These details had been calculated from his regular grades at Falando Academy.
All Roland had to do was confirm them so that his Mage Tower could keep them on file.
During this process, the person in charge could verify and revise them at any time.
After reading through them, Froya-the bespectacled senior with twin tails, a little girl's looks, and an auntie's age, who claimed she was already an adult-pouted. "What? You didn't get excellent marks in every subject? You're such a loser, junior."
Roland broke into a cold sweat. "I'm sorry for being born."
Fortunately, Froya did not give him a hard time. Instead, something else caught her attention. "You actually have an extra spell allowance?"
"That's right. His Excellency Ovesto granted it specially when he recruited me. It allows me to cast the Level 1 Spell 'Tongues' once a day."
Under normal circumstances, mages in the Arcane Empire of Atrelin needed to pass specified assessments to update their mage records and receive authorization to cast spells through the magic network.
But some, like Roland, received special authorization.
This generally happened only in three circumstances: special admission, meritorious service, or an award for achievements in Arcana. Such opportunities were exceedingly rare.
Once he arrived at the Mage Tower and registered, his personal reward, the Level 1 Spell Tongues, was duly issued.
Roland had already learned the general procedure from Swein, so he took it calmly.
"Not bad. Since you've listed Linguistics as your specialization and have a spell like this, start with 'Ancient Elvish' and 'The History of Elvish Evolution.' After that, there's 'Ancient Magical Languages,' 'Introduction to Draconic,' 'Draconic and Dragon Magic,' 'Advanced Runology,' 'Advanced Spell Structure,' 'Advanced Principles of Spellcasting'...
I've already applied to have all these courses unlocked for you. You can access them whenever you like.
Tongues lets you experience knowing multiple languages ahead of time. Although it's only a temporary enhancement, it's extremely useful for practicing listening, speaking, reading, and writing. I'm sure you'll learn very quickly.
As for the other courses, take them as self-study electives if you have the time and energy. But don't bite off more than you can chew and slow down your main coursework."
This twin-tailed auntie with a little girl's looks proved surprisingly dependable. She clearly laid out Roland's study plan for the next four years, the steps he would take toward becoming a Full Mage.
"During those four years, you'll have plenty of chances to apply for a promotion assessment. The courses aren't strictly divided by semester, either. As long as you can handle it, you can get as far ahead as you like. There are no restrictions!"
"Apprentice Mages and Apprentice Students are both level 0 mages, and both are candidates to become Full Mages. Do you know the biggest difference between them?"
"Well... I suppose it's that we need to leave the student mindset behind starting now and begin thinking like real mages?"
Having been through something similar before, Roland spoke with some feeling.
"Not bad. You're very perceptive!"
Froya sounded slightly surprised as she praised him.
Then she adopted the earnest air of someone patiently imparting wisdom. "You've already made it through round after round of selection and elimination. You're talented individuals recognized by the Empire. Independent learning and lifelong learning are your responsibilities now. You can't wait for teachers to teach you as Apprentice Students do.
That applies especially to a mentor-based Mage Tower like ours.
Towers that use a credit system might assign staff to supervise your studies or even manage entire classes, but here, you need to rely on your own initiative.
Although I'm called the new student coordinator, I'm really only here to guide you. Your studies depend entirely on yourselves."
"Then how should new students like us go about studying independently?"
"The tower has comprehensive teaching facilities and course resources. Just ask the Tower Spirit.
Most of what's available here is public knowledge shared through the magic network. You can also obtain spell resources for free, provided you have the access privileges for the corresponding level.
But if you want to learn some of this tower's private knowledge or exclusive spells, you'll need special authorization or have to pay a fee.
Those fees generally aren't cheap. As is customary, the tower will provide you with a certain amount of dedicated funding during your residency.
Completing the tower's research assignments or contributing achievements in Arcana will earn you corresponding rewards, too."
"By the way," Roland said, suddenly remembering something, "when will I have a chance to meet His Excellency the Grand Mage?"
Froya said, "His Excellency the Grand Mage is very busy. He's still in Sky City Nevis on business at the moment. We'll talk about that once he returns."
"True. Even then, there's no telling whether he'll feel like bothering with me," Roland sighed.
"You don't need to worry about that. The Grand Mage is a true gentleman, and he's very easygoing. Besides, whenever he's in the tower, he gives a public lecture in large classroom No. 1 in the teaching area every Monday morning. If you think your foundations are solid enough, you can sit in for free."
"Oh? What course does he teach?"
"Courses on Ovesto runes, of course. That's private knowledge belonging to this tower, and you can attend for free."
She made a point of stressing that it was free because connecting through the magic network to online courses taught by Grand Mages from other towers was truly, terribly expensive.
Free attendance was an important benefit for members of this tower.
"Thank you for your guidance," Roland said sincerely.
The corners of Froya's mouth lifted, and she looked thoroughly pleased.
Clearly, she enjoyed playing the teacher.
Roland decided to ask her about more things, both indulging her interests and deepening his understanding of his Mage Tower and Archmage Ovesto.
Barring any surprises, he would be spending quite a few years here.
Combining what Froya told him with what he had learned before coming, he discovered that this Mage Tower and its associated lands were the private domain of His Excellency Ovesto, a rising star in the world of Arcana.
His Excellency Ovesto was a leading master of the Runes School in the current era. He had once spearheaded the Arcane Empire's compilation and reform of ancient magical runes. He was an authoritative expert in numerous disciplines, including spell scrolls, Linguistics, history, and sociology, and had also distinguished himself in artistic fields such as music, literature, theater, and dance.
He had also created a system of magical runes known as Ovesto runes, which was widely used to improve spell scrolls and alchemy items, earning him a fortune in patent royalties.
It was precisely these achievements in Arcana and inventions that had allowed him to acquire his own Mage Tower and Demiplane, making him one of the most prominent Grand Mages of the age and one of those most likely to reach legendary rank.
He was a top authority, practically the head of his school already. All that remained was for the old patriarch to pass away, and he would naturally succeed him.
There had indeed been an element of luck in Roland winning his favor and gaining admission to this Mage Tower.
After learning all this, Roland once again felt, This is what a man should aspire to be.
A Grand Mage like that could be his role model in life, a goal toward which he could strive.
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