A line of scribes stood not far away from the procession of carriages. Their job was to write down everything they saw during this famous event. It was worth noting that the entrance exam of the Eberhart Academy was one of the hardest amongst all the elite academies worldwide.
No matter how talented, one had to study hard just to be allowed to take the entrance exam. For this reason, whoever stepped out of one of those carriages was battle-tested. The scribes recorded everything, not just for the newspapers, but to have proof.
Many potential students failed each year, but the fact that they got qualified to try in the first place made them good prospects that any weaker academy welcomed with open arms, not to mention the potential job offers in the future.
Thus, this event was a good opportunity for the scribes, as many parents paid them extra to write articles about their kids. They were also the ones responsible for turning the top students into kingdom-wide celebrities.
The carriage procession was the first event of the entrance exam, and it was also the one that garnered the most attention. Whoever left a lasting impression on his first appearance was sure to turn into a celebrity for a while.
...
The carriages stopped in front of the academy, and the scribes started murmuring as the first door opened.
"Do you think that rumor is true?"
"Which one? Oh, you must be talking about that white haired girl. The trait holder, rumored to be the disciple of the White Witch. I think it could be true. Do you have anyone else worth observing? You always have some great picks."
"There's the kid of Duke Ingram. I heard he is as good as a trait holder. There's also Uros, who was called the most talented of the new generation. Both of them are worthy of attention. Oh look! The carriage doors are opening."
The first carriage door opened, and a kid with long black hair stepped out. His dark eyes absorbed any light that entered them. His white skin was spotless. He was a somewhat lanky boy, who resembled a porcelain doll rather than a human. No one would guess that he was a genius martial artist.
"Look, over there! Isn't that Uros?!"
Most of the scribes converged into one big group to note everything about the expressionless young boy. The rest of the event passed by similarly, with the more well-known entrants hoggling the attention while the others had to face a somewhat lukewarm welcome.
Soon, most of the carriages were open, with their passengers leaving for the exam site. The last noteworthy individual was the disciple of the White Witch. Her name was Lune, and she possessed a beauty surpassing that of her master.
A crescent moon-shaped mark emitted a faint white light on her forehead, indicating that she was a trait holder. Most likely the sole one of this year, given that there was only one carriage left.
The last carriage opened, and Vidra stepped out, leaving the scribes scrambling for their pens. The students, the adults, and the officials. Everyone was speechless at the arrival of an unknown trait holder.
"Who the hell is that elf? Was there a trait holder like him mentioned anywhere?"
"Don't elves usually have green eyes? Is he using some kind of magic?"
"We have two trait holders in one year! This never happened in the history of the academy."
The masses were causing a commotion as Vidra walked towards the place where the entrance exam was going to be held. No one knew about him. His adoptive parents decided to keep everything a secret. Of course, the upper circles of society heard about him. A new trait holder can't go completely unnoticed.
Those who knew about his existence awaited this day to see him in person. However, Vidra didn't care about any of this. His eyes were focused on the white haired beauty in front of him.
"Enriel?"
Vidra whispered to no one in particular. He was merely surprised by the similarity between the master and her disciple. Lune just overheard it by accident and turned towards the source of the sound out of curiosity. Not many people call her master by her real name.
The boy in front of her was the embodiment of the word unique. His eyes were unlike any living being she had encountered. His silky, waist-length ponytail, paired with the naturally beautiful appearance of an elf, made Lune admit it: He was a natural ladykiller. A playboy.
"Do you know my master?"
Lune asked, her eyes fixated on Vidra. Her aloof behavior did not betray her thoughts regarding Vidra's appearance. In fact, the further she observed him, the angrier she got. Vidra's clothes were a mess, and his personality was off-putting. One could tell just by looking at his face.
Lune had a sudden, unexplainable urge to fix everything wrong with Vidra.
"Knowing her... I wouldn't go that far. However, I do owe her one. So..."
"So?"
Lune raised an eyebrow. Knowing that Vidra was about to say something she didn't expect on purpose.
"So tell her that the disciple she picked is absolutely my type."
Vidra gave her a thumbs up and left her frozen in place. The scribes wrote down everything they heard as if their life depended on it. A mysterious trait holder openly flirting with the disciple of the legendary Witch. This could be the scoop of the century.
Lune, on the other hand, was not impressed. It took her a good second to process everything she just heard. What she said afterwards gave the scribes the biggest paydays of their career.
"This deranged, retarded, utterly insane fu--."
Lune almost finished her sentence, but she suddenly remembered where she stood and quickly followed behind the other exam takers. Her aloof attitude returned in a fraction of a second.
The first thing that caught the attention of the kids entering the academy grounds was the giant castle not far away from them. It was the main building of the Eberhart Academy, and the place where they're going to spend most of their time in the next four years.
However, there was an entrance exam they had to pass first. One of the teachers greeted them once everyone arrived.
"I would like to welcome everyone to the hundredth entrance exam of Eberhart Academy. The entrance exam this year will last three days!"
(Author's Note: Hi, I'm Musube, your beloved author. This chapter marks a special milestone. From this chapter onwards, there will be more action, more dialogue, and faster progression. I also applied for a contract, and the novel is getting featured for the first time since I started writing it. This makes me happy:)
I would like to ask everyone who followed me this far to leave a comment. What do you think about the novel? Would you like to see something? What about my grammar? Tell me everything and I'll do my best to improve.)