After the greetings, the accountant bowed his head to the three and left them. Tessia, blocking the door with her body, immediately noticed it and make a way for the two.
"Come inside." She said as she gesture her hand towards inside.
As the two went inside, Reine now can see the whole room behind the senior earlier. It was nothing so special or fancy, it was just a beige colored room, two sofas in between of a small tea table. There are cabinet and a bookshelves at the left and right side respectively. At the opposite of the door placed a small desk and a window that feature the garden of the academy.
Tessia went to the sofa and invited the two to sit.
"Do you two prefer tea or coffee?" She questioned as she made her way to the compartment on the left side of the room and retrieved a couple of cups and a teapot for tea and a kettle for coffee.
I wonder what Abigail wants after she got her vacation, maybe she changed her preference?* Reine thought.
Reine looked at her maid, the latter noticed the gaze of her master and immediately stood up to help Tessia to prefer the tea and coffee.
Hah... I guess she didn't change.*
Tessia let Abigail to help her and prepared everything in the table in between the sofas. The cups, kettle and teapot is all made from a porcelain clay that is colored in white, engraved to them are deep blue lines of flower and fish.
"I'll a guess that you prefer tea, Miss Reine?"
"Oh... Sorry for not answering earlier, uh... My mind is on the clouds. Just a tea please, same for Abigail." Reine replied with a tint of embarrassment.
"And, Reine is enough, senior."
Tessia nodded in response, she turned to Abigail and gestured her hand after the teapot.
"I just thought, what if I test the two of you... Uhh, Abigail, please add water to the teapot and boil it."
Is this a test whether she accepts me or not? Abigail, with her giant yet gentle hands, opened the porcelain teapot and pointed her fingers towards the opening of the object.
Liquid... Water... Liquid... Water... Abigail focused her mind for a couple of seconds and without chanting, she conjured a small blob of water that immediately dropped to the opening of the teapot.
Exchanging the use of time for a chantless magic, not bad.* Tessia thought as she silently clapped.
Abigail was so focused that she doesn't noticed Tessia's applause. After filling the teacup, she lifted it with her left giant hand, enough for a space to boil it.
Fire... Flame... This time, Abigail didn't used too much time, instead focused her mind and pointed her open palm against the bottom of the teacup, and chanted:
"Fire."
From the open palms of the half giant girl, a small specks of sparks appeared and after another seconds, it turned ablaze at Abigail's open palms.
"Good, keep that up until it boils, then add the tea. Now, Reine, your turn please. Just like Abigail, add a water and boil it on the kettle." Tessia ordered as she gesture her hand towards the to a much more bigger kettle.
"I'll do my best!" Reine beamingly responded as she opened the kettle's top cover. She focused her mind and mimicked Abigail's actions earlier where she focused and didn't chant the word for magic.
After a couple of seconds, Reine was able to fill the kettle with water, then she lifted it, not with her hand, but with air magic, enough wind to float it as well as not spread the wind in any direction. She all did this with only chantless magic, though spent more focused time.
As Tessia was about to stop Reine's actions since she can't cast another spell without chanting, making it easier, she was surprised that the room was becoming warmer and warmer, though not enough for a sweat to form.
The wind conjured by Reine, became warmer each seconds, it filled the room with warmness. As the hot temperature was about to spread and Reine's focused dimished because of the fact that she can't boil the water with warm wind without warming the room, Tessia opened her palm towards her.
Cylinder... Barrier... Tessia focused her mind and chanted:
"Barrier!"
Immediately after that, a small circle formed at the bottom of the floating kettle, and surged upwards into a translucent white cylinder of a barrier.
With that, Reine was able to focused her mind on continuing to boil the water inside the kettle with warm wind magic.
It was just then when Abigail was done mixing the teacup with a fresh green tea that Reine finished boiling the kettle. She placed the kettle at the square table with a cotton towel beneath the former, and waited for Tessia's judgement.
I... Think I misimpress her for using warm wind magic just to show her I can do it but she helped me as I can't... Really do it !* Reine hid her face with both smooth hands out of embarrassment.
Abigail, concerned, asked her feelings.
"Master, are you feeling unwell?" She leaned forward and pressed her big hand against her master's neck to know what she's feeling.
Tessia on the other hand, gave her judgement to the two while mixing a dark coffee from the kettle.
"Impressive from the both of you. Abigail, your performance is smooth and simple, yet you managed to boil it."
"And Reine, I was impressed by the use of warm wind, it was hard to focus on it but I think you need more time to use other spells to lessen their aftermath, like I did earlier."
"In anyways, I'll accept the both of you, well since from the start actually, it was just a test afterall."
Tessia took a sip from the dark coffee in her cup. Seeing the two, Reine who is not sighing in relief and her maid, Abigail tilting her head out of confusion.
"Thanks senior." Reine sighed and smiled. "We will do our best to meet your expectations in the future."
"Thank you, Senior!" Abigail, out of confusion, bowed to Tessia.
"Stop it you two. There will still be an entrance exam in a month, just train to pass it but with the two of you, and your talents, I wouldn't worry the two of you not passing."
After a while, both sides share a couple of talks. As they finished, Tessia added.
"I would provide guidance to the two of you. And I expect that you will follow in order, as the two of you pass for the 2nd year, I will be able to enter the 3rd year therefore another year and I would graduate."
Tessia smiled and reassured:
"Don't worry, you'll learn alot from me.
...
Counting the days, it has been 4 days since Xian joined the twin's accompany.
Those times, the three hadn't encountered any imperfects since the group of 10 on the riverside. Though, they encountered different monsters here and there.
Xian used the spare time to either study the book of alchemy, teach the twin about transcendence and learning from them, and spending every night and lone time to spend her time with her mother's projection on the artifact.
And after another day, the three arrived before the city gate.
Large and tall walls made out of concrete and stone stood tall that surrounds the city. A series of banner with a symbol of black and white grids and a pawn's icon on the center.
At the gate, stood a large silver steel bars that block both sides. A line of carriage and people of different races stood, waiting in the line to enter the city. The other side of the gate, the same applies though they are leaving the city.
The three is on the left side of the main road that stems from the city to the outside, dividing into three as they go to different locations. The road is paved with cobble and sand that is even and smooth enough for a wheel as well as bricks places at each side, a series of small square holes appeared at them to suck water from the flood.
Walking in the grassy field outside the walls, the three managed to arrived at the main road after some time. Seeing the line of people, the twin turned their heads at Xian.
"You said that you had no citizen pass, right?" Joana questioned the girl.
Xian, hair tied into ponytail and hooded, nodded in response.
"It seems they're asking for some... It means you can't enter." Frederick added.
The girl turned her head towards the tall walls, unfamiliar with the world outside.
"Do me a last favor."
"Anything we can do without illegally transporting you inside." Joana joked.
Xian forced a smile, and asked:
"My father is working as a guardian here, I think you can locate him inside and have him fetch me here... His name is Larry Oddidity, you can easily spot him for his scars and... Old looks I guess."
"Not detailed enough brat." Frederick replied. During their companionship, the twin grow closer to Xian as Xian to them, thus this simple mock is okay for the three.
"Though, worry not, if we can't find him, we'll let you know so that you'll not wait for nothing. Until then, please don't cause any trouble here."
Xian nodded in response.