"What? You paid off the school? How.. How is that possible?" Max couldn't believe that Gopher was able to pay off the school. Their talents were low to begin with so any school would charge them a huge amount of money to get themselves enrolled.
Now many students never would have the resources or the money to pay the school. Thus the schools would take a portion of their pay in the future until the debt is paid off. It was like a student loan provided by the school itself. The only difference here being the school itself will appoint you your work place depending upon your abilities.
Max and Gopher were eyeing for the associate professor in school not because they would be paid handsomely, but because being the associate professor he would be able to pay off the debt faster while also learning more about magic.
Gopher was sent to work as a shopkeeper to one of the remote places and though their pay was almost the same, the benefits of being an associate professor was much higher. This was the reason why Gopher and Max lodged heads against each other. They didn't have any kind of bad blood before but the designation made it so.
Gopher side-eyed Aric when Max asked about how he was able to pay off but didn't say a word. Max would come to know if he investigated but nonetheless he didn't have any ties to the school anymore and wasn't obligated to help the school. He had done his part.
"That is none of your business of how I paid off. Maybe Aric here would choose our school or maybe he wouldn't, and even if I was tied to the school right now, I am not obligated to send an acquaintance to the same school as mine. There is no such law. Good luck with your recruitments." Gopher walked out saying that followed by Aric, who thanked Max for the hospitality.
Max wanted to say more but the young man nearby stopped him.
"Teacher, we will only lower ourselves if we go on pestering him. A high level talent doesn't mean that he will be a great mage in the future. Anything can happen in his journey."
Max eyes jumped when his young colleague said that. He understood what he meant. The talented mages were often targeted the most on their journey to greater heights. After Aric and Gopher came out, he could feel the eyes of the crowd on him, as many of the people were now looking at him.
In this square, news spread fast, and by now it seemed everyone was aware that Aric had tested with a high talent in wind magic—an unheard-of rarity in these parts. Aric knew that he would have recieve the stares and whispers for the rest of the time but he wasn't bothered.
He moved from one tent to another, each one representing a different magical academy, each one vying for his attention. Gopher stayed at his side, offering quiet reassurance. The first tent belonged to Aetherion Academy, the same school Azryn had represented. As they entered, Aric was greeted by rows of intricate banners, each one shimmering with enchantments.
It was much better than the Windfall School for sure.
"Aetherion is not just a school, Aric. It is a legacy," Azryn began. "Here, you will learn not only how to wield wind magic but how to understand its very essence. Our libraries are unmatched, filled with scrolls that date back before the founding of the empire itself."
Aric's eyes wandered to the artifacts and enchanted tools displayed in the tent. But something about the grandeur felt overwhelming, almost… impersonal. In addition he wasn't only looking for magic related to wind itself.
"With your talent, Aric, you could become one of the greatest mages this world has ever seen. At Aetherion, you would have no limits." Aric thanked him, feeling both flattered and cautious. Gopher had already seen the deal that the Academy offered and even he was tempted by this.
"Was that not good enough? Or are you thinking of going back to Windfall? You don't have any obligation to join the Windfall. You can choose whatever you want." Gopher felt like his relationship with Aric might be a burden. Though he said others that he was the mentor of Aric, it was done to give safety to Aric.
"No.. No.. I don't care about that. I just want to look at my options here and then decide. Maybe I will choose the Aetherion Academy by the end." Aric replied.
The next tent bore the symbol of Zephyros Institute, a smaller but well-regarded school known for its hands-on approach to teaching magic. The mages here wore simpler robes, and the atmosphere felt less formal. A woman with short-cropped hair, her hands calloused from work, greeted him.
"We believe in practical magic," she said, extending her hand. "I'm Lyria, associate professor of Zephyros. We don't waste time with stuffy theories—we'll throw you right into the field. You'll learn to shape the wind, not just study it. Here the runic circles to be taught will be more practical and we have three streams in our school. Earth, water and wind magic, and thus you will have better experience."
"There's no better teacher than experience," Lyria continued. "You'll learn fast, and you'll learn well. But it won't be easy. You'll be pushed hard—harder than any academy." And just like the previous one, he also said goodbye at the end and promised to come back if he wasn't able to decide by the end. He felt that Zephyros Institute might be his destination if he didn't find anyone better.
The third tent was simpler than the others, marked with the emblem of , a lesser-known school but one with a strong reputation for nurturing talent. There the one who was accepting was named Haron.
"We're not as grand as Aetherion, nor as adventurous as Zephyros," Haron said, his voice gravelly but kind. "But we're a place for growth. At Vernalis, you won't be another cog in the machine. You'll be guided, personally. We'll help you find your own path, not force you down one."
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