according to what have been announced."
The headmaster say it after he think for a moment.
"Sigh… Ok fine! But, you know that can we not changes it like this? You know that it will takes so much time to interview those candidate one by one."
"Although I don't like him, but he is right. Moreover, each candidate will be interview by four thechers, isn't that a bit too much? If we use 1 teacher for one candidate it might be better, although it still waste a lot of time."
"Right, we can used those time for other things."
"Teacher Gilbert is right."
Several teachers agreed with what the teacher Gilbert saying. It's not wrong after all, the time it took for four teacher to interview one candidate can be spit into four if it's onely one teacher per candidate.
"Well, I did this because of fairness. Also, let's think for a moment here. If we used one teacher per candidate, what if the one who interview the candidate with a talent for sword is teacher who adept in magic? Doesn't that mean that we might lose one candidate with a good potential?"
The people in the hall silent for a moment.
"We can just spit the candidate first for their talent or what they major in."
"What if the candidate themselves doesn't know if they got a talent for it?"
After the headmaster said that, even teacher Gilberts is silent. Because the Academy had a saying that 'dug the gem, teach the most suitable.' To lose a student because of the misinterpreted talent is a huge sin for the Academy.
"You guys understand? Then go and do your job. If those Noble complain about it, say that this is my order. If they have something to say, say it to me when I'm back."
After another 30 minutes of discussion, all the people left beside the headmaster.
"They finally show their tail now. Then let the cleaning begin. Hahahah…"
The headmaster laughing in the empty hall as he read a piece of paper.