As Malin was thinking this, Jessica poured from the barrel into four small cups, passing them out to the three children and took one for herself, "It’s really bitter, but Sister Jessica will drink with you, don’t spit it out."
The three children nodded vigorously and then, all three, young and old, threw their heads back and drank the medicine.
Malin watched as the faces of the three children almost scrunched up together, but surprisingly, none of them spit it out, not even little Rose who sobbed twice and then pouted under her brothers’ watchful eyes.
Then, turning his head to the side, he saw Jessica puking her guts out in the corner of the wall.
"Jessica really lost face there," Clovis said, his face full of embarrassment.
Lillim held up the Magic Crystal Camera with one hand, apparently ready to capture this unique scene.
Faye collapsed in laughter on Malin’s shoulder.
Maya poured herself a cup and drank it before Malin could stop her.
The moment turned extraordinarily tense. Malin stared gaping at the little leopard and then watched her happily pour another cup.
Wait a second, my silly leopard! Why are you pouring another cup!
Having stopped Maya from pouring another cup, Malin had no choice but to take Jessica’s place, and then the three little ones began their test.
"Speaking of which, my sister and I feel the same about the name of this slab, the Testing Slab is too common. For something that can change a child’s fate for life, we should call it the Destiny Slab," Faye said, watching Malin instruct the children to place their hands on the slab, speaking to Clovis beside him, "By the way, what’s the first slab?"
"It’s the Shaping Spell Testing Slab," Clovis said, then gasped, "I really didn’t expect Rose to light up that much."
Through the observation glasses, the slab in front of Bill was dim and lifeless, Jack’s slab had only a few sparks, and Rose’s slab was burning brightly.
"Zero, one... seven points?" Faye turned his head to look at Clovis.
"Zero, one, seven and a half points," said Clovis, then looked at Malin, "Mr. Malin, what do you think?"
"Zero, one, seven points," Malin felt that at his position, the light was already red enough to be blinding.
"No objections to Bill and Jack’s scores, Rose gets seven," Faye turned toward Matilda, who was keeping record, "...forget it, make it seven and a half. I feel like I scored her too low."
The Big-eared Fox happily wrote down the scores in her notebook, then looked at Faye and nodded with a smile.
Malin, Maya, and Lillim switched out the slabs for the three kids to a different set. This time, without needing instruction, the three placed their hands on the second slab.
"I can’t feel any light," Clovis sighed, speaking to Malin, "I thought some child would become my apprentice."
"No, Clovis, even if there’s a high affinity for Curse Spell Formations, the Church’s elite Punishers need such talent," Faye said, then continued, "Keep the scores coming, one, zero, zero."
"The same, one, zero, zero."
The three finished their ratings, and Matilda wrote the scores down, then looked at the slabs again, which had been changed to a different set, "It’s the Sacred Rite Testing Slab, right?"
"No, it’s Assistance Magic." Malin corrected her, then turned to watch the three children press their hands on the slab.
As they laid their hands on the third slab, for a split second, Malin felt the three slabs in front of him bloom into the most beautiful flowers, as though he was on a prairie with tiny fairies flitting before him.
"It’s so beautiful... eight and a half, nine, nine and a half," Clovis lowered his observation glasses and glanced at Faye, "I feel like the pain on my body has lessened, they all have high affinity, what did their parents do?"
"How would I know, I only know that the sight just now was like the last time we saw the Lord of Justice, I give nine, eight and a half, nine and a half," Faye lowered his glasses and looked at Malin, "Malin, what’s your take?"
After considering for a moment, Malin said, "Matilda, record this, nine, nine, nine and a half."
"Got it," Matilda wrote it down, then looked at the three children, "Do we continue? With such a high score in Assistance Magic, they are bound to become apprentices."
"Continue, we shouldn’t waste the medicine," Malin said and then, along with Maya and Clovis, they switched to the Protection Spells Testing Slab.
The three children still looked puzzled; they seemed not to understand yet how their destinies would change and they continued to place their hands on the fourth slab.
"Three zeros... What’s going on?" Faye put down his observation glasses, "Anyway, this shouldn’t be happening, shouldn’t there be at least a little bit?"
Clovis also put down her glasses, "Have you heard of the Transcendent Convergence Theorem?"
"I’ve heard of it, but isn’t this a bit far-fetched?" Faye said, looking at the three children.
"Reality doesn’t need to make sense, only novels do," Malin laughed, "Matilda, three zeros. Let’s continue and give these three kids a complete test."
They changed the slabs, and Malin laid his hand on the fifth one.
"Reinforcement, one, one, one?" Malin lowered his observation glasses, "Is there such similarity among siblings?"
"Yes, in our family the Curse Formation scores are either one or zero. If someone scores two, it’s definitely a mutation," Lillim said, "Looking at it this way, it seems quite normal."