What Grent, and the other examiners didn’t know was that inside the Dean’s Office, two men sat side by side, while looking at a viewing crystal in front of them.
Both of them had witnessed the battle between William and Psoglav. Although this battle didn’t mean much to men of their level, they still weren’t able to stop themselves from being impressed with how things ended.
“So, what do you think, Headmaster?”
“I think it would be a shame for the Royal Academy to fail such an interesting boy. It’s not everyday that a fourteen-year-old can hold his ground against one of the Rulers of the Forest and live to tell the tale.”
The man wearing simple clothes stood up from his seat and walked towards the door. “Keep an eye on him for me, will you?”
“As you wish, Your Majesty.” The Dean briefly nodded his head in acknowledgement.
After the man left the room, a dozen guards appeared out of nowhere and flanked the man on both sides. The man kept on walking as he remembered the words that Est had said a few years ago.
——
“Father, I would have failed the Trial if I didn’t receive the help of a boy whom I met on my journey towards the temple,” Est said with a gentle smile. “His name is Wiliam, William Von Ainsworth.”
“What kind of boy is he?” the man asked as he listened to Est’s explanation.
“Narcissistic, but kind,” Est replied. “A very mysterious boy who saved my life twice. Once from the Mountain Troll, the second from the Cyclops. We wouldn’t have received the blessing of Lady Astrid if not for his sacrifice.”
“Sounds like an interesting boy.” The man chuckled. “I’ll think of an appropriate reward when I meet him. For now, maintain your connection with him, do you understand?”
“Yes, Father.”
“Mmm.”
—–
The man left the academy through the secret passageway that was meant for people of his rank.
A middle-aged-man wearing butler’s clothes bowed and welcomed him with a smile as his Master exited the passageway.
The butler then guided the man towards a simple carriage. No words were spoken between them because the butler already understood where the man wanted to go. As the man climbed into the carriage, the guards accompanying him dispersed.
They didn’t go away. Instead, they guarded the man from the shadows.
As the man propped his head by the carriage window, he remembered William’s unwavering determination. He also saw how the boy helped the other children pass the second trial, while maintaining his secrecy.
That alone made the man understand that William wasn’t aiming for any kind of praise or recognition. He just did what he wanted to do then left, as if he was just a stranger passing by.
‘What an interesting fellow,’ the man thought as he looked at the scenery outside the carriage. ‘You’ve met someone quite capable, Est.’
—–
When William opened his eyes he found himself in an unfamiliar place. He was no longer inside the forest, but lying on a comfortable bed in a room that smelled of roses.
His hand unconsciously moved towards his waist where he received the wound from Psoglav. He could no longer feel any pain in that area, which meant that his wound had been healed.
William heaved a sigh of relief as he propped himself up from the bed. The sky outside the window was already dark, signifying that night had come.
‘What happened during the trial? Did I fail?’ William frowned because he couldn’t remember anything that followed after he stared at the Diabolic Hell Ape. It was then when William remembered something, something very important.
‘Wait, where is Mama?!’ William scanned the room and didn’t see his beloved mother. He was about to stand up and go towards the door when it opened on its own.
“You’re finally awake?” Est said with a smile. “I thought that you would remain unconscious for a few days. It seems that the healers of the Royal Academy are quite competent.”
“Est. Where is Mama Ella? ” William stared at the familiar boy in front of him. “Where did the academy take her?”
“Relax,” Est replied as he moved towards his bed. “Ella woke up two hours ago. Ian is watching over her at the academy’s stable. She has already healed from her injuries and, from what I could tell by her actions, she was very worried about you.”
Est stared at the red-headed boy who seemed to have regained his calm. He felt quite envious because the first question he asked was the whereabouts of his Mama Goat, instead of asking why he was there.
“That’s good to hear, please, take me to her,” William pleaded. “Mama will continue to feel anxious if she doesn’t see me as soon as possible.”
