Chapter 21

Time returns to when Ziel accompanies Clara to the silver tower. The girl kept staring at him until his figure disappeared towards the red tower. Clara didn't know why she couldn't take her eyes off of him.

After Ziel disappeared, Clara immediately entered the silver tower and looked for where the first exam would be held. But Clara had difficulty finding it because the tower was so wide. Then she tried to ask the people he met at that place.

"Excuse me. Do you know the room for the new student's first test? Even though it's listed in the manual book, I don't know the exact location." Clara asked a girl who looked the same age as her. She has navy-blue hair and yellow eyes.

"You just need to walk straight down this corridor. Not far from there, you will see a room with a 'first test room' sign." The girl kindly showed Clara the place for the first exam.

"No wonder I didn't find it. Thank You." Clara bowed her head to the girl.

"You're welcome. If there's nothing else you want to ask, I'll be taking my leave now." The girl immediately left Clara without waiting for a reply. She seemed to be in a rush, making Clara feel guilty for interrupting her time.

Clara walked according to the directions the girl had given her. Not long after, she arrived at her destination. Clara was surprised when she entered the place because all the seats were almost filled with prospective students. Clara looked around and looked for a place where she could sit.

After searching for a while, Clara found an empty seat and only a girl was sitting there. She didn't know why the other prospective students didn't occupy the seats around the girl. When she saw her face, Clara remembered seeing her during registration yesterday. Clara had a certain impression of her because her appearance had silenced the voices of the prospective students in the registration room.

Clara walked closer to the place and intended to sit next to the girl. But then she noticed the people around her looked at her strangely. Clara didn't know why they were looking at her like that. She ignored them and continued walking towards the place.

"Can I sit here?" Clara asked the girl.

"Huh? Yes, please. This seat is empty. But are you sure you want to sit here?" The girl said, and her voice sounded beautiful and melodic. But her face looks shocked and confused because someone wants to sit beside her.

"Of course. Should I not be sitting here?" Clara was stunned when she saw the girl up close and heard her voice. Her skin looked extremely white and soft, black eyes like onyx gems, and long straight black hair like the darkness of the night.

In addition, her voice is very soft and soothing. But Clara is worried that she won't be allowed to sit there. She looked around and tried to find another chair. Clara found several prospective students looking at her with concerned and sympathetic looks. She was confused when she saw that.

"No, I didn't mean it like that. But... Don't you feel something strange on your body?" The girl looked at Clara with concern.

"Hmm? What do you mean?" Clara tilted her head in confusion.

"I mean, Do you feel your body getting uncomfortable?" The girl was a little surprised by Clara's response.

"I feel fine. So can I sit next to you?" Clara smiled and repeated her question while looking at the chair next to the girl. She felt that more and more people were staring at her as she chatted with the girl.

"Yes, I'm sorry. Please, sit down." The girl was confused after seeing Clara smiling and looking fine.

"Thanks. I forgot to introduce my name. I'm Clara Castilene. You can call me Clara. I'm glad to be your acquaintance." Clara introduced herself to the girl after sitting down.

"Castilene? Are you the daughter of Duke Castilene of this kingdom?" She was slightly surprised after learning Clara's identity. She didn't expect the girl sitting next to her to be the daughter of a noble of the Neigal Kingdom.

"You know me? Yes, I am the daughter of Hazell Castilene. But my father said I couldn't bring my status here. May I know your name?" Clara looks a little excited because someone knows her family.

"I... My name is Iris Neigal. You can also call me Iris. I'm glad to be your acquaintance." Princess Iris smiled and politely introduced herself.

"Neigal? You are Princess Iris Neigal!? I apologize for my rude behavior, Your Highness Princess!" Clara was shocked after hearing the girl's name. She remembered how she had spoken before and feared that she had offended Princess Iris.

Clara caught the attention of the people around her as she spoke quite loudly. She realized that she had made a mistake and immediately covered her mouth. But then Clara felt weird because they looked at her with confused faces.

"You said it yourself, didn't you? You shouldn't bring your status into this academy. So you don't have to be so polite to me. Please call me Iris because I don't have any friends the same age as me. I'd be happy if you spoke more casually to me." Princess Iris said softly, and her face looked a little sad.

"Alright. Then... I... Iris. Nice to meet you." Clara hesitates to speak too casually to the Princess of the kingdom her father serves.

"Nice to meet you too, Clara. Did you come to enroll in the academy yourself? As far as I know, the Duke of Castilene's territory is far from this place." Princess Iris smiled broadly, and it put the flower garden to shame. It shows how happy she is now. Clara was momentarily captivated by the smile, even though she was a fellow woman.

"No, I came here with my aunt. He is a teacher in this academy. Moreover, I enrolled in the academy together with my butler." Clara answered honestly.

