Chapter 10
Chapter 10
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Enlistment Exam (1)
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Six months later.
Now thirteen years old, I had arrived in a small city in the eastern region of the Empire.
Hazel had seen me this far, but from here on out, I was on my own.
‘There sure are a lot of people.’
With the enlistment exam approaching, the streets were bustling with folks who had flocked in from all over.
The Holy Knight Order was surprisingly a solid career choice. Far more stable than joining some ragtag mercenary band or an adventurer’s guild.
Once you proved your worth and made it to First-Class Knight, you could live without a worry in the world. That’s why hopefuls aiming for the Order never stopped coming.
‘No special background needed—just pass the exam, and even ordinary folks get a real shot.’
Thinking that, I pushed my way through the crowd.
There were plenty of young men in their twenties around, but I spotted some late-teens boys and girls too.
[Those kids look like they’ve had proper martial arts training. You can tell from their gait and posture.]
‘Their families probably drilled them early, hoping to get them into the Order.’
But as far as I could see, I was the only thirteen-year-old kid there.
People kept sneaking glances my way, but I ignored them and kept moving forward.
“What do you mean we have to take a prelim exam just to take the exam?”
“That’s what I’m telling you. You came here without even knowing that?”
That’s when I overheard some rough-looking young men talking.
“See that fortress over there? That’s the real testing ground.”
The man pointed to the fortress visible in the distance.
Originally built to fend off invasions from enemy states, it was now used as the Holy Knight Order’s training facility.
“The main exam happens inside that fortress. But out of these hundreds gathered here, less than half will even make it in.”
“And the rest just get cut?”
“Yeah, so you’ve gotta pass the prelim just to get a shot at the real thing.”
“Unbelievable…”
Just like they said, getting into that fortress wasn’t easy.
It was because of the pretty brutal prelim they ran.
[Hey, you’re not gonna flunk out here, are you?]
‘If I do, I’d have to scrap my whole life plan.’
Exchanging such thoughts, I headed to the registration desk.
When I gave my name and handed over my ID, the clerk startled and stared at my face.
“Sion Aleyas… That right?”
“Yes. I should be pre-registered.”
“Ah, yeah, here you are. Here’s your number ticket.”
All eyes turned to me.
“Aleyas family?”
“Why’s someone from the Aleyas house taking the enlistment exam?”
“And he’s just a kid? How old is he?”
Everyone seemed puzzled.
But I brushed it off and walked past them.
I knew the attention on me would scatter soon enough.
“You’re Cain Aleyas and Robel Aleyas, right?”
“That’s us.”
“Yes!”
I glanced up and spotted my cousins, Cain and Robel, getting their number tickets just like me.
[So they showed up too.]
‘Dad’s intel was spot on.’
Originally, Cain and Robel were slated to join without taking the exam.
But after Helena got wind that I was testing in, she switched gears and made her own sons take it too.
‘Thanks to that, I avoided being the sole spotlight.’
Cain and Robel would be desperate to beat me.
Helena had probably chewed them out, telling them to crush Kurt’s son.
Fat chance of that, though.
“Line up by your numbers!”
When exam time hit, ten knights emerged from the fortress to act as proctors.
They arranged us examinees into ten columns and kicked off the prelim.
The format was… an interview.
“Name.”
“Huh?”
“Name. Now.”
“Uh, I’m…”
“Fail!”
The first guy in my line hesitated for a split second and got cut.
Naturally, the guy turned red and protested.
“Hey, you can’t just eliminate people like that! All because I was a beat slow with my name…?”
But right then—
The knight at the desk whipped out his sword in a flash and pressed it to the guy’s throat.
“Anyone without that much snap isn’t needed in the Holy Knight Order.”
“Urk…!”
“Don’t disrupt the exam. Get lost!”
The examinee bolted with a terrified look, and the folks behind him tensed up.
[Sheesh. Knights or thugs?]
Holy Knights weren’t supposed to mess with civilians, by the code.
Examinees were fair game, though.
“Next. Name?”
“Fabio Lonson!”
“Resume says you trained under the local swordmaster for three years.”
“Yes, sir. He was a retired army vet.”
“What was his favorite food?”
“Huh?”
The proctor chucked the resume behind him while the guy floundered.
“Fail!”
“Hey, wait—!”
The examinee raised his voice in protest.
“What does my swordmaster’s favorite food have to do with joining the Holy Knight Order?!”
“Guys with crap memory aren’t needed either!”
“No, this is total BS, right?!”
It was such obvious unfairness that the mood soured fast.
