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Chapter 16: Sparring Test

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Releasing the rope, the red girl’s feet reached the land.

She did not rush, did not stress out. She was making the course seemed too easy.

“Athea Rhemon. First place, 4 minutes, 36 seconds!”

It was the last line.

A moment later, the last three candidates reached the finishing line.

The obstacle course was over.

It was a long day, now it was well past noon.

“Well done.”

Krone greeted her over. She simply nodded.

‘Not a talkative type, but it’s alright.’

Krone preferred it that way. It would make it less tiring. After the twins had their treatment and changed clothes, he had to give them some explanation regarding the Grandia Conflict.

“My source suggests it was the Union of Lords, supporting the rebels in Grandia Kingdom.”

“Wa? The Union?”

He made it vague, but interesting enough for them. He pinned the entire fault on their dreadful enemy.

Take that!

Hmph!

It was the truth, but he knew that the hatred that was bred there was partly the Imperial government’s fault. Specifically, the previous administration's fault.

“Twenty years ago, there was too much corruption in our country… Only after the current Supreme Guardian took power, the whole things settle down. In Grandia however, the Union used the momentum of hatred for their benefit.”

He did mention this to the twins, but only in a passing. Ninety-nine percent of his explanation pinned all the blame on the Union.

‘Biased? The hell cares? Hmph! Who told you to come to our house and rouse our people, even spreading stupid religious teaching; even saying it’s from God? Damn you! I’ll let these two cuties hate you so much they’ll believe your blood’s blue!’

The Union was cunning.

They actually took lead of the religious sentiment there, and instilled extremist view into the populace, especially young people. The process took many years. They plant the seeds and cultivated them slowly and silently for many years.

They were patient enough.

“For many years, they planned the whole thing.”

Pinning all the blame on them, he was being childish, but he actually knew when to stop. It was just a chance he used in order to vent his anger.

“Don’t misunderstand. It’s the wish of their government, not their people.”

He explained to them it was the Union's government, not people who were at fault. The people, as per usual, were not notified or made aware of things happening around the world.

Even in their government, there were bound to be good people.

Even in Kharlussian government, there were bound to be bad people.

He, someone from Kharlussia, still had to admit that.

After explaining, he pondered when to let the twins know what he really know.

‘Not yet…’

He avoided from explaining why so many people from Kharlussian Army went missing that fated event, three years ago. As far as the twins were concerned; the many that went missing was only news. The fate that befell their father was a hundred, a thousand times more important.

He did not feed them too much information.

He did not wish to quench their thirst.

‘Just a little sip at a time.’

Soon enough, the candidates went into the large building next to the square. They had to go through a simple written test, with only an hour allocated time. Most of the questions were objectives questions, with only the last ten were subjective.

Krone gave tips to Doran, the twins, and Athea on the most difficult questions. He remembered only a few hard ones, so they were useful.

It was a test on personality, tendency and life’s goal anyway, so not much tips were needed. In addition, the one-hour time limit actually restricted the candidates from thinking too deeply on each question. Thus, they had to answer based on their truth, their conviction.

Lunch break.

It was actually a little late, but the meal was splendid, so the candidates were pleased. Many however were nervous. Before, they could very well see pages immediately marking their paper as soon as they handed them.

Pages were Apprentice Knights who had finished their three years intensive training in the academy, ranked directly below squires. They worked in the background along with the soldiers, making sure the whole preparation for the entire tests ran smoothly. Around fifty of them helped marked the objective questions, while the twenty-five academicians only marked the subjective ones.

They had to hand over the marks within the one-hour lunch time, so the rush was real. The result would be calculated into the first screening.

“The first screening… I heard last year, half failed.”

“Really? That’s a lot. Damn.”

“I feel like I answered very well, that should cover my mistake before?”

“You know, the written exam only filters dumb or crazy people.”

“Well, if you’re really brilliant, that could help your overall marks.”

