25 Failed or Unlucky?

The magician was as immobile as a stone and didn't even look at Leilade when he dismissed her. For him, she was just another child that wouldn't be able to breach the 2nd Circle and therefore, was not worthy of his interest. However, instead of being enraged, disappointed or even sad, the little girl was just staring at him like he killed her parents. He had seen some weird reactions and didn't really think about that until he noticed that she didn't move even after the next candidate arrived. As he was ready to signal the guards to take her away, the small girl turned toward the innocent boy that came.

"You, put your hand on the orb." Her tone was colder than a brick of ice in winter and the weak-minded boy immediately obeyed the order. None of the adults were expected that and all were stunned by that sight. While the boy was getting closer to the orb, the magician finally broke through his stupor but decided to let it happen. He was gladly shocked by the behavior of that fierce girl and wondered what she was up to?

The orb initially totally dark was still shrouded in darkness, even after the boy touched it. The guards were calm at that sight since it was not their job to understand it, but the magician was a bit curious. It was studied that nearly half of the human population was able to use the magic of the 1st Circle after many years in training. In truth, being able to cast a spell like [Flame] was viable to that population. In that case, the orb would still show some fragments of an element, maybe not even a complete ball but something. As for the unlucky one, they will only show a black orb. Therefore, for two kids in a row to not make any reaction was possible but not probable.

Thinking about that, the magician walked toward the cold girl and approached the orb. It was a magical instrument used for a very long time and each of them was precious. However, nothing was eternal and sometimes, the orbs will be broken or even stopped functioning altogether. When the white-bearded man infused his mana, nothing happened as well. Trying to put more, his aura began to spread and influence the two nearby kids. The boy immediately fell on his knees but the small girl only glanced at the weakling, visibly uncaring about the strong pressure afflicting her.

This continued until a single crack appeared on top of the magical device. By now, the mage was convinced by the fact that the orb was useless but he was still perplexed by how the little girl knew this fact. Even for him, he needed to test the orb manually and he wouldn't think that she was more knowledgeable than him on such a complex device. On the other hand, now he was in quite a pickle since he lost the most reliable way to check the talent of the children. He was only a mage of the 3rd Circle and not one of the elders of the Academy. To discern the magical potential hidden inside a human body was too much for him.

As it was known, if half the population could use the most basic spells with only training, the 2nd Circle was the true barrier. Before, a bit of luck and hard work could turn an ordinary farmer into a weak mage. But from the 2nd Circle and forward, only sheer talent could explain the strange powers given to those called mage. Some would need a year to master a spell from a certain Circle while a genius would do it in less than a day. It was that time where geniuses and normal peoples were finally separated. And to discern who had the potential and who didn't was the very reason for the existence of that test. Each nation had only a few great mages that could replace thousands of soldiers but all hoped that they will uncover the next Archmage.

Even if the old man was not very talented, he compensated by his hard-working attitude and became one of the most liked teachers. That was why he was sent all over the country to conduct the magical examination. And now, he was very interested in that girl. Even if she didn't have the potential to be a mage, she would have least make a great knight, with a determination and behavior like that. All in all, a great addition to the power of the kingdom of Massalia. But now, he had to announce to all the families outdoors that the test will be canceled for a few days until another orb arrived.

When the old man left the tent, all the lousy discussions and cries from the children stopped. His very presence prompted them to shut up and soon, the very big plaza was silent. Right behind him, the weak boy was sent to his family. "Go back home, the test will continue after a few days!" None of the families dared to complain and a peculiar group of adventurers tried to see someone. But unfortunately, Leilade was still inside the tent. After a few minutes when the six soldiers and the magician stared silently at her, the white-bearded man finally asked what he wanted.

"How did you know that the orb was not working?" The voice was neither cold nor warm but still slightly interested. Leilade expected it since she messed up the mechanism of the magical device, overloading it with darkness. It was far too crude and just the glimpse of her potential managed to completely stop it. Of course, she won't say those things but at the same time, she couldn't just say that it was her that did it. So, she just used the most illogical excuse.

" I felt it." It was the most annoying sentence ever to use. It was capable of explaining anything without even a justification. Of course, that old man truly believed her because she was not suspicious. But if one of her subordinates dared to use that thing in front of her, she would have tortured him until he told her everything. If he had said that it was a secret, it would have been fine but that false excuse was disrespecting the other party.

"Oh, well, the world is strange and mysterious. However, since I was not able to test your potential, I can't say for sure that you have the qualities to enter the Academy. So, you will have to wait for my return after I bring the only one accepted and get a new orb. But I look forward to this moment."

He even began to have a small smile on his face, thinking that the future of the little girl will be full of twists and surprises. But that would only be in a few years at most, for she was too small and himself too old. Thinking about his back that was hurting more and more each morning,he thought about the few years that he still had. Maybe she will be part of his students, something that he didn't really want. She was too brutal and impulsive for him, but he had in his minds a few reckless youngsters that will definitely be pleased by her presence. While he was nagging in his mind, Leilade stood immobile, waiting for the old man to finally looked at her.

She was discussing harshly with the Viscount about how she should proceed. He wanted to conserve as much mana as possible and therefore wait for the old man. Now that they knew how the orb was functioning, manipulating will be a kid's play. Leilade, however, was tired of this mascarade and definitely didn't want to return to that bunch of good men. She won't have a chance to do a single thing reprehensible with those guardians behind her back and therefore, wanted to just show off a little and be done with it. Since he was seeing that her option was inevitable, he suggested a spell from the 2nd Circle, namely [Fireball].

Apparently, it was one of the easiest sortileges from that circle and the most used by the soldiers. Any other spells would only provoke suspicions because a young child like her, visibly without any parents, wouldn't be able to learn them. But she could have seen [Fireball], heard the incantation and with a bit of talent, mastered it without anyone to teach her. And at the same time, it opened the way for her to be a magician specialized in fire, something that was apparently lacking in the Massalia Kingdom. In the North with the Synnada Empire and the West with the Republic of Avenio, there were some experts in that domain. But the best fire mage in this kingdom was only at the entrance of the 5th Circle, not at all comparable to the others.

After they finalized their plans, Leilade looked at the magician quite intensely. Even a normal peasant would feel something weird if someone looked at him like that, so the old man finally left his thoughts. To his surprise, the small girl was still not out and was even looking at him. And his surprise became shock when he heard her say "[Fireball]" while creating a very small red ball in her hand. To be truthful, it was barely accepted as a true fireball but that was not the point. The main show was the fact that a small kid was capable of casting a spell from the 2nd Circle without help and even an education. For the first time, he looked at her clothes and while they were fresh and clean, they were not those that the nobles wore. So she truly didn't learn magic before.

"How did you learn that? From who? Where? Since when can you do this? How much ..."

As he launched salves after salves of questions, he stopped and calmed himself. it was not important, nothing was important. He only had one success in the entire morning and it was someone that would probably not even reach the 3rd Circle. While she was a lot more promising. Seeing her staying mute, he kneeled in front of her and looked in her eyes. He saw the blue of the sea and the warmth of the country but at the same time, deep inside them, a freezing cold. Shaking his head, he looked once more into the abyss but he didn't find it this time. Thinking that he was too old, he extended his hand toward Leilade.

"To think that I nearly missed you. If you didn't fight back, I would have labeled you as a failure. You are quite unlucky little one. Now take my hand, we are leaving right now."