The bald man led the would-be-initiates to an open ground cleared by the Academy on the city’s outskirts. After a grueling two-hour-long march, accompanied by a constant barrage of yelling and screaming, they reached their destination. Say what you might about the method, but they made good pace. This gave them some time to ‘socialize’ before the trial.

Erec idly watched the instructors running past—men and women donned in their full Knight Armor. A few wore Armor models classic to the different Orders, but the majority owned personalized sets. Either they’d earned enough money, were from a wealthy family, or had attained a high rank for a custom model. The vast array was staggering. Given a chance, he’d loved to take a peek into them and see how they functioned.

The sheer variety was incredible: from the angled pauldrons to the slick steel-weave on lighter models. Their formation, modular bulk, and plating depended on the user’s Vigor, Strength, or Agility. Some even contained rare components to enhance their spells or prayer. Each Armor was a perfect compliment to the Knight’s unique Virtues.

These modern marvels allowed man to rival the monsters creeping into the world. Before humankind had struggled to maintain themselves, they’d been able to grow strong enough to protect their own. But now? Now they could thrive and start to reclaim the Earth.

Erec watched a man with a typical sword and shield walk by—an initiate judging by the rank insignia on the Armor’s shoulder. There was a white tower amid a blue backdrop on his chest, signifying the Order of the Azure Tower.

That’s going to be me. Well, maybe not in that specific Order. It didn’t matter much to him which Order he got into; any would do, aside from the Silver Flames.

He took a deep, steadying breath. Already some noble families were arriving early and greeted in the Academy proper.

It sounded like a grand time for them—lavish meals—and then spells gave them a front row seat to the action. At the end of the trial, the would-be-initiates were to walk into the main hall and have their offers presented to them.

But what was the trial going to be? There’d been grand melees, tournaments, and exams in the past. Every year they shifted the design of the test to meet whatever invisible demands they’d been facing. It was a notorious sour point for the nobles since they were left to prepare their children for anything.

For most of them anyway. Erec took a long look at the Duke’s son. I guarantee he knows what sort of trial this will be.

Not that it did him any good to dwell on that. Erec pulled up his Status one more time, partly out of paranoia and partly to keep himself busy.

Name: Erec of House Audentia

Health: 100% | Mana: 100% | Stamina: 100%

Holy Virtues:

Strength: [Rank E] | [Tier 5]

Vigor: [Rank F] | [Tier 7]

Agility: [Rank F] | [Tier 9]

Perception: [Rank E] | [Tier 1]

Cognition: [Rank E] | [Tier 3]

Psyche: [Rank F] | [Tier 6]

Mysticism: [Rank F] | [Tier 1]

Faith: [Rank F] | [Tier 1]

His Strength was his highest, by far, with two other Virtues in the E rank. Not a bad distribution, considering there wasn’t a chance in hell he’d rank up Mysticism or Faith. They were the basis of spells and prayers and required specific instruction or ungodly intuition to advance. Erec had neither the time nor desire to pursue them.

That was fine; plenty of Knights made their careers without focusing on those Virtues. No one Knight could be a master of them all.

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Well, any regular Knight.

Erec felt another line of sweat running down his brow. Both exhaustion and the heat were starting to affect him. Ignore it. You’ll be fine.

The rest of the nobles gathered around into small clusters to talk; even Garin had wandered off to his other friends. Erec chose to stay in place, content with his privacy and alone time. It was better to save all of his energy for the upcoming trial than waste it frivolously dealing with nobles who’d either dismiss him out of hand or avoid him due to his family’s stigma.

“Lines!” That same gravely yell ran across the yard after some time. Everyone scrambled to get back to position. In the rush of people, Erec lost sight of Garin. Oh well. They formed dual lines as glowing orbs circled them. Those were the ‘lens’ for the spell transmitting the image to the hall. Rings of magic appeared by the speaker’s head—it seemed this time they’d use magic to amplify their voice for the audience.

