"That's why we will have to observe how they react in real-life situations."
After the conference, we then went to the biggest forest in Gefya—the Alupisis—which was actually three days away from the capital city but only five minutes with teleportation magic. A magic spell under 'dimension', one that necessitated years of practice.
And so, with the wonderful help of magic—a replacement for technology in the modern world—we successfully arrived at alupisis.
The forest, different from what I had in mind, was somewhat peaceful.
Not like I expected it to be dark and threatening, but at least a little more imposing.
Before us stood miles of trees, aligned one after another. Because they were spiritedly aligned, a lot of light passed through, creating an easy and gentle atmosphere.
Not like a place full of dangerous beasts and other creatures.
The professor first checked everyone was present before rapidly reexplaining the formal procedures : we would be paired in groups of six to seven and work together to capture a magic beast. Three or four of us would be from the magic faction, while the rest would be the tamer faction's students.
As magic practitioners, we couldn't tame any beasts, but we could at least help to capture them, from behind as a support team.
And today's exercise was merely to observe them, so even if we couldn't catch any, it would be okay. It was just to train ourselves.
If there is any danger, we have to turn back and run. And send a signal for the professor and the monitors to come and help.
For this test, we had the right to choose our partners. And for those who had no one in mind, they had to wait until all of the groups had formed before being added somewhere.
And so, since I was in the later category, I patiently awaited at the side for someone to pick me up.
I could hear the brouhaha from the students as they pleasantly conversed with their friends while talking about the exam. As for me, I just quietly observed them, having no one else to see.
As I checked my surroundings, my eyes landed on brown hair with clumsy movements.
—If I remember correctly, her name is... Ela?
This one, just like me, was waiting for the groups to be formed. She was glancing nervously now and then around her, like she was afraid a beast would jump out of nowhere.
—She's funny.
"Hey! Want to join us?" asked a boy—who I didn't know—while smiling cheerfully at me.
He looked really sunny with his wheat complexion and big brown eyes.
"Yes! Thank you very much." I said smiling back.
"Okay, come with me; I will introduce you to the rest of the team."
"Sure."
A little farther, stood a small group of four people looking towards us. They were smiling while gauging me with their scary gazes.
One thing was sure: they weren't ones to underestimate.
-Should I be afraid for my life?
"I forget to present myself; I'm called Danny. But everyone just calls me Dan. I hope we can work well together."
"Nice to meet you, Dan. My name is Geogia Permeson." I said, as I observed my future 'team', analyzing them discreetly.
There was something I gained from my experience as an assassin: when it comes to work, nothing must be left in the open; one should know everything and take advantage of every little detail.
There were four boys, Dan, and one girl other than me.
The boys were average-looking—from an objective view of the beauty standard of this world—but had a huge amount of charisma and personal charm, making them more than attractive.
They had this aura, which proved that they weren't as simple as they looked. They were undoubtedly strong. Not as strong as me, but strong nonetheless.
When we arrived before them, they greeted me amicably from the beginning. One of them, a cute-looking girl with pink hair like me, even hugged me enthusiastically.
"Oh, my! You are too cute!" She squeaked with a high-pitched voice.
'I would say the same about you,' I thought.
The girl was, as I said, a cute-looking girl with long pink hair, which, unlike mine, was straight and lustrous. She, looking at her badge, was a tamer.
The other boys, other than Dan, who had bright blond hair, were all brunettes. Two of them were mages like me.
"So what is your name?"
"Oh, right, I should introduce you to each other," intervened Dan while passing his hand around one of the boys. A green-eye binocular. "This is Meo. He's a little bit shy at first, but don't worry, he's really kind."
"Nice to-to meet you." He said, stuttering a bit, avoiding my eyes while looking at his shoes. But because he was pretty tall—two heads more than me—I could still see his expression.
"Me too."
"And the one on your right is Vincent. He likes to joke a lot, so he can be a real~~pain. Hahaha, don't be afraid, though; he's not mean. He's a mage like you."
"Hey! What are you saying about me!?" The boy replied to Dan's provocation, not pleased. He was furrowing his eyebrows while grumbing to himself.
This one had a lighter shade of brown hair, somehow red under the sun. He had a lively complexion and pink cheeks, bringing life to his face.
"I'm not lying!" Retorted Dan, still laughing heartily. Then, wiping the tears from his eyes, he turned his head towards another boy, next to Vincent.
"This one other there is Kiki. Or at least that's how he wants to be called. He's playing the mysterious guy."
"Well, not with a name like that." Said Vincent, smirking.
"Who are you to talk to, Vincent? Remember the time you asked everyone to call you by your family name because it sounded 'cooler'?" Replied the so-called Kiki.
This one had deep, dark brown hair, borderline black, and light brown eyes. And he was, now that I looked more closely, quite handsome. And had a particular charisma.
Maybe I spent too much time around Sylvester, Mainu, and Aaron, making my perception of beauty alternate. After all, those three were basically otherworldly, appearance-wise.
"Yeh, right, Mr. White?" added Dan, dying of laughter.
Kiki was also another mage, like me and Vincent.
So that made us three mages and three tamers, which consisted of Danny, Mitia, and Meo.
"And finally, the tiny girl who is hugging you is Mitia. Don't be fooled by her cute appearance; she's actually the strongest tamer in our academy, making her our biggest As."
"Hi~~" she said, looking up at me from the side, a big smile plastered on her face. She didn't seem to want to let me go.
"Hello again…"