55 Surprise, Surprise!

To their surprise, it was not the two habitual faces that described what they will soon encounter. No, it was actually one of the magus that were present the first day they arrived, the definitely not old Sarah Meridil. She was wearing the same outfit that could be described as provocative and since they were in front of the facility where everyone ate, countless men were staring at her. That didn't bother her, in fact, she was even happier the more men were stripping her from their gazes. The amount of attention she gained from the kids was not that high and only some of the oldest boys were affected by her charm.

But while she was visibly in her element doing that, she was still responsible of the children in front of her. After waiting for the last arrivals, she began to count to see if everyone was here. Noticing nothing unusual, she used the same trick that Oscar used and created a small stone platform under her feet. Like last time, the impressible public she had in front of her reacted in awe at her doing. For the Magus, it was nothing at all, but the kids were, for most, still having a hard time casting the basic spells of the 1st Circle.

"Alright, before doing anything else, good afternoon little kids." She opened her arms and waited a bit. At first, everyone was a little perplexed by the situation, until Leilade realized that the magus was waiting for an answer. Profiting off the fact that she was close to Leodagan and his group, she murmured at his ears "Good afternoon Magus Meridil." The surprised boy couldn't help but blurted the same words loudly, prompting the rest to do the same.

"Thank you, thank you, but you know I am not that old, you can call me by my name next time." She was obviously grinning to be in the center of the attention and it was no wonder that Alexander Arastil was in charge of punishing others. The kind of person Sarah Meridil was couldn't do that job and was more effective at managing such a giant academy, albeit she had some issues regarding her narcissist personality.

"Anyway, the last days, you have been able to discover the wonderful world of magic and maybe even started to cast some spells successfully. Some are more talented than others, but if you are hardworking and perseverant, you will still become a great magician. Because of that difference between two mages, it is normal to neither impede those that innately are faster to master their inner mana nor abandon the less fortunate ones. Because of this, from now on, you will be able to become the personal students of a mage residing here."

This time, even Leodagan, Jorien, and Owen were shocked. The rest couldn't really understand, but they knew that the first year of equality was an institution in this academy. Everyone, from a very long time, had been under this single rule that promoted the fact that they were all citizens of the Massalia Kingdom. Then, to just disregard it entirely, something very important must have happened. The first thing that popped into the minds of the three children was the appearance of the princess Istuienn, that could change the balance of powers between nations. But that would happen only in a few decades, and to just gain one year was not worth the outrage.

"As for how they will choose you, don't worry, you won't have to pass more tests or put your hands on anything else. While you were with teacher Oscar, we were able to see your behaviors. I am very pleased to see so many enthusiasts and curious children reunited together. I am sure that most of you will be as happy to meet your new teachers very soon. Normally, this should have happened only after the second year, so you will meet a lot of older faces. But don't worry, your older brothers and sisters will be extremely nice with you."

She winked at the still stunned kids. They were only told that a wonderful surprise was coming, not something that big. At the same time, all were hoping to be chosen or, for some pessimists, hoping to not be left out. At the same time, one peculiar boy was sweating a lot all of a sudden. He was not the sharpest tool in the shed and his comportment probably displeased a lot of magicians. Only his talent was the saving grace, but when he looked at the blond princess right next to him, he couldn't help but guess that they will be separated. His eyes crossed the path of Leodagan and he saw his smug face mocking him openly.

For the trio, that thing was just a simple formality. Either the grandfathers of Jorien and Owen or the father of Leodagan will explain to them what was happening. They knew that they were very busy, so they will probably be under the supervision of one of their disciples. It was a weird situation, but the number of people that could teach them was extremely few, due to their parents being such important magus.

"Now on, you can keep doing whatever you wanted to do in this beautiful day and either enjoy your last free afternoon or profit of this occasion to reinforce your knowledge. The way you will be contacted will be via your card, so you won't have to worry about being lost. As for where you will end up, it depends on your mentor. Some will be in one of the numerous rooms of this facility while others will be in their own laboratories. Some of them will be old, with long white beards and will try to pose as a venerable elder, filled with wisdom. Don't be fooled, they are as prone to make mistakes as a youngster like me. Now go, little kids, enjoy your last moments of freedom, MWHAHAHAHA."

