With Lynn confirmed as a candidate, the Wizard was in a very good mood.
This recruitment was originally meant to gather a few "Materials" to satisfy the old men at the academy.
He never expected to find someone like Lynn.
As long as Lynn could be safely sent back, this trip alone would bring a generous reward.
When Lynn walked toward the five apprentices, their reactions changed immediately.
They smiled, lowered their voices and congratulated him, while clearly trying to get closer.
There were three boys and two girls. One looked a bit older, around fourteen or fifteen. The rest were eleven or twelve.
Lynn could clearly feel the difference.
Before, they had been observing him. Some even looked down on him slightly.
Now, their gazes were filled with curiosity, and admiration.
As soon as Lynn stopped, the oldest boy stepped forward.
He wore a neat blue velvet coat, with a decorative short sword at his waist. His smile looked polite and controlled.
"Lynn right?, congratulations," he said. "Superb Soul Talent. Truly amazing."
"My name is Carl Wilson. My father is the Finance Officer of Black Marsh City."
There was a trace of pride in his voice, but in front of Lynn, he kept it back.
Next to him, a round-faced girl in a pink silk dress quickly spoke up.
"Yes! The crystal ball was shining so brightly!" she said excitedly.
"I'm Lillian, My father runs the largest merchant guild in the city."
She looked at Lynn with open curiosity.
A tall girl stepped forward next.
She wore a simple white dress, but the fabric was clearly expensive. Her expression was calm.
"I'm Irene White," she said. "My father is the Deputy Commander of the City Guard."
Her words were short, but her eyes stayed on Lynn a little longer.
The last two boys hurried over.
"My name's Thomas!. My family owns a blacksmith shop. Half the good weapons in the city come from us!"
He looked very proud.
The final boy was thin and shy.
"I… I'm Benjamin," he said softly. "My father is a scribe."
He lowered his head, clearly lacking confidence.
All five came from families with status in Black Marsh City.
Their introductions were not random, they were trying to show goodwill and make a good impression on a talented genius.
Lynn understood this very clearly.
These people were all low-talent apprentices. They had failed last year and only passed this time because the mental strength requirement was lowered.
Before today, Lynn would have needed to please them.
Now, it was the opposite.
He wasn't arrogant, but he still felt a small sense of satisfaction.
This feeling… wasn't too bad.
Lynn smiled lightly.
"Hello. My name is Lynn."
He didn't talk about his background, and his tone was calm.
The others didn't mind at all.
A genius having some pride was only natural.
Carl quickly smiled and said, "Brother Lynn, we'll be classmates soon. Please take care of us at the academy."
Lillian nodded eagerly. "Yes! We're all from Black Marsh City. We should help each other!"
Irene nodded once.
Thomas grinned.
Lynn nodded back. "Of course. Helping each other is only right."
How sincere those words were, only Lynn knew.
He didn't reject their friendliness. As noble children and children from influential families , they knew far more about wizards and academies than he did.
For Lynn, they were useful.
The Wizard was clearly satisfied.
He waved away the remaining test-takers and began to put away the crystal ball.
Suddenly..
"Wait! Lord Wizard! Please wait!"
A panicked voice rang out.
Lynn's heart sank.
A girl stumbled in, limping badly. Her hair was messy, her face red from running.
The black mist under the Wizard's hood moved sharply.
He was displeased.
The test was already over and the interruption was disrespectful.
The air grew heavy.
Mary felt the pressure and fell to the ground in fear.
Then she saw Lynn standing among the apprentices.
Like someone grabbing the last lifeline, she cried out:
"Lord Lynn!"
Lynn's face darkened.
Idiot.
If his talent had been normal, that shout alone might have caused him serious trouble.
The Wizard looked between Lynn and Mary and quickly understood.
After a brief pause, he took out the crystal ball again.
"put your hand on it."
Mary hurried to comply.
The crystal ball glowed faint pink.
"Low-level Charm Talent. Mental strength: 8."
The Wizard frowned. "Mental strength is below the standard…"
He paused.
"…Forget it. Since you're here, you'll be counted."
It was clear he was only doing it for Lynn's sake but that didn't matter a single bit to Mary.
She hurried toward Lynn and instinctively reached for his arm.
Lynn pulled away immediately.
She froze.
"Lord Lynn, I..I sneaked out," she whispered.
"I jumped from the window, that's why I hurt my ankle. I didn't tell anyone. They don't know we came."
Lynn watched her closely.
She wasn't lying.
His expression eased slightly.
At least she wasn't completely stupid.
Since things had already reached this point, there was no going back.
He was now a Wizard Apprentice.
The Bloody Hands Gang could no longer do anything to him.