"My name is Lawrend."
Lawrend took Levin's hand and shook it.
??
"Hm?"
Levin raised an eyebrow after shaking Lawrend's hand.
"Is something the matter?"
Lawrend asked him in confusion.
"Ah! It's nothing. I just remembered something unimportant."
Levin waved his hands in front of him.
"Alright. Let's line up over there."
Lawrend nodded his head and urged him to the far right where there was an empty space.
"Yes."
Levin nodded his head. Thus, the two of them formed a small line together with Lawrend in front. Aezel shadowed behind Lawrend as always.
"If I call your element, shout 'Here!'. Fire! Earth! Water! Wind! Plant! Light! Darkness! And… what element are you?"
The red-cloaked instructor called each of the popular elements one by one, and the students shouted 'Here' depending on their element. He stopped at Lawrend as he didn't know what element they were.
"Lightning."
Lawrend replied as he looked at the instructor calmly.
"Lightning? Alright."
The instructor looked at the two of them in surprise. Lightning mages are pretty rare, after all.
"Some of you may already know the information I'm about to say, but I don't care! I'll say it anyway."
The instructor looked at them overbearingly. He gave the impression of a strict and disciplinary instructor.
"As all of you are new students, you would all be put into classes based on your elements. You can now consider yourself as a First-Year Student of the Undrasil Mage Academy. There is only a 10% passing rate for each Entrance Test. Sometimes, we accept no one for they are trash! Each of you could be considered to be one of the best young mages in the Undrasil Kingdom."
The instructor shouted to them charismatically. He walked around in front of them as he did so.
The faces of many students lit up. They felt elated to hear that they were one of the best.
"But! Everyone in this academy is similar to each of you. Here, your 'best' is just average. Prove to everyone that you are still one of the best even if you're in such an environment. Grow, Learn, and Graduate. The Undrasil Kingdom needs a lot of mages. Any graduates are given a position immediately!"
The instructor pegged down the high egos of most of the students. Some had confused faces as a result. Most of them experienced being called a prodigy throughout their life, and it was hard for them to accept that others in this academy are also the same.
"If you have any questions later, you can find me at the Academy Disciplinary Office. These senior students will lead each of the elements to their respective classroom."
The instructor said to them as 8 students walked from the other lines around them. One of them was Elena. She giggled at Lawrend.
"Do you know her?"
Levin poked Lawrend's shoulder and asked.
"... I don't."
Lawrend's cheeks twitched seeing that Elena already forgot his words. It took him a while to respond to Levin as a result.
"She's such a beauty I have to say. Maybe she's interested in me?"
Levin grinned as he said so.
"No way."
Lawrend shook his head.
"Huh!? You think I'm ugly or something?"
Levin replied to Lawrend angrily.
"Hello."
Elena stopped in front of them and smiled.
"Miss senior, do you think that I'm ugly?"
Levin asked her anxiously.
"Yes."
Elena replied with a cold smile on her face.
"T-Then, how about this guy?"
Levin pointed at Lawrend who was in front of him.
"He's very handsome."
Elena replied as her face blushed slightly.
"Y-You…"
Levin looked at her in disbelief. He thought that she would also say that Lawrend was ugly.
"Anyways, follow me."
Elena said to them.
Lawrend and Levin followed after her. The other students also did the same. They all headed to their respective classrooms.
"Miss senior, my name is Levin. Can you tell me what element you practice?"
Levin introduced himself to her while they walked. They headed towards one of the buildings on the campus.
"Huh, do you think I care about you?"
Elena looked at him coldly. She was unlike the Elena that Lawrend was familiar with.
Lawrend looked at her weirdly. He never knew that Elena had this side to her.
"I…"
Levin was at a loss for words. He didn't know what to say to her in reply.
"We're here. The first floor is the classrooms for the First-Year Lightning Students."
Elena explained to them. They stood in front of a five-story tall building. The walls were made up of rock embedded with purple crystals that shone beautifully.
"The walls are made of Inferior Quality Lightning Magic Crystals. They have no notable purpose besides their decorative use and their ability to absorb lightning."
Elena continued her explanation.
"This is class 1-A of the Lightning Department. You would both be studying here from now on."
Elena stopped in front of a door to a classroom. There were faint and incessant chatters inside.
"There are students before us? Aren't we First Years?"
Lawrend asked her in confusion.
"As you may have already known, it's hard to prove yourself in this academy. This is why most of the students repeat their years. After 2 years of failing to go up a year, you'll not be readmitted again."
Elena replied to Lawrend and explained to the both of them.
"How many classes are there?"
This time, it was Levin who asked.
"For the Lightning Department, there are only four. For the other departments, it might reach till 27."
Elena raised her head in thought as she replied to him.
"S-So many… "
Levin's mouth was left open in shock. Lawrend was dumbstruck hearing the number. They have that many students even though they only have a passing rate of 10%. Just how many mages exist in this kingdom?
"Hehehe. Actually, it's very easy to climb the years if you learned your magic well."
Elena boasted to them with a smug smile.
"Anyways, you may both enter. I still have a class to attend to."
Elena bid them farewell before she left.
"Let's go inside."
Lawrend urged Levin. Meanwhile, Levin looked at Elena's back yearningly. He didn't even get the chance to learn her name.
Seeing that Levin was not paying attention to him, Lawrend opened the door by himself and entered the classroom.