With Blake taken care of, I quickly went through the other four novices. Though one of them was not truly prepared at all, the other three were just as prepared as Blake had been. Having finished with them, I turned towards the group of those who claimed to not be ready.
"Have you all considered what I've said?" I asked, my eyes moving across the crowd.
All of them nodded or mumbled out a weak yes, too ashamed to stand tall and proud in front of me.
"Good. You've seen how I inspected the first five. Knowing how things are supposed to be, does anyone here now think they are ready when before they didn't?"
Another six stepped forward from the crowd, leaving only nine left waiting, still uncertain.
"Eleven total. Well, ten considering the boy who wasn't ready at all. Not bad for a group this size, much better than the measly five from before. You six, come over here so I can check you." I say, pointing to where the first group of five had been standing. "The rest of you, listen."
I moved to start inspecting each of the six, one at a time, but I continued talking.
"I understand that most of you are probably discouraged, being told off so soon after applying to be an adventurer, but it is incredibly important that you are ready anytime you set out on adventurer-related duties," I say, finishing up on the first person.
"Being new to all of this, I understand not being as prepared as you should be, especially considering how all of you are still so young. However, that is no excuse when you are setting out down the path of adventuring, a path notorious for claiming many lives ever since its creation. All of you must be certain in your readiness from this point forward," I say, finishing the second and third individuals.
The group stands in silence as I finish up the last three from the six that stepped forward.
"Alright, as it currently stands, it seems ten of you have passed the application, and the rest of you have failed," I announced, much to the dismay of the group. "If your inspection went well, go on back inside with Rosalie. As for the rest of you, come onto the field with me. You all have one more chance to pass this application."
Nervously, the rest of the group came onto the field with me, nine in total.
Two groups of four, and one spare. Unfortunate.
"Alright, everyone pair up with someone else, and quickly."
At my order, they all quickly paired up with those next to each other, leaving only a girl as old as Blake left alone.
The girl had long blonde hair that flowed down from underneath a white pointed hat. Her emerald green eyes flicked this way and that, desperately looking for a partner. She didn't have any weapons openly visible aside from a small staff in her hands, one that carried an oddly shaped blue stone at the top.
Another magic user, and strictly magic at that. What a rarity.
The girl turned nervously back and forth, hoping to see someone available to partner with despite the clear lack of peers to pick from.
"You, what's your name," I say, calling her out.
She jumps slightly as I point, a nervous sweat trailing down her face.
"L-Lillia, sir," she barely stuttered out.
"Perfect. Lillia, your partner will be me. You're a mage, yes?"
She nodded in response, seemingly too nervous to speak.
The others turned to face her in awe. Magic abilities in general are rare, but magic abilities exclusively? Not only are they much stronger and therefore more useful, but they are also exceedingly rare.
If I had to guess, I would say there couldn't be more than twenty mages in all of Gallisho, and that's including those who haven't signed up to be adventurers. She really is quite the rarity. Guess this would be much more difficult than I anticipated.
"I see. For now, come stand over by me. Your exam will have to wait since you are exclusively a magic user. In the meantime," I said, facing the other four pairs, "You all will be doing spars for your exam. The winner of each spar will pass. The losers will fail the application process."
There is a noticeable tension spreading across the field at my words, everyone desperate to pass so that they can start their own journey.
"Remember, failing this application does not mean your career as an adventurer is over before it can even start. If you are still determined to make it as an adventurer, you can travel to another Guild building this month and try their application process. You can also wait until next year to apply here once more for a chance to pass. Either way, this is not the end of your journey if you lose, just a big bump in the road," I say in an attempt at reassurance.
Despite that, most of them look far from reassured. A quiet mumbling takes hold of the group, all of them nervously talking to themselves or each other.
"Could this really be it?" I hear one of them say, concerned.
"I... I think I can win," another says, a bit more determined than the rest.
"You look weak, I think I have this win for sure!" another exclaims to their partner, confident that their victory is assured.
As for Lillia...
She looks completely hopeless. The mental factor of having to fight the examaminer along with having her exam delayed by being a mage was clearly taking its toll.
That's no good. Being concerned is one thing, but utterly hopeless? That's a liability when on a quest. I'll have to address that later.
"Okay, you two, you both will spar first. Fight however you please, just be sure not to use any magic. Also, this should go without saying, but do not seriously hurt your partner, that will serve as means for disqualification. Now then, begin."
* * * * *
The spars were finished and the victors determined. Having passed, the four winners went back in with Rosalie while the other four losers left feeling dejected.
That only leaves Lillia and myself then.
"Alright. With the others out of the way, that just leaves you Lillia. Now, because we can't use magic here, we're going to have to travel outside of the village. I know where a small clearing is that should allow you to fight as you normally do. Are you ready?" I ask, my eyes watching her quiver in nervousness.
"Y-yes, I think I am," she answers, her voice shaking over each forced word.
She seems hopeless, but she isn't backing down. Impressive, a good trait to have. Just need to fix that nervousness for now.
"Okay then, let's go," I say, leading the way.
As we leave, I pop into the Guild building to inform Rosalie of the move.
"That sounds good. Should give me enough time to sort through at least a quarter of this paperwork," she said with a sigh. "I'll be here when you get back."
With that, we were on our way. Klumix may have been a large village, but it was still a village. It wasn't long before we were out and on our own, surrounded by nothing but nature with the only signs of civilization being the dirt path we were walking.
Thankfully, the clearing I had in mind was rather close, making for a short walk.
As we walked, I saw the familiar break in the surrounding trees that continued off of the dirt road. Continuing through the break in the trees revealed a nice large opening with trees surrounding on all sides but the entrance.
"Here we are," I said, looking around.
The clearing is messier than I remember it being. Lots of sticks and branches from the trees. Need to clear that first.
Thinking to myself, I quickly get started, dragging the branches out of the way and off to the side.
"D-do you want help?" Lillia asked, unsure if she should watch or contribute.
"I can handle this. Wouldn't want you to tire out just before your spar."
She nervously nodded her head, her hands fidgeting with her staff as she stands there awkwardly.
It was quick work thankfully. It didn't take long for me to have the clearing cleared of any obstacles and ready for the spar.
That just leaves Lillia.
As I turn to face her, her nerves grow noticeably more unstable, a small shakiness making itself apparent.
"Are you alright? Do you need a minute?" I ask, pointing at her shaking legs.
"Y-yes please," she quietly replies, her voice cracking under the pressure.
"Why don't you take a seat, catch your breath. We're not in any rush to start," I say, pointing at a particularly soft patch of grass.
"Okay, t-thank you," she meekly responds.
As she moves to sit, I sit down in front of her, facing her.
She's awfully nervous for someone wanting to be an adventurer.
"Tell me, why do you want to be an adventurer?"
"I-I need to make a lot of money," she quietly answers, her voice still shaking.
"And there aren't any other jobs you can take on?"
"N-none that pay what I need."
I see, no wonder she's pushing well outside of her comfort. She needs money, but not just for the sake of being rich. With a strong motivation behind her actions, her hopelessness might not be as much of a problem as I thought. That just leaves sparring then. Whenever she is ready.