thefictionvixens Page 116
Page 116
Time flew by during this period... In the blink of an eye, the time for the first round of the Level 1 Mage selection exam arrived.
Behind the podium at the top of the hall's steps stood a middle-aged examiner whom Ash vaguely recognized but whose name he had forgotten. He had probably only seen him twice in the ten years since he became a first-level mage.
The examiner scanned the scattered crowd below and announced the exam rules directly:
"This exam is a team competition. There are a total of 58 participants, in groups of three. If one person is left out, it's just bad luck... After all, luck is also part of ability, so you can't blame anyone else if you're left out."
After the examiner finished speaking, for some reason he seemed to glance at Ash's face briefly, then, as if worried about being discovered, he quickly looked away and assigned the groups using his magic bracelet.
However, the words engraved on Ash's silver bracelet were...
"Twenty...? Is this some kind of shady deal? Or is it deliberate targeting? Or am I just unlucky?"
Ash stared at the words on the bracelet and momentarily questioned his existence. Frilian, who was peeking over, noticed the number and couldn't help but pat him on the shoulder.
This touched him deeply: "Frilian, you're willing to switch with me...?"
"No~ I just wanted to tell you that exams should be fair and just, so even if we're friends, I won't go easy on you. Let's see how we perform this time~"
Frillie interrupted his sentimentality, revealing an enthusiastic smile: "To be honest, I wasn't interested at first, but now... I'm somewhat looking forward to it."
"...You really are my best friend."
"Ah, do I even need to say it!"
There are quite a few grudges between them, and Frillie is quite interested in getting others to deal with him if given the chance.
This made him look at Philon beside him with a sense of hope.
After confirming each other's numbers, Philon said in a serious tone, with a businesslike air, "I am very much looking forward to competing fairly with Lord Ash."
"...What are you expecting?"
"Let me show you how I've grown."
"I've already seen it..."
Philon was unusually interested, which made him want to sigh, but he couldn't say anything discouraging.
Although he felt that his two companions had become his rivals, and were clearly targeting him, which made him fully appreciate the fickleness of human relationships and somewhat depressed... but it was nothing special.
Although he originally thought it wouldn't be a big deal to just find an excuse to give up, they were all so interested that he felt it wouldn't be good to just give up directly.
However, still wanting to see the glimmer of humanity, he turned his last hope to Yubel, who was watching him with a smile.
"Yubel, despite the initial misunderstandings, I haven't treated you badly since then... I guess that's how it is?"
"You don't understand, do you?" Yubel opened his half-closed eyes and gave a malicious smile.
Undoubtedly, they intend to take this opportunity to settle old scores.
Now he finally understood reality. It was probably retribution for not doing good deeds in his daily life. His companions not only intended to handle things officially, but some even seemed to be targeting him.
"As expected... I'll play along for a bit, after all, I don't like losing either."
Even though the other person had companions while he didn't, it didn't matter at all. In fact, just like Frilian, he felt that things had suddenly become interesting.
After all, his goal is the world. If he can't even do this much, he might as well give up and go home, and go cling to the thigh of the rich loli (Zanze) who's watching from the sidelines.
The Burial of Frilian: The Officially Beginning Trip: Chapter Twenty-Six - Are You Here for an Exam or a Picnic?!
Faced with these girls who were determined to seek revenge and vent their grievances, Ash could understand to some extent that it was related to his usual behavior.
But he doesn't intend to change. After all, it's better to change others than to change himself.
"Fine... Anyway, it's definitely your fault for bullying a lonely old man like me. Even if not for your own sake, for the sake of justice, I have to teach you a lesson." At the end of the brainstorming session, he declared with righteous indignation.
only.....
"This person... how dare he say such a thing?" Frilian looked at him coldly, her disdain in her eyes was more obvious than ever.
Philon, with an almost identical icy gaze, couldn't help but shake his head:
"...Lord Ash's personality really needs some correction. He should at least learn to be gentler with girls, otherwise he wouldn't have been unable to find a partner for so many years."
"Although I knew you were shameless, I never imagined you could lie to this extent... Hmm, my understanding of you has deepened once again." Yubel smiled broadly, his hands behind his back. "However, let's get to know each other better in the exam room~ Whatever you did to me before, I'll make sure you receive the same treatment, okay?"
"Of course, no problem... Since you insist on doing it this way, I can only follow the rules. However, in the end, it's uncertain who will be the prey and who will be the hunter."
Seeing the girls either looking at him differently or full of fighting spirit, he returned their defiant gazes with the same defiant look.
At this moment, the group of relatives and friends completely broke apart.
Although their goal should be to pass the exam and become a first-class mage, it seems like they have more grudges between them?
Just as everyone was following the examiner and preparing to leave, Philon suddenly looked at him and said solemnly:
"I don't need Lord Ash's mercy, but... if you can't become a first-level mage, I'll be very angry and won't speak to you for a week!"
"...So the result is that they gave me all the most troublesome tasks?"
"Of course...you said it yourself, a man should be responsible, right?" Philon raised his head, revealing a mischievous smile: "So, Lord Ash...let me see your sense of responsibility~"
After finishing her own words, she nodded happily to herself and walked away without waiting for a reply.
"...Is Philen still a little angry, that's why she said that? But I don't like being forced to take responsibility..."
Although taking care of children sometimes means having to put up with their whims, he was somewhat aware of that.
