When Oliver's vision cleared, the stone plaza and academy towers were gone. In their place was a dense forest.
Ancient trees rose in every direction, trunks thick and dark, branches interlocking above to block most of the sky.
Shafts of sunlight slipped through gaps in the leaves, cutting the shadows into pieces.
The smell of damp soil and rotting leaves rushed into everyone's noses.
Students appeared one after another inside the faint outline of a magic circle on the ground.
Some landed on their feet and tried to pretend it was nothing. Some staggered.
A few dropped straight on their backs, completely losing the image of noble grace they had worked so hard to maintain.
For a moment, everyone just stared.
"This is the Forest of Beasts?"
"So the headmaster was serious…"
"We really have to hunt magical beasts like this?"
The crowd began to stir. People looked around for anyone they knew, for classmates, for nobles from the same faction.
Then eyes began to turn in one direction, toward Oliver.
He stood near the edge of the circle, one hand still on the bag at his waist, face a little pale. He could feel the stares landing on him one by one.
Some were cold, some annoyed, some openly hostile. In all of them, there was one shared meaning. This is your fault.
A figure stepped out from the cluster of noble students, Cedric.
His eyes were sharp, his jaw clenched with anger.
He stopped in front of Oliver.
"Bastard!" Cedric said, his tone flat, but his eyes like knives.
If his test result was average, he would not care.
But he get one of the best result, a dual element, with seven ring talent.
He should be able to enter the academy directly to the A-class enjoying one of the best treatment and training.
But thanks to Oliver it's all for naught, now he need to risk his life hunt many beast to make sure he get to A-Class
Oliver said nothing.
Cedric lifted his hand and pointed around them.
"Because of you, the test changed! Now I and everyone here must risk our life in a forest full of magical beasts.."
At those words, several nearby students grimaced.
"He is right. If not for that mess, we would still be safe in the academy gate."
"If I fail to enter the academy, it will all be your fault, Oliver. I will make sure my family hears every detail."
"Breaking the assessment crystal… just who in the world does that?"
The amount of displeasure in the air thickened.
Oliver listened without interrupting. He had faced enough trouble to know when the crowd was angry, explanations were useless.
Any word that came out of his mouth now would only pour more fuel on the fire.
They already decided it's all his fault.
In fact the situation were absurd, even if the crystal destroyed it's the headmaster decision to send them here without any preparation.
Everyone know this, but there's no way they could blame the headmaster
Inside the bag at his waist, Ethan was still completely quiet.
If he had been awake, he would probably tell Oliver something like, "Let them hate you.
The more they look down on you, the better it will be when you slap their faces later."
That was the sort of wisdom he picked up after reading too many novels.
Unfortunately, right now Ethan was still passed out like a dead sandal.
Cedric took another step forward.
"You have nothing to say?" he asked, voice turning colder.
Oliver looked back at him, but stayed silent.
His silence only made Cedric angrier.
A cold smile appeared on Cedric's lips. He slowly lifted his fist.
Mana stirred around his arm, thin arcs of red and gold flickering faintly across his knuckles.
Oliver's shoulders tensed, but he did not move back.
If Cedric really swung, dodging in front of this many people would only make things worse.
He planned to grit his teeth, take one punch, then exaggerate the damage later so everyone would lose interest in him afterward.
At least, that was what his instinct told him.
At that moment, a figure stepped between them.
Fiona moved quietly, without anyone realizing, it seemed like she had been in that spot all along.
Her light blue dress fluttered slightly in the forest breeze.
The small white fox rested on her shoulder, tail wrapped around her neck like a scarf, eyes half closed, watching everyone with calm wariness.
Cedric's fist stopped an inch from her cheek.
His expression tightened.
No matter how angry he was, punching Viscount Harrow's daughter in the face in front of the instructors' eyes was not on his list of good ideas.
Fiona's eyes were cold when she looked at him.
"We are still in the middle of an assessment," she said.
"Do you plan to waste the time that should be used hunting magical beasts on hitting your fellow student?"
Cedric forced his expression to smooth out.
