6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYXOyBTqs3V
The exam proctor took the next student's paper without lifting his head from the pile of parchment in his hand. It was Kael’s turn. Kael handed over the official entrance document prepared by his grandfather. As the proctor examined the paper, he suddenly froze. He adjusted his glasses and looked at the name again.
"Kael... Kael Krowel? Wait a minute... Are you truly from the Krowel family?"
Kael answered in a calm voice. "Yes, sir."
The proctor’s voice began to tremble. "Then... Do you know the legendary Master Vaelmon?"
"He is my grandfather."
The proctor was nearly speechless at this response. Meanwhile, Lyra, standing right next to Kael, was shocked by what she heard. Her eyes widened.
"You... Is your last name really Krowel? No way! Have I become friends with a Krowel?"
Kael didn't fully grasp at that moment why people reacted to this surname as if a king had arrived. But then he remembered his grandfather’s position and authority in the kingdom. 'Now I understand...' he thought to himself. 'To me, my grandfather is just "a grandfather," but to these people, he is a Grandmage.'
He turned to Lyra and whispered: "Lyra, please... Let’s keep this last name between us for now. The fewer people who know, the better. I don't want to draw attention."
A storm of question marks was brewing in Lyra’s mind. "O-okay..." she stuttered. She couldn't help but think to herself: 'Born into such a massive, noble family, why would he want to hide his identity?'
The first stage of the exam, the "Magic Firing Test," had begun. Proctors had placed thick, magically reinforced wooden targets at the end of the field. Students stepped in front of the targets in groups of seven.
Lyra gripped the staff next to her tightly, her hands shaking. Kael was also nervous, but for a different reason. Kael had trained against Mithril puppets. Now, these simple wooden targets standing before him felt like they were made of paper. Zephyros’s warning, "You must absolutely limit your power!" was echoing in his mind.
At that moment, a deafening explosion sound was heard from the other end of the field. The students around them instantly began whispering:
"Look at that! He completely unraveled the target!" "Who is this? How did he turn that thick wood into this state with wind magic?"
A haughty elf, twirling his silver-engraved staff in his hand, walked without looking back. There was a disdainful smile on his face. "They are wasting my time with ordinary pieces of wood," said the elf in an arrogant voice. "They should have put something more serious in front of a real mage."
Kael turned to Lyra and asked: "Why are people whispering? Weren't we supposed to hit the targets anyway?"
Lyra said in astonishment, "Ah, I guess you don't know who he is! Thalendir, the youngest son of the famous Aethel family."
"Aethel? I’ve never heard of them."
Lyra almost let out a small scream. "What! You must be joking. There is no one in the Eastern Kingdom who doesn't know the Aethel family. They are the kingdom’s most powerful elf family! I heard that Thalendir has already reached the 3rd Circle. Look at what he did to the target!"
Kael silently observed the elf. 'Hmm... It’s getting even harder for me to understand the power balance in the school.'
It was Kael and Lyra’s turn. They stood side by side, focusing on their targets. Lyra extended her staff toward the target. Extending her other hand toward the staff, she sent a fireball. The target shook, and its center turned black from the fire. Lyra had succeeded!
When it was Kael’s turn, Kael did not take out his staff. He only pointed his right index finger at the target. Internally, he kept repeating to himself that he had to hold back: 'Hold yourself back, Kael... Just a small piece...'
The proctor shouted in surprise: "Aren't you going to take out your staff, boy?"
Kael answered without looking at the proctor: "I just need to hit the target, right? I don't need a staff for that."
The noble students behind Kael began to giggle. "Hah! Look at that one, he’s definitely from a low-class family." "The poor thing probably doesn't even have money to buy a staff, he thinks he can light a fire with his finger!"
At that moment, a small fire bullet, compressed under intense pressure and glowing a vivid red, formed at the tip of Kael’s finger. Just as the proctor was about to say "the rule...", Kael released the bullet.
Not an explosion sound, but a piercing bullet sound was heard. The fire from Kael’s finger not only pierced through the target but tore the wood into pieces and opened a deep hole in the thick stone wall behind it.
Kael looked at his hand and lamented to himself: "Oh boy... I channeled too much mana."
He was about to turn to the proctor and say, "I’m sorry...", but he saw that the proctor’s and the surrounding students' faces were as pale as chalk.
"What in the world was that?" "Staffless... Did he do this just with his finger?" "That hole... That wall was protected by magic!"
The proctor pointed at Kael with a shaking hand. "K-Kael... You passed the exam. You can move on to the next exam area."
Lyra grabbed Kael’s arm, almost shaking him. "Kael! What did you do? He was even more powerful than Thalendir, whom we just watched! You... You are really a monster!"
At the same hours, Zephyros appeared before King Thalaron.
"Your Majesty, you have summoned me."
"Zephyros," said the King with a serious expression on his throne. "I assume you've heard about the creature attack. Alaric told me that when they arrived at the area, the Echidmer was already killed and a child did it."
Zephyros grasped the situation instantly. "The name was Kael, I believe. He was seen with you, do you know the boy?"
"Yes, sir. He is my brother’s child."
The King was surprised. "Is that so? I didn't know you had a nephew."
Zephyros tried to keep the subject short so as not to let more words slip out. "My brother married a long time ago, sir. After marrying, he moved away from the kingdom."
"I wish you had told me, you are a mage of the kingdom, we would have arranged a gift."
"Thank you for your generous thought, Your Majesty."
"So this child really killed the Echidmer?"
"Yes, even though Kael is 14 years old, he is a 4th Circle mage. I personally took over his training."
"4th Circle! I guess it’s normal since he’s a child of the Krowel family. Plus, he has a teacher like you. Let an award ceremony be arranged for Kael. It wouldn't do to send the boy who saved my people away empty-handed."
"As you command, Your Majesty. He is currently at the academy entrance exam."
"I will inform you as soon as possible."
As Zephyros left the kingdom, he wasn't comfortable with Kael suddenly becoming this popular. He thought it would be better for him to stay out of sight while he still couldn't control the mixed blood inside him. Since the award ceremony was public, everyone would know about Kael's existence. On the other hand, Zephyros couldn't oppose the King.
Meanwhile, after Kael passed the written exam, he began to move toward the magic measurement area. This is where the real event was going to break out.
ns216.73.216.141da2
and then Add to home screen.