The three tests; the mana evaluation, the obstacle course and written exam were called the first screening. It was the most dreaded screening, where the majority of the candidates were “thanked for their participation.”

To put it bluntly, they were kicked out.

The lunch break was held in a hall, more than enough for the five hundred candidates. However, only around half or so of them were there. Many candidates went out to meet their family members or guardians.

The tables were lined up. It was a buffet lunch, rather sumptuous for a reason.

Krone took a lot of fruits and vegetables, with a barbecued fish and little rice. He had just returned from meeting his sister, aunt, and uncle. They were invited to join Sir Medron, he was not. He was a candidate, so it made sense for him to have lunch with the others anyway. Plus, he knew very well why Medron wished to meet them.

Ha!

Take as much information as you want.

That will only confuse you, anyway.

He surveyed the hall, eyes searching. Doran was so easy to find, then he saw Athea; her red colour was screaming her presence. However, he did not see the twins.

‘Oh yeah, they go out to meet their mom.’

He gestured Doran over. He brought his meal with him; plate full of meat and bread. Together, they walked towards Athea, sitting alone in a corner. He saw a boy tried to approach her, but she glared at him.

He canceled his noble intent, glancing and turning away as if forgetting something.

‘Keh! So effective!’

Seeing this, Krone could only laugh.

“Oh yeah, it’s annoying to move away when you’re eating.”

“Huh, what do you mean, brother?”

“Nothing. Come, I’ll introduce you your sister.”

“Eh? Sister?”

When they came directly opposite of her, she raised her eyes again, as if they had offended her. Seeing her eyes; Doran startled, immediately taking refuge behind Krone.

Seeing it was Krone who approached her, her aggressive eyes turned docile.

“May we join?”

She nodded. They took seats across the table.

“Ah, yes. Athea, this one here is my little friend, Doran Ashwalt. Doran, this is my… um, distant relative, Athea Rhemon.”

Hearing him introducing her as such, she frowned, yet she did not object. She closed her eyes, took a slice of bread, silently chewing it. Doran blanked out, noticing this fierce girl just now, now seemed so docile.

Krone elbowed his stomach.

“Ugh? Why, oh! Err, I’m Doran Ashwalt. Nice to meet you?”

Hearing his awful introduction, she simply nodded.

“Well, I’m glad we’re all nice and warm with each other now. Let’s eat!”

He did not force her to speak. There was no need to. It took time for her to open up to anyone.

She had no problem speaking with someone older such as the evaluators, especially so when it was done professionally. For casual interaction, she had a problem.

It was as if she had been trained only for formal interaction, lacking informal one.

‘Not a problem. It’ll take time to fix her, but her potential is huge; it’ll be a worthwhile investment.’

During the meal, Krone asked Doran what Arte he had for the Arte Exhibition. The big boy told him he knew Ein Gard. He had only one Arte, but this pleased Krone enough.

‘At least he has a chance. I can’t teach him Arte in such a short time anyway. Well, even if he fails...’

After the meal, they went out together. They could see more candidates coming to the square as they came out.

The result would be announced shortly.

They waited.

Krone noticed the twins coming in. He took the group to greet them.

Since they already met Doran, he only introduced Athea to them.

“Athea, these are my friends, Thiana Arlance and Liliana Arlance. Thiana, Liliana, this is my distant relative, Athea Rhemon.”

Again, he shamelessly introduced her as such. She had the urge to punch him, but she held her fist back. In her mind, she soon thought that might be a fact.

“Nice to meet you, Athea. I’m Thiana.”

“Liliana here. Nice to meet you.”

“…Likewise.”

She uttered the one word. Then it turned silent.

Eerie silent.

Seeing it was a bit awkward, Krone laughed. He closed in to the twins, whispering.

“She’s a bit of a silent type. Please excuse her.”

“Oh, it’s okay.”

“Well, I’m like that too, so I don’t mind.”

