CHAPTER 228: 228. THE ENTRANCE EXAM (4)- WHAT ARE THESE QUESTIONS?

He looked at the stage again. Four people had already gathered at the front already, sitting on chairs on the side. When Theo saw their expressions, it felt like they seemed to do it almost every day.

The one to the right was a man in deep navy robes, embroidered with silver thread with sharp geometric patterns. There was a scholar’s cap on his head, and there was this air of strictness around him.

To his surprise, his eyes went to the one in the other corner, and it was not only because she was beautiful, but Theo saw she was wearing leather armor and a sword.

Her armor had black metal patches at all the vitals that somewhat matched with what Theo’s armor had. When he was staring at her, she noticed his gaze soon enough and looked at him.

Theo didn’t break the eye contact but gave a slight bow to give respect.

Yet the woman moved her eyes right away, making Theo feel awkward that she may not have been looking at him.

"If you’re aspiring to be a mix of tamer and knight, Lady Evelyne Thorfield will be your best option." Ron spoke from the side.

"You know about her?" Theo whispered near him.

"Yeah, she’s one of the greatest knights in this academy who is also a tamer. Didn’t you research the professors before coming?" Ron asked with a light laugh.

Theo was going to retort but that was when the man in the middle got up and a bell rang again. This time, the whole area went silent.

Theo noticed a crest with a beast stitched on his attire and then the others, which he had not seen before.

All the seated ones on the stage got up and spread apart as the man with a long dark robe walked to the center of the stage. He had a few streaks of white on his beard, making Theo feel like he may be a lot older than he could imagine.

"Welcome, prospective students of the Aemerion Beast Taming Academy," the man said in a calm but commanding voice. "Today marks the beginning of your adventurous path." He stated while his voice was being amplified on its own, making Theo curious about how it was happening.

"For some of you, this journey will be a short one. But for others... it will be long, filled with hardship, and perhaps glorious."

A few children already looked distressed, while some nobles straightened their backs proudly.

Theo’s expression didn’t change, but his fingers stopped tapping to focus.

"The entrance examination will take place in four stages," the man continued. "Each one is designed to measure not only your knowledge and strength, but also your potential and control as a tamer. Passing is not guaranteed, but learning from your mistakes is."

Murmurs spread again, but quickly died down when the man raised a hand.

"The first stage will begin shortly. It will test your basic knowledge of taming, history, and survival. Do not think lightly of it. Even the brightest beast is useless to one who does not know the world they live in."

Theo almost smirked. He had already gone over the material until late at night. Knowledge wasn’t what worried him.

"After that, the bond testing," the man went on, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Where your affinity and beast’s loyalty will be revealed for all to see."

This time Theo kept a straight face, though he could feel his stomach tighten just slightly. That part of the exam was not going to be simple for him.

’Why do they want to do it in front of the others?’ He thought, wanting it to be in a personal setting.

The man’s sharp gaze swept across the hall again, and for a brief moment Theo felt those eyes stop on him before moving on. But it might have been his imagination as he was quite far away.

"Prepare yourselves. We will begin the first stage shortly. Your results will determine where you belong in this academy or if you do not."

Theo could swear he saw the others on the stage sigh and shake their heads. Was this person trying to scare the kids intentionally?

Soon the uniformed men and women came again and moved between the rows, handing out small rune-carved slates and a stone quill. Theo saw a blank sheet of paper on it to hide the questions.

Theo looked at the one placed in front of him, then at Elias across the hall. Elias gave the smallest nod before blending into the other attendants.

But soon a question came to his mind, and he may not have been the only one.

’Why are we so close to each other, is there no measure taken for cheating here?’ he questioned.

Just when everyone tried removing the white sheet of paper—

Suddenly, the robed man who spoke moved his hand forward and blinked, making a wave of purple energy pulse everywhere.

Theo felt it after it hit him, making him panic and get up.

"Everyone, please be seated. You are under the effects of an ability that will hinder you from looking at anything but your questions. Good luck." The man spoke again, but Theo could not see anything but purple around him.

He looked down and only saw his body and the slate and quill in his hand.

Closing off his mind to not care about an ability being used on him, Theo sat back down and tore off the white sheet, making the slate show all the questions that needed to be answered.

The good thing was that it was only multiple choice, which made sense as only kids were giving the exam.

Theo saw the numbering and felt like it was a joke.

There were only 20 questions in the whole exam. He had studied a lot and this was it?

He went through most of the questions with a breeze, they were of basic history.

But when he got to the last five, Theo halted.

’... what the hell?’