After some time, the wolf finally gave three loud howls with soundwaves that could be seen oscillating into the forest like the ripples of water after a stone broke the surface. The treetops began to sway unsteadily from the soundwaves and even the clouds in the sky had begun to swirl around as if caught in a whirlpool. Even the four magus-to-be had been able to sense the magnitude of the howls. Jerry and Belladonna simply found it impossible to remain steady where they stood and even the tree they were leaning on was swaying slightly.

The howling of the wolf began to swirl around the area and rip the trees from the ground ruthlessly. In a moment, a hurricane had formed. The merciless wave of wind had swept up rocks, trees, mud, water, fireballs, icicles and even lightning bolts into it. Whatever unfortunate organism that found itself sucked into the hurricane would find their body completely destroyed without mercy.

When the four youths saw the terrifying sight of magic, they each hid behind a tree for protection.

The shrill sounds of wind could be heard slicing into the earth nearby, and from time to time, several smaller trees could be seen flying into the whirlwind around them with devastating speed.

Each one of the four were shaking in their boots at this sight.

Not a single one of them knew how much time had past when the winds had finally died down. After a small while, Elric had regained his wits and shook Kite.

“I think they’re finished.” Kite noted after a quick observation.

With hands and feet that were still quavering with fear, they climbed up the cliff to look out over the forest.

They looked out to the forest beyond, which had been reduced to a crater about a kilometer wide with every nearby tree pulled out or toppled over.

It had taken great effort for them to reach the center of the crater afterwards.

But the wolf was nowhere to be seen, and neither was Crazy.

“Crap, our examiner is dead!” Jerry moaned in despair.

“Not necessarily. She had to have ran with that convenient Lanuæ spell of hers.” Belladonna reasoned.

“That’s if she was willing to escape or not.” Elric argued, “With her personality, it’s very likely that she was just testing the strength of the wolf.”

“You’ve figured me out!” A sharp voice came from overhead.

Turning pale with fright, everyone looked up to see a black sphere hanging overhead. From the sphere, a single arm made its way out before the head followed.

Then a woman dressed in splendid clothing came out from the sphere.

The only oddity was the fact that this sphere was no bigger than half her body size. How she had fit in such an area was a mystery.

It had been with dumbstruck eyes that everyone had regarded this incredible magus. The amount of mana she had had differed greatly with what was to be expected from her appearance—she looked four or five years older than Kite at most and was still incredibly strong.

Even from below, the four acolytes had been able to see the pink lace dress that the woman was wearing along with her white silk shorts. Floating above her head were two long pointed ponytails that made them resemble the horns of a goat almost. With the resplendent ruby hung over her forehead, everyone was simply baffled at how a graceful but slightly young woman like her was capable of such a terrifying display of magic.

“Which one of you is your leader?” She asked.

But none of the dumbstruck acolytes had answered. Each one of them were as cold as stone and were all silent for some time.

Out of nowhere, a large ice cube was dropped on top of the four acolytes head with a good amount of force.

“One of you step up and speak already.” The voice grew even louder.

Kite came walking out without delay as if it was his duty.

“Which Circle organized this trial of yours.” Crazy spoke indifferently.

“Master Collins from Sina.” Kite replied.

“Collins? Are you disciples of Collins?” The previously icy voice of Crazy went up several degrees. “My laboratory is about five or six days of travel to the west of here.” 

“O’ Great Magus Crazy, please allow this one to call you master! So great is my awe that not even the river would be able to sweep me away as fast as you have! That spell of yours, Lanuæ, is simply extraordinary! Not even a millenia would be enough time for this lacking apprentice to learn even a fraction of its might! From the bottom of my heart, I beseech Your Grace to bestow upon me enough knowledge so I may stick my chest out with pride and say I have experienced this spell! It will become a cherished memory I will pass down to my children and theirs!” Jerry broke out into the same immediate flattery that his merchant father would often employ.

When Elric heard the amount of flattery coming from Jerry’s mouth, he had immediately pegged what his father must have been like—an unscrupulous merchant.

This flattery had been so obvious that anyone could tell from listening that Jerry was hoping for a free ride, and Elric had almost started to pray that Crazy wouldn’t met him with punishment.

As expected, a loud cry of laughter made its way through the skies.

This sound had been familiar to each of the four acolytes and had consequently caused them to blanch—this was the warning laughter of Crazy.

“Are we going to be dissected, dismembered, boiled in water or burnt with fire?” 

Each one of the four couldn’t help but let their imagination roam freely.

“Hahaha, hahaha! This magic of mine is naturally second to none; for someone as great as I, there is nothing I can’t do! You might be dumb and sluggish, but if I am willing to teach, then even you would be able to learn the Lanuæ spell. Hahaha, I am a genius!” Crazy cackled in self-satisfaction.

None of the four knew whether it was shock or relief that had stopped them from talking, but no one had said anything for a long time.

“How thick-skinned this woman really is….” 

Elric had thought to himself, 

“Maybe this was the reason why Magus Collins changed the destination to the Forest of Illusions. It was to satisfy his own wishes since he knew that no one would better in dealing with this mad woman than Jerry. I should learn a bit from Jerry; his flattery is almost at a supernatural level.”

“Wow! Jerry, you said exactly what was on our minds! To be honest, when the great Crazy had beaten the wolf so badly into submission, I had thought, ‘What if we were to become the apprentices to such a great magus? What an honor it would be!’.” With all things considered, Elric’s family ran a grocery store and thus he was more than familiar with the “ways” of a merchant. If he had to slap the tail of the horse to get it going, then so be it. But he was still a person with heart and made sure to include Kite and Belladonna. After all, he would never dare let the scion of a family of knights and the daughter of a priestess and clergyman give rise to being an “unscrupulous merchant”!

“Hahaha, prepare your things, we’ll be moving straight away.” Clearly Elric’s words of flattery had been effective on Crazy.

What followed after the loud laughter was not an invocation, but the sound of a spell being casted.

A bolt of lightning struck Elric’s body, lighting every single nerve cluster in his body on fire. If he had been knocked unconscious from the blast, that would be a merciful thing. But the painful torment had afflicted each of the four acolytes to the point where their vision had gone hazy and their bodies jolted up and down from the shocks. With each jump however, the pain had only resurged in a greater amount.

While in reality their torment had been a few moments, the pain had been so unbearable that Elric and the others had felt that it had taken an entire century to pass. Finally feeling his body come into contact with the ground, the magic finally dissipated and allowed for his body to function normally, but his mind had still been knocked for a loop.