"Three points!"
"Two points!"
The three authorities were busy evaluating the samples in front of them and calling out the scores; totally unlike the earlier evaluations, they were moving with serious speed.
"Five points; what a tragedy! If the last piece of the eighteenth mixture had been crushed just a fraction more, it would have easily scored six points!"
Hearing this, a young boy rushed to the front in a hurry; it was obvious the talk was about his score.
"Sir, if I get six points, I can enter the Academy. Couldn't you overlook such a small detail and not deduct a point?"
Naturally, it was Louise Gloove reading out the scores, but after the young boy spoke, Cantankerous Hanry took over.
"What do you mean, couldn't you overlook it? If the mixture you hand over ruins an alchemist's elixir, or fails to heal the wound of a martial cultivator fresh from battle, how are we supposed to protect our honor as Botanical Masters?"
Master Hanry and the protesting youth both hailed from the common ranks; watching from the outside, one might think it natural for the Master to grant him a favor, but it was clear the Master placed his professional honor above everything else.
"Let's move on!"
Cantankerous Hanry gave his final word without sparing a single glance at the tears falling from the young boy's eyes; a freezing chill swept through the room.
"Four points!"
"Three points!"
"Ten points!"
A massive gasp of shock burst from lips that had been locked in silence, stealing the air from the room for a few seconds; every gaze was anchored on Master Louise.
"Mel Malcom has secured a perfect ten points!"
The Young Master called out the score, though with a faint stammer. It was not just his voice that faltered; the color of his face had completely shifted, and his hands and feet began to twitch as if he could no longer contain himself in his seat.
The youths who had weathered the night in the forest alongside Mel were applauding him; amidst the sour faces of the noble scions and the total confusion of the other commoner youths, their joyful laughter echoed out the doors.
"Silence!"
The Division Head spoke, and every single sound was severed. Only the frail voice of the ancient man carried the authority to make that happen.
"Mel Malcom, by securing perfect scores across all three qualification trials, you have earned the right to enter the Academy. Your name shall be remembered for generations."
Finishing his words, the ancient man remained in silence for a time; the exact instant he took a step, he spoke again.
"Tomorrow, with the rising of the sun, we set forth for the Academy! Make your final preparations!"
When the crowd departed the pavilion—led by the Division Head and the two Commanders at the front, with the noble scions following—only the children of the common ranks remained inside. Some of them were overflowing with joy, while the rest were in tears, crushed under the sorrow of watching their ambitions die.
"How did you manage this? You definitely cheated, why didn't you tell us?"
The youth who lost the academy by the margin of a single mixture looked completely unable to conquer his fury. As he marched on the group of ten, his eyes locked onto Mel.
"What nonsense are you spouting, Hanso?"
"We worked hard and we succeeded!"
Though the right answers were fired back, the youth, completely blinded by wrath, could not restrain himself.
"What could you possibly have studied in a single night? Almost all of you got ten points. You cheated and kept it from us; you should be ashamed of yourselves!"
Hanso hurled the sample jar in his grasp violently against the floorboards. As the herbal mixture inside scattered into the air, the others who had failed to enter the academy began to rally behind him.
"Ashamed of ourselves? Out of all the foolish things I have heard in my life, those words easily take the first place!"
Nalt stepped out from the middle of the ten-person group and planted himself directly in front of Hanso; the eyes resting beneath his uneven bangs burned bright.
"You went into the forest at night; not only did you return in one piece, but you also gained enough experience to pass the trial on top of it. Who is going to believe that?"
"I do not care who believes it and who does not! We owe no explanations to cowards who are afraid to risk their lives. Last night you kept quiet out of fear, but I see you have turned into lions today. Get a hold of yourselves!"
After driving his fist into the edge of the desk beside him, Nalt advanced two paces and locked eyes with Hanso. Though he stood four fingers shorter than the other boy, he did not look ready to yield a single step.
"Let's go, friends. There is no need to listen to empty words!"
Nalt began to march toward the exit with his companions—the future Botanical Masters—trailing behind him. Mel was walking at the very rear of the group, but a hand suddenly seized him by the wrist.
"Everything started because of you, you are going to answer for this!"
Having dozens of youths amassing behind him gave Hanso serious courage; it was obvious he would find no peace today without securing someone to blame.
"Would you let go of my arm?"
Mel spoke to the boy, who was grinding his teeth, with a massive smile stretching across his face.
"You cannot get out of this so easily. You helped us all like some saint, but you abandoned us at the most critical moment. Nobody even knows who or what you are; maybe you are just someone the nobles hired to mock us!"
"Hanso, you are speaking pure nonsense now! Let go of Mel's arm."
Hanso had clamped onto him as if holding onto his final salvation. It was not just him; the crowd packing in behind him appeared to have grabbed Mel from every possible angle, refusing to let go.
"It is Hanso, right?"
Though the ten youths on his side had grown tense, Mel did not lose his calm. He placed his free hand on the shoulder of the boy, who stood a full head shorter than him.
"I know how you feel, and I know you are looking for a culprit to suppress it, but do not do this. There is something deep inside that will not leave you in peace, constantly wounding you. You cannot blame me just to forget the choice you made yesterday!"
"Because of this, you should not blame yourselves or feel ashamed. You made a choice, and you must bear the consequences. You should have shown the courage you are using to block my path right now on that night instead. I hope you make the right choice next time!"
He slowly pulled his hand from Hanso's shoulder, but the other boy refused to release him. Fighting the tears falling from his eyes, he clutched his arm with a tight grip.
"No, it cannot end like this, you are going to answer for this!"
Following his words, the group with the superior numbers grabbed the cutting tools resting on the desks. One did not need to be an oracle to figure out their intentions were far from honorable.