I Reincarnated as the Bastard Prince? Well, At least I'm OP!
Chapter 35: End Of The Selection Exam

Chapter 35: End Of The Selection Exam

Chancellor Elysia stood before us, her hands clasped together.

"Congratulations to all of you for making it this far," she began. "Surviving the trials of the first Selection Round is no small feat. However, do not grow complacent. The written exam before you is designed to test not just your knowledge, but your adaptability, critical thinking, and mastery of the arcane arts."

Her gaze lingered briefly on certain faces—Odessa, Anais, even me—before continuing.

"Just a reminder, only three of you will be accepted into Waurweth Academy. The rest will be sent home."

A murmur rippled through the courtyard, but Elysia wasn’t done talking.

"This is a important. Those accepted will be forged into the finest wielders of magic, sword, and strategy in the known world. That is why you all must give it your all in this final exam."

Raven stiffened beside me, her fingers curling into fists. I could practically feel the frustration radiating off her.

She leaned toward me, her voice low. "She’s acting like nothing happened. Like the cult attack from three days ago—"

I caught her wrist before she could step forward, my grip firm.

"Not here," I murmured, barely moving my lips. "Not now."

Raven’s jaw clenched, but she held back, exhaling sharply through her nose.

I couldn’t let her bring up the cult before everyone.

The moment we challenged Elysia about the cult attack, we’d be exposing more than ourselves.

We would be stirring waters we weren’t ready to swim in. Timing is everything. There is no hurry.

Elysia either didn’t notice or chose to ignore the tension rising between Raven and I.

She gave a small smile. "Good luck to you all, diamonds in the rough. May your knowledge serve you well."

With that, she turned and strode away.

The moment she disappeared, the air above our desks chimed with magic.

Lines of questions began to magically appear in the empty parchment on our desks.

I turned to the group with a small nod. "Good luck," I said. "To all of you."

Anais cracked his knuckles, a wide grin appearing across his face. "I won’t lose to you, Archer. I’m going to pass this exam and come out on top."

Odessa laughed. "In your dreams. We’ll see if You’re good at anything aside carpentry."

We all laughed. Even Raven offered a small smile. Her frustration seemed to have simmered down a bit.

I moved to my assigned desk and sat down, unfolding the parchment before me.

My eyes scanned the first page.

Then the second.

Then the third.

My brows lifted slightly.

These were no ordinary questions. Questions that most wouldn’t even understand without years of advanced magical training.

I heard groans and muttered curses erupting around me.

"Are you kidding me?" Odessa hissed. "No one taught me these!"

"This... isn’t even in the academy prep books!" Brody and Hardy muttered, scratching their heads.

Anais scowled at his paper. "Who the hell even knows this stuff? It’s too advance."

The questions were tough for our age, no doubt, but unlike the others, I wasn’t shaken for a bit.

I recognized every topic. Every formula. Every question.

This was exactly the kind of material I had buried myself in at the Red Dragon’s Library.

The books Gwyneria had pulled for me, the ancient tomes layered in dust, every obscure theory, every advanced magical principle were all absorbed in my brain.

I remembered it all.

A lady stepped forward and placed an hour glass on a raised platform. "You have two hours to finish your exam. Your time starts now."

The school bell tolled and the hour glass was turned upside down.

Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Raven was already writing, her face hard with concentration.

We had studied together, and I can say this with much confident that she was a brilliant learner.

I dipped my quill into the ink and began to write.

* * * *

The exam lasted exactly two hours, the tension in the courtyard thickening with each passing minute.

When the last grain of sand from the hourglass dropped, the final bell tolled.

Suddenly, the papers lifted from the desks as if carried by an unseen wind, swirling through the air before vanishing into the academy’s main building.

Anais slammed his palm against his desk. "Three!" he groaned in frustration. "I only managed to answer three out of ten questions!"

Odessa crossed her arms, scowling. "This is ridiculous. What kind of chancellor throws advanced theoretical magic at child mages? I’m giving her a piece of my mind."

Brody and Hardy exchanged defeated glances.

"I barely wrote anything," Brody muttered.

