Echoes of the Lost Elf

Got it! Here's the full rewritten scene with improved flow, description, and the addition of the Void Creature check:

Post-Exam Discussion – Historias & Aldren

After the exam, Historias made his way to the visitors' cafeteria, where Aldren was waiting for him. The large room was filled with guardians and sponsors chatting over light refreshments, the scent of warm bread and herbal tea lingering in the air. Aldren, sitting at a corner table, waved him over.

"You took long enough," he said, sipping his drink. "So, how was it?"

Historias sat down, stretching slightly. "The written exam was easy. They asked some general questions—types of magic, its fundamentals, all of that. The history and current affairs section… well, let's just say I had no idea what half of those questions were about."

Aldren smirked. "Not surprising. You've been in a forest for a thousand years."

"Not my fault they expect me to know every political shift and war that's happened in the past millennium," Historias grumbled, crossing his arms.

Aldren chuckled. "And the practical exam?"

Historias hesitated for a second before answering. "It was fine."

Aldren narrowed his eyes. "Just fine?"

"Well…" Historias scratched his cheek, looking away. "I, uh, aced it."

Aldren froze mid-drink. He slowly put his cup down.

"You did what?"

Historias shifted uncomfortably. "I got a perfect score on both mana control and sensing."

Aldren stared at him for a few long seconds, then ran a hand down his face. "You idiot."

"I didn't do it on purpose!" Historias protested. "It's not like I could just pretend to mess up. I was just following the instructions!"

Aldren groaned. "You do realize how much of a disaster this is, right? It's already unheard of for a fifteen-year-old to score anywhere near perfect, let alone get an exact match on frequency control. Do you know what this means?"

Historias sighed. "Yeah… people are gonna start talking."

"Talking?" Aldren looked at him like he had just said something ridiculous. "It's going to cause a damn uproar! No matter how much we try to keep it quiet, someone is bound to notice, and rumors will spread."

Historias leaned back with a dramatic sigh. "Too late for regrets. No use crying over spilled milk, right?"

Aldren pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling slowly. "Just—just tell me you didn't do anything else to make yourself stand out."

Historias remained silent.

Aldren's eyes narrowed. "…What did you do?"

"…Nothing."

Aldren's glare intensified.

Historias caved. "Fine! There's still one last part of the exam, but it's not really a test—it's more of a security measure."

Aldren nodded. "Right. They check the purity of a person's soul to ensure no one entering the academy is bound by a contract with a Void Creature."

Historias, who had just picked up his tea, froze mid-sip.

"…What?"

Aldren continued, ignoring his reaction. "They also check mana levels and race authenticity."

Historias slowly set his cup down.

"…Oh."

Aldren gave him a knowing look. "Oh, indeed."

Historias internally cursed.

The race check was a problem. His disguise might work on people, but the academy had top-tier detection spells and devices. And then there was the mana level scan—it was impossible for him to completely suppress his true power without an external device, and those weren't allowed during the examination to prevent cheating.

Aldren, seeing the concern on his face, smirked slightly. "I already spoke with the vice principal and a few department heads. They'll make sure your results are kept confidential."

Historias exhaled, relief washing over him. "Well, that's… something."

Aldren sighed. "Honestly, at this point, I should just expect things to go wrong whenever you're involved."

Historias grinned. "Come on, where's the fun if everything goes smoothly?"

Aldren gave him a deadpan look. "I prefer my life without heart attacks, thanks."

...

Vice Principal's Office – Reviewing the Exam Results

Vice Principal Evelyn Voss was having a perfectly normal day—until now.

Seated at her grand oak desk, surrounded by towering bookshelves filled with ancient tomes, she calmly flipped through the entrance exam results. The enchanted lamp on her desk cast a warm glow, and the gentle hum of magic-infused quills writing on their own filled the office.

Everything was going smoothly.

She took a sip of her tea.

Then she saw Historias Vaelthorn's exam results—and almost spat it out.

"What in the world am I looking at?"

Her golden eyes scanned over the first part of the exam—Mana Theory and Application.

Perfect.

Every answer was flawless, his spell calculations immaculate, and his analysis borderline genius-level.

Evelyn raised an eyebrow.

"Alright. Impressive. We've got a little prodigy here."

Then she scrolled down to the history and current affairs section.

Her expression instantly turned into one of pure horror.

Question 19: Who is the current Emperor of the Atherious Empire?

Historias' Answer: Bob?

Question 20: What major event occurred five years ago that changed the structure of the Mage Council?

Historias' Answer: Something important, probably?

Evelyn just stared.

"…This child. This absolute menace."

She lowered the paper and rubbed her temples.

Was this a joke? Did he just… guess? Did he roll a die before answering? She had seen bad history scores before, but this was an abomination.

Then she remembered Aldren's letter.

She groaned and slammed her head on her desk.

"Of course. Of course, that explains it."

She took a deep breath, lifted her head, and mentally prepared herself for the worst.

And she was right to do so.

Because when she got to Historias' practical exam results, she almost knocked her chair over.

"…He did WHAT?!"

Her office quills stopped writing for a moment, as if they too were in shock.

A perfect score. On both mana control and mana sensing.

PERFECT.

That never happened. Ever. Even the most talented prodigies would be at least a few digits off. Even the crown prince of the Atherious Empire barely managed a near-perfect result.

And yet, some random "distant relative of Aldren" had waltzed in and aced it like it was nothing.

Evelyn dropped the paper onto her desk and just stared at the ceiling.

"Oh, Aldren," she muttered. "What have you brought into my academy?"

With a sigh, she started compiling the final rankings.

She had expected Adriana von Atheria, the second princess of the Atherious Empire, to take first place. Her scores were solid—excelling in both theory and practical exams. She had everything needed to be ranked at the top.

But then there was Historias.

If he had even attempted to answer the history section properly, he would have crushed the rankings. Instead, his catastrophic failure in current affairs and history was so bad that it dragged his overall score down.

Second place.

Historias Vaelthorn had taken second place.

Elara let out a long sigh, shaking her head.

"Brilliant in magic, utterly hopeless in history. That's going to be a problem."

Still, rankings aside, there was one final part of the entrance process.

It wasn't just another exam—it was a security measure.

To ensure no void creatures had made a contract with any student.

To check their mana levels and race.

At that, Evelyn froze.

"…Wait."

She suddenly had a very bad feeling.

Her gaze flicked back to Historias' results.

If his mana was anywhere near as ridiculous as his practical exam suggested, the final screening was going to raise every alarm possible.

She sighed again, rubbing her temples.

"Aldren… you better have a plan for this."

At this rate, she might need a stronger tea. Or wine. Probably wine.

....