Death, Devotion, Dissonance

"Well, as for the rest of you, I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I could only find 2 mages among you today," Leanne said simply, after taking one more good look at Evin.

Most of the crowd accepted the verdict, albeit a bit unwillingly. But one woman, a seemingly well-off 2nd grade, really wasn't happy with Leanne's decision.

"Are you sure about it? You just told us a story about the late King, before deciding who was a mage and who was not. Isn't that a bit irresponsible?"

<Now that I think about it… if it was this easy to check whether someone's a mage or not, then I'm really appalled at the nobles and 1st grades who didn't let anyone from the 2nd grades and below to become a proper mage…>

"If you have any problems, you can pay the extra fee of one gold coin to the Mage Circle and have another mage check up on your child. But my verdict will stay the same."

"Isn't one gold a bit too expensive? You really didn't do anything special as far as I'm aware of."

It really was very expensive. The most amount of money Evin saw was a stack of 50 silver coins, and that was after his father took on an enormous job of smelting hundreds of huge nails.

"I know it is way too expensive, but it's meant to be like that. The high price is meant to discourage people from actually paying it. If it cost 2 silver coins like it's probably supposed to cost, the amount of people who would request a recheck would be annoyingly high," Leanne explained.

"I've heard there's supposed to be a test of some kind, but there really wasn't anything? I had my child prepare quite a bit for this test, as per the instructions of one man. I'm very upset that none of that was helpful, and instead, two slaves end up becoming mages."

Hearing himself being called a slave, Evin looked towards his father, but the latter was nodding along thoughtfully, as if he agreed with the woman's words.

"I know that some people like to call it a test of some sorts for some reason, but all we have to do is check whether or not anyone here has a mana-core or not," Leanne replied smilingly, but the sarcasm in her voice was obvious, "If you paid someone money for a test that does not exist, then I'm afraid you've been swindled."

"What do you mean I've been swindled? The gentleman I spoke to was a trustworthy man!" the woman raised her voice.

"If you asked literally anyone who went through the process before, they'll tell you that there's no test involved. The fact that you chose to trust the one person that lied to you… well, that's not really my fault, is it?" Leanne sighed, "Like I explained a second ago, I only check whether anyone here has a mana-core for a heart, that's all."

"But you didn't do anything? If you were searching for a mana-core inside their bodies, shouldn't there be… you know? Some process of some sorts? Or do you claim to be able to see through our bodies?" the woman asked, still unconvinced.

"I'm glad you asked that. I actually can see the insides of your bodies," Leanne smiled as she glanced at the woman's body, "I can also tell you that your stomach is going to fail you soon, judging by its shriveled and fouled look. You can use that information as you will."

The woman didn't seem to possess a proper reply to that, and could only stare down at her stomach with look of shock and worry.

<I guess she's aware of the stomach thing herself, ha-ha,> the voice laughed merrily.

With this incident out of the way, the rest of the group departed the Mage Circle, after which Leanne lead the two young mages and their parents to another room.

It was a simply decorated room. Nothing grandiose, like the room with murals they were in before. But of course, everything inside was a hundred times better than whatever Evin would find in a random 2nd grade's house. An almost transparent glass, smoothly waxed wooden floor, and a grandly decorated wallpaper. In the middle of the room was a finely crafted desk, which had six vials lying on top of it. Each vial contained a substance of different colors and textures inside it, and Evin could feel immense power seeping out from inside them.

'Those must be the World Shards…' he knew instinctively.

Evin wanted to act more excited, but knew that his father was still very unsatisfied with this outcome. Thus, he could only try his best to keep himself in his most obedient behavior and hope for the best.

Leanne brought out five chairs from somewhere and had everyone sit down.

"What's your name, little girl?" she then asked the 4th grade.

"Kon, exalted mage," the mother replied reverently.

"And you are?"

"Jun… exalted mage."

"No need for such fancy honorifics, I'm nothing more than a simple Leanne. And besides, you're not going to call your daughter with such a grand title as well, are you?" the mage chuckled, "Well, as you probably know, now that little Kon here has turned out to be a mage, your citizenship grades will rise to the level of 3rd grades. Um, sorry for asking, but are you a slave or a criminal?"

"Slave, Lady Leanne. Me, my husband, and three children, including Kon here," the mother replied timidly.

"The Mage Circle will solve the problem of your ownership. You'll also receive a house and a job from us as well, and later down the line when Kon gets her Mage Seal, your family will eventually become 1st grades," Leanne smiled, "Ah and also, you can request a name from your current owner, or you can also rename yourselves if you wish to. If you choose to rename yourselves, you must first ask for permission from the Citizenship Bureau?"

"We will ask from our Lord. I'm sure he will give us a good name," Jun said with a heartfelt smile, "Thank you, Lady Leanne... Thank you."

"If you must thank someone, thank King Seth for his benevolent heart. But you must understand, you won't be able to become a 1st grade by doing nothing. You will still take the test that 3rd grades take to become 2nd grades and by the time you become a 1st grade, you will also need to possess a certain amount of money and knowledge to your name. If you're feeling overwhelmed by this all, don't worry. Since you're a family with a mage now, you are the kingdom's greatest treasure. Us mages and the government will do its utmost best to help you stand on your own two feet."

The two 4th grades nodded solemnly. Leanne also nodded with a smile before glancing towards Evin's way.

"Hmm, although I don't like you for showing up here in such a manner, I suppose your face is handsome enough," Leanne chuckled, "What's your name?"

"Evin," his father replied, before the boy was able to.

"And you are?"

"Edmund. No last name."

"Alright… Though Evin? I don't think I've seen the name in the list… Ah, is his full name Eviendra?" Leanne asked.

"That it is. But since it's a very Northern name, he's been called Evin ever since," Evin's father looked at his son with conflicting emotions, "A bit of a pretentious one too."

"A wisdom drakeling, right?" Leanne said, her hand on her chin.

"That it is."

"Can you read and write?" she then asked.

"I-" Evin began, but was interrupted once more.

"He can. Only in the kingdom's language though. He's yet to learn Imperial," Evin's father said, and his hands suddenly went upwards. Evin flinched at his father's sudden movement, but when he looked towards him, he was just stroking his beard, making an obviously disgruntled face.

Leanne seemed to notice this fact, as well as the voice in Evin's head.

<Hmm… the loser's starting to panic, since you've suddenly grown out of his control now, he-he.>

"Well, you're a family of 2nd grades, so I don't have to explain citizenship rules to you."

"Mm."

"Let's talk magic now, shall we? This will be the first lecture you two will receive as a mage, so it might take some time."

"Should we vacate the room for you three?" Evin's father asked.

"No, please stay for today. Since your children will be practicing these things in the future, it's best if you become familiar with these details."

Understanding that she was finally about to speak of magic, Evin listened carefully. Even the voice inside him turned silent.