Silence.

This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.

Jacob lowered his Shield with a frown.

“…The power and density were both lacking for a Second Circle Mage,” he stated after a second.

“No, they were average,” the black-haired professor retorted, then looked at Rylan. “Please cast it again, student.”

Slightly confused, Rylan cast the spell once more after Jacob raised another Shield. The Missile crashed against it and disappeared after a second, just like before. He looked at the professors.

“Cast it three times as quickly as you can. Aim for different spots,” a female professor suddenly said.

Oh, so that’s what this is about.

Circulating his mana, Rylan cast Magic Missile as fast as he could. The first mana arrow landed against the Shield. Barely one and a half seconds later, just as it was crumbling into nothingness after meeting a barrier it couldn’t pierce, another hit the Shield. The same went for the third time.

At this point, Jacob’s frown was as noticeable as it could be. He gritted his teeth as veins bulged on his forehead. As if they couldn’t see this, the other professors started speaking.

“The casting speed makes up for the ordinary power.”

“But not completely. Against a sturdy Magic Shield, a single powerful hit can be more effective than many weaker ones.”

“Indeed, but enemies incapable of dual casting would be forced to lower their Shield eventually to attack. His casting speed would prove its usefulness then.”

“Assuming that the enemy would even want to attack. In a battlefield, they could easily turtle up inside a Magic Shield while relying on allies to attack.”

“Then those allies would be the ones to lower their Shield instead, making them vulnerable. Only the target would change. Either way, such speed is a powerful weapon.”

Rylan listened to their discussion with interest. It provided him with some insight into how experienced Mages thought and fought. They continued to talk, while Professor Jacob simply stared at Rylan, but he didn’t even look at the man. There was no need to give this type of person any attention. After a few minutes, the black-haired professor smiled at Rylan.

“75 points,” he said.

The other professors chimed in, looking at Rylan with more interest.

“65 points.”

“60 points.”

“70 points.”

"70 points."

Jacob shot a glance at them, keeping his frown.

“50 points,” he spat out.

The black-haired professor immediately frowned.

“Nonsense. Are you really letting your personal feelings cloud your judgment, Professor Jacob?”

Jacob glared at him. In the meantime, Rylan just nodded. The grades were in line with his expectations. Because he had invested his Free Points in his physical stats, his spells weren’t as powerful as those of pure Mages on his Level could be. However, that wasn’t where he truly shone. His stage wasn’t this kind of exam, which only took into account stats and proficiency with a spell.

“Now, student, you may leave and continue with the other exams. Keep in mind that even after you finish them, there is the tournament a week from now,” the kind professor said after coldly staring at Professor Jacob.

Rylan bowed slightly to him, making him smile.

“What is your name, professor?” Rylan asked.

“Owen,” the professor replied with a smile.

Rylan nodded at him and at the other professors: but didn’t even glance at Jacob: and left the room. He could hear Jacob’s loud complaints before he even closed the door behind him. Looking ahead, he came face to face with a girl.

She had blond hair and sharp blue eyes, much like his own, and white, rosy skin. Her delicate face donned a calm and collected expression. She only reached up to his chin. It was as if she were a white lily in the middle of a flower garden. However, what caught Rylan’s eye wasn’t her beauty; he immediately looked at her waist.

A sword?

He blinked in surprise. Someone who used a sword was going through the Magic Academies’ entrance exams? Raising his gaze to meet her eyes, he realized that she had noticed his weapon as well. Her previously serene eyes were now filled with interest.

“Wait for me here. It won’t take long,” she immediately said, in a tone that made it clear she was used to giving orders.

Rylan blinked again. She walked past him and entered the test room. After a few seconds, he shook his head with a laugh. To think a teenager had just given the past Sword Saint an order. He found it amusing, in a strange way.

Well, I’ve got to wait for Aelfric anyway.

He approached his brother, who was still waiting for his turn outside. Aelfric was staring at the room’s doors.

“…I didn’t think we would see another person with a sword,” he said absent-mindedly.

Rylan turned his head to look at the room’s entrance and chuckled.

“Me neither.”

He continued to talk to Aelfric as they waited for his turn. Suddenly, his eyes narrowed. The floor and the window behind them vibrated. The shaking wasn’t too strong, but it couldn’t escape his trained senses.

