Hogwarts wizards who signed in to Middle-earth.

Chapter 306 Assessment
After discussing it with the two mayors, the butler Edward did not refuse the opportunity for everyone to sign up.

However, several levels of assessment were set up to test courage, willpower, and loyalty in order to select the final candidates.

Edward, the butler, possessed the highest level of magic, so he set up a wall of fire in the squares of both cities.

The rule is that only those who pass through the firewall can proceed to the next stage of the candidate pool.

Feeling the intense heat of the flames, some people even tried to hand the wooden sticks to the wall of fire, only to see that part of the stick instantly burn to ashes, causing everyone present to gasp in shock.

They determined that it was real flame, not an illusion.

In an instant, it scared away nearly half of the people.

They were just ordinary humans with no great ambitions. They felt that the wizard was too far removed from them, and they were just here to join in the fun, with a tiny bit of hope in their hearts.

But faced with this wall of fire, they immediately backed down.

Where there are those who retreat, there are also those who dare to fight.

In Buri City, the militia captain who had been guarding the city gates against the enemy zombies was the first to enter the wall of fire, eliciting gasps from the crowd.

The fire was so fierce that there was another room behind the wall of fire, and no one could see what was behind the wall of fire. They also didn't know what happened to the militia captain who was engulfed and surrounded by flames.

However, once the first person took the plunge, others with more courage also began to try. Several militiamen who had previously faced the corpse demon gritted their teeth, closed their eyes, and rushed directly into the wall of fire, disappearing without a trace.

Some quick-witted people, after not hearing any screams, immediately realized that the flames must be an illusion. So, with a knowing look on their faces, they slowly walked towards the wall of fire under everyone's watchful eyes.

But when he walked up to the wall of fire and felt his skin getting hotter and hotter, he became hesitant.

Is that flame real?

No, that's not right, it must be fake, and this feeling must be fake too, it's just scary.

So the clever ones, as if hypnotizing themselves, gritted their teeth and rushed towards the flames.

But the next second, a flame shot out and scorched a clump of his hair.

Feeling the stinging pain on his scalp and smelling the burning hair, he slammed on the brakes, fell backward in terror, and frantically scrambled backward as if he had seen a ferocious beast.

This scene amused the onlookers, but also deterred many others from approaching.

After all, one wrong move could be fatal, and even the mayor has never guaranteed that the fire wall won't burn people to death.

Behind the wall of fire, Mayor Lucky stood with his butler Edward. Beside them were a few others who had successfully passed through the wall, but whose faces still showed signs of lingering fear.

Seeing this, Mayor Larch asked Edward curiously, "Mr. Edward, what is the purpose of this wall of fire you set up? Why are all the people who passed through it unharmed, but that guy had his hair burned off?"

The people nearby also pricked up their ears, eager to hear the explanation.

Edward smiled slightly, and said in a smug tone:
"This is an improved version of the Fire Spell, taught to me by Lord Duir. It can be used to test courage. If you are brave enough, you can rush into the wall of fire. Although you can feel the heat of the flames, it will not harm you."

But if you lack courage and hesitate, you'll end up like that person just now, no different from a real flame, feeling the excruciating pain of being burned.

Upon hearing this, Lucky asked with some concern, "Won't this cause harm?"

Edward shook his head and said confidently, "Don't worry, this is only temporary. As soon as you leave the wall of fire, the pain will disappear quickly and it won't cause serious burns. At most, it will just burn off the hair on your body."

Lucky was immediately relieved, and at the same time became even more curious and envious of this magic.

As expected of the lord's personal steward, it is said that even a minor official is subject to the prime minister's authority. This is a clear example of the benefits of serving the lord closely. Although they are mayors and wield power over a city, the steward Edward is still closer to the lord than the other two.

While they could only visit the castle periodically, the others stayed by the lord's side, able to ask him about magic at any time, and were even taught such advanced magic by the lord.

Sensing the mayor's envy beside him, Edward said, "Mayor Lucky, if you're curious about this magic, I'll teach it to you after this assessment."

Mayor Lach's eyes lit up immediately. "This, is this okay?"

“Of course,” Edward said generously. “This is magic taught by Lord Duir. Everyone has the right to learn it. Besides, the lord said that magic can only improve through mutual exchange and discussion. Let’s treat this as a mutual learning and discussion.”

Upon hearing this, Lucky felt a wave of shame and admiration for Edward.

As expected of someone trusted by the lord, his level of awareness is truly high.

You know, when he first heard that the lord wanted to train five hundred wizards, his first reaction was that his status as a wizard seemed to have become worthless.

After all, with so many wizards around, he, the only wizard in Brie City, no longer seemed so dazzling.

However, since the order came from the lord, even though they were somewhat unwilling, they still carried it out diligently and tried to seize more wizard slots.

Since the advantage of his wizard identity was about to disappear, he would try to secure more wizard slots for Brie City, thus giving his side a numerical advantage and successfully suppressing his old rival, Luke.

With this in mind, Mayor Lachry looked expectantly at the citizens on the other side of the firewall.

He hopes that more people can pass the test, so that they can occupy more wizarding positions.

By then, he might be able to transform Bree into a wizarding city.

Outside the firewall, among the tens of thousands of citizens, there is never a shortage of courageous people.

Most of them were militiamen, along with some young people and women, all of whom gritted their teeth and rushed into the wall of fire.

Some people successfully passed through the wall of fire and passed the first test.

However, some people, upon entering the flames, were overcome with fear. The intense burning pain surged up instantly, causing them to scream in agony. They struggled and scrambled out, but failed.

Although they were not burned after they got out, the pain of being burned remained in their memories, making them lose the courage to try again.

This situation has scared away many people.

Most of those who bravely brave the fire are young people; the older people get, the less enthusiastic they become, and they settle for the status quo.

After all, not everyone can have the same energy as Mayor Luchi, which rivals that of young people.

Of course, not every elderly person is like this.

Like Butterfly Chrysanthemum, the owner of the Leap Horse Inn, who directly demonstrated the courage of an old horse still eager to run a thousand miles, fearlessly walking into the wall of fire and successfully passing through it to the back, and even happily greeting Mayor Lachi.

The test of the fire wall lasted for a full day.

By the end, more than a thousand people had successfully passed through the fire wall, resulting in an elimination rate of over 90%.

The next day, the more than 1,000 people who had passed the test underwent a second round of assessment.

(End of this chapter)