"Name and Family Registry?"

"April Wyre. Daughter of Baroness Guinevere Wyre and Baron Jeffery Wyre."

"Beth Boates-"

"Hah-Ow!"

April rubbed her head. Beth continued.

"Beth Boates, First Daughter of Admiral Alps and Countess Kess Boates."

April held her giggle, but it came out of her nose.

"Sorry. Sorry. I've got it under control. Please continue."

The tightly dressed commissioner stared at April unamused. April's eye twitched, and she was biting her bottom lip to prevent it from quivering, but she held it together. When it was clear she wasn't going to fall out of her chair, he moved on.

"A mercantile and naval background. Both Ladies, no less. Do either of you have any military education?"

April still needed to cool, so Beth answered first.

"My family has spent a great amount of time educating me on the finer points of naval warfare. Included in my lessons were military tactics and drills featuring island warfare, archipelago maneuvering, sieging from the seaside, how to conduct landing parties and raids."

"Any experience in open fields, fighting duels, or proper weapons training?"

Beth squirmed, not used to being belittled.

"I have training in a variety of naval and siege weaponry. I also have experience with a broadsword."

"A broadsword is not standard weaponry, and you won't be using magical cannons or catapults as a Royal Guard. Your duty will be to protect the royal family and its most immediate assets. Your experience in tactics may give you a slight advantage over others; however, your lack of proper training in physical combat, dueling, and traditional weaponry will increase the number of resources the Palace must spend on training you to an acceptable standard. And you, Miss April."

"Yes!"

Her enthusiasm got the better of her.

"I'll assume no training."

"Wait! That's not true. I have combat experience."

The commissioner's pen halted above his paperwork. Only his eyes moved as he took another look at April Wyre.

"Go on."

April gulped.

"I've engaged with one of the kingdom's enemies recently when they tried to kidnap me. I used a sword to fend off the kidnapper's unconventional use of whips. When my sword was broken, I took up the nearest weapon available and eventually won the battle. Afterward, I realized my lack of ability for what it was and decided to take steps. My formal training started only recently, but I've made great strides. Look."

She held out her wrapped hands, undoing one of the bandages and showing the sapped skin beneath. She rewrapped it quickly, ashamed.

"I am already working hard to become stronger, and will, with or without becoming a Royal Guard. However, it is in your best interest to recruit me. It will do wonders for your recruiting effort to boast about the feat of shaping a young and feeble mercantile girl into a magical knight worthy of the Royal Guard. You can expect at least a 200% increase in applicants by next season. So, you see, accepting me is good for both of us."

Her speech finished.

Beth stared at her in disbelief. Those were lies. Every word. April had zero combat experience, absolutely zilch military training, and she pulled that statistic out of nowhere. That speech didn't even hold a candle to the one Beth received.

"That was an excellent speech."

Beth whirled on the commissioner, aghast.

"Is there anyone that can confirm your kidnapping?"

April's smug face became uh-oh.

"There is no record of your kidnapping, only runaways. That leads me to assume your story is just that. As for your colorful idea about having the Royal Guard take credit for training you, we'd do that anyway. I doubt we'd see such a large increase in recruits, and even if you did succeed, they would consist of mostly unwelcome applicants unworthy of the Royal Guard."

"But... But!"

April looked at her wrapped hands and held them up as if that was all the evidence she needed.

The commissioner relaxed his shoulders and spoke more warmly.

"Your hands are proof you work hard. But it also shows you work too hard and that you lied about formal training. No responsible trainer would allow your hands to get that bad. Building up calluses is good when learning to hold a weapon properly, but the damage to your hands goes beyond that. All this shows you are trying way too hard, for whatever reason, and that you will be a liability. I can't, in good conscience, accept your application."

April sagged, defeated. Beth felt sorry for her friend and extended a hand to pat her on the shoulder. It had been a decent sell, and no one could tell April that she didn't try.

"However."

The commissioner used the rear of his pen to scratch at his scalp.

"I've received a total of five recommendations from other houses. All of them are informing me that accepting you is the right decision—one of them is from House Sallow. A letter of recommendation from a Duchy is not something my superiors or I can ignore. And you, Miss Boates."

The commissioner held up identical envelopes, seals broken.

"I have two letters. Each is personalized. One written by the Duchess and one by the Duke. They practically scream at me to accept you both."

The two girls inspected each other, searching for an answer that neither held. The commissioner set the papers down and leaned back in his chair.

"The thought of strong-arming came to mind. House Sallow is currently on the outs with the Palace, but that's not something I want to bring to my superiors. They would likely lock me in a pillory for dropping that mess at their feet."

He rubbed his goatee, imagining. His head shook

"Forget it. You are both accepted. Sign here."

He flipped two documents around with two magic pens. April beamed and waved her arms excitedly before taking up a pen.

