Selection

Following the guide ahead, Char lowered his voice and said to Saya beside him, "Those flowers just now were so beautiful!"

Saya nodded in agreement. "They really were. It was my first time seeing flowers that beautiful too. They seemed to possess a soul-stirring charm that caught my attention at first glance. I really wanted to pick a couple..."

Though he still kept the warning from the guiding teacher firmly in mind, that did not stop him from fantasizing a little.

Conversations like this were not uncommon among the many new students. As visual creatures, humans were naturally and deeply drawn to that boundless, breathtaking sea of flowers.

As for this, the teacher leading the way at the very front merely curled his lip in disdain and said nothing.

If you weren't part of the academy, you'd die the instant you got near that place...

Having lived at this academy for several decades, he did not know much about that guardian's background. He had not even seen the guardian's true form.

Other than knowing that the other party was probably on the same level as the Dean, he knew nothing else.

However, he did know something about the strangeness of that sea of flowers. He knew perfectly well that, to ordinary people, such a place was nothing less than a death ground. Just catching the slightest whiff could kill them.

The Dean, a peak Level 5 Wizard, had personally stated that Wizards below Level 3 should not wander around there without good reason.

Inhaling too much of the gas emitted by those flowers could cause even Wizards, who far surpassed ordinary humans, to contract certain unusual illnesses. A single misstep could leave behind grave, lasting complications.

From then on, that sea of flowers had become one of the deadliest places in the academy in his mind.

Unless necessary, he would not even pass by that place, afraid that taking a few extra breaths might leave him with some lifelong disease.

However, as far as he knew, apart from those who recklessly charged into the sea of flowers without knowing better, most academy personnel would not suffer overly serious effects from the flowers even if they accidentally entered it.

Even so, a Wizard's caution still made him unwilling to approach that place.

In his eyes, these reckless new students were still far too green. Once their teachers gave them a proper show of force, they would learn that this world was not so kind.

Exploitation was every Wizard's attitude toward their apprentices.

In the world of Wizards, knowledge was the most expensive thing of all.

Furthermore, because of the effects of various experiments, most Wizards had one kind of mental illness or another. Their thought processes differed somewhat from ordinary people's, and every last one of them was a pervert.

Under such circumstances, learning anything useful from their hands was no simple matter.

Even though the academy bore most of the burden, the small remaining portion was enough to make these apprentices feel the pain of being squeezed dry.

"Slow and steady" described the mentors; the apprentices were the ones being slowly drained.

Endure. Endure until death.

He himself had gotten through his apprenticeship that way back then...

Walking along roads steeped in the weight of history, Saya silently observed the sights around him.

In his eyes, this was where he would be staying for a very long time to come.

According to the information he had gathered, for an apprentice to become an official Wizard, it would take at least ten years, perhaps even a hundred. During that time, they would have to spend most of their lives within the academy.

After observing the place for a while, he was deeply satisfied.

In his view, even the Royal Capital of the most powerful Mortal Kingdom could not compare to this place in splendor. By his estimate, even the patterns carved into a random wall had to be over a thousand years old.

As expected of the residence of Wizards!

Moreover, unlike the quiet and desolate place he had imagined, there were quite a few pedestrians coming and going here. Though it was not packed shoulder to shoulder, people could be seen everywhere.

Some wore the attire of academy students and mentors, while others wore clothing that marked them as servants. It seemed that he should be able to recruit people to tend to his daily needs.

As the passersby around them repeatedly cast appraising looks their way, Saya, though still very young, chose to hold his chest high and keep his head raised, appearing exceptionally confident. After hesitating for a moment, Char beside him followed suit, copying him exactly. Though his build and bearing had yet to catch up, giving him a somewhat comical air of a monkey wearing a cap, he had taken his first step toward becoming someone like Saya.

Longing.

To him, Saya—handsome, elegant, and constantly radiating confidence—was the ideal image he aspired to.

Though Saya felt somewhat out of reach, he still wanted to draw closer to him.

He no longer wanted to drift with the tide as he had in the past.

Once they arrived, the guiding teacher stopped and pointed at the magnificent building before them. Turning around, he said, "This is where new students are assigned. Here, you are not merely choosing mentors—the mentors are also choosing you. Those they take a liking to will be selected in advance, while those who are not chosen will be assigned according to their talent and aptitude."

"So, put yourselves in your best state of mind. Unlike those who are assigned together, being selected in advance means that you have caught their eye. Your own mentor will value you more."

After giving this advice, Derek silently sighed as he watched the new students begin to grow nervous.

He did not know why he was offering advice to people who had nothing to do with him. Perhaps he was still indignant over the hardships of his own past. If he had been chosen by a good mentor back then, he felt he could have saved at least twenty years...

"This little brat looks pretty good."

"I think so too."

"Whatever. I don't care either way. As long as I teach according to academy regulations, who cares what he ends up becoming?"

"I want that blue-haired brat."

"The hell you do. A high-quality candidate like that would be wasted if you took him for experiments."

"How can a Wizard's affairs be called a waste? How would you know it won't work unless you try!"

"Let me see which little cuties meet my standards..."

"You people are..."

Looking at the various bizarre creatures and strange objects floating overhead, each continuously giving off voices that were either hoarse or gratingly affected, Saya still wore a confident expression, but he could not help swallowing in secret. The scene before him was completely different from what he had imagined.

His heart began to pound involuntarily.

Are these people really selecting students?

Why do I feel like they're picking out free experimental subjects and cuts of pork?

Watching the nervous new students, Derek turned and left. His once-a-month task had been completed upon reaching this place.

Next month, he would have to go to another country to receive new students.

Heart of Silence governed over a hundred countries, and the country he visited each month was different. He had to make sure he visited every country exactly once per year, so his job consisted either of rushing from place to place or being on the road to rush somewhere else. Rest was hard-won.