It came from the room.

A minute later, the door opened. The girl walked out, looking around and scanning the crowd with a steady gaze. Once her eyes met Rylan’s, she immediately stopped and approached them in steady steps, extending her hand toward him.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

“Jasmine Lamollet,” she said, staring at him. There was a tinge of pride in her voice, as if the name meant something, but he knew too little about the world to recognize it. He grinned.

“Rylan Flameheart. This is my younger brother, Aelfric.”

She raised her eyebrows in surprise after shaking his hand.

“Flameheart? Like Regis and Lillia Flameheart?”

Aelfric flinched as Rylan blinked. He hadn’t expected anyone to know of his surname, even though his brother and sister were students at the Academy. After a second, Rylan nodded.

“They’re my older siblings. I didn’t think you would know them.”

She eyed him up and down. Her interest was tempered by a layer of caution as her brow furrowed.

“Then, you must be the wastrel. Well, one of you two. The one guilty of everything.”

Oh?

He couldn’t avoid being surprised. It was unlikely for her to have heard the news directly in Cantavega, given the distance between the cities. Had the rumors about him already spread so far? Or was this related to how she knew Lillia and Regis?

“That’s me,” he nodded.

She stared deep into his eyes for a few seconds. This also gave him the opportunity to analyze her, in turn. It took some time, but he managed to get a general grasp of her power.

Third Circle.

She also seemed to be younger than him by one or two years, meaning that she was a rare talent. He wondered how she compared to Aelfric, who had wasted years of his life but still managed to reach the Second Circle.

“You don’t seem too bothered by the way I called you,” she suddenly said, still keeping her eyes on him and looking him up and down.

“My brother isn’t like that anymore,” Aelfric retorted before Rylan could reply. “He’s different. We are.”

Rylan nodded.

“I won’t run from my past mistakes. Yes, I was a wastrel who wasn’t worth even the air I breathed.”

She tilted her head.

“People don’t change so easily,” she said firmly, making him shrug.

“Believe what you will. Is that all you wanted to say?”

She shook her head.

“My older brother is part of the Academy and he’s friends with Regis. Most of Regis’ friends are familiar with you and your story, having heard it directly from him. But I’ll follow my own judgment,” she pointed at the sword on his waist. “Do you know how to wield that?”

Her tone sounded like she was interrogating him instead of just asking a question. He nodded after furrowing his brow.

“…Of course.”

Jasmine gave him a smile that held a savage edge, like a beast baring its fangs.

“Fight me. Let’s see what the wastrel can do. No magic.”

Rylan raised an eyebrow as Aelfric looked at him with an anxious expression.

“And what would I get out of it?”

She blinked, as if she hadn’t expected him to ask that. She puffed out her chest after a second.

“The opportunity to duel with me, a famous swordsman. You’ll also get to enter the Lamollet estate, here in the capital. If you do well, you’ll make a connection with me.”

He gave her a deadpan stare. She said nothing else, merely looking at him with a bright smile. Did she truly believe that those things were enough? That he should be glad for the opportunity to fight her? His patience with her tone and bearing finally ran out.

“No. I’ll pass,” he said in a dead tone, then turned to Aelfric, having completely lost interest in her. “You’re one of the next ones. Be ready. You already know what to expect.”

Aelfric nodded at him with a determined expression after glancing back and forth between him and Jasmine.

“Are you sure I can do well?”

“Of course. Just play to your strengths.”

Before they could continue the conversation, Jasmine’s voice resounded.

“Wait!” Rylan turned to look at her with a tired expression. She stared at him in disbelief for a few seconds. As he was about to turn away again, she continued. “I-I can give you money if you beat me!”

Rylan gave her the same deadpan stare. The moment her ‘request’ was denied, she lost her composure. There wasn’t much to gain from fighting a swordsman like this, even if she truly was skilled. The eyes that watched her behavior were Roland’s, not Rylan’s, and he was not impressed.

Maybe I’m being too harsh.

Her voice reached him as his gaze softened.

“…I never thought I’d find another swordsman here, of all places. I always want to test my skill against other swordsmen, like I have always done," she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Once she opened them again, they were calm and steady. “I’m sure it’s the same for you. Will you fight me? I’ll tell you what I know about your siblings.”

