The eight captains all remained on their thrones, watching the arena. The crowd was transfixed on Pretty Face, who was still in the air. Dancing around her were various lights. They were tiny, around the size of a golf ball, and flickered in and out, taking on all sorts of colors. Once more, the sun seemed to dim in the arena, everything becoming darker than it should have been, as more and more lights swirled around.
This was it. The final exam. The one that the other tests had been building up to. The test of skill, knowledge, and courage existed so the captains could vote on what members they wanted for their guild while also seeing them in action. The test of the soul, though, would determine who was and wasn't allowed to become an Arcane Knight.
This test was far above the others in terms of magic, as it used the king's mana, who, in turn, had the most considerable amount of Haru's mana flowing through his veins. In other words, this test was the closest thing that existed to an official spell that Haru could have cast.
The test would determine the life someone lived, who they were, what they wanted to do, and where they should end up. It would see and hear all, and a person would both come undone and be remade when it was through with them. If someone held malice for the kingdom in their heart or was a spy or traitor, the test would figure that out in seconds and alert the other Knights. If a person from another land were genuine and wanted to become a Knight and help save the day, the mana would embrace them and officially make them a full citizen of the kingdom. The test of the soul judged all and knew all.
That was the test that was about to begin.
"Who do you think you'll get on your team?" Crow asked casually.
Father rubbed his chin and hummed. "There are only two I really have my eye on this year. One of them is Cain Lunar. It goes without saying, but I'd like him."
"Let me guess," Dark Star let out a soft chuckle. "The other is Bruno Moore."
"Of course." Father nodded his head. "Though he might be a commoner, the mana he showed off makes him more than worthy."
"He's like Grampa Green." Crow whistled. "I could tell just from feeling his mana; he's got the blood of an elf pumping through his veins. It explains the unique trait he had that was activated in his battle with Cain. Shame he wasn't able to survive long enough to use that power in his third exam. I doubt he would have won, considering the threat he was forced against, but he would have put on a better show. Still, the results from the first test alone have me curious about him. I assume we all want him."
Myth let out a bitter chuckle. "I thought about voting for him, but I know that there isn't any point if you three are also going to try and snatch him up. I decided to shoot for a different noble. She did well in the first exam. I believe Ms. Irene will be a good pick. She also comes from the Lunar family and is a cousin of Cain."
"Yes, this year had a lot of nobles." Gorgon chuckled. "I was interested in Ruby Marsian. She showed enough skill in the first exam, and I liked her answer in the third. Sadly, she made for a shit face and caused too many issues, on top of the fact that she seems to have shut down after seeing something like a dragon. Perhaps it was her fear that was selected for the simulation? Either way, she turned out to be a failure. I've since moved on to Rowan Zyne. His display in the first round wasn't great, but he made up for it in the third by leading his team out of the dungeon he had been in. What about you, Dye?"
Dye grunted and had finally quit painting. He flexed his fingers and twirled a paintbrush. "A lot of people have the blood of ancients this year. I've spotted some with the blood of elves, some with the blood of giants, and some with the blood of something even more special… There's one I have my eye on, though."
"Who?"
"It's a secret."
Gorgon sighed and rolled her eyes. "Right. Scared we'll poach them, huh?" She smirked.
"A bit." Dye chuckled.
Paragon cleared her throat. "I tried speaking to Grampa Green, but he wasn't able to focus on the matches… Should I just pick for him?"
"Do what you must." Father nodded. Finally, he turned to the last member of the eight captains. "Anyone you want, Laer?"
"Piss off." The woman waved the strongest man in the world off. "I already told you, I ain't going to get any little bastards in my guild. I'm just here because that royal bastard asked me to come."
"I wonder why." Crow hummed. "We would have all been better off without you."
Father kept a calming smile on his face, and he folded his arms. "Now, now. Let's focus on the test at hand. It's about to start after all. If Laer doesn't want to grow her guild, then that is on her."
