blueteamnovel Chapter 277 - 261
Chapter 277 - 261
Luckily for his sensibilities, Nick was spared tearful goodbyes this time, partly because he was moving just a couple of miles away and would have the freedom to see his brother and future girlfriend outside of classes and whatever time was taken up by his new mentor.Still, he couldn't deny that looking up at the Tower gave him a strange mix of anticipation and nervousness that he wasn't exactly fond of.
Archmage Tholm's invitation hadn't added much to what he already knew would happen, merely mentioning the offer of an apprenticeship and asking him to go to the man's office after the ceremony was over.
Nick doubted anyone could walk in there, so he kept the invitation in his ring, ready to pull it out if he was stopped.
"Please have your acceptance letter ready to be scanned. Do not linger near the entrance once you've been processed, and walk directly into the atrium by following the signs in the entrance hall," one of the guards called, scanning the much smaller crowd of apprentices that was waiting to be let in.
Compared to the nearly three thousand mages who took the test, only about twenty displayed their letters, resulting in an acceptance rate of around 0.67%. This was slightly higher than Battera had claimed, but Nick thought it made sense when including those who performed decently in the practical but excelled in theory.
Not everyone was ready to duel a Prestige mage, after all.
"I can't believe it," Tim murmured next to him, almost vibrating in his boots, "I really didn't think I'd pass."
Nick gave him an amused look. "You impressed them with your debuffing mist. That would have guaranteed you a pass even without the theory. You certainly surprised me."
His fellow grasslander smiled sheepishly, "I was told not to use that unless in the direst circumstances. I wasn't trying to hold back anything when I dueled you."
"Don't worry about it," Nick told him, patting him on the back, "I'm sure we'll have more chances now that we are both in."
Ignoring the suddenly worried look he got back, he moved to the front of the line, where the guard scanned his invitation and nodded before pausing. "Ah, the first-ranked. Please, sit in the front row and get ready for your turn to speak."
A strangled sound behind him told him the others had heard, but Nick didn't look back.
The entrance hall was just as grand as before, but instead of being filled with test takers and guards struggling to manage the flow of people, only about a dozen mages wandered around, and although the mood was more relaxed, there was a new sense of anticipation that hadn't been there previously.
Mana was still very thick, with the wards standing as a bulwark around the dimensional winds all around them, but Nick knew the trick now and could filter them out as background noise without needing to turn off his senses entirely.
I guess everyone here knows that no matter how many times they take the test, only a small portion will be worth interacting with, so they'd be better off waiting to see the results.
Fortunately, the instructions this time were clearer, as a floating sign guided him toward a massive door that had been previously closed.
Behind him, Nick sensed Tim and a few others who had been waiting to be let in with them hurry to catch up, but he kept his pace just fast enough to reach the entrance before anyone could question him.
I might need to reveal some of my powers, but that doesn't mean I should shed all the mystery that surrounds me. I need to get my kicks somehow.
The moment he walked in, all noise disappeared.
The atrium was a massive room, much larger than the entrance hall, filled with rows upon rows of marble seats all facing a grand stage made of iron-colored wood and blue steel.
Through the chamber, Nick sensed the presence of numerous spells, ranging from the easily recognizable sound-controlling one, designed to ensure the speaker could be heard from every seat, to much more obscure ones he suspected were meant to prevent sabotage.
A section of the seats nearest to the stage was cordoned off, and another floating sign directed all the newly accepted mages to take their places there.
Despite it still being early and about half an hour before the ceremony started, most of the seats were either already filled or in the process of being taken as hundreds of mages of all ages filed in from various side doors.
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"Man, I had no idea there were this many mages in Alluria," he heard Tim murmur, looking around in awe like the country bumpkin he was.
"That is because everyone in the West with a shred of mana to their name comes here," a low, feminine voice replied, and Nick turned to see Eona waiting for them at their reserved seats, already having staked her claim on one of the front row spots.
Still, Nick noticed she hadn't taken the middle one, which was shaped like a throne, even if not a particularly gaudy one. That, he was pretty sure, was meant for him.
"I guess. But don't the other cities have their own Towers?" Tim asked dubiously.
There are a lot of people, considering how rare magic classes are. But then again, I already know it's possible to influence the Class Ceremony, so it makes sense that those with the means would ensure their children get the best option available. I imagine the occurrence of magic classes among noble houses is much higher than among the peasantry.
"There are a few cities in the west, but none can match Alluria in size or wealth, and certainly not in power." Another kid replied, a young man around Tim's age, wearing an elegant frock he tugged at in distaste. had given him.
Firming his stance, he spoke. "My name is Nicholas Crowley. Today, I am a simple mage, eager to learn more about the greatest force in the universe from my elders. Soon, I will surpass all of you. Watch me."