[S1] Chapter 4: License

I would like to say that I was a good and diligent student. But in the first few days, with Miko's books at home, I literally passed out from stomach pain. It was only when Miko herself came over and literally hammered the knowledge into my head that I remembered how I had made it through school - with anxiety and tears.

The topics for the license exam are anything but complicated. It's actually mindless memorization, which makes it worse for me personally. Even Miko's absolutely cute notes don't really make it any better.

In the end, Eliza also joined in and wrote me a study sheet. It took a few weeks, but the day came when I felt ready, and we officially signed me up for the exam.

◆

"There's a free parking space."

"The car won't fit in there."

"You're just scared because it's so narrow."

"Miko... why don't you just drive yourself?"

"I don't have a driver's license."

"And that's why you should shut up."

During those agonizing weeks of learning, Miko was a real asshole. Yes, she tried to let her sweet side hang out from time to time and be nice to me, but her true self increasingly came to light.

I understand that she felt an inevitable frustration. After all, I had no idea about the world of magic. But all the studying put aside and back to the present, she has absolutely no idea about driving! So, I'm a teeny tiny bit annoyed with the way she keeps babbling at me all the time!

"Sorry..." but I still can't just bitch at her like that.

"Don't apologize, you're right."

"Please keep letting me know if you see a parking lot, I'm a little distracted."

"Are you afraid of the exam?"

"Not afraid, but I'm definitely nervous."

"Relax, the theory is easy, and you have your healing magic for the practical part."

"Easier said than done."

"Do you want a reward if you pass?"

Huh? A reward? My brain immediately starts suggesting all sorts of things.

"Can you please look at the road?"

"Sorry, uh, how about we eat something yummy? I would love some crêpes."

"Yummy?" she suppresses a laugh. "All right, let's do that."

◆

"Are you accompanying me?"

"If I have to."

"Yes, please," we had to walk about ten minutes from our secured parking space before we arrived in front of the ministry building where I take my exams today.

The pompous stone building makes quite an impression. It's not as if it doesn't fit in with the rest of the city, but it does have a certain aura, but that may be my excitement after all. The old-fashioned architecture continues inside the building, but the furnishings add a certain modern flair to everything.

A woman in a glass box, probably the receptionist, sits to the right of the entrance. But instead of approaching her, Miko heads purposefully for a few display walls with lists hanging on them.

"Your name."

"Huh?"

"It's written on here. We need to go to room 2/13."

There are still around twenty minutes until the theory test begins. But even if we go there now, we certainly won't be the first.

"The stairs are back there," Miko nods in their direction.

"You're coming with me, right?"

She groans, annoyed, "Sure."

When we arrive on the second floor, we meet several groups waiting outside the many doors. As we walk past them, we earn a few skeptical glances. I'm not sure whether it's because of Miko or me.

Eliza already warned me that I might stand out a little. Mainly because the average age of mages getting their license is between 12 and 15, and I might be a little out of the norm at 20 years old.

Miko and I stand against the wall next to the door when she briefly brushes my shoulder. I avert my eyes, not wanting her to see that I'm blushing a little just because she bumped into me.

"If this isn't our problem, child," says a friendly-sounding voice coming from a guy who is approaching from the opposite direction to where we came from.

"You haven't lost your license, have you?"

"Of course not. I'm here with her," Miko puts her head aside to point at me.

"Well then, since you're here. Do you want to help us with the practical tests for the rank promotions? We need someone to knock people off their high horses."

"No thanks. We'll get out of here as soon as she's done with the exam."

"Wow, I didn't expect you to let such an opportunity slip through your fingers."

"Or do you want to increase your rank? Punching you sounds pretty tempting.."

"You don't want to beat up an old man, do you?"

Judging by his appearance, he's not older than 40 but rather a little younger. But compared to Miko and me, he's definitely on the elderly side.

While the two of them continue their banter, I look around at the other participants. Eleven other people are standing in front of the room. I estimate there are a little over one hundred people in the entire corridor. I have no idea how many of them will get their license in the end. I don't know if it's particularly busy today or not, but you can take the theory test once a month. However, if I assume that all of them pass, there are only about a thousand new mages on the market every year.

There is no official mortality rate for mages. Still, Lilith has assured me that our country will have too few mages to fight the dungeons effectively in the next ten years if things stay the same. I don't want to know how many simply resign or actually die in battle. Lilith and Miko have reassured me that I don't need to worry too much, but even in other professions with a certain level of risk, you should keep in mind what might happen to you.

"Well then, let's get started," says the man who spoke to Miko. Walks past me and opens the door in front of us, making all the participants follow him. Apart from Miko, a handful of other people remain outside.

"Good luck, I'll see you later," Miko raises her hand and waves me goodbye.

