Entering the citadel-like building, Felix discovered a new world inside. Instead of the suffocating interior of a fortress, he found a football-stadium-sized library. Floating spiral stairs, made from stone plates, served as a landmark at the center of the large hall.
Above Felix, interior balconies surrounded the floating spiral stairs. As Felix admired the architecture, he noticed two mages climbing the stairs. They knocked a stone plate with their staff, causing it to float toward a balcony on the seventh floor. After getting off, the stone plate returned to its original position.
An elderly woman on the third floor in a gray robe carried a stack of books and walked toward a section of the balcony without a handrail. As she arrived, stone plates automatically floated toward her, extending a path to allow her to cross to the other side of the balcony.
Looking at the scene straight from Harry Potter, Felix wryly smiled. He was reminded once again that he was in a different world.
"This way, junior. Oh, I'm Balam. I'm the dorm master of Storm Tower."
"Dorm master?" Felix had a bad feeling about this. He didn't sign up for taking the exam or living in a dormitory. Instead, he only wished to bring his wife ho before the Jack the Ripper knock-off got his hands on her.
"Yes. I'm in charge of managing our tower's exam candidate dormitory. Normally, we only accept candidates with wind elents. But since you have the recomndation of our headmaster, we'll make an exception and take you in."
"…Thank you, I guess. But that's not what I'm here for." Felix tried to explain that he was there for a visit, not to join them.
"That's right. You're not here to work for us."
Felix nodded in agreent.
But Balam continued, "You're here to prove that you're qualified to join the Royal Magi Academy! The Storm Tower is too small for you!"
"…That's not it."
"Of course! Your goal can't be limited to such an academy! For soone as gifted as you, you are destined to beco the first Fire Magus of our country! This is just another stepping stone for your great future!"
"Er."
Balam laughed. "You don't have to worry about a thing! Leave everything to us. Be it gold coins, magic crystals, spellbooks, ntors. We'll provide everything and pave your way to great success! When that ti cos, just don't forget about us!"
Words flied over his head except one keyword - mana crystals. Felix flinched when Balam ntioned mana crystals. He needed those for his ammunition and wondered if they were free.
"So, what do I need to do?" Felix probed for more information.
"Simple! Your first step is to concentrate on getting into the Royal Magi Academy. We have two weeks to prep you, so we need to hurry."
Expecting free stuff, Felix grinned and stopped asking questions. He followed Balam into the building, looking around.
The library was both similar to and different from the movies, with 100,000 candles providing light. However, all the candles were fixed to chandeliers, tables, and walls—no floating candles here.
Balam stepped onto a spiral stair platform, and Felix joined him. Initially, Felix thought he'd have to climb the floating steps. However, Balam lightly tapped his feet, and the platform detached, floating up by itself.
Being on a floating platform for the first ti, Felix lost his balance and fell. He widened his eyes and gasped. "Holy shit, I'm in Hogwarts."
"Hoc-what?"
"Nothing."
Felix and Balam waited for the platform to reach its destination. It brought them to the highest ceiling. From Felix's perspective, it looked like the platform was about the squish both of them with the stone ceiling above.
*WHOOSH*
Magically, Balam, Felix, and the platform phased through the ceiling, revealing it to be an illusion. Felix looked up and found a space without a ceiling. The floor was made of polished stone plates, with pentagram-shaped pillars in parallel formation, supporting nothing yet producing breezy winds that circulated air and dispersed dust.
The platform continued forward, and when Felix peeked below, he saw the citadel he had entered earlier.
"Where are we going?" Felix asked, growing concerned.
"We're already here."
"Huh?"
The platform lifted them 30 feet upward. In an instant, the scenery changed from an empty sky above the fortress to a bustling plaza filled with teenagers and young adults.
Felix looked around in shock. The plaza's floor was made of polished marble, with wooden benches surrounding a large central fountain featuring a marble statue of a gorgeous elf woman welcoming visitors. Behind the statue, wide marble stairs led to a tall stone structure.
Apart from the school-like building with two wings at the center, four condominium-like buildings stood tall on the east and west of Felix's location. To the south, a rectangular structure with symtrical tinted windows dominated the view, towering absurdly high. Felix roughly counted the floors but stopped when he surpassed 30.
What stunned Felix most was that this place was invisible from below. Even the system map hadn't detected it until he entered. Once inside, the system map updated with dots around him, revealing a mixed reception—red, yellow, and green dots mingled together, making it hard to differentiate friends from foes.
It dawned on him that if the Storm Tower was inferior to the Royal Magi Academy, the real school must be imnse. Felix couldn't fathom the mystery and power of this country's mages.
'What am I getting myself into?' Felix thought.
Jessica read his mind and reminded him,
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