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Casting Binding Magic on a slippery Slime was quite tricky.
They had to restrain the Slime by manipulating the chains with only the power of Mana, without touching them at all.
It was an exam where delicate Mana manipulation was the most important criterion.
Perhaps because the topic was quite challenging.
As soon as the exam began, most students failed to even put the chains on the Slime.
As time passed, Arina's expression darkened.
Coco couldn't help but gloat at the sight.
'Seriously, only low-level kids gathered in this group.'
Speaking only of this group, her skills were the most outstanding, which said it all.
She waited with a joyful heart for her turn to come.
"Next up, Coco."
Finally, when her name was called, Coco confidently stepped forward and cast her Magic.
Although the Slime wiggled and gave her some trouble, at least her chains managed to wrap around the Slime's body to some extent.
Coco returned to her seat with a satisfied smile.
'I even left deep scratches on the chains, just in case. Now all that's left is for Ayla to be humiliated.'
Arina already didn't seem to be in a good mood.
That meant Ayla's skills would be evaluated even more harshly.
Coco snickered and watched the exam hall.
Soon, a cold voice echoed through the hall once more.
"Ayla."
At Arina's summons, Ayla rose from her seat.
The professor's face already showed clear signs of fatigue.
Her indifference toward Ayla was evident in her gaze, which stared ahead without any expectation.
But the next moment, the professor's eyes widened.
"……!"
The chains, which should have been lying motionless on the floor, began to rise into the air without any resistance.
Arina stared at the scene in disbelief.
The chains moved as fluidly as if they were alive, instantly wrapping around the Slime.
The Slime struggled violently, but the chains only tightened more and more.
Kueek.
Finally, the Slime seemed to lose its strength and slumped down.
Arina reflexively rubbed her eyes.
'Did I see that wrong?'
But no matter how many times she closed her eyes, opened them, and checked again, the reality before her remained unchanged.
Ayla had restrained the wriggling Slime in an instant.
And she did it as naturally as breathing.
A murmur spread among the students in the front row.
It was almost time to call the next group, but Arina couldn't bring herself to speak.
Her mind was filled with only one thought.
'Ayla can use Magic, and so perfectly at that……!'
Arina, barely regaining her composure in the face of the unbelievable reality, opened her mouth.
"Could it be, have you become able to sense Mana?"
As her voice echoed, the students in the back tilted their heads.
Unlike the students waiting in the front row, they hadn't seen Ayla taking the exam directly.
"What, what did the professor just say?"
"She asked Ayla if she can sense Mana?"
"But isn't she from a commoner background, so she shouldn't be able to feel Mana?"
Ayla, feeling all the students' attention focused on her, slowly opened her mouth.
"Yes, actually, my Mana insensitivity was cured a while ago."
"A while ago? When exactly?"
"About a week ago."
A deep disbelief appeared on Arina's face.
"What? Manipulating chains with Mana to restrain a Slime is very difficult Magic. It's something only Mages who are qualified to enter the Magic Tower can do."
"I see."
"And you're saying you've only been able to use Mana for a week? Then you haven't even had a chance to properly manipulate Mana, have you?"
Her sharp gaze pierced through Ayla.
The students' whispers grew louder.
Ayla hesitated for a moment, as if conscious of the gazes around her.
Then, she quietly lowered her head and opened her mouth in a soft voice.
"Well, I guess I'm just a genius."
At that moment, silence enveloped the exam hall.
Arina stared at Ayla, as if at a loss for words.
A crack appeared in the professor's usually calm and unwavering expression.
Ayla's words were correct.
If what she said was true, then her talent was beyond deserving of the word genius.
Soon, the awe that she showed when seeing a talented Mage appeared in her eyes.
Ayla suppressed a laugh as she watched her.
In fact, even a week was an exaggeration.
The day before yesterday, she had spent all night making the Cure, and the next day, she was busy maturing the medicine, so she hadn't even had a chance to practice properly.
But to produce such a result right away at the practical exam.
'What's more, the chain was broken in the middle. If I hadn't quickly heated it and joined it, I would have been in an embarrassing situation.'
The moment she channeled Mana through the chain, Ayla grasped its condition at once.
And without hesitation, she adjusted her Mana and responded nimbly.
It was an unbelievable feat.
She had never used Magic properly before, yet she had achieved this result based solely on the theories she had studied.
Unlike before, Mana moved as naturally as if it were a part of her body, and her five senses had also become more acute.
Only then did Ayla realize.
Why the eldest daughters of the Blanche Noble house were considered to have such outstanding talent.
Why people attached various modifiers to her and had such high expectations.
'From the moment I became able to sense Mana, it feels like I can use almost any Magic.'
Moreover, she was still in an incomplete state.
'If this is the result of just taking the Temporary Cure, then when I take the complete Cure……!'
Her fingertips twitched slightly.
The traces of Mana still flowing through her veins seemed vividly present.
Ayla clenched her hands as if trying not to forget that sensation.
The exam period passed in an instant.
The students were waiting for the results to be announced amidst a quiet excitement.
At Riod Academy, after each exam, a list of the top 30 students was posted.
Perhaps that was why most of the students had gathered in front of the bulletin board from early in the morning.
In time, one of the professors would come out with a paper listing the rankings.
Everyone was interested in who would be the top student in this exam.
Students from the Faculty of Magic, as well as the Swordsmanship Department, the Faculty of Divinity, the Faculty of Politics, and various other departments, gathered in front, creating a lively atmosphere.
Freya and Rosia were among them.
The students cast envious glances at the two of them.
"I envy you, Rosia doesn't have to worry at all."
"I probably won't even be in the top 30 anyway, why did I even come to see this……."
"Still, you're curious, aren't you? I wonder if Freya or Rosia will be number one?"
Most of the students thought it was obvious that Rosia would be the top student.
At that moment, one student cautiously offered a dissenting opinion.
"But you never know, right? Freya was always the top student until Rosia came. Even if she's the daughter of the Blanche Noble house, she hasn't been systematically learning Magic since she was young."
Rosia's expression twisted slightly at those words.
Freya might be the top student? That was absurd.
She had done her best in this exam without letting her guard down. She was just as confident in the results.
Rosia had no doubt that she would be the one to take the top spot.
On the other hand, Freya, who had heard what people were saying, pretended to be calm on the outside but was secretly hopeful.
She praised Rosia in front of her and whispered pleasant words, but in her heart, she couldn't let go of the hope that maybe, just maybe.
Perhaps the Blessing of the Gold Dragon had passed Rosia by.
'Of course, since Rosia is the real daughter of the Blanche Noble house, I can't hope for luck.'
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