The criteria to enroll in the Arcane Academy differed for nobles and commoners. Nobles needed at least C-rank talent, while commoners were required to have A-rank talent.

There was another way for aspirants to enter, bypassing the rank requirement: a recommendation from a high noble such as a Duke, a King, or a former hero like Lucas Cendral.

---

Chloe clenched her fists and bit her lower lip before finally asking,

"What will you do if I awaken with a low rank and cannot enter the Arcane Academy?"

"Then I guess it’s a bye-bye," Vlad replied in a nonchalant tone.

"Is that so..." Chloe’s voice barely escaped her lips as her clenched fists slowly loosened. "In that case, I will remain in the village. Don’t forget to visit me when you retur—Ack!"

"What nonsense are you muttering?" Vlad said, flicking her forehead. "Why would you stay in the village? We will enroll in another academy."

"But you just said it’s a bye-bye," Chloe whined, rubbing her reddened forehead.

"Yeah, bye-bye to the Arcane Academy," Vlad clarified, walking ahead with his arms resting behind his head.

"Why?" Chloe asked, her eyelids finally lifting. "Why would you give up on your goal? You trained for ten years for this."

"The Arcane Academy is not my goal. Becoming the Legendary Knight is. And from what is known, the Legendary Knight never enrolled in any academy," Vlad explained. He then ruffled Chloe’s hair. "Besides, who is going to feed this piggy? You might devour the whole village in my absence."

"I’m not a piggy," Chloe muttered, pinching his sides.

"Ow, ow, you can’t resort to violence, piggy," Vlad blurted, tapping out.

"Idiot Vlad," she muttered, letting go.

A gentle breeze brushed past them, pushing back the strands of Chloe’s hair and revealing a faint smile on her serene face.

"Let’s hurry, or we will be late," she said, quickening her pace.

Vlad glanced at her for a moment before following after her.

"Yeah, coming."

---

After several hours of passing through multiple villages, vast open grasslands, and small forests along the stone path, the duo finally reached Barton, the City of Harvest.

"It always smells great whenever I visit this place," Vlad said, taking a deep breath at the entrance.

Barton was the kind of city where the aroma of fresh bread would reach one’s nose long before its walls came into view.

The streets were lively and bustling, filled with haggling merchants, carts grinding over worn stone, and smoke curling up from countless chimneys.

Large shops lined the main streets, offering a variety of magical agricultural tools such as never-dulling hoes and axes capable of biting through timber twice their size.

Across the crossroads, stalls and small shops displayed vials, charms, and tiny enchanted pouches, traded for just a few bronze coins.

"You are amazing, Barton City," Chloe murmured, her lips parting in awe. It was her first time visiting the city.

"You should say Barton City is amazing," Vlad corrected with a sigh.

Ignoring his obvious language lesson, she exclaimed,

"Let’s go there."

Her finger pointed toward a restaurant at the corner, where numerous tables were set outside for people to dine.

"First, we need to get a token for the Awakening Ritual," Vlad said, shaking his head as he pointed toward the road leading deeper into the city. "We can eat after that."

"No, I’m starving. Food first," Chloe declared, already heading toward the restaurant, a trace of drool at the corner of her lips.

"Sigh... what else could I expect from this glutton?" Vlad muttered, facepalming as he followed her.

It was already a miracle that Chloe had not complained about hunger during the journey, so Vlad decided to let her stubbornness slide this time.

What he did not know was that Elaria had packed a full day’s worth of food in Chloe’s bag, which she had already secretly devoured, making sure Vlad would not notice.

She didn’t want her ear to be pulled again.

When Vlad reached the restaurant, Chloe was already placing her order with the waiter,

"Three plates of spiced grilled lamb skewers, five plates of roasted chicken, two bowls of pork mushroom soup, four grilled fish and... one more plate of spiced grilled lamb skewers."

"Definitely not," Vlad declared sharply. "We are revising that order."

"It’s mine. You can order your ow—"

"Why is everything you ordered just meat?" Vlad muttered, pulling her ear.

"Hng... w-what is wrong with you?" Chloe whimpered. "I can eat whatever I want."

Her protest fell on deaf ears. Vlad canceled half of her meat dishes and replaced them with vegetables while placing his own order.

---

"Can you stop sulking now?" Vlad said, noticing Chloe sitting silently across the table.

To anyone else, she would seem perfectly fine, her face carrying an unreadable expression. But Vlad could read her expressions like an open book. He knew she was on the verge of tears.

If only he could read her feeli—ahem, anyways...

"The waiter was laughing," Chloe mumbled softly.

’Oh, so she is embarrassed because I pulled her ear in front of the waiter,’ Vlad sighed inwardly.

"I was too rude. Please forgive me, beautiful lady."

Chloe raised her eyes and found Vlad holding a jumbo lollipop in his hand, large enough to cover his entire face.

"When did you buy it?" she asked, immediately snatching it from his hand.

"When you ran ahead to place the order," Vlad replied. "So, am I forgiven?"

Chloe did not answer. She simply hid her face behind the candy.

"Huh, your ears are red," Vlad said, leaning closer.

He placed his hand on her forehead and continued, "Do you have a fever?"

"Don’t touch me," Chloe muttered, brushing his hand away. "Idiot, Vlad."

Soon, the waiter arrived with their food. By the time they finished eating, it was already evening, with long shadows of buildings stretching across the streets.

The duo hurried toward the inner city, where two long lines of young men and women, around their age, had gathered outside a church.

"We are not too late," Vlad sighed in relief as they joined the lines.

Turning to Chloe, he added, "Do not wander off. Meet me right here after you get your token."

Chloe nodded silently, her tongue too busy licking the lollipop to respond properly.

The two moved into separate lines.

The Awakening Ritual took place at the Holy Church of every city once a year on a fixed date. Coincidentally, Vlad was only two months away from turning seventeen, while Chloe had turned sixteen just a few days earlier, making both of them eligible for the ritual this year.

Since many people turned sixteen each year, the Church had introduced a token system to manage the crowd, assigning a specific time slot to every individual.

"Oi, look at that chick," a young man with grey hair in front of Vlad said with a gasp. "She is freaking gorgeous."

"Damn, I have never seen that hair color before," another beside him, with brown hair, added. "She looks like a foreigner."

After a brief pause, the grey-haired man declared,

"That’s it. She’s completely my type. I’m gonna ask her out."

"Heh, just look at yourself. Do you really think she will say yes to you?" the brown-haired one mocked.

"Watch it, bastard," the grey-haired man muttered sharply. The corner of his lips lifted as he added,

"Besides, do you think I care about her consent?"

Vlad followed their gaze and saw that the girl they were talking about was none other than Chloe, who was quietly eating her lollipop in the line for girls.