Chapter 172. Exam

The soft scratching of quills on parchment filled the classroom, punctuated by the occasional rustle of paper and the quiet clearing of throats. Adom sat behind his desk, chin propped on his hand, watching twenty-three students bent over their runicology exams with varying degrees of confidence.

It had been a week since the assassination attempt.

A week of constantly looking over his shoulder, of placing ward after ward around his family's home until the house practically hummed with protective magic. A week of making excuses to stay home more often, of personally escorting Bennu and Ada whenever they needed to go anywhere, of making sure they were never alone and always well-hidden when they did venture out.

He couldn't keep this up much longer. The constant vigilance was exhausting, and worse, it was limiting his ability to move freely. He needed to put a face to whoever was orchestrating these attacks and prepare a proper counter-strike before they decided to escalate to targeting his family directly.

At least the meeting with Valiant had gone well. The partnership with Brighleaf was solidifying nicely, and his connections with Silvandrosi royalty were proving more valuable than he'd anticipated. Thanks to Lyralei, Queen Nhyssa herself was planning to secretly visit Arkhos soon to discuss potential treaty negotiations for when things inevitably started heating up. That was unexpectedly good news.

A small glow flickered in his peripheral vision.

[Riddler's Bane] immediately picked up the mana signature. Someone was using magic. During a written runicology exam. Where absolutely no magic was required or permitted.

The little scoundrel.

Adom almost chuckled. In his previous life, he'd have been scandalized by academic dishonesty. Now, after decades of experience, he found student attempts at cheating more amusing than anything else. The creativity some of them displayed was occasionally impressive, even if the execution was usually terrible.

He casually shifted his gaze in the direction of the magical signature, trying to pinpoint the source.

The energy vanished immediately.

Interesting. Either very good timing, or the student had some way of detecting his attention. Adom's eyes swept across the rows of desks, looking for signs of guilt or nervous behavior.

There. Third row, second seat from the left.

Marcus Aldridge. One of the quieter students, usually sat in the back but had moved forward for the exam. Currently staring down at his paper with the sort of intense concentration that suggested he was trying very hard to look like he was thinking about advanced runic theory rather than whatever minor enchantment he'd just been using.

Their eyes met.

Marcus's expression shifted into what could only be described as the academic equivalent of a deer caught in lamplight. For a split second, his face showed pure panic. Then, with admirable speed, he rearranged his features into a mask of scholarly contemplation, furrowing his brow and tapping his quill against his lip as if wrestling with a particularly challenging theoretical problem.

The performance was so earnest, so transparently fake, that Adom had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from bursting out laughing.

Marcus held the pose for exactly three seconds, then looked back down at his paper and began writing furiously, as if inspiration had suddenly struck. His handwriting was probably illegible from the speed, but he was certainly committed to the act.

Adom stood up, placing his hands behind his back, and began a slow circuit around the classroom. Just a routine check on his students' progress. Nothing unusual about a professor making the rounds during an exam.

He passed Eren's desk first. Their eyes met briefly, and Eren's expression suggested he found this whole monitoring exercise mildly ridiculous. His eye roll was so subtle it was practically invisible, but Adom caught it anyway. Eren immediately returned his attention to his paper, writing steadily. His answers looked solid, as expected.

Adom continued his leisurely stroll, glancing casually at papers as he walked. Most students were progressing normally through the exam, some more confidently than others.

When he approached Vivian's desk, he noticed her posture change immediately. Her shoulders tensed, and her careful, precise handwriting suddenly became slightly shakier. She was clearly uncomfortable with him reading over her shoulder.

Her answers were flawless, of course. Every theoretical explanation was not only correct but elegantly articulated, showing the kind of deep understanding that came from genuine mastery rather than rote memorization. But her obvious discomfort made him move on quickly. No point in making a brilliant student anxious.

He wandered between more desks, offering the occasional nod of encouragement to students who looked up nervously. The usual exam atmosphere of controlled stress and concentrated effort.

Finally, he made his way to Marcus's area.

The boy was hunched over his paper with exaggerated focus, quill moving in what appeared to be thoughtful, deliberate strokes. But as Adom drew closer, he could see that Marcus was actually writing the same sentence over and over again, just changing a word here and there. Classic stalling behavior.

But that wasn't what made Adom pause.

There was another magical signature. Faint, but definitely present. And it wasn't coming from Marcus.

Adom's gaze shifted slightly to the left.

Thomas Whitmore. Another quiet kid, usually sat in the back as well, decent but not exceptional grades. He was also displaying that same overly intense concentration as Marcus, staring at his paper like it contained the secrets of the universe.

