Requests

“Then you?”

“I’m about to graduate.”

Aikefisi stared at the unsettled surface of the coffee, her lips gently moving.

“I’m going to find a job.”

Collins didn’t quite understand what Aikefisi’s job had to do with him.

“Actually, with our school’s reputation, and with my abilities, plus the title of outstanding graduate my advisor is already applying for on my behalf, I could make a name for myself in many places. But someone like me, starting in a small place, would always feel unwilling.”

That’s right. Someone like her, a senior like this—if she were to slowly climb like a typical graduate or an average mage, she wouldn’t be the person Collins had always looked up to.

Collins deeply admired Aikefisi’s ambition, and Aikefisi, in turn, acknowledged his respect.

“You’ve heard of Hawks Academy, right?”

Collins opened his mouth, then thought better of it—given Aikefisi’s abilities, it wasn’t surprising that she would aim that high.

Hawks Academy was a secondary school for magic, divided into junior and senior divisions.

But since it was a private institution rather than a public one, its tuition fees were staggeringly high, and the costs of tutoring and supplemental lessons were downright jaw-dropping.

In other words, this school was a true aristocratic academy, where all students were either rich or noble.

To educate such students, the teachers had to be of extremely high quality.

After all, convincing the parents of those children to willingly hand over their money wasn’t something that could be done through facilities alone.

“Senior, who recommended you for that position?”

“My advisor. He introduced me to the principal of Hawks Academy. That principal does want to offer me a position as a trainee teacher. But I have no reason to win people over—I’m not qualified to enter through the back door.”

Aikefisi didn’t have a deep foundation to rely on.

All she had was passion and exceptional, one-in-a-million talent.

Yet in this world, the one thing in abundance is people.

“So, how do you want me to help?”

“Just support me a little. Junior, your elemental affinity and magic sensitivity are stronger than mine. If you could give me a few tips at the right moments, I’d be very grateful.”

“No problem.”

==========

Several files lay on Soke’s desk.

His young and beautiful assistant skillfully sorted the materials, spreading out photos of various young candidates in front of her superior based on different pieces of intelligence.

“Tell me about this year’s teacher recruitment in detail.”

The assistant adjusted her glasses.

Information flowed through her mind, quickly sorted and categorized.

A voice as precise and clear as a computer emerged from her vocal cords, reaching Soke through the air vibrations.

“This time, there were 221 applicants for the teaching positions. Our target is to select around thirty trainee teachers. After all evaluations are completed, about twenty will be offered contracts. Five of those have already been pre-selected.”

She placed five files to the side.

These individuals were either so well-connected that they didn’t need to go through any review, or so capable that they didn’t need to take the test at all.

“As for the remaining 200 or so, the competent ones are on your left. Those who lack ability but have strong connections—pending review—are on your right. The rest have neither ability nor connections.”

Soke picked up the file from the leftmost pile.

The first one was Aikefisi’s.

He knew this name.

After all, she had been personally recommended by a high-level mage—there was no way he’d forget her.

Barring any surprises, this kid, with no background but excellent ability, should land a good job.

“Show me a live feed of this candidate’s interview.”

The assistant flipped her hand.

A curtain, like a digital screen, appeared in her palm.

On it, Aikefisi’s exam was being broadcast.

She was analyzing the nodes of a tier-three magic circuit.

However, the examiner hadn’t asked her to construct such a complex alchemy spell from scratch.

What she was handed for the test was simply a scrambled circuit.

This caused the entire tier-three node to stop functioning.

What Aikefisi needed to do was restore the circuit to its proper state.

This wasn’t difficult for her.

Before Collins even enrolled, Aikefisi had already been the top student in the Magic Formation Department.

To her, a tier-three circuit was just a bit of fun—so simple she didn’t need Collins’ help at all.

==========

“This kid looks familiar…”

Soke didn’t even bother watching Aikefisi complete eighty percent of the magic circuit.

He knew it was nothing difficult for her.

But it was the figure standing behind Aikefisi—Collins—that caught Soke’s interest.

Somewhere in his high-tier mage’s memory, Collins had left a strong impression.

But too many memories had since piled on top of each other.

For the moment, Soke couldn’t recall exactly what Collins had done to earn a place in his mind.