Chapter 54: Is it funny that the crystal ball exploded during the test?

Seeing that the person who saved her was Charlotte, the very girl she always wanted to surpass, Elsa was instantly overwhelmed with shame. She blushed, her cat-like eyes darting left and right like a bashful Koharu, stammering and unable to speak. After a long moment, she managed to squeeze out a whispered, “Thank you.”

However, before the thank you could be fully spoken, Nicole slowly descended on her broomstick. She jumped off and rushed to Elsa, tearfully embracing her.

“Princess Elsa! Thank goodness! I’m so glad you’re alright!”

As if the correct password had been entered, Elsa’s original personality immediately switched back on.

“Hmph, who do you think I am? I’m the person determined to become the strongest witch in the world! How could I possibly die so easily?”

Speaking of which, she couldn’t go three sentences without mentioning that she wanted to be the strongest witch. In that regard, she was quite similar to Charlotte.

After calming down the frantic maid, Elsa spoke again to Charlotte, who was floating in mid-air on her broomstick.

“That was just a minor mistake on my part, which is why you got the chance to play hero and save the beauty. I’ll let you be smug for a few days! There won’t be such an easy chance again! In the upcoming entrance exam, I will utterly surpass you and become the most dazzling person here! Get ready to be dominated by me!”

“Then good luck with that!” Saying this, the unaffected Charlotte rode her broomstick and continued flying forward.

“Hey!” Seeing Charlotte fly off without a backward glance, Elsa was astonished. “Why did she have absolutely no reaction to my challenge about surpassing her in the entrance exam?”

‘She’s like a rent-a-girlfriend who only cares about getting paid and ignores all other feelings.’

“No! Nicole, let’s hurry and chase after her!”

With that, Elsa beckoned Nicole over, preparing to take off on the broomstick again.

“Eh? We’re taking off again? Princess Elsa, stop! If another accident happens…”

Hearing Nicole’s plea, Elsa also recalled the fear that had consumed her mind while she was falling. She shivered.

“You’re right. To be safe, let’s just walk the rest of the way. The Starsea Magic Academy is right in front of us now.”

Afterward, Elsa and Nicole humbly climbed down from the rooftop, walked about five hundred meters along the street, and finally reached the main gate of the Starsea Magic Academy.

At the entrance, many girls who were here to take the entrance exam had gathered. Since they hadn’t officially entered the academy yet, their attire was varied. Compared to everyone else, the petite girl in a witch’s robe stood out prominently in the crowd.

The girls, arranged by the eight official witches standing at the gate, slowly passed through the entrance after registering their names. After walking through a beautiful garden, they arrived at a very spacious auditorium.

In the center of the auditorium was an object covered by a purple cloth.

On a second-floor platform not far from them, a silver-haired, short-haired witch watched them with a cold expression.

With a nod from this witch, the other official witches drew the auditorium curtains shut and then pulled off the purple cloth.

Instantly, a very beautiful crystal ball appeared before everyone, eliciting gasps of amazement.

“Alright, everyone, please quiet down! We will now begin the first test of the entrance exam. This crystal ball is specially designed to test the strength of the magical power inside your bodies. The children whose names I call should come forward and gently place their right hand on the crystal ball. It’s that simple. Does anyone have any questions?”

Facing a large group of girls who were all ten years old, the official witches spoke very gently, as if they were coaxing kindergarten children.

“If there are no questions, let’s begin!” The guiding witch held a list and began to read the names in order. “Shirley Neil!”

A timid, short, light-brown-haired girl walked out in response. She went to the crystal ball and, following the witch’s instructions, gently placed her right hand on the crystal ball.

After a brief silence, the crystal ball emitted a faint blue light.

The little girl nervously looked up at the witch next to her.

The witch nodded gently.

“Hmm, Magic Rank B. High affinity for Water attribute! Alright, that’s enough. Next!”

“Um,” the little girl was still a little uncertain. “Does this mean I passed the exam?”

“Don’t worry,” another official witch soothed her gently. “As long as the crystal ball doesn’t detect the complete absence of magical power, you will generally pass the exam. The subsequent tests are only to further determine the best magical learning path for each of you.”

Hearing this, the little girl finally relaxed and was guided by the witch to the next testing area.

Just like this, the girls took turns performing the magic test under the witches’ supervision.

This test was not a problem for Elsa, as she had already been tested through various channels before coming to Tsumuguri City.

The result was, of course, excellent: a talent level that would place her among the top students in the Starsea Magic Academy’s freshman class.

Now, all she wanted to know was what score that girl named Charlotte would achieve.

“Noelle Regret!” The testing witch called out another name.

The blue-haired girl beside Elsa joyfully ran over. As if she was already very familiar with the procedure, she placed her small hand on the crystal ball.

“Magic Rank A+! Very impressive! High affinity for the Wind attribute, too! Excellent!”

“Yay!” Receiving the witch’s compliment, the little girl happily jumped on the spot.

