"Excuse me, who are you?" Alex questioned, waving his hand to get the attention of the enigmatic girl who seemed to be studying him like a captivating piece of art.
Sherry, jolted out of her reverie by Alex's gesture, took a couple of startled steps backward, emitting a cute, nervous sound, and then timidly sought his forgiveness.
"Huup, I am extremely sorry for my rudeness." She said, bowing apologetically.
"I am sorry, but do we know each other? I don't think we have ever met before."
"Again, I am sorry for recklessly barging in like this when you were obviously resting and recovering from your injuries." She bowed once more in an attempt to express her contrition.
"Umm, and you are? And what might you need me for?"
"I am Sherry Barnet, a first-year Elite magic class student."
"I can see that from your uniform, but again, why are you here looking at me like that?"
"Oohh, about that, actually, I love researching ancient relics and spells. I had this magic compass with me, and it never reacted this strongly before, like it does in your presence." Sherry explained, producing her compass, which was wildly pointing in Alex's direction.
Alex was puzzled by the situation, but he perceived Sherry's actions as mere curiosity.
On the other hand, Aurora was visibly alarmed when she saw the compass. She promptly shifted to the side to closely observe the compass.
'She...why does she have that? Why is it still pointing at Alex even now when I moved away from him? Don't tell me it's misinterpreting his mana as...'
Alex didn't read too much into Aurora's behavior and assumed she was merely intrigued. If she had something to share, he figured she would let him know.
"And..." Alex gestured for Sherry to continue.
"This is a magic compass that I reproduced after studying countless ancient history books. I'm not entirely certain if it works, but it's currently pointing at you, so I wanted to investigate something."
"So, Miss Sherry, what does this compass do, and what does it have to do with me?"
Before Sherry could respond, Aurora explained, "It's a magic artifact that seeks out high-level mana signatures and traces. It's a pretty good one, especially since she made it herself without proper knowledge about it."
Alex acknowledged the unfamiliar terms he had heard from Aurora but decided it was not the right moment to delve into them.
'I will ask her later.' He planned to ask her for an explanation later when the situation was less precarious.
"This magic artifact searches for individuals with dense and pure mana emissions. In simpler terms, it's looking for people with the highest affinities for magic. But it's pointing at you, and you're a knight faculty student, aren't you?" Sherry provided further clarification.
Alex froze in place, his mind racing as he realized he might have been found out. He felt somewhat naive for not considering the existence of such magical devices in this world filled with magic. 'I should have done better research about these things.', he lamented inwardly.
Sherry emphasized, "If everything is correct, then you possess the highest magical talent there is. You have S-rank talent for magic and an exceptional affinity for one of the magic attributes.", drawing her conclusions from her magic compass's behavior.
"Alex, calm down. Don't dwell on what she may have discovered. She has no concrete proof, and it's merely a hunch. Deny it for now, and we can think of a way to prevent this later." Aurora whispered to Alex, offering guidance and reassurance.
Alex remained uneasy with this revelation, not fully comprehending what it meant, but he was resolute in denying it for now.
"I'm sorry, but I still don't understand. I can't be what you're suggesting. How could I have an affinity for magic? If I did, wouldn't I be in the magic faculty instead of the knight faculty?" he insisted, avoiding a direct confirmation.
Alex's claims were accurate, but she couldn't help but feel a growing sense of unease about the situation.
"...Can I please check you once?" Sherry hesitated but ultimately decided to confirm her suspicions.
"No, and can you please leave? I don't want to be disturbed anymore." Alex responded, this time in a harsher tone, attempting to dismiss her.
"Please...please, I just need to check once, and then I'll leave." She implored, her tone filled with urgency, as if this was of the utmost importance to her.
She may not have shown it, but if her suspicions were true, it was a significant discovery for her to overlook.
Sensing her determination and realizing that Sherry might not easily be dissuaded, Alex attempted a different approach to allay her suspicions.
"Let's assume what you're saying is true. How could I have remained undiscovered until now? During the entrance exam, they tested our talents and affinities, so how could this have escaped their notice?"
"..." Silence hung in the air as Sherry pondered the question.
Alex pressed on, "Are you suggesting that the academy's tests were incorrect, and yours are accurate? Furthermore, who would willingly choose to be 'crippled' and miss out on all the opportunities I could have? It might sound harsh, but it's the truth."
In this world where half the population possessed the ability to use magic, those without such talents were labeled as "ordinary" and often viewed as "crippled."
It was a harsh reality that Alex had come to understand, and instead of avoiding being labeled as such, he had to pretend to be one to hide his exceptional talents.
Sherry began to grasp the absurdity of her claims and the potential consequences, but she remained persistent in her pursuit of answers.
"Can you at least listen to me this once..."
Before Sherry could continue, Alex interrupted her firmly. "You may please leave, and I will think of this as if it never happened."
Speechless, Sherry struggled to find words, eventually deciding to depart with a final, "If you ever change your mind, please visit me in my lab. I'll always be there."
◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆
Moments after Sherry's departure, Alex asked in a hushed tone, not particularly addressing anyone in particular, "Did she leave?"
"Yes, she did." came the unsurprising reply from Aurora.
Alex sighed in relief, his mind racing with the close call. 'Phew, I almost got caught today. I can't let this happen again. Who knows who might come after me next time.'
Aurora offered a cautionary perspective, saying, "Don't become too complacent. She was relatively easy to talk to and handle, but it might not be so simple next time."
"I know. But how did she find out?" Alex pondered, still curious about how Sherry had deduced his secret.
Aurora's response emphasized the potential consequences of the situation. "You should be more concerned about whether or not she'll report you to higher authorities. How she discovered it is now the least of your worries."
Alex sought clarification on the terms he had heard during his conversation with Sherry. "But what were all the terms you and that girl, Sherry, were talking about? The workings of that magic compass that discovered my secret."
Aurora proceeded to explain, "Oh, that. When you use magic, some remnants of the mana you used are left scattered in the environment and remain there for a while before naturally blending back with the surroundings. We refer to these as magic traces."
"So that's why she visited the area near the old dorms where I secretly practice magic? What about finding me then?"
"As you're aware, every living being possesses mana inside them, whether they can use it or not. People with high affinity have denser and purer mana. When you use magic, you emit mana, and if it's of exceptionally high level, it remains both within you and outside of you. And the magic traces also remain on the caster's body. A highly skilled mage can easily discern these subtle details with a single glance."
Alex's complexion grew noticeably paler as he processed this revelation.