Chương 37: The Letter

Three days passed without incident. For most students, the change in routine was barely noticeable. Lessons continued in the morning, practical training occupied the afternoons, and the evenings belonged to assignments, conversations, and the quiet exhaustion that followed another day at the academy. For Leo, however, those three days were enough to confirm something he had been reluctant to admit. His control had improved. Not dramatically. Not enough to make his strength suddenly surpass everyone around him.

But the unstable reaction between the two energies inside him had become less violent. He could now circulate a small amount of mana through his body without allowing it to interfere with the energy he had cultivated in his previous life. It was progress. Slow progress. The kind he trusted. On the fourth morning, the academy received a letter. It arrived shortly after breakfast. A royal carriage stopped outside the main entrance, its dark-blue body bearing the insignia of the kingdom.

Two guards accompanied the messenger, who entered the academy carrying a sealed document. Within an hour, every student in the advanced class had been summoned to the main lecture hall. Leo sat near the window with Alice, Amon, and Masha. Something about the atmosphere felt different. Even Amon had stopped talking. Professor Gareth stood at the front of the room with the sealed letter in his hand.

"This concerns the upcoming Arcane Convergence." He broke the seal.

"The Royal Academy has changed the schedule." A murmur passed through the room. Gareth continued reading.

"The participating academies will arrive at the capital six days earlier than originally planned. The opening examination will begin immediately after the delegations have been received." Amon leaned toward Leo.

"So much for having time to prepare." Leo glanced at him.

"You were going to spend that time eating."

"I can train while eating." Masha quietly replied, "You already do." Amon looked offended. Gareth raised his eyes from the letter.

"The examination will consist of three stages." The room became silent.

"The first will test magical theory and practical knowledge." Several students relaxed. The second sentence removed that relief.

"The second will evaluate individual combat ability." A few students exchanged determined looks.

"The third stage has not been disclosed." That changed the atmosphere again. A student near the back raised his hand.

"Professor, why would they hide the third stage?" Gareth folded the letter.

"Because the Royal Academy believes that revealing the nature of the final examination would allow participants to prepare specifically for it." You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

"That seems unfair."

"It is." Gareth's expression remained completely serious.

"The examination is not designed to be fair." Silence followed.

"The purpose is to determine which students can adapt when the situation does not conform to their expectations." Leo lowered his gaze. That sounded more familiar than he would have liked. After the meeting ended, the students spilled into the corridor. The uncertainty surrounding the final examination immediately became the center of conversation. Some believed it would be a group battle. Others thought it might involve a dangerous magical creature.

One student claimed that previous participants had been sent into an underground labyrinth. Another insisted that the Royal Academy would never risk the lives of students and that the final stage was probably only a written examination. Amon listened to all of them for nearly a minute before shaking his head.

"Everyone is guessing." Alice nodded.

"And no one knows."

"That is what makes it interesting." Leo continued walking. Amon caught up with him.

"What do you think?"

"I don't know." Amon stared at him.

"You don't know?"

"No."

"That might be the first time I've heard you say that." Leo glanced at him.

"Not knowing something is not a weakness." Amon smiled.

"I suppose that's true." Masha joined them.

"Then what do you think we should do?" Leo considered the question.

"Prepare for what we can control." Alice nodded.

"And leave the rest for when it happens."

"Exactly." They reached the courtyard. The morning sun had finally broken through the clouds, illuminating the stone buildings and the training grounds beyond them. Students were already gathering there. But before anyone could begin training, a second messenger entered through the gates. This time, he carried a wooden case. He stopped in front of Gareth.

"From the Royal Academy." Gareth accepted it. The case was small enough to carry with one hand. There was no lock. Only a silver emblem engraved across its surface. Gareth opened it. Inside were sixteen black badges. One for every student selected to represent the academy. He lifted the first.

"Each of you will wear one of these during the journey." Amon raised his hand.

"Is it magical?"

"Yes."

"What does it do?" Gareth looked at him.

"It identifies you as a participant." Amon lowered his hand.

"That is disappointingly simple."

"Would you prefer it to explode?"

"No."

"Then take the badge." Amon accepted it. The others followed. When Leo received his, he turned it over in his hand. The metal was cold. On the front was the academy's emblem. On the back was a small inscription. ROYAL ARCANE CONVERGENCE — DELEGATE Nothing else. Yet Leo noticed a faint magical trace embedded within the metal. He touched it with his thumb. The sensation disappeared almost immediately. He looked toward Gareth. The professor had already moved on. Leo slipped the badge into his pocket.

He decided not to mention it. Training became more demanding after that day. The instructors stopped treating the selected students as ordinary members of the class. Their lessons became longer. Their exercises became more precise. Even their mistakes were examined more severely. Leo did not mind. He preferred it. During one afternoon session, Gareth divided the students into pairs and ordered them to fight using only their primary techniques. No secondary weapons. No complicated spells. No hidden tricks.

The purpose was simple. Remove everything unnecessary. Leo was paired with a student named Elias Varn, a third-year student who specialized in earth magic. Elias was not particularly strong, but he was disciplined. The moment the match began, he struck the ground. Stonewake. A row of stone pillars erupted beneath Leo's feet. Leo moved before they fully formed. He stepped between two rising columns, using the narrow space before Elias could close it. Elias immediately changed the spell. Gravewall.

A wall of stone rose between them. Leo stopped. The barrier was thick. Breaking through it would take time. So he didn't. He moved around it. Elias was waiting. A stone spear shot toward him. Leo twisted aside. Another followed. Then another. The attacks were predictable. The sequence wasn't. Elias was forcing him toward the edge of the arena. Leo recognized the intention. He allowed himself to retreat. One step. Then another. Elias smiled. He thought he had him. That was the mistake.

When the next spear appeared, Leo stepped onto its surface. The stone cracked beneath his foot. He used the momentum to launch himself forward. Elias barely raised his arms. Leo stopped his wooden sword a few centimeters from the boy's throat. The arena fell silent. Gareth raised his hand.

"Match." Elias exhaled.

"You deliberately let me push you back."

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because you expected me to resist." Elias looked at the stone pillars surrounding the arena. Then he laughed quietly.

"I hate fighting people who think like that." Leo lowered his sword.

"Then fight someone who doesn't." Elias smiled.

"That would be easier." That evening, Leo returned to his room. The black badge sat on his desk. He stared at it for a while. Then he picked it up. The faint magical trace was still there. Stronger than he had noticed earlier. Leo closed his eyes. His senses sharpened. The magic wasn't merely identifying him. It was recording something. A signature. Perhaps mana. Perhaps something else. His expression became slightly colder. He opened his eyes. The academy had been preparing them for the Royal Capital.

The Royal Capital had apparently been preparing for them too. Leo placed the badge back on the desk. He did not destroy it. He did not tamper with it. There was no reason to reveal that he had noticed anything unusual. Instead, he sat beside the window and watched the lights appearing across the academy grounds. For the first time since arriving in this world, Leo wondered how much of what happened around him was truly accidental. He had been reborn into a world of magic. He had found a family. He had made friends.

He had begun learning how to live again. Perhaps that was all it was. Perhaps the world had no greater design waiting for him. Leo looked down at his hands. He preferred that possibility. Because if there was someone behind the curtain, watching the students prepare for the Royal Capital— then sooner or later, they would have to step into the light. And when they did, Leo intended to be ready. End of Chapter 37.