Chapter 50

After the first day’s schedule ended, when everyone was asleep.

Bestie, the trainee manager at Rostia Magic Tower, sat at her desk, carefully examining the portraits of the trainees drawn with magic.

However, she wasn’t just memorizing their faces.

“Tsk tsk, this trainee won’t do.”

Bestie looked at one trainee’s portrait, shook her head, and marked an X on the document on her desk.

Over the years, Bestie had gained a unique ability from observing trainees up close.

It was her ‘keen eye.’

Just by looking, she could tell whether a trainee would be diligent or not.

And what helped her with that was the portraits.

“Oh, this one is very clear!”

Bestie lifted a particularly vivid portrait and smiled with satisfaction.

The portraits drawn with magic weren’t just ordinary portraits.

The more talented the subject was in mana affinity, the clearer the portrait became.

In other words, the clarity of the portrait could predict how much the trainee would stand out and showcase their talent in the future.

While effort was essential for achieving high accomplishments in magic, talent played a more absolute role.

Even Bestie, who had worked harder than anyone, couldn’t rise to the upper echelons of the Magic Tower.

“Hmm?”

Then, one portrait caught Bestie’s eye.

“How is this possible?”

Bestie, who had been judging trainees for years, had no doubts about her observations—until now.

The portrait in front of her made her doubt her own eyes.

Trainees received new portraits each time they started their training.

If they failed, they’d get another before the next training session. If they failed again, they’d get one more.

Even if they failed the test, the portraits of trainees who gained insight into magic became slightly clearer.

But the portrait that caught Bestie’s attention wasn’t just slightly clearer.

“The daughter of Balthazar, the commander of the Vanguard. But even so, how…?”

When the portrait was first drawn, Riana’s portrait was nothing special—just ordinary.

Bestie saw Riana as someone with no exceptional talent but with a clear goal.

Riana’s determination was passionate, and Bestie thought she would surely pass the test.

Since Riana wasn’t cursed with a mana-repelling constitution, it would’ve been strange if she didn’t pass, even if she didn’t top the class.

But Riana failed the test.

Not only that, she became the public enemy of other trainees who suspected she received special treatment as the daughter of Commander Balthazar.

“I’m sorry, Riana. But how…?”

Riana’s portrait was so vivid it was almost like a real-life image.

Bestie had never seen a portrait this clear before.

“What happened, Riana? What changed in you…?”

Knock knock-

“Come in.”

As the door opened, Bestie put away her serious expression and placed the portrait face down on the desk.

And who showed up at this late hour was none other than…

“Oh, it’s you, Riana. Come in.”

It was the owner of the portrait Bestie had just been examining.

“I’m sorry for coming so late, Bestie. You should be sleeping.”

“No need to apologize. As you get older, you sleep less. Besides, there’s no magician who doesn’t know a spell to help them sleep deeply in a short time.”

Bestie quickly noticed that Riana was carrying a heavy burden.

She chanted a light spell to boil the water in the kettle.

“Come, sit down. I’ll make you some tea. Just wait a moment.”

“Okay.”

Riana obediently sat down and waited for Bestie to make the tea.

“You’re feeling down because you failed the test, right?”

“Yes.”

“I’m sorry it turned out that way. I thought you’d definitely pass. You must’ve been really nervous, huh?”

“……”

Riana, who had been answering obediently, didn’t respond to Bestie’s comment about being too nervous.

Bestie, who had been in the exam room, knew the truth.

Riana had only been moderately nervous and hadn’t failed a simple spell like shooting a small flame due to excessive tension.

‘There’s something.’

With her years of experience, Bestie was certain.

Something unusual had happened to Riana.

“What happened, Riana?”

“……. The staff.”

“The staff?”

“The staff was strange.”

“The staff was strange? That can’t be.”

Bestie’s gaze shifted to a box in the corner of the room.

There, in the trainee manager’s room, was the staff used for the test.

The staff was kept in a triple-secured magic box and only taken out during tests.

Only Bestie, as the manager, had the authority to open and close the box.

A craftsman never blames their tools.

Of course, that was a common saying, but this time was different.

This was Riana, whose portrait was exceptionally clear.

Bestie decided to have a cup of tea with Riana and hear more about it.

After a few sips of tea in silence, Bestie gave Riana enough time to think before asking.

“What do you mean it was strange? Be specific.”

“Ronos said that magic isn’t about casting but about wishing. That magic only happens when the wish is earnest. But what I felt was……”

Riana bit her lip tightly.

“Tell me everything. If you don’t tell me, who will? There could be something wrong with the staff. You know, it’s a very old piece of magical equipment.”

“……. The staff didn’t listen to my wish.”

“It didn’t listen to your wish?”

“Yes. It was like… it could hear my wish but pretended not to, like it was covering its ears.”

In magic, ‘intuition’ was a clear sign of talent.

The staff not listening to her wish could’ve been dismissed as an excuse, but this was Riana.

Bestie quietly stood up and walked to the door.

“……. Riana.”

“Yes, Manager Bestie.”

“What happens in this room from now on must not be told to anyone, anywhere. Can you promise?”

“……. Yes. I swear.”

As soon as Riana swore, Bestie locked the door tightly.

Then she activated a hidden magic device to ensure no sound could escape.

After thoroughly sealing the room, she walked to the box.

“Bestie? What are you going to do……?”

“Just checking, that’s all.”

Bestie spent a long time unlocking the box and taking out the staff.

Then she chanted a small spell.

“Burn.”

Whoosh-

As soon as the words left her mouth, fierce flames erupted from the tip of the staff.

“At least for me, there’s no problem. But……”

Bestie waved the staff lightly to extinguish the flames, then handed it to Riana with great care.

“Do the spell you did during the test, exactly the same. If the staff was tampered with, it’s a very serious matter. Do it, right now!”

“……. Okay.”

Riana took the staff with trembling hands.

Like during the test, she resonated the mana in her body with the staff.

Carefully, very carefully.

And then……

“Please, flames! Burn!!”

Whoosh-

Riana’s eyes widened.

The flame spell, which had failed multiple times during the test, succeeded in one go—effortlessly.

“It, it worked! I did it, Bestie! I……. Ah.”

Riana turned to Bestie with eyes full of joy.

Bestie, who had seen the trainee successfully cast the spell, smiled brightly, but her smile was cold.

“Yes, you succeeded. Just like that.”

It didn’t take long for Riana to realize the meaning behind that cold smile.

“Ah, this can’t be! It was the same back then, but the flames didn’t appear!”

“I understand. There’s nothing wrong with the staff, so you must’ve been nervous last time. Right?”

“No! I wasn’t that nervous back then!”

“I understand. You can go back now, Riana. I’ll cheer for you in the next test.”

In the end, Riana, unable to prove her innocence, left the room dejected.

And Bestie, who had sent Riana off with a smile, sat alone, resting her chin on her hand, deep in thought.

“Same person, same spell, same equipment. If everything’s the same, the result should be the same. But a different result means……”

Bestie glared at the staff with suspicion.

“Someone who could tamper with the staff in such a short time without me noticing. That would be……”

***

“Hmph……. No issues. Proceed.”

“Thank you. It’s an honor for the trainees to have Archmage Ronos inspect the staff.”

“Hmph, honor……. The honor felt by insignificant minnows is useless.”

***

“Ronos. Why did you do it……?”

Bestie’s brow furrowed as she confirmed the suspect.