Oh. A conspiracy.

How delightfully enterprising of them.

Adom positioned himself where he could observe both students without being obvious about it. Marcus had definitely noticed his proximity—the boy's writing had become even more frantic, and there was a thin sheen of sweat on his forehead despite the comfortable temperature of the room.

Thomas, meanwhile, was doing an admirable job of pretending to be deep in thought, but Adom noticed his lips moving slightly. Just barely, almost imperceptibly, but moving nonetheless.

"Everything alright here, gentlemen?" Adom asked pleasantly, his voice pitched just loud enough for both students to hear.

Marcus looked up with wide, innocent eyes. "Yes, Professor. Just working through the theoretical framework for mana-binding optimization."

"Ah, excellent. And you, Mr. Whitmore?"

Thomas's head snapped up like he'd been startled out of deep contemplation. "Fine, sir. Just... considering the implications of tertiary loop degradation."

Adom nodded thoughtfully.

"I see. You both seem to be having quite intense thoughts about the material."

"It's a challenging exam," Marcus said, his voice perhaps a touch too steady.

"Indeed it is." Adom clasped his hands behind his back and rocked slightly on his heels. "Though I have to say, I'm impressed by how... synchronized your thinking processes appear to be."

The two students exchanged the briefest of glances. It lasted maybe half a second, but it was enough.

"I'm not sure what you mean, Professor," Thomas said carefully.

"Well, it's just interesting how you both seem to be wrestling with the exact same theoretical concepts at the exact same moments. Almost like you're having a conversation about them."

Marcus's grip on his quill tightened. "We're just... focused students."

"Mm." Adom leaned forward slightly, as if examining their papers more closely. "You know, I've noticed that focus tends to manifest in different ways for different people. Some students tap their feet when they think. Others drum their fingers. A few mutter under their breath."

He paused, letting that sink in.

"And then there are the truly creative ones who find innovative ways to share their thought processes with their classmates."

The silence stretched for several seconds. Both students maintained their expressions of innocent confusion, but Adom could practically see them sweating.

"Gentlemen," he said finally, his voice still pleasant but carrying a note of finality. "I think we all know what's happening here. Why don't you save us all some time and show me how you're doing it?"

Another moment of silence. Then Marcus's shoulders sagged slightly.

"Show you what, exactly?" Thomas tried one last time.

Adom simply waited, his expression patient but expectant.

Marcus sighed and reached up to his ear. With reluctance, he tugged out what appeared to be a tiny piece of copper wire, so fine it was almost invisible. Following the wire led Adom's gaze to a small device tucked discretely under the edge of Marcus's pocket.

"A communication crystal," Adom observed, genuinely impressed as he picked up the device. "But modified. This is... actually quite sophisticated work."

The crystal had been altered to interface with what appeared to be a network of incredibly fine copper threading. The wire Marcus had pulled from his ear was part of an elegant little system that would allow whispered communication between the two students while appearing completely natural.

"Did you two design this yourselves?"

Marcus and Thomas exchanged another glance, then nodded reluctantly.

"We had some help," Thomas admitted quietly. "With the theoretical framework."

"Oh? From whom?"

"Vivi helped us understand how to modify the resonance frequency," Marcus said, then immediately looked stricken. "But she didn't know we were going to use it for this! She thought we were just working on a communication project for practical applications."

Adom glanced over at Vivian's desk. The girl had gone very pale and was staring at them with horror, clearly realizing her innocent academic assistance had been repurposed for academic dishonesty.

"I see." Adom turned the device over in his hands, admiring the craftsmanship. "This is remarkably well-executed, actually. The frequency modulation alone would have required some serious theoretical work."

He looked back at the two students, who were watching him with expressions of resigned dread.

"This is your first and only warning," he said, his tone shifting to something more serious. "But I have to say, the ingenuity you've displayed here suggests you're both considerably more capable than your exam performance would indicate."

Marcus blinked. "Sir?"

"You designed a functional communication system using modified crystalline resonance and micro-threading. That requires understanding of advanced magical theory, materials engineering, and practical application principles." Adom placed the device on Marcus's desk. "If you can do that, you certainly don't need to cheat on a runicology exam."

"But it's hard," Thomas said, the words slipping out before he could stop them.

"Then pay a little more attention in class," Adom replied dryly. "I promise the material will make much more sense if you're actually listening instead of planning your next technological innovation."

Both students looked appropriately chastened.

