Two days passed quickly. Aqua had used books gifted by Azure to learn as much as possible about the elven history, and it was rather disappointing. She shut the book. Vague information upon vague information.
The damage done by Red Dawn's dealings was disastrous for the general knowledge of the elves. The history only became more detailed in the second half of the last millennium, and anything before then was a mere speculation.
I suppose this is worth investigating if I plan to make this kingdom my permanent home. She closed her eyes and placed the book inside her void storage.
Aqua pushed herself up and turned away from the table. The room that was assigned to the trio was rather large, with three beds that were separated by a small table between each. The footside wall was lined with wardrobes.
A large window illuminated the beds, and magical light hung from the ceiling, making the room a perfect, quiet study space.
She had made sure to learn as much as she could about the theology of the world, which pained her.
However, when it came to knowledge, one needed to understand the enemy. The gods were fools, but fools with power.
The sheer amount they have is insane. The council of the greater gods was small; however, when it came to minor divinity, there were thousands.
I was right not to provoke them without a reason. She felt no fear of divinity, but caution was advised.
She stepped to her bed's wardrobe before sliding it open. In there was only a single article of clothing. A white Blazer with blue trimming, a red tie, a knee-length white and gold trimmed skirt, and white stockings.
At the bottom were brown boots that were provided to her by the staff. Why do even the candidates need to wear this?
There were a couple of reasons Aqua could think of. However, the one that seemed most feasible was that the Academy took its dress code very seriously.
What surprised her even more was that the material of the clothing was rather elegant. Her fingers pinched the material and rubbed together. It was soft silk. "This would probably cost a fortune."
With a sigh, she turned back and sent her clothing to the void storage. Swiftly after, she put on the academic getup and retrieved a small mirror from her void storage.
She lifted the mirror above her and looked at herself. Aqua moved her head from side to side and smiled. It's cute.
The mirror disappeared into the void, and she adjusted her shoulders. Her hand wrapped around the doorknob and pulled the door open.
Azure and Sheira were already ready and waiting in front of the academy entrance, leaving only her to finish her preparations.
She quickly made her way to the entrance of the female building. Her eyes fell on her friends waiting for her, she waved and approached.
No other candidates were around them, already streaming into the exam halls.
"Ready?" Aqua smiled.
"Ready as ever," Sheira answered while placing her hands on her hips.
"I am nervous, but you and Sheira helping me study up will be enough to get me through!" Azure forced a grin.
A bell rang through the air.
"To think we would have to wait for Aqua of all people~." The princess chuckled.
"All of the knowledge is new to me in this world, so don't mind me taking a bit longer to absorb everything." Aqua turned to Azu, "Your gift really came in useful."
Azure's ears reddened and twitched wildly. "Of course… I planned for it, you can count on your Azu to see the future."
"Of course, of course~"
The trio made their way into the great entrance, where the three speakers greeted them when they first came. What was different this time was that the doors were wide open, allowing easy access to the inside of the prestigious halls.
The trio was guided by the staff toward the left hallway and then down into a large amphitheater.
Inside were rows upon rows of tables with one chair each. Between each row was a teacher already giving a stack of parchments to each student, together with fountain pens and their ink.
The three girls quickly took empty seats near the entrance of the hall.
From a distance, a girl with pale blue hair and red eyes. Sheira sighed. "Aurora, I was hoping not to see you in a while."
However, her sister only spared her an angry glare and ignored her completely. She slid the test to Sheira and then to Azure, followed by Aqua.
The annoyed princess grumbled.
Don't bother people when they have more important duties.
Her head tilted down, and her gaze fell on the parchment.
'Do not Start Until Allowed'
'Do not Turn the Page'
'Rules:'
'Test takers have 4 hours to finish this Evaluation.'
'Test Will Contain Following Topics: Basic History, Basic Theology, Basic Mathematics, and Basic Magical Theory.'
Four Hours?! Aqua reeled back. It was a rather large test. "The vast majority won't even come close to passing."
Aqua's gaze washed over the filled hall. She could see them sweating, from young to old.
Her eyes locked onto Aurora, who climbed up the stage, and the familiar wind washed over everyone.
Ladies and Gentlemen. Welcome to the annual Onost Academy entrance exam.
Nobody dared speak.
Before you is your exam, you will have four hours to complete it. If you earn a passing grade, you will be allowed to proceed to the physical and magical evaluation.
Aqua tuned out, her eyes back onto the exam. I am sure I will be fine. I have spent days studying from the book that Azure gifted me.
Write your name at the top of every page! Begin!
A ruffle of parchments echoed around her.
Her hands flipped through the pages. Math and magical theory are fine.
The history worried her, but it did not matter, as long as she had passed it, it would be enough to secure a spot next to her friends.
She quickly skipped the history questions and focused on Mathematics and Magical ones that were more of her specialization.
When it came to Magic and Mathematics, they abided by universal truths, no matter which world, the fundamental forces would be the same.
Her eyes widened at the question.
"They weren't kidding when they spoke basics." Mathematics was important in spell crafting, they were the precise control that would turn a good spell into exceptional magic.
Now, what caused her current woe was that the math presented before her wasn't only basic.
"This is infantile." They presented before her Subtraction and Addition, as if they were testing children. She scanned through, making sure that she wasn't on the easiest questions.
I should have expected it when I heard the basics.
Without further complaints, she picked up her pen and got on to completing the simple math tasks.
The sounds of pens on paper echoed around her, yet she tuned them out. In mere minutes, the tasks were completed, and she switched to the magical theory section.
'Which god does one offer tribute to for the access to mana?'
Crack
The pen snapped in two.
Her mana danced around the two halves, and soon the pen repaired itself. She contained herself as best as she could, despite her brow twitching. A trick question, I hope they do not believe this.
She quickly circled the answer 'C: None of the above.'.
The gods were not responsible for mana, they were filthy parasites only meant to be exterminated.
She swallowed the hatred and quickly finished the questions related to gods, and soon arrived at the casting section. While primitive, she understood the exact way the mortals cast their spells. Thus, she quickly passed the section.
The questions about mana were rather simple, albeit incomplete, which she had expected. Soon only remaining part of the test was the history. Something she only had a couple of days to prepare for.
Her eyes darted around. I didn't want to cheat. [World's Guidance].
Pale blue light danced over the parchment. It stopped right above and then exploded in a soundless boom.
The dust gathered and showed the right answers. Just a slight guarantee. She smiled, her hands quickly finishing all the remaining questions.
While she had known the vast majority, she did not know which historical texts were considered canon. Thus spell of [World's Guidance] lent her a hand.
The test closed, leaving Aqua time to relax. They still had around three hours.
I can meditate a little. However, before she went into a trance, her eyes fell on Azure who seemed to struggle in the mathematics section.
I thought you would do well. Her eyes then shifted to Sheira, who zoomed through almost at the same speed as Aqua.
She shook her head satisfactorily and turned to Azure. She would not allow Azure to fail this. [World's Guidance].
Azure blinked in surprise, then her gaze met with Aqua, and she smiled. Without any complaints, she returned to her test.
I suppose I should try and find a way into the divine parasite realm, just in case. Her eyes closed. While her intention was not to invade, it never hurt to know a way to the home of her enemy.