Chapter Thirteen: The Test

After resting for a while in his room, Hughes felt somewhat better and went downstairs, where he found Count Ulot and his father deep in discussion. The sound of his footsteps on the stairs naturally caught Count Ulot’s attention.

“How are you feeling? Any better?” Count Ulot’s face radiated genuine concern, which warmed Hughes’s heart.

“I’m much better after a rest,” Hughes replied, rubbing his forehead.

“By the way, what’s the situation with those three wizards?” Hughes could not forget the chilling gaze one of the wizards had given him—an expression of utter indifference, as if looking down upon ants from a great height.

“Oh, them? We’ve already sent someone to investigate. The wizard test will be held tomorrow. You, Bols, and Leah will all attend. There’s nothing special you need to be mindful of—just observe proper etiquette and follow their instructions.” Count Ulot launched into a lengthy explanation, which made Hughes regret coming downstairs.

Helpless, Hughes feigned patience as Count Ulot continued his endless talking, his words buzzing around Hughes’s ears. In the end, it was Earl Clay who interjected that Hughes still wasn’t feeling well and should rest more, thus rescuing his son. Hughes suspected, however, that his father had simply reached his own limit.

“Ah, everything depends on tomorrow. Success or failure will be decided then.” Hughes thought about the coming day, toying with the Shadow Ring on his finger. His mental power still depleted, he soon slipped into a deep sleep.

“Chip, pull up my data.”

“Beep! Hughes Brook, Strength: 3.6, Agility: 4.0, Constitution: 4.0, Mental Power: 2.9, Status: Healthy.”

“Hmm, my mental power has fully recovered. Excellent.” Seeing his mental power restored put Hughes at ease—today’s test would depend entirely on it.

After breakfast, Hughes joined Bols and Leah at the dock, ready for the test. As for why the test wasn’t held at the city lord’s mansion, it was evident the wizards had no interest in the city lord’s arrangements.

The streets were still nearly empty, and the carriage carrying the three made a conspicuous sound as it moved along. Along the way, they encountered other members of noble families.

Soon, their carriage reached the dock, where people were already waiting. A group of youths were lined up ahead, and Hughes and his companions naturally joined the queue.

Counting himself and the Bols siblings, Hughes noted there were only nine people present—not a large number. A little later, another seven arrived. Once the group seemed complete, an elderly man standing on the dock began to announce the rules.

“You’ll proceed in this order. Board the ship one by one for the test. While waiting outside, keep quiet—no shouting or causing trouble. Disturb the test, and you’ll pay for it.”

“Who is that?” Hughes asked Bols, glancing at the old man.

“Oh, him? He’s just a steward in the city lord’s household, nothing special—probably just running errands for the wizards. See that fellow at the very front? That’s the city lord’s son, Norman Cohen,” Bols replied indifferently.

Following Bols’s gaze, Hughes looked at the youth at the head of the line. Though he couldn’t make out his face, the young man’s broad, muscular back was unmistakable. He must have been at least six feet tall—an impressive height for someone his age. Standing at the front with such a physique, he was impossible to overlook.

Before long, Norman Cohen was called up for his test—only one could enter at a time. As time passed, the sun’s heat intensified, making the wait increasingly uncomfortable for the gathering of young ladies and gentlemen. Still, recalling their families’ instructions, they endured it.

Hughes, however, felt little discomfort; his training had been far harsher than this.

With a creak, the wooden door opened. Norman Cohen stepped out onto the deck and jumped to the ground, his face alight with irrepressible joy.

“Uncle Charlie, I passed! I passed!” he exclaimed. “I must hurry and tell my father. Please carry on without me.” With that, he leapt into a carriage and hurried home.

The steward, delighted by his young master’s success, raised his voice, and the surrounding youths looked on with envy.

“Ahem! Next!” The old man quickly composed himself; after all, his orders from the wizards were not yet complete.

Since his turn was still a while off, Hughes closed his eyes to rest. One by one, the other youths entered for their tests, but their luck was not like Norman Cohen’s. Each emerged crestfallen, their faces full of disappointment—there was no need to ask what had happened.

“This isn’t right! How could I possibly fail? You must have rigged it! Let me try again!” The commotion interrupted Hughes’s meditation; evidently, someone was unhappy with the result and was causing a scene.

“Idiot,” muttered Bols, and said nothing more.

“Guards! Guards! Get him out of here!” The old man was terrified—he’d never expected anyone to cause trouble in front of the wizards, let alone question their judgment. He feared the wizards’ wrath might implicate him; he’d heard more than enough from the city lord about their terrifying power.

Two guards rushed aboard and dragged the rebellious noble youth out. His face was flushed with anger as he continued to protest.

As the guards removed him, a wizard stepped out, frightening the steward even more; he thought the wizard was angry and about to mete out punishment.

“Sir! Sir! I’m removing him immediately! I never expected anyone to cause trouble before you. Please rest assured, I’ll handle it!” The steward sweated profusely as the wizard remained silent.

“Next,” the wizard intoned, his voice as cold as death itself. With a wave of his left hand, a dark light shot into the troublesome youth’s body, and he returned to the ship.

“Yes, sir! Next!” the old man called anxiously.

A sudden breeze blew by. The noble youth subdued by the guards abruptly turned to dust and scattered on the wind.

The scene terrified the steward, who nearly collapsed, and sent the two guards fleeing in panic, fearing they might suffer the same fate.

The remaining noble boys and girls on the dock turned pale, and even Hughes could not help but feel a chill—what he’d just witnessed was too shocking.

“So this is their power…” Hughes clenched his jaw. He had trained hard all these years to protect himself in this world, only to realize today how futile his efforts had been; he was still powerless to resist.

“I must become a wizard.”

“Hughes! Hughes!” Bols’s voice snapped him from his thoughts. “It’s your turn. I believe you’ll pass—good luck!”

“That’s right!” Leah added, her eyes bright with conviction. “You’ll definitely succeed, Hughes!”

“Oh, yes, thank you.” Hughes gathered himself, took a deep breath, and boarded the ship.

He stepped onto the deck and pushed open the door. A damp scent greeted him. The room was simply furnished: two chairs, a table, and atop the table, a crystal ball.

“That must be the testing instrument,” Hughes thought.

“Hughes Brook, at your service, my lords,” he announced respectfully, bowing to the two wizards seated behind the desk.

“So it’s you, little one,” came a voice.

Hearing it, Hughes immediately recognized the wizard who had scanned him with mental power. He had expected to meet this wizard again, but now that it was happening, he couldn’t help but feel nervous—his palms were sweating.

The two wizards regarded him with interest. “You’re the curious one Evan mentioned, aren’t you?” the wizard seated on the left asked.

Hughes looked at him, unsure how to respond, anxiety gnawing at him.

“All right, Angelo, don’t make things difficult,” the other wizard said, coming to Hughes’s rescue.

From their exchange, Hughes gathered their names: Evan and Angelo. He also realized it was Evan who had just turned someone to dust.

“All right, little one, we mean you no harm. The headache you felt before was just because we were curious about you,” Evan explained in his usual icy tone.

“Curious?” Hughes feigned ignorance; he didn’t believe a mere noble youth would know about mental power, let alone that his was unusual. Now, he could only play dumb.