Wallice frowned. She was about to say something when Gabby stirred the pot with another damning piece of evidence;
"In fact, I recall him fighting against one of the masked illusionists. I think he got himself beaten, but I do remember him taking one of the illusionists head on."
The lead teacher felt like she had just slammed into another brick wall.
She was so frustrated that some parts of her physiology began to betray her. This was very much unlike her. Her regular calm composed self was gradually degenerating into a puddle of doubts and uncertainties. Her lower lip began to quiver slightly, and her right eye began to twitch like a crazy person. Gabby noticed this and re-confirmed what he already suspected before- their lead teacher was obsessed with unmasking the mysterious trio. She wasn't taking the defeat well at all.
He knew better than to ask her if she was okay. She clearly wasn't.
Gabby wasn't wrong. In actuality, his initial analysis was spot on. Wallice was infatuated with the three masked assailants. She couldn't understand why the whole authorities, the school and practically everyone had swept it under the rug like it was a normal thing. What was wrong with everyone? She was clearly obsessed, but she was too deluded to see that she was transferring that obsession onto the latest culprit she could find- Zavier.
Gabby himself began to look deeper into Zavier Adam. Who was this kid anyway? Even though Gabby's last revelation had virtually ruled Zavier out as a suspect, he couldn't help but see some gaps that needed filling. The chief question was basic and simple- why had Zavier chosen to hide his full power? Why?
The more he thought about it, the odder it appeared to him. This was a competition whose very purpose was to determine if a student was worthy of Caesar University. This wasn't some vain event or a dick measuring competition for jocks and egotistical mages. This was the real deal, and every student was encouraged to do their best. So, why would a young, teenage male student intentionally sell himself short? Especially being a high school student where social standing was practically everything?
At this point, Gabby surmised that Zavier was hiding a lot more than he was letting on. Very slowly, Zavier began to take on a new light in his eyes. He might have looked like an ordinary student, but Gabby knew that there was more to him. This was a lesson his painful defeat by the hands of Sabrina had taught him- never underestimate anyone. Much like Sabrina, Zavier too appeared to be an ordinary guy. And yet, here he was…here he was…
Meanwhile, the entire stadium had awakened from their shock, and were now in awe. In the stands, Scott unabashedly exclaimed out of the fullness of his abounding emotions;
"Boy oh boy! That was something!!" His eyes twinkled with genuine wonder, and his mouth spoke from the abundance of that sincerity; "If I were to fight this Adam boy, I have no doubt that I would be in serious trouble if only illusion is on his side! Damn! What a genius!"
Harry's ears pricked, and his smugness rose by a higher degree. This was just another confirmation to the long list of impressive signs he had gotten; Zavier was going to be his protégé, and Harry was already extremely satisfied by his would-be-protégé.
The old man saw the look on Harry's face and instantly knew where his train of thoughts was heading.
"Are you sure Harry? Have you considered this deeply enough?"
Harry's smugness didn't mask the look of satisfaction in his eyes. He didn't even bother with some quick witty reply, he simply nodded calmly, almost reassuringly.
Galen pressed on;
"You better be sure about this Harry. If you decide to take on this Adam boy as your protégé, you'd better be prepared for all the trouble that could potentially come from his family- The Adam family."
Galen called their name aloud just in case Harry had willed himself into forgetting who they were.
"That family could be a source of constant headache for you. Are you ready for that kind of commitment?"
"Relax old man. As you know, my unique skills are one of a kind, and they can't just be learned by any tom, dick and harry. I have found a mage worthy of being my tutee. If I don't pass this knowledge on, I fear my unique skills would become a lost art."
Galen said nothing after that. It was clear Harry was adamant on pursuing this. The old man actually approved of his choice, but he didn't give his verbal consent of course. The Adam boy was clearly a good fit, and Galen respected Harry's decision to make him his protégé.
Galen was being careful for so many reasons. But chiefly because of the presence of the princess there. Harry could actually afford to be vocal about his decisions, but as a president of the University, Galen couldn't afford to be seen playing favourites. He had the burden of being politically correct at all times. He had to be.
Although Rachel didn't seem to be paying much attention to their exchange, she was very much invested in it. This was particuarly funny because she had come up in here thinking Shiranui was the most powerful student in this year group, and now, she had met two more students whose abilities were definitely on par with the Yamata girl.
At moments like this, Rachel wished she wasn't cursed with the burden of royalty. She would have given anything to be able to nose around freely, and gossip, and ask questions like every other young person present here. But alas, there was a certain level of social decorum that was expected of her as a royal. Consequently, these rules wrapped her about like invisible cords, tightly restricting her actions, words, and even facial expressions.
So, even though she was intrigued with this Zavier character, she had to keep herself in check. Rachel had a lot of questions; Had he actually blatantly made use of his family's fortune, and made it public? Didn't he know the rules guarding against nepotism? Was he a rebel? And most importantly, was it possible that his technique was real? Harry seemed to think so, but Galen had been weirdly quiet about all of this.
Despite the flood of questions tumbling about in her head, she held her tongue, and retrained herself from making any comments. Rachel had to keep herself from staring longingly at Zavier before the public misconstrued her longing looks as her publicly approving Zavier as a force to be reckoned with. She sighed inwardly and maintained a poker face. But she kept her eye out for Zavier. He was definitely in her radar now and she was now watching him.
Meanwhile, about a hundred meters southwest of her, someone else in the audience was also entertaining an opinion that was very contrary to the popular opinion.
Rebecca, the semi-finalist who had been defeated by Shiranui also found herself pondering on Zavier's sudden effortless victory. But she still wasn't sure about anything yet. So, she turned to her white bearded teacher for counsel.
"Sensei, what exactly is going on? Did he really win? Was this all a ruse? What did he actually do?!"
Her line of questioning betrayed just how turbulent her thought process was, but it also showed that she wasn't completely swept up by the tide of negative comments sweeping through the crowds.
The old man smiled; "Child, that is a whole bunch of questions. You need to ask the right one to get the correct answer which you seek…"
Rebecca was already used to the old man's philosophies and principles. So, instead of fussing, she took a deep breath;
"Forgive me sensei, what I meant to ask was; what was that?"
"Well…" he paused, "that was an illusion."
Rebecca's eyes widened in confusion. As always, the old man's answers always led to more questions. "AN ILLUSION?!"
"Yes child. I believe its called 'Inevitable Hypnosis.' It is a technique used by illusionists to subject the subjects to do their will. Advanced mages can project their wills into the minds of their subjects even without making an incantation, and it appears the young man has mastered the craft."
Rebecca was stupefied.
"What?! How can he do that?" A thought crossed her mind, "Wait! Is that even allowed? Can he actually do that?"
Even as she said it, she knew the answers immediately. Of course it was perfectly legal. It was a magical technique, and so far, it hadn't been used to harm, maim or kill any candidates.
Rebecca looked at Zavier as though she was seeing him for the first time. Her look was a mixture of fascination, respect, and a little bit of fear. With this revelation, she knew that this seemingly ordinary boy from Merion High School was definitely not so ordinary. This was a complete one hundred and eighty degree shift in her perception of him. The boy whom she had always despised had now sky rocketed from a low rank position to a position where she could at least acknowledge him as a threat.
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