Back in the air, Pretty Face lowered her arms and stretched them out as the lights grew brighter and began to swirl around. They touched the ground and began to mold into each other, connecting and forming into what looked almost like a glowing doorway. It grew brighter and brighter and rapidly expanded in size, and Pretty Face flew up and landed on top of it when it was finally done.
Unlike the other exams, there was no simulation, and instead, a gateway of light would lead them to the next test. "Alright, everyone!" Pretty Face called out. "I hope you're all comfortable because we're going to be here for a while! See, this test is one at a time! When I call your name, please step through the doorway! For you, it'll take a while for the test to end, but for the rest of us, only a few minutes will pass out here! That said, there are over a hundred of you bastards to go through! So strap in!"
People began to mutter and get hyped as excitement filled the air. This was it—the final test.
"Oh, I should also mention something." Pretty Face suddenly smirked, and her eyes sparkled a bit. "See, there's something different about this test. The king decided to spice it up a bit." Her words instantly caused all eight captains to frown, and Father sat up fully. "In previous tests, you'll enter through this gate and be judged. From there, the votes you received from the captains will be tallied if you got any. If you didn't get any votes, you'll be booted and will have failed this year's test. If you did get a vote, you'll be able to accept it and become part of that guild. If you got multiple votes, you can pick which guild you wish to join from those votes. Of course, you can also choose not to join any guilds in the event that your only option is Phoenix Flight. That's how it has worked every year. Until now."
"What are you saying?" Father stood up now and walked toward the railing. "We weren't informed that there was any change going on? What are you doing, Pretty Face?"
Pretty Face looked back at her guild captain and let out a sheepish chuckle. "Sorry, but this came from the big man himself. Take it up with him." She looked back at the crowd. "I'm sure you were all told that all that mattered was getting the attention of the captains? Well, that's wrong. This year, the captains' votes will not be considered. The king himself has decided to determine which guild you belong to. When you enter through this gateway, you will be judged and viewed, and the guild that is best suited for you will be the one you are placed into."
Father's cheerful smile was gone now, and his eyes blazed with a golden light. "I never agreed to this. We've done things through votes for years. Why would the king suddenly decide now to change how we handle the rite of selection?"
Pretty Face turned back, and her smile grew slightly. "Well, normally the king wouldn't get involved, but sadly, there have been rumors recently that you guys were going to exclude some people from a certain country. Of course, these are just rumors, right?" Pretty Face asked, her smile growing. "After all, the king accepts all to his land and values freedom above all else. It's why anyone can become a Knight, so long as they value this land and its people and hold the desire to protect it. Haru created Estiria to be a land that accepts all, and it wouldn't do if anyone from any land were suddenly excluded for an unjust reason."
Father felt his scowl deepen a bit. The truth was, it had been his idea to exclude anyone from Mordheim, and he told the other guilds to follow his lead. In the past, people from Mordheim had been allowed into the guild. Anyone could technically become a Knight, but things were different now. Mordheim was openly attacking Rossum. Rumor was its people were even delving into demonic forces and utilizing the cursed power of the Ebony Knight.
Its people were evil. This was a fact in Father's mind. They couldn't be sane or reasonable. They weren't fit to be Knights. On top of that, the only people who could get out of Mordheim would be the kind who were wealthy and elite. The ones said to be delving into the dark arts the most. Father was confident all of them would fail the exam anyway, so there was no point in sending a single vote their way, since the test of the soul would deem them traitors.
"That's just a rumor." Father finally stated. "I have no idea how such a silly notion was even thought of, but of course it isn't true."
"Of course." Pretty Face giggled. "That said, just to be sure, the king will be stepping in for this year's test. You understand, right? Don't worry, everything will be fair and judged. If a person belongs to your guild, they'll be added in."
Father wanted to argue, but there was nothing he could say. If it was coming from the king, then it was a direct order.