In front of me, I see something that looks far too much like a classroom. The several rows of single desks give me an unpleasant feeling of nostalgia. The participants quickly occupy all the tables. I let the younger ones go first and end up in the front row.

"Nice that you have all found your way here. I know that not many of you are interested in theory. Don't forget some guilds will pay very close attention to your scores. The time frame for the exam is one hour. No talking, no questions. When you have finished, turn over your papers and leave them on the table. By leaving your seat, your test is over, and you cannot return to it."

After a brief explanation, the papers are handed out. As Miko had previously told me, it is a pure multiple-choice test. I grab the pen that was already on the table and start going through the questions.

About twenty minutes later, I turn over the test and leave my seat. I am the fourth person to finish. Outside the door, I spot Miko scrolling on her phone. Her gaze turns away from the display for a second.

"How was it?"

"Good, I guess."

"Fine, shall we see if there's a free place for the practical exam?"

"Yup."

Unlike the theoretical part, there is no fixed time for the practical one. There's a gym a few minutes walk from here where test stations are set up throughout the day.

Once outside, I finally have to address it. "Problem child, huh? How do you know this guy?"

"He used to be something like my advisor at the ministry. If you pass, he'll be yours too. And I may have caused a few problems and had to visit him more often than I intended to."

"Do you want to talk about it? Or should I stop asking?"

"It's okay, but where do I start? I got my license when I was thirteen. Normally, witches at that age are slowly trained. Despite my A-rank, he recommended that I join a guild that clears C-rank dungeons. I did so, but my guild leader immediately put me in a very high position. I was suddenly in charge of a group of experienced, mostly adult mages and witches. Needless to say, I lacked any sensitivity in leading. So, I was often called to the ministry because of complaints from my colleagues and guilds we worked with."

"Woah, so how did you end up with Lilith?"

"That's actually something I don't want to talk about."

"All right," I respect that, but I'm burning with curiosity.

"You're going in there alone now."

"Why? Afraid of meeting another old acquaintance?"

"None of your business."

That is answer enough for me.

"Well, I'll see you later. You wait here?"

"Where else should I wait?"

I wave to her and step through the double glass doors into the large building right next to a college. A young man with an ID card around his neck and a yellow band around his arm stops me before I get out of the entrance area.

"I need your verification letter."

I take the somewhat sloppily folded piece of paper out of the back pocket of my pants and hand it to him.

"All right, do you need to change?"

"Do I look like I have to?" Oh God, Miko's unfriendly behavior is contagious.

"All good. Please follow me."

He strides through a heavy door that leads us into the gym. The testing stations are much bigger than expected, probably to ensure safety distances. On the way to the station with the number four, I can take a quick look at someone juggling with fireballs.

There's a table with two chairs right in front of the station, and before the guy in front of me says anything, another young man comes jogging towards us from the other side of the desk.

He has pale skin, black, shoulder-length, wavy hair, and piercing yellow eyes.

"Good afternoon, my name is Wace. I'm going to guide you through the practical exam."

He offers me his hand, which I shake shyly.

The other guy passes Wace the paper and disappears back in the direction we came from.

"Please sit down. I'm going to read through this for a moment."

"Did anyone from your guild accompany you?"

"Yes, why?"

"Who may I ask?"

"Her name is Miko."

"How did you end up with this guild?"

"Is that part of the test?"

"No, no, just my curiosity."

"They found me and want to keep me."

"Sounds like them."

"Why?"

"Let's get to the test. My name is Wace, I'm part of the Mage King's guild. I have been appointed an official examiner by the ministry. I will evaluate the assessment with all my expertise, purely from an objective standpoint."

He can't just ignore my question... I sulk for a second and miss half of his introduction.

"We start by testing the amount of your mana. Then you will show me a sample of your magic, and I will give you a rating for control and power."

Wace briefly reaches into a box and then places a device on the table that looks like a simple wooden board with strange writing on it.

"Please place your hand inside the circle on that board and activate your mana flow. The device drains mana from your body, and you may feel dizzy momentarily. However, the mana will be returned to your body almost immediately. So don't be afraid."

It's always bad when someone tells me I shouldn't be afraid.

But I do as I'm told and place my hand on the board. The second I let my mana flow, all feeling of it disappears out of my body. I become freezing cold, but shortly afterward, I feel it flowing through me again, and the sensation of warmth spreads through my body. It was almost as if I had died for a brief moment.

Meanwhile, the letters in a language I don't know light up a little, and Wace is already busy writing something on a spreadsheet.

"How are you feeling?"

"Everything's fine. So, how much mana do I have?"

"Not that much, to be honest. But don't worry. Most mages who get their license this late start out like this. And by using magic frequently, your mana pool can always expand, even if not as quickly as when you were younger."

