The recruits grew nervous again when they heard that the old wizard was going to test them. They thought Angor had already done the job, which allowed them to enter Brute Cavern. Now they were worried that they might get rejected if they failed the coming test.
Especially Vonman and Guina, who had yet to figure out what kind of magic they could use.
Angor was surprised to know this as well. “Mister Wallace, Dodoro and the other recruits I sent earlier did not go through such an extra examination, right?”
“They did. It was also me who tested them. But I’m only responsible for ascertaining their characteristics. It’s up to Tree Spirit who’ll determine their talent orientation.
“You and your schoolmates all took the test before you entered Brute Cavern, you just didn’t see it. There are no good or bad results. I’m simply noting down your alignments so that the other wizards have something to refer to when picking their students.”
The recruits saw Wallace looking at them and all felt frigid energy scanning their bodies as if they were taking a cold shower.
Whereas Tulu and Vonman shivered in fear, Guina managed to remain calm.
Guina was used to being called a monster by other people. Now she found it strange that nobody in the wizarding world gave her any extra glimpse when seeing her broken body. And she felt strangely safe. For the first time, she believed that the wizarding world might be better than her home.
“As their guide, what do you think of these people?” Wallace asked as he finished his inspection.
The question got the recruits curious as well. They had spent some time with Angor and would like to know Angor’s opinions about them.
Angor took a while to arrange his words. He then looked at Tulu first.
“Tulu, a typical ‘good guy’ who respects laws and justice and does not hesitate when seeing people in need of help. The same quirk tends to get him into trouble. He lost his left ear because of it—he went to fight against a monster he had no hope to defeat just to help a mortal friend.”
Tulu looked at the ground.
“Vonman, a self-centered, frivolous man who has completely no idea of rules and principles. He sometimes shows loyalty to those he cares for. But most of the time, he puts his personal gain above everything.”
Vonman frowned. He knew it was all true, but it was still unpleasant to hear.
Angor took some more time to think of how to describe Guina.
“Guina is... neutral. Her character resembles Vonman in many ways because they grew up together. She thinks deeper despite her age, and she’s very good at reading people’s minds. Not many things will scare or interest her too much. But... this might not be a good thing in the wizarding world.”
Wallace nodded with a smile. He was quite satisfied with Angor’s thorough comment that didn’t involve any personal feelings.
“You think highly of Guina. But you prefer having Tulu’s company if you have to choose, am I right?”
Angor nodded, much to Tulu’s delight.
However, Wallace suddenly put on a stern look as he continued, “If you were to ask me, Tulu is the worst among them, if you don’t consider their talents.”
Angor nodded again—he was fully aware of it. Tulu’s straightforward temper would get him easily killed in the wizarding world.
“I’ve sent the results to Tree Spirit Palace.” Wallace put a hand on the ground and summoned a human figure made out of dirt. “This will take you to the palace.”
The dirt puppet made a “follow me” gesture and jumped into the chasm ahead.
The recruits watched in awe but without moving.
When they didn’t get any help from Angor, Guina broke the silence by saying, “*Slurp* Let’s go, Vonman.”
“But—”
“Throw me down there if you want to stay. We’re finally here, and I won’t throw away my opportunity.”
Vonman nodded, took a deep breath, and jumped.
Seeing the kids’ decision, Tulu quickly followed up.
As the recruits vanished into the darkness, Angor looked at Wallace again. According to protocols, he should be the one to take the group to Tree Spirit. It was obvious that Wallace wanted him to stay.
Wallace grinned. “Now take a guess. Which one of them earned my A-plus?”
“But you said the mental test did not have good or bad ratings, right?” asked Angor.
“That may be true, but they will do differently when overcoming their weaknesses. Without considering their talents, which one is the most likely apprentice, in your opinion?”
“Well... Guina?”
“Guina is the most problematic among all three because her character does not fit her age at all. However, she’ll easily dominate other apprentices should she conquer her problem. But for now, she’s not the most promising recruit.”
“Do you favor Vonman, sir?”
Wallace nodded. “Personally, yes. But let’s not mind my opinions now. It’s their effort and luck that will shape their futures, like in your case.”
Wallace suddenly put the focus on Angor. “When I was inspecting your mentality with a bunch of other wizards, I only found you to be... average. But now, you’re one of the most excellent apprentices from your year, if not the best one in several years.”
Angor didn’t know how to respond and simply stayed quiet.
“Heh. I’ll just wait for something to kill Sunders so that I can take you over. Try to slow down a bit so that you don’t become a wizard too soon. I’m not allowed to take a wizard as my student.”
Wallace walked to the edge of the cliff. “Find a time and pay Old Rein a visit. He wants to talk to you.”
Angor saw Wallace leaving and still could not understand the point of their conversation. Did Wallace only want him to not reach the wizard level too fast?
It was a good suggestion though. Angor also knew that he improved too quickly without having many of the necessary lessons other apprentices had to learn. It seemed that Wallace wished to remind him of this problem in an indirect way since Wallace wasn’t his teacher.
“Is that... Master Padt?!” A witch came and hopped off her broomstick. “Wonderful timing, Master Padt. My name is—”
Angor quickly excused himself and left.
He thought he wouldn’t get bothered by too many people inside Brute Cavern. And he was wrong—as soon as he set foot inside the mirror world, groups of people heard about his arrival and scrambled to him, either to ask for knowledge, for alchemy service, or sometimes, for a romantic relationship.
Angor grew impatient and told Toby to use Griffin Mode to keep people away. Then they used the sequence of gravity to escape so that no one could catch them.
As he approached Phantom Island, he suddenly heard a cheerful voice speaking right next to his ears.
“At this rate, you’ll become the hottest choice for unwedded witches in the entire Brute Cavern, my boy.”