Chapter 57

57 The Second Exam (Part 3)

It is too quiet, too quiet in Anne’s mind. She was walking alongside the exam administrators. It was a long walk to get to the exam room. The exam administrator had told her that the exam rooms were relocated to another building. She suspected it already. Her room where Rosy stomped her hand must be sealed and guards were going to investigate it.

She felt the numbness on her hand, as suspected when you use a Lavengar flower and mix it with Aloeroot and Gaaram, the best painkillers that her parents have thought her. She kept some mixture a secret from the healers. After all, it could be her leverage later on.

Before she step inside the room, Anne then took a deep breath. She opens the door and was ready for whatever happened, but one thing was for sure, she will never give up. Becoming a healer is her ambition, the first ambition she has, whether in the old world or in this new world.

Inside the exam room, there are three examiners and a dozen of exam administrators. There’s also a peculiar black screen, stuck behind in the corner. The other exam participants were kept in the waiting room after they have being evaluated. The three examiners called for Anne to step forward onto the platform in front of them.

Chief Hale, as one of the examiners, smiled at Anne and pointed at the chair on the platform. Carefully, she took a seat on the chair and look nervously at the examiners.

One examiner, a woman with red hair and black eyes, is the one who speaks to her, “River Anne, my name is Chief Carla, thank you for your patient, as you already know this second exam will test your knowledge, skill, and your magica in a real situation.”

“Yes, thank you for the chance. I am ready.” Said Anne, she nodded her head. Her hands were shaken a bit, half of it from her nervousness, half from the pain that she need to endure. The concoction works wonderfully. Nevertheless, the sharp festering pain still lingered around her finger.

Chief Carla noticed the tremble on her hand. “River Anne, are you alright?” Asked Chief Carla. She has a bit of sympathy for the girl but is wary of her behavior. Chief Carla thought Anne was an opportunist, especially when the first exam incident happened.

“I am alright, chief Carla, thank you for your concerned.” Answered Anne, while she carefully rubbed her injured hand.

.....

Glances at the black screen behind her, Chief Carla continued her explanation, “Right, we begin with your knowledge test, after, we have your skill test, and then the magica,” she turned her head to the other two chiefs, and said, “Let us begin.”

The first test was basically questioned about herbs and medicine, or how to treat wounds or diseases. The chiefs will be asked one question each, and Anne needs to answer one question at a time. She eloquently answered every question accurately. Chief Hale was again admiring how intelligent these young women were. Chief Carla remains undeterred. Anne has the perfect answer and most likely the best answer she had heard from all the participants. The girl is intrigued by her eyes.

Proceed to the second test. The effect of the painkiller was almost dissipated. Anne can feel it, the sharp pain that came from her index finger. She tried to endure the pain by concentrating on the task in front of her. Her second test is to bandage an open wound that doesn’t get any treatment for days. The injury has a rotten smell and bacterial infection already appears from the flesh inside. The wounded came to the main hospital today, and have brown and dirty shirts. His black short hair was scruffy and fleas were everywhere.

Ignoring her own pain, Anne bites her lips and assesses the wound. She observes and also sniffs the wound, much to the examiner’s dismay. The three of them observe her every move. She put the sterile gloves on and hold the hand of the patient carefully. Calluses were everywhere in his hands, and she disinfect the wound using distilled water.

“May I asked you something first?” Anne tried to ask the man a question.

“Wait, is it really necessary? We just need your observation and you just need to relay your answer about how to treat the wound to us.” said chief Carla, with a frown on her face.

“Let it be chief Carla. I wanted to see where this is going.” Said the other examiners to the reluctant chief. He turn away to look at Anne, and said, “You may continue, miss.”

Anne nodded her head, “Thank you chief,” Said Anne, as she begin to question the wounded. “What is your job?”

The wounded answered, “I am a farmer, miss.”

“Did you use mountain fertilizer in your farmland?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Did your injury come from one of your farming tools?”

