15 ~ Enrollment Test
The Grading Hall specifically dedicated to Divine Princess evaluations was nestled among trees, situated right beside the archives for ease of immediate documentation and sealing once the test concluded.
Besides this, the academy also had grading halls for other main and secondary professions like Divine Children, mages, and alchemists, though those were grouped together in a single building, separate from the Divine Princess facilities.
That separation alone spoke volumes about how much weight the academy placed on each profession.
In terms of scale, the Divine Princess grading hall was larger than all the other evaluation halls combined. It had numerous service windows to ensure no one ever had to queue. Divine Princesses were rare, after all, so outside of enrollment season, only a few were tested each day—it was usually quiet.
After classes ended, Dylin stood in a secluded corner of the woods. He put on the Golden Butterfly Hairpin, and with a burst of golden runes swirling around him, a platinum-haired elf opened her olive-colored eyes.
Thankfully, the transformation included a fitted linen outfit. If it had been one of those “transform and the clothes explode” kinds of deals…
He pulled the Sun-Moon Circlet down onto his head, disguising his elf ears to look human again.
Teresa still wasn’t satisfied. She found a glass wall and examined her hair. Her delicate, chubby-cheeked face was undeniably cute—but that black-and-white scar, stretching across half her face, ruined the flawless symmetry.
After brushing her bangs neatly into place, Teresa finally nodded in approval, then stepped delicately into the grading hall.
She’d tied her hair back and walked with quiet, measured steps. Her pace was neither hurried nor slow, with just the right stride. Her small chest pushed slightly forward, head held a little high, and her long golden hair swayed like a tail down to her thighs.
Even though she herself hadn’t noticed, the grace and poise in her bearing had a princess-like air—elegance seemed etched into her very bones.
These mannerisms felt like muscle memory from the body itself. Before she realized it, she was walking in a way far more refined than she intended.
By the time Teresa noticed, her little face went blank with confusion. She wiggled her feet wrapped in lace-up shoes, baffled by how she’d started walking like such a proper lady.
She’d known for some time that this elf body retained certain physical memories.
But… was the influence really this strong? Or were all elves naturally this graceful? Had she adopted these unconscious gestures simply by becoming one?
Miss Blaise seemed to have been waiting for a while already. She was yawning, flanked by two men in black coats with red lining.
“Good day. Sorry to have kept you waiting, Miss Blaise.” Teresa lowered her eyes slightly and dipped into a graceful curtsy, pinching her dress’s hem at both ends with practiced finesse.
“No worries, I just arrived myself.” A flicker of surprise flashed through Blaise’s eyes. She clearly hadn’t expected Teresa’s manners to be so impeccable.
To be honest, she had initially assumed Teresa was a wild Divine Princess—an illegitimate child from some noble family who hadn’t revealed her surname. And such girls usually hadn’t received proper training in etiquette.
In her years managing the archives and the grading hall, Blaise had learned to tell a trueborn Divine Princess from a wild one just by their air and demeanor.
Her gut told her that this little girl—despite not yet being awakened—was not a wild Divine Princess. But then why not give her surname? Was it something shameful?
Still, everyone had their privacy. Blaise wasn’t the type to pry.
“This is the new Divine Princess who enrolled today,” Blaise said to the two men.
“She hasn’t undergone Divine Awakening, has she? We can only test her Divine Authority Domain for now. Everything else will have to wait until she awakens.”
“Child, what’s the story behind the scar on your face?” one of the men crouched down and frowned slightly at the black-and-white “scar” on Teresa’s cheek.
“Mr. Barros...” Blaise sighed and rubbed her temple. Who walks up to someone and just blurts out something like that? What if it’s a painful memory?
“It’s just a very ordinary scar, sir,” Teresa answered calmly.
“An ordinary scar…?” Barros stared at her face for a long time—until Blaise, annoyed, smacked the back of his bald head.
“Come on, it’s rude to stare at someone’s scar for that long, alright?”
“…Sorry.” Barros stood up, rubbing his signature bald crown—the so-called ‘hairstyle of the strong’—but he couldn’t help glancing once more at Teresa’s scar.
He wasn’t sure if he was imagining it, but…
He thought he sensed a faint flow of Divine Authority from that scar.
It didn’t feel like a scar.
More like… a seal?
“Back to business, Mr. Barros,” Blaise said sharply. Then, more gently to Teresa, “Apologies—this grading hall mentor is always like this. A little... odd. Please don’t mind him.”
Teresa shook her head, indicating she didn’t mind.
They moved to the back courtyard where the grading tests were held.
Since the peak of enrollment season had passed, the grading hall was once again quiet. The test area wasn’t even in use.
Under Barros’ direction, Teresa stood on a round, textured magic platform.
“Stand still right here,” Barros instructed, then waved to the other evaluator who’d been keeping some distance.
The man nodded and picked out a hand crossbow and bolt from a nearby pile of gear.
Under Teresa’s slightly startled gaze, he loaded the bolt and aimed it directly at her.