"You have an aunt that becomes a teacher here? Is your butler also enrolled in the academy? Do you mean he just accompanies you or wants to be a student in this academy?" Princess Iris looks enthusiastic while talking to Clara. He bombarded her with question after question.

"Ahaha... Yes, I have. To be precise, she is an old friend of my mother. About my butler, I mean Ken. He enrolled here as a student just like me." Clara chuckled when she saw the enthusiasm on Princess Iris' face.

"Ah, I'm sorry. I'm too happy because I haven't had a conversation like this with a girl my age." Princess Iris was embarrassed for being too excited while talking to Clara.

"It's okay, Iris. I'm glad you feel that way." Clara smiled in response. She was also no different from Princess Iris in that she never chatted like that with girls her age.

The two of them continued chatting and ignored the stares of the people around them. Not long after, two people suddenly appeared on the podium and stopped chatting. Clara was surprised that one of the two was her aunt, Beatrix Artvika.

"Welcome prospective students of Piqmentia Grand Academy." The person who spoke was a young man with shoulder-length red hair.

"We are the ones who will supervise your test. I am Beatrix Artvika and he is Reid Brandon." Beatrix and Reid currently wear the same uniform that Christof and Kalya wear. It looks like the uniform that teachers at the academy will wear.

"Alright, let's start our test now." Reid snapped his fingers, and the exam paper appeared before the prospective students.

"Good luck, Iris!" Clara cheered on Princess Iris.

"You too, Clara." Iris nodded and smiled.

"Exam begins." Beatrix signaled the start of the exams to the prospective students.

***

The first test quickly ended. After fifteen minutes of rest, Princess Iris and Clara were in the second exam room. The prospective students took turns measuring their strengths. Not long after that, Princess Iris' turn finally came.

"Good luck!" Clara held Princess Iris' hand and cheered her on before she left.

"Thanks, Clara." Princess Iris smiled and walked over to the mana-measuring device. The prospective students quickly kept their distance and avoided him. Princess Iris' happy face darkened.

Beatrix was confused when she saw the conversation between Clara and Princess Iris. She knew what happened to Princess Iris and how it affected other people.

(This is weird. Is it possible that her mana doesn't have the same effect as before, or she has a magic tool that perfectly seals her mana's radiance? No, from the reaction of the other prospective students, being close to her is still very dangerous. Then what's strange here is... Clara?)

Beatrix speculated in her heart. After she thought for a while, only one answer made sense. There was something strange about Clara, so she wasn't affected by Princess Iris's mana.

(I'll ask her later)

While Beatrix was thinking, the value of Princess Iris' mana measurement appeared.

[48,875]

"Pass... Next." Reid was stunned by Princess Iris' results but immediately came to his senses and called out to the next prospective student.

Clara smiled broadly and congratulated Princess Iris. Princess Iris' gloomy face turned happy again. After a long wait, Clara's turn came. She walked towards the measuring device. Clara quickly placed her hand on the crystal ball. Then the hairpin on her head glowed without anyone noticing.

[46,773]

"What!?" Beatrix was shocked after seeing that. She knew very well that Clara had just become a senior mage. But the value of her measuring device indicated that Clara was already halfway to Magic Master.

"Pass... Next." Reid nodded in satisfaction and recorded the value of Clara's test on the magic tool in his hand.

(I'll have to take the time and talk to her!)

Beatrix muttered in her heart.

***

After the second exam is over, Princess Iris and Clara are currently undergoing their third test. They pass because they can survive until the time is up. Since both were mages, they fought long-distance battles while stalling for time until they ran out.

It wasn't long before their third test was over. Reid and Beatrix immediately left the place. Clara and Princess Iris walked together out of the silver tower.

"Are you going back to your inn, Iris?" Clara asked Princess Iris on her way out of the tower.

"I don't know. How about you?" Princess Iris looked around her. People along the way kept avoiding her, and it made her sad.

"I'll be waiting for Ken. He said he would pick me up." Clara's face suddenly turned red when she remembered what happened this morning.

"May I come with you?" Princess Iris subconsciously said that. Once she realized what she had said, she wanted to take back her words. But Clara opened her mouth first.

"Of course. But you must be patient with him because he is a bit cold and quiet boy." Clara nodded slightly in response. But that wasn't what Princess Iris was thinking. She was worried that Clara's butler would be affected by her mana when he was near her.

Moreover, Princess Iris felt that Clara was close to her butler. She feared Clara would be angry with her if she hurt her butler. Princess Iris didn't want that to happen and lose her first friend at the academy.

Not long after, a black-haired boy appeared and approached them while the two of them were waiting in front of the tower. Princess Iris didn't know why, but she felt something strange when she saw the boy.

"Ken!" Clara shouted and waved her hand. Her voice brought Princess Iris back to her senses.