"My..." The man covered his mouth, a faint smile appearing on his face as he tipped his top hat in Clea's direction.
"To think you'd be able to spot me... You have my respect," the man said with a bow. "My name is Julian Evern, and I am one of the exam's overseers. But I'm sure you already knew that."
Clea nodded. "I assumed."
Raelis stared at Julian warily.
I've heard of this guy before... he's one of the people who practices mysticism.
Mysticism was a rare and dangerous power born from following something called a Sigil Pathway.
It was a system where people advanced by consuming Relic Essences turned into potions.
Relic Essences are found in ancient tombs scattered throughout the world... but the resources inside are very limited, usually enough to make only two or three potions per tomb...
Each pathway was tied to a symbol, and every step forward gave stronger abilities.
The more potent the potion and the rarer the Relic Essence, the further these people could advance in strength.
There were nine tiers called Seals. The Ninth Seal was the start. The First Seal was the top.
But the more you advanced, the more likely you were to lose your mind. The power changed people, sometimes even turned them into monsters.
Raelis had looked into it once, when he was desperate. But it wasn't worth the risk. Most of the old knowledge was gone anyway. And people who made it past the Fifth Seal were almost impossible to find.
Julian Evern, Eighth Seal Mystic of the Hollow Star Sigil Pathway.
The Hollow Star Sigil Pathway was a pathway that focused on the Void and Space aspects.
At the Ninth Seal, one could see distant places while asleep. At the Eighth Seal, they would passively reduce magical potency around them.
As for the others, Raelis couldn't remember, only that the Space aspect became more prominent.
But these special Sigil Pathway effects were the last of his worries, as those Relic Essence potions made these people abnormally strong.
So much so that the first Emperor had personally prohibited more than 50 of these Mystics from existing inside the Varekan Empire at a time in fear of a rebellion.
And now one of them is standing right in front of me.
Raelis's eyes narrowed as he tried to understand what Clea had in mind.
And that was when she finally cleared it all up.
"I've looked inside the Red team's castle as well as the Blue team's castle. You weren't there," Clea remarked, tilting her head. "The other teams got special utility items, and if I'm assuming correctly, we got you."
A faint smirk tugged at Julian's lips as he leaned back, resting against his cane.
"That is correct, Clea Valentine," he said, fixing his top hat. "The headmaster has tasked me to play a role in your team. What that role may be is entirely up to you. But I do have to tell you that I can't be involved in a fight. That just wouldn't be fair for others."
Raelis soon got the gist of it, so he stepped up.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Julian. Could you give us a moment to decide your role?"
Julian nodded respectfully and took a step back.
Raelis gestured for Clea to follow, and they left the throne room, closing the door behind them.
"Since when have you known?" Raelis asked.
A faint smile appeared on Clea's face. "I've known ever since we were first transported into the throne room."
A moment of silence ensued, soon broken by Raelis's sigh.
"I didn't even realize..."
"It's fine. I have a knack for detection," Clea reassured. "Also, the role we're giving him is mutual, right?"
"I believe so," Raelis replied. "He said he won't be involved in fights, but he didn't mention anything about the fights involving him."
Clea nodded. "Yes... We will use him as a human shield which absorbs magic attacks. It's a reckless move in the end, but it's better than stationing him as a castle scout."
He agreed with her, and he was genuinely surprised their chemistry was this good.
They discussed it for a little longer and finally stepped inside the throne room.
Raelis was the one to explain the role to Julian, and his reaction was a bit...
"Pfft... I see. Yes, that is doable," Julian remarked, waving his cane around before thumping it on the ground, causing another echo to reverberate through the room.
But instead of the soothing feeling from earlier, he saw a set of armor float over to Julian, then magically deconstruct and reassemble itself onto him.
"I am ready," Julian stated.
"...That's good and all, but I've already used my override," Clea said. "I'm not letting anyone fight until tomorrow. Everyone's going to rest up, eat well, then fight."
Julian's expression drooped as he deconstructed the armor again and tossed it aside.
"Call upon me whenever you're ready, then. I'm going to go out for a few drinks."
With those words, Julian vanished from sight.
He didn't teleport, his speed was just that immense.
Still...
Raelis glanced at the exhausted soldiers, then at those who had yet to fight.
"You heard what Clea said. Go feast and then sleep. Tomorrow, we will be ending this exam..."
.
.
.
The following day.
Raelis didn't sleep as he spent the whole night guarding the throne room.
Clea wanted to stay as well, but he insisted she get some rest since she was slightly injured.
As he saw the distant rays of sunshine, he knew it was finally time to head out.
Raelis grabbed the yellow flag out of the cabin and tore the yellow cloth off the wooden handle.
He stored the cloth inside his pocket, then prepared to head out of the throne room.
But he soon halted and closed his eyes.
He focused deeply, and a moment later, he picked up on an extremely faint breath coming from the chandeliers.
Raelis glanced up, and the moment he did, that same breath was suddenly right behind him.
He turned around calmly, meeting Julian's amused expression.
"You two are a very talented bunch," he remarked, slightly tipping his top hat. "I take it now's the time?"
Raelis nodded, fixing his clothing and making sure his daggers were perfectly sharpened.
"Yes. We leave in ten minutes..."
His gaze sharpened.
"And I'm going to make sure to end the exam before the sun reaches the highest point in the sky."