Now this was a different scenario. After unceasingly trying to save Rylan for a long time, Regis and Lillia had abandoned him after he cheated them one too many times. Ever since they’d left for the Academy, he hadn’t heard anything about them. In his heart, he longed for the opportunity to at least apologize for his past self’s actions, even if he couldn’t mend their broken relationship.

Bitterness bubbled within him, but he forcefully pushed it back down.

“And how will you do that?”

“I can ask my brother.”

Rylan silently stared at her before slowly nodding.

“Fine.”

She let out a sigh of relief, still looking a bit shocked. At that moment, the door to the test room opened and another applicant walked out.

“Go on, Aelfric. It’s your turn,” Rylan said, poking his brother’s side.

With a nervous nod, Aelfric entered the room. Around ten minutes later, he walked out, sighing. Rylan wrapped his arm around his shoulders as encouragement.

“You’ll be fine.”

Together with Aelfric and Jasmine, Rylan went through all the exams of that day. After they were finished, it was already nighttime. They reunited with Sarah, Luna, and Karune. Luna talked to Aelfric excitedly about the Academy’s facilities. Rylan smiled, leaving them to their conversation. His attention was drawn to the blond, blue-eyed young man next to Jasmine. He was about the same height as Rylan and looked to be around the same age.

“This is my brother, Liam,” she said while pointing at her brother.

Liam Lamollet extended his hand toward Rylan, but his eyes were cold.

“…Rylan Flameheart. I’ve heard many things about you.”

Rylan didn’t think his gaze was strange. It was only natural for someone who knew everything he’d done to hate him or at least despise him. His past actions were deserving of those emotions. However, he was no longer the person he was. While he didn’t need to prove it to everyone he encountered, he wanted to show Liam that he wasn’t the same. That way, the news might eventually reach his older siblings. Would they hate him a bit less if he tried to prove that he’d really changed? He had already hurt them too much, but he still held on to the vain hope that he would be able to rebuild his relationship with them, as he’d done with Gerard.

He grabbed Liam’s hand.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Liam.”

Liam’s cold stare still bore into him, while Jasmine looked back and forth between them with confusion.

“Rylan will duel me in swordsmanship alone. I promised him you’d tell him about his siblings if he won,” she said after a few seconds.

Liam scoffed.

“You’ve been fond of swordsmanship since you were a child. There’s no way this piece of—” Liam took a deep breath, catching himself. “There’s no way an ordinary Mage can beat you. But fine, I agree to those terms.”

He threw a sharp glare at Rylan, who shook his head, before turning around and walking toward the nearest exit.

They left for the Lamollet estate.

***

Hayden looked at the professors with a calm expression, lowering his wand. The one who had raised the Magic Shield, a black-haired, middle-aged man, was the first to speak.

“90 points,” he said firmly.

Hayden glanced at him. The other judges, two men and two women, blinked rapidly before recomposing themselves.

“85 points,” one of the women quickly said with a grin. “Incredible work, Hayden of Lindsor. As expected from a genius who reached the Third Circle at sixteen. It’s almost as if you aren’t a commoner at all.”

He resisted the urge to furrow his brow. Instead of bowing at the judges, he merely nodded. The woman narrowed her eyes but said nothing else.

“90 points from me, as well,” one of the male judges said, nodding with a satisfied expression. He smiled. “You’ll go far into the tournament. I guess it’s fine for me to start calling you ‘student’ from now.”

The other professors interjected, each saying their piece. Hayden only took all of it in with a degree of wonder.

Am I really so impressive?

Because he was a commoner who had had little contact with powerful Mages, he didn’t know if his achievements were noteworthy at all. He’d only focused on following the best theory books he could find for little cost. There had been no teacher or any kind of further guidance. All he’d had was himself. A grin made its way to his face as he clenched his fists. If the professors were speaking so highly about him, a commoner with no background, didn’t it mean that their words were true?

I can also be someone.

Hayden smiled as he thought of the tournament that would soon happen.

It would be the best way to prove his talent and escape the fate of a worthless pawn. Part of him was filled with uneasiness. The sons and daughters of powerful noble families were surely going to be amazing, to the point where he might be defeated without even knowing why.

But that doesn’t mean I’ll give up before trying.

Determination blazed within him. No matter what, he would try his best and seize a different future with his own hands. It was his oath.