The king valued freedom above all else. Ironic, considering he ruled a nation. This view he held, though, was one of the reasons the Knights were technically freelancers who didn't work fully with the kingdom or serve it in the typical way a military would. If the king wanted to, he could order them as he pleased, but he mainly let them operate as they saw fit within the kingdom's law and even let them skirt it a bit.
This was a rare moment of him putting his foot down, though. Evil or not, Mordheim, at least in the eyes of the king, still deserved a chance at redemption.
Father huffed softly and took a seat back on his throne. "Very well. Proceed. I'm sorry for interrupting."
Pretty Face winked at her captain and turned to look back at the confused faces of the exam takers. "You all have nothing to worry about. The test will do its job. It's the king's test after all. You'll all enter and be judged. If you're worthy of joining a guild and the king deems you so, you'll be given a cloak that shows what guild you belong to. If you're unworthy, you'll receive nothing. If, for whatever reason, the cloak you get is of a guild you don't wish to join, then you are allowed to forfeit and opt out; however, you will be deemed a failure and have to retake the test next year."
"Shit." Someone in the crowd muttered. "So when we all get placed in Phoenix Flight, we're basically fucked? We either join it or fail?"
"Failing is the obvious answer, right?" Someone else asked.
"Of course it is." Another person agreed. "You're going to die if you join that worthless guild."
Up on her throne, Laer's eye twitched slightly. "I don't want any of you bastards in my guild anyway." She muttered.
Over with Olivia, she rubbed her chin and slowly processed what she had heard. If she understood correctly, then that either boosted her odds or entirely made it impossible to join the guilds.
The vote from the captains was always required, and so all the tests weren't about doing the best but instead about making an impression on them. If that wasn't the case here, though, then it was likely that the test of the soul would look at how well she did in the other tests. She failed the first and second ones, but what she heard was that the third was the hardest to pass, and she made it into that one. That was good for her and would hopefully boost her chances of getting in.
It was also possible, though, that it wasn't based on how well she did at all in the tests and was instead based on something else. The king's mana is what allowed the grimoire app to work and was the reason only Estiria had such a thing. It was possible the test would look at her grimoire and view her stats, traits, and spells. If that was the case, then having a blood core, low stats, and only a handful of good traits wouldn't get her very far and would likely result in her being failed on the spot.
It could also be a mix of the two, which would still be bad for her since she failed over half the tests and had bad stats on top of that.
She was getting worried the more she thought about it. "Are you okay, Ms. Olivia?" Irene asked innocently. The blind girl was holding her hand and had noticed her body shaking.
"Y-Yeah." Olivia let out a soft chuckle. "Just a bit nervous."
"Well, don't be," Ken said flatly. "Just do well."
"Oh gee, why didn't I think of that?" Olivia sighed.
Ken's eyes narrowed once more, and a low growl escaped her. "Don't mock me."
"Wouldn't dream of it."
"Bros," Bruno began. "We're going to be fine. We got this. I believe in all of us. Just have confidence."
"Bruno's right." Ash nodded. "There's no use being worried. Let's just do our best when it comes to our time and hope we make it in. I, of course, know I will." Ash smirked slightly and shot Olivia a look. "You'd better pray extra hard."
"What guild do you all want to get in?" Irene asked innocently.
Bruno threw his hands behind his head and let out a laugh. "Obviously, the Shining Sentinels, Umbra Mortis, or the Mourning Stars. They're the top three. Besides them, though, I guess I wouldn't mind getting stuck in Pantheon."
Ash looked toward the captains. "My answer is the same as Bruno's, besides Pantheon. I'd rather get placed in the Wandering Coin."
Irene tapped her chin. "I thought I was going to end up in Umbra Mortis, but now that the exams aren't based on votes, I don't know."
"Why'd you assume that guild?" Ken asked.
"Captain Crow is known to pick cute girls." Irene shrugged.
Olivia nodded her head. "Honestly, I'm fine with any guild."
"Even Phoenix Flight?" Bruno joked.
