Chapter 66
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Chapter 66: Blessing
Only 500 people are recruited each year, and these 500 are selected from millions of applicants.
The assessment qualification threshold for Carillian Academy is not particularly high.
All you need is the assessment qualification certificate issued by the academy to participate.
However, the admission threshold is exceptionally high.
It’s important to note that these 500 spots are the quota for the entire continent.
No matter how many people participate, only 500 can ultimately be admitted.
Among the candidates are members of the royal family, prominent nobles, declining nobles, minor nobles who align themselves with the powerful, commoner geniuses whose exceptional talents attract noble patronage, and even many non-human races.
To stand out from such a competitive pool and secure a place is no easy feat.
The original Winnie relied on the dark Soul armament, which nearly exposed him in the dungeon due to his desperate need for strength.
Now, walking the righteous path, the challenge feels even greater.
Every participant in the assessment is formidable in their own right.
To be honest, if Winnie hadn’t awakened his bloodline, he would have wondered how someone with only a one-star magic qualification could possibly compete among the continent’s top talents.
It seemed almost fantastical.
Even now, with his bloodline awakened, Winnie feels his chances are slim.
No one in the entire kingdom is optimistic about him.
They all believe that his participation tarnishes the prestige of Carillian Academy.
But no matter how small the opportunity, he has to try. If he doesn’t fight for it, he’ll never have a chance.
Winnie fell silent, staring at his still-cold palm.
Among the candidates, there’s hardly anyone with lower magical qualifications than his.
The geniuses are even more dominant. Yet here he is, a former cannon fodder character, struggling to carve out a sliver of survival among them.
“Ahh… The heroines have luck on their side. No matter how great the danger, it’s just another opportunity for them to shine without risk. But for me, every step is a gamble. Everything depends on myself, and one misstep could mean the end of an insignificant NPC in this world.”
Do you think you can run away after becoming enemy with a heroine?
Unless you know how to vanish from the world entirely, ten lives wouldn’t be enough to save you.
Winnie clenched his fists. At that moment, a soft knock echoed from the courtyard gate.
Someone was actually looking for him?
After a moment of thought, Winnie realized it was likely a messenger sent by His Majesty the King to deliver his assessment qualification certificate.
“Coming,” Winnie called out as he opened the gate.
Instead of the king’s messenger, he found a shoulder-length girl in a maid’s dress standing outside.
Winnie recognized her—she seemed to be Mirexia’s maid.
This surprised him. What could Mirexia’s maid possibly want with him?
Could she really be here to deliver his qualification certificate for the entrance exam?
Glancing at the box she held, it seemed that might indeed be the case.
Shouldn’t this task have been handled by the king’s cronies in the original storyline?
Has the butterfly effect already begun to influence such a significant matter?
“Young Master Winnie, this is the Carillian Academy assessment qualification certificate that Her Highness asked me to deliver to you.” The maid didn’t waste any time with pleasantries.
She handed over the box and explained her purpose directly, her face expressionless and her tone devoid of any emotion.
“If you wish, you can use this certificate to board the Carillian Academy convoy in a few days. If not, it’s merely an ornament,” the maid added.
“Please convey my gratitude to Her Highness, the Princess,” Winnie said with a nod, accepting the beautifully packaged pink box.
This was the first time he had received something from Mirexia, though it wasn’t a gift in the strictest sense.
Winnie didn’t dwell on the discrepancy in the plot or the fact that Mirexia had personally sent her maid to deliver the qualification certificate.
He recalled the doll he had given to Mirexia a few days ago.
This was likely her way of returning the gesture. Mirexia was known for her politeness and would never accept a gift without offering something in return.
“Thank you for making the trip,” Winnie said respectfully.
“There’s no need for formalities,” the maid replied, her expression softening slightly.
The blue-haired young man before her carried himself with a steady and humble demeanor, a far cry from the rumors she had heard.
His delicate face, now free of freckles and blemishes, and his lively, dexterous eyes made him appear almost… handsome?
The maid quickly averted her gaze, bowing her head in silence.
“Young Master Winnie, Her Highness the Princess also asked me to relay that if you decide to take the entrance examination, she wishes you success. She said she will be waiting for you at Carillian Academy.”
“Thank you. Please tell Her Highness that I will definitely keep the appointment,” Winnie replied with a smile.
“Very well. I’ll take my leave now.”
“Goodbye,” Winnie said, closing the door after the maid had departed.
He opened the exquisitely packaged box to find a silver-plated magic card inside, along with two bottles of alchemical potions, one green and one blue.
Winnie picked up the two bottles and examined the labels.
One was a stamina-restoring potion, and the other was a mana-restoring potion.
Both were high-grade potions.
The value of this “return gift” far exceeded that of the small rag doll he had given her.
Even the lowest-grade alchemical potions were worth much more than the doll, let alone high-grade ones, which were dozens of times more expensive.
For Mirexia, this might not be a significant gesture, but for Winnie, it was a tremendous relief.
He needed these potions desperately.
As for why they weren’t healing potions, it had to do with the monopoly held by the Church of Radiance.
Only alchemists possessing the [Saint Envoy] Soul Armament could refine potions that heal injuries and diseases.
Those who possessed this type of Soul Armament were invariably priests and nuns, which meant the Church maintained a tight grip on the production and distribution of healing potions.
While the royal family could purchase them from the Church, the quantity available was nowhere near as abundant as other types of alchemical potions.
Winnie, who had [Sain Envoy], couldn’t completely dismiss the need for healing potions.
After all, Vanessa couldn’t always be by his side.
For instance, during the Carillian Academy entrance exam, it would be difficult for Vanessa to appear.
If she were to make an appearance, it would have to be under extraordinary circumstances, as a last resort.
The Carillian Academy convoy was still a few days away, and Winnie had intensified his training during this time.
He wasn’t out searching for virtue points or distractions, missing the convoy would be a grave mistake.
He spent these days at home, pushing himself to improve his abilities as much as possible before the assessment.
In the blink of an eye, a few days later, the royal capital was bustling with activity.
The convoy from Carillian Academy, tasked with picking up candidates from the Kingdom of Carmela, had arrived.
Whether they were candidates or not, people flocked to witness the spectacle.
For ordinary folks who couldn’t use magic, the magic convoy was a once-in-a-lifetime sight.
To ensure the safety of the candidates during the journey, Carillian Academy sent its own specialized team to escort them each year.
After verifying each candidate’s ticket, families could watch their children board the magical carriages and embark on their journey to the academy.
There was no need for excessive sentimentality, though.
In all likelihood, many would see their children return on the same carriages in a few weeks.
The Carillian Academy entrance exam was known to eliminate over ninety percent of its candidates.
