A blond-haired man with emerald eyes walked down a hallway in the west wing of Emerdine Mansion. Behind him was a maid with long dark blue hair that touched her shoulders, her expression blank.
Ardyn occasionally looked out the window at the cloudy sky and cold air that signaled winter was coming soon.
Speaking of winter, he remembered that his birthday was in the First Month, which meant there was still about a month to go before that day arrived.
Before he knew it, he had reached his destination. He stood in front of the door to a room, which Zune quickly knocked on.
Before Zune opened it, the doorknob turned and someone came out of the room. The man with glasses and orange hair was surprised to see Emerdine's eldest son and his maid standing at the door, then he immediately greeted them with a bow and quickly walked away from the place.
Ardyn knew the man's identity, but he reacted normally and paid no attention to him. Zune opened the door and stepped into the room.
There he saw a woman elegantly drinking tea from a white cup with a floral pattern, while behind her stood a slightly chubby butler. Ardyn and Zune bowed in greeting, then he sat down on the sofa facing the woman with bright blonde hair.
"Peter, Zune, prepare refreshments and treats for my son."
Silently, the maid and butler quickly served Ardyn warm tea and light snacks. Ardyn lifted the cup and drank the tea, its refreshing taste washing down his throat.
"So, how's your training going, son?"
"Very well, Mother. I've mastered the Airstep spell."
"Good. Don't forget that tomorrow you're leaving for the Voggen Academy entrance exam. I don't want you to miss it."
"Yes, Mother."
Ardyn took a round pastry from the table. A sweet and soft taste enveloped his mouth, then he looked back at his mother, Leni.
"The person who came in before me, what business did he have with you, Mother?"
"Not your concern, my son. He was just carrying out the task I gave him."
"I see..."
Leni took another sip of the tea poured by Peter. Once again, the only sound coming from the room was the spoon being used to stir the tea drunk by the two nobles.
"You still remember what you have to do when you start your journey to Voggen Academy tomorrow, right?"
"Yes, Mother. Supposedly, I will leave tomorrow with Gerdan in a carriage, which will be escorted by the Knight Captain and his elite squad. The journey will take about five days if there are no obstacles. Our group will stop at several cities and stay at the residences of local nobles. Once we arrive, I will take the exam until it is finished and then return home immediately without waiting for anything."
"Make sure that red blockhead doesn't do anything foolish while you are outside the Emerdine territory."
"Very well, Mother."
Leni was satisfied with her son's answer, then she put down her cup and prepared to leave the room.
"I have an important guest from the outside. Enjoy yourself."
"Yes, Mother."
Leni and her butler Peter walked toward the door, but the woman stopped in front of it and spoke to her son without turning her head.
"Ardyn."
"What is it, Mother?"
"I am expecting great results. Because you are the one who will inherit and lead this family."
"Understood...Mother."
After the two left, the room fell silent. Zune looked at her master to see if he was feeling unwell or if something was wrong, but when she approached him...all she found was Ardyn's gloomy face.
***
Several days had passed, and Ardyn's group had arrived at Voggen Academy. Ardyn was currently walking down a hallway in one of the buildings at the Academy. Beside him, Gerdan looked around cheerfully.
Ardyn was wearing a white shirt covered with an elegant black suit, a dark green tie, black trousers, and brown shoes. Gerdan is also wearing the same style of clothing, but he has taken off his black suit and tie and is now wearing a white shirt with several buttons undone.
Ardyn held the paper showing the information on where he could take the practical exam, and he found it. He saw that the room number was the same as the one on the paper, and told Gerdan.
"This is my exam room. I'm leaving now."
"Oh! Okay, Brother Ardyn! I'm going for a walk!"
"Denied. Stop fooling around and find your practical exam room. Karl, make sure he gets there on time."
"Understood, Young Master Ardyn."
"Tsk! What a bore!"
Ardyn knocked on the door and when no one answered, he went straight in with Zune following him. The room was so spacious that calling it a room was an understatement. The soaring ceilings, strong-looking marble floors, and several wide-open windows truly illustrated the grandeur of this indoor space.
Walking a little further inside, Ardyn found someone sleeping in a sitting position on a chair. The man with a thick, long brown beard was snoring as if he was sleeping comfortably even though he was sitting upright. Soon after, the short, bearded man opened his eyes and looked at Ardyn.
"Name, young man?"
"Ardyn Emerdine."
"Let me see that paper."
Ardyn handed his paper to the dwarf man to check. Once the data matched, the man took a wooden rack placed not far from the chair where he had been sleeping. Ardyn felt Mana emanating from the man, and soon thin plates floated in front of him. Not only that, the plates also floated quite fast, like moving targets.
"I take it you've been practicing magic diligently? The rules are simple: there are 50 plates in total, and you have to destroy as many as possible in 1 minute. You can use your magic to the fullest, but no artifacts, secret scrolls and silly equipment to help you."
"Excuse me, but they're moving too fast-"
"Begin!"
The dwarf man ignored Ardyn's words and began the countdown for the practical exam. Ardyn panicked but tried to remain calm, and immediately cast his Wind spell at the plates.
Because the plates were moving too fast, Ardyn often missed his target. Nearly half a minute had passed, yet he still struggled to hit the rapidly floating plates.
Ardyn began to think the rules of this practical exam were unreasonable.
"As for Brother Ardyn, I think he is too focused on the objectives and rules of the match, which makes him seem too rigid."
For some reason, he remembered his younger brother's words. He refocused and recalled what the dwarf examiner had said. He had only said to destroy as many plates as possible in one minute, he only prohibited any usage of magical apparatus that could disqualify someone.
Ardyn once again watched the flying plates. Within seconds, he observed that they were following a certain pattern. Some floated horizontally, vertically, circled each other, and moved in a zigzag pattern.
Confidently, he waited for several plates to form a bee-line and close enough to each other. When that moment arrived, he confidently cast the Wind spell he had mastered. Ardyn repeated this method several times quickly.
The dwarf man was surprised that Ardyn could suddenly hit several targets at once, even though at first the young nobleman seemed to be struggling. A few seconds later, the examiner informed Ardyn.
"Stop! Time's up!"
"Haaahh..."
Ardyn wiped the sweat from his forehead with his hand and exhaled deeply. He then looked at the dwarf examiner who was writing something on a clipboard.
"Hm! Wonderful! You destroyed 41 out of a total of 50 plates!"
"Thank you for your compliment…"
"Now tell me, did you have a special method for doing that?"
"No. I just noticed that the plates moved in a certain pattern. I just memorized the pattern and fired my magic."
"Gahaha! You are the fifth person to successfully figure out the mechanism of this test! Since the test is over, give this paper to the staff at the Academy entrance. I hope you are pleased with the results!"
The dwarf man stamped Ardyn's exam paper and told him to leave. Along the way, he hoped that his exam results would be satisfactory and that he would be accepted into Voggen Academy...because that is how a successor to the Emerdine family should be.