As the soothing music gradually faded, the gazes of the teachers and students in the grand banquet hall converged on the podium.
There, an elderly man in a dark blue Mage Robe, with snow-white hair and Golden Half-Glasses over his right eye, meticulously dressed from head to toe, slowly materialized out of thin air.
He was the Dean of the Kaya Empire Mage Academy, Great Mage, top-tier Alchemist, and Empire Honorary Earl—Andrew Victor.
He stood there as if he were an ordinary man, yet the Magic Elements throughout the banquet hall spontaneously surged with vitality, like soldiers eagerly displaying their valor for a general’s inspection.
As a veteran slacker, Brand naturally had no idea why this was happening. However, the gasp of astonishment from Andy beside him answered his unspoken question.
"Is this a Great Mage’s Elemental Domain? It’s terrifying! Under such a Magic Field, I can’t even condense a small fireball!"
To cover up his ignorance, Brand put on a solemn expression and chimed in, "Yeah! It’s terrifying! I can clearly feel that casting Magic here would be heavily suppressed!"
But inwardly, he thought, "Andy is actually pretty impressive! He can already cast a small fireball!"
The Dean’s Elemental Domain shocked the students who were encountering it for the first time, causing a buzz of noise to ripple through the grand banquet hall. However, Andrew, an Elder Mage who had served as the Dean of the Empire Mage Academy for decades, had ample experience handling such situations.
"Mages and future Mages, please quiet down a bit."
He had only parted his lips slightly, making a soft request like any ordinary old man. Yet, to everyone in the noisy hall, his voice echoed as clearly as if he were whispering directly into their ears. Get faster updates on novelping dot com.
At the Dean’s words, a sudden hush fell over the room. Though a few murmurs lingered, Andrew smiled and nodded in satisfaction.
In truth, although Andrew was the Dean of the Academy, he was more of a symbolic figurehead. Despite wielding the ultimate authority in the Empire Mage Academy, his heavy focus on personal research meant he rarely appeared before the students. Most past ceremonies and banquets had been hosted by the vice-dean, a member of the Royal Family who always managed the academy’s affairs in perfect order. While this arrangement carried the suspicion of sidelining Andrew, he did not care in the slightest. Power struggles were far less appealing than researching Magic! Besides, without the support of the Empire Royal Family, whether this academy could even stay open would be a different story entirely. A little bit of power meant nothing. As long as Magic continued to advance and various new Magic Theories sprouted, Andrew was perfectly content. He was, at heart, a simple seeker of truth.
Andrew then delivered a lengthy speech. He covered everything from the academy’s development to various shifts in the Human Race’s magical landscape, before moving on to budding frontier Magic Theories. With concise words, the Dean painted a picture of a positively developing and ever-rising Fains Continent Magic Realm for the teachers and students. The ambitious commoner students found their blood boiling at his words, eager to contribute to the future development of the entire Human Magic Realm.
To Andrew’s regret, however, such students were in the minority. A significant portion of those studying at the Empire Mage Academy were Noble Descendants. While many of them were drawn to the Dean’s grand vision, they wouldn’t lose their rationality over a single speech. After all, nobles tended to be pragmatic.
Nevertheless, setting aside the ’empty talk’ unsupported by tangible realities, some of the information in the Dean’s speech was highly valuable. For instance, the Magical Beast locust plagues in the southern nations, the Elemental Storms in the eastern deserts, and the impending Tidal Year in the Endless Sea. No one would question a Great Mage’s insight; through wondrous Magic, they could observe events unfolding in distant lands. While this was no longer first-hand news for the well-connected Great Noble families, it was entirely new to the vast majority of the people in the banquet hall. By relaying this intelligence to their respective families so they could make the necessary arrangements, they could avoid significant risks even if they didn’t reap massive profits. This was one of the perks of being a student at the Empire Mage Academy.
Unfortunately, quite a few people were about to bid farewell to such perks.
As the Dean took out a small Magic Pocket, dense streams of light shot out from it, hovering in front of the students who had participated in the final exams. As the magical glow gradually dissipated, the lights turned into report cards made of Sheepskin Scrolls, landing gently in the examinees’ palms. Upon seeing their contents, the students’ faces revealed a mix of joy and sorrow.
Unable to wait any longer, Brand unrolled his Sheepskin Scroll and read the contents: Find the original chapter at g.com.
[Brand Holland]
[Assessed Subjects: Basic Magic Knowledge, Rune Array Science]
[Assessment Result: Excellent]
The background of the Sheepskin Scroll featured an enlarged version of the Empire Mage Academy’s Magic Seal, representing the absolute authority of its contents. There were no unexpected surprises; the very ordinary word ’Excellent’ served as a summary of Brand’s hard work this semester. He, Brand Holland, was simply an excellent person.
After carefully examining every corner of the Sheepskin Scroll, the corners of Brand’s mouth curled up slightly.
He thought, "What veteran slacker? From today onward, I am an academy-certified excellent individual!"
With this thought in mind, Brand shifted his gaze to his surroundings. The first thing that caught his eye was Andy, who had leaned over at some point to peek at his report card. He must have just leaned in, because as soon as Brand turned his head, Andy backed away guiltily, though a trace of curiosity still lingered in his eyes. Discovering Andy’s intentions, Brand didn’t bother hiding anything and simply tossed the Sheepskin Scroll directly to him.
Over the past couple of days, Andy had constantly questioned Brand’s proficiency in Rune Array Science. In his eyes, going from a complete layman with no foundation to successfully drawing Runes in just a few months was virtually impossible. And even if it were possible, it definitely wouldn’t happen to someone who already possessed a face like Brand’s. After all, people always preferred to believe that for individuals born into similar circumstances, the total amount of Talent and fate they were dealt would be roughly equal. As fellow Noble Descendants, it made no sense for Brand to be so incredibly handsome while also possessing a rare Magic Talent!
Since Andy wore his jealousy toward Brand on his sleeve, the worldly-wise Brand naturally understood his petty thoughts. In fact, most of Brand’s male friends in aristocratic circles had once harbored similar ideas—wanting to outshine him in their respective fields. Unfortunately for them, luck varied from person to person. Andy was simply one of the unluckier ones. After all, who could blame Brand for being a ’magic genius’! At least in the domain of Rune Array Science, Brand’s ’Talent’ left Andy in the dust!