Both Accepted!

"Linley!"

The bald man in charge of registration finally called Linley's name.

"Relax. You're already a proper mage."

Doehring Cowart smiled casually beside him.

"Good luck, Linley!"

Moke and Hillman both cheered him on.

"Mm!"

Linley nodded and placed Bebe, the little Shadow Mouse in his arms, into Moke's.

Then he walked straight ahead and put his hand on the crystal ball.

Linley should have supreme affinity for the Earth and Wind Elements, and medium affinity for the Fire Element.

Moke watched Linley step forward, thinking to himself.

Sure enough.

As soon as Linley placed his hand on the crystal ball, it burst with dazzling ocher and cyan light, nearly illuminating the entire hall.

Threads of red were mixed into the ocher and cyan glow.

The sight immediately startled the nobles present.

Even the teachers from the various magic academies, who had maintained their composure until now, turned to look.

"Supreme affinity for the Earth and Wind Elements! Medium affinity for the Fire Element!"

For the first time, the bald registrar cried out in excitement.

This was the first supreme elemental affinity they had seen today!

It might even be the only one in this batch!

Linley was startled too.

He had no idea his affinity for the Wind Element was also supreme.

Beside him, Doehring Cowart reminded him to hold out a little longer inside the magic formation, since he knew nothing about wind magic.

"Supreme elemental affinity! Moke, your brother Linley has supreme elemental affinity!"

Hillman grabbed Moke's hand and shook it excitedly.

"I saw, Uncle Hillman." Moke smiled helplessly.

"Quiet!"

The bald man barked, and the hall fell silent again.

Linley then entered the light-element magic formation to have his Spiritual Power tested.

Just as in the original story, his Spiritual Power was eighteen times that of his peers!

"Hiss!"

"A genius! An unparalleled genius!"

Even the bald elder was stunned, and the priest came over as well.

Before everyone's eyes, a teacher from Ernst Institute handed Linley an invitation.

At that moment, Linley became the center of attention.

Moke and Hillman also drew frequent glances from the crowd.

"Heavens, am I dreaming? Linley was accepted into Ernst Institute?"

Hillman held the acceptance letter, his eyes wide with astonishment.

He was so excited he could barely keep from trembling.

"Your turn, Moke. Good luck!" Linley was much calmer, since he already had a good idea of what to expect.

He took Bebe back from Moke and raised a small fist in encouragement.

"Right, right! Good luck to you too, Moke!"

Coming to his senses, Hillman laughed. "It would be wonderful if you got into Ernst Institute too. Then you brothers could study together!"

He was so excited he was almost babbling.

"They're brothers? And both getting into Ernst Institute?"

Even the bald man laughed.

The odds of that were lower than finding the magicite core of a Saint Realm Magical Beast lying in the street.

Perhaps because Linley had been accepted into Ernst Institute, though, the bald man was quite friendly and did not scold Hillman for making a racket.

"All right, put your hand on the crystal ball," the bald man said with a smile.

Moke nodded and placed his hand on it.

"That kid's brother got into Ernst Institute. Their family's probably used up all its luck. I doubt he'll even qualify as a mage!"

"Exactly. There's no way he'll become a mage!" some nobles in the distance muttered.

Whoosh!

The crystal ball, dull and dark a moment before, erupted in brilliant light once more, so bright that people could hardly keep their eyes open.

And that dazzling light was made up of several different colors.

"Heavens!"

The priest, who had been seated in the place of honor, rose and came down without thinking.

His face was full of shock, and his hands trembled as he announced, "Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, Light, Darkness, and Lightning!"

"S-supreme affinity for every magical element?!"

"The Holy Union has produced an unparalleled genius with supreme affinity for every element?"

The priest stared at Moke in shock. The boy still looked puzzled, as though he had no idea how astonishing this was.

"Supreme affinity for every magical element?"

Not far away, Hillman, who had been watching the test the whole time, let out a startled squawk.

"That's incredible! That's my brother!" Linley clenched his fists in excitement.

"That boy..." Doehring Cowart, hovering beside Linley in spirit form, was too stunned to speak.

He could only stare blankly at Moke.

In all his thousands of years, he had never seen anyone with supreme affinity for every element!

"Excellent! Absolutely excellent!"

Even the priest was excited. "Moke, please enter the magic formation for your Spiritual Power test."

He said warmly, "Your affinity is extraordinary. As long as your Spiritual Power meets the standard, you'll be qualified to study at Ernst Institute."

"All right!"

Moke nodded and entered the magic formation.

He had not wanted this to happen, but he knew he could not hide it.

After all, Moke did not know how to conceal his elemental affinity.

Since I can't hide my affinity... Moke stepped into the magic formation.

As everyone watched with tense anticipation, his legs soon gave way and he collapsed.

"Ah."

The priest, who had been watching Moke closely, could not help sighing. "Your Spiritual Power is only eight times that of your peers."

"Only eight times?"

Linley and Hillman blinked, suddenly nervous.

"Only eight times? That can't be right." A knowing gleam appeared in Doehring Cowart's eyes.

Spiritual Power lay hidden within the body, and even as a Saint Realm expert, he could not see through it.

But after spending so much time with Moke, he had come to know him somewhat.

The boy's Spiritual Power was definitely more than eight times that of his peers!

He's hiding his true ability. But why? Doehring Cowart's interest was immediately piqued.

"Eight times?"

"Supreme affinity for every magical element, but Spiritual Power only eight times that of his peers?"

The Ernst Institute admissions teacher, who had been waiting expectantly, was disappointed too.

He had thought he might recruit the most gifted student of the year.

Still, supreme affinity for every magical element was more than enough to gain admission to Ernst Institute.

"Moke, Ernst Institute sincerely invites you to join us."

The teacher smiled reassuringly. "Your Spiritual Power may not be high, but your affinity is exceptional. Refining magical energy will take you far less time than it takes others.

"If you work hard, you may still become a high-level mage someday."

"Thank you, teacher. I'd be glad to join!" Moke accepted the invitation. He looked somewhat dejected, as though he had not expected such a sharp reversal.

Done!

He smiled to himself. Everything had gone according to plan.

"Yes, as long as you work hard, you still have a chance to become a high-level mage."

The priest offered his own reassurance with a smile. He had certainly seen something new today.

The boy's Spiritual Power might not be high, but his supreme affinity for every magical element was worth reporting. Perhaps the higher-ups would make an exception and bring him into the Radiant Church.

"Thank you, Your Reverence," Moke said to the priest.

Then he walked back to Hillman and Linley.

Linley's face flushed with excitement. He was even happier than when he himself had gotten into Ernst Institute. "This is great, Moke! We can go to school together!"

"Moke, Linley, you're both students of Ernst Institute now!"

Hillman said excitedly, "Lord Hogg will be beside himself!"

"Right! Let's hurry back and tell Father!" Linley's eyes lit up.

"Right. Let's go home!"

Moke chuckled too.