Amid drifting snow, on Friday, the third day of 1854 in the Common Calendar, the year-end examinations that the group of five had both anticipated and worried about arrived as scheduled.
Early that morning, Priest Augustus, Doctor Schneider, Luvia, and Dorothy arrived at 6 Saint Derain Square. After the five of them brought spare tables and chairs up from the basement, they arranged the examination room in Room Two on the second floor, then waited anxiously for the exams to begin.
Of course, since the examination venue was in Room Two on the second floor, Shade could theoretically have cheated by entering the Keeper of Secrets Hall. However, he had not done anything so improper.
Compared to the Summer Exams, Shade had advanced from the Second Ring to the Fifth Ring, the doctor from the Fifth Ring to the Sixth Ring, Luvia from the Third Ring to the Fifth Ring, and Dorothy from the Fourth Ring to the Fifth Ring. All four needed to take advancement exams, with Shade skipping ahead into the fourth year. Though Luvia had also advanced two Ring Arcanist levels, she had not chosen to skip grades.
Priest Augustus was the only one among the five who did not need to take an advancement exam, making him relatively relaxed during this Winter Exam week. Moreover, the old priest had always maintained an excellent mindset, so before the Academy's proctors arrived, he even reassured the other four not to be too nervous.
Shade had not felt particularly nervous at first, but after hearing the priest say that, he inexplicably began to feel anxious instead.
Just like last time, Shade did not eat much breakfast before the exam. However, he fed Mia in advance to prevent the cat from causing trouble at noon. Of course, the chances of