Coming out of the room, Hilia immediately asked Alina, "Ms. Alina, can I know the other candidates’ scores?"

She didn’t dare ask inside, afraid it would affect her evaluation.

Since she scored high, she definitely wanted to know how everyone else did.

Alina knew what Hilia was thinking and smiled, "You can’t know yet. Once the annual assessment is over, you’ll find out."

"Oh, alright then."

The end-of-year exam for first-years wasn’t far away now.

Hilia could only put her curiosity aside and follow Alina back to the academy.

...

After she left, the five Holy Court leaders who handed out the annual evaluations also relaxed their airs, sitting around, discussing the experiences of the five candidates in hand.

Vasily was the first to ask, "Which one of these five do you all think has the best chance of making it to the end?"

The Holy Daughter Anna looked down at the files. "It’s hard to say. Hilia’s recent actions were impressive, but too risky. A Holy Daughter shouldn’t be doing such dangerous things. If even the Holy Daughter needs to take such risks, what are the Knight Orders for?"

Vasily got agitated on the spot. "Come on, can’t you just evaluate properly? Why are you taking shots at the Knight Orders?"

"Can your Oath and Law Knight Order go wherever Hilia goes and find proof of clergy breaking the code every time?"

Vasily was stumped.

Anna turned to Ms Meilina, who’d been silent on the side.

"Meilina, can your Law Enforcement Knight Order wipe out a major Heretic Base every time they’re deployed?"

"No." Meilina replied bluntly.

Unlike Anna, who was bathed in golden light, she looked very humble and rather plain, her face weathered and weary.

"But as you said, maybe Hilia isn’t the most suitable Holy Daughter. Her penchant for risk-taking makes her perfect for my Law Enforcement Knight Order—she could take my place in the future."

This was high praise—an ordinary clergy would likely be overjoyed.

But everyone present looked odd at Meilina’s words.

It’s just the beginning—are you already trying to poach people?

Anna complained, "Why send her to the Knight Order? Hilia can handle the Holy Daughter’s role in other ways too. It’s always just fighting and killing, but I haven’t seen you wipe out all the sects yet."

Meilina: "..."

The Holy Master said, "Hilia’s performance really stood out—she took first by relying on Rune Transformation.

"The others did well too. Benovia from the Royal Family isn’t very competitive, but she’s finished all her studies at the academy;

"Doris from the Lorin Family conquered an ancient ruin and brought back lost relics;

"Phil of the Pharos Family already finished the Holy Priest assessment and became a Holy Priest. She can now purify deep contamination on her own and has earned some reputation;

"The last, Encore, is obsessed with potion research. She’s already provided the Holy Court with two brand new potions—her goal is to make one that can neutralize the Divine Realm’s influence and work at full strength even there."

The Holy Master closed the files. "Every candidate has their own strengths, and they’ve all advanced to Tier Two, and have cultivated Holy Word Skill to the highest level possible for this tier. Hilia was the first to make a breakthrough in her specialty, but the others are close behind."

He looked at everyone. "Given this situation, how do you suggest we choose?"

Silence fell on the group.

Finally Meilina said quietly, "No matter what, there can only be one Holy Daughter, but the Holy Court needs more than one kind of talent. As for who to choose, it’ll depend on the decision of the Round Table—whoever we need to represent the Holy Court’s image as Holy Daughter."

Anna nodded. "Right. If the finalists are neck-and-neck, we’ll have to base our decision on the Holy Court’s future direction.

"There, Hilia has an edge—her talent in runes could revolutionize Magic Puppets. If the Holy Court wants to excel in runes, choose her; if we want ancient knowledge, Doris; if we want to purify the world, Phil; if we want to prioritize potion research, Encore; if we want a knowledgeable, well-rounded Holy Daughter, Benovia."

Blake said, "We can’t be so hasty—the Holy Daughter isn’t just about the Holy Court’s strategic goals, she also represents God, giving believers faith and hope at critical moments."

The four argued their various opinions, until the silent Holy Master suddenly spoke. "And what if the Holy Court’s next direction is to reclaim direct control over the rebel Four Great Empires?"

Everyone immediately fell silent.

The Holy Master said calmly, "It’s too early to discuss this. The debate on the selection of Holy Daughter ends here. Blake, after the Deep Sea Mutual Aid Association’s summoning failed, they laid low for a while, but recently they’ve become active again. Perhaps they’ve gained something; you need to keep an eye on them."

Blake nodded immediately. "Understood, I’ll focus on the Mutual Aid Association."

"Vasily, about the Divine Halls in the towns lately..."

...

Back at school, Hilia plunged herself back into the ocean of knowledge.

"Only three days left before the exam, I’ll cram as much as I can!"

Rose saw how desperate Hilia looked and laughed. "Three days won’t make a difference. At Magic School, power and rank speak loudest. Written knowledge only counts for a small proportion; don’t get too hung up on it."

"That may be, but I still want to crush the other candidates with high marks."

Rose shook her head with a smile. "If you can even score a bit higher than them, that’s already impressive—you’re not going to crush anyone."

"Don’t underestimate me. I’ve got a great memory!"

Rose said nothing.

Better not let Hilia know about Benovia’s frightening memory, or she’ll take a real hit.

"I wonder how the other candidates are handling these weird elective classes. I just ran into Benovia, she didn’t seem worried at all..."

Hilia mumbled.

"Maybe she’s already finished them."

"Maybe. We’ll find out in two days."

...

Time slipped by quietly.

The day before the year-end exam, Alina handed out the test schedule and exam process to all students.

"You’re first-years, so you’re not familiar with the Divine Magic Academy’s test procedures. On the first day, you’ll finish all written exams—including Holy Word, Magic Puppet Theory, Magic Theory, Mage Behavior Code, etc.

"The second day is the practical exam, which tests your overall strength. Since you’re first-years, you won’t do group battles; instead, you’ll face off against a teacher’s Magic Puppet to assess your current abilities.

"The third day is for specialty exams, where you’ll do practical assessments based on your chosen electives—like Potions, Array, Scrolls, Magic Puppet Engraving, and so on..."