'What do you mean you don't know?!' Luna shouted in his head.
'I really don't!" Zaroth spat back. 'If it was such important information, I thought you would remember it!'
'Just because I live in your head doesn't mean—'
"Excuse me, what did you just say?" The old man who had asked the question seemed shocked by Zaroth's blunt response.
'Ah, I really screwed it up from the start, didn't I?' Zaroth cursed himself. 'Well, at this point, let's just go with the flow. I doubt anything worse could happen.'
"I mean exactly what I said. Why would I waste my time learning the name of some insignificant place?" Zaroth answered, making the old man darken his expression.
The only person whose demeanor didn't change was Elysia, who continued to look at him, emotionless as ever.
"Insignificant place, you say?!" The old man's voice rose. "How dare you speak like that about the most prestigious academy in the entire empire!"
The teachers—or so Zaroth presumed they were—stared daggers at him. He quickly made a mental note, asking Luna for her opinion.
'With the exception of the woman at the center, I can kill everyone else in this room,' Luna said confidently. Zaroth didn't question her further.
Having a dragon capable of protecting you seemed to make Zaroth much stronger mentally, as he didn't feel any fear from the gazes of the teachers, who under normal circumstances could kill him with a single spell.
"Again, why should I care?" Zaroth straightened his back as much as possible and raised his head high before answering.
"All I've been told is that this is the best place to learn magic and attend classes. That alone is enough for me. I thought everyone was given a fair shot at the start, especially since I saw even homeless people participating in the selection."
He took a deep breath before continuing.
"The questions you're asking are likely only known to nobles and people of higher birth. This test is just a formality to place those of lesser birth lower, isn't it?"
"How dare you accuse us of unfair—"
"I will continue the examination from now." Elysia's commanding voice instantly silenced the old man.
*****
'The plan we've been operating under until now is simple,' Elysia thought. 'A person, likely stressed because of the examination, comes in. They see my appearance and instantly start shaking in their boots—until the old man reassures them with a gentle smile that they have nothing to worry about.
'Then, we give them a question they're bound to fail because the answer—What is the name of this academy?—is a trick. There are countless false names deliberately spread around, and only a few know the actual one.
'But this boy… Zaroth. He met my gaze from the start and didn't even flinch. There's something special about him. Maybe he's the perfect person I need for the job.'
"We'll stop with the questions here. Show us your class," Elysia said, her voice firm.
The boy didn't blink. With a sigh, he moved his arm slightly.
Then something began to materialize from thin air. After about five seconds, a giant wolf manifested before them.
It was obvious Zaroth was a tamer, but something was off. Why did his summoned beast look… dead?
"This is Silverfang, my first pet," Zaroth declared with a smile.
"So, you're a tamer. Was this the first beast you tamed?"
'If this is his first tame, it's impressive,' Elysia thought. 'The way we classify beasts is as follows:
Mundane
Lesser
Uncommon
Rare
Epic
Legendary
Mythic
'The gray wolf he summoned is an Uncommon beast. I can see why he's confident.'
"Yes, I got lucky to have such a strong summon in my arsenal," Zaroth answered.
For the first time, Elysia's neutral expression shifted into a smile.
Only Zaroth noticed her smile, and it visibly startled him. For a second, he wondered if he had done something wrong. But there was no way Zaroth could have known…
Elysia always knew when someone was lying.
"I see... do you possess stronger beasts in your soul?"
"No, this is the only beast I currently possess."
Elysia's smile widened.
'Finally! I found him! This one is the last piece of my plan!'
"One last question," Elysia said. "You seemed unaffected by my presence. Why?"
This was the only thing that still concerned Elysia. Usually, a person coming for examination would be overwhelmed by the magical aura of those stronger than them. Yet, he looked her in the eyes as if it didn't bother him… almost as if he had faced something far more terrifying before.
"Well…" Zaroth scratched the back of his head, unsure of how to answer. "I guess it's because, unlike the old man, who looked like he was about to scam me, you don't seem to have any ill intent. So… you're just easy on the eyes?"
*****
One week later, after the examination process was over, Zaroth stood in front of a giant billboard announcing the results.
'I totally bombed the examination. Is there any point in checking if I got in?' Zaroth asked.
'Of course! Look on the bright side… examining you must have been… unique,' Luna said, attempting to sound reassuring but failing miserably.
With a sigh, Zaroth turned to the board. The classes were listed as A, B, C, D, E, and F.
A-class was reserved for nobles and the best students, so Zaroth started scanning from the bottom up.
He didn't find his name in F, E, D, or C.
'Why do they have to make the text so small?! I can barely read these names!'
After finishing B, he gave up hope. There was no way he was assigned to the top class.
'For fuck's sake, Zaroth! Don't be lazy—read the whole list!' Luna commanded.
With a sigh, he turned his attention to the board. It was ridiculous. There was an easy way to see how wealthy a person was…
It was their names.
A-class was mostly filled with nobles, and some were wealthier than others. Some of the names were so long they looked like entire sentences!
Scanning the names was more trouble than it was worth… until Zaroth froze.
Luna was grinning from ear to ear, though it wasn't visible since she wasn't summoned and was resting in Zaroth's soul.
"See?! What did I tell you?"
Zaroth paid her no attention. He was finding it hard to believe, but there it was. His name was listed in A-class—the top of the top, the elite of the empire.
He had been assigned to A-class.