A mere day after the final exam had concluded, the large crowd gathered in front of the building, yet compared to the first day, it was sparse.
"A lot of failures." Aqua cupped her chin.
"Yes, it's rather normal. If you fail two exams, you will need to ace the third; otherwise, failure is guaranteed. So those who failed twice usually leave before the results are even given."
"Considering that elves live for a long time, such testing methods should be sufficient." Aqua hummed.
"Yep, we live for a millennium, we have time to attempt the tests many times." Sheira chuckled.
Aqua blinked.
It was rather tragic that elves lived such short lives in this world. She shook her head, and the trio pushed through the crowd.
In front of them was a large board, on which were inscribed the names and family names of everyone who had passed the exams.
"Let's see." Aqua's eyes swiftly passed over the unimportant names, her focus fully on finding where her friends had landed.
"Sheira de Brightcrown, Physical: 100, Magical: 100, Written: 73. Sheira… I expected you to ace the Written exam." Aqua shook her head.
"Give me a break, I was never a good student. Even getting 73 is absolutely amazing for me." She proudly stated and leaned against Azure.
"Hmm, Azure Hallowshield, Physical: 100, Magical: 100, Written: 89. Not bad, you even beat your liege." Aqua nodded and smiled at Azure.
The top three names were written in gold, "Hikari, family name obfuscated. Aced...." Aqua smiled.
Her eyes went up, "Avaros el Lux, Physical: 100, Magical: 100, Written: 100. As I expected from someone who seems so studious."
"I couldn't let myself fall behind you, Lady Aqua." He pushed through the crowd and stepped next to her. "Being equal to you in the entrance exam is an honor." His finger pointed toward the top name.
"Oh, you are here, excellent." Aqua smiled, and her eyes landed on the top result.
"Aced…" Azure murmured."Of course."
"The exams are only meant to test the very basics." She scratched the back of her neck awkwardly.
"I knew that Lady Aqua would ace everything, but I am surprised that Lady Sheira had such a low written score."
"I have done it on purpose to give you guys a chance to shine." She moved her finger under her nose and grinned.
"Sure you did." Azure wrapped her arm around Sheira's shoulder and brought her closer, and rubbed the top of her head. "I guess all of us passed."
Aqua nodded. "I did not doubt us even once. When do we choose our classes?"
"I believe tomorrow."
"I want to choose as many as I can to be with Aqua."
"Of course you do, Father said You can choose whatever you want, but I am stuck with damn governance…"
"Lady Sheira, respectfully, since you are a princess, you must strive to attain as much knowledge as possible."
"I know… especially as my current self. If I want to attain my ultimate plan, I will have to be a nerd like Avaros."
The man's lips curled into a grin. "If you were a nerd like me, then you wouldn't need to be forced to take a class."
"Hmph! I would rather fail than become a nerd."
"Of course." Avaros put his hands behind his back and leaned toward Sheira. "However, I am interested in something."
The princess tilted her head.
"What did you do in the magical exam. I felt as if I was about to have my heart crushed. I swear I felt the earth quake."
"Ah that… Yeah, apparently I have enough power to do that now. So I have to work hard on controlling it."
"I see, I will have to dissect you later."
"Such disrespect! I am your princess, you should kneel and kiss my boots."
"Forgive me, your majesty. You are truly the light of dawn. The Sun in the sky that shines upon us all." His mocking tone cut through her.
Azure inhaled sharply. "I want to go explore with Aqua, you two do whatever you want." With those words, Azure grabbed Aqua under her arm and dragged her after her.
"Azu?" Aqua kept up with the sprint.
"I want us to go explore a bit, and I wanted to say something… if we find some alone time." Her eyes darted around the premises, the crowds were rather thin, but she preferred not to speak needlessly.
"Of course." Aqua smiled, and her heart raced faster, and a small blush appeared on her face.
Soon, the duo arrived in a small clearing, which was empty with a small fountain surrounded by four benches.
