After becoming a first-level arcanist, Duke looked into the requirements and learned that applying to become a second-level arcanist required one thousand arcanist points as well as passing a certification review.
Accumulating points alone was relatively easy. The difficult part was passing the certification review; certification for a second-level arcanist would certainly not be so simple.
After the certification review ended, Grace walked over with her arms folded and said, "Not bad, little guy. You actually made it this far. You're progressing much faster than Vivian did. Looks like I should have taken you in back then."
At the time, Grace had said Duke's spiritual aptitude was insufficient, which was why she had not allowed him to enter the Thorn Holy Tower.
But in truth, that had merely been an excuse. Even if Duke's spiritual aptitude had been better, she would not have allowed him to join the Thorn Holy Tower. She simply did not want the trouble.
In Grace's view, since Duke had obtained Black Sail's token, he could simply join Black Sail. None of the four great wizard organizations on the West Coast were weak, so there was not much difference in joining any of them.
She had taken Vivian in only to fulfill the promise she had once made to Count Hardy. As a third-level wizard, Grace would certainly keep any promise she made, even if Hardy had merely been an ordinary person with some spiritual aptitude.
Otherwise, even if Vivian had possessed exceptional spiritual aptitude, Grace would not have accepted her as a student.
Duke now understood as well that on the path of wizardry, spiritual aptitude was merely the starting point. How far one could go afterward was not something aptitude alone could fully determine.
"Thank you, Lady Grace, for taking care of Vivian. She