Davis pulled his arms back and folded before he suppressed his hard-on with his mental resilience.
Immeth Alstreim had praised him to the heavens right over his ear, and it wasn’t an exaggeration to say that it had actually turned him on, wanting to take her then and there! However, there were innumerable mental blockades in his mind, with the most conspicuous one being this woman on the list to kill.
How could he have relations with a woman he was going to kill? That went against his ideals and way of life.
Nevertheless, he took this farce as an interview. He was the interviewer, and the interviewee answered his questions. He was able to maintain his sanity instead of giving in to his lust because his eyes were focused on those threads that connected them.
The karma thread was full of grey and yellow. Not even a bit of blue or red could be seen. This clearly said to him that there wasn’t any kind of true praise for him but was said to make use of his seed. From the beginning, it was clear that she wanted to make use of him for something.
Yes, he had also used Misdirection to make her want to explore her feelings, but the words she said may not be all truthful as he could only manipulate her to indirectly do something but not directly control her.
Nevertheless, his action of pushing her away didn’t seem to deject her at all! She once again sat over his lap despite being showered by his cold expression that was filled with a type of warning that would’ve usually caused a person to freeze in their tracks.
Immeth Alstreim didn’t touch him, but she bit her lips in a piteous manner before she spoke, "My pure body is for yours to enjoy, and all you have to do is nod. If you like, you can make me your woman right her-"
"And here I was wondering why you submitted the papers and went in sooner... It turns out that you want to seduce Alchemist Davis..." Dalila Leehan walked in, her voice echoing in both directions before the door closed.
Immeth Alstreim’s expression became somber. She didn’t even detect the sound of the door opening as she was concentrated on Alchemist Davis.
She stood up from Alchemist Davis’s lap and greeted her with respect before displaying an attitude as her eyes flashed with hostility, "Announcing my personal matter to the whole world is a bit inappropriate, don’t you think?"
"I think that disparaging the test’s authenticity by abandoning to do this makes it your actions more inappropriate."
Dalila Leehan kept walking towards them as she sneered.
"I wonder, what do you think of alchemy? I don’t know what your answer is but a person like you is not allowed to disparage the sacredness of alchemy in front of me!"
"Move!" Dalila Leehan shoved Immeth Alstreim to the side with a wave of her hand without stopping. She finally stood in front of Davis, her eyes becoming stricken with both confusion and disappointment.
"I don’t know what answers you submitted, but if you get more than ninety points, I’ll respect you! On the other hand, if you’re like this irresponsible woman over here, treating this test as entertainment to just posture, I’ll never forgive you..." Dalila Leehan’s expression became cold as she stared for a few seconds.
But without saying anything else, she left towards another seat.
Davis looked at her in amusement, but he could see that her feelings towards Alchemy were passionate as it could get despite her being a judgmental individual. He further mused that she was not a bad character, but likewise, there was much more that he had not seen about her to make a contrast.
Meanwhile, Immeth Alstreim’s expression was indifferent after being pushed off. She was facing the other side, but there was an imperceptible smile that hung on her face for a long time before she distanced herself and sat on another unoccupied couch.
Davis noticed this raging yet serene emotions from her before she left his Heart Intent’s range, and it made him completely astonished! Surprisingly, she was able to endure the humiliation despite the immense hatred and rage she felt for Dalila Leehan without going insane.
He narrowed his eyes, musing that she could be problematic than he thought she could be. He made a mental note on his mind to monitor her when he got the chance.
After an hour passed, participants gradually started to enter the Waiting Hall one by one. The first to enter was Claudius Alstreim, who flashed a smile at him for obvious reasons before looking at Immeth Alstreim, only to instantly get a chill on his back from a deathly stare. The second was Sophie Alstreim, followed by Augustus Alstreim.
People kept coming in, but no one moved to talk with the others unless they were close. The test reached the time limit, and the door automatically opened for them to exit the Waiting Hall. They all returned as what awaited them was around hundreds of participants possessing aggrieved expressions on their faces.
They all looked as if they were about to cry as they were already sobbing in sorrow.
Belias Alstreim had already finished collecting the answer sheets, and the Grand Elders and Elders were already in the process of reviewing the answers. They were too fast as they were using their soul force to review the answers, making it so that they had finished marking, cross-reviewing with their peers, and grading the hundreds of answers sheets in a few minutes.
Princess Isabella patiently waited the whole three hours while occasionally giving a comment on a few people, asking doubts while clarifying some doubtful questions she had about alchemy. She now stayed quiet, looking around before her gaze fell on Davis before it fell on Immeth Alstreim for a brief moment.
At this moment, Belias Alstreim collected the results from Grand Elder Lloyd Alstreim and stood in front of the stage, looking at the multitude of people waiting for his voice to echo out. He felt a bit proud to be in the limelight before he cast a look at the result.
"For the results of the first round, I’d like to announce that out of the three hundred and eighty-four participants; only ninety-six had passed out of which only fifty-six will proceed to the next round..."
Belias Alstreim proceeded to say the names of those ninety-six participants in descending order. The people who heard their names cheered out loud like they had achieved something grand!
Davis wasn’t confused by their elation.
Passing the first round with twenty points can itself be used for bragging in front of countless people who are not alchemists. It gives them status and value to their names after all, especially when this test is considered difficult than usual. This Alchemy Exchange would be perhaps discussed by the ordinary citizens of the next few years by the Alstreim Family, making them more renowned than their peers who failed in this exam.
After the announcement of the forty people who barely passed the test, Belias Alstreim moved on to the people who were had the qualifications to move to the next round. He announced the name by ranking.
"Fifty-sixth position..."
"..."
"Twenty third position, Immeth Alstreim passed with fifty-seven points!"
"..."
"Seventh place... Claudius Alstreim passed with seventy-two points."
"Fourth place, Augustus Alstreim passed with seventy-eight points."
"Third place, Sophie Alstreim passed with eighty points!"
Belias Alstreim suddenly stopped as he raised his head and smiled, his gaze lingering on Dalila Leehan before it landed on Alchemist Davis!