The nature around them was tranquil, with only the noise being from the fountain's flowing water.
Much better than the bustle of the crowds. Aqua stepped forward, freeing herself from Azure's grip. She dragged her fingers over one of the benches and took a seat. She patted the wooden plank and gestured for Azure to join her.
"Your kingdom really loves its fountains and benches, doesn't it?"
"It's just an aesthetic, we revere water."
"Why Water?"
"It is our lifeblood, it makes our forests grow, and it gives life to all living things."
"I suppose that's correct." She tilted her gaze upward. "It is, after all, part of an element of preservation. Your kingdom is closely connected to the world soul at least the preservation part of it."
"I wish I understood what you meant by that." Azure kicked her legs. "But I do enjoy listening to you talk."
Aqua's ears twitched, and her mouth remained slightly agape.
"Your voice really soothes me. It makes me feel so safe. I feel like I don't need to pretend to be some infallible knight."
"I am glad my presence brings you such solace." Aqua couldn't hold down her smile.
"It brings me more than that." Her hand slid over to Aqua's. Her fingers curled around Aqua's, and she blushed. "It makes me feel something I never felt before."
Aqua eyes fluttered. "I can say it's the same for me…" She blushed, and her ears slumped slightly down. You make my heart flutter.
"Really?" Azure leaned toward and grabbed Aqua's hand. "Then… Then…"
"What is it, Azu?" Aqua's face reddened, and Azure's face got closer to hers.
"I love…" Her voice was soft and barely audible.
"Tell me." Aqua smiled assuringly, yet inside, she panicked, her heart was beating fast, and her stomach churned.
"Hello." A voice interrupted them. It was an elven girl with white hair tied in a ponytail and purple eyes. She wore the same uniform as they, and under her hands were two books.
Azure's eyes widened, and she separated from Aqua. She glared at the newcomer, her stare threatening to set her on fire.
"Hello." Aqua waved, her blush disappearing. I thought I was about to melt.
"I am sorry if I interrupted something, but Lord Avaros and Lady Sheira told me that I could find you here."
"Sheira…" Azure grumbled.
"It's nothing, what's your business with us?" Aqua's eyes peered through the girl.
Her form was a blaze of divine flame, her soul was a pyre. The girl in front of her was everything she hated in the world. Aqua's face contorted in disgust, yet she quickly pushed that feeling down.
Hikari reeled back, and her hands clasped together. "Please, you do not need to show such distrust toward me. I am also a student. Name's Hikari. I merely wanted to meet another girl who had aced the tests."
"Glad to meet you, I am Aqua." She stood up and curtsied in front of the girl.
"I am Azure." Azure stood up and mimicked the motion of Aqua.
"The Champion?! I saw you on the list. I am a big fan!" Hikari beamed.
Azure sighed.
The white girl coughed into her hand, "Forgive me, we will have a lot of time to get acquainted, but I just wanted to see the number one candidate. I will head back now."
She might be a priestess, but it doesn't mean I can kill her on the spot. It took everything she had to suppress her intent to kill the girl. Unlike many, her blessing was even stronger than Azure's.
"Tell me, Hikari. Which god do you serve?"
"God?" Hikari tilted her head. "Ah, so you can see my blessing. I serve Lan, the Lady of Dawn."
A connection to a rather interesting parasite. A goddess of a light domain, yet under such a pretty mask lies a face of worms. She shook her head. "Thank you for telling me."
"Not a problem." Hikari curtised and made her way out.
"She interrupted me…" Azure's eyes teared up.
Aqua's focus shifted fully to Hikari. The girl needed to be contained and monitored.
"Azu, I will go follow her. You go back to Sheira and Avaros." Aqua's brows furrowed. She needed to know what a blessed child was doing in the academy. In the blink of an eye, she disappeared, leaving Azure to reach out into nothing.
"She is gone… How dare you interrupt my confession! Do you realise how long it took me to gather courage!" She stomped.