"We greet the Her Highness, the Princess!"
The students quickly rose from their seats and and heads bowed as the princess stood before them. Adrian rose with the others, but did not bow ninety degrees like the others. He gave a short courteous bow to his soon to be sister in law the princess acknowledged it with a straight face.
"Be seated," Princess Isolde said, her voice was neither loud, but it carried through the room with effortless authority. The teacher moved as well to let her stand in the middle.
Princess Isolde waited until the room had settled before speaking again.
"I am here on behalf of the Crown to inform you of a change to this year’s final evaluation." She began to speak as her eyes moved along the faces of everyone present in the room, "After reviewing the academy’s current assessment procedures and the kingdom’s military requirements, the Crown has decided that the final-year examination will also serve as an opportunity to select candidates for the His Majesty’s Royal Guard."
Baam!
The announcement landed in the classroom like a bomb.
For a moment, the students simply stared at Princess Isolde, struggling to process what she had just said. Then the room erupted into excited whispers, and even those who had been struggling to remain awake during the lecture sat up straight in their seats.
"The Royal Guard? Are you serious?"
"My father spent so much money to get me into this academy. If I make it into the Royal Guard, I won’t need his connections anymore!"
A few seats away, a boy shook his head at their enthusiasm, "You are all getting ahead of yourselves. We don’t even know what the examination is about. What if it’s something dangerous?"
"Then we will have one less competitor to worry about," the girl retorted with a grin.
Her remark earned a burst of laughter from the students around her, and the excitement spread throughout the classroom.
Princess Isolde watched the commotion without changing her expression. She had expected the announcement to attract attention, but the students’ eagerness to discuss the rewards before learning the full details was hardly surprising.
"Silence." Then her piercing blue eyes swept across the classroom.
Princess Isolde did not wait until the last whisper died away before continuing.
"Ten days from now, all final-year students will participate in a mandatory survival and beast-hunting examination in Graveveil Forest," Princess Isolde announced, "Attendance is compulsory. Anyone who fails to report at the appointed time without an officially accepted reason will be considered to have forfeited the evaluation, and should be ready to tried under treason."
"What did she say?"
"Graveveil Forest? We are going there for our final examination?"
"What happened to all that confidence you were showing a moment ago? You were practically bragging about how easily you would secure a place in His Majesty the King’s Royal Guard."
"I was talking about hunting ordinary magical beasts, not spending ten days worrying about whether something in that forest will eat me alive!"
A girl sitting in front of them turned around with an amused smile, "If you are already frightened, perhaps you should withdraw now. But then you will have to be ready to face His Majesty’s wrath."
"Who said I was frightened?" the boy retorted. "I am simply being realistic."
Graveveil Forest lay just beyond the capital, and its reputation was well known to anyone who had grown up in the kingdom’s heartland.
Its dark, tangled woodland and treacherous interior had made it a familiar subject of conversation among residents, hunters, and cultivators alike.
The forest’s outer areas occasionally attracted groups looking for suitable prey, but venturing deeper was an entirely different matter.
Dangerous magical beasts roamed beneath its dense canopy, and the lingering magical disturbances within the forest made certain regions unpredictable, and a careless encounter with the wrong creature could turn a hunting trip into a desperate struggle for survival.
The kingdom had long restricted access to its most dangerous sections. Even experienced cultivators knew better than to underestimate the forest, and those who ventured too far without adequate preparation sometimes returned with serious injuries. Others never returned at all.
"Ten days," a girl whispered to her companion. "Do you think that’s enough time to prepare?"
"Prepare for what, exactly? We already know the forest is dangerous. Unless you can persuade the beasts to leave us alone, I don’t think ten extra days will make much difference."
"At least we can improve our equipment and stock up on supplies. My brother went hunting near the forest last year. He said the most important thing was knowing when to fight and when to retreat."
Her friend nodded thoughtfully. "That sounds sensible. I would rather return empty-handed than become the prey myself."
A boy nearby overheard them and joined the conversation, "Retreating won’t earn you much if the examination rewards hunting results."
"Neither will getting yourself killed," the girl replied without hesitation.
One student near the middle of the room raised his hand, "Your Royal Highness, will instructors accompany us throughout the examination?"
Princess Isolde turned toward him.
"Royal personnel will supervise the examination boundaries and verify the results. However, this is a survival evaluation, not a guided excursion. You will be expected to demonstrate your own abilities, make sound decisions, and deal with the dangers you encounter." Find the original chapter at novelping(.)com.
The student lowered his hand, looking considerably less reassured than before.
"So they will make sure we don’t leave the designated area, but we still have to handle whatever we find inside."
"That appears to be the point."
"Wonderful. I always wanted to discover how well I perform under the threat of being eaten."
Princess Isolde waited until the classroom had settled before continuing her announcement.
"The ten students who achieve the highest verified results will be exempt from ordinary military service and offered positions in His Majesty the King’s Royal Guard, subject to the standard appointment requirements. Your performance during the examination will determine your initial standing among the candidates."
"Ten positions? That’s not a lot, but..." A boy exclaimed, "That’s an incredible opportunity. Just imagine the resources we would have access to if we were accepted."
"Not to mention the prestige," Another student added, "Serving His Majesty the King directly would open doors that ordinary military service never could."
"For noble families, securing even one of those positions could strengthen their standing at court. It could be our chance to establish ourselves through our own achievements."
"Provided you make it into the top ten," the boy beside her reminded her.
She smiled sweetly at him. "And when I do, I will be sure to remember how little confidence you had in me."
Despite the playful exchanges, the announcement had changed the atmosphere in the classroom. The Royal Guard was no ordinary military posting. Its members served close to the royal family, received access to superior training and resources, and enjoyed opportunities that were rarely available to ordinary soldiers.
For students from noble houses, earning a place in its ranks could strengthen their families’ influence and improve their standing at court.
For those from less prominent backgrounds, it offered a chance to rise through their own abilities rather than depend on connections they did not possess.
The ten available positions were valuable enough to make the dangers of Graveveil Forest seem like a price worth considering.
Princess Isolde let the students absorb the announcement before speaking again.
"There is one additional reward."