Wizards begin with Occlumency.

Chapter 2 Farewell

"Unsatisfactory, next one."

The girl next door who was ahead of Link in line was also eliminated; her eyes were red and her lips were tightly pursed.

Link didn't pay much attention; he only had one thought at the moment:

Finally, it's my turn!

Before this, the entire army had failed, and not a single person had passed the test.

The four peers standing behind the wizard Paro all showed expressions of pride or disdain.

However, they do have reason to be proud.

The wizard Paro landed on the Quete Islands and visited seven noble territories, large and small, before selecting four boys with aptitudes of at least the lower third rank.

These four individuals can be described as geniuses, one in a hundred, one in ten thousand.

Moreover, once chosen by the Paro Wizard, their status and position will immediately undergo a dramatic change.

Even the noble lords who are usually high and mighty have to speak to them in a humble and obsequious manner, and have to lower themselves to curry favor with them.

Before even acquiring great power, he had already tasted the sweetness of authority as a wizard's apprentice.

Link took a deep breath, stepped forward, and placed his hands steadily on the crystal ball.

He felt two streams of energy flow into his body from his hands.

The cool air emanating from the black, transparent crystal ball traveled from my left hand along my arm and neck into my brain.

The warm airflow emitted by the colorless, transparent crystal ball traveled from the right hand along the arm and chest into the internal organs.

The two streams of air swirled for a while before returning to the crystal ball along their original paths.

The crystal ball began to glow.

The colorless transparent crystal ball emitted a rich azure and emerald light, while the black transparent crystal ball emitted a dazzling white light.

The wizard Paro, who had been keeping his eyes slightly narrowed, suddenly opened them wide. His voice was slightly surprised as he said, "Innate spiritual power 17, high-level affinity for water element, high-level affinity for wood element. Overall wizard aptitude rating: fourth level."

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire castle hall fell silent.

Then, all sorts of gazes fell on Link, some filled with envy, some with jealousy, and some with hatred.

There will always be people who, if they can't have it themselves, don't want others to have it either.

Stand behind me.

The wizard Paro quickly regained his aloof demeanor and gave the instructions in a low voice.

"Yes."

Link bowed to the wizard Paro, walked to the left behind the wizard, and stood next to the blonde, blue-eyed girl.

Four people of similar age—a pair of twin siblings, a brown-haired boy with eyes of different sizes, and a blonde, blue-eyed girl—all nodded to Link.

Clearly, Link was accepted by them, and there was a subtle hint that they were deliberately trying to befriend him.

Link smiled and returned the greeting in a friendly manner.

He was unaware that the most talented of the four was the brown-haired boy with uneven eyes, who was ranked fourth.

Like the blonde, blue-eyed girl, the twin brother and sister were both in the upper third class.

Upon Link's arrival, he became the most qualified.

The wizard Paro revealed that the probability of a third-class aptitude being promoted to a formal wizard is 30% to 40%, while the probability of a fourth-class aptitude being promoted to a formal wizard is 40% to 50%.

If we do the math, wouldn't there be a 45% chance of someone at the fourth rank being promoted to a formal wizard?

Of course, this algorithm is incorrect.

But there's still some persuasiveness to it, right?

……

The wizard aptitude test is over; it took all morning.

Of the sixty-eight people from Viscount Holloway's territory who participated, only Link Grand received the precious ticket to the main continent.

Viscount Holliday, who had been observing the testing ceremony from the sidelines, was very happy.

For noble families like them, scattered across islands and island nations in the Storm Sea, sending a wizard apprentice to the main continent would be of great benefit.

Not to mention the rewards from the wizarding organizations on the main continent, such as the Knight's Breathing Technique, potions, and rune items, the fact that there are wizarding apprentices or even full wizards from territories active on the main continent means that the nobles of those territories don't have to worry much about being ostracized by the surrounding nobles.

What if I were to encounter a wizard who longed for his homeland and decided to return home on a whim, only to find that his territory had been destroyed? How terrible would that be?

……

"Master Paro, I have prepared a feast and invite you to attend so that I may do my best to be a good host."

Viscount Holloway extended an invitation to Wizard Paro with great humility.

"Um."

The wizard Paro nodded slightly, responding indifferently, then turned to Link and instructed, "Go home, pack some clothes and luggage, say goodbye to your family, we're leaving this afternoon."

Link was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, not expecting the schedule to be so tight. However, he quickly recovered, bowed to Wizard Paro, and said, "Thank you, Wizard Paro. I'll head back now."

After saying that, Link walked out of the hall.

Viscount Holloway gave a wink to the butler standing nearby.

The steward understood and immediately stepped forward to accompany Link out of the castle hall, arranging for a carriage to take him away.

This really sounds like a triumphant return home.

High-class carriages, reserved for nobles, with a coachman and knights as escorts.

If one were truly a naive young man who had never experienced the ways of the world, he would likely be moved by Viscount Hollande's words.

Link's home, the Lijue Castle, wasn't too far away; it took more than half an hour to walk there, but only about ten minutes by carriage.

The Grand family had already learned the news from the teenagers who were tested but eliminated behind Link, and a large group of relatives, some who were close to him, some who weren't, and some who didn't even interact with him, gathered together.

Grand, the usually taciturn blacksmith and head of the household, beamed as he accepted the blessings and congratulations from his relatives.

Lady Grand (well... this title couldn't be used before Link was chosen by the wizard) stood outside the door, gazing towards the Viscount's castle.

In the past, there have been other individuals from Viscount Holloway who have been chosen by wizards.

People of her age know that the wizard would leave with his men in the afternoon.

At this moment, what Mrs. Grand was thinking about was not the future wealth of her family, but her youngest son, who had been injured more than a year ago and had changed a lot since waking up.

Finally, to Mrs. Grand's fervent anticipation, a magnificent carriage arrived.

Lady Grand lowered her head, rubbed her slightly red eyes, turned and went into the house, took out the package she had quickly packed after receiving the news, and went to meet the carriage.

"mom……"

After the knight opened the carriage door, Link got off and saw Lady Grand approaching, so he greeted her warmly.

Before he could say anything, Mrs. Grand had already stuffed the package into Link's arms, gripped his hands tightly, and remained silent for a long time.

A moment later, Mrs. Grand took her youngest son's hand and pushed him toward the carriage, her voice choked with emotion, and said, "Go, little Link, study hard and don't worry about home."

She refused to let Link be bothered by his relatives, who each had their own agendas, and only let go of him after pushing him onto the carriage.

Link did not disobey Mrs. Grand and signaled the coachman to turn around and leave.

Through the curtains, Link saw Mrs. Grand standing there, waving as she watched the carriage leave.

A mother naturally worries about her children who have gone far away, but she always tells them not to worry about them.

It's not easy to stay together, so cherish every moment.

(End of this chapter)