Chapter 66

August 10th.

Today is the day of the Tilia Magic Academy's acceptance announcement.

The announcement was scheduled for 9:00 AM, so from early morning, under the scorching summer sun, we wiped our sweat and headed to the academy, timing our arrival to coincide with the announcement.

As we entered the old town, we saw a large number of children, who looked like examinees, walking towards the academy with their accompanying adults.

The closer we got to the academy, the more the number of people increased, and a queue had already formed in front of the academy gates. I suggested we come back later due to the large crowd.

"Isn't it too crowded to see anything? Wouldn't it be better to kill some time and then come back to see the results?"

When I said this, Ridi agreed, saying, "You're right. Besides, we're going to pass anyway." However, Sharon looked down with a worried expression.

It seemed she was anxious to know the results as soon as possible, but she didn't argue with me, perhaps because she found it difficult to do so. I placed my hand on Sharon's head, which was lowered in worry,

"Are you worried, Sharon? If so, we can go see the results even though it's crowded."

She shook her head slightly and replied in a small voice, "It's okay. We can come back later."

I smiled wryly and said to Ridi and Guy, "It might be better to check the results first," and we joined the queue at the back.

I've always disliked standing in queues, even from my previous life. It felt like a waste of time, and from my limited experience, standing in a queue was rarely worth it.

I thought it wouldn't make a difference whether we saw the results now or later, as the number of examinees would likely decrease in about an hour. However, seeing Sharon's worried face, I felt it would be cruel to let her wait anxiously for an hour. Besides, if Sharon wasn't enjoying herself, neither would we.

Ridi nodded, seemingly resigned, and the four of us joined the queue at the back and headed towards the bulletin board where the list of accepted students was posted.

The bulletin board was in front of the school building, and it took us about twenty minutes to slowly approach it. After thirty minutes, we finally reached a distance where we could read the text.

Around us, some people were making victory signs and celebrating, while others were hugging their parents and crying. It reminded me of the university acceptance announcements from my time.

(In every world, the acceptance announcement seems to be the same. Nowadays, you can check online, but in our time, it was like this. Well, in my case, I didn't even go to see the results because I applied to a place where I was sure to pass...)

Standing in front of the bulletin board, I looked up slowly.

The bulletin board was quite large, about 3 meters high and 5 meters wide, with the examinee numbers and names listed.

As I searched for my name, Ridi pointed it out with a bright voice, "I found it!"

Thinking she still had good eyesight, I followed her finger and saw my name at the very top of the left side of the bulletin board.

"Of course, you're first. Sharon's name is right below yours, so you two have secured the top two positions."

As she said, "First" was written before my name, indicating that the list was ordered by rank.

(First place. Ridi probably thinks it's a given, but seeing it with my own eyes, I'm still surprised. I guess it's because I've never been top in my previous life.)

Looking closely at the bulletin board, the ranks from first to fortieth were listed, and the remaining 160 names were listed in examinee number order.

The Tilia Magic Academy accepts 200 students, who are divided into five classes of forty students each.

Among them, the top forty students form the elite class, while the rest are randomly assigned to the other four classes.

It is said that the evaluation after graduation differs significantly depending on whether you are in the elite class or not. Some of the accepted students were shedding tears of regret for not making it into the top forty.

However, there is a system in place that allows for reversals. Class changes occur with each grade promotion, so even if you are in the elite class, you can't be complacent, and if you are in the other classes, you can still move up to the elite class if you rank in the top forty overall.

Sharon was standing there in disbelief, looking at her name in second place. Guy, similarly, couldn't believe his daughter had been accepted as the second-best student in the elite magic academy and was shaking his head repeatedly.

"Sharon, congratulations. This means you've qualified for the tuition waiver."

When I said this, Sharon hurriedly bowed and said, "Congratulations on being the top student."

Hearing this, whispers of "Is he the top student?" could be heard from the crowd.

Feeling uncomfortable, I said, "We've confirmed it, so let's go check the enrollment procedures," and we left the scene.

Inside the school building, there was a briefing room for the accepted students, where about twenty staff members were providing individual explanations.

Compared to the announcement site, there were fewer people, but all the seats for the briefing were filled, and about ten more accepted students and their guardians were waiting to receive the explanation.

We joined the queue and got our seats after about ten minutes.

The staff member providing the explanation was a young woman who had a thin booklet and enrollment forms ready.

Noticing that Sharon and I were together, she asked, "Would you like to receive the explanation together?"

Ridi replied, "Yes, please," and the young woman bowed slowly,

"My name is Colin O'Connell. Congratulations on your acceptance. Let's confirm your examinee numbers and names, and your orbs..."

After Sharon and I stated our examinee numbers and names, we showed our orbs.

Ms. O'Connell was flipping through her documents when she suddenly stopped, apparently realizing we were the top two students. She looked at us and asked in a slightly hoarse voice, "Are you Zacharias Rockhart and Sharon Jakes?"

When we answered "Yes," she quickly regained her composure and said, "I will now explain the enrollment procedures," and began the explanation with the booklet.

