The other students were dumbfounded, staring so hard that their eyes almost popped out of their sockets.
Even the professor who had been staring blankly at the hourglass was so shocked that his glasses nearly slipped off.
He walked down from the lectern, approached Aurelian, picked up her exam paper from the desk, and began flipping through it rapidly.
After carefully reading the answers, he couldn't help but become absorbed, a look of amazement appearing on his face.
"This! Tsk!"
"Your Highness, Princess, this final question, how did you… Oh, my apologies, I've overstepped."
Before his question was even fully spoken, he immediately realized he was still in the examination hall, and hurriedly suppressed his scholar's instinctive curiosity.
The other students were even more stunned when they saw the professor's reaction.
'Could it be… that the princess got everything right?'
'In just these few minutes?'
'The exam had only just started not long ago!'
Aurelian responded with a gentle, elegant smile, "It's alright, Professor Gaia."
"May I leave first? I'd like to go see my teacher."
Professor Gaia finally snapped back to his senses and nodded repeatedly.
"Oh, ah! No problem at all, Your Highness. You may leave now."
After receiving permission, Aurelian calmly stood up, bowed politely to the professor, then turned and left gracefully.
Only after Aurelian disappeared beyond the door did the other students recover from their shock.
Holy shit, now that they thought about it... The princess's teacher was, Professor Viktor.
———
Amid the cold blue glow, the teleportation array lit up as Aurelian stepped out of the ancient mage tower.
The core of the freshman assessment was to test the students' level of understanding of magic.
The difficulty wasn't high, because if even a freshman exam were unbearably harsh, then the number of people who could truly become mages would be even smaller.
To Aurelian, this kind of exam was nothing more than a routine procedure.
Perhaps she just wanted to prove something.
And in truth, she hadn't come for this assessment in the first place.
Walking along the academy's paths, Aurelian admired the scenery around her. Most of the freshmen were still inside the mage towers, and the upperclassmen hadn't returned yet, making the academy feel especially quiet and peaceful.
She wandered through the breeze, curiously observing the rebuilt structures.
Her last visit had been to attend Professor Viktor's lecture. This time, she decided to explore more carefully.
Thinking this way, Aurelian unconsciously quickened her pace.
Before long, she arrived at the edge of a vast lake.
Sunlight poured down, the lake surface shimmering like it had been inlaid with diamonds.
Mages regularly cleaned this place, so the water was crystal clear.
To commemorate Viktor's outstanding contributions in the demon war, the headmaster had deliberately ordered this area to be preserved as a warning and reminder to the academy.
Standing by the lake, Aurelian was immersed in the dazzling light under the sun, her mood calm and serene.
However, on the other side of the lake, she saw a mysterious figure.
That person was wrapped in a wide robe, their figure only faintly visible.
Their back seemed somewhat strange, as if it bulged unnaturally in one large lump.
Who was that person?
At a time like this, how could there be someone else in the academy?
Doubt rose in her heart, and Aurelian stared at the figure warily.
As if sensing her gaze, the person turned their head, revealing a pair of emerald-green, snake-like pupils.
The moment their gaze met those green snake eyes, Aurelian felt her heart race. For an instant, she stood frozen like a stone statue.
There was a subtle sense of familiarity.
But in the blink of an eye, the person on the other side of the lake vanished right before Aurelian's eyes.
Coming back to her senses, she blinked in confusion, her heart filled with questions.
Where did they go?
"What are you doing?"
At that moment, Viktor's voice sounded from behind her.
Aurelian's eyes lit up. Filled with boundless anticipation, she turned to look at Viktor.
"Teacher!"
In the breeze, Viktor's black coat fluttered. The one-eyed crow on his shoulder was calmly preening its feathers, seemingly uninterested in everything around it.
Viktor's expression remained calm as he looked at Aurelian and said lightly, "Not bad. Looks like those questions couldn't stump you."
After all, with Aurelian's magical talent, those little questions were child's play to her.
Aurelian possessed the ability to remember spells after seeing them once. Her talent to learn magic after just a single demonstration had already destined her to be far stronger than her peers.
This year's top freshman was, without question, Aurelian.
Hearing Viktor's praise, Aurelian couldn't help but smile sweetly.
She asked curiously, "Teacher, where are you going?"
