Chapter 12 – Am I Surprised? Certainly Not

Not so long after Noah was burdened with impatient thoughts, the Written Exam began.

Already halfway through the allotted time for the Exam, Noah seemed to not have any problems with any of the questions so far.

The two Elite Ranked Mages sat and watched the boy as the tip of his pen moved nonstop over the answer sheets that he was given.

'Doesn't seem to find it too difficult, I guess.'

Master Rowan made his mental assessment of Noah.

He watched the boy's calm and confident demeanour as he sat and wrote.

Noah did not make any movement that conveyed any signs of difficulty or mental block.

His knowledge flowed seamlessly from his brain through his arms down to the tip of his pen, pouring everything that he knew on the paper according to the questions asked.

Even with how flawless the exam has been so far, Andrea still didn't trust that Noah was putting in his best.

Simply put, she already anticipated that the boy would intentionally want to fail.

However, that didn't matter since she had made every preparation that absolutely guaranteed that he would scale the Entrance Exam, whether he liked it or not.

That was one of the perks of having the leadership of Emberfort on your side.

Certainly, these minor acts of corruption were favourable a good number of times.

Little did she know that her preparation didn't really matter anymore because Noah was truly doing his best.

It was a known truth that Noah didn't want to be a Mage Student.

After he reincarnated into the World of Fantasia, Noah had one dream which he wanted.

That dream was to live.

To live his life to the fullest. Something his old life didn't allow him to.

Noah wanted to explore his new world beyond the borders of Emberfort.

Just like his grandmother, Zeno Flamine had also told him stories about the vast world.

He knew about creatures that he could only imagine existed.

He heard and learned about wonders that would make someone seem crazy if they said such a thing back on Earth.

All these fuelled the fire in his belly for adventure.

In a world such as Fantasia, it was possible and he was going to do it.

Nonetheless, Noah was not one to mindlessly do things.

Surely, he was a truant brat and can be a pain in Zeno's ass sometimes but he was a smart child.

From studying those around him, the likes of Mister Karz, Andrea and even his great-uncle, Noah knew that he wasn't ready for the world beyond his home.

If there were people like these Mages close to him or even stronger, he wouldn't match up.

He had considered all these things from the moment he set his feet into the compound of the Academy.

Then his meeting with the old Master Rowan became the sure convincer that allowed him to make a decision.

The words of Master Rowan had inspired and spurred him on to yearn for even more greatness.

But no greatness came without thorough preparation, that much he knew.

He may have been born into a Noble Family but if he doesn't do his part, that heritage would be a useless one.

After giving it much thought then, Noah came to a decision just before his exam began.

'It's just for a year. Might as well do it,' he decided in his mind, sighing in his heart.

And so, the Written Exam began then.

This part of the exam lasted for an hour and a half, with multiple choice and theory questions.

"I'm done!" Noah announced, waving his hand at Rowan.

'Already?' Rowan thought.

The old Master adjusted his glasses and glanced at his watch.

"Finished in an hour. I hope you are sure of what you put down there, kid?"

"Keke," Noah laughed and scratched his black hair.

"I finished earlier than that though. Was just waiting for an hour so it doesn't look somehow."

At the same time, Noah had noticed Andrea's piercing gaze shooting at him from the corner but he didn't turn to see.

She was shocked when he said what he said and for some reason, those words affirmed her worst assumptions.

'This kid,' he thought.

"Well, if you say so. Bring your paper here then," Master Rowan instructed.

Noah smiled and pushed his chair back to allow him some space to step out.

After that, he walked to the stage in front and met with the old Elite Mage to submit his paper.

Immediately after he handed his paper in, the boy was ready to waltz back to his chair when Master Rowan stopped him.

"Wait," he said, his eyes running over the paper.

Noah stopped.

As had stopped, a bit of panic gripped him as he had not expected such a command.

'Did I do anything wrong?' an unconscious thought flashed through his mind.

But in a very short moment, he composed himself and stayed still, not moving or saying anything.

Noah simply watched Master Rowan examine the answers he had given in the exam.

From time to time, the old Master would glance at the boy and then back at the paper; but Noah was never flustered by this.

"Surprised?" Noah asked with a calm imprudence and a smug face.

'What a cheeky brat?' Master Rowan retorted in his mind.

He placed Noah's paper on the table and cleared his throat.

"Ahem. Am I surprised, you ask?" Master Rowan replied. "Certainly not."

"So how was it?" Noah asked again.

He still held a smug face as he spoke to the old Master, expressing a mocking confidence towards him that was somewhat irritating to the Chief Administrator.

Master Rowan chuckled.

"You will find out," he answered sternly, causing Noah's confidence to falter a little bit.

Master Rowan's reply made Noah realise that his intention to taunt the old Master and express his pride failed.

The old master had gracefully brought down the little Flamine's high shoulders.

'Tch,' Noah gritted inwardly.

Master Rowan cleared his throat again.

"Now that you are done with the Written Exam, we might as well head over to the Physical Fitness Exam."

The old man turned to Andrea, who was quietly seated in the corner.

"Or don't you think so, my dear Andrea?"