"You're the 89th batch of Acolytes to enter the Academy. Like your predecessors, the first lesson is a joint lecture, followed by an in-depth assessment for classroom assignments."
A benign old professor in wizard robes stood on a floating magic circle, his voice amplified through the sound system installed on the walls and ceiling of the great stadium.
Nearly 900 young, promising children who had finally reached this step stood in rows of 9.
Among the Acolytes, Darvis observed calmly, his golden eyes without a ripple. He could hear people around him whispering about the recent fall of his predecessor's family, House Solomon.
Then again, any member of House Solomon with a pure bloodline is discernible at a glance. Golden eyes, sun-kissed chocolate skin, and a mane of silver hair.
Nourished by mana and the power of the elements over thousands of years, human genetics gradually evolved towards perfection. Any random Magi, if not a peerless beauty or a heart-throb gentleman, wouldn't be far off from that level.
At this point, aesthetic perfection is just a bonus to be expected.
"I heard that the entire upper echelon of the Solomons were ambushed and killed while exploring an Ancient Dragon Liar."
"That's just surface-level rumors for fools make believe. Do you really think a family that stood the test of time throughout the Dark Magus Era can fall to a mere Dragon's Liar? They probably fought a living, breathing Ancient Dragon in the past, let alone a dead one."
"Their Ancestors? Perhaps they truly fought a Dragon. Previous Duke Solomon and the elders of his family? They've probably gone rusty. I smell a conspiracy."
Aren't you all the clever ones? Darvis sighed inwardly. The Alliance of Dukes who massacred the Solomons didn't care what reason they provided, as the ends justify the means in this world of magic.
Would the Seven Magic Kings and Three Emperors hold the Dukes responsible for the slaughter? For a mere Acolyte's sake? Darvis didn't believe it one bit.
Thus, an excuse is better than nothing at all. At least, the order can be maintained through a fake screen of investigation and justice.
Likewise, if Darvis one day displayed greater value for humanity as a whole than the Alliance of Dukes, then the Seven Kings and Three Emperors wouldn't mind upholding justice for him.
Although they might not help him directly, they wouldn't stand in the way of his vengeance or deliberately obstruct his path. Joining the Academy without a hitch is one such assistance.
Davis could even imagine the mindset of those in power. Letting him join the Academy with but the wave of a hand. He could either grow enough to threaten the Dukes, or the heirs of those Dukes would grow under his pressure.
For humanity as a whole, this was a win-win situation.
Realizing that the higher-ups wanted to use him as motivation and limitation on the Duke's faction, he knew that he didn't have to worry about being targeted in case he revealed too much talent.
With his mind cleared up, he focused. The old Magi had just mentioned a Tabboo topic.
"Yes!" he emphasized, his tone laced with gravity.
"Grimoires are the main driving force behind the systematic establishment of Magic Academies throughout the Human Territory. We keep young and promising Acolytes like you safe from harm and evil. All of you know what a Magi's heart is, an Elemental Heart!
"This miraculous creation of nature was bestowed upon the lesser races when the Ancient Dragon God fell that year. This is the key to the gate between the ordinary and the mystical planes. As a Magi, you only have one heart, your greatest reliance and weakness. A Magi's dignity and reverse scale.
"A Magi's heart is one other thing: the main material to create a Grimoire!"
Sharp gasps of alarm and horror were plastered on the faces of the Acolytes from common origins. This was their first time hearing of such news, and for a moment, the grotesque and cruel sights of the Magi world reeled its ugly head at them.
Behind every Grimoire's creation lay the dead body of an innocent Magi.
Young, tender, clueless Acolytes raised for the sole purpose of arvesting the greatest value... A Magi's heart with high capacity yet clean from divine script.
Darvis glanced to his side, where a pair of commoner siblings held hands in both anxiety and relief. A brother and sister pair.
Both of them paused for a moment before returning Dravis' gaze.
Hm? Dravis raised an eyebrow. They sensed my fleeting glance? Their perception is extraordinary!
Darvis smiled faintly, with gleaming white canines and a sunny, infectious smile.
He immediately decided to recruit the pair under his wing. The two siblings seemed surprised, a bit flustered, and lost on what to do. Dravis decided to swing by and say hello on the way to the testing grounds.
