Ariana did trust Adrian and allowed him to come here. However, she didn't expect that rather than taking reports of this assessment, the Tower members would actually come here.
Not only that, the amount of crowd that gathered was purely insulting. So many students doubted Adrian…truly humiliating.
And the one who raised the concern was standing in the front with her arms crossed and her gaze cold.
However, she couldn't say anything to her or anyone else. As the principal, it was her duty to clear every student's doubt about their teachers. But the fact is, the only under-qualified teacher in the school was Adrian. That's why if he fails today, forget about her position as the headmistress, the reputation of the academy would be ruined.
Many things were at stake today, and only one thing would decide whether she would be returning with her chin up or stealing gazes from others while getting dragged to the interrogation cell.
Now, it all depends on what Adrian does.
...
Adrian was kind of nervous.
He has been so engrossed in the studies, runes, and the system, that he nearly forgot that he was in the world of a novel and currently was playing the role of a minor side character who should have disappeared from the story already.
He climbed the stage and faced three figures who wore sand-yellow robes over their shoulders, and had a solemn look on their faces.
The members of the mage tower, research and invent new runes and even train those special students who show exceptional talent.
There are only seven mage towers across the globe, and one of them was in the same country as the academy.
Because they are called the pillar of humanity, the mage tower members are highly respected and feared.
Adrian already knew that they would be coming here since they never liked Ariana, an ex-warden—a warrior who eradicates the evil god followers.
They believed that Ariana should stay in the business since her contribution to the people was far more appreciated. However, Ariana wanted to be a teacher, so she went against their words, and because of her dedication and good relationship with the previous headmaster, she became the new face of the academy.
Now, they are here to blame Ariana for using her authority to take in a fraud, and using this blame, they would throw her out, and force her to return to being a Warden.
Well, if only Adrian fails today, that is.
He looked down from the stage and found a certain familiar face, with her hands crossed on her chest and a stern look on her face.
The cause of this mess and someone who should have become the reason for his downfall.
He looked behind her and found the savior of this world, or so people assume him.
The Protagonist, Allen.
Their gaze met, and Allen seemed to have a complicated look in his eyes, as he stared back at him.
Adrian's eyes went towards the person who was doing her best to hide behind Allen. However, just by her behavior and hair color, Adrian knew who it was.
She indirectly became the reason why Adrian was standing before everyone.
The person he was engaged to and was in love with.
Olivia.
"Students, I would like to tell you all about the reason why we have gathered here," Ariana began, as she used a voice-amplifying artifact to allow her voice to reach every corner of the hall.
"One of the students has recently questioned Professor Adrian's qualification in Runesmithing. They want to know if Professor Adrian is actually worthy to be teaching you or not. As such, to prove his abilities, he would be showcasing his Runesmithing right before everyone's eyes."
Although Ariana hadn't mentioned who called Adrian a fraud, she found it hard to believe that any student was still unaware by now.
The three Tower Masters stood on the back side of the stage and allowed the Headmistress to continue,
"Professor Adrian now would showcase his skill by forming a rune on the stage."
As she said, Adrian stepped forward and said, "I would now ask a student to become a volunteer and allow me to form a rune for them." Asking Ariana to become the test subject would have seemed like he was cheating. After all, Adrian knows everything about his cousin—in others' eyes.
That's why he asked the students.
However, not a single one of them seemed willing to let a possible fraud connect with their body. After all, a Runesmith, while inscribing a rune, delves into the deepest layers of their target's consciousness.
Ariana sighed, as she was about to encourage them, when suddenly, a person raised his hand, "I will do it."
It was a black-haired guy from the third year who raised his hand and even began walking toward the stage without hesitation.
Adrian was not surprised to see the Protagonist showing such a fearless front as he climbed the stage.
Other students were amazed by his courage, while Olivia and Sylvia looked panicked, seeing their friend submitting to become a test subject of a failure.
"Are you sure about this, student Allen?" As a formality, Ariana asked him.
With a warm smile, Allen responded, "You trust her, ma'am, and I trust you. So there is nothing I need to fear."
Leaving those words that definitely left an impact on Ariana, the protagonist approached Adrian.
Adrian wordlessly went and brought a chair before instructing him, "Okay, sit down first."
Allen followed the instructions and sat while facing the students.
Just as Adrian moved away, Ariana brought a magic crystal for him, "Here."
Adrian looked at the magic crystal before he looked at the woman, and with a smile, he shook his head.
Ariana was flabbergasted why he was not taking the magic ball which was the most basic requirement to form the first thread.
However, Adrian didn't respond to her and walked towards Allen.
Students also began whispering about the absurd situation of Adrian not taking the help of the crystal ball.
"Is this some kind of stunt?"
"Is he going to forfeit without even trying?"
"Or maybe the guy is thinking he gonna inscribe a rune out his a**, pfft-"
There was no shortage of remarks like these, however, Adrian remained unfazed as he stood before Allen and held his Rune Pencil.
One of the three Mage Tower members stepped forward before asking, "Are you not going to use a crystal ball?"
The question was heard by everyone as they waited to hear what Adrian had to say. Was he going to declare that he couldn't use the crystal ball and also the fact that he was a fraud?
Sylvia also intently waited for what the loser would say here. From her knowledge, it was already too surprising that he even appeared here.
Under everyone's waiting gaze, Adrian revealed with a smile,
"I am going to discern Allen's affinity using runes."
"...."
The ceremonial hall turned silent.
°°°°°°°°
A/N:- The fun of winning is the most when the world expects you to lose. Sounds chunni, but it fits here!
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