Chapter 46: The Enterance Exam
The auditorium was already overflowing by the time the examination candidates were called inside.
Thousands of voices overlapped beneath the enormous ceiling, creating a restless noise that never quite settled. Students filled the floor according to no formal arrangement yet, some standing with their equipment, others sitting wherever they could find space while they waited for the examination to begin.
The tension was impossible to miss.
"Do you think the first test is combat?"
"I heard they eliminate half the candidates before the practical examination."
"Are you nerveous?"
"I’m not nervous."
"Your hands are shaking."
"They’re not."
"They are."
"Shut up."
Another cluster continued.
"They’re making it sound worse than it is."
"Exactly. We’ve trained for this."
"Surviving a few days on an island isn’t difficult."
"Then you won’t mind if I stay behind you."
Around them, the candidates prepared in their own ways. Knights checked their weapons and tightened straps, mages reviewed spell structures one last time, while martial artists stretched and moved through familiar forms to keep their bodies loose. Some people were talking too much because they were nervous. Others had already retreated into silence.
A few looked excited enough to be disappointed if the examination turned out to be easier than rumored.
Others looked as though they were reconsidering every decision that had brought them here.
The noise gradually diminished as more candidates noticed the elevated seats surrounding the auditorium.
Conversations became quieter.
Heads turned upward.
The people seated above them were enough to silence most of the remaining whispers.
Academy officials occupied the surrounding platforms, but the central seats were reserved for the candidates who had already secured their places among the academy’s most distinguished young talents.
Elysia was among them.
She sat comfortably, one arm resting against the chair, watching the candidates below with the calm of someone who had nothing left to prove.
Beside her sat Ben, the Headmaster’s son. His dark-green hair and green eyes made the resemblance obvious, but the expression on his face suggested that inheriting the Headmaster’s position had apparently come with a permanent headache.
He looked around the auditorium as though he’d already found something annoying and was waiting for it to get worse.
Cale, the eldest son of the Duke of Zypher, sat on Ben’s other side.
Unlike Ben, he seemed perfectly comfortable.
He looked down at the candidates with a faint smile, his expression carrying more pity than admiration. To him, the people below weren’t future rivals. They were children who had yet to understand what they had volunteered for.
He turned toward Ben.
"Don’t you think they’re pathetic? Look at them. Squirming, whispering, getting excited over an examination without knowing what awaits them."
He paused. "It’s almost sad. A dog never realizes it’s a dog."
Ben’s jaw tightened. He turned slowly.
"Shut the hell up, you lunatic. Don’t talk to me."
Cale looked at him with mild pity. "You need a leash, Ben. Unfortunately, I’m not sufficiently bored to entertain you."
Ben’s chair scraped against the floor as he stood.
"Do you want to die, Cale?"
Cale stood as well.
Neither looked remotely interested in backing down.
Before they could escalate further, a woman’s voice interrupted them.
"By the Goddess, can you not do this on such a sacred day?"
Both turned.
The Saintess stood a few paces away, her golden-green hair catching the light. Her expression was gracious, but there was steel beneath the surface.
Ben and Cale immediately bowed. Elysia followed with a slight inclination of her head.
"We greet the Saintess."
"Raise your heads," she said with a smile.
They did.
She turned toward Elysia. "Shouldn’t you stop them, my dear?"
Elysia glanced at the two boys.
"They do this every time."
Her smile remained perfectly pleasant.
"Believe me, they’ll stop after bleeding each other out."
The Saintess looked from Elysia to the two boys.
Cale and Ben looked at each other, then sat.
She decided not to say anything.
Before she could respond, the auditorium doors opened.
A girl entered alone.
Black hair fell down her back, framing sharp red eyes beneath a pair of feline ears. Small fangs showed even when her mouth was closed, giving her an expression that was more predatory than threatening.
The crowd recognized her before she reached the center of the hall.
"That’s the Primordial Beast Tribe..."
"She’s a direct descendant."
"Another recommendation student?"
"Don’t stare."
Someone stared anyway.
His friend immediately pulled his sleeve.
"Do you enjoy dying?"
The Beast Princess ignored all of them.
She walked to the upper platform, bowed to the Saintess, gave the others a brief nod, and took her seat without saying a word.
Then the auditorium doors opened again.
The next group to enter drew a different kind of attention.
Elves.
Their golden-haired princess walked at the front, her golden eyes moving across the auditorium with quiet confidence. Several elves surrounded her at first, speaking softly among themselves, but they separated as they approached the platform and left her to continue alone.
The reaction below was immediate.
"The Elven Princess..."
"She’s actually here."
"Just look at her! I can die in peace now!"
"Keep your voice down."
The princess seemed entirely unaffected by any of it.
She reached the platform, greeted Elysia, and received the same courtesy in return.
The Saintess attempted to address her.
The princess ignored her.