He turned around, inspecting the 89th batch of Acolytes for prospective recruits. He noticed that almost everyone either dodged his gaze or whispered in hushed murmurs while pointing fingers.
He didn't care, mainly focusing on those who either didn't care for the gossip, focused on the old man's lecture, or eyed him with open curiosity.
Once his unprecedented talent was exposed, that would be his best option for recruiting followers.
Soon, the lecture ended. Instructors arrived, ushering the Acolytes toward the teleportation circles nearby. Darvis conveniently tagged along with the commoners' group, much to the surprise of the nobles, royalty, and commoners alike.
"Yo!" Darvis grinned at the pair of siblings who seemed the most astonished. "I'm Darvis; can we be friends?"
As he asked, Darvis looped his arm around the young man's stiff shoulder and chuckled.
"I... I..." The young man was confused. His sister, hesitant, also examined Darvis with suspicion.
After much deliberation, the sister mustered up her courage and spoke: "Master Darvis, I'm afraid our status is too low to accept your friendship..."
"What status?" Darvis rolled his reptilian eyes in feigned annoyance. "At this point, we're all Acolytes of equal status. Don't mix the circle of Magi with the circle of ordinary humans, at least not while we're in the Academy."
As far as Darvis was concerned, everyone present was equally low in status.
Well, his status was about to rise sharply after the elemental heart assessment.
But that's different.
At this time, the young boy calmed down considerably and removed Dravis' arm from his neck.
He bowed slightly and brought his sister to bow with him: "My name is Dracul, and this is my sister, Rubicon. I'd be happy to become your friend, Master Dravis."
Commoners refer to Dravis as Master because the title of a Duke, at least the original Duke, is hereditary.
Their ancestors helped establish human order in an era of complete chaos, thus earning this right.
However, in terms of strength, Dravis was nowhere near the level of a Duke, which makes things awkward.
Eventually, the consensus among the populace was to address him as Master Dravis as opposed to Duke Solomon.
Dravis smiled: "As I said, just calling me Dravis is fine."
He moved to help the siblings up.
Then, he moved to greet the candidates he had in mind with the two siblings following behind him.
It was easy to realize what Dravis was doing.
However, building factions wasn't illegal nor frowned upon. He wasn't the only one doing so either, as many princes, princesses, and heirs of noble households were on the move.
Eventually, only another person joined Dravis' camp, an Elf exchange student motivated by curiosity.
She had large green eyes, brilliant golden hair, and soft yet pointed ears. A typical template for an Elf.
Her name: Grace.
…
Elemental Heart Assessment Hall.
The old Magi held a magical clipboard connected to a large crystal sphere through wavelength resonance magic.
To motivate students, the aptitude test was done openly and impartially.
As the next Acolyte moved and placed his hand on the floating crystal, mana surged into his body, through his muscles and blood vessels, directly into his heart.
Then, the pulse of mana rippled backwards in feedback for the orb to process it.
In front of everyone's curious eyes, the crystal orb flashed with lights before turning completely green. Illusions of plants, trees, and roses filled the sphere.
Then, the wood slowly caught on fire, followed by a gentle breeze that carried the sparks into the distance, aggravating the inferno.
"Your main affinity is Wood, followed by Fire, and lastly Air. Your heart will naturally hinder if not outright reject divine script imbued with intent outside these elements. As for your mana capacity, you start with a basic 128."
The young man smiled bitterly. In short, his heart can only inscribe one basic spell, unless he simplifies it further.
He shook his head and moved back into the line.
Soon, a prince stepped forward, calm yet radiating arrogance as he placed a hand on the crystal sphere.
Bzzzt!!!
The sphere reacted violently.
Wood, Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water—a vortex that encompassed the five basic elements filled the crystal sphere.
While most of the Acolytes marveled in shock and awe, the old Magi said: "Equal affinity to the five elements. Good, your mana capacity is 2,048, also splendid!"
The young prince chuckled, swept a derisive smile over the crowd, then stepped back.
The test continued.
Among the nobility, the worst off in terms of capacity had a vector of at least 512, but no one had surpassed the mark of 2,048 yet.
Next, it was the Elf exchange student, Grace, who hopped forward with a pleasant smile after giving Dravis a wink.