CHAPTER 163: KAEL’S ADMISSION, BUILDING SOMETHING SPECIAL.

As I walked through the academy corridors heading back toward the dormitories, Instructor Sylvia appeared around a corner and immediately signaled for me to approach her.

I changed direction and walked over. "Instructor, did you need something?"

"Follow me," she said simply, already turning toward her office without waiting for confirmation.

I followed her through the familiar hallways, wondering what this was about. Her expression was professionally neutral, giving no hints about the purpose of this summons.

Inside her office, she closed the door and gestured for me to take a seat before settling behind her desk.

"The academy administration has accepted your sponsorship request," she began without preamble. "Your candidate can proceed with the examination process."

Relief washed through me. "Thank you for facilitating this, Instructor."

"However," she continued, "before the pupil can be formally entered into the academy, several procedural requirements must be completed."

I nodded attentively. "Of course. What needs to happen?"

"First, we need to schedule a specific time with the candidate. The examination committee requires advance notice to prepare appropriate testing materials and evaluators. Second, as previously discussed, the candidate must pass comprehensive examinations covering combat capability, theoretical knowledge, and magical aptitude."

"Understood. When would be the earliest available examination slot?"

Sylvia consulted a schedule on her desk. "Five days from now would be the soonest we could arrange all necessary personnel and facilities."

I pulled out my smartphone to check my own schedule and coordinate timing. The device materialized in my hand naturally, and I activated the display to access my calendar function.

"Does the candidate need to be physically present here for scheduling, or can we contact him remotely?" I asked while navigating the interface.

"You can contact him via communication crystal," Sylvia replied without looking up from her paperwork. "We just need verbal confirmation of availability and—"

I had already accessed Kael’s contact information - I’d programmed his communication crystal signature into my phone’s address system - and initiated the call function.

"Adrian?" Kael’s voice came through clearly from the phone’s speaker, the audio quality perfect despite the distance.

Sylvia’s head snapped up from her paperwork immediately, her eyes focusing on the device in my hand with obvious confusion. A frown formed on her face as she tried to reconcile what she was seeing and hearing.

Of course she looked confused. This wasn’t a communication crystal - the standard magical item that everyone in this world used for distance communication. Those were typically palm-sized crystals that required direct contact and deliberate mana channeling to operate.

What I was holding looked nothing like that. It was a flat rectangular device with a glowing display showing visual information, producing clear audio, and apparently functioning with completely different operational principles.

"Kael," I said, deliberately keeping my tone casual to avoid drawing more attention to the phone’s unusual nature. "I’m with Instructor Sylvia at the academy. We’re scheduling your entrance examination. Are you available two days from now?"

"Yes, absolutely," Kael’s voice came through with obvious enthusiasm. "What time should I arrive?"

Sylvia continued staring at my phone with that increasingly confused frown, clearly trying to understand what she was looking at. Her mind was probably running through possibilities, was this some rare magical artifact? A custom-made device? Something from outside the kingdom?

"Morning session, around dawn," I said, glancing at Sylvia for confirmation. She nodded mechanically while still focused on the phone. "You’ll need to bring your weapon, any protective equipment you have, and be prepared for comprehensive testing."

"I understand. I’ll be ready."

"Good. I’ll send you additional details later. We’ll talk more soon."

"Thank you, Adrian. This opportunity means everything."

I terminated the connection and the display went dark, leaving just the mysterious rectangular device in my hand.

Sylvia’s frown had deepened considerably. "What... exactly was that device you just used?"

I considered my response carefully. Revealing too much about the smartphone’s capabilities wasn’t a good idea. But being overly secretive didn’t contribute to my plan, I had used my phone before her after all.

"A personal project I’ve been developing," I said with deliberate vagueness. "It serves similar functions to communication crystals but with some enhanced features."

"Enhanced features," she repeated slowly, her instructor instincts clearly screaming that this was significant. "Such as?"

"Improved audio quality, visual interface, and more efficient mana usage," I offered, which was technically true while revealing minimal specifics. "I’ve been experimenting with combining blacksmithing and enchantment techniques."

Sylvia studied me for a long moment, her sharp eyes trying to assess whether I was being deliberately evasive or genuinely providing complete information.

"That’s... remarkably advanced work for a first-year student," she finally said. "The craftsmanship alone would interest the academy’s research division."

