In front of the mansion, a small table had been set up, with three of the four chairs occupied.
The sun was about to set, and it cast a beautiful light across the partly cloudy sky, creating a wonderful view bathed in orange and gold, with clouds seeming to be alight with flames.
"Ahh...." Uncle set his cup down with a soft clinking sound, letting out a sigh of satisfaction.
"An exceptionally beautiful view today, isn't it?" He asked the other two sitting with him.
"It's very nice." Place echoed, sitting across him and gazing in the same direction.
"Hmm..." His father let out a content hum as he held cup and coaster in his hands. He raised the cup to take another slow sip.
They were waiting for Place's examiner.
A few minutes passed in silence, and when the bottom of the sun touched the horizon, she appeared.
A magic circle appeared in the air, a few hundred meters away from the mansion.
On top of it, a woman appeared.
As soon as she appeared, Uncle raised his hand, and she snapped her head in their direction, then started to fly over to them.
As she drew closer, Place was able to notice more details.
She had long dark green hair, falling to her waist. She was wearing a bright dress with white accents and embroidery. Plain black gloves covered her hands, and around her neck hung an ornate necklace with three red gems hanging off of it.
As she landed, Place noticed another thing. She was wearing stilts.
It had been hard to tell from a distance, but now that she was close and on the ground, it was easy to see.
Her shoes did not touch the ground, they were a full palm's length above it, placed upon a thin piece of wood that was connected to another, much longer piece that was strapped to her legs.
She approached and gave a slight bow.
"Greetings, I am Amythrall Threst. I am here on behalf of the Ortis academy for-"
"Yeah-yeah, we know why you're here." Uncle cut her off and waved her to the remaining chair.
"Take a seat, we have things to talk about."
The examiner looked taken aback at the casual way she was being treated, and Place made a note of that.
'Inexperienced in interactions.' He observed her with interest as she took her seat. 'She must be relatively new to teaching.'
"Please." Uncle gestured to the cup and snacks placed in front of her.
"Thank you?" She picked up the cup and took a sip, trying to calm herself. A silence settled upon the group as the men analyzed the newcomer.
She fidgeted, unsure where to look as the three of them scrutinized her.
Seeking an escape, she turned to Place.
"You are the, the one seeking admission, yes?"
Place nodded.
"I am the one you are here to test."
Uncle and Father both turned their attention to him, and Place understood what they wanted him to do.
"Please, tell me what this test will contain."
"Yes, no problem." She took a deep breath, then started explaining.
"The first part will be the knowledge exam. It will consist of me asking you questions and you answering them as fast as possible. The questions will be about the basics of magic, the basics of Arcanatics, and magical creatures. There are also questions on alchemy and rituals, but those are optional."
All the nervousness vanished from her voice as she settled into a more confident and comfortable voice. This was her domain of action.
"The second part is usually on basic and current magic capability, but we will skip over that one."
A hint of pity crept into her voice at that, all three of her listeners noticed it.
Place did not react, he just 'calmly' took a sip as Uncle let out a snort.
None of the three said anything, but Amythrall still felt that she had done something to upset her hosts.
She paused for a moment, looking confused, but continued when Onithal gestured for her to do so.
"The second part for you will be a demonstration of your physical capability, followed by a demonstration of your combat ability against one of my conjurations."
She placed the cup down and folded her hands into her lap.
"Any questions?"
Place looked at his elders. They looked back at him.
Place turned to Amythrall, understanding his elders' wishes.
"I have a few, if you don't mind?" He asked as he placed his cup on the table.
"Please go ahead." She picked up her cup and took a sip, waiting for his questions.
"You said I would need to show my body's capabilities, in what form?"
"A few simple tests, how fast you can run, how strong you can punch, how much you can lift, things like that."
"Like the tests in the knights exam?"
"Exactly the same." She seemed a bit surprised by his knowledge. "Don't worry, the passing requirements have been reduced." She assured him.
"Ah..." The assurance made his anger grow, he knew that he could pass the regular exam without problem. "Thank you." He stated, trying to stay civil, she didn't know him, after all.
He let out a slow breath.
"Then about the combat section." He started.
"Yes?" Something about her tone irritated him, it felt like she was speaking to a child.
"Do I need to win?"
"No, no, you just need to last for a few minutes, until I judge you to have passed."
Now, Place could clearly tell that speaking in a tone meant for children.
He took another sip, and downed his anger as he swallowed.
"Then shall we start the exam?" He asked.
Amythrall blinked in surprise, looking at the other two, for confirmation, they nodded.
"Then let us begin."