24 Failure. Next. (2/2)
”Yes.” She had a hard time following the situation but she wanted to go there for information. And also, claimed a few students filled with magic, that would be helpful.
”And what if you don't make it?”
”I will.” The second biggest joke after being killed by homeless thugs would be to fail at a magical test. Even if the test was unfair, she was still capable of manipulating the result as she wished. However, her cold and determined voice only made the man sadder, for unknown reasons. He was reluctant to leave, but right before the door was silently closed, she still heard one last thing.
”Then I wish you the best of luck. You are strong and careful, of course, you will succeed.” There was a taint of sadness and melancholy in his voice when he said that but she didn't have the time to deal with that. She waited a few minutes, carefully listening to the surroundings. But except someone leaving his room to do something, only silence greeted her. ”That was weird.”
(I think that this thief saw himself in you when he was in a similar situation. And therefore, if you failed that test, he would have probably taught you some tricks to survive. Today, it was to see if you woke up when an unknown human tried to enter your room. As for the rest, it would be pure speculation. The human mind is tortuous.)
”Like you say, Viscount, tortuous indeed.” That interaction reaffirmed her conviction that she fell on an exceptionably friendly planet or nation. Besides the cultists, but madmen lived everywhere. Letting the Viscount guarding her body once again, she was only warned when the sun was rising. When she left her room, she saw the three warriors standing guard in front of her door and escorting her downstairs. The group quickly ate their breakfast and soon, they charged toward their target.
It took them quite a while before reaching the front of the city hall. There, she saw numerous families bringing their children to be tested. All categories of people were represented, from the orphans guided by the sisters of the Church, nobles leading their offspring, normal families treating this as a family trip. And finally them, seven battle-hardened veterans carrying a small girl. When they got closer, she understood why they were surprised by her lack of reaction when meeting Khozak. All the kids seeing the berserk broke in tears and even the noble children ran away, hiding behind their bodyguards.
Of course, it was an honest and fair test, so everyone had to stand in line. The local malice was controlling it and making sure that no one tried to do anything harmful. Fortunately, the parents were desperate after seeing their beloveds terrified and all let the group bypass them. The guards just stood there, not moving at all. In a few minutes, they arrived in front, only behind a noble family. Even if their faces were white, they still had the arrogance and pride denying them the possibility of retreating.
”Failure. Next.”
The impassable voice of the magician resonated and the seven adventurers let Leilade enter. She turned back and saw all of them looking at her waving so she waved back, smiling. It was just a small action so being illogically ruthless and uncaring just for being evil was impossible. That was the main difference between the people like the cultists and the Demonic Empire, one wanted chaos, the other wanted order, as unrealistic as it sounded.
When she finally entered the tent, she saw the magician standing still, and exactly how anyone would describe a mage. An old man, white beard, cold eyes, proud standing. Six guards were also present, probably to control the crowd.
”Put your hand on the orb.” She didn't know if it was meant to be like that, but the magician looked like he was trying to scare her or make her submit. Probably to make the children move faster, there was also a compelling order in his voice. Well, since it was his job, he was probably right to do this. When she looked at the orb, she saw that a few balls of color were inside. Probably the result of the past test and they were so small that it was probably a failure.
Getting closer and putting her hand on the magical device, she quickly scanned it. It was a crude instrument but at least she instantly found its limit. She won't make something as dumb as breaking it with her mana, first of all, because it was too inefficient. Slowly activating the orb, she saw the few pitiful balls disappearing, and soon, the entire orb was filled with black. It was at this moment that she realized that the orb was still capable of recognizing her affinity with darkness. But unfortunately, for the magician, it only meant that she was without talent.
”Failure. Next”