Six months later.
Now thirteen years old, I had come to a small city in the eastern region of the empire.
Hazel had accompanied me this far, but from this point onward, I would have to act on my own.
‘There are a lot of people.’
With the entrance examination approaching, the streets were crowded with people who had gathered from all over.
The Holy Knight Order was, surprisingly enough, a highly desirable place to work. It was far more stable than joining some second-rate mercenary company or adventurer guild.
If your abilities were recognized and you became a First-Class Knight, you could live a life that others would envy. Because of that, there was never any shortage of people aiming to enter the Holy Knight Order.
‘Even without any special background, ordinary people have a good opportunity because they can become holy knights as long as they pass the examination.’
I pushed my way through the crowd.
There were many young men in their twenties around me, but I could also see boys and girls in their late teens.
[Those children look like they've received professional martial training. Their gait and posture are different.]
‘They were probably trained from an early age to get them into the Holy Knight Order.’
Still, I seemed to be the only thirteen-year-old child here.
Everyone kept glancing at me, but I ignored them and continued forward.
“What? Then you're saying we have to take an exam just to take the exam?”
“That's what I'm telling you. You came here to take the entrance examination without even knowing that?”
At that moment, a conversation between a few rough-looking young men reached my ears.
“You see that fortress over there? That's the actual examination site.”
The man was pointing at a fortress visible in the distance.
It had originally been built to defend against invasions from enemy nations, but now it was used as a training facility by the Holy Knight Order.
“The real examination takes place inside that fortress. But out of the hundreds of people gathered here right now, not even half will be allowed inside.”
“You mean the rest won't even get to take the examination?”
“Right. That's why you have to pass a test just to earn the right to take the real examination.”
“Give me a break…….”
Just as they said, simply getting inside the fortress was not easy.
A fairly demanding test stood in the way.
[Hey, you're not going to get eliminated here, are you?]
‘If I do, I'll have to revise my entire life plan.’
As we exchanged those thoughts, I headed toward the registration desk.
When I gave my name and submitted my identification papers, the clerk flinched and looked up at my face.
“Sion Ares…… correct?”
“Correct. I should already be pre-registered.”
“Ah, yes. You are. Here is your number tag.”
The gazes around me immediately focused on me.
“House Ares?”
“Why is someone from House Ares taking the entrance examination?”
“And he's just a kid. How old is he?”
Everyone looked puzzled.
But I ignored them and walked through the crowd.
I already knew their attention would soon be diverted.
“Cain Ares and Robel Ares, correct?”
“Correct.”
“Yes!”
Familiar voices rang out almost immediately.
My cousins, Cain and Robel, were receiving number tags just as I had.
[So those two came after all.]
‘The information Father obtained was correct.’
Originally, Cain and Robel had been scheduled to enter the Holy Knight Order without taking the examination.
But after Helena learned that I would be taking the entrance examination, she changed her plans.
She decided to make her sons take it as well.
‘Thanks to that, I can avoid being the only one attracting attention.’
Cain and Robel would be desperate to beat me.
Helena must have drilled it into them that they had to crush Kurt's son.
As if that would happen.
“Line up according to your numbers!”
When the examination time arrived, ten knights acting as examiners came out from inside the fortress.
They arranged the applicants into ten columns and began the preliminary examination.
Its format was…… an interview.
“Name.”
“What?”
“I said, state your name.”
“Ah, I am……”
“Failed!”
The first applicant in my line was eliminated immediately simply because he hesitated for a moment.
Naturally, the applicant's face went pale and he protested.
“No, how can you fail someone like this? I only took a second to answer my name……”
But at that very moment, the knight seated behind the desk drew his sword with lightning speed and placed it against the applicant's neck.
“The Holy Knight Order has no need for someone with reflexes that poor.”
“Urk……!”
“Stop interfering with the examination and get lost!”
The applicant fled with a frightened expression, while the people behind him became visibly tense.
[Good grief. Is he a knight or a thug?]
Normally, holy knights were not supposed to lay hands on civilians.
But examination applicants were an exception.
“Next applicant, step forward. Name?”
“Fabio Ronson!”
“According to your résumé, you studied swordsmanship for three years under a local martial arts instructor.”
“Yes. He was someone who had retired after serving in the military.”
“What was his favorite food?”
“What?”
While the applicant stood bewildered by the sudden question, the examiner tossed his résumé over his shoulder.
“Failed!”
“Hey……!”
The applicant raised his voice in protest.
“What does my instructor's favorite food have to do with the Holy Knight Order entrance examination?!”
“The Holy Knight Order has no need for someone with a poor memory!”
“No, isn't that completely unreasonable?!”
Anyone could see that the rejection was absurd, and the atmosphere around us turned hostile.
It almost felt as if a riot might break out at any moment.
But the examiner maintained a calm expression.
“If you do not want to take the examination, you may leave!”
“Damn it……!”
The situation was on the verge of exploding.
But then a loud voice came from the neighboring line.
“Passed! Go inside!”