She chose an empty seat with space on both sides and sat.
The Saintess’s smile tightened almost imperceptibly.
Cale glanced toward the entrance.
"Where is the Hero?"
He looked mildly amused by the interaction between the Saintess and the Elven princess, but he decided not to comment.
"I wouldn’t be surprised if they gave him a recommendation."
"He was offered one."
"And?"
"He refused. He wants to earn his place himself."
Cale was genuinely dumbfounded. "What?"
Ben and Cale reacted almost simultaneously.
"What a pushover."
The Saintess let the subject of the Hero disappear before turning her attention toward Elysia.
"There’s something else I’m curious about."
Elysia glanced toward her.
"Caelus Vespera."
The Saintess’s tone remained casual.
"I’ve heard he reached C-rank despite being classified as D-rank potential."
A few people nearby immediately started listening.
"And apparently," she continued, "there are rumors that he’s a Contractor."
She turned toward Elysia. "What do you think about the rumors? You are his fiancée, after all."
Elysia responded calmly, her voice carrying an edge of dry amusement. "I didn’t realize the Saintess was this invested in commonfolk gossip."
Ben lowered his head, hiding the corner of his mouth.
"It’s propaganda."
"Think about it. If Caelus were really a Contractor, would the Church allow him to walk around the Imperial Capital and attend the academy? Someone is trying to drag his reputation through the mud before the examination even begins."
The Saintess countered. "That still doesn’t explain how he advanced to C-rank so quickly."
Cale folded his arms.
"She’s right. D-rank potential doesn’t simply become C-rank without some extraordinary explanation."
He looked toward the entrance.
"If the Contractor rumor is true, it would explain it."
Elysia dismissed the discussion with a wave of her hand. "Does it matter?"
She smiled faintly.
"As long as the church doesn’t take action, nothing will change."
The doors opened again.
This time, the reaction was immediate.
The Vesperas had arrived.
Toren entered first, carrying himself with the confidence expected of a direct Vespera heir. Behind him came the fidgety boy with round glasses and five other candidates.
The family name alone was enough to quiet several conversations.
Then people started looking for one person.
Caelus.
The candidates noticed immediately. Whispers spread through the crowd like ripples in water.
"Where is he?"
"He’s not with them."
"Wasn’t he supposed to take the examination?"
"Don’t tell me he ran."
"After everything that happened?"
Toren’s expression tightened, but he kept walking.
He led his group to their seats, refusing to acknowledge the whispers.
The doors opened once more.
Several candidates immediately looked toward the entrance.
"That’s him?"
The whisper died when Anna entered.
The Imperial Princess.
The entire room immediately rose or bowed. Their voices carried the weight of deference due to royalty. Anna walked through the auditorium with composed confidence, her wine-red hair catching the light. She smiled and acknowledged the candidates, her presence elevating the room’s tension.
She reached the upper platform and took the central seat, slightly elevated above the others. Her position naturally established her status without requiring her to announce it.
Once Anna had taken her seat, the auditorium gradually settled again.
The instructors stationed around the hall released no visible magic, yet their combined presence made the room feel heavier.
Some candidates straightened unconsciously.
A few stopped whispering altogether.
The academy had placed several A-rank or stronger instructors around the examination hall.
The doors opened again.
Every head turned.
The Hero walked in.
He looked entirely too comfortable for someone arriving with the entire auditorium waiting for him. A warm smile spread across his face as he raised a hand.
He waved.
The reaction was immediate.
"Kyaa~~~! That’s the Hero!"
"He actually came!"
"He’s even more handsome in person."
"Oh my god! He waved at me~~"
"He did not know you existed."
"He still waved at me."
The Hero laughed lightly at the reaction and continued greeting people as he walked. He didn’t seem arrogant enough to enjoy humiliating anyone, but he was clearly accustomed to being admired.
It suited him.
The room liked him almost immediately.
Ben watched him with genuine interest.
Cale’s expression was harder to read, his earlier contempt replaced by assessment.
The Saintess looked pleased.
Anna watched openly.
The Beast Princess merely observed.
The Elven Princess didn’t bother turning around.
Elysia looked exactly as she had before.
Unimpressed.
Once the excitement faded, the Hero took his place and the Student Council President stepped forward.
Azrael Vespera, Caelus’s older brother, stood above the candidates. His presence alone carried enough authority to silence much of the remaining chatter.
He had been entrusted with overseeing the examination, and unlike the other students seated among the spectators, he was here in an official capacity.
He surveyed the auditorium once before raising his voice.
"Candidates..."
The doors opened again.
This time, irritation came before curiosity.
The guards immediately moved to close them.
Several candidates turned toward the interruption, wondering who would be reckless enough to arrive after the official briefing had already begun.
The doors stopped closing.
A figure stood in the doorway.
Caelus Vespera stepped into the auditorium.