And then came the day of the exam. We traveled by horse-drawn carriage for almost half a day, going over countless mountains to get to the royal capital, Midgard, which was separated into five districts. The eastern district faced the port and had the marketplace and manufacturing sections of town. The northern and southern districts had cultivated lands and more merchants, as well as the living quarters of the general populace. The central district was where all the nobles lived. The western district had all the various academies and research facilities. Very nice.
The academy towered over us, its appearance as dignified as a castle’s. From what I had heard, Arthlia Academy of Magecraft was the most storied building in all of Midgard. Huh. It really looks the part of the kingdom’s most prestigious school. It didn’t just look old; it had an air to it of history and tradition. As we passed through the castle gates with designs of silver dragons upon them, I suddenly remembered Lilith’s words.
“Master Abel, Arthlia Academy of Magecraft is a gathering of this country’s elite. I humbly ask that you remain vigilant,” she’d said when I left the house.
I was confident I wouldn’t fail a test designed for students, but still, I decided I’d be careful.
“Whoa... No family crest on his clothes. Is he the rumored Inferior Eyes?”
Immediately, I felt the gaze of everyone around fall on me as we climbed the hill to the school gates.
“How horrible. What a stain on the prestige of Arthlia.”
“Commoners should remember their place and cultivate a field or something.”
I see... Just a quick glance was enough to tell me that everyone here was low-level. Another way of saying that was that they all seemed to be the epitome of the modern mage. Judging by their uniforms, they were most likely current students. But I couldn’t let my guard down. Talented mages could hide their actual ability. It was better to be on the safe side and exercise caution.
“Why’s an Inferior Eyes taking our entrance exam?”
“Apparently some rich family gave a large donation to get him a recommendation.”
“So he’s not here legitimately then? What’s the point when he’s gonna fail, anyway?”
“Oh, but what if he paid off the exam proctor too?”
It seemed that no matter what time I lived in, people always held prejudice against those with Amber Eyes. Even in this kingdom, which was supposed to be filled with the most educated elites, prejudice still ran rampant. How troublesome.
“These bastards are running their mouths. Can they only judge people by the color of their eyes?!”
Good grief. I never thought the day would come where Ted of all people would be cheering me up. I’d really lost my edge. But also, you were just like them yourself, not too long ago. I decided to keep that to myself, though.
Just as I had that thought, I heard a voice from behind us. “All of you nobles should be ashamed!” a girl who looked self-assured barked from behind us.
Her hair was as bright red as the setting sun. Her Crimson Eyes glimmered like garnets. Her clothes bore a crest with a dragon and a sword on it. That must be her family crest. I felt like I’d seen it before, but nothing immediately came to mind.
“Nobles gossiping about commoners behind their backs is disgraceful!”
Is she also a student here? She was a little more physically developed than what I’d expect for a student, though. She didn’t look like a prospective student either.
“Who do you think you are?” someone demanded.
“I’m Eliza. I will graduate from this academy as the top student in five years and become a mage who will be remembered for generations to come!” the girl declared, sticking out her large chest with pride.