The red-haired young man knelt and bowed his head. Sweat dripped onto the ground, his eyes trembled, and he dared not look at the audience. Beyond the pressure from his academy reputation, the fact that he was defeated by someone younger weighed heavily on his mind. His body ached, but the heart suffered the most.
"Good sword technique," Rozer said, extending his hand.
For a knight, honor and sportsmanship were paramount. Reluctantly acknowledging his defeat, he reached for Rozer's hand, standing amidst cheering spectators. Changing his expression to one of confidence, he smiled contentedly.
'A defeat isn't so bad after all,' thought the red-haired young man.
"Where did you learn your sword technique?" the red-haired young man inquired.
"I learned from Uncle Staal. You wouldn't know him," Rozer replied.
The young man gulped, his pupils widening, "Staal? The former front-line knight commander?"
"You know him?"
"Of course! He's so famous, nicknamed the Demon Slayer!" the young man exclaimed.
"Eh... I just heard about it."
"You're truly an interesting kid," the young man said, patting Rozer on the shoulder. "I'll be looking forward to your achievements at the Academy, Rozer."
Bowing respectfully, the red-haired young man left the field, waving to the crowd.
Amidst the spectators, a young woman with long black hair, who had been waiting for Edele's group, stepped into the middle of the field. She called out, "For students taking the remedial magic test, please line up in front of me!"
Four called students walked to the center of the field.
Rozer started to leave the field, but he halted after Edele signaled him with a hand. "Rozer, follow them," Edele shouted.
Rozer frowned and thought, 'No rest, huh?' Taking a deep breath, he joined the four students in the middle of the field.
"Okay, let's start with you," the young woman with long hair said, pointing at Cyka. "What class are you in?"
"Class 3!"
"Remedial test for producing fire magic. Alright, show me," she instructed.
Cyka moved forward, extending both hands. After a few minutes of concentration, a thin red aura appeared in his palms. Small flames burst forth and extended ahead.
"Alright, that's enough," the woman said.
Cyka closed his eyes, attempting to stop his magic, but he couldn't. Understanding, the woman approached, gently lowering Cyka's hands. Whispering into his ear, she said, "I'll consider it a pass, but you need to study harder, okay?"
Cyka nodded, "I'll do my best."
"You may go back," she said.
Bowing in gratitude, Cyka left the field.
The woman pointed to Rozer, "You! Come here."
Rozer approached her.
"Try using magic like the kid did," she said.
Zerenia, who was at the back of the field, summoned her magic staff dramatically from a dimensional hole in the ground and held it. Tania asked why, and Zerenia explained her concern about what Rozer might do.
"Alright," said Rozer.
He stepped into an empty space, extended his right hand, and a red aura quickly emerged. Sparks of fire shot out, racing like lightning and hitting the stone wall. The explosion sent flames soaring into the sky, and a strong wind blew from the blast, causing the audience to scream in fear.
After the flames subsided, Rozer realized Zerenia's magic was present. He turned to his father with a wry smile. Disappointed, Zerenia could only shake his head as Rozer had been warned to restrain himself.
The woman, visibly surprised, tried to remain composed and said, "You stay by my side," indicating Rozer.
"Next!" she called out to the other students still shaken from the explosion.
The remaining students came forward, informed their classes, and were tasked with moving a sizable stone to a specific location. Rozer was instructed to do the same and succeeded.
The next task was to fly. Both remedial students and Rozer accomplished it.
The last remedial student approached the young woman.
"What class are you in?" she asked.
"Middle of the first year!" the student replied.
"Test for summoning a Khodam, alright, create the magic circle first," she said.
The student took a twig from their pocket and drew a magic circle on the field containing five magic symbols and the student's name in ancient script in the center.
The five magic symbols were Fire, Human, Darkness, Flow of Magic, and Crescent Moon.
Khodam are guardian spirits for humans, existing since a person is born into the world. They exist without a form. Once summoned into the world by a person, they take on a humanoid shadow-like appearance. Khodam can do anything according to the commands of the human they protect. However, their presence in the world drains the magical energy of their owner. Each person has 1 to 20 Khodam, and it can increase if the owner is capable and desires more.
After creating the magic circle, the student joined their palms and said, "By the will of God, please appear before me and obey my command!"
In less than a minute, the magic circle began to react. Lightning flashes appeared, and blue light emanated from the magic circle. Dramatically, a humanoid shadow appeared in the center of the circle, kneeling before the student.
"I am Mandora, your Khodam. Give me your command, master." the Khodam asked politely.
"Stay there! Instruct him to return," the young woman instructed.
"Uh... But It's my first time summoning—" the student mumbled.
"Did you say something?" the young woman asked.
"Nothing."
The student then commanded the Khodam he summoned to return, and the Khodam disappeared like dust in the wind.