Petty Zane

"As you all know, the Royal Academy for Mages is to ensure that all awakened learn and understand their responsibilities in being able to wield mana, and to train them so that when they go back out into the world, they will use their magic ethically and intelligently." 

As Zane listened to Leo speak about magic and responsibility, the images of 6 boys that recently passed away came to mind. Zane snorted at the thought.

"Which means that if you fail the entrance test, you have two options. The first is to live your life as normal without further exploring your magic. The second is to seal your magic completely to ensure you aren't a threat to others."

Leo noticed the crowd became nervous at the possibility of their magic being sealed. He waved his arms to calm them down.

"Everyone, relax. We only seal someone's magic in extreme situations. Besides, even if you fail this one, you can always try again in the future!"

After reassuring everyone, Leo tapped his staff on the ground. On the table in front of everyone, a test paper appeared alongside a pen.

"We will now begin the first test. In front of you should be a pen and paper." He listened to the murmurs of confirmation. "You all have half an hour to look at the diagrams provided for each item and identify what spell they represent."

"This is easy." Zane mumbled, but many didn't agree with him. Some even complained aloud to Leo.

"All of you, take it easy. This test is more to grasp your individual familiarity with spells and the like. The only tests that will actually affect your chances of getting in are the next ones. You may now start."

Zane picked up his pen and began writing. He gave the correct spells for about 4 diagrams before he realized he messed up. Crossing them out, he realized that anyone could see that he simply erased the correct answers.

'Gotta act dumber.'

To fix his mistake, Zane quickly thought of a plan that involved multiple spells. He looked a few rows away to see the boy that wiped his shoulder after bumping into him. Zane grinned as he chose that guy to be his target.

'Hide Aura, Conceal.'

Zane cast a spell to make his spellbook invisible, which started to float beneath the table. He also cast Hide Aura to remove any trace of mana from his spellbook while he was casting spells.

Normally, if anyone else tried to cast these types of spells, a Master Mage such as Leo would immediately be able to detect it, but unfortunately for Leo, the one casting these spells was Zane Syne, a genius that didn't even know the bounds of his own strength.

Zane himself didn't worry about being caught. He had full confidence in his abilities. That month of training showed him just how talented he really was. Besides, he literally just got away with murder. What's a little academic dishonesty? (even though he's not cheating to get the right answers).

His spellbook ready, Zane began to doodle and write profanities all over his paper. He even made sure to poke a few holes in it with the pen. When he was done, he cast another spell.

'Switch!'

Zane's test paper vanished, being replaced with a completely different test paper belonging to someone else, one with only a few items answered so far. A few rows away, a boy was shocked to see his test paper disappear, only to have a paper covered in drawings, holes, and curses appear in its place.

"Huh?!"

"What was that?" 

On stage, Leo sensed magic being used on one of the tables. He followed the trail, arriving at a table with a flabbergasted boy, and a half-destroyed test paper with obscenities written on it. 

"Cheating spell didn't work out so well, did it?" Leo crossed his arms, giving the boy a cold look. "Really messed up your test paper."

"Sir Leo! Wait, I swear this isn't mine-!" 

The boy didn't get the chance to finish explaining himself, as Leo tapped his staff on the floor, making the boy disappear along with his test paper and pen.

Outside the gates to the academy, the boy reappeared, landing on his butt in the middle of the road. 

"No! Please, I have to explain it to him!" 

The boy tried to run back inside, but two mean looking guards blocked his path.

"You have failed the exam and have been ejected from the premises. You must now leave." The first guard said, giving the boy a hard stare, making him gulp.

"B-But I didn't…"

"There's always next year, kid." The second guard said, gesturing in the opposite direction with his neck. 

Unable to do anything, the boy walked away from the academy, heartbroken. Meanwhile, on the inside…

'Hahahahaha! Holy shit, that was hilarious.' 

Zane was snickering like crazy, covering his mouth with his hands. He nearly failed to control himself, but a quick look from Leo made him stop and clear his throat, focusing on his new paper.

'Damn, I don't even have to change his answers.' Zane thought, seeing the boy's answers. 'He's pretty stupid.'

Returning to the stage, Leo sighed, once again amplifying his voice using a spell.

"Look guys, I know I said this test wasn't going to affect your chances of getting in, but a test is still a test. Here at the academy, we value honesty. As you saw with that unfortunate guy, if I catch you cheating, you immediately fail the exam and will be teleported out. Am I understood?" 

"Yes, Sir Leo!" The crowd of test-takers responded.

'Right, now let's get all of these wrong, save for a few…' Zane filled in his paper. 'Oh hey, this one isn't a real spell. Trick question.'

"Man, some people…" On the other side of the room, Lanius answered his paper, his face deep in a frown. Next to him, Lisa had her head down, having finished her test in the first ten minutes.

"Least he could have done is not get caught." Lisa said, her voice muffled from being buried in her arms.

Lanius snorted. "Or not cheat at all. I hate those kinds of people." 

"Mmm."