Chapter 58 - Who's The Liar

-- Aaris - POV --

"Garfield Turner was it? Are you still going to act like you're innocent?"  Welkin was frustrated and the boy, Garfield, was still claiming that he didn't cheat and losing himself.

"You are lying! You are just assuming that I cheated because both of our answers match! "  Garfield snatched both of the papers from Bianca's hand.

"I would ask you to watch your behavior and you need proof right?" Welkin walked close to him and touched his forehead.

[ MAGIA ARGUS 

MEMORY OVERWATCH ]

Garfield trembled and ceased like his soul left his body for a few minutes when Welkin moved his finger, Garfield fell on his knees.

"You… You were there!" Garfield was shivering and couldn't even lift up his head.

'What did he do?' 

" Magia Argus, that's Sir. Welkin trait, magic that gives the mage omnipresence, it's a Divine Origin, 

He must be beside every candidate and keep an eye on each of us, throughout the test." 

Luke explained to me, 

'Each one of us? At the same time?'

"Yup! The Argus magia makes the mage split himself in two: an unconscious physical body and a conscious astral body which can swim through dimensions and worlds, a Saint class mage can divide himself into many astral bodies at once, but if a novice tries to do it and makes even a minor mistake his consciousness will shatter and be lost in an infinite number of worlds and dimensions for eternity."

Luke was astonished and had a gleam in his eyes for Welkin, but really?

There are mages who can do this? That's why he was asleep! I wonder if I knew this spell I would've been exposed to the Tresguys' a long ago but the risk is too ominous.

'Even if one astral body loses astray?'

"Yes, after all, every astral body is part of one main consciousness, there are many mages that have gone senile or vegetative state because of the risk, the physical body will die but astral will wander astray forever. I know you are shocked but believe me, I am shocked too… splitting in eight hundred astral bodies at once and keeping an eye on us, I didn't even feel his presence, as expected from a Professor from Magus Academy." 

Luke was bewildered but,

screw this all!

If he was keeping eyes on everyone then he was watching me and Ruth too!

"You used a mirroring possession tool, didn't you? You switched your pen with the other candidate, then let it possess the pen you have, and traced everything that he wrote. Do you need any more proof, master Garfield?"

"I- I don't care! I prepared for this for many years! You can't kick me out! You don't know me, my father is Commander General Bokesil domain! He has a big army under him! If I tell him about you he'll get you kicked out of the Academy! I advise you to accept that you are lying and apologize to me."

The way he stuttered the whole time everyone knew Garfield was the one lying.

"I see then… I accept I am a liar" Sir. Welkin quickly retorted.

Everybody was confused at this point, what the fuck is going on!

While Garfield this was probably the happiest moment of his life, he looked so relieved and pleased, "I knew it! Haha well, then I-"  

"Just kidding! I hate brats like you now before I take the job of kicking you out by myself, move your ass-" Miss. Bianca covered Welkin's mouth with her hand and he passed out.

After dragging his body to the corner, she spoke...

"Seriously this guy! Well then I know you are all very discontented but it would've been better if you had tried to clear the trial without using lowly methods, now, please don't make this hard anymore and go to the waiting hall." 

When Miss. Bianca finished, a scene of the grief broke, outcries and a series of apologies started, many fainted on spot and a few of them arrogantly walked away, in some time few more of the faculty showed up and consoled the candidates and escorted them.

In half an hour all the expelled candidates cleared the ground.

("Sucks to be them!"

"Good thing they were expelled!"

"All of them are dogs!"

"Well deserved!") The remaining candidates started chattering again, many of them were mocking and making fun of them.

"Phew! I am tired of doing this every year! Now then, for the rest of the candidates, I will advise you not to laugh at others, they were expelled for disobeying, we still haven't announced the result yet, so save the celebration for later." A silence scattered and the anxiety came back to the assembly.

Welkin, rubbing his head, joined Bianca and our hearts started racing.

"Shall we begin? Well then please pull out your G.S.C card." Miss. Bianca looked serious.

