Chapter 720: Um, Did The Appraisal Stone Break?
Chapter 720: Um, Did The Appraisal Stone Break?
When Hecate stood beside Joanne, the young lady smiled at the younger girl, making the latter look at her closely.
Joanne eyed the other party's face and tried to find traces of her friend whom she thought they would never see again.
Although there were a few facial similarities, she could confirm that Hecate was also different from the princess that she knew.
It was just like how Joanne had similarities with her mother and Ethan, but that was where the similarities ended.
But, for some reason, standing next to the beautiful lady beside her, Joanne couldn't stop her heart from beating wildly inside her chest.
It was as if she had met a long lost friend whom she had left three hundred years in the past.
As she continued to observe Hecate, Joanne noticed that her ear was slightly pointier than that of a normal human.
However, the pointiness wasn't as obvious as it was in the ears of Elves, whom she had seen all her life in Caer Wydion.
"Half-Elf," Joanne muttered, making Hecate smile and nod her head, confirming the younger girl's statement.
"Yes," Hecate replied. "I am a Half-Elf. Nice to meet you, Joanne."
"N-Nice to meet you too, Hecate," Joanne stuttered after having muttered her thoughts accidentally.
At that moment, Professor Rinehart's voice once again reverberated in the surroundings.
"I know that everyone is excited to know where they will be staying this year, so without further delay, may I call upon the Pillars of the First Years to place their hands on the Appraisal Stone?" Professor Rinehart said. "Who wants to go first?"
"I'll go first." Lennox stepped forward and confidently placed his hand over the Appraisal Stone.
A moment later, powerful golden flames surged out from the Appraisal Stone, making the smug smile on Lennox's face widen.
"Not bad," George said as he rubbed his chin. "He has strong magical power, and he does deserve his status as one of the Pillars."
Ethan nodded in agreement.
As the flames slowly faded, they formed words in the air, stating what Manor Lennox would be going to.
Eques Manor.
The members of the Eques Manor cheered, glad to see another promising individual join their ranks.
The next one who placed his hand on the Appraisal Stone was Heath.
After placing her hand on the stone, the image of a giant White Tiger emerged from it, unleashing a roar that made Joanne and Hecate cover their ears due to how loud it was.
A moment later, the words Jaeger Manor appeared above the Tiger's head, which didn't come as a surprise due to the nature of Heath's magic.
The third one to touch the Appraisal Stone was Marvin, and things got a bit interesting afterward.
The projection of a Treant standing over twenty meters tall appeared in front of everyone.
But, that wasn't all.
On the body of the Treant, several green wisps were circling happily, making the members of the Terra Manor look fondly upon the blonde-haired boy who looked very timid.
"Terra Manor." Professor Rinehart chuckled as he patted Marvin's shoulder. "Don't worry, Marvin. You will have many big sisters who will take good care of you."
The Headmaster, who was responsible for Marvin's enrollment in Brynhildr Academy, winked at the teenage boy, making the latter smile faintly.
Just like what happened with Lennox and Heath, a round of applause spread in the surroundings as everyone encouraged Marvin to feel more confident about himself.
"I'll go first," Joanne said to Hecate.
"Okay." Hecate nodded before giving Joanne a thumbs up. "Good luck!"
Joanne took a deep breath before stepping forward.
Everyone looked at the adorable girl as she placed her small, delicate hand on the Appraisal Stone.
Suddenly, a surge of black magic exploded outwards like a tide, making some of the students standing in front of the plaza subconsciously take a step back.
The magic fluctuation was so strong that Professor Rinehart waved his wand to create a barrier to protect the students from being affected by the sudden surge of power from the Appraisal Stone.
A second later, countless shadow figures flew in the surroundings like specters before merging together to form the words Schwartz Manor.
Joanne then took a step back and looked smugly at her brother as if she was proud to show everyone how strong her magical power was.
Ethan didn't know if he should laugh or cry at his sister's competitiveness, especially after seeing what the other Pillars were capable of.
Finally, all gaze once again landed on Hecate, whose beauty wouldn't lose to Joanne in the slightest.
When her hand touched the Appraisal Stone, nothing happened at first.
This made everyone think that Joanne had accidentally broken the appraisal stone during her performance earlier.
However, just as everyone was thinking like that, something unexpected happened.
A tornado made up of flames shot up toward the sky, reaching dozens of meters high in the air.
A second later, a similar tornado of Water, Wind, Earth, and Ice, shot up toward the sky and formed giant golems.
If the apparition that appeared during Joanne's turn could be called mind-blowing, the phenomenon created by Hecate was considered mind-boggling.
The five Elemental Golems then merged together, and the words that no one expected to see flashed before everyone's eyes.
Dud Manor.
The entire student body, including the Professors, with the exception of Professor Barret, looked at Hecate in disbelief.
Hecate, on the other hand, blushed faintly as she timidly walked back to her place, and stood beside Joanne.
"Um, did the Appraisal Stone Break?" Marvin asked, waking everyone up from their trance.
They still couldn't believe that someone who possessed extremely powerful magic powers would go to Dud Manor, which was the last place that they thought Hecate should be.
Professor Rinehart inspected the Appraisal Stone to check if it was indeed broken, which made Professor Barret chuckle.
"Rinehart, it's not broken," Professor Barret said. "Hecate's magic is a bit special. You will understand a little later."
Professor Rinehart was still half in doubt, but since Professor Barret was the one who gave Hecate the slot to become a Pillar of the First Year, he decided to trust his words for the time being.
Ethan, George, and the rest of Dud Manor were still in shock because none of them were expecting to get a talented Witch like Hecate among their ranks.
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