Soon a group of pages brought out a whiteboard. With a brush and blue ink, they took turns writing down numbers. It started with single digit numbers first, then double digits, later triple digits. This was the number of order. As they were writing, a page brought in new numbers. This continued to happen throughout the writing process.

Krone noted the numbers. There were no names beside the numbers, but Krone noted all the candidates he had his eyes on passed. Among the numbers were 4, 43, 105, 114, 204, 219, 220, and 504.

As he expected, there was no problem for them passing the first screening. Most of the candidates who came in early passed.

“Brother, that’s my number there!”

“Sis, our number!”

“I’ve no doubt, lil’ sis.”

“…Hm.”

“Congrats, guys.”

Krone congratulated them. However, after number 504 was written, many candidates had a dejected look. Some frantically searched for their numbers. Soon, a knight came to the board, checking the numbers written with what he had with him.

There was no mistake. He nodded.

Among the five hundred four candidates, only two hundred sixty passed.

Almost half failed.

Sir Medron and the rest of the knights came out onto the platform beside the square. He said some good words to these children, actually motivating them to get better and come again next year. He thanked them for their participation today.

“If you wish to see the sparring test, you’re welcomed to stay until it ends.”

Another hidden meaning; after that test ended, scram!

Of course, that was impolite. Knights would never say that.

Before he ended his speech, he told them if they had any doubt why they failed; they can check their result with the panels of pages near the entrance.

“Just in case we make a mistake, you may go check it now.”

He kindly said so. Many rushed towards the entrance without having to say more.

“Candidates who passed, prepare for a sparring test. It will be done on this square. Arte Exhibition will be held after.”

As soon as he said so, soldiers came out with weapons and equipment. Ten wide circle pads were placed onto the square. The black pads acted as the sparring fields, also to absorb shock from the ground.

The weapons prepared were different kind of practice swords, spears and axes. They were light and blunt. They wished to observe battle skills, not to spill blood.

The equipment prepared was shields and armors. The armor was called “Life Armor”. It was an armor imbued with magic crystals, able to absorb some damage to act as an indication to end the sparring.

The preparation was done as though in a flash. This showcased the effectiveness of Kharlussian Army. After ten minutes, all were ready.

For the sparring, two knights went to each sparring field, acting as the judges. With rope surrounding these fields, the areas were called rings. The audience had to stay outside the rings.

With Medron leaving, Sir Kent took rein of the test.

“You may choose any weapons of your preference from our arsenal. I’ll explain to you the rules. It’s simple and short, so listen carefully.”

He explained the rules. Each candidate will be assigned with another as a sparring partner, and evaluation will be done in either three minutes or less. Less time would be when the judges decided they had seen enough.

Each of them would have to wear the Life Armor. During sparring, you were expected to only attack the armor, not other parts of the body. This would help prevent injuries and determined whether the attack was sufficient to cause defeat or not. However, as long as it was not an attack; tripping, touching, diverting or sealing your opponent’s movement were allowed.

“Do not use Arte; it’s unnecessary. If you prefer using magic and not weapon, use only up to two Korrs attack power. If you’re unsure how, go to the officers there. They’ll lend you a pair of Limit Gloves.”

He directed them to a new row of tables. Twelve people with stylish robe had just taken their seat. They were mages from the Aurenburg Magic Academy, aiding the test this one time. Some candidates already took notice of this, moving closer to them.

The mages gave him a signal, notifying him that they were ready.

“Those who use magic may take your Limit Gloves now. Remember to return it after the test.”

The pair of gloves was expensive, so not many candidates had one. It limited one’s magic output in exchange for stable mana pool; allowing you to count how many attacks you can deliver. The downside would be that it limited the magic power; thus the name Limit. For this test, the Limit Glove limited the power to only Two Korrs, the lowest power limit, usually used for training.