“Next, Elsa York!”

Hearing this name, all the official witches present paused.

“Is York that York?”

“Is she the Princess of the Kingdom of York? I remember they have a Princess with that name.”

“Then that means she is Senior Gracia’s…”

The discussion surrounding Elsa had already begun to surge before she even made her entrance, which made Elsa feel immensely proud.

She deliberately walked past Charlotte and winked at her.

“Excuse me, I’m going first!”

Charlotte frowned slightly.

‘This isn’t some cooking duel. Why is she so smug about going first?’

And so, under the attention of everyone present, Elsa strutted grandly to the witch in charge of the magic test and placed her right hand on the crystal ball in front of her.

The crystal ball immediately flashed a very brilliant, deep blue light.

The witches standing nearby were all stunned.

“What? This is… Rank S, no, Rank SS Magic Power! And a maxed-out affinity for the Ice attribute!”

Hearing this, the other witches all showed expressions of immense surprise.

“Wow! This child is an incredibly powerful magical genius!”

“She’s bound to become a top-tier titled witch in the future!”

“What kind of title will she earn?”

Hearing the compliments, Elsa also swelled with pride. She turned back and made a provocative gesture at Charlotte.

The expression was like someone who had rolled a six in a dice game and was arrogantly sure of their victory. “Pour Charlotte a cup of cappuccino and let the show begin! If you surpass me, Elsa, this time, I’ll eat this crystal ball right now!”

Then, after about ten more minutes, all the other girls had been tested, and it was finally Charlotte’s turn.

“Last one, Charlotte Chartier!”

“You don’t need to shout so loudly. I’m the only one left, right! Does my name really have to be the very last one?”

Charlotte complained as she walked up to the crystal ball. She then raised her hand and gently placed it on top.

Elsa stood not far away, watching the scene intently, afraid of missing any detail.

After a brief silence, the crystal ball suddenly made a “ding-dong” sound.

“Hmm?” Yukina, watching this, looked puzzled.

“Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong!”

The crystal ball continued to make sounds.

“Why does your other world’s crystal ball make a sound like that?”

“No, that doesn’t sound like it’s from my memory,” Charlotte explained.

“Hmm? Then where is that sound coming from?” Yukina was confused.

Just then, “Open the door, Meituan Waimai!” The voice of a young man came from not far away.

Hearing the sound, Yukina realized that it was her doorbell ringing.

The takeout she had ordered earlier had arrived.

Yukina quickly stood up from the sofa, ran to the door, opened it, and took the takeout from the delivery person.

“Enjoy your meal!”

After handing the takeout to Yukina, the delivery person turned to leave. He just happened to look back and saw a silver-haired, short-haired girl in a witch’s outfit standing there, staring intently at the wall.

“Eh?” The delivery person was briefly stunned.

But as Yukina closed the door, the silver-haired girl in front of him suddenly vanished.

“Hmm?” The delivery person scanned his surroundings but found nothing amiss. He scratched his head in confusion. “Have I been running deliveries too hard lately? Am I hallucinating?”

“I’m back!” Yukina, holding the takeout, sat back down on the sofa. While sharing the family bucket she had gotten for nine yuan ninety with Charlotte, she continued watching the memory playback. “So, what’s your Magic Rank, brother? Why is this crystal ball not doing anything?”

After Charlotte placed her right hand on the crystal ball, ten seconds quietly passed, yet the crystal ball remained completely still.

This made all the witches present look slightly confused.

“Eh? Could it be that this child has no magical power at all?”

“She came to take the entrance exam with no magical power? It would be a miracle if she passed.”

“She must be from some remote village, just trying her luck! What a pity. Not every girl is born with the luck to become a witch!”

The other witches whispered among themselves.

Elsa, standing not far away, also looked utterly astonished.

“She has no magical power? How is that possible?”

She had seen with her own eyes Charlotte fly on a magic broomstick, and her flying skills were even better than her own.

How could a person with no magical power do that?

“Um, why don’t you try testing her again? Could there be something wrong with the crystal ball?”

Before Charlotte could speak, Elsa became anxious first.

“This is the most precise crystal ball at our Starsea Magic Academy. How could there be anything wrong with it?”

The testing witch, who seemed to have already decided that Charlotte had no magical power, looked disappointed.

“Alright, you can take your hand off now.”

“Oh.”

Charlotte quietly agreed and obediently took her right hand off.

The witch was about to cover the crystal ball with the purple cloth again. However, just then, a crack suddenly appeared on the crystal ball and instantly began to spread.

By the time the witch noticed it, it was too late.

In the blink of an eye, the crystal ball shattered into countless crystal fragments, scattering all over the floor at their feet.

“Eh?” The surrounding witches and Elsa, who was watching from not far away, were all dumbfounded. “What’s going on? Why did the crystal ball suddenly explode?”

Charlotte, in contrast, looked apologetic.

“Oops? I thought I held back a lot. Why did this crystal ball still fail to withstand my pressure?”