Right after that theatrical laugh that was only making her chest bounced more, the frivolous woman unleashed a terrifying spell that created a dense smoke around her. After coughing a lot and when the dense cloud dissipated, none of the kids was able to spot the trustworthy principal. All around them, numerous adults were just laughing at that sight or, for some grumbling elders, shaking their head in despair. It has been nearly a decade since Sarah took the seat of principal, and since then, she never changed from one iota of what she was previously.

Following that highly disturbing end, the little children took a few moments before recovering their minds. Nearly everyone instantly looked at their cards right after this, only to find out that it was as blank as before. Only then did they remembered that it was during the entire afternoon that they could be called by their new master and it was logical that in such an early time, some could still be eating or enjoying a comfy digestive rest. Therefore, the small lapse of time that baffled everyone quickly passed and they walked toward their usual destinations.

Because she ran out of books, Leilade saw for the first time what the others were habitually doing at that time of the day. And it was awfully normal. A group of girls was happily chatting under the same tree that she caught the three genius trash talking her. She was quite far away, but it was still visible that they were absolutely not talking about magic whatsoever. It was still possible for her to approach those naïve girls, but for what? Talk about the hottest boy between Ronald and Leodagan? She would rather suffer another shot of The End and appear in another nameless planet.

Nearby, another group of children was trying their best to cast some spells. It was neither composed mainly of boys and girls, but more of an agglomeration of small pairs working together. One was the observer while the other was the magician. From what she could observe, most were still at the basic spells, namely [Flame], [Water], [Wind] and [Rock]. It was derived from the four elements that formed the world, or that's what they were thinking. From what was written in the book, the dwarves and the Archmage were debating about a thing that was the base of everything. But because they couldn't see it, it was just a wild theory still unproven in that very day.

Due to their over-reliance on magic and arcane devices, even the most advanced researchers of the human nations was just scratching the potential of sciences. She couldn't really say that it was stupid to head in that direction since she had seen numerous times the side with a stronger magic win in a planetary war. But past that point, when fights were happening without even seeing your enemy and sometimes at multiple planets of distance, what was the use of magic?

She heard a sudden scream that broke her thoughts. One girl was crying while holding her arm and a boy was nearby trying to console her. The rest of the groups arrived and the situation was explained. He was one of the most talented ones with that girl, promised to become a 4th Circle magician. While trying to cast an [Ice Shard], he lost control and the spell flew out in direction of his partner. Because it was so small, it only inflicted a small injury and she was barely bleeding. That still caused everyone to not forget that magic was dangerous and precautions should be taken.

It could have ended like that, and the pair responsible for the event was leaving the area with the excuse of one being injured. However, when they thought that they were out of sight, they discreetly turned around and walked toward the residences of the magicians. It didn't escape the eyes of Leilade but to her, it was only strange to act like a thief when all they did was receiving their instructions. She knew that not everyone will be picked, because what was the point of forming trash talents and they probably didn't want to hurt the feelings of the others.

Looking at her own card, she still saw nothing unusual, like a sudden arrow pointing in a certain direction. Even if it happens that she was not taken by anybody, she could still complain about it in front of Alexander. She was still not causing any problems because it was the beginning and it would have been pointless, but now that she could gather more knowledge, she will stop being the calm girl in the back of the room if that was what she needed to do. Thinking about that magus, she wondered what was his son up to.

Trying to remember where those three moles went after the smoke cloud, she was surprised to not remember anything.

(They went in direction of the facility where the offices of both Alexander and Arthar are located. As for the two lovebirds, they regained the dormitory to do whatever they want. But without a certain oppression coming from that ice mage, the chances that you are taken by someone are non-existent.)

"I know that already." Since she had nothing to do, why not bother the head of the Punishment Council? Looking around one last time, she spotted the same boy that arrived with her in this place. Whether it was his normal instinct or the one from a prey when a predator looked at it, but the little kid felt a glacial grip hanging around his neck for a short moment. The spell that was perfectly casted in his hand suddenly vanished instantly and he had to sit down, visibly shaken. His partner was looking weirdly at him, not knowing what happened. Grinning at that sight, Leilade walked toward her destination. But contrary to everyone's expectations, the moment she passed the door, she looked at her card in surprise, for an arrow was pointing toward a very familiar room.