246 Chapter 7 Stroking his bushy beard, Landon heaved a resigned sigh. “If that is your wish, then there is nothing I can do. You may return to your quarters with your drafts. I shall find another novice to take your place.” Maxi’s eyes widened. “You are… removing me f-from the competition? “What choice do I have? Since you have no intention of presenting that rune, I will have to find another candidate.” “I-I can work on a new—” “Now you are being hoggish,” Landon said, furrowing his shaggy brows. “I cannot let a rashly conceived submission ruin Nome Hall’s reputation. Either you present your golem rune or withdraw.” Maxi bit her lip. When she thought of all the sleepless nights she had invested in the hopes of being selected, the dejection she felt was beyond words. Why had it not occurred to her to make sure her chosen rune was not against the church’s doctrines? Her eyes burned with tears. Even so, she knew Master Landon was right. It would not do for her to be willful about this. She hung her head. “I shall… withdraw from the competition.” A novice by the name of Armin Dolph was chosen to present in Maxi’s stead. The twenty-five-year-old lad was rather tall and striking in appearance for a mage of the Umri tribe. He was well-known among the novices for his skills and for being a man of little words. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦 Maxi had caught his baffled glance when Landon had petitioned him. Half a second later, Armin had seized the opportunity with his signature stony expression. Maxi let out a bitter sigh. She only had herself to blame. After all, it was her poor judgment that had put her in this situation. “What on God’s green earth happened?” said Anette, approaching Maxi. “Did you do something to anger Master Landon?” Looking embarrassed, Maxi hastily concocted an excuse. “There was… a serious flaw in my rune. Master Landon and I discussed it at length, and we both decided it would be better if I dropped out.” “But you’re the best out of all of us at runes. What was wrong with it? Let me have a look. I’m sure it’s not unsalvageable.” “N-No!” Startled, Anette’s eyes widened. Maxi ran her hand over her haggard face, struggling to appear calm. “Master Landon already took a good look for me. I would… rather not talk about it anymore.” Anette’s cheeks quivered before she spun around. Though it was obvious she was upset, Maxi was already having a hard enough time getting ahold of her own emotions without having to concern herself with anyone else’s. Lost in her thoughts, she slipped out of the communal workshop for her next class. Her head felt muddled. What was she to do now? To be granted an elemental rune early, one had to achieve a significant accomplishment. The surest way for a novice was to showcase their talent in the rune or dueling competition held at Urd every year. Maxi had already lost her chance at winning the rune contest, and she would not dream of competing in combat. Offensive magic was not her strong suit, to say the least. She gnawed her lip. No matter the cost, she had to find a way. She entered the hall on Urd’s ground floor just as Sidina was coming down the stairs. The girl rushed over to her as soon as she spotted her. “Max, what happened? Is it true you withdrew from the rune competition?” Maxi half-heartedly repeated the explanation she had given Anette. Though Sidina did not look convinced, she refrained from prying further when she saw Maxi’s crestfallen face. The others, however, were more tenacious. The moment Maxi stepped foot inside the lecture hall, fifteen or so novices flocked to her and demanded to know why she was no longer competing. Parroting the same excuse over and over drained all of her energy. It was an immense relief when the lecturer finally entered the room and started the lesson. Maxi tried to concentrate on the soft voice that filled the classroom as she took notes on a small stone tablet. However, her agitation made it impossible for her to focus, and she ended up spending half the lesson correcting her misspellings. A violent urge to hurl her tablet across the floor took hold of her. Why was she such a mess? Half a year wasted on a rune she was not allowed to present, and now she could not even keep up with a lesson. When the class ended, Maxi trudged out of the lecture hall, utterly despondent. Though some of the novices attempted conversation, she was not in any mood for idle talk. After responding rather coldly, she rushed past them and headed down the corridor. At the bottom of the stairs, she was about to leave the tower when she spotted a group of novices looking out at the nearby garden. She followed their gazes to see five men in black robes marching in single file through piles of red leaves. Maxi squinted to study them closer. Though their faces were concealed beneath their hoods, it was evident they were outsiders. “Are they new mages?” one of the novices whispered. “Merchants, more likely. Here to purchase mages or magical devices.” “That’s unusual. It’s not time for the ships to arrive.” It did not take long for Maxi to realize their assumptions were incorrect. The silver pattern embroidered on the hem of the strangers’ robes looked familiar, and it took a second for her to place it — only the paladins of the Temple Knights were allowed to wear that motif on their persons. How did they manage to enter the island? The Mage Tower kept innumerable secrets from the church. Their library was filled with controversial books on magic and radical publications from the south, and their workshops housed numerous instruments that would no doubt be considered suspicious by the church. She observed the men from afar, wondering if they were here for an unannounced inspection. Her speculation was soon put to rest when she saw the mages of Urd shuffle out to greet the paladins. It was evident from the calm way the mages welcomed the guests that their visit was not a surprise. Though the sight dampened her apprehension somewhat, another question arose. What business did the Temple Knights have with the Mage Tower? For what purpose had the Tower’s mages permitted this visit? That is no concern of yours. A bitter sigh escaped her lips. She was not in any position to worry about such matters. The future of the Mage Tower was for the high mages to stew over. Maxi pried her eyes away and started toward the dorms. Time flowed like water, rushing toward Paxias (the season of repose, equivalent to winter). Maxi’s anxiety grew as it slipped by. Following the failure of her plan to impress the high mages in the rune competition, she visited the workshops of the senior mages to offer herself as their assistant. Unfortunately, she was not the only novice vying for the favor of the high-ranking mages. The fierce competition ensured she never had the opportunity to prove her abilities. Her only chance now was a recommendation from Master Landon. However, since each tower had an overabundance of talent, she wondered if the head mage’s endorsement alone would be enough to give her an edge over the others in receiving an elemental rune within the year. Every novice in Nornui shared the same goal. Not only would such a rune enable them to store five to ten times more mana within their bodies, but it would also allow them to freely cast spells they currently only practiced in theory. Most of all, it would elevate their rank within the Mage Tower. Though Maxi knew it would take more than a good evaluation to outshine her competition, she could not think of a way to get the senior mages to take notice of her. She brooded over the dilemma while staring into the blazing fire inside the furnace. If she failed to come up with a plan before the conferment ceremony, she would be forced to stay on this island for another year. Just the thought alone was enough to drive her mad. Come spring, she would have been here for exactly three years. How would she be able to endure one more when the others had been so unbearable? Tears welled in her eyes, and she hastily wiped them away on her sleeve. Her longing to see Riftan weighed on her like a physical pain. She missed nestling against his broad chest and hearing his low, gruff voice in the mornings. She missed the feel of his lustrous hair wrapped around her fingers and the way he gently caressed her face and back. Such was her desperate need to see him that she even missed the times he was furious with her. She crouched in front of the furnace and buried her face between her knees, hiding her red eyes. Just then, a loud voice called from behind. “Max!”