The hall of the Northern Branch of the Magic Association in the magical city of Äußerst was spacious, with a soaring vaulted ceiling. Sunlight streamed through stained-glass windows, filling the whole hall with light.
The air was also filled with a distinctive scent: parchment and ink mingled with a faint magical glow.
Then Annie and Elaina both saw the mages in robes of every color, coming and going or talking quietly in the corners. The place looked quite lively.
But Annie and Elaina had no time to pay attention to any of that. The tall and the small one practically ran into the hall, then headed straight for the reception desk and the young mage registrar standing behind it in a neat Magic Association uniform.
"Hello!"
|˙˙)
Annie rose onto her tiptoes, just barely getting her little head above the counter. Then she gazed up at the young woman behind the desk with clear, innocent eyes and, in a soft, sweet voice, got straight to the point:
"Big sister!"
(˙o˙)
"We want to sign up for the First-Class Mage exam!"
(*^▽^*)
"..."
Elaina stood just behind Annie and elegantly adjusted her gray-black witch's hat and silver hair, making sure she looked her best. Then, at just the right moment, she glanced at the receptionist with a confident smile.
"Hello, you two."
The registrar looked up, wearing a warm, professional smile.
Her gaze was immediately drawn to Annie's childish face, and an unmistakable flicker of surprise crossed her eyes.
It was the first time she'd ever seen a child so young come to take the First-Class Mage exam.
Still, she maintained her professional smile and explained in a clear, gentle, unhurried voice:
"You two!"
"Although there's no specific age limit for signing up for the First-Class Mage exam..."
As she spoke,