Chapter 110: The examination is over ? (2)
As soon as the decision was announced, action followed.
Makeshift tents were hastily erected, food was distributed, and those in urgent need of care were taken in by medical teams.
Anti-drug patches were also handed out, along with antidepressants, anxiolytics, and various substitutes.
It was as though an immense detoxification program had been imposed all at once upon thousands of shattered souls.
The measures taken by the president managed to temporarily ease tensions at the borders, without addressing the root of the problem.
On the horizon, the sky seemed to darken a little more each day.
The duchy continued to gnaw at the land, slowly but relentlessly.
It was now only a matter of time before the border itself would be swallowed.
And facing the duchy, one man had been chosen to eradicate the threat.
---
His Eminence Kori stared at the horizon.
It had been two days since he had reached the border, watching the enemy without intervening.
Had it been up to him, he would already have unleashed his men to eliminate the duchy’s main forces, followed by a sweeping operation to finish off the survivors.
But orders were orders.
"I hate it when the chain of command gets tangled," he muttered sharply.
"The marshal wants the duchy erased, and then Gramm suddenly shows up to force me to stand here and watch without acting."
He was speaking to his subordinate, recalling Gramm’s impromptu visit, still fresh in his mind.
The latter did not seem particularly surprised.
"Our office has always had disputes with the Bureau of Exploration. Even if the director has changed, old grudges tend to linger."
Kori sighed.
"It’s irritating. The two directors can settle their scores somewhere else. The longer this drags on, the more dangerous this duke becomes. At this rate, I might end up facing something far worse than a mere duchy."
His subordinate let out a small laugh.
"You’re mostly worried about your fine hairstyle suffering from the dust around here. Besides, if the duke grows too powerful, the problem will be handed to someone else. We’ll be rid of it."
Kori smirked.
"Still... I can’t help wondering what Gramm had in mind by organizing such an examination.
According to rumors, he altered the second trial at the last minute without informing the other directors.
Either he’s a masochist, or he enjoys unnecessary complications."
He chuckled.
"If that’s the case, maybe I should become friends with him."
His subordinate shared his suspicions.
After gathering information about the situation among the other candidates stationed in the rear, he returned, visibly puzzled.
"It seems that instead of preparing to face the duchy, the candidates have decided to let us handle the situation.
They’re convinced the exam simply consists of waiting and doing nothing. I have no idea who put that idea into their heads."
Kori tilted his head, then burst out laughing.
"I’d really like to know what those eleven so-called ’prodigies’ are plotting."
He paused, casting a glance at the refugees clustered below.
"The Kingdom of Eterniti, which refused the treaty three centuries ago, and the State of Mirage, an opportunistic nation... no doubt something interesting will happen soon. Until then, we observe."
("Isn’t that right, Gramm?")
---
At the same time, in the refugee camp.
A young boy had wandered far from his tent, unable to find his way back.
After several pointless detours, he stumbled upon another child his age.
A little girl, barely five years old. Her clothes were in tatters, her gaze dull and lifeless.
"Hey, why are you staying here all by yourself?" he called out.
"You look like you’re about to cry. I’ve always been told that crybabies never become real knights."
She frowned.
"Don’t call me little. You’re just as small as I am. And I’m not crying."
"Then what’s wrong?" he replied confidently.
"You can tell me. I’ll become a knight at sixteen. You can trust me."
She looked at him, confused.
"A knight? What’s that?"
He froze.
"What do you mean, you don’t know? Your parents never told you the legends of the Golden Knights? The king, his feats, how he split mountains with a single sword strike?"
He shook his head. "You must have lived without faith... that must have been hard."
The girl opened her mouth to protest, but the boy had already launched into his tale.
"Listen, I’ll be your savior. I’ll tell you all the legends of our kingdom. Even if I have to stay awake for days without eating, I promise I won’t forget a single one."
He acted out every scene with enthusiasm, gesturing wildly as if he had witnessed the battles himself.
Little by little, the girl began to laugh, a faint light returning to her eyes.
When he finished, she asked in a hesitant voice:
"If the king was so strong... why didn’t he save my parents when the bad people came? Why wasn’t he there?"
The boy hesitated, then replied seriously:
"It’s forbidden to doubt the king. If your parents had kept the faith, they would have survived.
Look at us. Enemies have already come, and we drove them away."
He puffed out his chest.
"When you grow up, you can become a knight too. And when the king returns, I’ll join the Golden Knights. One day, they’ll tell my legends as well."
"And my friends?" she asked softly.
"Will they be able to become knights too? And my uncles... they’re always sad. I want to see them smile."
A figure had stopped nearby, listening.
Arnaud had heard everything.
From the child’s clothes alone, he immediately recognized that she came from those cities that had renounced tradition. His first instinct was to look away. Yet his steps faltered.
He remembered the empty eyes he had seen on the road. Past mistakes. The weight of inheritance.
He approached.
"If you believe in the king," he said calmly, "and if you respect the traditions, then you will become knights. I promise you."
The girl looked up at him with wide eyes.
Without realizing it, that promise would mark a turning point in the history of Eterniti.
---
Later, in the vast parking lot of the military base.
The place had sunk into an almost cheerful anarchy.
The candidates, convinced they had passed the examination, were celebrating without restraint.
The threat of the duchy no longer concerned them. All that remained was to wait for the director to officially confirm their success.
Some passed the time alone, others played games or laughed loudly.
A few, freed from all constraints, were already letting their less admirable inclinations show.
There was something unsettling about this sudden relaxation.
Sirius, a beer in hand, was recounting the latest news from the borders to a group of candidates.
"In the end, we risked our lives for nothing," he said with a laugh.
"All we had to do was wait. From today on, we’re colleagues. You’re already enforcers."
The others nodded, more interested in the drinks he was handing out than in his words.
"I’ll be right back, I need to hit the toilets," he said as he stood up.
"Aim for the hole."
---
Away from prying eyes, Sirius shoved his hand down his throat, vomiting all the alcohol he had swallowed.
He wiped his mouth.
"Alcohol really doesn’t agree with me."
"Still, you play the drunk very well."
Iris stepped out of the shadows.
"So?" Sirius asked. "Is it over?"
She sighed.
"Yes. The examination is officially closed."
Sirius raised his head, gazing at the now-black sky.
"Then what comes next belongs to the Calamities."