He smiles at me almost apologetically, as if he could do something about my mostly magic-free life so far.

"Well, let's get on with your magic. What is your specialty?"

"Healing."

He chuckles. "Good, how do we do that? What's the worst injury you can probably heal?"

That's an abstract question. What's he getting at?

"I don't know, maybe a broken bone?"

"Whew, that sounds painful."

"Right," I swallow noticeably loud.

"Can you do anything else besides healing?"

"A bit of wind magic."

"Okay, show me this first."

Of course, I was prepared for this, so I take a small paper ball out of my pocket and place it on my hand. I concentrate on my mana and let it flow out to make the ball float.

At that moment, Wace's eyes turn a deep red.

"Not really wind magic, but it works. You can stop."

"What?"

"You didn't use the air around us nor create wind. You actually levitated the ball with your mana. If you eventually learn to do that with bigger and heavier objects, you could learn to fly."

That is absolutely not what I have in mind, but what person doesn't dream of flying?

"That would be enough for me to let you pass, but your healing magic can improve your rank quite a bit. So do you want to demonstrate it?"

I nod firmly, "Yes, please!"

"You'll return the favor one day."

"Huh?"

With a fast movement I can barely follow, Wace slams his forearm on the table's edge. As he extends it towards me, its unnatural shape catches my eye.

"It's broken. Would you please heal it?"

My pulse jumps - indeed, he didn't just break one of his own bones? I carefully place his arm on the table and roll up his shirt sleeve.

"It hurts."

Due to a lack of equipment, I decide not to take a closer look at the injury and just concentrate on healing. I close my eyes and place my hands carefully on his arm, breathing in and out deeply as my mana flows into him.

I've never actually healed a broken bone before, but how is this different from a cut? Usually, it would just take longer to heal on its own, so a little more mana should do the job.

"Thank you."

His words bring me back from my thoughts. I open my eyes and see a well-shaped forearm.

I end the touch, and he starts to inspect himself. There is no sign of a fracture, at least on the outside. He swings his arm around confidently, only to put it back on the table with a broad smile.

"Do you always close your eyes when you use magic?"

"I think so."

"I'll be honest with you. This way, you'll die in a dungeon sooner or later. Your healing magic is incredibly potent, but you can't allow yourself to close your eyes."

This is not the time to say I don't intend to enter dungeons.

"Understood. Thanks for the advice."

He fills in other things on his sheet and writes a little text. I don't even try to read along upside down. I probably wouldn't be able to decipher his writing the right way around, either.

"All right, I'll stamp the paper now, and you can return to the ministry with it. Once you've passed the theory, you'll have to fill in a few things for your register, and you can call yourself an official, certified witch."

That's it? I made it?

"What rank do I get?"

"I'll give you a C for your performance. Theoretically, you can challenge it and take another test with a different examiner, but they'll definitely be stricter than me."

"No, that's fine, I trust your judgment."

"You can go far with your healing magic, work on your mana pool, and break the habit of closing your eyes, and the world of magic will open to you."

"Thank you for your time."

"With pleasure. See you around."

He hands me the stamped note and flashes me a nice smile.

"Oh, and say hello to your guild for me."

"I will," I wave to him and leave the test station. Before I've even turned the corner, a girl with long turquoise hair stomps past me and slams her hand on the table where I was just sitting. Someone seems to be angry, so I pick up the pace and exit the hall.

I still can't believe he just broke his arm and hoped I could heal him. What's wrong in your head if you can inflict such an injury on yourself. I shudder when I think back to it.

"How was it?" Miko asks this question again.

"I passed."

"Congratulations," after seeing Wace smile, I notice the forced look on Miko's face even more, but I'm still happy.

"Thank you. And I was told to say hello to you from Wace."

"Ugh, I knew why I was waiting outside."

"I thought he was quite nice."

"Of course, you do, since you love it when someone is so obnoxiously friendly."

"Let me see," she points to the piece of paper in my hand, which I hand over. She scans it quickly and sighs heavily.

"That bad?"

"Have you read the comment?"

"Comment?"

"I recommend the applicant to look for a school for magic. With the background that she can use healing magic, a scholarship is likely."

"There are such schools?"

"Three in our country."

"But I don't want to go to school anymore."

"You don't have to. I understand why he suggests it. Your mana needs a lot of work, and the teachers will help you learn the basics to understand magic properly. For me, magic schools are useless. I think sometimes, it's better if you don't understand what you're doing."

I would be lying if I said I was not interested in visiting such a school. But I don't want to learn again. The last few weeks of studying have been absolutely enough for me.

"But C-rank is really great. You definitely earned yourself more than a crêpes."

"Perhaps you can feed it to me?"

"You're disgusting."

"I know."