“Is Ella the one feeling anxious, or is it you who is feeling anxious?”
“It’s me feeling anxious.”
“Hah~” Est sighed. “Fine, come with me. I’ll take you to the stables.”
“Thank you, Est.” William smiled.
His smile was so bright that it made Est’s heart skip a beat. In order to hide his embarrassment, he walked straight toward the door without looking back. William hurriedly followed behind him.
The two walked in a vast hallway without speaking a word to each other. Ten minutes later, they arrived at their destination.
William immediately sensed his Mama’s presence and the latter sensed him as well. Ella bolted up from where she laid and ran towards William.
William laughed as he, too, ran with open arms. The red-headed boy wrapped his arms around Ella’s neck as he kissed the side of her face. Ella returned her baby’s affection by licking the side of his face as well.
Est, Ian, and Isaac watched this touching reunion with smiles on their faces. The three knew that William and Ella were close, but none of them knew the extent of how much William and Ella cared for each other.
Five minutes had passed and the two were still locked in each other’s embrace. Est had no choice but to clear his throat to get William’s attention.
“You look so carefree and yet you don’t know whether you failed the enrollment exams or not,” Est teased.
“Ah!” William turned his head to look at Est. “Did I fail?”
“What do you think?” Est raised an eyebrow.
“I think you will give me an answer if I say please?” William scratched his head out of embarrassment.
“Well, congratulations. You didn’t fail,” Est answered. However, before William could feel relieved, Est added another sentence. “But, you didn’t pass either.”
“Eh?” William frowned. “How can it be that I didn’t fail, yet didn’t pass at the same time?”
Est stared at William with admiration. Although he had briefly heard about what happened from one of the examiners, he still couldn’t believe that William was able to go head to head with a Ruler of the Forest that specialized in Dark Magic.
“Your case is a bit special, so the academy decided to give you one last chance to pass the enrollment exams,” Est continued his explanation. “After all, the other examinees might think that the academy is showing favoritism if you passed just like that.”
“Well, I guess you have a point.” William nodded his head in agreement. “So, do you have any idea about what kind of test I will be participating in?”
“Sorry, but I don’t,” Est replied. “You will know when morning comes. I have already informed the Head Examiner that you have woken up. He will be the one handling your trial.”
“Mmm,” William hummed as he caressed his Mama’s neck.
“Are you worried about your test tomorrow?”
“Not really.”
“You’re quite confident.” Ian snorted. “You think that passing the test of the Royal Academy is easy?”
William gave Ian a side-long glance before giving him a refreshing smile. “By myself, I am not confident. However, since my Mama is with me, everything will be Daijoubu.”
(A/N: To those who don’t know Japanese, William said that everything will be fine.)
“Die jo bu?” Ian asked. “What does that mean?”
“It means that a snot-nosed pansy like you needs to see a physician,” William sneered. “Something might be wrong with your brain.”
Contrary to William’s expectations, Ian didn’t get angry. Instead, he looked at him with a mischievous smile which made William feel that something was wrong.
“Ah, I forgot to tell you. Ian will be the one to decide whether you fail or not in your test tomorrow.” Est smirked.
“What?! This sno– good looking boy that is approaching my level of handsomeness will be tomorrow’s judge?” William almost bit his tongue after he forced himself to praise Ian. “Ahem, such a gentleman who is proficient with both the sword and the pen is truly suited to become a judge. I can already see all the girls in the academy screaming his name whenever he goes to his classroom.”
William’s liver started to itch with every word of praise he sang for Ian.
The three boys looked at him with amusement as William tried to flatter his mortal enemy.
“See you tomorrow,” Ian winked as he left the stables. He was doing his best to hold back the laughter that was bubbling up inside his chest. William’s reaction was priceless.
“Not good, I can’t wait to see his reaction tomorrow when he discovers…,” Ian chuckled as he walked towards his room in a good mood. He was looking forward to seeing what kind of face William would be making when morning came.
