That thought crossed her mind. Flora smiled faintly. This teacher was quite interesting.
She didn’t go to line up for the written test right away. Instead, she waited where she was, because she and Lena had agreed that whoever finished first would wait for the other.
Flora sat on a stone bollard by the roadside, watching the people coming and going.
Some students came out of the building, some looking down without speaking, some talking to the person next to them, some glancing around as if looking for someone. Their clothes ranged from clean to dirty, and their expressions varied.
She watched for a while, then looked over at the queue. A lot of people were already standing there, the line winding all the way to the other end of the field.
“Fufu!”
A bright voice called out. Flora turned her head toward the sound. Lena was coming out of a side door of the building, waving at her. She ran over, her hair a little messy and her face flushed.
“Fufu, have you been waiting long?” Lena laughed breathlessly.
“Not really.” Flora stood up. “How did it go?”
“Not bad.” Lena walked up to her, catching her breath. “I think I’ll most likely pass. There might be a small surprise, but it’s very small.”
Flora nodded.
The two headed toward the queue.
“What about you? How did your test go?” Lena asked.
Flora thought for a moment, then said, “It was okay.”
“‘Okay’ how? You’re definitely hiding something from me again.”
Lena gave her a look, the meaning clear. But she knew Flora’s habits, so she didn’t press further and just started talking on her own.
“During the first test for element, it was only wind, so the teacher just took one look and wrote it down.”
“For the second one on mana reserve, I did what you taught me—fed it slowly, and when I felt it was about halfway, I stopped. The crystal ball glowed pretty well, and I think the teacher was a bit impressed.”
Flora nodded. It seemed Lena had remembered all the key points she’d taught her.
“The third was target practice. I shot five times and hit all five. The teacher even praised my control.”
Lena’s tone carried a hint of pride as she said this, but she quickly added, “Although only two hit the bull’s-eye. The others were scattered around, but still close.”
“That’s pretty good too.”
“Back when I fought the puppet… honestly, thinking about it now is kind of funny.”
Lena started laughing as she spoke. “I was dodging, but when I turned sideways, I lost my footing, stumbled back a few steps, and fell on the ground. It’s just that I haven’t trained enough—even though this was my first real fight.”
“Mhm.”
Flora let out a soft laugh too.
“But overall, I did okay. And you? You haven’t told me yet.”
Flora looked at the queue ahead and was silent for a while.
“I only wanted to show my ice element, but somehow the thunder element got seen too… a bit frustrating.”
Lena was taken aback. “Huh? Didn’t you say you had it under control? How did it get seen?”
Lena blinked. “Well… it is what it is.”
“Didn’t I tell you? I don’t know why either. I never had that happen when I tested myself before.”
Flora said nothing. Lena thought for a moment, then suddenly understood.
“Oh right, you said you didn’t want to draw attention. That makes it a bit bad.”
“…Yeah, but it is what it is.”
Lena nodded and didn’t ask further.
The two walked to the end of the line and stood still. There were many people ahead, and the line moved very slowly.
After a moment of silence, Flora suddenly said very seriously, “I strongly suspect something is out to get me.”
“Ah?” Lena asked curiously.
“The control test was okay. No major problems.”
“Then… what about the practical combat? How was that for you?”
Flora looked at her without speaking. Seeing that expression, Lena suddenly had a bad feeling.
“…What happened?”
“The puppet… malfunctioned,” Flora said calmly.
“Malfunctioned? How did it malfunction?”
“It was too fast. When I was waiting, after it activated, I realized the intensity was off. It was much faster and stronger than a normal test puppet.”
Lena’s eyes widened. “Then how did you fight it?”
“Dodge. I just kept dodging because I didn’t know the situation. Then I used ice cones to deal some damage and slow down its attacks.”
Flora said it matter-of-factly. “In the end, I couldn’t dodge anymore and got hit a few times.”
Flora didn’t tell the whole truth. Lena looked at her and finally noticed the small bandage on her arm. Her heart tightened instantly.
“You’re injured?”
“It’s just a scratch. It’s fine.” Flora said. “Later, the teacher turned off the puppet, apologized to me, and said he’d give compensation.”
Lena listened and was silent for a long time. Then she muttered quietly, “How is it that your test… is so different from mine, or from anyone else’s…”
Flora smiled but didn’t say anything. The line moved forward a bit. The two followed.
“What did the teacher say?” Lena asked. “What about your performance?”
Flora thought about it. “What could he say? He said my performance was excellent, even though I got beaten in the end.”
Lena’s expression turned complicated. “But weren’t you trying to keep a low profile?”
“Yeah, right.”
“And the result?”
“What do you think?”
Flora’s tone was a little cold, with a faint trace of displeasure. Lena looked at her and suddenly laughed.
“You really… can’t keep a low profile even when you try.”
Flora also smiled, a little helplessly. The line moved forward again. The two followed.
“Oh, by the way, a teacher named Liuli treated my wound when I came out.”
Flora said with interest.
“Liuli?”
“Yeah, a female teacher. She had a funny way of talking. She said I looked pretty and my arms were fair and tender. I almost laughed when I heard that.”
Lena was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing. “She said you’re pretty… what was your reaction at the time?”
“I… was stunned.”
Lena laughed even harder. Flora watched her laugh, the corners of her own mouth lifting.
The line continued to move. The sun was shining, and it was unexpectedly a bit hot today. But standing in the queue, chatting idly, the two seemed to barely feel the heat.
After a while, it was their turn for the written test. The test was held in a large classroom. One desk per person, papers distributed for answering.
The questions were about the basics of magic and magical theory. There were multiple-choice questions, fill-in-the-blank questions, and short-answer questions.
Flora scanned the paper. She knew most of it. Some she had learned at the Human Academy before, some she had learned later from Ilya.
She answered at a normal pace—neither too fast nor too slow—and put down her pen when she finished.
Lena sat diagonally behind her, writing earnestly with her head down. Flora had made her memorize those questions before, so it should be fine.