The carriage rolled smoothly into the bustling commercial district, passing by a variety of restaurants, cafes, bars, and specialty shops. The wide streets became increasingly alive with the vibrant atmosphere of the passing crowds.
There were classical forms of architecture, like the Ikerite Central Station and the Saint Brian Cathedral, interposed with modern buildings that featured magical glass facades, such as the Hutton Pedestrian Plaza and the Erika Mage Spire. These diverse styles coexisted harmoniously, enriching the capital’s skyline.
The sightseeing carriage arrived near the university by early afternoon. The legendary Ikerite University was situated in the very heart of the capital. The institution had no enclosing walls. The entire area, along with all the buildings within it, simply constituted the domain of the university.
Lance walked onto the campus with Talia with his suitcase in hand. They had barely taken a few steps when they were greeted by the melodious tolling of a bell that came from the iconic red-brick clock tower. It chimed three times before abruptly falling silent, signaling that it was three o'clock in the afternoon.
The clock tower stood tall in the center of a vast lawn surrounded by greenery. Sunlight filtered through dense foliage, casting dappled patterns of light and shadow upon the lush grass.
After orienting themselves at a map on a sign, Lance and Talia made their way past a variety of buildings. The Sages’ College’s Tower Library was constructed in the gothic style, and it had exterior walls adorned with exquisite reliefs. The interior housed countless ancient and rare books.
On the other hand, the Knights’ College featured pointed arched windows that exuded a classical charm in its arena, which was reminiscent of Victorian style architecture in his previous world.
There were also innovative facilities like the Alchemical Life Sciences Laboratory and the Magical Engineering Research Institute. They both had walls made of magical screens that reflected the blue sky and the shadows of the surrounding trees.
After walking for a little over ten minutes, Lance arrived at his destination. In front of him was a massive building with sleek lines and a unique appearance: the Learning and Education Hall, which was shared by the Knights’ College and the Sages’ College.
Lance and Talia made their way to the second floor, where the Student Services Center was located. With the assistance of a friendly staff member, Lance quickly updated his exam registration details, switching his target institution from the College of Alchemy to the Sages’ College.
To finalize his registration for the Sages’ College entrance exam, he still needed to head to the third floor of the building for the attribute test. His left hand held his small suitcase while his right had the application form and personal information dossier as he climbed the steps.
After navigating the corridors, Lance found the Basic Attribute Measurement Room on the third floor. The spacious office was neatly arranged with various magical measuring instruments. Rather than a typical university classroom, the atmosphere felt more like a medical clinic.
Students applying to either the Knights’ or Sages’ College usually completed their required attribute tests early in the application process. However, since Lance had switched his application midway, his schedule didn't align with the main cohort. With the rest of the exam only two days away, there were no other applicants present.
The instructor seated behind the desk quickly turned to look at the two visitors. She had a gentle demeanor, and the moment she laid eyes on Talia, a look of delight and warmth spread across her face.
"I never expected such an impressive new student this year... It looks like the Sages’ College has come across a real gem."
Talia’s composed, restrained, and unfathomable aura had immediately impressed her.
Talia calmly said, "I’m not the one taking the exam. He is."
"Huh?" So, the young man carrying the suitcase was the examinee? The teacher, whose nameplate read "Theresa," quickly shifted to inspect Lance.
Seeing that the teacher had finally looked toward him, Lance smiled awkwardly and sheepishly. "That's right."
Talia was used to a wandering lifestyle, so she wasn’t carrying any luggage. Lance, on the other hand, was standing there with a suitcase in one hand and paperwork in the other. Next to the icy and aloof Talia, he resembled her manservant.
"Ahem." Theresa coughed awkwardly.
Their physical contrast hadn’t led her to that misunderstanding. As a mage, she relied far more on her perception and judgment of magical energy than on her eyes. Unfortunately, the pitiful magical fluctuations radiating from Lance gave her little hope that he would become an outstanding mana user.
Even without specialized testing equipment, her experience as a veteran instructor allowed her to sense that Lance’s mana affinity was weak. However, his spiritual power appeared remarkably strong. Perhaps he would be better suited to becoming a cleric? After all, the support spells of a cleric relied on their spiritual strength rather than raw mana power.
However, if he wanted to join the clergy, institutions like the equally renowned Holy Order Research Academy or the Sacred Divine Craftsmanship University would be far better suited to his talents than Ikerite University.
Still, since he had already arrived, she certainly couldn't say anything that would discourage him. Her task right now was simply to help Lance complete his attribute test. If his combined test results met the required standards, she would proceed with the paperwork for the official entrance exam.
They quickly moved through and completed the testing. Aside from exceptional potential for the Spirit and Stamina stats, Lance showed absolutely no aptitude for Mana or Strength.
Although the Sages’ College placed less weight on the Spirit attribute than on Mana when evaluating magic-oriented classes, Lance's exceptionally high Spirit stat meant that, after the weighted calculation, he comfortably cleared the passing threshold. So, Theresa began processing the paperwork for his subsequent tests.
Lance looked over his attribute test results while waiting for the instructor to finish her work. He had taken this world's simplest yet most straightforward Four Main Attribute Test. The Mana attribute influenced the damage, healing output, and bonus effects of the vast majority of spells. The Strength attribute was directly linked to physical attack power. Spirit affected the maximum mana pool and magic resistance, and Stamina encompassed vitality, endurance, and physical defense.
Theresa was inputting Lance's specific test results into a magical tablet-like device, but when she reached the "Class" field, she looked up and asked, "What profession are you?"
Lance possessed outstanding survivability, but lacked any means of dealing damage. She surmised that he likely wasn’t a highly offensive class; it was probably something geared toward support or logistics.
Although Talia remained outwardly composed, she paid close attention to the answer Lance was about to give. After all, she genuinely didn't know the answer, nor did she have any idea how he would respond. A Mad Warlock? A Cultist Priest? None of those seemed quite right. She simply couldn't think of a fitting class to describe the system formed by the cards Lance currently possessed.
Lance said with a gentle, pleasant smile, "Obviously, I'm a White Mage."
Hearing this, the corner of Talia's eye twitched. This guy really had some nerve! Had she not spent so many years traveling through human lands, her first instinct would have been to question her own understanding of the language rather than suspecting something was amiss with Lance.
What was truly absurd was that Talia couldn't even detect a lie from him. He genuinely believed he was a White Mage!
Upon hearing this, Theresa nodded with a look of understanding. "I see... Actually, I am a Healing Mage myself. If you manage to enroll in the Sages’ College, we might meet again in the classroom."
He was such a bright, cheerful young man, so he certainly looked like a healer with a benevolent heart. While his healing output and support effects were low, his Spirit attribute was linked to his mana pool. This meant he could cast spells continuously, and his Stamina for prolonged combat should be quite sufficient. Most importantly, unlike other roles, a healer needed to possess a gentle and kind heart.
As Theresa sat behind the long table with her chin in one hand, a warm smile appeared on her face as she handed Lance the admission bracelet. "For the next exam in two days, just use this bracelet to head to the seventh floor for the practical simulation. It will be a difficult test, but may the Goddess of Fate bless you. Good luck."
She believed that those who were gentle souls deserve to be treated with tenderness in return... Even if there was little hope of this young man standing out and passing the exam.
"Alright, thank you." Lance nodded graciously. Then, he left the building together with Talia, whose eyes betrayed her lingering confusion.