Viktor glanced at her and didn't hide anything.
"Back to my office."
This year's freshman assessment was somewhat different from previous ones. The headmaster planned to conduct a public practical combat assessment to further divide the students by level.
So Viktor needed to prepare in advance.
Hearing this, a trace of interest flashed in Aurelian's eyes, and she asked eagerly, "Teacher, may I go with you?"
Viktor nodded, agreeing to her request, "If you want to come, then follow."
Aurelian obediently followed behind Viktor.
Passing through the spring-filled courtyard, they arrived beneath Viktor's personal mage tower.
Sensing Viktor's arrival, a gentle voice sounded from the tower.
[Identity verification successful. Professor Viktor, welcome back to the mage tower.]
Viktor gave a slight nod and stepped onto the teleportation array glowing with blue light.
His deep gaze turned toward Aurelian, signaling her to step onto the array as well.
A wash of blue light flashed by, faint magical energy spreading out and instantly enveloping the two of them.
Deep blue visuals swayed before their eyes, and Aurelian's vision gradually cleared.
She curiously looked around the book-filled office. Books were piled unevenly on the floor, and a massive wooden desk occupied the center of the room, its surface stacked high with documents and thick, short books.
She couldn't help but mutter to herself, "The professor really is diligent."
The not-too-large office was filled with Viktor's presence. It drifted into Aurelian's senses from time to time, giving her an unusual feeling of reassurance.
Suddenly, she froze slightly.
Her gaze fixed on a spot not far away, where she saw a figure.
It was a woman. Her visibly voluptuous body was hidden beneath a loose robe, and she seemed to be leaning over something, her waist swaying constantly.
At the sight of the woman before her, Aurelian instantly stiffened.
She subconsciously turned her head to look at herself, as if asking whether she had such a graceful figure as well.
But after this comparison, Aurelian's expression subtly froze.
She had lost, lost completely.
At that moment, Henny also emerged from behind the curtain. The loose robe fell naturally, covering her entire body and concealing her perfect figure.
The instant Aurelian saw Henny, a flood of memories surged into her mind.
'This person isn't that… that…!'
'Isn't she the girl whose head the teacher had patted at the teacher's house!?'
Aurelian still remembered it clearly.
The first time she went to Viktor's home, she had seen this girl.
And now, why was she appearing in the teacher's office?
At this moment, a storm erupted in Aurelian's mind.
Young Aurelian couldn't help but think of many things, far too many.
Just then, a calm voice interrupted her wandering thoughts, "Henny, my former teaching assistant."
Viktor stood beside Aurelian and said lightly, "She's now an associate professor at the academy."
Henny also recognized Aurelian and quickly bowed to her.
"Your Highness, Princess."
Aurelian blinked, and when she saw the faint outline slipping down from Henny's chest beneath the loose robe, her expression stiffened slightly.
But soon, she came back to her senses.
Henny?
She seemed to have heard this name before.
Wasn't it this girl who had punched her second older brother so hard that his bones cracked?
Her thoughts spun wildly as she suddenly stood there, eyes full of shock.
'Someone this soft-looking could do something like that?'
But because the incident hadn't had much impact, and because the empress's return at the time had caused quite a stir, her second brother's injury had been quietly suppressed.
Seeing Henny now, Aurelian felt an almost surreal sense of unreality.
Just as she was lost in thought, Viktor's voice broke the silence, "How are the preparations?"
Henny adjusted her posture and replied to Viktor with a solemn expression, "Professor, everything is ready!"
Aurelian was a bit confused. She didn't quite understand what the two of them had been preparing.
Viktor suddenly looked at her and spoke calmly.
"Alright, let Her Highness the Princess take a look in advance."
"Henny, open it."
Viktor's gaze fell on the black curtain covering a huge mirror.
Henny nodded, stood up, and walked over, gently gripping a corner of the curtain with both hands.
Under Aurelian's expectant gaze, Henny forcefully pulled aside the heavy black cloth.
A massive mirror appeared before her. On it, there seemed to be two mirrors with tightly closed eyes.
Aurelian's reflection appeared within the mirror, making her feel an unusual sensation emerging from it.
Then, Viktor's voice continued to sound, "This is today's public assessment."
"I gave it a rather nice name..."