Olivia frowned but eventually nodded. "I wouldn't like it, but if that's what it takes. Haru, I hope it's not Phoenix Flight."
Pretty Face cleared her throat and began to speak up once more. "As I said, when your name is called, step through the portal. Kyle Aarush."
Hesitantly, someone began to push their way through the crowd. It was a young man with caramel skin and bushy brown hair. He looked at the gateway made out of pure light and seemed extremely nervous but finally stepped forward, entering the field of energy. One moment he was there, and then the next he was gone.
Everyone began to mutter, all their eyes locked onto the gateway. It was so bright that it was impossible to see past it, and no sound came out either. Pretty Face hummed softly. "It'll take a few moments. When Mr. Aarush is out, we'll move on to the next name."
More muttering filled the air as everyone wondered what was about to happen. Finally, in a flash, though, Kyle Aarush reappeared. Instantly, it was apparent that something was wrong. His face was pale, and his body was shaking.
Pretty Face looked down at him, and her look almost seemed to be one of pity. She quietly clicked her tongue and shook her head. "I'm sorry, Mr. Aarush, but it seems the king has spoken. You are not worthy of being an Arcane Knight. You do not have what it takes. You are allowed to stay and watch, or you can leave. Better luck next year."
Frustrated tears appeared in the man's eyes, and he stood there still shaking but eventually managed to turn and leave. Olivia felt a twisting knot in her stomach, and she winced.
"Shit. Just like that?" She asked.
"Just like that," Ash grunted. "He failed so easily. It's kind of scary."
"I'll say." Olivia shuddered. Nothing happened from her point of view. He entered full of spirit and then walked out a second later, totally defeated and broken. Was that going to be her?
"Let's keep going down the list!" Pretty Face called out. She began to list more names off. It was in alphabetical order, using family and clan names. Since her last name was Lot, that meant she'd be in the middle, and it'd take a bit to get to her. It also meant Ken would be the last one of their little group to go up.
Pretty Face called out name after name, and many people walked forward. Some were men, some were women. It all ended the same, though. They'd enter, and then they'd exit looking defeated and broken, shriveled up and barely functional. They all failed.
Over and over, people would go, and they would leave not in a guild. Each time it happened, Olivia felt as if she had been stabbed. Was this going to happen to her? Would her spirit be broken so easily? She wasn't the only one getting nervous. Bruno and Ash also got worried looks. Only Irene and Ken seemed calm and collected.
Eventually, though, a name from their group was called.
"Ash Anderson."
Ash flinched as his name was called, and he stood there not moving. Bruno reached out and placed a hand on Ash's shoulder and gave a smile. "Ash. Bro. You got this."
Ash sucked in a large amount of air. Then he began to march forward. Olivia bit her lip as she watched him walk toward the gate. He stopped in front of it and stared ahead. It had always been his dream to become a Knight. He was strong but born unlucky into a common family. He could do it, though. He knew he could. He just had to take the next step.
"I'm going to become a Knight." Ash closed his eyes and stepped into the light.
"Think he can do it?" Ken asked lazily, looking at her nails.
Olivia gave a soft grin. "Of course he can. I hate the bastard, but… Ash is amazing. He's smart, talented, and brave. He has faults, but he strives to do better and fix them. He works hard and gives it his all. Ash can do it. I know he can."
"He's my bro!" Bruno announced proudly, and he punched his open fist. "I believe in my bro."
It took only a few seconds later for another flash to appear, and Ash stepped out of the gate. He wasn't as pale as the others, and he didn't shake either. His eyes were different, though, compared to when he went in. They almost seemed to hold some new light within them. What was most notable about him, though, was what he had on. It was a piece of black cloth that wrapped over his shoulders like a small cloak. On the front of it was golden threading in the image of a bull's head.
"Congratulations." Pretty Face called down, and her smile was genuine this time. "It seems we have our first new Knight. Mr. Anderson, you're now part of the Pantheon guild."
Ash did it. He had become an Arcane Knight.