A man in white walking to the stage
Slow, and steady, feet filled with measured lapse, shifting tension of the surrounding atmosphere
His vision scanning the class, from front to back, a thousand pair of eyes. staring in his way, pressuring him with attention he make.
Yet a professional as he is, his face never change a shade
Until instructor Ark stop in his track, right in the middle of the class
Silence befall upon them
"Today, we will talk about mock battle. The only event you must join, do, and excel, in this academy"
His voice come loud and clear, make no room for question to appear
"Most of you already know the drill. we will divide you into two teams, 500 each. Then you pick king as a leader, and the rest can do as you wish. You will placed in our designated place, and will given the map. Your objective is to strategize, to kill, or to do anything possible until you can capture the enemy king. Any question ?"
A few hand stand straight, Accompanied with hitch breath every time his finger appoint
"You, the cadet in red, what is the question ?"
"What if somethin...."
"You will not, next ?"
"How about surveillance ? will we be watched and parade ?"
"No surveillance, academy protect secrecy, we will announce your death, and the reason. But other, anything available"
The noble who ask, nodded.
"Will our Chael be affected ?"
"A lot, next question ?"
"Can we get tortu.. ?"
"Yes, Next !"
The questioning goes on and on, expanding for almost an hour.
While, they at it, let me explain in more intricate and familiar manners
On why the mock battle happen, why it's there and other thing to say
So Mock battle, is a way to test student, the most important means to test. Well in sense, academy is efficient, they don't need to sugar coat, no need to complicate something, thus the mock battle exist to do just this
The one and only test it is
Sure, other lesson exist, such as math, history, and other bunch of things, but it's mainly for support. The cost of creating each of them test compared to the result it entrail is not adequate.
Yes, other test exist, writing test is a thing, but the key word is "must"
Other than this, not must
They mainly tailed for other personal matter such as wanting to learn magic, most popular by the way, want to do research, want to be an architect, or other mundane this.
Yet, this world is a rough place
And what use of scores in the face of noble swords
Nothing
In times like, the only knowledge that matter is either about kingdom, about war, about past, or about fight, some times about etiquette, dance, and tea
But math ? science ? bzzt
Noble don't need Pythagoras to matter, they don't need thermodynamics, or know polar or non polar things.
A fool way to think, but it's world of magic, Electricity, is un required. Plus, democracy happen, because peasant, is too smart for their own good
Knowledge is power and to restrict knowledge is restrict power
The kind of power that nobles not needed
What a bitter truth it is
Well my explanation ends here, let's go back behind the curtain
"No more question ?"
The word were met by silence
"Good now, the for the team ....."
He slash the air with his bare hand. From bottom to the air. A crack can be heard, loud and clear, followed by a wall of soil, rising, like an unbreaking tide from the middle of the sea.
An awe full glare, trailed by movement of head, left end right, checking each other teams.
"All done, I see you in two days. You're dismissed"
Then, instructor ark walk away, leaving the class in their own device.
A murmured of sound, increasing bit by bit, into full blown sentence. An increase of noise, starting to irk Altaris more and more.
tuk tuk tuk
"this going is going nowhere"
He murmured, fingers tapping the table. his slumped shoulder, clearly telling his way of thinking right now. Violet, is surprisingly un care about the entire thing. The only difference in her habit is when the Instructor do his thing.
No, her increase of iris are not because of magic, but the realization that she almost in different team then Altaris.
She'll literally become a puppet if that happen
Yet while both of them was unserious, someone racking his brain to salvage the entire moment.
That person non other then Terra, the ever care hero.
He's unmoving from his place, while the other try to check their friend, concerning about enemy, he on the other hand was thinking. His eyes never leave the table, isolating his thought from distraction. He know a few name, is bound to happen after 2 months of studying together, but the problem is, none of them have enough standing to influence a noble, much less 500 people
He need to think a way, to convince, hall of the class to get him become king, to do his bidding
He have ambition, it's his driving force to become stronger
Yet, this predicament is more then individual strength
Unconsciously, he start biting his nails. Eyes unlocked from the table, start moving everywhere.
"What to do, what to do"
The word keep ringing in his head. The crowd is as noisy as before, for the past 20 minutes nothing has yet happen.
Then comes a voice, Voicing his problem in a flash
"You can't win with wits"
"What do you want !"
He glance sharply, into the source of the sound. Looking back, the guy red eyes is really suspicious, the way he come at the right moment is dangerous
"Just trying to help, here..... if you can't use Wits, force always works"
"Force ? against 500 people ?"
"Nope, not against 500 people. Look at them, they are scattered"
Terra eyes quickly turn to front, aiming the crowds of students, who, looks like band of sheep, eating grass without looking at each other feet.
"Be the dog, they are sheep, you are the shepherd. And shepherd always bring a stick"
"Then what do you want me to do ?"
"Do i need to spell everything to you ?"
He shake his head in reject
"Good, now you do what you do, just don't gave me the bad idea okay"
"Bye bye"
Then the voice walk away, with a wave still linger in the air
"It feels like i'm being used"
He doesn't like the feeling, but his mind can't help but accept teh deal. Well for now, he will comply. This is the last time he will obey another command.