There were only three families ahead of Vlad and Chloe, waiting for their child’s turn.

Sophia was standing beside the door, calling out the names. When their name was called, the student entered the room and the family left the Convocation Hall. After fifteen to twenty minutes, another name would be called. No one was coming back from the door they were entering.

’There must be another door inside the room,’ Vlad thought inwardly.

Once Chloe’s name was called, Vlad handed her the Black Card before she went inside. Surprisingly, Vlad’s name was called in just the next five minutes.

"All the best, Vlad," Sophia said, clenching both of her fists in encouragement.

"Thank you, Miss Sophia," he said before opening the door.

It was a large room inside, with a wide wooden table placed against the far wall. Two middle-aged men sat on the opposite side of the table, both dressed in formal attire.

On the left was a man with shoulder-length black hair, a wide chin, and an overly sharp nose. His eyebrows were knitted into two inverted V’s that only added to his shrewd appearance. He was draped in a plain white shirt with a tightly buttoned collar and a long maroon coat worn over it. He was Dorin Casvel, the first-year professor for the Fundamentals of Magic.

"Introduce yourself," Dorin ordered in a cold tone. He seemed clearly annoyed for some reason.

"Greetings, Sirs. I am Vlad Lumberjack from Grimwood Village," Vlad introduced himself with a slight bow, placing his hand over his chest just as Elaria had taught him.

"Oh, you are also from Grimwood Village," the man beside Dorin said, his face carrying a grin he was struggling to contain.

He had short cyan hair, deep black eyes, and a short beard that was not properly shaved, covering the lower half of his face. His muscular frame was draped in attire similar to Dorin’s, though the top three buttons of his shirt were left open, revealing his chest hair, and the coat he wore was black. He was Victor Vael, the first-year professor for the Fundamentals of Combat.

"Are you acquainted with Miss Chloe?" Victor asked.

"Yes, Sir," Vlad replied politely.

The grin on Victor’s face widened as he asked further, "Then you must also be enrolling to become a knight."

Vlad kept a straight face and answered with another yes. He could hear Dorin clicking his tongue at his answer.

"Alright, fill out this application form quickly and submit it," Dorin muttered, dragging a paper and pen forward along the table.

Vlad stepped forward, reached the table, quickly filled out the form, and submitted it to Dorin.

"You can g—" Dorin’s words stopped mid-sentence as his eyes fell on something peculiar on the paper.

"Tch, can you not even write properly?" he muttered, handing the paper back. "How could you write your talent incorrectly? Well, I cannot blame you. It is already a miracle that you can write at all, being a commoner."

His last comment drew a sharp glare from Victor, the earlier grin fading from his face entirely. Just as he was about to speak—

"But I did not write it incorrectly," Vlad answered, reading the application.

"You mean you are a D-Rank?" Dorin asked, his eyes narrowing.

"Yes—"

Just as he said those words, Dorin slammed his fist onto the table, his face twisting in anger.

"Do you not know the criteria for enrolling in the Arcane Academy?" Dorin snarled. "Not even a noble would dare to come here with a mere D-Rank talent."

"D-Rank?" Victor murmured, grabbing the application form.

After reading through it, he turned his gaze to Vlad and asked, "Were you truly unaware?"

"It does not matter whether he was or not," Dorin said before Vlad could answer. "Both him and the student who let him enter must be punished so that something like this does not happen again."

He was about to tap the bell placed on the table when Vlad revealed, "I am not enrolling on the basis of talent."

Despite the professor’s behaviour, Vlad was completely composed. He had already predicted that something like this would happen. From the inner pocket of his blazer, he took out a red envelope. Its high quality paper had a matte finish and the envelope was sealed with wax, an emblem of a flame engraved upon it.

He placed the envelope on the table.

"A letter from House Cendral?" Dorin mumbled, recognising the seal. He opened the envelope and took out a folded letter from inside.

As he read its contents, his eyes slowly widened, his hands gripping the letter tightly.

"H-how dare you..." he muttered through clenched teeth before shouting out louder. "How dare you forge a fake letter in the name of the Archmage?"

"This is not fake. Lord Lucas himself gave this lett—"

"Like hell I would believe that!" Dorin snapped, rising from his seat in anger. "A former hero, the most powerful battle mage alive, wrote a recommendation letter for a D-Ranked commoner?"

A thick vapour of energy began radiating from Dorin’s skin, his brown eyes glaring down at Vlad like a predator’s.

Vlad’s breath hitched under the suffocating pressure. Cold sweat broke through his skin and he felt as if his whole body were being crushed.

Yet he did not waver. He clenched his fists and forced out the words, "D-do y-you have...any proof th-that this is f-forged?" 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

"There is no need for proof!" Dorin answered, moving forward. With each step he took, the pressure on Vlad’s body increased several fold. "I will have one of your arms and legs for trying to scam your way in."

"Professor Dorin, you should stop," Victor said, holding the letter in his hand, having just finished reading it carefully. "The seal on the envelope is from House Cendral. There are no signs of manipulation. The stamp of the family head is placed inside the letter as well."

"No! I do not believe it! There is no way that is true," Dorin snapped back. He did not seem convinced at all.

"Enroll him in the academy. If the letter turns out to be fake, he will be punished according to the law," Victor explained in a calm tone. "But what if it is real? According to the letter, Vlad is the son of someone to whom Lord Lucas owes his life. Can you afford the wrath of the Pyro Tyrant after crippling this boy?"

Dorin instantly froze at the words Pyro Tyrant, a vision of a mountain of fire rising in his mind. Only then did the pressure on Vlad subside, and he was able to breathe.

"Huff...huff..." Vlad gasped, clutching his chest under heavy breaths, his hair damp and plastered to his forehead in sweat.

Dorin clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white with both anger and frustration. He knew better than to offend one of the five heroes of the War of Dragons.

"In that case, I will test this commoner myself," Dorin declared. "If he was truly recommended by the Pyro Tyrant, he must possess some extraordinary ability beyond that D-Ranked talent."

Ding...

[A new side quest has been triggered!

Side Quest: Dorin’s Test

Description: Dorin Casvel has insulted the Chosen of the Legacy System. Slap Dorin Casvel and show him his place.

Reward on Completion: Unlock of a new hidden stat.

Penalty on Failure: Block of the System for an indefinite time.]