A week later, they arrived,
"…Wow." Ash was impressed by the grandeur of the academy. Their territory looked like it had no end; perhaps it was even the size of a city. There was a magical barrier mildly seen around it, marking its territory.
Before they could step inside, guards stopped them: "From this point onward, only entrants and their attendants may enter." And with that, Ash and Eve were separated from Lucas and the other guards. Before they entered, the guards first noted down their identities and gave Ash a pouch, telling him that he would need it.
As they went in, they saw the academy was structured like a city, except the fact that the houses were dorms just for the students. They walked for a while before they arrived at the academy building.
"You're here for the entrance test, right?" A boy as young as Ash approached him. He had brown hair and eyes, and obviously was an elf as well. He was also alone by himself
"That's right." Ash was slightly mature for his age but still acted like a kid.
"Hehe, you're right on time, the exam is about to be announced an hour later." The boy seemed interested in him. "Ah! Right, what's your name? I'm Ezra." He said as he stretched out his hand for a handshake.
Ash took it, "I'm Ash, nice to meet you."
"Umm… Ash, are you a noble?" Seeing his spirit pet, Ezra's curiosity took over him as he asked.
"Yes, why?"
"You look like a commoner though." The color brown was a color only commoners had.
"Hm?" Ash lifted a brow at him.
"Ah! I didn't mean any offence, sorry." Ezra said sulkily, bowing down slightly. He thought Ash would be different from other nobles.
"It's fine, didn't take any, don't worry." Ash smiled kindly as he patted Ezra's shoulders.
Ezra's eye lit up immediately. "Really? Then, can we be friends?"
"Sure. But first, why did you think I looked like a commoner?"
"Brown is a color only commoners have. How come you don't know that when you're a noble." Ezra teased jokingly.
"I see..."
"Is that your spirit pet?" Ezra pointed at the lynx on his shoulders, who in turn hissed at him.
Patting it, Ash answered, "Yeah. Her name is Lunaris."
"Lucky you. Alright, let's go to the hall first!" Ezra was surprisingly enthusiastic about the academy as he kept talking about it the whole way.
When they arrived, the hall was packed with entrants; most looked nervous, while some looked confident.
"Um, this atmosphere is a bit…" Ash saw how quiet it was, even though there were a lot of people.
"Most of the entrants here are commoners. If they pass the entrance test, their lives are set. If they fail… they'll have to live as ordinary commoners for the rest of their lives. It's only natural to be nervous." He spoke calmly, without a trace of tension.
"Aren't you a commoner too?" Ash tilted his head slightly. "You look pretty relaxed."
"Haha, I just don't get nervous easily." Although he said that, he was clearly hiding something.
But Ash didn't push any further, "Alright. So when's this going to start?"
"Heh, when people are distracted, time often feels like nothing." As he said that, a man appeared on the podium.
"Quiet." Perhaps it was because of magic, which made his voice louder and more powerful, silencing the few ones talking.
"I will explain the exam rules." He then made something that looked like a spirit, "This is a mana spirit, your task will be to catch as many as possible within the academy territory, as long as you get one, you pass. To be able to sense where the spirits are, you need talent, and to catch them, you need skill. Collect them with the pouches you have gotten. You all have two hours, starting from now. That is all, I wish for your success." After a short explanation, the man disappeared as he had come.
The initially surprised students now panicked as they all rushed out of the academy.
"Wanna go together?" Ezra invited.
"Sure." Ash was surprised by Ezra's composure but followed him anyway. He stopped a while to inform, "Eve, you stay here, you'll just slow us down."
"…Yes, young master."
Knowing they needed sharp perception to sense the spirits, they decided to walk slowly.
"Found one." Ash turned into an alleyway and chased the spirit he noticed. After a while, he finally caught it; it was transparent and could only be sensed by people with mana sensitivity. He put it in his pouch and looked at Ezra, who was looking at him strangely, "What's wrong?"
"…" Ezra was speechless, "You caught one so fast! How?"
"It was a bit troublesome," Ash replied lightly, brushing it off as if it were nothing, "but overall, it was quite easy."
Ezra fell silent again before letting out a quiet breath. "…You're seriously talented."
"I see." Ash didn't deny it, nor did he seem particularly proud. Still, a faint hint of amusement flickered in his eyes as he looked at Ezra. He was starting to find the boy interesting.
"Let's look for more," Ash said, already turning as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"You say that so casually…" Ezra muttered, shaking his head as he hurried to catch up.