Chapter 015: Admission Exam

When Du Fan arrived at the church entrance, it was the busiest time of the day. Although the scorching sun made people’s scalps itch, it clearly didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of those present. On the street in front of the church gates, there were luxurious and old-fashioned carriages everywhere, with all sorts of people moving about in the crowd. However, these people were clearly divided into several groups. The first group consisted of nobles from various parts of the Gavin Empire, who had all brought their children along to chat. As for the elite nobles from the capital, having lived there for years, they were more or less connected to the Holy Church, so their children didn’t need to wait outside—their tea was probably already being served inside the church.

The second group consisted of ordinary civilians who didn’t stand out much. Most of them were young people, both men and women, with a small number wearing armor or carrying great swords. These people were likely mercenaries, who were naturally much more skilled than ordinary civilians. Although they didn’t have the advantages of noble children, they far surpassed those who knew nothing at all. As a result, in every admission exam at Roland Academy, mercenaries accounted for more than half of the civilian applicants.

At the church gates, a group of Templar knights with distinctive banners stood guard, preventing anyone from entering the church. It seemed the admission exam hadn’t started yet. Du Fan pushed through the crowd to the church gates, greeted the knights at the entrance casually, and stepped inside. But after just a few steps, one of the knights blocked his path with his spear, saying in a low voice, “Sir Cleric in white, could you please remove your hood so we can check you? After all, orders have been given—no outsiders are allowed in.”

Du Fan nodded in understanding. He made a “shh” gesture before slowly pulling down the hood of his robe and smiling, “Sir Knight, I’m sure you recognize me, right?”

The knight who had stopped Du Fan was momentarily stunned but quickly recognized him. Being smart, he understood why Du Fan was wearing a hood. He smiled lightly and said, “It’s really you, Lord Du Fan. It’s been three months—your elegance remains unchanged.”

Du Fan smiled and said, “What charm do I have? I’m afraid that over these past three months, all sorts of rumors about me must have spread throughout the capital. I really feel too ashamed to face anyone!”
The knight didn’t dare reply, could only smile awkwardly, and stepped aside.
Du Fan didn’t care. He simply waved his hand and quickly walked through the gate.
Inside the church’s gates, the situation was different. On what had originally been an empty square, about a dozen fighting platforms had been set up at some point. Each platform was guarded by several Temple Knights, while priests in various colored robes moved around between them—though it was unclear what they were doing.
Du Fan stood there for a while but couldn’t figure out what was going on. He hadn’t been interested in attending Roland Academy’s admission exams three years ago, so now he felt a bit confused.
After watching for a while longer, he greeted a passing priest and said, “Sir, I’d like to ask—what exactly is going on here?”
Although the ordinary priest didn’t know Du Fan, he recognized the robe he was wearing. He quickly made a praying gesture and said, “Respected Priest in White, please call meNeo. You must be seeing this scene for the first time, right?”
Du Fan nodded.
Neo continued, “That’s right. Please take a look.”
He pointed at the dozen or so platforms. “These eighteen platforms are set up every time Roland Academy conducts admissions. They’re there to prevent those taking the exams from damaging the square. So now, some priests who can use holy light magic are arranging magic arrays to ensure that no matter what happens, our church won’t be affected.”
“Oh,” Du Fan nodded. “So, anyone who wants to take the exam has to fight on one of these platforms?”
Neo shook his head. “That’s not the case. These platforms are only for recruiting ordinary students. Even if someone passes the exams here, they can at most enter Roland Academy’s Combat Qi branch. The real excitement of these admissions exams lies not here, but inside the cathedral.”
“Oh, the cathedral.” Du Fan took a breath. “Is that place where the magic exams are held?”

Nio glanced in the direction of the cathedral, his face filled with envy. “Yes, even if I pass the Combat Qi division’s exam, I don’t think it’s that remarkable. After all, there are plenty of people on this continent who can use Combat Qi. It’s the magician exams that are truly fascinating. Not to mention the content or specifics, just thinking about what achievements and opportunities one could have as a magician makes one incredibly envious.”

