Chapter 269: Aptitude Test
Leonard was in complete silence. He never anticipated his plan to be that ridiculous in their eyes.
The meticulous disguise and immersion in the role were great. Unfortunately, he failed to calculate one crucial fact.
The world didn’t lack any powerful mages or intelligent folks.
What he thought was flawless was technically filled with flaws.
’I’m just a clown.’ He smiled bitterly.
Eleanor’s wake-up call was a resounding slap to his face. She didn’t care about his Crown Prince status and was brutally honest.
"You don’t have to be that disappointed." Eleanor mused. "At the very least, your planning didn’t result in anyone’s death. I have nobody to teach, so my hands are soaked in blood. Someone like me probably won’t have a good future."
There was an ominous tone in her words, but Leonard was too distracted to pay attention to it.
The incident involving the student who ’accidentally’ trespassed the boundary line was also resolved with a severe penalty.
Of course, the academy staff made sure to warn the rest that there better be no accident. Otherwise, the nearby student would also be implicated.
In a sense, it was a roundabout way to scold the noble students.
The noble students weren’t foolish enough to keep testing the staff’s patience and chose to behave.
Very soon, a Professor arrived at the scene and explained the aptitude test.
"Once you’re up on the stage, place your hand in the detection orb so we can test out your elements. Afterward, you’ll launch an attack of your desire toward the training dummy." The Professor said and waited for any questions.
A few seconds later, a female noble student raised her hand.
"What is it?" The Professor asked.
"What if our main role is support?" The female student asked. "Our attack would lack the necessary firepower to inflict a good amount of damage to the dummy."
Not every mage was suitable for battle. Some of them happened to be supporters who mainly heal or buff their comrades.
Their proficiency lay in their utility, not combat-wise.
"Good question." The Professor smiled and pointed at the second training dummy. "The second dummy is designed for utility mages. When you begin the second phase, just inform the examiner which dummy you wish to be tested on."
"Thanks for the explanation, Professor."
Sometime later, everyone began to line up and waited excitedly for the aptitude test.
It was considered the most important test because it determined the mage path they would take and how much their potential was.
As the first student went ahead, Eleanor and Leonard lined up around the middle.
They were neither the first nor the last, but blended right in the middle.
"Are you going to remain in disguise?" Eleanor asked. "If so, it’s probably going to create a logistical error, and your brothers are going to take advantage of that."
Since Leonard wasn’t technically "Leonard" right now, his imperial brothers could totally take it out of context and call him disrespectful. After all, he was the Crown Prince, and attending the academy on the first day was necessary.
He could skip all the other classes, but definitely not the first day.
It would be an imperial face and reputation loss if their own Crown Prince refused to show up to the academy established by the royal family.
"You’re right..." Leonard sighed and undid the disguise. Almost all other students were busy doing their own thing, so there was nobody to pay attention to them.
"Oh, how handsome are you?" Eleanor’s eyes flickered in delight when she saw his face.
"Stop with the teasing."
"But I’m not."
She curled her lips upward and admired his face.
’I won’t have many opportunities to see this face.’ She thought to herself.
Time quickly went by, and it was Eleanor’s turn.
She was about to move her wheelchair up to approach the orb until she sensed someone giving her a push.
"Let me help you." He said, and held the handle to gently push her up.
The Professor noticed the actions and was about to say something. This was individual testing, so it wasn’t allowed for them to receive any assistance.
However, they quickly halted themselves when they received a magical transmission.
’The Xundraeth Princess and the Crown Prince?’ The Professor nearly got a fright. Thankfully, he didn’t speak too fast. Otherwise, he would have offended two big shots who could literally ruin his career with a single word.
Needless to say, his inaction in commenting on the act caused some students to be confused.
"Why isn’t the Professor saying anything?"
"A wheelchair student... What is the academy trying to do? Some diversity and equality nonsense?"
"It’s fine for equality, but even a crippled person can attend a prestigious academy? This is bringing down the academy’s glory."
"Silence!" The Professor exclaimed loudly.
Instantly, the nearby students closed their mouths from gossiping. But it was only temporary; granted, they would definitely gossip once they were no longer seen.
’Ugh, these students really fear nothing.’ The Professor sweated profusely.
Who didn’t know the ruthlessness of Xundraeth’s Princess?
The student who called her a cripple might even vanish in the next few hours.
"Do pardon their ignorance. They don’t know anything." When Eleanor approached the orb, the Professor said softly.
"Ignorance is bliss." Eleanor smiled and extended her hand to touch the orb.
SHING!!!
Almost immediately, the orb glowed in three different colors, each extremely vibrant.
"Fire, Metal, and Water elements! Each is extremely potent and vibrant." The Professor was astonished by the result, unaware that Eleanor hadn’t even used her full strength.
’Three elements should be enough to silence them.’ She didn’t like attention, but that didn’t mean she appreciated being called a crippled repeatedly in front of Leonard.
Men had their pride, but so did women. She wouldn’t kill the loudmouth, but a lesson must be taught.
Since their parents failed to teach them proper etiquette and respect, she would gladly take on the parent role and give them a thorough lecture.
"I’d like to test on the first dummy." Eleanor said calmly.