Chapter 34 - 33: The Choice

Chapter 34: Chapter 33: The Choice

Chapter 33: The Choice

Charles said, walking at Noah’s side:

"You might wonder, one way or another, why the noble families let their talents enroll in the Academy. The truth is, you can think of it as a gamble. Like tossing a gold coin into a well. It might be lost, it might grant you a wish... or maybe it comes back one day in the shape of a terrifying enemy."

Noah looked at him. Charles went on in an even tone:

"Someone entering the Academy may never return, and he may even die before achieving anything. But sometimes a person returns as a strong mage,"

"Yes. It’s rare, but it’s happened before. For a noble family, losing children isn’t unbearable if one of them returns with the power to raise the family’s status."

Noah gave a small nod. The relationship between the Academy and the noble families was clearer to him now. The two weren’t allies, The Academy needed the talents born inside the noble families, while those families needed the knowledge and the opportunities they couldn’t provide all their children themselves.

Before he could continue, a voice from the Academy staff could be heard across the courtyard.

"Everyone finished with the blood and affinity tests, follow the markers to the registration area!"

Charles broke off and said:

"Looks like it’s time."

The two of them moved with the rest of the candidates. A short distance on, several separate buildings and areas came into view, each with a board above it bearing a name and a different field of magic. Beneath the names ran brief notes about the elements the place specialized in, along with the names of some well-known mages who’d come out of it.

Noah read several boards as he walked. Fire, water, wind, earth. Then his eyes finally landed on the place that suited him.

The College of Ice and Frost.

Under the words were many lines pointing out that most of the techniques and basic lessons were aimed at those with an affinity for ice or frost. Along with this information were the names of a number of mages, none of whom Noah had ever heard of.

"That’s why the affinity test was important."

No one was forcing the students to pick a field that matched their affinity. But after what the examiner and Charles had explained, Noah saw no reason to start with anything else. He could study other fields later if he wanted. For now, it only made sense to start with the element he could use at the highest efficiency.

Charles said, pointing off in another direction:

"I’ll head this way."

Noah looked where he pointed, then nodded.

"See you later."

Charles smiled.

"If you don’t vanish inside some lab first."

He left him laughing and made his way toward the College of Ice and Frost.

The area wasn’t as crowded as some of the others. Several candidates stood before a long desk, and behind it sat a middle-aged man in a light grey robe. He turned over the candidates’ papers one after another without showing any particular interest. When Noah’s turn came he held out his hand.

"The paper."

Noah handed it over.

The man looked at the results. His eyes paused a moment on the blood quality before moving to the affinity.

"High quality... and a high affinity for ice and frost."

He raised his head toward Noah.

Noah didn’t respond.

The man set the paper aside and took up his next document.

"Read."

Noah took it and started going through it. The terms were simpler than he’d expected. After registering with the Academy, a student got the right to attend the basic lessons, an initial training method, plus housing and food during the first stage of study, and permission to use some of the public facilities. Any knowledge beyond that, he’d have to pay for separately.

The words Magic Crystals appeared several times in the document. Spells, materials, tools, private instruction all of it needed crystals.

The man said, as though he’d repeated the words hundreds of times before:

"What you get for free is enough to start. Want more than that, you pay. The instructors don’t work for nothing, and materials don’t appear out of the air."

Noah read the document through once more, quickly. It wasn’t far off from what he’d expected. Gold had been enough in Lupton to get food and servants and clothes, but it wasn’t the currency that mattered in this place. The things a mage needed to develop himself were measured in Magic Crystals.

And he remembered the pouches the supervisors had taken from the candidates’ bodies in the Mountains of Death.

"Their value’s greater than I first reckoned."

He looked up and asked:

"And how much is the entry fee?"

The man glanced at his papers again.

"The Academy’s entry fee was paid in advance by the Charlemagne caravan, so you don’t need to pay anything now."

He paused, then added:

"But don’t confuse the entry fee with what you’ll need after. No Magic Crystals, and you won’t get more than the basics."

"Understood."

Noah brought his eyes back to the document. Robert had provided him gold and everything he needed to live a comfortable noble’s life, but the magical resources in Lupton had been limited from the start. Set against the children of the Golden houses some of whom had arrived with magic crystals and various tools his position wasn’t good.

That was a problem for the future, though. Right now he had to finish his entry procedures first.

He handed the document back and said:

"I’ve no problem with the terms."

The man pushed a pen toward him.

"Then sign."

Noah took the pen, but he didn’t put his name down right away. He read the clauses again, start to finish, before signing at the bottom of the document.

The man looked at him.

"Cautious?"

"A useful habit."

The man gave a slight nod.

He took the document and pressed a seal onto it. A faint light showed over the paper for a moment before fading, and then he opened a drawer, drew out a small metal card, and held it out to Noah.

"Keep it on you."

Noah took the card. His name was engraved on one side with a number beneath it, while a small rune showed on the other.

The man said:

"That’s your identity card inside the Academy. You’ll need it for housing and most of the places you’re allowed to enter. Lose it, and you pay for a replacement."

Noah turned the card over in his hand just once. He made no attempt to examine the rune with his mana sense.

The man pointed to the back door.

"You’re done. Head out that way and follow the road to the new students’ residences."

Noah gathered his papers and his card and left.

Behind the registration area stretched rows of buildings set aside for students, with a great many young people moving among them. Some were talking excitedly about their test results, while others had gathered into small groups as though they’d known each other for years.

Noah looked at the metal card in his hand, then thought about the limited number of Magic Crystals he owned. He had the talent, and he had the Magic Marrow no one knew existed. But if everything that mattered inside the Academy needed crystals, a new problem would surface in front of him soon enough, one he’d have to solve.

He slipped the card into his pocket and headed toward the residential area.