"Perhaps once I refine the design further," I deflected smoothly. "This is still a prototype with various limitations."

She didn’t look entirely satisfied with my explanation but apparently decided not to press further for now.

"Don’t forget about your instructor when the artifact hits the market." She smiled brightly.

"Of course! You will be the first one to get it, instructor."

She nodded her head. "Very well. Your candidate is scheduled for examination in two days, dawn session. Ensure he arrives properly prepared."

"He will be. Thank you, Instructor."

I stood to leave, casually pocketing the smartphone as if it were nothing more remarkable than the communication crystal she’d assumed I would use.

As I exited her office, I could feel her eyes tracking my departure, her mind undoubtedly analyzing everything she’d just witnessed and filing it away for future consideration.

The smartphone had just made its first public appearance, and the questions were already beginning.

I made my way back to the mansion, my mind already working through a solution to the persistent problem of being separated from Changing Star during training sessions.

The answer was elegantly simple: create my own advanced training facilities right here in the mansion.

I had entered transcendent-rank training rooms earlier at the academy and used my smartphone’s camera function to capture detailed images of their construction, enchantment layouts, and equipment configurations. While our family’s workers were skilled, the academy possessed the absolute best facilities and design specifications in the kingdom. Rather than reinvent everything from scratch, I could simply replicate their proven systems.

The mansion had more than enough space for a comprehensive training complex. Multiple large rooms could be converted into specialized facilities for different aspects of development - combat practice, skill refinement, endurance testing, mana control exercises. Having everything available here would eliminate the constant back-and-forth travel and allow me to spend significantly more time with Changing Star while still maintaining my advancement schedule.

I entered the mansion and immediately began searching for Changing Star to check on her condition after being alone most of the day.

I found her in one of the second-floor bedrooms, curled up peacefully in sleep.

But what shocked me was her size.

She had grown dramatically since this morning - far more than I’d anticipated even knowing about her Devour skill’s accelerated development capabilities. Where she’d been roughly the size of a small cat when I’d left earlier, she was now approaching the dimensions of a small-sized puppy.

Her body had lengthened, her wings had expanded proportionally, and her overall mass had increased substantially.

"She’s growing too quickly," I muttered with mixed amazement and concern.

At this rate of development, she’d reach a dragon size within weeks rather than the years it should take. The Devour skill’s description had mentioned growth that "transcended other races," but seeing the practical results was staggering.

Hopefully it slows down a little. Having a large dragon isn’t exactly easy to hide.

I didn’t want to wake her from what appeared to be deep, peaceful sleep. Growth required rest, and disturbing her recovery seemed counterproductive.

But apparently my presence alone was enough.

Her nose twitched softly as she detected my scent, those delicate nostrils flaring slightly. Then her glittering sapphire eyes opened, focusing on me immediately with recognition and joy.

"RAWR!"

The sound was deeper than her previous chirps, carrying actual draconic resonance despite her young age. She launched herself at me with surprising speed and coordination, her improved size and strength making the impact far more substantial than her previous cute stumbles.

THUD!

I caught her reflexively as she collided with my chest, her small claws gripping my clothes while her tail wrapped around my arm enthusiastically. The weight was definitely noticeable now, she felt like holding a genuine puppy rather than the lightweight hatchling from yesterday.

Purr purr purr!

That adorable cat-like purring started immediately, the vibrations stronger and more pronounced than before. She pressed her head against my chest affectionately, clearly thrilled by my return.

"I missed you too," I said with genuine warmth, gently stroking her soft head.

Through our bond, I felt her emotions clearly - happiness at my presence, contentment from her growth progress, and hunger that was beginning to resurface despite her recent meal.

"Let’s get you fed, then I want to show you something," I said, already planning to involve her in exploring the spaces that would become our personal training facilities.

Having her nearby while I worked would solve multiple problems at once - she wouldn’t be lonely, I could monitor her rapid development, and we could strengthen our bond through shared time.

The mansion was becoming more than just a sanctuary. It was becoming our true home.

I carried Changing Star down to the basement preservation chamber, her purring continuing the entire way.

"You’ve been eating well," I observed, noting how much of the fifty kilograms of Elite-rank meat had already been consumed. Nearly a third of the supply had disappeared in less than a day.