It seemed the first person to pass had emerged from the line beside ours.
Everyone's attention immediately turned in that direction.
[That's a child, isn't it?]
‘He looks older than me, though.’
He looked about seventeen or eighteen.
He appeared to be a boy, but his face was delicate and his skin was pale.
He had such an intellectual air that studying theology in the Church of the Holy Spirit seemed to suit him better than swinging a sword in the Holy Knight Order.
But I could tell at a glance.
It was difficult to notice beneath his clothes, but that boy had an extremely well-trained body.
“If you keep your head straight, you can pass! If you want to enter the Holy Knight Order, answer the questions with confidence!”
The examiner handling our line raised his voice.
Perhaps because everyone had just seen someone in the next line pass, they stopped complaining and resumed the examination.
“Passed! Go inside!”
“Failed! Step aside!”
“Failed! Next!”
Every time someone passed or failed, all kinds of reactions broke out.
As I watched the various types of people around me and waited for my turn, a voice came from behind.
“You don't seem very nervous.”
It was a girl with short hair.
She looked about the same age as Cain or Robel. Fifteen, perhaps sixteen.
Her speech and expression carried a refined air, making it clear that she came from a respectable family.
“You look rather young too. That's impressive.”
“Does age matter?”
“I apologize. That was rude of me.”
She covered her mouth with one hand and smiled.
“To tell the truth, I'm nervous myself, so I spoke to you to ease the tension. You also seemed closest to me in age.”
“I see.”
“Do you think you can pass? Are you confident in your reflexes or memory?”
“This isn't a test of reflexes or memory.”
“What?”
While we were talking, my turn arrived.
“Then, I'll go first.”
Leaving the short-haired girl behind, I stepped forward.
The examiner did not look particularly surprised even after seeing me.
“Name.”
“Sion Ares.”
“Your résumé is remarkably short.”
“I haven't had much of a career yet.”
“You're only thirteen. Do you really think you can do well in the Holy Knight Order?”
“Of course.”
“I'll ask you once more.”
The examiner stared directly at my face.
“Can you kill someone?”
The moment I heard those words,
I drew the sword at my waist and brought it down on the desk in front of the examiner.
CRACK!
It was the sword Ianus Ares had given me.
A desk like this could be split in two with a single strike.
“If they are an enemy of the Church of the Holy Spirit, I can cut them down just like this desk. Without hesitation.”
I spoke calmly as I sheathed the sword again.
“Th-that crazy bastard……!”
“What the hell is wrong with that kid?!”
“He's trying to get himself eliminated!”
The other applicants began murmuring after seeing what I had done.
To them, it must have looked completely insane.
“You pass.”
But the examiner did not fail me.
On the contrary……
he even encouraged me with a smile.
“You're young, but you've got nerve. I hope you become an excellent holy knight.”
“Thank you.”
“Go inside! The next applicant will wait until we bring a new desk!”
Leaving the shocked crowd behind, I walked forward.
[I was wondering how that would go, but you passed remarkably easily.]
‘This much is nothing.’
Just as I had told the short-haired girl, this test was not really about reflexes or memory.
What they were really testing here was confidence.
The confidence to remain unshaken and do what needed to be done even when thrown into an unexpected or difficult situation.
This examination existed to eliminate anyone who lacked even that much.
‘A holy knight needs unwavering conviction. They don't even intend to give an opportunity to someone who lacks basic confidence.’
[I see.]
Once I entered the fortress, another knight guided me further inside.
At the place I was taken to, the boy who had been the first to pass the examination earlier was already waiting.
“…….”
When our eyes met, the boy gave a slight bow.
I bowed in return.
[Looks like those two passed as well.]
As I waited quietly, I saw Cain and Robel enter the fortress with relieved expressions.
[Do you think their mother told them what the examination would be like?]
‘Who knows. I don't know that much.’
I suddenly felt someone's gaze and turned my head.
The short-haired girl who had spoken to me earlier was waving.
It seemed she had passed too.
“Welcome, candidates.”
After we had waited for quite some time, a dignified voice sounded before us.
It belonged to a large, fierce-looking middle-aged knight.
The eyepatch covering one of his eyes made him especially striking.
‘That man is…….’
I knew who he was.
His name was Godwan Reisen……
a knight who had distinguished himself greatly in the Assault Knight Regiment, an elite unit of the Holy Knight Order.
I had wondered what had happened to him.
Had he left the Assault Knight Regiment and become the person in charge here?
“Now that you have entered this place, you are no longer civilians. From this point on, you will be treated as holy knights.”
“…….”
Looking around, I saw roughly two hundred people had made it inside.
The gates were closed, so apparently these were all the people who had passed the first test.
“Now then, we will conduct a brief test. Everyone, remain where you are.”
What kind of examination were they going to give us now?
I could feel the people around me becoming tense.
Watching them, Godwan gave a faint smirk.
“There is no need to be nervous. It is merely a simple placement test.”
At that very moment.
The sky suddenly darkened.
Because arrows were pouring toward us from every direction……
like rain.