Felt like a riot could break out any second.
But the proctor stayed cool as ice.
“Don’t wanna test? Go home!”
“Damn it…!”
Tension thick as fog.
Then noise erupted from the next line over.
“Pass! Inside!”
First passer from that line, apparently.
Eyes swiveled that way.
[That’s a kid?]
‘Older than me, though.’
Maybe seventeen or eighteen.
Boyish face, pale skin, sharp and bookish vibe. Suited him better for theology research in a Holy Spirit Church than swinging a sword in the Order.
But I could tell at a glance. Hidden under his clothes, the kid had a seriously toned body.
“Keep your head on straight, and you’ll pass! If you wanna join the Holy Knight Order, answer with confidence!”
Our line’s proctor barked it out.
Seeing a pass next door lit a fire—folks shut up and got back to it without gripes.
“Pass! Inside!”
“Fail! Step back!”
“Fail! Next!”
Passes and fails brought all kinds of reactions.
I waited my turn, watching the parade of characters, when a voice piped up from behind.
“You don’t seem nervous at all.”
It was a girl with bobbed hair, about Cain and Robel’s age. Fifteen or sixteen, maybe.
Her speech and expression screamed refinement. Good family, for sure.
“Pretty young too. Impressive.”
“Does age matter?”
“Sorry. That was rude of me.”
She covered her mouth with a hand and smiled.
“Truth is, I’m nervous as heck, so I chatted to shake it off. You’re closest to my age, after all.”
“I see.”
“Think you’ll pass? Confident in your reflexes or memory?”
“This isn’t a test of reflexes or memory.”
“Huh?”
We talked, and suddenly it was my turn.
“I’ll go first.”
I left the bobbed-hair girl behind and stepped up.
The proctor didn’t bat an eye at me.
“Name.”
“Sion Aleyas.”
“Resume’s awfully thin.”
“Not much history to list.”
“Young as you are—think you can hack it in the Holy Knight Order?”
“Of course.”
“Asking again.”
The proctor stared me down.
“Can you kill a man?”
The second he said it—
I drew the sword at my waist and cleaved the desk in front of the proctor.
Crack!
The blade Ianus Aleyas had gifted me.
Sliced clean through a desk like butter.
“If it’s an enemy of the Holy Spirit Church, I’d cut them down just like this desk. No hesitation.”
I sheathed the sword with calm words.
“Th-that crazy…!”
“What’s with the brat?!”
“He’s begging to fail!”
The crowd buzzed at what I’d done.
To them, I looked like a total nutjob.
“Pass.”
But the proctor didn’t cut me.
He even grinned, giving me a nod of approval.
“Young, but got guts. Hope you make a fine Holy Knight.”
“Thank you.”
“Head inside! Next up, stand by till we fetch a new desk!”
I walked on past the stunned onlookers.
[Worried for a sec, but you breezed right through.]
‘Piece of cake.’
Just like I’d told the bobbed-hair girl—this wasn’t about reflexes or memory.
What they really wanted was confidence.
The kind that doesn’t crack in a tough spot and gets the job done.
A prelim to weed out anyone without it.
‘Holy Knights need unshakeable conviction. No point giving a chance to someone without basic spine.’
[I see.]
‘Bypassing via connections is hard to screen… but exams let you filter ’em out.’
Once inside the fortress, another knight guided me.
The boy who’d passed first was waiting there.
“……”
Our eyes met; he gave a slight bow.
I returned it.
[They passed too, huh.]
Waiting quietly, I saw Cain and Robel enter with relieved looks.
[Did Mom tip them off on the exam?]
‘Dunno about that much.’
I felt eyes on me, turned—and the bobbed-hair girl from earlier was waving.
She’d passed too.
“Welcome, all of you.”
After a long wait, a dignified voice rang out before us.
Big burly guy, middle-aged, rough face. Eyepatch over one eye made him stand out.
‘That guy…’
I knew him.
Godwin Reizen… a knight who’d shone in the Assault Knight Brigade, the Order’s elite unit.
I’d wondered what happened to him—turns out he’d left the brigade to head this place.
“Step through that gate, and you’re no longer civilians. You’ll be treated as Holy Knights from here on.”
“……”
Looking around, about two hundred had made it in.
Door was shut, so this was everyone who passed the prelim.
“Now for a quick placement test. Everyone, stay put.”
Another test already?
Tension rippled through the group.
Godwin smirked at their faces.
“No need to stress. It’s just a light aptitude quiz.”
Right then—
The sky went dark.
Arrows rained down on us from every direction like a storm.