Time passed by rather quickly as all three elders took the time to question the other prospects who had just arrived moments ago similar to Timothy. What they all noticed was that none of them had a good family background except for a single female youth who had a fiery passion in her eyes.
This girl's name was Bertha and she was from a local clan that's Patriarch was a very well-known mage in the city. Every element had its pros and cons, but the Patriarch of the Waterfall Clan was able to learn the secrets of the water element enough so to create his own ice type technique. On the grand scale of things, this did not mean much since there were plenty of powers within every human empire that specialized in ice type techniques using their high affinities for the water element.
However the big difference is that the Patriarch of the Waterfall Clan had made a self-taught technique which showcases that he had a very deep understanding for the water element. One could always go to a market to purchase a technique or even a training manual, but to be proficient enough to create something on your own was definitely something that stood out.
And so Bertha had explained that she was the granddaughter of their clan's Security Elder. This may have shocked Timothy for a moment, but everything had started to make a little more sense the more he listened to Bertha speak to the three elders present. In order for a power to grow their foundation, sometimes they would send those with decent talents to places such as this academy in order to interact with others and recruit trustworthy individuals into their ranks over time. This within itself would allow someone with Bertha's background to be heavily rewarded by her clan once enough years went by and she recruited enough new great prospects!
"Well then, Howard, why don't you come up here first so that we can test you. Do not be afraid, as you know, unless there is absolutely no hope of you studying to pursue the path of a mage, we will wholeheartedly accept you. Plus, you seem like a very well-mannered child so even if you were to fail the test, I would be more than happy to put in a recommendation to the local Warrior Guild to take you on as a disciple."
Fortunately, out of the eight of them present, all six of the commoners who in a way looked in even worse shape than Timothy concerning their haggard clothes all passed. It was rather obvious that the Grand Elder of the academy chose to have the worst of the batch concerning their background test first so that they would not feel as much pressure compared to if Timothy or Bertha were to pass the test but in a higher group. To Timothy, he felt that this Grand Elder figure was indeed very genuine and paid attention to even the smallest of details.
"Alright Bertha it is now your turn to take the test. I hope that your grandfather will be proud of your results and of course if it goes well enough you are more than welcome to head back to your clan instead of being a student here. Your Waterfall Clan may be a secondary power in the city, but even they have better resources compared to us. I will say though that if you test well enough, this elder on my left would be willing to take you as their personal disciple!"
Hearing the Grand Elder's words caused the domineering yet calm Bertha to visually shake for a moment before she recomposed herself and stepped up in order to take the test. As she began to concentrate, the three elders and their two assistants near the entrance of the room focused on Bertha. It had been many years since they had a potentially high quality prospect, so if the situation called for it, even the Grand Elder would try his best in order to recruit Bertha.
"Very good, very good indeed! You have an average affinity for the water element!" The elder who was mentioned earlier who would take Bertha on as a personal disciple quickly stood up with his face full of excitement. This elder also clearly had an average affinity for the water element and had reached a high enough rank to be considered an elder of the academy. The other elder along with the rest of those present remained composed but even Timothy was taken aback from Bertha's results because it looked like she would become a rank 1 mage within the next six months according to the artifact.
As Bertha was quickly escorted out by the elder and his assistant who was a rank three mage herself, the Grand Elder could not help but to have a sour look on his face. It was rather obvious that the elder's intentions were more than just taking Bertha as a disciple which she clearly accepted, but it was also to possibly retire within the Waterfall Clan not too long after Bertha's training would be completed and she graduated. Along with the pension given to elders of his rank, receiving a stable role within a clan like the Waterfall Clan would be considered extremely fruitful since the elder obviously had a family of his own which more than likely was not attached to any power.
It was now Timothy's turn to take the test after the Grand Elder took a long sip of the tea situated in front of him. There was no telling what exactly the Grand Elder was thinking, but it was obvious that he was still very upset at the elder for drooling over a new disciple. "Timothy I am sure you understand after seeing everyone else's tests being done so step up and show us that you have what it takes to pursue becoming a dual expert!"
"There is just no way!" After only one minute, the very composed Grand Elder had begun to break out into a cold sweat. It was clear that Timothy was not just already a rank 1 warrior, but he also had a high elemental affinity for the fire element! However, after taking several deep breaths, the Grand Elder started to show doubts in his face, not from the results, but concerning why Timothy would choose their academy over any other local power. The reason was simple, it was because Timothy did not look surprised in the slightest!