"Now then," Adom continued, "I suggest you finish your exam using the considerable knowledge you clearly possess. And next time you want to work on communication systems, perhaps consider making it an official project rather than a covert operation."

He walked back to his desk, leaving the two would-be conspirators to stare at their papers and contemplate how they'd just been simultaneously scolded and complimented.

As Adom settled back into his chair, a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. The future did look bright with students this clever running around. Not quite principled yet, perhaps, but brilliance was brilliance. In his experience, ethics could be taught. Raw intelligence was something you either had or didn't.

This was exactly what he wanted to preserve. Young minds pushing boundaries, finding creative solutions, refusing to accept limitations. If he didn't move forward with enough resolve, if he didn't handle the threats coming his way properly, most of these kids wouldn't make it to twenty-five. Wouldn't reach their full potential. Just like what had happened in his previous life.

He glanced over at Marcus, who was now genuinely working on his exam. Their eyes met across the room.

Adom winked.

Marcus's face flushed slightly, but he managed a small, sheepish smile before ducking his head back to his paper. Adom chuckled quietly to himself.

An hour later, the scratching of quills had finally stopped.

"Time," Adom announced.

Students began standing and stretching, the tension of exam concentration slowly bleeding out of the room. They formed a loose line to turn in their papers, some looking confident, others wearing expressions of resigned uncertainty.

Eren was among the first to approach the desk.

"That was so easy," he said, dropping his paper onto the pile with confidence.

Adom laughed. "I'll make it harder next time."

"Give it your all then," Eren replied with a grin before heading for the door.

The rest of the students followed in their usual patterns. One practically bounced up to the desk, chattering about how much she'd enjoyed the theoretical questions. Another slouched forward looking like he'd rather be anywhere else, mumbling something about runes being unnecessarily complicated. And another asked three different questions about whether his handwriting was legible enough, despite Adom's repeated assurances that it was fine.

Marcus and Thomas approached together, both still looking slightly shell-shocked from their earlier encounter. They placed their papers down without making eye contact and hurried toward the exit.

"Gentlemen," Adom called after them.

They froze.

"Good work on the exam. Both of you." He paused, tapping his fingers on the desk. "Though I should mention, since I only caught you cheating on question four, I'll be giving you zero points for that particular answer. For fairness's sake."

Marcus winced visibly.

"The rest of your work appears to be your own, so you'll be graded normally on everything else."

Their relief was visible as they practically fled the classroom.

Vivian was the last to approach his desk. She'd taken extra time organizing her materials with typical precision, but Adom suspected she was also working up the courage for something.

She placed her paper on the pile with careful deliberation, then immediately launched into what sounded like a rehearsed speech.

"Professor, I want to apologize profusely for my involvement in what happened today. I had no idea Marcus and Thomas intended to use the communication system for academic dishonesty. I thought it was purely for practical applications and research purposes. I would never knowingly assist in cheating, and I understand if this affects your opinion of my character, but I wanted you to know that it was completely unintentional and—"

"Vivian," Adom interrupted gently. "It's nothing. Don't sweat it."

She blinked, looking surprised by his calm response.

"You helped two classmates with a legitimate academic project. What they chose to do with that knowledge afterward isn't your responsibility." He smiled. "Besides, the theoretical work you did was actually quite impressive. Modified resonance frequencies aren't exactly introductory material."

Her shoulders relaxed slightly, but she still looked worried.

"My mother would like to meet with you again soon," she said, the words coming out in a rush like she was afraid she'd lose her nerve.

"Ah." Adom leaned back in his chair, pleased. "When?"

"Next Tuesday afternoon, if you're available. Around two o'clock?"

"I'll be in my office. She can come by anytime."

Vivian nodded, looking relieved. "Thank you, Professor. For everything."

She gathered her bag and headed for the door, pausing briefly at the threshold.

"The exam really was well-designed," she added quietly. "The questions made you think about practical applications, not just theory."

Then she was gone, leaving Adom alone with a stack of papers and the lingering satisfaction of a day well spent.

Adom gathered the exam papers and slipped them into his [Inventory]. The classroom felt oddly quiet now, the lingering energy of student concentration finally dissipating.

He locked the door behind him and headed home through the familiar streets of Arkhos. The late afternoon sun cast long shadows between the buildings, and the usual bustle of the city was beginning to wind down into evening rhythms.

On his way, he stopped at Meren's bakery first. The bell above the door chimed as he entered, and the warm smell of fresh bread and sugar immediately surrounded him.

"Something special today?" Meren asked, noting his thoughtful expression as he studied the display cases.

