Gasps echoed about the room. Alton was the only one who wasn’t shocked by the news. He was clutching onto his stomach and cackling loudly. To him, there was no way this situation could be any more hilarious.

“Alton!” Sybil smacked him in the ribs to make him stop. She was already on the verge of panicking.

“Obviously he’s a senile old man who is exaggerating a minor incident. It was only a simple exchange of words,” said Alton with a smile. “Nothing to worry about, love. No one is going to support his claims that I am a threat.”

Gwyn continued to speak in her deadpan tone. “You barged into a private meeting between him and his advisers, then made threatening remarks towards his well being.”

“You did what?!” Sybil hadn't heard of any of this before.

Zaniyah's head tilted back as she started to laugh. “Oh wow, that is awesome. I've never had to deal with him personally, but I really hate that Duke guy. I wish I could have seen it! He was probably all old looking with all sorts of veins bursting out of his face!”

“Alright, look... I can explain.” Alton cleared his throat as he stood up. “I didn't appreciate the way Duke Rubire handled the core massacre. After the new year, I gave him a few days to acknowledge the incident, but I failed to see a drop of sympathy. His silence made it clear that he doesn’t give a damn about core citizens.

There was a day where I may have gone to city hall and barged into a meeting of the crimson court without permission. I was only there to make a few concise statements. Like how he should stop treating core citizens like they were rats that were best left exterminated and react appropriately to the tragedy rather than ignore it. I had a list of every death and passed around copies of it to the members of the court. All I asked was that their families be written to and condolences were given.

Several days later, when the court continued to do nothing, the newspapers may have run a full-page advertisement. Simply letter asking the public to mourn the loss of those who died, along with their names. I may have paid for that advertisement, but I assure you all that I only did so because it had seemed like the Duke had misplaced the list I had given him.

That same advertisement may have also detailed the lack of action that the Duke took during the massacre and called for a celebration for the citizens who stood their ground and chose to fight without weapons or training. Though my actions were rash, I doubted that anyone would disagree with my logic.”

The ad had been printed the morning they were set to leave Carapace. None of them had seen what sort of reaction the people had. They also had no idea that Alton was the one who had paid for it, as he didn't feel the need to gloat about something that seemed like common sense to do.

Luca raised a hand and stood up. “Duke Rubire was in a hospital located within walking distance of the core entrance. When word of the attack started, he ordered all entrances and exits to be sealed off and that incoming patients should be denied entry. He wanted to ensure that his daughter and himself would remain safe during the crisis.”

“Did they actually allow for that?” Tish was appalled that a leader would ask for such a thing.

“Director Highland sent in a surgeon, myself, and Gwyn to stall the Duke. Gwyn sealed off the hallway that he and his daughter were in. We lied and said that the whole hospital was on lockdown.” Luca's hand formed into a fist for a moment before releasing. He and Gwyn were rewarded for their actions, and he was allowed to attend Braytons because of it, but he felt a pang of guilt whenever he thought about why he was allowed entry.

Gwyn held up a sheet of paper. “Remi was the one who informed me of the Duke’s letter. Lady Till has written back to say that Braytons operates under the king and is bound by the rules of the Gilded Region. Thus, Duke Sickleson will not be supporting extradition. If Duke Rubire wishes to press the issue further, he will have to contact the king. It is likely that extradition will take several weeks, or likely not go through at all. Lady Till will do what she can to keep Alton here.”

“Then why bring it up at all?” Evan spoke up. “It seems like a waste of time to ask our opinion if the whole thing is going to be settled without us doing anything.”

Gwyn gestured to Alton. “I wish to nominate Alton Toval to be our commander. I have already spoken to Miss Fletch and Luca, who attended Starsons Academy with him, about his previous experiences. He was the secondary commander of his year and was a respected individual among his peers. During his time in Carapace, he ran several fundraisers that aimed to assist villages located near where Lustro’s army is battling tainted beasts.

Out of all of us, he has the most experience in dealing with nobles and politics, which could also prove useful. In my opinion, despite his... Obvious flaws in the way he treats Miss Twist, his actions against Duke Rubire prove that he is capable of becoming a spectacular knight one day. He is worthy of Lady Larkin's rapier and has connections to several high ranking nobles.”

“Which means he could use his high standing to get us better missions,” added Basil.

“Exactly,” replied Gwyn. “As second years, we seek missions with those who may choose to offer us future employment. Having a commander with excellent connections means better employment opportunities.”

Alton grimaced at the thought. As highly as he thought of Gwyn before, now he didn’t know how to feel. Did she actually approve of him or did she have a position in mind that she was aiming for? Being related to Duchess Elbellziara meant that he could ask for subordinates of his to be sent to the Violet Court, which may also be Gwyn’s goal.

“Toval isn't even a squad captain,” argued Evan. He was always planning on returning to Tilrey after graduation. It didn’t matter to him what missions he was sent out on.

Tish raised her hand. “I don't believe being a captain is an issue. Connections or not isn’t a concern of mine either. The job should go to the one among us who can do it best. However, I feel that Vexi is still the best for that position. We should be more concerned about being capable of finishing missions we are assigned to, not who we do those missions for.”

Gwyn continued. “Mister Tuton will act as second in command to Alton. There shouldn’t be any flaws in their leadership as long as they work as a pair.”

Mila and Irving exchanged a look. She then raised her hand. “Bronzescale is… Ah, hold on.” Her letter buzzed and she went to see what Irving had to say.

“Macestar is against,” said Tish. “We vote to continue cycling through our current captains.”

“Baron Squad is for,” replied Gwyn. “I have already spoken to my squad and they have agreed with my decision.”

Veximarl glanced over to Moontear. They were huddled and were actually speaking quietly enough for no one else to hear. He then looked over to Alton, who shook his head. “Am I correct to assume that you had already discussed Alton’s nomination with Lady Till?”