Beth couldn't decide how she felt about all this. April convinced her to do this at her behest, and Beth mistakenly believed she'd easily make the officer's track with all her training and experience. Instead, her lingering suspicions were confirmed. All her training was worthless in the army, and the only thing that allowed her passing was a letter from a Duchy with which her family maintained the least contact.

"Beth?"

She blinked. April was staring at her, holding out a pen.

"Ready for adventure?"

That caused an eye roll, but Beth took the pen all the same. They signed on the dotted line.

"We did it!"

"Not yet. I also need your signature here and here."

April's preemptive cheer halted. Beth laughed and signed, April a second behind her.

"Three more. Once on page three to relinquish your remains in the event of death. Twice on page eleven, stating you will uphold Royal Guard Etiquette, and promise never bring a goat to any classes or drills."

"Is that it?"

He opened a small makeup container of black powder.

"Thumbprint on page four."

"..."

He flipped to the last page.

"Spit here."

"Seriously?"

"I also need a signature in blood. Here's a pin for each of you."

=

"How about now? Are we done now? No more signatures or thumbprints. We don't have to spin around in a circle three times and clap to Mary Had a Little Lamb?"

"Woah, there. No lambs. They're related to goats, remember? But you can spin around in circles if you want to. It would amuse me."

April wanted to squeeze the sarcastic man's neck. Her thumb ached with phantom pin-prick pain.

"Just one last thing."

Beth held April back, holding onto her collar like one would a puppy. April's flailing was reminiscent small cat trying to doggy paddle when held over the bathroom sink.

The commissioner brought out a heavy object on a small pedestal. April's thrashing stopped. A hand unconsciously moved to an inner pocket. Beth lowered the stunned girl back into the chair.

"Is that a spinner?"

"You recognize it? It's a heavy-duty version of the children's toy that's been popular lately. House Astor produced this version specifically for measuring mana capabilities of Royal Guard initiates."

"That's Bell's. Astor stole it."

Her voice was tiny, accusatory.

"April?"

Beth voice was laced with genuine concern. April's entire demeanor had changed. It wasn't bubbly or ditzy like usual. It wasn't silly, or shy, or even depressed. It wasn't laughter that she was biting back. It was fury. For the first time, Beth saw April furious.

The commissioner continued.

"Once you touch your hand to the top of the device, it will forcefully draw in your mana. There is a two-step verification. Not only will the device's spinning speed increase in accordance with your mana output, but the display on the bottom will also measure a numerical rating of your potential. For reference and safety's sake, I'll demonstrate."

The commissioner put a hand to the top of the sizeable fan-like device and pressed down. The three rounded blades whirred into action, spinning. The display counted up with each rotation, climbing faster and faster. When it peaked, the device dinged like a microwave. The fan-like blades slowed once he removed his hand.

"670. Same as all my other attempts. Its accuracy and consistency are spot on. Haaa~"

The laughter he tried to force just sounded sad. The commissioner rebounded quickly.

"We've measured all the magic knights currently employed, and the average is around 500. We even had Prince Kly in here, and he scored a whopping 1239. The numbers seem to be exponential in nature, so technically, instead of being twice as strong as me, Prince Kly is about ten times stronger."

The math didn't add up.

"The system is a work-in-progress. As new recruits, we can expect your score to be much lower. Still, since you are of noble lineage, it will probably be somewhere around the low-end of 300."

The commissioner was a little off-put that neither of them seemed impressed by the machine or his number. He scored the second-highest among in his department! It was the reason they placed him here with the device, after all.

Beth took a second glance at her friend. Resolving to inquire later, Beth placed a hand on the device. The stimuli were as if a straw fastened to her palm, and a thirsty turtle was sucking out her motivation and willpower. Her head became lighter. Woozy. She was dizzy and lethargic when the device finally stopped spinning. Removing her hand, she brought it to her temple.

"How was that? Did I do it correctly?"

The commissioner peered at the number. He was sweating a little.

"923. That is... Exemplary. Well done, recruit."

"So, I scored highly?"

"It is more than impressive. I expect you shall speed through the magic courses. Now, Miss April?"

Beth and the Commissioner caught April putting away a rotating yellow object.

"If you could place your hand on the device, we can find out your score and get you to training."

April took a deep breath in through her nose, holding it for a few seconds before exhaling. She repeated it a second time. Noticeably calmer and with brighter eyes, she smiled. The reflexive act spurred the Mini-Aprils to push all her happy buttons. A false positive turned into a positive positive.

"I place my hand here? Hopefully I get a big number. I bet it'll be bigger than yours, Beth."

"Hmm. I'll take that bet. What do you want to wager."

A hand hovered over the device.

"I'll bet my entire Jerksey Score collection."

"You wouldn't."

"I would."

April slammed the button. She felt the sucking sensation. Then it stopped.

*Poof*

Smoke.

April's voice cracked.

"Fifty?"