Andreas stood up first since he was at the end of the row. We followed him, single file, and stood in front of the professor’s table. He looked an Andreas first.

“I scanned over your answers as the rest of the class were leaving,” he told him. “I commend you for having a perfect score in spite of coming in late.”

“Thank you professor,” Andreas respectfully said with a slight bow.

“I also unintentionally saw your test papers,” he said, looking at my friends and I. “I’m surprised that you all got perfect scores as well!”

Cat beamed with a big smile on his bumpy face while Arman stood noticeably taller.

“I’m also surprised that Patrick answered two test papers, while Cathan’s paper seems to be missing.”

Cat’s mouth turned into an O.

The professor placed two sets of test papers on his table. Both had the name ‘Patrick’ written on top, yet were written in a different hand.

One was in neat, eligible script, while the other was in block writing.

I noticed Arman slap himself on the forehead with his palm. Elliot turned to the left and bit on his knuckles to stop himself from laughing.

“Oh!” Cat gasped, his hands over his mouth. “I’m so sorry, I guess I forgot to write my name!”

“No, that’s not the problem here, actually,” I mumbled.

“I also checked the practical questions and noticed that all three papers of Arman, Patrick and Patrick the second are the same – word for word.”

Arman looked away.

“Andreas and Elliot may leave,” the professor said after a sigh. “You three shall stay and retake the exam.”

“I’m so sorry, we didn’t mean to get you in trouble, Pat!” Cat said to me, then faced the professor. “It was only Arman and me, professor, Pat didn’t cheat, so you can just punish us instead!”

“That’s right, professor,” said Arman looking down. “Only Cat and I should stay to retake the test.”

“Patrick allowed you to copy his work, so he is as much to blame as you two are,” said the professor. “Now take a seat apart from each other on the first row. I’ll be giving you a different test this time.”

“Okay, professor,” Cat said morosely.

“I’m sorry for the trouble, professor,” I said before I took a seat.

“Hmph. If you’re really sorry, then you shouldn’t have done it in the first place,” he told me. “You of all people, should know that coaching during an exam is considered cheating.”

“It is?” My eyebrows rose up.

The professor stared at me, so did my friends.

“Has no one ever told you that before?” the professor asked me.

“I believe helping my friends out was the right thing to do,” I answered after thinking for a while. “Though letting them copy all my answers word for word, as you pointed out, was quite ill mannered... I should have told them to write it in their own words instead.”

“I don’t think you understand the meaning of this exam, Patrick,” the professor frowned at me.

“I do beg your pardon,” I replied with another bow. “This is the first time I was asked to answer one.”

“Really?” Cat asked me wide-eyed.

“Have you never been given exams by your tutor? Or by your governess, perhaps?” asked Andreas who seems to be with us still.

“I was never given a tutor,” I replied. “I was taught by my mother how to read and write until I was seven, then she decided to leave me with the servants. I don’t believe they knew how to read, nor write.”

“Are you saying that this is your first time having a proper educational?” Prof. Novil asked again.

“Yes, professor, and for that, I deeply apologize if I did anything to offend you.”

I felt Elliot pat my right arm. I faced him and saw a sympathetic look on his face. Arman and Cat did the same. They even hugged me tightly.

“Never the less, I still want the three of you to answer the test again,” the professor said with another sigh, “and you two,” he addressed Elliot and Andreas, “didn’t I tell you to leave?”

“I-I’ll see you tomorrow then, professor!” said Andreas who hurried out of the room.

“Can I stay and wait for my friends, professor?” asked Elliot.

“But aren’t you hungry?” Cat asked him.

“I can just eat a snack to keep my sugar levels stable,” he grinned at us.

“Do as you wish,” replied the professor.

I finished the new test papers ten minutes later.

“All done, professor,” I handed it to Prof. Novil who looked at it at once.

“Mm...” his eyes simply passed over the three pages. “Good, you got a perfect score again.”

“Thank you!” I said with a smile. “Both exams were very entertaining, I look forward for more.”

“Augh...” I heard Arman moan as he slouched over his papers.

“You’ve now got 20 minutes to go,” Prof. Novil announced while biting on a piece of minced pie, courtesy of Elliot’s dimensional pouch.

“Hey Pat, come here and eat something!” he called to me. “You must be famished, I know I am.”

“I’m hungry too...” wailed Cat with a mournful look on his face.

“After you finish your exam,” said Prof. Novil. “And stop drawing on your test papers!”

“What if I can’t think of anything more to write?” groaned Arman.

“You can do it. I believe in you.” The professor cheered for them flatly, popping another morsel in his mouth. “I only gave you 30 minutes this time. Give it another try.”

But 20 minutes later and both had not added another answer to their test paper. Just some more squiggles in Cat’s part.

“Okay, you may pass your papers.”

“At long last!” said Arman exasperatedly which earned him a glare from the professor.

“Now that we’re done with the exam...”

“What there’s more?” Cat asked in horror.

“No. I merely want to ask you how you fooled the seniors with the burn marks on your face,” he said, looking at Arman.

“Oh! That...” Arman slightly looked at my direction. “I-it was a prop I brought from home!” he answered. “I knew how badly pretty boys are being treated here, so I decided to use a mask to save myself from being molested.”

“A mask?” the professor asked again. “Was it merely a mask?”

“O-of course, professor!”

“Then can I see this mask you used?”

“H-huh?” Arman seemed to have been caught. He looked at us frantically, lost for words.

“It was a magical mask, professor,” I interjected. “It could only be used for some time before it disappears.”

“That’s right!” said Elliot, cutting in. “Arman’s family is in the apothecary business, and it’s one of their special secret products.”

“That’s right!” Cat said with a nod.

“Y-yes, a magical mask for limited use,” Arman said nervously, “and it reached it’s limit when I tore it off earlier!”

“Is that so?” said the professor with a nod.

“Yes, that’s correct!” Arman insisted, while the rest of us nodded back at the professor.

“And I guess you are aware that citizens below the age of 18 are not allowed to learn and practice magic in campus?”

The four of us looked at each other with alarm.

“I-it was a ready spell!” I piped in. “Arman bought it ready made and simply had to use it!”

“That’s right, as the son of a merchant, I myself, had seen and used such magical spells and devices, like my dimensional pouch, for example. It isn’t illegal to use such things, right, professor?” said Elliot.

“That’s right! That’s right!” Cat followed suit.

“Then, can I see a sample of this so called ‘Magic Mask’ you brought from your apothecary?”

Arman went pale.

We were caught in a web of the professor’s weaving, and were getting stuck in worst as we struggle to break loose.

“Don’t you have one more spell in your room?” I faced Arman and gave him a conspiratorial wink.”

“Ah, yes, I do have one more, last piece in my room...” he looked back at the professor. “I will show it to you tomorrow, professor!”

“Okay then, I will look forward to it,” Prof. Novil said with a sly smile.

The four of us gave a sigh of relief.

“You are free to leave now.”

We almost jumped when he spoke again.

“I shall see you tomorrow with this ‘Magic Mask’. You are all dismissed.”