Gwyn nodded. “I did. She said that she will approve of anyone that our grade nominates for the position. She did not give her own preference.”

Veximarl sighed. “Although Stonetoe stresses that we must be prepared to accept the reality of this world, I believe that it's important to note that we are still in training. The position of commander does not need to be awarded to someone who is perfect for it. Our commander only needs to be someone who will be mature enough for that role by the time we are third years.

You have put a lot of time and thought into your suggestion, Gwyn. You carefully analyzed what the role of the commander was and sought out someone who fulfilled those requirements. That alone speaks volumes for your own skillset. Thus, I choose to nominate Miss Gwyndolyn Hewitt to be our commander.”

“I second that decision,” said Alton with a wave of his hand.

Being commander sounded like too much of a bother. Being the popular guy was fun and all, but he didn’t want to do it if everyone only liked him because he was the one that assigned missions. That and he especially didn’t want to do it if being commander meant he would have to spend more time with Veximarl.

Emery, having finished his squad huddle, raised his hand. “Moontear votes for Toval under the condition that Tuton is his second.”

Tish gritted her teeth and abruptly stood up. “Why? You were against Vexi just last week!”

“Because we think Duke Rubire is an ass,” argued Emery.

As Tish's anger increased, Basil stood up.“As you may know, Timber Vale is the second biggest city within Duke Rubire's territory. In a time where we were under serious threat of tainted beasts, his response was to send over mages to create walls that completely blocked off the city. Our main income comes from processing paper and lumber. Our profits then funnel into the villages where we buy our food and other supplies. Duke Rubire destroyed our economics and refused to offer us supplies in exchange.

While our families were on the verge of starvation, the Duke continued to live a life of entitlement. It's not just those in the core that he has ignored, but the whole of the Crimson Region. Now that winter is over, we've been able to get in contact with our families again. We've been told that the Toval family, at great expense to themselves, merged their fortune with other generous donations so that food and medical supplies could be supplied to those who had been cut off from the rest of the world.”

“Don't get sappy at me about it,” replied Alton in an annoyed manner. “That was my father’s decision.” He had a sudden realization and grasped onto Sybil’s hands. “Have no fear, my love. We're only a little bankrupt at the moment. You know that, right? It's temporary. I've sent Duxton to the king with a very large bill that he’s agreed to hand deliver. We will be reimbursed.”

Sybi slowly nodded her head. “I know it was bad, but you should have at least told me how bad it was so I could have pestered the prince to help out more,” she muttered. “It wasn't like I saw him doing much aside from nothing.”

Basil cleared his throat. “I believe that it's best that we find a way to support the Toval family. It's still possible that Highland will be returning by the end of the month. We propose that our class be allowed a second vote for a commander in the event that Highland doesn’t return..”

“But what if I don't want to do it?” Alton asked.

“Shut up and be the stupid group leader already,” spat Chester in a harsh tone. “I've got a headache and I'm tired of all of us arguing about it.”

Tish’s hands tightened up around the fabric of her skirt. She then shook her head. “Macestar changes their vote to Alton Toval.”

Mila stood up. “Bronzescale Squad wishes to take a stance against Mister Toval’s conduct with Miss Twist,” she said. She began to summarize the conversation she had with Irving. “We do not wish to put Miss Twist in a position where she believes we are condoning his mistreatment of her liberties. As such, we will only support his promotion if she agrees to it.”

Emery raised his hand. “Moontear retracts its previous statement and will default to Bronzescale’s decision.”

Everyone looked over to Sybil, who immediately sought to make her smaller in her seat. “... It’s fine, guys.” Veximarl grew all the more suspicious upon hearing her statement. “Vex, I’m fine. We have an agreement and our relationship is completely separate from our education at Braytons.”

Irving raised a hand. When Mila didn’t look his way, he started to snap her fingers. She looked over before she bobbled her head.

“Bronzescale is going to add another condition. If we ever feel that Mister Toval’s treatment of Miss Twist has become legitimate abuse, she will be transferred into our squad while we hold a formal investigation. If we feel that Mister Toval’s conduct has been inappropriate, we will begin the process of expelling him from the barracks.” Mila looked around at the class. “That’s not up for a vote or anything, that’s just something we’ll be doing regardless of if Mister Toval is the commander or not.”

Emery raised his hand again. “Once more, Moontear will back Bronzescale’s final decision in regards to the matter.”

Gwyn nodded her head. “Baron will also agree with Bronzescale’s judgment.”

“As will Grimstone,” added Veximarl. He ignored the glare that Alton shot his way.

“And Macestar,” said Tish.

“Then we have unanimously agreed. Mister Toval will lead us as the temporary commander under the conditions that he treats Miss Twist more fairly and he maintain Mister Tuton as his second,” concluded Gwyn. “We're done here. Leave if you're not Baron Squad. Remi needs us to set up the classroom in time for our afternoon meeting.” They were going over battle strategies again and Moss wanted to use some of his larger displays.

Alton rolled his eyes. Great. That was just great. Not only was he promoted without his permission, but he was given a babysitter. It seemed like they were only doing this in order to keep a better eye on him, and they knew that the position would come with harsher punishments if he didn’t behave in a manner befitting a commander. He frowned. Alton had done wrong, but he also felt expulsion was a bit much.

Veximarl was with Baron Squad today. He looked up at Alton as the squire stood up. “We'll discuss our duties later,” he said softly.

“Not looking forward to it,” replied Alton. He then took Sybil’s hand. “Lady Till is going to be busy with paperwork until mid-morning. Do you want to get a few rounds of dueling in before we get stuck with her lectures?”

“Of course,” replied Sybil. “I could always go for a good fight.”