“You there. Are you Arcus Raytheft?”
“Hm?” He turned around to see a boy standing there. “Yeah, I am.”
Naturally, the boy wore the same white uniform. He was taller than Arcus, and his blond hair, blue eyes, and fair skin were common traits among the kingdom’s citizens. He stood with his back straight and his chest puffed out, evidently carrying a lot of pride. On his hip was a wide, largish sword, and his perfectly tailored shoes were hard to miss. There was a crease in his brow and, matched with his accusatory tone, it was obvious he was indignant.
“How do you explain these results? How did you get the top spot?”
“Because I got the most marks, I guess.”
“What a crock! Everyone knows you’re bad at magic—that’s why your prestigious family kicked you out! You shouldn’t even have passed a tough exam like this!”
“The results should speak for themselves; the rumors aren’t true.”
“Well, if you’re so good, how come you lost your inheritance?”
“Beats me. Seriously. But it is what it is.”
“Don’t blow me off; answer me! You’re obviously trying to wind me up with your nonanswers!” The boy had been pretty riled up before, but now his temper was reaching fever pitch.
“Don’t get so mad, okay? Think about it logically. There’s no way I could’ve cheated, right? Obviously my parents wouldn’t have helped, so what, did I bribe the proctor? But that wouldn’t be so easy either, would it?” Fortunately, Arcus’s response seemed to take some of the wind out of the boy’s sails.
“Uh... I guess not.” The boy frowned, cocking his head this way and that. It seemed he was taking the time to really consider the situation. Although, if he was smart enough to understand, he wouldn’t have had that outburst in the first place.
Any student who couldn’t pass the exam fairly would have had to cheat, but that was nigh on impossible. Therefore, Arcus’s score was the result of his own efforts, which was precisely why people were getting so worked up. No one would be picking a fight with him if not for Joshua’s nonsensical principles. It was just another reason Arcus was determined to get his revenge.
Now that things were calmer, he straightened up his collar and reverted to a more cordial manner. “Might I ask your name?”
“Orel Mark.”
Mark... Mark... Right, his dad must be that count. Oh, and he came eighth in the rankings.
Coming within the top ten meant he had real potential.
“Orel. I think you would have more success making your inquiries to a lecturer rather than me. As for the practical exam, you may wish to speak with state magician Cassim Lowry, who oversaw it.”
“Yeah...” Orel sounded much calmer. “No one’s gonna be able to cheat on a state magician’s watch. I guess it’s the rumors that are wrong.”
“I’m glad you understand.”
“I think I just got carried away seeing the results. Sorry for making a big deal out of it.” Orel dipped his head, a gesture which Arcus returned.
All he needed was to be set straight and he rightfully apologized. It was great when people took the time to listen. Thankfully, stubborn, pigheaded souls were in the minority.
Arcus’s interaction with Orel inspired commentary from those around them.
“Yeah...those rumors don’t make sense, when you think about it.”
“Does that mean they’re fake? But why would his dad disinherit him, then?”
“I’m sure we’ll find out if they’re fake or not soon enough. And it’ll be obvious if he wasn’t good enough to pass the test fairly.”
It seemed the other students were coming around. In hindsight, it might be said that Orel was responsible for calming the fires.
As Arcus passed beyond the gate, another student approached like he’d been waiting for him. This boy had light-brown hair. It was a little long at the back, where he had tied it up, and there were small studs in his ears. His big eyes gave off a gentle impression: a warmth that suggested he would accept a handshake from anybody who offered one. Arcus recognized him from somewhere.
“Are you Arcus Raytheft?”
“Yeah, that’s me.”
“Mm hmm. My name is—”
“Kane Lazrael?”
Kane looked somewhat taken aback. “Have we met somewhere before?”
“We haven’t spoken, but I saw you at that party the other day. That’s how I recognized you.”
“Oh. Yeah, you were there, weren’t you?” Kane nodded.
The party’s guest list had been somewhat restricted. And even if there had been more attendants, Kane would still likely have remembered Arcus from the stir caused by Meifa and Barbaros.
The brown-haired boy glanced at the exam results. “You came first, right? I never thought anyone would pull off a perfect score on that written test. I think you’re the only one.”
“I’m the opposite. I thought there’d be a few perfect scores.”
“Oh! That’s how easy you found it, huh?”
“Um, well, not exactly...”
“Hmm... I think I get it now.”
Arcus’s objections didn’t seem to deter Kane from reaching his conclusion. His eyes brimmed with curiosity.
“We might be spending a lot of time together from now on. I’m looking forward to it.”
“Yeah, same here...” Arcus said, knowing he sounded a little perturbed.
Their interaction ended with a handshake to firm up their new acquaintance.
Besides meeting Kane, Arcus’s first day at the Institute was relatively uneventful. Lecia had come by herself, so it turned out there had been no need to worry about running into her parents. The moment they caught sight of each other, she had come scampering up to him. It was refreshing to see her in white—she normally wore blue. She retained this in the pale blue ribbon tied around her silver hair. The skirt was part of the female uniform, although Arcus wasn’t sure which culture had inspired it. On her hip was a dagger for self-defense, and on her face, a wondrous smile.
“Congratulations on your outstanding results, brother!”
“Thanks. You did pretty well yourself.”
“Yes, I came sixth. I still have much to improve upon.”
“That’s not true. Besides, I did have a bit of an advantage...”
“You have your miraculous recollection.”
“That’s it. So my written results don’t really prove anything. I bet the practical exam was a piece of cake for you, right?”
“Well, yes. I am no stranger to Ignited Soul. It is just that...”
“Yeah?”
“My cohort did not perform as well as I had expected. The practical exam requires confidence in at least Ignited Soul, Earth Fist, Wailing Wave, and Cutting Whirlwind, as standard spells of each attribute. It would be an understatement to say they were underprepared. I was disappointed.”
“Hm... Yeah...”
“It holds especially true for those from martial houses. What are your thoughts on the matter, brother?”
“Well, they’re coming to the Institute to learn magic, so it doesn’t really matter if they can’t pull it off right now. I think they should be admired for having the guts to try the practical exam in the first place.”
“You ought to have more conviction about such things! Now I am disappointed in you as well.”
“I guess. Uh, did something bad happen to you, Lecia?”
“No? Nothing.”