The Headmaster's appearance

The day when the observance was held.

It was one of the days when the academy would be bustling with activities. That was especially so for the second semester juniors who would be training and buying various potions, scrolls and magical items. As juniors who were going to be seniors, they had to prepare as much as they could to not fail.

However, this test had a different meaning for various families of mages. Although no one would admit it, all families had competed for a good position among younger generations through this test.

When someone from the younger generations of one family did great in the test, then the fame of whole family would soar with his or hers. As a result, the standing of that family would improve among others, leading more mages to join their family. This was the goal of all families.

However, the top position had always been snatched away by the three existing major families. Though there was a time when someone from a minor had appeared at top, yet the next day a news of that family ''suddenly having difficulties and migrating to another kingdom'' came. From that time onwards, no minor family couldn't make it to the top, or if straightforwardly said; they didn't dare make it to the top.

While everyone was busy preparing for headmaster's speech, which he would be giving at the observance held today at the grand hall; a young boy was scribbling lots of complicated runes on a paper, inside his room. The room was very messy with clothes, papers, empty ink bottles and unwashed dishes.

After a while, the young man seemed to have finished writing as he picked up the paper from his desk and carefully examined its contents. Though the handwriting was a bunch of strange characters, he seemed to understand it as he copied down the last line of runes written on it, neatly on his spellbook.

After copying, he dipped the quill pen back in an ink container and leaned on his back against the chair he was sitting on.

"Sigh, finally I have have finished learning the last spell." Sighed Aren with a tired look on his face. Doing an E-ranked and another five F-ranked quests, taking the promotion trial; when he had finally been promoted to a rank E adventurer, a week had already passed.

Left with at most twenty days to learn a spell, Aren had to pull all nighters for this. As Unpredictable Cards had a difficulty level of being just below Lesser Divination, twenty days was really a short time to learn this spell.

'I'll ask Monica a thorough payment when I'm done with this' Aren thought as he slowly stood up. Due to him sitting like that for all night, he was not able to feel his legs for a while.

As he looked at the state Of his room, he sigh once again. This bad habit of his had to be given up. It had formed since he had started working inside his lab for days without sleep. Making programs for the spaceships, researching why the trees had started to die and how humans could cope with the increase surface temperature of more than 50°C...

While remembering how he did those monotonous works in his past life, he started organizing his room.

He could have just used mage hand but as he had just learnt a new spell, his spiritual power was still in the process of recovery.

When he was finished doing all the chores, it was already the 7th hour of morning. The observance was to be held at 9 a.m. sharp and all juniors participating in the test were ordered to attend. As there were still two hours left, Aren decided to write a quick letter to sister Tina and then start preparing.

...

At 8: 40 a.m.

Aren wearing an old hooded robe, came out of his room and stealthily exiting the dorms he went towards the grand hall. The place already had many junior apprentices gathered there.

Most of them were not wearing the academy's uniform today. In fact, the robes, capes and cloaks they were wearing were all magical items in the form of clothes. As for those that were still wearing the school's uniform, they either had weapons and accessories as magical items or they didn't have money to buy any.

Actually, the robe he was wearing was also a magical item, even though it was old and worn out. It was not his though but a diviner whose identity he had taken to participate in this test.

The name was Syden, a junior apprentice for five years having orange ring aptitude. He was not from any family either. This time the poor guy had gathered courage to face the test but unfortunately he had become Monica's target.

Aren got in line where the divination subject juniors were uniformly lined. Inside the pocket of his robe were ten scrolls of different attribute which he had carefully chosen from his collection. He also had three healing potions and five spiritual power recovery potions with him. With the earth elemental magical item and this robe he could be considered as armed to teeth now.

Within ten minutes all students had lined up inside the hall forming six columns for six different subjects. There was still five minutes left for the headmaster to enter and deliver his speech so he called katty using the spiritual imprint she had left on his spell book.

"Hello, big brother Aren~ why did you call katty?"

'This... innocent voice speaking directly in my mind... what is this weird feeling welling up within me...?'

"Ahem- Katty, I did a divination earlier today. There is someone you should be careful of. Though I don't know his name, he has blond hair, light blue eyes and a small mole on his right cheek. He might be in the same team as yours."

"So that blond person is the bad guy~?" as she asked, Aren was sure she was now putting her index finger on her chin, giving a questioning look.

"Not necessarily a ba- Ah no, he is a bad guy. A smelly guy, stay away from him." Aren changed the way he spoke as he cautioned her. He had tell her in the way she understood when speaking with this girl.

"He smells bad? So I have to stay away, right?"

"Yes." Aren answered.

"But what if he i- "

Aren withdrew his spirit from the spellbook and closed it. He would rather listen to Claude's scolding than her unending and ridiculous questions.

After a short moment, Roderick, accompanied by four of the Professors entered the hall.

The second semester juniors for the first time, saw their Academy's headmaster after enrolling here. He was now wearing a loose white robe, his handsome face had an amicable smile. With his gentle temperament, unlike when Aren had met him at first and his gaze which seemed to or rather was supposed to spread knowledge?, he really looked like a headmaster of such a large Academy.

As he came before the apprentices who were gathered below the stage, he put his hands behind his back and calmly said,

"My students, the path of a mage isn't an easy one. There will be many obstacles along the wa..."