"Lady Fiona," he said, trying to sound composed, "this matter has nothing to do with you. I am simply teaching someone that his actions affect everyone."
Fiona did not move aside.
"You are the one aiming to become a sorcerer," she replied.
"Yet the first thing you do in a dangerous test is finding someone to blame? Should I call that courage, or foolishness?"
The fox flicked its ear, as if agreeing with her.
Cedric's eyes darkened, and many of the nearby students' expressions did as well.
Fiona's words reminded them that the instructors were watching everything that happened.
Some of the groups that had already formed did not hesitate any longer.
They turned and started moving deeper into the forest.
In the end, only about a quarter of the examinees remained in the clearing, roughly a dozen people scattered around, still hesitating.
Most of them feel curious what will happen next.
As for Cedric he was stuck in hard place now, he feel he will be a coward if he stand back now.
He turned his head slightly and stared at Oliver over Fiona's shoulder.
"Hiding behind a woman's skirt," he said in a cold voice. "Is this all you can do?"
The surrounding students made small sounds.
Oliver's fingers curled slowly into a fist.
He stood up straight and met Cedric's gaze.
"It is easy to talk big when you have a crowd behind you," Oliver said calmly.
"If you really want to fight, we can do it somewhere without an audience. Or are you only bold when other people are backing you?"
The forest grew a little quieter.
Several students sucked in a breath.
"Does he know who he is talking to?"
"That is Cedric Rothwell. Mana Vein level three."
"A merchant's son with average talent challenging him. This is asking for a beating."
Cedric's face turned even uglier.
He tried to step around Fiona, his shoulder brushing her sleeve.
The white fox finally lifted its head.
It opened its mouth and let out a sharp, clear cry.
Mana moved with that sound. The air seemed to tremble for a moment.
A pressure brushed across everyone's skin, not heavy, but sharp enough to make people instinctively want to step back.
Cedric's foot froze mid step.
Fiona raised her hand and stroked the fox's head once.
The fox closed its mouth and settled back onto her shoulder, but its eyes stayed fixed on Cedric, as if daring him to make a move.
"If you insist, I will not stop you," Fiona said, her voice still cold. "Just do not complain when the academy judges you based on that."
Cedric took a slow breath through his nose.
He stared at Oliver one more time.
"Do not celebrate too early," Cedric said. "This forest is full of magical beasts. Who knows what will happen here."
He turned away and walked off.
The nobles who had come with him followed, some giving Oliver thin smiles filled with disdain, some not bothering to hide their ill intent.
In just a short time, the clearing that had been crowded a moment ago became much emptier.
Oliver let out a quiet breath.
He turned to Fiona. "…Thank you," he said.
Fiona did not look at him. "I did not do it for you," she replied.
"If he hit you here, the academy would have to intervene. That would complicate the test. It is annoying."
The fox glanced at her from the corner of its eye, as if it did not quite believe that explanation.
Fiona pretended not to notice.
Oliver's mouth twitched. "If it is so annoying, you should have just ignored me," he said.
"If you have the energy to make comments," she said, "use it to find a beast you can actually kill."
She turned around and walked toward the trees.
The fox rested on her shoulder, but as they passed him, it turned its head and gave Oliver a long look. Then it tilted its chin toward the blue crystal hairpin nestled in her black hair.
It was the hairpin he had placed inside the box, the one he had spent three days making from scratch.
"It suits you well," Oliver said.
Fiona's steps paused for a brief moment.
"…Thanks," she replied, without looking back.
Then they were gone as well.
Oliver stood there for a few breaths, watching the place where Fiona had disappeared.
He let out a long sigh, then turned his gaze in the direction Cedric had gone.
"In the future, when I become the best artificer, I will charge you ten times the normal price," he muttered.
"The rest of them can pay five times. You all blame me like it is my fault the crystal broke.
If you have guts, go complain to the headmaster instead. Bunch of cowards who only dare to bully me."
He lowered his head and looked at the bag at his waist.
"Senior Ethan," he said in a low voice, "if you are done screaming, this would be a very good time to say something. What exactly happened just now?"