"Same," Hardy sighed. "There is no way we passed."

Pandra leaned back in her chair, shaking her head. "Don’t beat yourselves up. Nobody could’ve answered all that. It was impossible."

Raven nodded in agreement, then turned to me. "What about you? How was it?"

I let out a low groan, rubbing the back of my neck. "Honestly, I think I only got... four?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Four."

I kept my expression neutral, but the corner of my mouth twitched. She knew I was lying.

Before she could call me out, Chancellor Elysia reappeared, her robes sweeping gracefully as she stepped back into the courtyard.

"The final exam is now concluded," she announced. "And the results are out."

A stunned silence swept across the courtyard.

"Already?" Odessa blurted, eyes wide.

Elysia rolled her eyes lightly. "Of course. Given that the majority of you either failed or barely wrote a thing, it wasn’t difficult to assess."

Anais shot to his feet. "With all due respect, Chancellor, those questions were far too advanced! No one could’ve solved them!"

She arched a brow. "And yet, three candidates passed. If they could do it, then the exam was not, in fact, impossible."

"Just because three others passed doesn’t make it fair to the others who didn’t!" Anais protested.

Elysia smiled faintly. "Standards are necessary, Anais. Otherwise, Waurweth would be no better than a village academy."

Raven clenched her fists. "Then name them. Who passed?"

Elysia smiled. "Gladly. But first, let’s start with those who did not make it. From the lowest scorers... in descending order. When I call your name, leave the academy premises with immediate effect."

A long period of silence ensued as all eyes were glued to Elysia.

"Brody and Hardy," she began, he voice cold and loud. "Please leave the academy premises."

No one looked surprised, but it still hurt to hear.

The two brothers exchanged resigned glances before standing.

Raven approached them and them into a warm hug. "Take care of yourselves, okay?"

Pandra and Odessa came over and embraced them each as well.

"Well, miss you both," Pandra said.

The boys waved to the rest of us, them turned and slowly walked out of the courtyard.

The mood in the atmosphere was somber.

Elysia’s voice cut through the silence. "Anais. You are excused. Try again next year."

He flinched, then let out a bitter chuckle. "I saw this coming." He turned to the rest of us, forcing a smile. "Well... it’s been fun. I made some good friends here. Guess I wasn’t cut out to be anything more than a carpenter after all."

Pandra rushed forward, grabbing his hands firmly. "No! That’s not true! You have so much potential, Anais. If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t have survived the cold in Frosthelm Mountains. Keep that fire inside you burning!"

Odessa pulled him into a sudden, fierce hug. "Try again next year. Don’t you dare give up or I wouldn’t forgive you."

I stepped forward and gripped his shoulder. "I’m going to miss you, buddy. Don’t let your dreams die. You’re smarter than you think. Keep going. Don’t stop."

"You guys," Anais swallowed hard, fighting back tears. "I don’t know what to say. Thank you. You’re the best friends I’ve ever made."

We all smiled at him. He may not be good at academy but he was a promising mage. I see a lot of untapped potential from him.

Anais waved us goodbye as he left with a high spirit.

Now, only four of us remained—me, Raven, Odessa, and Pandra.

Meaning... one more person would be leaving.

The courtyard went still. The tension was suffocating. I glanced between Pandra and Odessa, trying to guess who would be dismissed.

Elysia let the silence stretch for as long as she can.

Then she broke the silence. "Odessa. Leave the academy."

The words rang like a death bell. Odessa’s eyes widened. "What?"

Pandra covered her mouth and gasped. "No way!"

Raven’s fists tightened.

Elysia merely gestured toward the exit. "You heard me. Leave. You may sit again for the exam next year. Hopefully, you’ll come prepared."

Odessa looked straight at Elysia and nodded.

"...Understood."

Without a word, she turned to us. Then offered a small, tired smile. "It was fun. Thank you for being there for me when others abandoned me. Good luck."

I wish there were more we could say. It was so heartbreaking to see her go.

Before we could say anything, she walked away with a tight smile on her face.

Out of Seven candidates who wrote the final exam, only three of us were left: Raven, Pandra and myself.

This was the end of the selection exam.

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