"The total number of candidates that took the first trial was eight hundred,

In which 103 were disqualified for crossing the time limit, from the remaining 697 candidates 268 candidates were expelled for cheating and breaking the rules.

Leaving 429 candidates who completed the trial fairly, but only 239 candidates passed the trial."

The earth escaped from my feet, the way I wrote my paper I don't think I can pass, but what was the correct way of answering the paper!?

'Ayo Luke? How did you solve your paper?' Maybe what I did was the right way to solve the paper and everybody did that too!

"Hmm? Didn't you use a magus circle encryption or compressed writing spells?"

'Fuck!' How could I forget that! The right way to solve the paper was to first devise all the answers and encrypt them into the magus circle after drawing them.

Magus circles are basically a structured spell and enchant we learn by words, it was a reverse method! Fuck I am going to fail!

I was reading too much between the lines, it was just a normal academic test!

"So now all of aware that those with the rank 239 or above are passed and those below them have failed the trail, and your ranking was updated the moment the trial finished, you can check your ranks now and those who failed the trial, please humbly join the other candidates in the waiting hall." Miss. Bianca finished and stepped down the podium and joined the crowd.

Instantly, the cries and weeping began again, it couldn't be helped.

I am still collecting the courage to turn in my card and ask my rank, 

'Alright! Give me your blessings, mother! Here goes nothing!'

I turned my card, 

'What's my ranking?' 

A savage storm was going under my chest, and then my card glowed, 

| RANK - 239th |

| QUESTION ATTENDED - 61 |

| CORRECT ANSWERS - 60 |

'HELL YEAH!!' I screamed my lungs out!

'I can't believe it! I passed it! I am so happy!' Tears of joy started spewing out of my eyes, I started weeping like an idiot in the middle of the ground.

"Rise!" Ruth walked up to me, I looked at her and she was crying too.

'Oh yes, Ruth did you...did you pass?' It will break my heart if she fails the test after all this.

She raised her card and showed her rank, 

| RANK - 197th |

| QUESTION ATTENDED - 70 |

| CORRECT ANSWERS - 70 |

'I am so happy for you- wait a minute! How come you attempted 70 questions?' I am kinda feeling betrayed.

She wiped her tears and smiled at me,

"Ah, this you see I always had small handwriting and I thoroughly prepared for the test, so when you gave me the idea I was unsure at first but thanks to you… thanks to you… thanks to…" she broke into tears again, 

I can't be angry at her for all this. I think she worked hard too.

'Oye, it's still too early to thank me, we still have -' she hugged me out of nowhere, 

'Ru..Ru..Ruth? What happened?' Even though no candidates were looking at us, it was still embarrassing. I don't know what to do. Even though she is hugging me, she is crying like a small kid. I can't shoo her like this, so I just stood there while she cried her eyes out.

"Oh my! Am I disturbing you?" Miss Bianca showed up in front of me.

"What are you talking-

.

.

KYAA!" she threw a heavy punch on my jaw.

I flew for at least two seconds.

"It's not what you think Miss Bianca!" Flustered and smoke started coming out of her head.

Is she angry at me for some reason?

"Well that was a good punch, hope he is breathing Rise can you get up? Sir. Welkin wanted to say something to both of you."

Miss.Bianca straightened up my back and Sir. Welkin walked up to us but when he looked at me he clicked his tongue at me, 

He closed his face to me and spoke 

"Damn you couples!" Miss Bianca thrashed a punch at him.

"Say what you wanted earlier."

"I am sorry, well then I know what you are thinking. Why weren't you expelled? Well you never exchanged answers, just looked at each other but how did you come up with the same idea?" 

'It was just a coincidence' I and Ruth avoided eye contact with him and each other.

"Well I am surprised you even came up with that dumb idea but you did well on both not giving up until the end helping her." He smiled and patted my head.

"Well, then shall we go-" 

Suddenly a huge blast sound came from the direction of the west gate.

"Now what?" Welkin and Bianca were so pissed!