Philon, with her smile back, is also adorable, and it seems there's not much to complain about anymore.
However, his gaze quickly turned to the two first-level mages watching from a distance, and among them was the small figure of Zanze.
...........................
The man, who wore glasses, looked to be in his thirties, and had his hair slicked back, seemed somewhat puzzled by Falshu's gaze, who was in charge of assisting with the exam.
Meanwhile, Zanze, one of the examiners and mainly responsible for the second round, abruptly turned his head away, avoiding his gaze.
"There are quite a few strong contenders this year..." As the bespectacled man, who looked like a researcher, scanned his surroundings, he unexpectedly noticed Zanze's unnatural behavior and asked in confusion, "What's wrong? Do you know that young man?"
"...This isn't a matter of knowing each other." Recalling someone's seemingly deliberately difficult and capricious behavior, which forced him to secretly manipulate the bracelet, Zanze felt somewhat guilty and casually replied:
“You were one of the people who passed the previous session... and you probably haven’t seen Lady Celie’s meeting since two years ago.”
"Is he a formidable fellow? Speaking of which... Lady Celia actually meets with outsiders? Doesn't she even ignore nobles?" Upon hearing this, Falshu stared at Ash in confusion, observing his magical fluctuations while assessing the situation: "...The fluctuation in magical power definitely indicates that he is hiding his strength, but strangely, I can't discern his original magical power. Is he using some kind of special magic?"
"...You'll find out soon enough. If you can't wait, you can ask others; most people know."
Facing Ash's gaze, Zanze, feeling guilty and looking down, had no interest in chatting with this "new" colleague.
It is worth mentioning that Celia is one of the very few people who are not afraid of authority, while the elderly court mage Duncan, a second-level mage, who is participating in the exam in this venue, is a typical power worshipper. He has seen many mages who are more outstanding than himself, and even comparable to first-level mages, being persecuted, imprisoned, and executed.
But there was nothing they could do. Most of the powerful in this world obeyed the nobles and the state, and would not resist even if they were persecuted. Under these circumstances, such rules could not restrain the eccentric, self-centered, and willful Celia. Therefore, the court magician who had gained power could only obediently come to take the exam.
Because at the very beginning of the Magic Association's establishment, Celia, who had just left the mountains, had clashed with the Goddess Cult and nobles of the Holy Capital, and even almost destroyed the Holy Capital.
The Holy City kept this matter a secret out of consideration for their reputation, which is why Ash only learned about Celie's unconventional ways of doing things later on. This finally made him understand Celie's personality and how she established the Magic Association.
Specifically, it roughly means directly using force to establish status, causing laws and rules to fail under the power beyond reason, leaving nobles powerless even if they hate such rule-breakers... After all, Celia won't obediently go to jail like other magicians.
Therefore, when Ash got to Celie, he immediately granted her special privileges—not because he was particularly filial to his master or wanted to protect Celie, but simply because he was worried that his own people would suffer and didn't want anyone to be foolish enough to provoke her and cause trouble for him.
..............................
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The first round of exams was held in a suburban basin, far from the magical city.
A massive, city-sized magic array enveloped a lake in the basin, along with a large surrounding forest.
"...This examination area is home to a small bird called the Meteorite Bird." The examiner explained, picking up a small cage and showing the bird inside to everyone.
"The birdcage has already been given to you. Its targeted barrier can seal the meteorite bird. There are only two conditions for the test: first, capture the meteorite bird and put it in the cage, and bring it back before sunset tomorrow; second, the entire team must survive."
After saying all that, the examiner paused for a moment and then distributed a bunch of magical signal transmitters, which were also like signal guns, to everyone.
Each gun can only fire a signal flare once; both firing and missing it count as a failure. Each gun has a specific magical mark as its unique identifier, and once fired, it can be displayed in front of others, preventing them from attacking it.
There is a small safe zone set up at the edge of the examination room. People who surrender can go there first. Going to the safe zone is considered as giving up.
Upon hearing this final rule, everyone seemed somewhat surprised, especially Frillie.
Another friend of Philon, who was on the same team as Connecticut, was Rabinhee.
The girl had long, silver hair that reached her waist, beautiful blue eyes, and wore a carefully chosen blue dress. The skirt swayed lightly, complementing her over-the-knee white boots perfectly.
As for her clothing, it was full of Gothic Lolita style, but... Rabine had an unexpectedly beautiful figure - her breasts were surprisingly full, with full lines that were elegant, and her posture was upright and her curves were exquisite, perfectly interpreting the essence of "gap moe" (a cute contrast between a girl's appearance and her appearance). She could be described as a beautiful girl with the air of a young lady from a wealthy family.
Image: "Rabindranath and Connecticut", Location: "Images/1725303226-100409035-112081241.jpg"
But right now... Rabinhee, who clearly gives the impression of being a young lady from a wealthy family, is roughly pinning Connie to the ground and seems to be fighting with her.
But just like most of the time at Ash’s house—Rabindranath, as usual, held the upper hand and suppressed Connie.
"...They never cared about human lives in the past, so what's going on this time? By the way...!"
Because her brothers were all members of the Magic Association, Rabindranath knew something about the past and the exams. But she was only halfway through wondering when she pressed down hard on Connie, who was struggling desperately below, and demanded through gritted teeth, "Connie! Give up resisting! Hand over the cage to me!"
"No! I should keep this—! Rabindran should be the one to give it up!"