Arcane Academy: The Divine Extraction Legacy

905  Examination

Karla was a tall girl with black hair that seemed to have a silver gleam in the light… This hair that seemed to shine could easily attract people. Furthermore, she stood near the front of the crowd with a calm and confident gaze.

It looked like she was used to being the center of attention.

ʼIncredible…ʼ Armin felt glad that these seemingly unattainable people were getting somehow closer and closer to him. It was completely different when he was still in the orphanage. For some reason, he felt more significant and wanted to quickly pass the examination.

Just as he was absorbed to his imagination, he heard another voice, this one belonging to a red-headed boy.

”Thatʼs Rehan Borne,” he whispered to his friend, ”the son of the best Paranormal Investigator in the region! His father, Cassian Borne, uncovered that Dragon Cult two years ago!”

”Wait… Isnʼt that achievement supposed to be from Miss Aubrey Hall? I heard Miss Hall was one of the professors here.”

Armin listened silently as he heard some unfamiliar names. He might not understand what they were saying, but he was sure that he would soon learn more about this.

Anyway, the young man they called Rehan stood a few paces away, casually leaning against a pillar. He didnʼt look like a young kid like him at all since Rehan seemed to be taking in his surroundings with a calculating gaze.

ʼTheyʼre aura is completely different from me.ʼ Armin thought.

He also thought that since Rehanʼs father was a Paranormal Investigator, Rehan mightʼve gotten that habit from his father.

Anyway, with the appearance of the two, it no longer surprised them that there were more than two promising figures in this yearʼs enrollment.

Well, it seemed that the Featherstar Academy that the Dark Arts Faction established wasnʼt as famous as the new Marshall Academy.

As they were waiting for their turn to be examined, Armin just continued to absorb all the information as he learned about the famous people. He needed this information!

After all, he learned in the orphanage that he either had to stay out of their sight or get on their side if he wanted to survive peacefully without any background and with only his average talent he could rely on.

”Do you think thatʼs Ely Grey?” another student whispered, pointing toward an elegant girl with white-blond hair and blue eyes. She was with a group of enrollees, and she seemed to have formed her own clique already.

”Sheʼs the daughter of the First Captain of the Order of the Evanescent Vessels.”

The Order of the Evanescent Vessels was a legendary division within the Dark Arts Faction. They were known for handling the most dangerous supernatural threats.

However, that Order was connected to the Dark Arts Faction and not the Shadow Immortalʼs Domain.

From what they heard, the Domain had its own special force called the Shadow Pillars. It was the one handling the protection of the whole Domain. This was the reason why there werenʼt any visible guards in the boundaries of the Shadow Immortalʼs territory.

Of course, Armin only had superficial knowledge about this, so he couldnʼt really be sure about it.

Nonetheless, he at least knew that the First Captain of that Order was practically royalty among them, and here was her daughter, ready to immerse herself in the quite new Academy that was also teaching the Dark Arts.

Armin took a deep breath, as he felt really glad that he was able to get here.

He felt like his world had expanded once again.

ʼIʼm going to study with these influential figures… This is my chance…ʼ Armin thought to himself.

He hadnʼt expected this many influential figures to pursue the Dark Arts. He heard from Mr. Zeno before that there were cases that students in each year would only composed of 20 to 30 enrollees. This time, however, they had more than 300 new students who wanted to learn the Dark Arts!

Soon, a group of people came out of the examination tent just behind the gates of the Academy. That was where the examinations were actually being conducted.

As this group of students left, he overheard another conversation pointing at another person.

”That boy, Aiden Stormshard, over there… His mother is a top Rune Artisan. And look—over thereʼs Mira Emberlane, daughter of High Priestess Helena of the Holy Arts.”

”Ahh? Thatʼs true… Iʼve seen their pictures in the newspaper before. Why are they even planning to study Dark Arts?”

”Do you think they also consumed the Philosopherʼs Elixir and were only granted to have Dark Arts Talent?”

”Thatʼs impossible. With their bloodline, there was no way theyʼd have such a child.”

”Theyʼre definitely unlike us who had to rely on Elixirs to obtain a talent.”

Armin wryly smiled at this, but he nodded. He was also confused with the appearance of children coming from a lineage that practiced a different Arcane Path.

Anyway, it wasnʼt his position to question their decision.

”Hey! Mira! Can you tell us about the exam inside?” One of the brave enrollees asked.

Mira, clad in simple but elegant robes, looked at the student who asked before she smirked.

”Thereʼs no use knowing about it beforehand.” With that said, she left the Academy.

The class would start with two weeks, so she decided to just explore Clovis City for now.

”Hey! Donʼt leave yet. Why would the daughter of a high-ranking Holy Arcanist delve into the Dark Arts?” Another one asked while she was walking away. This question attracted everyoneʼs attention, including Aiden, who was walking just behind her.

Unfortunately, she simply smiled and did not bother about this question. She didnʼt feel inclined to answer such questions. Furthermore, she also didnʼt know that answer since she was just following her parents.

She was only 12 years old, after all.

Armin wanted to ponder about their reason as well, but soon, it was his turn to get examined and learn which class he would join at the start of the class 2 weeks later.