As for Korr, it was the measuring unit for magic power. One Korr magic assault could kill a small child, but two Korrs was only enough to knock down a candidate. The rules allowed for magic to be used, since some candidates were aiming to be a mage knight; a new branch of knight’s order devoting to frontline magic assault. Rather than weapons, they preferred using magic.

“Remember, do not seek to injure your opponent. This sparring is just a show of skills. That’s all I have to say. Any questions?”

There were some questions posed, and he answered them all quickly.

“Alright. If there’s no more, I wish good luck to all of you.”

With that, Kent ended his explanation.

Thus the candidates were instructed to go to their respective ring. For each ring, twenty-six candidates assembled.

Krone was on the fourth ring, just next to Athea’s tenth. The rings were placed in three lines; four in the middle, and three for each side.

As someone walked passed his back, he felt stinging sensation at the back of his neck.

The culprit then stood next to him, a little shorter.

It was a girl in long, purple tunic.

“Krone Kozak, was it?”

“Indeed. Julia S. Garde, was it?”

“Yes, a pleasure to meet you.”

“The pleasure’s mine.”

Afterward, they stood silent. However, just the fact that both of them stood side by side, justified attention. The crowd watched them; eyes moving, mouth murmuring.

Discussions were aplenty.

A judge came to Krone’s ring. A blonde, with a frame similar to him; it was Natalia.

Former candidates, over half did not left, had gathered at their preferred ring. Many who were not there joined their family on the grandstand, while some were alone in quiet corners.

In a few minutes, the whole place calmed down.

Satisfied, Sir Kent nodded.

“I’ll monitor for the fourth ring. Judges, you may start.”

Hearing this, sharp ones among the candidates understood.

Kent walked towards Krone’s ring. Natalia called out two candidates, and as soon as Kent arrived, they were prompted to start.

It was a sparring of youngsters, thus not much skills were shown. Krone’s interest was on those he had his eyes before. Further from him, the first ring already started their second sparring.

“Ryan Arclad. That emblem, I can’t recognize it.”

He etched Ryan’s family emblem into his memory, as well as into his book. It was a black-gold dragon coiling, with its face directly facing the front with its mouth opened, as if roaring.

‘Dragon… low nobility can’t have that.’

The nobles were no more. However, most retained their influence. With that hint, he theorized Ryan’s backing must be quite significant.

‘It’ll be hard to recruit him.’

Those from significant houses would be hard to recruit, not just due to their stubborn nature or high ego, but also from family pressure. People like this usually already had their own goal or objective to reach, with plans already made and in-motion.

That made them able to reach significant progress early on and faster than any others.

‘Just build amiable relationship is fine.’

While he was thinking, Ryan’s short spear already took down his opponent. It slipped through his opponent’s sword and hit his chest. Before it hit, he actually pulled back the force.

The knights noticed this, and nodded in regard.

His opponent dropped to the ground, having a little difficulty breathing. The shining blue crystals on his life armor dimmed.

Ryan turned to the judges.

“Continue?”

“Yes. Wait for him a bit.”

A judge instructed. They still could not see his opponent’s skills, since it only took him twenty seconds to knock him down. As for Ryan, his skill was more than enough.

“Using a sword against a spear, that child must be too idealistic.”

Krone sighed. A spear had more reach and wider attack area than a sword. Even a short spear was two-metre; long but not too long, suitable for beginner martial artist. Plus, short spear was easy to confuse another beginner opponent.

A beginner sword user would find it hard to defeat another beginner spear user. That was common knowledge in the army.

Sword was useful in many ways, such as in close combat or in tight area, or area with a lot of obstacles. It was a flexible and preferred weapon of choice for many. No one can deny its versatility, being easy enough to wield even with one hand.

However, in open battle, the spear would reign supreme in both one-on-one and group battle. It could be used in many types of formations, and be used in many types of Artes. Usually only after losing their spear would knights or soldiers used their sword.

Of course, spears were a hassle to bring around, but knights had spatial ring.

