"We must hide it from the world!"
That was the first sentence to come out of Mickael's mouth once he had regained his senses. His face now showed a few wrinkles, as if he had lived a decade in just one second.
Having a magical sensitivity close to 95% had always been a cause for celebration in everyone's eyes. In fact, the family had organized the biggest party ever held in Merlin's case.
So why was Adall, who had clearly exceeded all established values up to that point, not bringing joy to his father?
The magical sensitivity of 95% was the record established by the founder of the family and later echoed by Merlin. It must be understood that this score remained unmatched for over 1000 years, to the extent that some people thought it was an invention by the Windsors to make the story of their origin more spectacular.
But today, this record is surpassed by Adall, and only 25 years separate the time it was last repeated by his uncle and now.
The second fact that explains Mickael's reaction comes from the power demonstrated by the founder of the family in historical records. Indeed, in addition to being the very first person to reach the 10th circle, he was also the one responsible for the rumor today about a possible level above the 10th.
Merlin's existence only reinforces the world's image of someone possessing a magical sensitivity of 95%. He is currently known as the youngest wizard to have reached the 9th circle.
And like a comet, Adall emerges today with a magical sensitivity even more pristine than his. No enemy would let such a monster develop undisturbed.
If we add to this the fact that now the Windsor family possessed two of these monsters, namely Merlin and him, even allies would be tempted to do something.
And since it's practically impossible to target the 9th circle magician that was Merlin without suffering significant losses, the obvious target is the young boy.
At Mickael's words, Axelle and Zackael could only agree. Even though Zackael had affirmed just a few minutes ago that their family could face the entire world without fear, they both understood the implication of such a performance in the magical potential test. So, they were more than willing to follow their elder brother's request.
As they were only three witnessing the events, hiding the truth from the world shouldn't be too difficult. At least, that's what they thought.
***
A few months ago, the world was shaken by the obtaining of different results for the same magical potential assessment. It was the Endric test.
The presence of different versions of the result was due to the fact that some journalists present at the assessment site refused to collaborate with the Windsors by publishing false information. Others outright leaked the information to other publishing groups that were not present so that the news could spread without them having to break the agreement they had signed with the Windsors.
Of course, it didn't take long for the family of magicians to deal with the problem using corruption and various threats, but even though all the newspapers and troublemaking press organs returned to the version of the results supported by the Windsors, the damage was already done.
Many rumors began to circulate...
These took an even more drastic turn when the most powerful family of magicians declared that they would no longer accept the presence of journalists or any other person in the observation room during the assessment of its young members.
This declaration was the main reason why Mickael, Zackael, and Axelle believed they were the only ones attending Adall's magical evaluation.
In a room of an inn not far from the Azure Sky Tower, a man in the prime of his life sat at the available small table, sweating profusely with wide eyes as he watched the live projection of events unfolding elsewhere.
This man was Alfonso Kruger, a journalist who, due to his addiction to prostitutes and gambling, was currently drowning in debt. He needed a scoop, some information significant enough to interest everyone.
So, when he learned by bribing a staff member working in the nearby mage tower that the future leader of the Windsor family would soon undergo a magical potential assessment, he didn't hesitate for a moment and seized the opportunity.
It was still forbidden for anyone other than family members to attend this event, but for him, it was just a minor inconvenience.
In fact, it suited him perfectly. He would be the only one to possess this information usually highly sought after by press groups. So, he would make a good amount of money from it, even if nothing important was revealed.
He had the perfect ability for this kind of situation, and it's called [Hide].
It's an innate skill that allows Alfonso to conceal the form and energy signature of an object, like the recording device he's currently using, without impeding its functionality.
So, a few days before the evaluation date, he took the necessary steps to place his spying tool in the observation room of the test. The object was so well concealed that it eluded the perception of a high-ranking magician like Zackael.
Alfonso was thus the fourth wheel of the cart accompanying Adall on his journey through the various tests he faced, but unlike the others, he still had a decision to make...