The test was supposed to take place last week, but without any justifications, it was postponed to today. Many residents from distant provinces had no choice but to wait in the capital for a whole week, enduring the high cost of living. On such an occasion, it's natural for prices to rise above the usual, but that wasn't all. The subscription fee this year doubled without mentioning the price they paid for the "nasik" grass.
Most of them spent over a thousand silver coins, and some even resorted to borrowing. Finally, the documents were sealed with a simple magical circle. They understood the situation perfectly, as they say the world revolves around money. It's impossible for this to be a coincidence; it's a calculated plan by the officials to cut costs from the competition budget. They deceive the poor and trade with the hopes of the youth for their financial goals.
Alex sighed and frowned, "Has their greed reached the point where they intentionally reduce the number of participants to save on the institute's budget? They even made them pay every penny they own. And what's the story with three hundred silver coins for breaking a primary magic seal? Even I, who doesn't do anything for free, can't ask for more than ten silver pieces for such a silly seal." Alex expressed his opinion, but Steve took his words seriously, shouting to the crowd, "Hey everyone, listen! Our friend here says he'll break the seal for ten silver coins!"
In an instant, the somber faces turned excited, and the crowd gathered around them. "There are about two hundred people; a thousand silver coins isn't a bad amount," Alex thought before giving his instructions to Steve. "I'm going to Finish all of them in two hours at most. Make them stand in a line and have their money ready. You're in the front; bring me a chair and a table."
His friend nodded affirmatively and hurried to fetch what Alex had asked for. The important thing now was for Alex to stay determined and continue breaking the magic circle seals. After an hour, he had broken around a hundred seals, but suddenly someone screamed, halting the process. "It's the white-haired boy! He's the thief who stole my bag!" The white-haired girl walked confidently toward him, followed by a man in a white robe who signaled the crowd to make way for her.
Everyone's gaze fixated on her, wondering who this beautiful girl was. When she approached and Steve managed to examine her closely, he turned accusingly toward Alex, "Alex, how could you do something like this? How can you commit such a crime? I can't believe that you... that you would approach a beautiful girl like her without involving me. Where's the brotherhood, where's our friendship? Traitor, you're a traitor... Talk! Say something! Does she have a sister? How much older is she? A year? Two?"
"Enough, stop it right now."
Alex shouted and stared at the girl and her companion, despite the evident superiority of the guard in the white robe. He didn't even acknowledge him, remaining in his seated position.
"Don't attempt to lie or evade; there's no use in denial. Where is my bag?"
"And why would I deny? I took the bag." The shock covered everyone's faces as he confessed to theft right in front of one of the institute's guards. But it seemed he hadn't finished speaking yet. "Your dimension cube was partially shattered, and the tools from the circle in your hand scattered. Didn't I help you stop the key seal and prevent the cube from breaking completely?"
"Yes."
"You gave me the bag, and I considered it as payment for helping you."
"How could the bag withprecious herbs be In exchange for fixing a magical circle like the cube's key? Even magicians don't charge more than a hundred silver coins."
"Don't you live in this world today? Prices have gone up. Even breaking a novice seal, magicians charge three hundred silver coins. You can verify it for yourself. Magicians don't do anything for free."
At this point, the guard interrupted, looking at Alex with disdain. "But you are not registered as a magician also you aren't a student either. You took her herbs and charged the candidates. Doing this without authorization is a serious crime." Alex smiled, noticing that the guard seemed to look at him with resentment and was trying to undermine him.
The reason for this, before receiving the complaint from the white-haired lady, he had planned to break the document seals for two hundred silver coins. He even spread the news among the candidates and waited for them to come. Even though many candidates wouldn't be able to afford this cost, there would always be some who would comply and pay. Besides this, he was one of those who had planned to exclude the general public from the competition, which would have returned a substantial reward. Of course, he wasn't happy with this unpredictable twist – the loss of an easy gain. Now, he had a chance to vent his frustration. Even in the face of the guard's accusations, Alex's expression didn't change, and he remained calm, satisfied to turn to his friend and say, "Steve, it seems my voice didn't reach him. You have a strong voice. Why don't you explain it to him?"
Steve nodded and cleared his throat, ready to explain. "The beautiful lady here is the one who offered the bag to my friend. He didn't steal it. As for our friends here, what they are offering us is a gratuity. We didn't impose it on them, and those who don't have the money, we'll help them for free."
"What do you mean by gratuity?" the guard wondered in surprise.
Then, one of the girls stepped forward from the crowd. "Yes, gratuity. Breaking all these seals will tire him. Don't forget that tomorrow is the exam day. He'll need rest and energy pills to recover. What we're giving him is a modest compensation for his efforts."
The annoyed guard remained silent. He realized that Alex was aware of the laws preventing unregistered magicians from working and that he had conspired with them for this story of gratuity.
Alex raised his hand and gestured for the guard and the girl to move away. "You two, what we're doing here is none of your concern. Don't you find it audacious to disrupt the people standing here for hours?"
The white-haired girl angrily screamed, "Don't you know who you're talking to? How dare you?"
"White hair and a haughty tone... Fountaine the Side Branch. Ah, I've figured out who you are. Are you happy now? Leave from here."
The guard intervened, pretending to be angry on behalf of the girl. "You're still audacious, even after knowing who she is. Apologize. I won't leave until I hear an apology." The guard had abandoned reason and laws. Punishing someone who had offended the royal Fontaine family was an unwritten law. The huge guard unleashed his spiritual power at the soul realm without hesitation, scattering the crowd.
"Of course, I'm sorry." Alex stood up from his chair and approached the girl. The atmosphere changed as a sense of sadness settled among the bystanders. Alex's once steadfast and composed demeanor had transformed after witnessing the aura of the guard. They wished he had held on longer, but what could a child do against overwhelming force?
A mocking smile appeared on the guard's face. His eyes roamed around the crowd as he asked them to look at him while he pretended to apologize and seek forgiveness. Alex approached the white-haired girl more closely, speaking in a low, powerful voice as though addressing her soul, "A girl from the side branch, which means you're just a puppet whose strings are held by the ruling family. How could I not feel sorry for someone like you?"
*Truth hurts.*
In that moment, the girl realized that the truth was more painful. His words echoed in her ears, with a magical effect that made her feel like someone had plucked her heart out of her chest and crushed it. Memories of her visit to the ruling family came back – the sadness and fear in her father's eyes while the ruler smiled menacingly. The truth her parents had avoided mentioning, the truth she had avoided facing – all those fears about the future and the suppressed emotions surged to the surface in an instant. One sentence had already flipped her world, and her reaction was an unexpected panic attack that left her breathless and rendered her voiceless.