"The enrollment ceremony is on September 1st. If you wish to stay in the dormitory, you must complete the procedures by August 15th and move in the day before... Regarding the enrollment fee and tuition, since you are exempt from the enrollment fee, you only need to pay the tuition... "

Summarizing her explanation, the enrollment is on September 1st, and if you want to stay in the dormitory, you must complete the procedures by August 15th and move in the day before. The enrollment fee is waived, and the tuition is 100C (100,000 yen) per month, which can be paid annually, but there are no discounts.

Ridi said, "Neither of them will stay in the dormitory. We'll pay the tuition annually."

"Understood. Please bring the payment to the academy by August 15th. If it is late, your acceptance will be revoked, so please be careful."

The detailed explanations continued.

"Textbooks are included in the tuition, so they will be distributed when you pay the tuition. You will need to prepare your own writing materials... Regarding the school uniform and cloak, Mr. Rockhart, since you have all attributes, you can choose any color. Ms. Jakes, since you have fire and wind attributes, please choose either red or blue."

Students at the Tilia Magic Academy must wear uniforms and cloaks in the colors of their attributes.

The colors are red for fire, white for light, blue for wind, green for wood, blue for water, black for darkness, brown for earth, and yellow for metal. Students with more than two attributes can choose their favorite color from their attributes.

As I was thinking about this, Ms. O'Connell added with a smile,

"The color of the uniform doesn't really matter. It just indicates your strongest attribute, and it doesn't affect the classes, so you can choose your favorite color."

(Black is good, but the dark attribute is strongly associated with demons. Maybe a stain-resistant brown or red... I feel like I'm making a cheap decision...)

As I was thinking this, Sharon said, "I'll choose blue."

(She has the wind attribute. It's a reasonable choice. By the way, Ridi said she is best at the wind attribute, and I am also best at the wind attribute, so I'll choose blue... Besides, the cloak is more flexible, so I don't need to buy extra... Ah, I'm thinking cheap again...)

After self-deprecating in my mind, I chose the blue color for the wind attribute.

The male uniform at this academy consists of black long pants, a shirt in the color of the attribute, and a vest in a similar color. A short cloak, about waist-length, in the attribute color is also required. For girls, the long pants are replaced with a skirt.

The uniform and cloak must be purchased from a designated clothing store, and a set costs about 100C. I later learned that this is quite cheap due to a subsidy from the Magic Guild.

"The enrollment procedures are now complete. Mr. Rockhart, as the top student, you will give a speech as the representative of the new students at the enrollment ceremony, so please prepare well."

I couldn't help but ask, "I have to give a speech?"

(I didn't hear this from Ridi. She probably kept it to herself because she thought it would be funny. Anyway, it's a hassle. If there's a prepared speech, I can just read it, but if I have to write it myself, it's a hassle.)

"Is there a prepared speech?"

Ms. O'Connell replied with a smile, "No, the top student writes it themselves every year."

When I didn't respond, she said, "That concludes the explanation. Do you have any questions?"

I realized I hadn't asked about the Magic Guild's orb,

"I heard that we receive the Magic Guild's orb upon enrollment. When will we get it?"

Ms. O'Connell covered her mouth and said, "I apologize. I forgot to mention it during the enrollment fee explanation. For Mr. Rockhart and Ms. Jakes, the orb will be made when you pay the tuition."

It seems the cost of the orb is included in the enrollment fee.

After that, Sharon asked a few more questions, but the explanation ended without any issues.

After leaving the briefing room, I spoke to Guy.

"Sharon was accepted as the second-best student. There shouldn't be any problems when she enrolls."

Guy nodded and said, "Thank you, Mr. Zacharias. I appreciate your help," and bowed. Sharon also hurriedly bowed and said, "Thank you."

I told Guy, "I don't think Sharon will be a burden. You can trust me," and to Sharon, "I look forward to working with you," and placed my hand on her shoulder.

I then asked Ridi, "I'll pay the tuition today. Is that okay?"

She seemed to have planned the same and said with a smile, "I brought the money. Sharon's portion is also covered."

I had brought the money from my grandfather and parents, intending to pay the tuition and other fees today to get it over with.

After paying the tuition and receiving the textbooks, we had our orbs made.

It took about thirty minutes to complete, and when I checked Sharon's levels, they were almost as Ridi had predicted: wind attribute at level 17 and fire attribute at level 10, already at the level of a graduate.

(Sharon has been training since she was about four years old and has even participated in actual battles. Most magicians start their training at around seven years old and spend about a year just sensing and controlling their magic power. Compared to that, she has learned magic at an abnormally fast pace...)

Wearing our new orbs, we went to the old town to buy uniforms and writing materials.

---

Lionel Laspade was in the room where the orbs were made.

He was looking at the records of the orbs made for Zacharias and the others and smiling.

(They must have had their orbs made today. Still, Rockhart is at level 24, and Jakes is at level 17. To my knowledge, this is the highest level for new students. I believe the young teachers are around level 20. For them to surpass this at just ten years old is truly remarkable.)

He smiled even more as he looked at Zacharias's record.

(As expected, the dark attribute is low. However, considering his wind attribute, he will soon surpass level 20. If he can improve all his attributes, he could become a good assistant. Now, how do I make him my assistant...)

As he left the room with a smile, the staff member there watched him with a look of someone watching a weird person. She felt sympathy for the unfortunate student he had targeted.