“Lords and Ladies, on this May of the 307th Year of the Goddess’s Rebirth, we shall begin our Academy’s prestigious annual trial! You might recall the endurance test of last year—which left our students balanced on little pillars of land for hours at a time, only to progress to a game of flag capturing between the remaining would-be-knights. What a spectacle that was! This year we have the blessing of some truly distinguished nobility seeking our ranks. Three from the duchy, and to this Academy’s great honor, a prince from the Royal family!”

He hadn’t heard of the Royal Family admitting a son. Nor was it apparent who it might be. Everyone had their faces hidden with the armor.

Not that Erec knew what the princes looked like, even if one was around his age.

“A truly distinguished gathering of talent for the Knights to choose from—to meet that and test the capabilities of these individuals, we shall be having a rare sort of trial. This trial will take several days and provide a much better measure of their real-world skills and strengths. Those hosted by the Academy will be provided with proper accommodation during this event. We apologize for any unexpected inconvenience.”

Now that’s shocking. Erec pictured all the nobles tucked away in the Academy starting to complain and demand compensation. What could take several days to show? He felt a flutter of nerves. Is my Armor going to hold up that long? With the last trial having an endurance test portion, he’d hoped that they would prioritize a different sort of Virtues this time around.

“This trial is unlike any before. Far more practical. The would-be-knights will be divided into groups and sent past the wall with an accompanying Knight Commander. Each is tasked to retrieve something of value, slay creatures, or overall display their survival aptitude over the course of the trial. The Commander will take notes of their actions and judge them throughout their time outside of the wall. Would-be-initiates will be judged on their capacity to operate in a real-world scenario.” There was a long pause as the whispering ran unconstrained in the crowd of nobles.

The test administrator shot the group a cold glare to silence them.

In a second the rings above his head vanished, and he addressed the crowd with his normal voice. “Now, do understand, this is a dangerous trial. Unpredictable things can occur outside of the walls, but to be a Knight is to embrace courage and danger no matter what Order you may join. Any not up to this task are not fit to be a Knight. Any that wish to withdraw is to do so now.”

There was a heavy silence; no one wanted to be the first to admit they didn’t have it in them. Erec stood straighter. No matter what, I’m doing this. For me, there isn’t a second option. There’s no house I can retire to and work within. I will be a Knight and surpass Bedwyr if it’s the last thing I do.

The pressure mounted, and eventually, a single person broke ranks. They skulked out with a lowered head and quickly retreated from the gathering. Then another. And then three at once. Erec couldn’t help but note that most of the people who left appeared to be in hand-me-down Armor like himself. Not all, but most. A smart move. Going in untrustworthy Armor is bone-headed. But I don’t have any other choice.

A stretch of three more minutes passed as the gaze of the would-be-knights divorced themselves from one another and returned to the test administrator. The man looked over the remainder of the would-be-initiates with a grin. “To the bold does the world bend.” The magic rings once more formed above his head to activate the voice amplification spell. “We have our contenders for this year’s trial! Everyone remain in place, and my coordinators will begin dividing you.”

The next few moments were a rush of activity as Knights stemmed forward and began to break off groups of five from the overall gathering. Erec felt lucky when one yanked him aside and set him in a group with Garin and another. Then less so when that pompous asshole Colin joined their group. Why Goddess?

She conveniently chose not to answer his question, though he considered himself lucky that the Duke’s son seemed uninterested in conversing. After learning their positions, he’d outright dismissed both him and Garin as being worthy of his time and attention. Erec wasn’t sure if it pissed him off or left him relieved to be ignored.

However, as another person joined, it became apparent that Colin was familiar with them.

Colin snorted under his helmet. “I’d recognize that house symbol anywhere. Lady Lyotte of House Luculentus, still having that petty argument with your father?”

“Colin.” She responded with a curt and icy tone.

Garin looked between them—almost comical with how his head swayed. “Uh?” Erec asked, elbowing his friend.

“Erec, we’re in a group with a daughter and son of two different ducal lines. Holy shit. What in the name of the Goddess is going on?”

A third member joined our group in a set of Armor even more beat up than Erec’s—it was missing plating on the back that left exposed wires sparking. Oh. That’s what they’re doing…