"Chocolate pastries for Ada," Adom said, pointing to an assortment of cream-filled delights. "Those ones with the white cream, and maybe one with that citrus zing she tried last week."

Meren packed them carefully in a small box, adding an extra chocolate tart without being asked.

From there, he walked a few blocks to Old Mary's. The familiar smell of savory pies and roasted meat greeted him as he approached the counter. It wasn't Mary herself today, but one of her newer employees—a young woman with flour-dusted apron who looked up as he entered.

A gust of wind from the open door nearly knocked his pointed hat clean off his head. He caught it just in time, but not before the employee got a clear look at his face.

Her eyes widened. "Oh! You're—" She glanced around quickly, then leaned forward. "Half a dozen meat pies, right? The ones with extra seasoning?"

"That's right," Adom said, settling his hat back properly.

She bustled around behind the counter, selecting the best pies from the warming rack. When she brought them to the counter, she waved away his coin purse.

"No charge."

"I beg your pardon?"

"It's Old Mary's new policy," the woman said firmly. "The Ghost of Xerkes doesn't pay here. She was very specific about that."

Adom blinked, surprised. "She has a policy about me specifically?"

"As of last week, yes sir. Said anyone who's keeping the city safe deserves a hot meal when they want one."

For a moment, Adom didn't know what to say. Then he smiled, accepting the wrapped pies with a small nod. "Please give her my thanks."

"Will do, magus."

He made his way home with the warm packages, anticipating the chaos that would undoubtedly greet him. The house came into view, looking peaceful and ordinary despite the layers of protective wards humming invisibly around it.

He opened the front door.

"I'm home!"

Immediately, he heard muffled giggles and what sounded like frantic whispering coming from somewhere deeper in the house. The sounds of people trying very hard to be quiet and failing spectacularly at it.

Adom paused in the entryway, smiling. Ada and Bennu were clearly up to something.

"Shh! Shh!" came Ada's voice. "He'll notice if you keep making noise!"

"I am being quiet," Bennu's voice replied, though it carried easily through the house. "You are the one talking."

"I'm whispering!"

"That is not whispering."

Adom cleared his throat. "I can hear you both, you know."

A moment of absolute silence. Then Ada's voice again, filled with barely contained excitement: "It's a surprise! An amazing surprise!"

"A surprise?" Adom called back, setting the bakery packages on the hall table.

"Yes!" Ada practically shouted. "But we're playing hide and seek too, so you have to find us first!"

Before Adom could respond, Zuni emerged from the sitting room.

They are in the kitchen, beneath the table, Zuni's voice spoke directly into Adom's mind. They have a surprise for you.

"What kind of surprise?" Adom asked aloud, amused by the whole production.

The most wonderful kind, Zuni replied mentally. They have been practicing for some time now. The house has been rather... energetic today.

Adom chuckled. "Well, there's no need to even go looking for them. I brought chocolate pastries and meat pies."

Even Zuni perked up at that, his small ears twitching with interest.

The effect on the hidden pair was immediate. Adom heard the unmistakable sound of rapid footsteps—Ada's light pattering mixed with something heavier and more uncertain.

Ada appeared first, bursting around the corner at full speed with her arms spread wide.

"Brother!"

She launched herself at him and Adom swept her up and immediately weaved [Levitation], sending her floating gently through the air in lazy circles.

Ada shrieked with delight, her laughter filling the hallway as she spun slowly near the ceiling. "Higher! Higher!"

"In a moment," Adom said, still listening for Bennu's approach. The footsteps had continued but were strangely uneven, accompanied by what sounded like someone having difficulty with their balance.

Then came the unmistakable thud of someone falling.

Adom gently lowered Ada back to the ground. "Bennu? Are you alright? Why did you fall?"

"Walking with only two legs is much harder than it appears," came Bennu's voice from the kitchen, slightly muffled and distinctly embarrassed. "Humans make it look so simple, but the balance is completely different."

Two legs? Adom blinked in confusion.

A moment later, Bennu appeared around the corner, and Adom's breath caught.

It was definitely Bennu, he could sense that familiar magical signature. But instead of the magnificent phoenix Adom was used to, a small boy stood before him. Maybe 12 or 13 years old in appearance, with caramel-colored skin that almost exactly matched Adom's own, the same bright blue eyes, and a cascade of dark curly hair that fell to his shoulders. He was wearing one of Adom's old tunics, which was slightly too big for his new form.

"SURPRISE!" Ada shouted, throwing her arms up in the air and bouncing on her toes. "Bennu learned how to be a people!"