Seeing Nio’s expression, Du Fan smiled faintly and said, “Alright, go back to your tasks. I roughly understand what’s going on now; I’ll just take a look around by myself.”

Nio nodded and quickly stepped back, but he kept looking back at the cathedral from time to time, which made Du Fan chuckle inwardly.

Looking around, it seemed the Combat Qi division’s exam wasn’t starting anytime soon, so Du Fan headed toward the altar. Since most of the Temple Knights guarding the area around the cathedral recognized Du Fan, no one stopped him.

After entering the cathedral’s main hall, he saw that the hall, which had been filled with seats, had somehow been cleared. In the center of the hall stood a wooden frame, on which something seemed to be placed, but it was covered with a white cloth, making it impossible to see what it was.

Around the frame stood about a hundred noble youths. Du Fan recognized most of them—they were the children of the noble families in the capital. However, these people were different from those he met at the last banquet. With just a glance, Du Fan could tell that several of them had quite high levels of Combat Qi or magic. In short, these were the future elites of the Gavin Empire; none of them were ordinary.

Besides them, in a corner of the hall, there was a group of youths standing quietly together. Their expressions varied, but it was easy to sense that they all exuded a faint aura of aloofness.

As for the person on the altar, it made Du Fan frown. There stood Archbishop Anthony in red, looking calm as he conversed with a middle-aged man who appeared to be in his thirties.

Although the middle-aged man looked ordinary, he emitted an astonishing presence that made it impossible to ignore him under any circumstances.

Seeming to sense that someone was observing them, Anthony and the man both glanced in Du Fan’s direction. A hint of surprise flashed across Anthony’s face, but he quickly concealed it and even waved at Du Fan.

Du Fan sighed and, under the astonished gazes of the nobles around him, obediently walked over. He bowed and said, “Dear Cardinal Anthony, may the God of Light bless you.”
Anthony chuckled and replied, “Du Fan, I thought you should be resting at home right now. Why have you come to the church again? Though I know you have a kind heart and must be worried about those believers, you shouldn’t overexert yourself.”
That cunning old fox—clearly it’s because I’m here that it will “affect” the reputation of the Holy Church. But don’t get too carried away either. If I didn’t want time to train, why would I let such things happen?
He grumbled inwardly, but Du Fan still smiled and said, “Lord Anthony, actually, I should indeed continue to reflect at home and think about why such things happened. But today, I heard that Roland Academy’s entrance exam will be held at our church, so I couldn’t help but come and take a look. I believe you won’t blame me, right?”
“No, no,” Anthony said with a laugh, then pointed to the middle-aged man beside him. “Come, Du Fan, let me introduce you. This is Professor Bruce from Roland Academy. He’s a great warrior and also the mentor of our capital’s genius, Aldas.”
Du Fan was slightly surprised, but his expression remained unchanged. He said with a slight smile, “So it’s Professor Bruce from Roland Academy. Though I’m not well-informed and haven’t heard of your name, someone who can train a genius like Aldas must be quite remarkable.”
“You flatter me,” Bruce replied calmly. “But it’s Lord Du Fan who’s famous in the capital, right? Although this is my first time in the capital, I’ve heard many legends about you in just a few days. Seeing you in person truly proves that words can’t compare to reality!”
Du Fan was taken aback and almost laughed. This Bruce clearly already knew about what had happened between him and Emily, and he must also be aware that the Berlinger family had suffered a setback at Du Fan’s hands. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have brought it up right away. Most likely, he was here to help his good student regain face.

However, Du Fan wasn’t afraid at all of his opponent’s apparent intention to cause trouble. Since the other party had come openly, even if Du Fan couldn’t handle it alone, it wouldn’t be difficult to use Anthony as a shield. Moreover, Du Fan was confident that within this sanctuary, if it came to scheming, there was truly no one who could match him.