Time passed by bit by bit.
At last, when the final apprentice had finished the test, Alaong stood up and glanced at the three people behind him. After a moment's thought, he said, "Anyone under eighteen who has advanced to First-class Apprentice, come stand behind me too."
His words stirred a ripple through the crowd, but not a single person came forward.
Alaong wasn't surprised. He'd only asked on a whim and hadn't expected anything from these apprentices.
"You have half a day to yourselves. Be back on the ship on time tonight. We're leaving at once!"
Looking at the figures in the distance, Alaong spoke expressionlessly. He led his group straight back to the ship they had arrived on, ignoring the apprentices before him, whether they looked excited or dejected.
After Alaong and the others left, the black-robed knight nearby also headed off, apparently to guard the ship.
Only then did the people from the wizard families in the distance dare approach, each going to find the apprentices from their own family.
"Arthur!" Sidru's excited voice rang in his ears.
Arthur looked up. Sidru and Walla hurried over from a distance, their Knight Rank speed on full display.
Both looked excited and thrilled as they quickly came to stand before Arthur.
They had good reason to be excited. As a member of House Falkus, Arthur's aptitude had come as a tremendous surprise to them.
"Let's get out of here first."
Arthur smiled warmly as he spoke to them.
This really wasn't a good place to talk. Sidru glanced around, then nodded, doing his best to contain his excitement.
There were about half a day left before the ship was due to depart. With the guards around them keeping watch, they quickly left and returned to the place where they