“Yes, miss, the sickle that I use on my farmland.”

Anne gave him a warm smile and said, “Thank you. You may rest now. You’re in good hands here.”

The wounded man had a certain calmness afterward. The healers took him away immediately to be treated. Our heroine, on the other hand, suffers from the pain of her crushing finger. She winced and tried to hold the hand, rubbing it continuously. She tried so hard to dull the pain while trying to focus on her answer.

“So, what is the right method to treat his wound?” Asked chief Hale to Anne.

“We... Uhm... we need to apply the mixture of Redonian and Nettleroot ashes,” Said Anne, at this point, the pain is almost unbearable, she goes through it by pinching his thigh with her healthy hand, “And... and then, uhm... use the infused water of dried Aloeroot with Calugold, to ease the burning flesh.”

The three examiners were gasping. They are looking at each other, surprised by Anne’s answer.

“Miss River Anne, the farmer was suffering from a slash wound, not a burn wound. Why do you suggest using Aloeroot and Calugold?” Asked chief Carla curiously.

“Because... Ugh... Because the slash wound has a slight burn wound, chief, when I sniffed the flesh there was a slight smell of burnt flesh inside of the wound.”

Murmuring begin in every corner of the room, even the man from behind the black screen was intrigued by her answer. Anne stood there, suffering from her pain, but bravely looks at the examiners, ready to give them the answers that they need.

“The... the burnt flesh resulted from the fertilizers that the farmer uses, mountain fertilizer means that he uses active volcanic ashes. I... I suspected the farmland suffering from harsh conditions, so he needs to make the land fertile again.” Said Anne to the examiners.

The examiners were shocked. Out of twelve participants this year, Anne was the only participant with a correct answer. One of them also noticed the burnt flesh but failed to give the correct medicine for it. As for Anne, not only did she notice the burnt flesh, but she also knew the correct medicine to treat the wound. Chief Hale is smiling, the same as the man on the black screen behind him.

Exhausted, Anne ask for permission to sit down, chief Hale agreed immediately, and when she gets comfortable as she can be, a large crystal was brought upon, a large crystal with a meter from zero to one hundred, there was a bangle attached to the crystal by a thin translucent thread. The exam administrator asked Anne to raise her healthy hand, they put the bangle on her, and chant a spell to the crystal.

Anne nervously waited for the result. Everyone in the room grew quieter. The man behind the black screen even stands up from his chair, anxious about the result. The crystal begins to glow with a rainbow color; light shines inside the meter, and it stopped at five.

“That is impossible!” said chief Hale. “The girl only has five percent of magica?!”

As much as how surprised everyone is, Anne was shocked. She was ready to see if the crystal will be down at zero. Never she could imagine that she gets five percent of magica inside of her. Not for the man behind the black screen. He goes back to his seat and smirks. He whispered into a monster behind him.

“Go to Gaftan right away. Tell Vale that our plan is successful.”

‘At once, your majesty.’ said the monster in the shadow, a monster with a shape of a big wolf, disappearing through the wall.

The man looks at Anne from the crevices of the black screen, his red ruby eyes focusing on the purple hair girl, her beautiful face, and then goes to her wounded hand. His hands clasp together and he turns his glances to another man behind him.

“Bernard, I need you to investigate the incident involving River Anne’s injury. I want you to give me the name of the culprit and the story behind the incident, do you hear me?”

Bernard bows at the red ruby eyes man, who is sitting in front of him. “At your service, your majesty.”

Justice’s eyes fuming with anger, he can see how Anne has struggled so much, and not long after the magica revelation, she passed out in the chair. He wanted so badly to run and carry her, but not for now. His infatuation with her will become a burden for the poor girl. He let her be carried away to the infirmary, and that’s when he appeared from the black screen.

The three examiners look at him with a wary face. Fears are visible on their faces, while Justice calmly stood in front of them.

“I assume you know why I insisted on observing the exam by now?” Said Justice. His calm face will fool no one in the room.