The exam hall doors opened, and two guards came in.
Aziel's chest tightened, and his hands began to tremble. Even though he knew they weren't here for him, he still couldn't help but feel nervous.
There's no way these guards are human.
The two guards were outright monstrous, with broad shoulders and immense height. Other contestants quickly turned their heads back to the papers in front of them, sweating profusely. Nobody wanted to draw their attention.
Meanwhile, Frederick clung to the leg of his table like a stubborn child not wanting to let go of their toy.
The guards quickly approached him, grabbed his leg without any hesitation, and pulled. The table, surprisingly, didn't even budge, but Frederick stood no chance against the guards' immense strength. His hands gave up instantly, and his face slammed against the floor, leaving blood marks on the floor.
Each of the guards then grabbed him under the arm and dragged him out like a rag doll. In between, Frederick didn't stop shouting, a hint of desperation in his voice.
"Don't you know who my father is?"
"Just you wait and you will s—" The door slammed shut.
I was wrong. This is the real reason they don't need anybody to supervise us.
Aziel's hands were still trembling, but he couldn't give in since he was nowhere near the finish yet.
He recovered quickly; three questions still awaited him. Taking a deep breath, Aziel directed his gaze towards the small piece of paper before him.
On the paper were three questions:
1. List the kingdoms of our realm.
2. Who is the greatest mage to ever live?
3. What is the most important quality in a mage?
Upon reading the first question, Aziel's muscles relaxed, and his lips curved up a tad.
Such an easy question, I doubt there's anybody here, or in the whole world, who doesn't know the answer.
Aziel reached for the pen, but his hand only grabbed air. Only then did it hit him.
Crap. I don't have anything to write with.
Discovering yet another problem, Aziel nervously glanced at the clock. Only twelve minutes remained.
He frantically looked around the table in hope of finding the pen, but instead stumbled upon a drop of Frederick's blood on the floor.
Right! Aziel immediately thought of a solution.
Not hesitating since time was running out, Aziel drew a deep breath, clenched his teeth, and pressed his nail into the lower part of his forearm.
His facial muscles twitched as he increased the pressure, bit by bit. Only then did he realize how hard this would be.
Still, he continued, despite excruciating pain— until, a dozen seconds later, a warm, bright red liquid started oozing out.
Seeing it, Aziel exhaled in relief, his face flushed with blood due to extreme exertion.
Next, he pressed his finger on the skin next to the wound, prompting the blood to come out. After enough blood had accumulated, he smeared his finger with it, painting it red.
Dragging his finger across the paper, Aziel wrote the answer to the first question:
The kingdoms of our realm are: Dravenor, Calrethor, Vaelmyr, and Mordemyr.
Aziel looked at his creation with gloomy eyes. The writing was hard to read with uneven strokes, which had now turned darker.
Aziel sighed. He knew he had no better solution, so this would have to work. Regaining his focus, Aziel smeared his finger with blood and answered the second question, which was also surprisingly easy.
The greatest mage to ever live is our king, Dareth Dravenor.
The four kingdoms were ruled by four kings who were, at the same time, the strongest mages. In a way, it was thanks to their power that they managed to rule such large forces. The four kings were largely believed to be on the same level, standing at the peak of humanity, but, of course, every kingdom believed its king to be the strongest.
As Aziel finished, a familiar voice rang out inside his head.
Wrong. It's not him, it's me. I'm the greatest mage to ever walk this small world.
Aziel stumbled once again. He didn't know what to make of this sudden voice in his head. Since the voice saved him from inevitable despair earlier, plus the fact that he seemed to be well-versed in magic, Aziel naturally wanted to establish a good relationship. At least until he figures out what the voice wants from him.
I'm sorry if this offends you, but I'm not changing my answer. In all the history books I've read, the Kings are regarded as the strongest. On the other hand, I haven't even heard of any great mage that goes by the name Atlas Vireon.
Hmm… This is rather peculiar. Never mind, we can talk about it later, finish the exam first.
Aziel was pleased to hear that and focused on the last question.
He thought for a while as many different ideas arose in his mind. In the end, he decided on what he thought would be the best answer.
In reality, he didn't agree with what he wrote, but he wasn't stupid and knew what The Kingdom looked for in mages. Of course, it was ideal to have strong mages, but there was one quality that far surpassed brute power. That was loyalty. The Kingdom had no use for strong mages if they couldn't use them for the good of the Kingdom. As such, loyal mages were the best.
After writing down the answer, Aziel quickly glanced at the clock. There were only five minutes left. He inspected the paper one last time, quickly stood up, and briskly walked across the room to the podium. He was just about to submit his paper when his eyes froze.
There, on the table in front of him, lay a neat stack of solved test papers.
What?! This many people completed the test?!
Aziel placed his test paper on top when the bell, announcing the end of the written exam, rang.