When his opponent gained his breath, Ryan continued. The moment his opponent rushed, his spear tripped his legs, disrupting his stability. With that, he swung his spear over.

And it’s over.

It took less time to take him down this second round. Defeated the second time, his opponent was crestfallen.

“Alright, we’ve seen enough.”

“Thank you, Sir.”

‘Nicely done.’

Soon Krone turned to Doran, over thirty metres; two rings away from him. Since the big boy could not use his own shield, he took a practice shield.

The gray metal shield was a little smaller than his own, but it was the biggest there. Placed standing on the ground, it almost covered his body. The shield protruded in the middle, in a way similar to a diamond’s edge.

His opponent used a sword, a dreadful weapon for a shield bearer one on one. With his slow movement, he was vulnerable.

‘Wonder if my tips help…’

His opponent moved to the side, aiming to slice his back. Doran jumped low, turned and threw his shield. His action took him by surprise; never did he expect this docile-looking boy to be so bold. Barely evaded it, a body lunged onto him.

Doran threw himself over him, his right hand took hold of his sword while his left held his neck down. Holding the neck was not an attack, as he was not choking him. He however, pushed his hand up to his chin, denying him proper sight. At the same time, his left elbow pressured the guy's left hand.

He effectively locked his opponent. Though his legs were still kicking, his weight and pressure made it into a deadlock.

‘Oh? It worked!’

This style of reckless brawling would not work against a veteran or a knight. However, his boldness ought to be noted. The knights made an amused expression, shaking their head.

Krone himself was not a shield-bearer, so he had not so many good ideas for him to use. He did practice against some of his comrades, in order to fight against the knight beasts; High-level beasts with style similar to knights. Some of them used shield very well, annoying him to no end.

Thinking about those beasts again, he sighed in melancholy.

He did kill some of them.

‘Those in Union, those responsible, they’ll pay dearly for this!’

For a moment, hatred filled his eyes. He shook it off, refusing to be controlled by it.

Since it ended quite fast, they told Doran and his opponent to fight again.

Having experienced his boldness, the sword user had his guard up. He tried to use several attacks to the side to test his reaction, but the boy turned quite swiftly.

His attacks only stung his own hand.

Krone’s tips on shifting a body’s position worked well.

‘Still bad, but better than before.’

The sword user started to get annoyed. The embarrassment from being locked down by this slowpoke already made him mad, now this.

Slowpoke should just give up! No place for you among the knights!

He wanted to shout that, but it was inappropriate so he shut his trap.

He turned impatient.

He used his hand to shove the shield away, with his sword ready to plunge into the opening he made.

‘Ai… It’s easier than I thought.’

That was a mistake.

He should never go against the big boy in sheer strength.

‘Now!’

Remembering Krone’s stern reminder, Doran took action. This chance would only last for a second, so hesitation would be his death knell. Bold and precise enough, it’s the opponent’s death knell.

While his hands on the shield, he clenched his entire body, especially his lower. With legs in full power, he plunged forward.

A second.

Shield bash.

Again taken by surprise, the plunging shield landed on the sword user’s body. The protruding side of the shield smashed him, knocking him away four metres.

He coughed in pain, and the crystals on his life armor dimmed.

The knights had seen enough, calling in the medics.

Doran sighed in relief, never expecting himself to win. He entered only riding under the wave of Krone’s confidence. Without it, he would never be so bold in the fight.

“Ahh, it’s over… ”

His legs turned soft.

‘Nicely done boy! Em?’

Krone stopped being childish, his expression turned solemn.

In his ring, an interesting one would commence.

Natalia raised her hand, calling;

“105 and 107, step forward.”

She stepped forward, her shoulder brushed past his.

Candidates turned to have a look. Eyes of envy, expectation and admiration mixed in.

A well-disciplined girl, clad in purple tunic.

Wearing a pair of crystal gloves, she entered the ring.

Eyes steady, she stood ready.

…

It’s Julia’s turn.

====== Chapter 16 End ======