"There are currently 13,500 applicants."
Fang Zheng glanced at the figures on the Personal Terminal beside him and spoke calmly. Upon hearing his answer, the mages, Mary included, instantly went pale.
"I suggest you don't take in too many people at first. Just select students with good talent and strong comprehension. Once they graduate, they can teach more apprentices themselves, and you'll be free to focus on your own work."
This was currently the most common arrangement in Heavenly Dao Palace. When the Cursed Children had first entered Heavenly Dao Palace, there had not been enough staff to teach them, so Fang Zheng had Hecate, Lydia, and Nymph each select students who progressed relatively quickly and train them. Once those students graduated, they could remain at the school to handle teaching and management. So far, those children had done fairly well, and Fang Zheng decided to bring the same system to Hogwarts.
After hearing Fang Zheng's explanation, Mary and the others finally felt somewhat relieved. Yet after Fang Zheng left, they could not help discussing it among themselves.
"That's way too many... Our academy doesn't even enroll ten thousand students in a year!"
"Maybe not everyone has talent."
This time, Annie voiced her own thoughts.
"I heard Father say that when the academy was first founded, people from all over the country brought their children to apply. But back then, many of them didn't have any magical talent at all... Maybe it's the same here? They don't look like they've ever encountered magic, so perhaps they aren't even sure whether they have talent or not?"
"That's true."
Hearing that, everyone calmed down somewhat, while Mary clapped her hands.
"All right, get ready. Let's begin the screening!"
Just as Annie had said, anyone who wanted to become a mage first had