"..." Both Vivillian and the boy were caught in a deadlock, staring at each other from across the lecture hall for different reasons.
The golden haired boy sat at the very top of the lecture hall, leaning lazily against the wall behind him with his arms crossed. His light yellow eyes shone even more brilliantly, as he confidently stared back at Vivillian. Beside him, the two poor students seemed to cower from his aura alone.
There was only one person that looked like this in LaD.
Making sure to control his expression, Vivillian stared at the boy for a few seconds, before looking away and back on his paper, as if he were still working on it.
The Crown Prince of the Slachal Empire, the Second Sun, the rightful heir, and the current strongest user of light magic in the entire continent.
William Luven Slachal.
One of the more prominent capture targets in the game, he was a fan favorite, with most merch having his face on it, and sales records skyrocketing for the game after special events based around him.
Prideful, yet he wasn't arrogant. Elegant, but he had no false pretenses. Powerful, yet kept to himself.
His first appearance in LaD is during the magic aptitude test, where Lizzy Youtech catches the attention of the whole school after having extraordinary mana capacity for a commoner. Not only that, the element she showed the biggest affinity with was Lightning, a rare and destructive element if held in the wrong hands.
It was during the students's uproar at such a sight that it was William who was able to calm things down with his magic, instantly taking control over the situation and showing great leadership skills.
...Was it a mistake to look up so soon?
Vivillian came back to reality from his memories, as he scratched random symbols on the side of his paper.
During such a time where the top talents of the continent gather, it would be foolish for William not to scout out potential candidates during and after the test.
If Viv's memory served right, William also had a hidden secret power...however the details were a bit blurry to him who played his route first a long while ago.
Interacting with the Crown Prince in normal doses should be enough to satisfy his curiosity, it would be pain if William tried to recruit him and all dreams of his small retired countryside life was gone.
So essentially...
Don't get on his radar.
—-
William felt bored after finishing the exam, it was child's play compared to the daily lessons he took when he was younger.
Twiddling with his pen, he scanned the room lazily, there was still quite some time before the test would end.
"...Hm?" William raised an eyebrow, as his gaze was met with a pair of clear, emerald colored eyes.
"Finished, are you? At the same time as me...?" He muttered under his breath, staring at the shorter than average boy sitting at the end of a row.
However, the boy then proceeded to look back at his paper and begin to work.
Ah, so he was just spacing out.
Losing interest, William realized another thing.
So Perukono got placed here too.
Sitting right beside the short boy, was a light sky blue haired boy nervously biting the end of his pen, as he looked at the paper with a cautious and concentrated gaze.
His knight that had sworn loyalty to him ever since childhood, Perkuno Alivist. What a coincidence that he was here. That muscle brain was probably worrying about the test again.
I'll ask him later what he thinks of the candidates here.
—-
"It is an honor to serve you, Master."
"What the hell are you doing? Get back on your damn feet." Viv growled, shoving Elva back up from the ground.
The written exam had just finished, and the students were slowly trickling out to the field and auditorium, where the magic aptitude test would begin shortly after.
The results of the written exam wouldn't be posted until after the magic aptitude test, but the students who failed it would be escorted out discreetly by school administration after the magic exam if their mana was not exceptional, an example being Lizzy Youtech.
In fact, she had one of the lowest written exam scores in Einsvul history, but knowledge is not too big of a fault when you are a rare high magic capacity lightning mage.
Elva mopped around with a sour expression on his face, beginning to regret life as he sat against a wall, hands on his knees as he held his head.
"I can at least attend classes as your servant thankfully..." He muttered under his breath, seeming to already accept his future fate as a servant.
"..." Looking at the scene before him, Vivillian's expression grew darker.
Is there something wrong with the code of this npc?
"Ahem ahem, attention everyone! The magic aptitude test will now begin shortly." A nice looking older woman with soft gray curls cleared her throat, as she amplified her voice to the vast crowd. "Because we have limited staff to oversee the magic aptitude test to ensure authenticity, please be patient and waited until your number is called."
At this time, several staff members handed out tickets, Viv and Elva took one from the gloomy looking Professor.
"What number did you get?" Elva raised his head sadly.
"297."
"Then you're just about in the middle." Sighing, Elva held up his ticket, he was number 89.
"How did you get such a different ticket? We got it at the same time." Elva continued, not wanting to go so early and embarrass himself.
"If you still haven't been pulled away by now, you passed the written exam, so shut up." Viv glared at him. "Your whining is getting on my nerves."
Elva finally shut his mouth, looking aggrieved as he stared at the stage, watching how the students slowly made their way to the stage.
In the center, a crystal pale ball was sitting on a pedestal, which had engraved various expensive magical jewels on it.
This was the Slachal Empire's original creation, the mana reader.
Made by a brilliant Archmage some years ago, it was the peak of magical technology at the time. Able to read a person's mana capacity and their strongest affinity towards a certain element, the only downside being it was easy to manipulate the crystal ball for false results.
So in order to ensure 100% accuracy, the top professors excelling in magic will be watching at the sidelines.
The student placed his hand on the crystal ball, as it let out a dim glow, then the color of the ball slowly started to change red.
"Average mana capacity, affinity is fire." The Professor on the stage was a tall, elegant looking woman who wore a fancy light pink dress. Her auburn hair was tied in a bun as she adjusted his glasses, turning towards the rows of judges at the table.
"Pass."
"Number 67!"
The process kept repeating, the excitement in the field slowly dying as the students prepared themselves for a whole day of testing.
After some time, then would there finally be interesting contestants.
"Number 77!"
A light blue haired boy made his way to the stage, his eyes were in similar color, as he wore a knight's uniform, with a certain famous family crest.
"Is that..."
"The Alivist Family..."
Viv raised his eyebrows, not expecting to see another capture target so soon.
One of William Slachal's most loyal dogs at his disposal, kind to a fault to everyone except his enemies. If William was the brain of the operation, Perukono Alivist was the shield. His route was a popular innocent love story, made for even younger audiences looking for something sweet.
Perukono walked forward, putting his hand on the ball.
A bright glow emitted from the ball instantly, as the ball turned into a light cyan.
"Above average mana capacity, affinity is ice." The woman nodded his head in approval.
"Pass."
"Thank you."
The response was almost immediate from the judges, as Perukono shyly made his way off stage.
The students seemed more excited than before, eagerly looking forward to who else from a great noble family would appear on stage.
"Number 89!"
Finally, it was Elva's turn.